Let the lists fly!

...and Winter Break: Part II begin. I'll marinate in the city for a few days, and let the cards fly. So to kick off the end of the year, let's go with a boring and predictable. Perhaps, I'll throw in another for good measure.

Top Five Albums

5. NOFX - War on Errorism : Same formula, maturing sound, political as hell. I never thought NOFX could put out a sing-along about politics. The first listen will be the best one for you.

4. Atmosphere - Seven's Travels : We've got focused anger, aggressive hooks, and a few laughs rolled into one. My old roommate Dave would love the 'bonus' track. His beloved hometown gets a shoutout...and he loves to hear it.

3. Ted Leo - Hearts of Oak : This guy's songwriting is definitely worth a listen. He's a pretty good guitarist, too. He solos, but doesn't overpower the song with them. I call it subtle aggression...it's good.

2. Brother Ali - Shadows on the Sun : My friend PJ says that this guy should go Milli Vanili and pimp his songs out to rappers of a different race. That would be funny, but this guy put out one damn good sounding album.

1. Darkness - Permission to Land : Happy rock, crazy videos, and all the hilarious elements of 1980's metal...minus the cheese. If you're going to buy one rock album this year...buy this one.


Top Five Wastes of Money

5. Rio Mp3 Player : I wanted something light to carry while jogging. I thought the price of an I-pod was too steep, so I picked up a cheap one. The problem is that it's only 128 megs. With about 30 songs on average, I got sick of repeatedly hearing the same songs pretty quick. It was pretty neat to have for a while. I did get some use, but It was still a waste of cash.

4. Styles of Beyond - Megadef : I have downloaded a few CD's where I should have probably supported the artists with an actual CD purchase. This album is the type you should just sample on Amazon and move on with your life. I should have downloaded this album, listened to the mp3's...then delete the files. What a letdown. Don't listen to this album if you liked the first one...it will spoil anything positive you took from the debut.

3. Five Arby's Roastbeef for Six Bucks : This was for myself. My rationale at the time was that if I'm going to eat three at $2.25 each, I may as well and get more bang for my buck. I actually finished three but the last one was forced. Three times $2.25 is $6.75, so I came out even...but the waste of two sandwiches kills the value. Don't worry...I don't eat at Arby's all the time, so the occasional binge is okay.

2. Cover Charges : I threw down $20 to get into some club once. I don't have any lasting memories of that night, don't remember having fun, or even remember what the hottest lady at the club looked like. Walking through the door is not worth the price if there's no entertainment to be had. I'm glad I stopped that practice early this year.

1. Bass Amp Repair : My bass amp sounded funny. If I played for a few minutes, the sound became fuzzy and distorted. It sounded sort of like I blew out my speaker, but they were fine. I took it in, showed up the next week, tested it...and found nothing wrong with it. The diagnosis? Nothing was wrong. The price to learn that? $25. I wish I could make easy money like that.

Ahhh...no worries, no hurry.

. . [~] . 0 (Grumble) Grumbles .