RIP Renee Walker
Day 7 – Day 8

I gotta be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand I feel like 24 is capable of anything once again after coasting for the last couple of seasons (come on, Larry doesn’t count as a shocking death). I’m definitely engaged again. However, I feel a lot like I did after they “killed” Tony – like maybe they’ve pushed it a little too far. They’ve killed off the two most interesting characters this season in back-to-back episodes. On the other hand, I like the idea of Jack flying off the handle and finally shedding the political correctness that’s plagued the show since season 6 and I LOVE the idea of Chloe now being in the position of trying to stop Jack from doing something harmful to the investigation. I’m definitely getting the this-is-the-last-season-so-anything-can-happen vibe now (although this pretty much means they wouldn’t dare kill Kim, right?)

One last request: now that Logan’s back, can he stay for the rest of the season and maybe have CTU recruit Aaron Pierce and Mike Novick to try and stop whatever he’s scheming? Some redemption for Tony would be nice too. Also resurrect Michelle and Palmer, please. That is all.

-MPAW

Old School:

Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run
The Who – Who’s Next
Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros – Global A-Go-Go
The Clash – Anything and Everything

Disappointments:

New Found Glory – Not Without A Fight
This album isn’t as bad as the other albums in this section, but if I wanted to listen to something that sounds like this, I’d pull out one of their superior albums from ten years ago. I may be in the minority here, but I thought this was a step back after displaying some growth in Coming Home.

Eminem – Relapse
There were a couple stand out tracks, but this was mostly trash (and not the good kind like his earlier stuff).

Two Tongues – Two Tongues
How can two of the genre’s top song writers produce such an unmemorable collection of songs? Say Anything was clearly saving it’s best material for their self titled release. Hopefully Saves The Day does the same with their upcoming album.

RX Bandits – Mandela
The talent in this band is undeniable, but I had always listened to them because of the horn element, which unfortunately was completely taken out in this latest album. The keyword in this categorization is clearly “disappointing” instead of “bad.”

Also Receiving Votes:
They do not get a thumbnail but they can try again next year.

Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Fightstar – Be Human
Ace Enders and a Million Different People – When I Hit The Ground
Umphreys McGee – Mantis
Mutemath – Armistice
Franz Ferdinand – Tonight
Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion
MeWithoutYou – It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream It’s Alright
Harlem Shakes – Technicolor Health
Mew – No More Stories / Are Told Today / I’m Sorry / They Washed Away / No More Stories / The World Is Grey / I’m Tired / Let’s Wash Away
Dashboard Confessional – Alter The Ending

Favorites:

20. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Pin Points and Gin Joints
Ska
“I was in a barroom that was somewhere on the southern shore of Boston/The tender of the bar poured me a whiskey on the house/I had a love for whiskey, I chased it with a beer/I have a love for Boston and I loved writing it there.”

Out of all the reunion albums I was expecting this year, this was the one that actually happened (not sure what Blink 182 and Eve 6 are out there doing right now). Considering how many ska bands regularly get played on my iPod, it’s surprising that for the most part I’m pretty cool towards most of the Bosstones’ discography. The exception is 2002’s A Jackknife To A Swan which I really dig. Considering they have been on hiatus since that album, my anticipation for PP&GJ ended up not matching up with the final result. There are some quality jams to be found here (thus a presence on this list), but overall I was disappointed, particularly with some lazy songwriting.

Best Tracks:

I Wrote It
The Bricklayer’s Story
A Pretty Sad Excuse

19. All Time Low – Nothing Personal
Pop-Punk
“Maybe it’s not my weekend/But it’s gonna be my year/And I’m so sick of watching while the minutes pass as I go nowhere/And this is my reaction/To everything I fear/Cause I’ve been going crazy/I don’t want to waste another minute here.”

I just can’t help myself. I like crappy music sometimes and this is an example of that vice. All Time Low popped onto my radar because they were a local band to me when I was living in Maryland. Now they seem positioned to be this generation’s Blink-182 (when I say “this generation” I mean the horrible, thieving, whoring, Twilight-loving, Hot Topic generation who are too young to know who Monica Lewinski or Lou Bega are). The lyrics are stupid and poppy and this album will probably rot your brain, but it really is great driving music. At its best it sounds like New Found Glory in their heyday. “Keep The Change You Filthy Animal” seriously could have been written by NFG in 2002.

Best Tracks:

Weightless
Break Your Little Heart
A Party Song (The Walk Of Shame)

18. Arctic Monkeys – Humbug
Rock
“The next time that I caught my own reflection it was on its way to meet you/Thinking of excuses to postpone/You never looked like yourself from the side/But your profile could not hide/The fact you knew I was approaching your throne/With folded arms you occupied/The bench like toothache/Stood and puffed your chest out like you’d never lost a war/Although I tried so not to suffer the indignity of a reaction/There was no cracks to grasp or gaps to claw”

Let me start out by saying that if this were the Arctic Monkeys’ first album I would not have listened to any of their other ones. I definitely had to let it grow on me. Every song still sounds like it belongs in a James Bond movie, but now they belong in the boring parts. Maybe the parts in M’s office. There are still a few standout tracks that will grab you on the first spin, but enjoyment of this album comes just relaxing and going along with the looser feel. While I like this album, it’s not really what I’m looking for from this band. I’d gladly trade in some maturity and band growth in favor of some of the infectiousness of their first two albums.

Best Tracks:

Crying Lightning
Pretty Visitors
The Jeweler’s Hands

17. Fake Problems – It’s Great To Be Alive
Indie Rock/Punk
“You said I do not love him anymore/And as the words left your mouth/I should have went for the door/But I forgot how skilled an actress you are /So I stuck around like a fool asking for more.”

Fake Problems’ sophomore album It’s Great To Be Alive is my first exposure to the band and it definitely made an impression. The album tackles issues ranging from relationships to religion to loneliness. The band seems to come from a punk background, but has expanded on that base to include a wide array of instruments that will always keep you on your toes. At times this band even sounds like something that would be concocted by the Muppets (and I mean that in the best possible way).

Best Tracks:

You’re A Serpent, You’re A She-Snake
Level With The Devil
Heart BPM

16. The Dangerous Summer – Reach For The Sun
Pop-Rock
“So tell me what you think of the atmosphere/And all those months inside my head/Well do you really believe in me?/I will hold this like a gun/Because I’ve got some things to do.”

This is that album that I kept forgetting about but when I would listen to it I’d still be surprised by how good it is. Instrumentally, there isn’t anything groundbreaking going on here, but it is catchy enough. What sets this album apart is the deceptively dark lyrics that if you’re not paying attention would not seem to go with the style of music being played. I’d also recommend this Ellicott City, Maryland band to anyone who is missing The Starting Line (at least their later work), because the similarity of styles, particularly the vocals, is striking.

Best Tracks:

Settle Down
Surfaced
This Is War

15. Chuck Ragan – Gold Country
Americana/Folk/Acoustic
“A wise old friend recently told me/An idle mind is the devils playpen/Mind the gaps and watch them closely/Spread the love but choose your friends wisely/Love yourself to love your family/And find the difference between wants and needs/Be sure to stop and count your blessings/Smell the roses and fight for something.”

Chuck Ragan was a part of the inexplicable folk phase I went through for a couple months this year. I got hooked on his first solo album Feast Or Famine and anticipated this album for much of 2009. There’s something about this style of music that takes me to a peaceful place. This was my soundtrack to several summer sunsets on my deck this year with a beer in hand. I’m not sure why this style of music has never clicked with me until now, but I know I’ve never needed a peace of mind more than I have this year so maybe it all makes sense.

Best Tracks:

For Goodness Sake
Done And Done
10 West
Ole Diesel

14. AFI – Crash Love
Pop-Rock/Punk
“I thought you sang so tastefully/But now I see I was wrong/Your serenade turns to filth/when I leave so, please, cut the love song.”

First of all, thank God somebody got a haircut, so I don’t have to vomit every time I think about this band. I guess it’s better to vomit because of hair than because of your music though (I’m looking at you, BrokeNCYDE). Thankfully, this is not AFI’s problem. I really only started listening after Decemberunderground so my frame of reference is ridiculously small but Crash Love is my favorite release by this band. Gone are the synthy grooves of Decemberunderground replaced with a more poppy sound while still remaining true to the band’s goth-punk roots.

Best Tracks:

Okay, I Feel Better Now
Medicate
Darling, I Want To Destroy You
Cold Hands

13. Big D And The Kids Table – Fluent In Stroll
Ska
“8-6-5/Baby study the rhyme/Dancing in the street all loopy and blind/2-3-9/My little partner in crime/Didn’t study for the test and it’s past bedtime/8-6-5/Baby study the rhyme/Feeling like we’re moving through water tonight/2-3-9/It’s a victimless crime/Just digging on the feeling of feeling sublime”

This album really came out of nowhere to become a staple of my summer soundtrack. I’ve never been a fan of this band. Like, at all. So I’m not sure why I even gave it a chance, but I’m glad I did. They call their new style “stroll,” which is described on Wikipedia as “a mix of double-dutch, ska, reggae, and soul.” Double-dutch? I’m pretty sure that’s as made up as “stroll,” but the final result is a breezy, relaxed album that I will probably breaking out for many summers to come.

Best Tracks:

Doped Up Dollies On A One Way Ticket To Blood
Describing The Sky
A Kiss A Week
Fluent In Stroll

12. Cartel – Cycles
Pop-Punk
“Let me reintroduce myself/As a man with a cause/I’ve had a lot of time to think/And look at who we are/And I’ve got nothing left to say/But we’ve got to carry on/And I’ve got so much left to do/But I’ll start with this song.”

Following Cartel’s pop-punk classic Chroma, there were a lot of high hopes for their follow up self titled album. I, and many others apparently, were left a little disappointed. Only this year did I finally decide that I was perhaps too harsh on the self-titled, but Cycles really represents more what I’m looking for out of this band: upbeat pop-punk tunes. While Cycles doesn’t reach the heights of Chroma, it is more a step in that direction. In fact, if I have a criticism of this album it’s that it’s a bit too homogenous and could maybe use a couple more change of pace songs. Regardless, this album is exactly what you’d expect with catchy summertime driving tunes and terrific vocals.

Best Tracks:

The Perfect Mistake
Only You
It Still Remains
Retrograde

11. Elvis Costello – Secret, Profane, and Sugarcane
Americana/Country/Acoustic
“If you were my life’s companion/As it seems you may turn out to be/I’m contemplating/How I hope I’ll find you waiting/At the very end of this crooked line.”

As prolific as Costello is (he’s released 11 albums in the past 8 years), I try to always to at least check out every release. Last year’s back-to-basics album Momofuku was certainly a highlight of recent years but in years past this bluegrassy offering would have been pretty quickly discarded by yours truly. Oddly, I was actually in the midst of a folk/Americana kick inspired primarily by Chuck Ragan, so this was released with impeccable timing.

Best Tracks:

Complicated Shadows
Hidden Shame
The Crooked Line
Changing Partners

10. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Punk
“Mayday this is not a test!/As the neighborhood burns/American is falling/Vigilantes warning you/Calling Christian and Gloria!”

Note to Green Day: you are not The Who, no matter how much you’d like to be. The first couple of times I listened to this album I hated it. Part of that was probably based on my thoughts on the first single, “Know Your Enemy,” which could be summed up with, “It took you five years to write…this?” That song fits a lot better within the context of the album, but still I don’t find much that really sticks out in the first half of this record. Luckily it’s so freaking long, that there’s still plenty of material that packs a punch in the second half. The bottom line is that I can appreciate wanting to give your fans as many new songs as possible after producing nothing for five years, but someone really needed to tell Green Day to take a hatchet to maybe a quarter of these songs. It would have made the final product a much more enjoyable listen for me.

Best Tracks:

Peacemaker
Restless Heart Syndrome
21 Guns
American Eulogy

9. The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love
Indie
“And here I am, softer than a shower/And here I am, to garland you with flowers/To lay you down in a clover bed/The stars a roof above our heads/And we’ll lie until the Corn Crake crows/Bereft of the weight of our summer clothes/And I’d wager all/The hazards of love.”

This band is so weird, but so good. After the critically acclaimed The Crane Wife, The Decemberists got even more ambitious and wrote a musical. As best I can tell the story is as follows: a girl falls in love with a boy who occasionally shape shifts into a fawn. They do it on a clover bed and the girl gets knocked up. The dude’s mom is some sort of forest queen witch who forbids him from being with the girl. Meanwhile a Rake who has murdered his wife and children has kidnapped the girl. SPOILER ALERT: I’m pretty sure everyone dies. I knew a guy who did that in high school once. You want something a little more mainstream, perhaps you should be looking elsewhere.

Best Tracks:

The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid
The Rake’s Song
The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

8. Manchester Orchestra – Mean Everything To Nothing
Rock
“You mean everything to nothing/You mean everything to nobody/But me.”

The theme of this album can pretty much be summed up by the second line of the first song: “I am the only son of a pastor I know who does the things I do.” The lead singer’s religious hang-ups hang heavy from beginning to end and it’s a bit ambiguous where he’s ended up with the bulk of the album seeming to deal with the fallout of a newfound disbelief, but ending with the line, “Oh my God, let me see again.” As someone who grew up in a very Christian household but ended up not as well behaved as my parents would like, I always find albums like this interesting. I only wish the music itself were more consistent. This album contains some of my favorite songs of 2009, but also some tracks that I can hardly ever get through without skipping. This would probably be an album of the year contender if it was able to maintain the highs that it often achieves.

Best Tracks:

Shake It Out
Pride
Everything To Nothing
The River

7. Say Anything – Say Anything
Emo/Pop-Punk
“Your life is always the post of something else/Where is the present in the way that you present yourself?/And it’s disgusting how little that you try/The existential equivalent of pink eye/Drink alone and watch TV/You’re expecting harmonies/To tap your tunes with silver spoons/Anthem of impending doom/Guiding Satan’s steady hand/Forcing Beatles to disband/It’s ego freaks and drama queens/The young at heart know what I mean.”

Max Bemis, the Jewish, foul mouthed, pill-popping man ho, has apparently married and converted to Christianity and now he writes songs about Jesus and, oddly, the Lehigh Valley. Not that any of those developments are bad, but a fan of Say Anything would have a right to be skeptical of the band’s future output given their past material. I’m happy to report that this self-titled release is the best material they’ve done this side of the classic …Is A Real Boy. I’m apparently the only person left who still enjoys In Defense Of The Genre, but I will admit that double album was just flat out too long. I have a hard time imagining a fan of IARB who did not enjoy IDOTG not being won over yet again by this album. SA is quick and to the point, but still maintains the lyrical wit that you would expect from Say Anything. You would think that a spiritually content Max Bemis, who is apparently finally in a stable relationship, would not be as interesting. As he says in “Mara and Me,” “I can’t keep writing the same damn song over and over again,” and this new mature and content tone wrapped up in the poppiest melodies they’ve ever written is surprisingly satisfying given that background.

Best Tracks:

Hate Everyone
Do Better
Mara and Me
Ahhh…Men

6. Morrissey – Years of Refusal
Rock
“It’s not your birthday anymore/There’s no need to be kind to you/And the will to make you smile and belong has now gone/It’s not your birthday anymore/Did you really think we meant all of those syrupy, sentimental things that we said yesterday.”

Years of Refusal was the first album this year that really made an impression on me, which I was not expecting given my history with Morrissey (my history with Morrissey being listening to “Every Day Is Like Sunday” maybe twice a year). The difference this time around is that he has traded in a little bit of his old man emo for some old fashioned rock and roll. The dude is still mopey and battling hang ups that he should have shed decades ago, but this time around the music behind it is equally interesting. I’m not nearly well versed enough in Morrissey’s discography to know if there’s an equivalent album out there, but this is the first material I’ve ever heard from him where he sounds like he’s almost having fun while doing his sad clown routine.

Best Tracks:

Mama Lay Softly In The Riverbed
When I Last Spoke To Carol
It’s Not Your Birthday Anymore
I’m OK By Myself

5. The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You
Americana/Folk
“There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light/In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right/And it comes in black and it comes in white/And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it”

I’m taking a huge risk ranking this album where I am and I have a feeling that I may be splitting the difference one way or another. At the time of writing I simply have not had enough time with it to make a final judgment so I could see it being in my top 3 albums for 2009 or I could see it being lower than this. As you can see from the preceding albums on this list, my tastes shifted slightly towards a more rustic sound this year (while never quite going all-out country). I feel like all those albums may have just paved the way for me to fall in love with I And Love And You. My instincts are telling me that this will be a “gateway drug” if you will into folk music just as Dog Problems was for me into indie music. Whether that pans out or not is yet to be decided, but what is certain is that The Avett Brothers have written an album full of touching lyrics set to melodies that are simplistic, yet beautiful almost in a spiritual way. While I don’t want to get tired of this album any time soon, I’m anxious to dig into their back catalogue whenever that eventually happens (or perhaps even before).

Best Tracks:

I And Love And You
Head Full Of Doubt/Road Full Of Promise
The Perfect Space
Ill With Want
Incomplete And Insecure

4. John Mayer – Battle Studies
Pop
“I was a killer/Was the best they’d ever seen/I’d steal your heart before you ever heard a thing/I’m an assassin and I had a job to do/Little did I know that girl was an assassin too.”

Continuum was the album that took John Mayer from someone I never listen to to someone that I listen to when I’m in a certain mood. Battle Studies may very well be the album that turns him into an anytime, anywhere entry in my playlist. The bluesy elements of Continuum are gone in favor of a more straight up acoustic sound, although there is also some experimentation with his traditional sound. What is most striking to me about this album is how relatable all these relationship-based songs are while being written by a dude whose actual love life can’t possibly be relatable to more than .3% of the general population. I’m certainly not included in that .3%, yet I can’t seem to get enough of this album.

Best Tracks:

Heartbreak Warfare
Perfectly Lonely
Assassin
Friends, Lovers, Or Nothing

3. Brand New – Daisy
Rock
“Little light/Lead us through the night/And if we die burn down the forest/Chariots/Carry us distances we don’t care to walk/I’m on my way out.”

It took me three albums but I finally cracked Brand New’s code. I knew before listening to Daisy that a) I wouldn’t like it right off the bat and b) what I was expecting is not what I would be getting. Even expecting the unexpected it’s hard not to be taken aback by the sheer brutality of the opening track “Vices.” The second track settles back down into familiar BN acoustic territory, but the edge of that opening track rears its head fairly regularly. I usually don’t care for the whole screamo thing but it didn’t take many spins before realizing that the screamy songs were my favorites.

This is also the first album where Jesse Lacey hands the reins over for the bulk of the album lyrically and unfortunately it shows. While there were a few cringe worthy moments in The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, they seem more prevalent this time around (“I’d serve you drugs on a silver plate?” “Run a million miles if you want first prize?”), and the nonsensical filler track, “Be Gone” is even more obnoxious than “Untitled” in TDAGARIM. With the disclaimer that this soon after its release my attitude was the same towards The Devil and God (which I now consider a much-loved classic), Daisy appears destined to merely be an album I like a lot instead of an album I love. Ask me again in a year though.

Best Tracks:

Vices
At The Bottom
Gasoline
Sink
Noro

2. Muse – The Resistance
Rock
“They will not force us/They will stop degrading us/They will not control us/We will be victorious.”

OK, so I’m waaaaay late to the Muse bandwagon, but I’m glad I’m hopping on when I am. My first exposure was to the single “Uprising” and it dawned on me that I was listening to a non-country band that actually seemed on the same bandwidth as me politically. Whether that was their actual intent or not, it’s certainly easy to interpret this album as a collection of libertarian “fight the power” anthems. Yes, this fit my mood every well this year. It’s almost as if they sat down and tried to write 1984: The Album and it is every bit as epic as the novel.

In a year where every day’s news headlines seemed to bring a new outrage it felt good to drive home from work in the evening cranking up this album and feel a little more empowered to fight back. I don’t know how this album will age on me years from now, but I do know that I will have a hard time listening to it in the future and not have it instantly take me back to 2009.

Best Tracks:

Uprising
Resistance
Unnatural Selection
MK Ultra
Exogenesis Symphony: Part 1 (Overture)

1. fun. – Aim & Ignite
Indie-Pop
“We were the get rich quick kids/We never got it right/So we settled for the center of town/Where all the rich white kids is out looking for a fight/Got the blonde one staring me down/And I really want to take a swing/I can’t help but remember James Dean/See we are part of the few who agree/That hey he lived life fast but he died/Me, I’m gonna live forever.”

This was probably my most anticipated release since The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, and even in a musically dense year with many great releases, this is easily my favorite album of 2009. The Format’s Dog Problems was an immensely influential album for me, so after that band’s demise I couldn’t help but accept with some trepidation the announcement of lead singer Nate Ruess’s new band. That trepidation disappeared completely upon hearing the demo for “Benson Hedges,” and while listening to the complete album I realized that Mr. Ruess has reached rarified air (matched only by Jim Adkins in the Clarity through Futures era), where every song he writes seems to hit me in just the right spot.

From the chaotic and ironically titled opener “Be Calm” to the 7 minute-plus closer “Take Your Time (Coming Home)” you’re never sure what twists and turns the album will take instrumentally, yet it is simultaneously accessible and poppy. In a better world the ELO-esque single “All The Pretty Girls” would dominate the summertime radio waves. All songs are bolstered by Ruess’s confessional lyrical style with the best example probably being his moving tribute to his parents, “The Gambler.”

I could go on, but let me close by saying that the older I get and the more music I’ve listened to, the harder it is for an album to really affect me the way music did regularly when I was younger. Aim & Ignite is like a more mature, contented, and orchestral version of Dog Problems. Years from now I will be cherishing Aim & Ignite alongside Dog Problems as essential albums of my life.

Best Tracks:

Be Calm
Benson Hedges
All The Pretty Girls
Walking The Dog
Barlights
The Gambler

2. Give me a Gob (February 13 – Disney World)

3. Yuengling Bock (May 9 – Yuengling Factory)

4. The Only Team We Can Still Beat (May 23 – Nationals Park)

5. Today we celebrate our Independence Day (July 4 – Washington DC)

6. FeFe hits people (July 8 – Coca Cola Field)

7. Beer me one beer please (July 17 – Hofbrauhaus in Pittsburgh)

8. Checking out what a government funded name sponsorship can buy you (August 15 – CitiField)

10. Greatest pub ever! (September 7 – McSorley’s)

11. What to do at the US Open if tennis bores you (September 7 – US Open)

12. The Lord blesses these proceedings (September 19 – PSU vs Temple)

13. Old Maining (September 25 – State College)

14. What time is it?! (October 24 – PSU vs Michigan)

15. Drinking + Ice Skating = Not so bad (December 29 – Rockefeller Center)

7. Scrubs
“For the record, he was the best that ever came through this dump. John Dorian was the first and only doctor I ever met who cared as much as I do. And you can forget about him being a just and exceptional physician, because the fact of the matter is, he’s a damn exceptional person. It’s why people gravitated to him. It’s why I did.”

Die, Scrubs, DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE! As far as I’m concerned Scrubs did die after season 8…finally. And thankfully, it died with dignity…before it was resurrected for a ninth season which I am ignoring. I am ignoring it because this show, which was so great in its earlier seasons, and was running on fumes in its later seasons, beat the odds and returned to respectability for what was supposed to be one last run. The final minutes of the series finale though were perfect and worthy of some of the best material that preceded it.

Best Episode: 8.19 – My Finale: Part 2

6. Prison Break
“Men in my employ anticipate, they cover their bases. They refuse to fail, which you seem to be doing with unyielding consistency.”

I didn’t watch a single episode of this show live on the air and that’s probably for the best because this show works best when it’s moving too fast for you to notice how implausible everything is. I always viewed this as 24-light and while not up to the quality of the Jack Bauer Power Hour, this show was just flat out entertaining. The constant set backs our protagonists faced occasionally frustrated me, but I guess that means I cared about the characters. I always recognized this show’s ability to create some highly hateable bad guys, but I didn’t realize how much I cared about the good guys until the finale of the show, which was surprisingly touching.

Best Episode: 4.22 – Killing Your Number

5. The Office
“Well, well, well. How the turntables.”

I’m not sure there’s anyone who would consider season four of The Office a highlight of the series, but like many TV shows it seemed like it got messed up because of the writer’s strike. Some of the momentum of the first couple of seasons was regained in season five, but the “magic” truly was gone the second Jim and Pam got together. They tried to get us to care about Dwight/Andy and Angela or Michael and Holly, but those relationships will never be as successful as the original, which I think is the real lacking factor here because the show is still pretty funny taking into account how long it’s been on the air. The Michael Scott Paper Company story line was a good one, so I was surprised they axed it as quickly as they did. Pam’s character also got shaken up and taken in a direction I’m not sure I like. I still watch the show regularly, but it is no longer a guaranteed good time like it was in it’s heyday.

Best Episode: 5.23 – Broke

4. 24
“So help me God I will kill you, and you will stay dead this time!”

After a, ahem, lackluster season six and an entire year off due to the writer’s strike 24 finally came back with some vengeance, but I think at this point that the show will never really be “back.” Saying season 7 was better than season 6 is akin to saying Mike Doyle was a better character than Erin Driscoll’s crazy daughter. It’s faint praise. That’s not to say that this season was not full of great moments. Tony’s return as a good guy turned bad guy turned good guy turned bad guy again was welcomed as was the change of settings to DC. The take over of the White House (which apparently was built on top of the Potomac) was exciting, although probably the most implausible thing they’ve ever done, and new characters Renee Walker and President Taylor were great additions. The promos seem to be implying that season 8 will be 24’s swan song. I’m on board with this idea and I’m hoping it reaches the heights of it’s glory days, but if it merely is up to the standards of season 7, I will not be disappointed.

Best Episode: 7.3 – 10 AM - 11 AM

3. Lost
Don’t worry, dude. Everything will be fine when Jack changes the future. Or the past. One of those.

Year-to-year this is always the hardest show for me to write about. After almost giving up on Lost during season three, the past two seasons have been ridiculously entertaining, but after being off the air for six months I’m always thinking, “What the hell happened this year?” Of course, I’m often thinking that right as an episode is ending too. From what I remembered, Jack and the rest of the people who got off the island successfully go back while all the folks who remained on the island are jumping around time like a skipping record. In the end a bomb goes off and presumably the plan being hatched is successful because failure means every single one of our main characters was incinerated with one full season left to go. Next season sees the conclusion of the Lost saga and we’ll finally see if all this nonsense was worth the time invested.

Best Episode: 5.17 – The Incident

2. It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia
“Tabitha: So, he does have a drinking problem?
Charlie: Oh, big time, big time. But if I’m being honest, my problem’s less with the fact that he’s drinking more that he’s doing it without me. And then I start thinking, “What’s wrong with me? Am I not fun to drink with?”
Dennis: Oh, no, don’t do that to yourself. No, you’re plenty of fun to drink with, trust me, Charlie. You get really, really drunk, and then you get reckless, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Even the best of comedies are well into their decline by their fifth season (see: The Office), but It’s Always Sunny seems to keep getting better somehow when you would think they would start running out of ridiculous scenarios for The Gang. (In fairness to The Office, they have like 30 episodes per season while IASIP only has 12). This year The Gang “exploits the mortgage crisis,” performs an intervention on Frank, goes on a road trip to the Grand Canyon (but ends up never leaving Philly), celebrated the 2008 World Series victory in a basement, enacted the D.E.N.N.I.S. system for taking advantage of women, and of course tried to deal with their cousin “Gail the Snail” played by none other than Chloe O’Brien.

Favorite Episode: 5.4 – The Gang Gives Frank An Intervention

1. Flight of the Conchords
“You guys are dorking up my vibe with all the dicks. You need to spread the dicks out a little, create some lady space.”

After being hastled for probably more than a year to watch this show, I finally gave in to find out that I deserved all that hastling. As is tradition, I just got hooked on the show right as it was ending it’s run on HBO (after only two 10 episode seasons). The greatness of FOTC slaps you in the face during season one and this second season has many great moments, but it was starting to wane towards the end so it may have not been a terrible thing that creators Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie decided to call it quits even though I was a little disappointed where the characters ended up. I’ll always have the DVDs and albums I guess.

Favorite Episode: 2.5 – Unnatural Love

Worst:

Knowing
It started out with a pretty interesting concept, but quickly descended into … another Nicolas Cage movie.

Where The Wild Things Are
I know I’m in the minority here, but I really wanted to punch the kid the entire film and I got tired really quick of the endlessly whining monsters. I really wanted to like it too.

Also Receiving Votes:

Watchmen
I really need to see this again. There was a lot to absorb in only one viewing.

District 9
A very entertaining, but very flawed movie that had the guts to be different and I can respect that.

Terminator Salvation
This franchise is still barely treading water. I really wish this movie had a plot to go along with the excellent action and effects though.

Taken
It’s like a watered down (and shortened) remake of 24: Season One!

Favorites:

11. 2012
“When they tell you not to panic… that’s when you run!”
Ever since Independence Day (which was my favorite movie in high school up until The Matrix came out), I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for disaster movies. Yes, this would probably have the title of dumbest movie of the year easily wrapped up were it not for Transformers 2 and yes, it is maybe the most excessive movie ever made, but that is why I enjoyed it. I can still appreciate well digitized eye candy and that’s all this movie is trying to be. Sure, maybe this film could have been more if they had decided to develop even one of the characters instead of introducing us quickly to about 75 new characters throughout the film, each with a relative or friend to say goodbye to tearfully and then never see again, but this film isn’t aiming for the Oscars. You should know going into this exactly what you’re getting and if you’re going to complain about “story” and “character development” you really have no one to blame but yourself.

10. Drag Me To Hell
“You’d be surprised what you’ll do, when the Lamia comes for you.”
This was a great rebound by Sam Raimi after the cluster eff that was Spider-man 3 (seriously, I hate that movie more every time I see it. I should stop watching it). This is no Evil Dead, but it has the same spirit despite its PG-13 rating. It’s not exactly going for a horror-comedy thing like Shaun of the Dead but it’s nice to see a horror movie that doesn’t take itself completely seriously and doesn’t rely completely on over-the-top gore. It occasionally veered a little bit too much towards ridiculousness (Hello talking goat!), but this was probably the most intense horror movie from beginning to end that I saw this year.

9. Inglourious Basterds
“We got a German here who wants to die for his country! Oblige him!”
Speaking of rebounds, Quentin Tarantino needed one badly after the meh-fest of Grindhouse and that is exactly what he achieved. I could be mistaken, but this might be his first film that occurs entirely in chronological order. It’s a little distracting seeing the Fire Guy and Neal Schweiber in this movie, and unfortunately neither of them have a large enough role to really break out from being anything beyond the other roles we know them in. This is my main complaint about this film actually: where were the titular basterds throughout this movie? The story is compelling, but the best characters were absent from the screen most of the time and even if I was mostly wrapped up in what was going on, a part of me was also just hanging in there until Brad Pitt showed up again.

8. Fantastic Mr. Fox
“If what I think is happening is happening – it better not be.”
Just when you thought claymation was dead comes the greatest entry to the genre since Rudolph!...except maybe The Nightmare Before Christmas and James And The Giant Peach. George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and others voice characters in this film about a fox who quits his bird stealing job when he starts a family, but wants to launch one more “Master Plan” when he becomes restless in his day-to-day life. It’s probably too early to judge something like this, but this movie probably has the potential to become a classic. Having not seen all of his movies, I would say this is my favorite Wes Anderson movie since The Royal Tenenbaums.

7. Zombieland
“You see? You just can’t trust anyone. The first girl I let into my life and she tries to eat me.”
If you’re going to rip off another movie, it might as well be one of the best movies of the decade. Perhaps zombie movies just lend themselves to mixing horror and comedy better than other sub-genres of horror, but I have to assume that Shaun of the Dead played a major factor in this film’s existence. Replacing Shaun trying to win back his ex-girlfriend is adolescent Columbus trying to woo his first girlfriend. Replacing the crazy and irresponsible sidekick Ed is the crazy and irresponsible sidekick Tallahassee (played by Woody Harrelson). The two movies are, of course, not entirely the same but since SOTD is one of my favorite movies ever, this has to be a distant second favorite zombie romcom. I will say that the scene where they break into a certain celebrity’s house is probably the hardest I’ve laughed at any movie in 2009.

6. Star Trek
“Your father was captain of a starship for twelve minutes. He saved 800 lives, including your mothers and yours. I dare you to do better.”
Let me preface anything I’m going to write on this topic by saying that prior to this movie’s release I kind of prided myself on knowing very little about Star Trek. I have my areas of geekdom where I thrive but this was not one of them and when they announced they were rebooting the franchise I kind of groaned because I was completely cool with Star Trek being dormant. Then came the reviews calling it a “Star Trek movie for people who hate Star Trek,” and of course this Onion story. I figured it was a risk worth taking and it was. It felt good to watch a fun summertime movie without feeling like it was rotting my brain.

5. Trick R Treat
“Wait, there’s another tradition. Always check your candy.”
Every year in October I have a Horrorthon of movies that I watch. It’s not something that I do for any other holiday except the usual Christmas staples. I love Halloween movies, but it’s not so much because I love “scary” movies but because I love the fall ambiance. It’s why Sleepy Hollow is a Halloween staple for me every year and The Exorcist isn’t. Trick R Treat isn’t the scariest movie out there (although it has its share of intense scenes), but it completely nails the fall/Halloween feeling that I love. It seems designed to be a love letter to the holiday with its four interweaving storylines and I would be surprised if it doesn’t end up being a Halloween classic for me.

4. Up
“Thanks for the adventure. Now go have a new one.”
After creating a new classic year after year I should not be surprised at how good a Pixar movie is, but I always am. This one is probably my favorite since The Incredibles. While most Pixar movies reach your inner child, this one reaches your inner old man. The opening following the entire life of Carl Frederickson and his wife Ellie (complete with a “not able to have children” scene and ending in Ellie’s death) is a little shocking in how dark it is. It grounds the movie early in that dark reality and it makes some of what comes later more out of place than they would in the usual Pixar film. While the talking dogs were a little odd, by the end of the film I was thinking that this is exactly what movies should be about. It takes you to a different place with a completely original idea. Unfortunately, that is a rare thing from Hollywood these days.

3. (500) Days Of Summer
“This is a story of boy meets girl, but you should know upfront, this is not a love story.”
When I like a romantic comedy, you know it has to be exceptionally good. I don’t necessarily hate the concept (pretty much every movie has a romantic element to it, right?), it’s the formula that I find infuriating: boy and girl fall in love; boy does something a-holish (in the worst examples the dickish move is completely justified); boy grovels on his hands and knees and tells the girl what a worthless piece of trash he is and she mercifully accepts him back. The quote above kind of says it all about this movie and that’s why I loved it. Not to necessarily say this movie is of the quality of Swingers (another favorite of mine), but it follows that pattern of the ending not being what you expected, or what you were even rooting for for the entire film, but you’re still completely satisfied by it. The soundtrack is superlative as well. It even manages to rip off the worst thing in Spider-man 3 and make it awesome. In all honesty, if you asked me to rewrite this list a year from now, I could see this being at the top of the list, but I just saw it last week. It’s the kind of quality you’d expect from the chick in Elf and the kid in Angels in the Outfield.

2. The Hangover
“You guys might not know this, but I consider myself a bit of a loner. I tend to think of myself as a one-man wolf pack.”
This is the only movie I saw twice in the theaters this year. Easily the best comedy since Superbad for me. Umm, yeah that basically sums things up doesn’t it? This movie was so random that it’s difficult for me to latch on to one specific thing that I liked about it, but I guess that’s what makes it so great. Anyone who’s had a wild night out can relate to the next morning conversation of, “I did WHAT? I don’t remember that happening at all!” This film (obviously) takes that to an absurd degree, and even though the unpredictability of the movie is a major strength it still held up on the second viewing, which will probably be the second of many.

1. The Hurt Locker
“Colonel Reed: What’s the best way to go about disarming one of these things?
Staff Sergeant William James: The way you don’t die, sir.”
War movies that actually portray the troops as the heroes that they are in real life are so rare these days that I can’t think of a single example since Black Hawk Down. That standard may be a bit high so in general I’ll settle for one that doesn’t portray them as scoundrels and/or psychopaths. The Hurt Locker portrays soldiers in Iraq in 2004 that are certainly flawed (i.e. human beings) fighting heroically which is a miracle in and of itself, but even better it is an endlessly intense action flick that instantly puts you in the shoes of a Baghdad bomb squad at the height of the Iraq War. If there were any justice in the world, Jeremy Renner (who played a somewhat similar role in 28 Weeks Later) would have become a star from this role. For now though I’m grateful to have a great, non-political war movie to enjoy for the next decade until the next one comes out.

Favorite Movies: January 3
Favorite TV: January 10
Favorite Pictures: January 17
Favorite Music: January 24

As you were…

RIP Bill Buchanan
Day 4 – Day 7

• I may write a little more later, but for right now, let’s pay our respects to Bill “Double-B” Buchanan. I think we all saw the writing on the wall after last week’s episode, and he went out in a heroic way that he deserved, but it does little to sooth the agony of losing the man who was, by far, the longest serving head of CTU ever. Let’s hope his dying wish was that his wife Karen never set foot on the set of 24 ever again.

• First of all, I guess we should all give a belated, but hearty, welcome back to 24! After two years on hiatus due to a writer’s strike and possibly a collective writer’s stroke during season six, it’s nice to have Jack Bauer back firing on all cylinders even if the events are even more far fetched than before.
• When I say, “far fetched” I really mean it. The events of this past week are by far the most ridiculous things to have ever happened on this show, and that’s saying a lot.
• Most vexing development of the new season: we have two characters with legitimate claims to the title “Big Red.” All was fine and well until our boy Aaron Pierce showed up for no legitimate reason (which is reason enough for me by the way). For the purposes of seniority, Aaron will remain Big Red. Let’s hope he’s alive long enough to maintain the title through next week.
• With Aaron back in Washington, is it safe to assume he’s no longer eating kiwis with Martha Logan? Incidentally, Aaron is the only character other than Jack to be in all seven seasons, so here’s hoping he survives the White House siege.
• One of my favorite parts of the early season was Jack’s interrogation scene in the Senate. How many times have you wanted someone to respond the way Jack did to these pompous windbags?
• Tony’s resurrection? I’m sorry, I don’t buy the story. Of course, Tony’s been very shady this whole season so maybe there’s more to what’s going on, but I’m guessing this is the best explanation we’re going to get. Robocop intentionally missed his heart and Emerson just happened to pick him up from CTU, huh? I don’t buy it, but I’m willing to go along with it. For the record, I’m going to say that Tony’s still a bad guy trying to infiltrate rogue-CTU on behalf of Emerson.
• I like how Bill just took being held up by Jack at gunpoint in stride. Almost like he figured it had to happen at some point, right? Also, you would think if anyone would know to “not fight it,” it would be Bill at this point.
• Favorite New Character: Agent Freckles Walker, Michelle Replacement (although no one really can)
• Overall they’ve done an amazing job making it seem like everything is being filmed in DC, but seriously, how many meetings are we going to have on the steps of the Capitol Building?
• How do you manage to lose both your gun AND your cell phone making a simple jump onto a boat? I was half expecting a shark to quick rip off her pants. Then I realized I wasn’t that lucky. Walker is truly the Lois Lane of this season.
• Also, Walker was freaking Aquaman the way she swam across the Potomac in about 30 seconds.
• Sometimes it bothers me that Janeanne Garofalo is on 24, but then I imagine her having to read a script for a show she’s on that includes Jack tasering Red Foreman’s boy toy in the nipples and it all seems worth it.
• Why does the White House have a holding cell?
• I don’t know if 24 has been consulting with Vince Flynn again, but a terrorist takeover of the White House was the basis for his book Transfer of Power. It’s been a while since I’ve read it so I don’t really remember how the terrorists got in, but I’m almost positive it wasn’t a freaking sea-based invasion. I remember when I was reading it thinking it would be great for 24. As much as I like President Taylor, how much cooler would this scenario be if they did this while Palmer was still president (the real one, not Wayne).
• I like how General Juma’s attack plans included an actual picture of the White House. Apparently he just scanned a 20 dollar bill.
• Soooooooo, think the 24 writers might have been watching The Rock recently? I know LA is far away, but they couldn’t pull up a map of DC to see that the White House is a mile away from even the Tidal Basin? That was one nice thing about the LA location. I have no idea where one landmark is in relation to another out there. Unfortunately, I’m pretty familiar with Washington and these details bug me.
• That was a pretty solid drill Juma had. Over the time of the commercial break and the previouslies they went from just starting the hole to making it wide enough to fit 3 men.
• Some people say the character of President Palmer on 24 is a mirror image of our current Dear Leader. I say they are absolutely correct.
• I loved how Jack and Bill had the whole debate on Bill torturing the Senator’s chief of staff while there’s a guard standing right next to them. That leads me to…
• Huge pet peeve this season: NO ONE LISTENS TO WHAT’S GOING ON AROUND THEM THIS SEASON People are getting shot left and right in the White House. No one responds. Smarmy guy and mistress openly talk about reformatting the FBI’s servers (don’t get me started) while walking down the hall and no one overhears them.
• Anyone up for a game of darts with Jon Voigt? Yeah, he’s a biter, but I hear he’s ordering Chinese!
• Good thing Juma decided to collect captives starting with Bill right after killing scores of anonymous WH staffers.
• Now we know that when this season was written in the days of yore before the writer’s strike, Hillary was anticipated to be the next president and apparently they assumed John Edwards was the next Vice-President Evil.
• What’s the only thing cooler than Jack using a tazer on a terrorist in the White House? Jack tazering a phone. . .with the President on the line!
• I was pretty convinced that either Double-B or Pierce were going to die this week. Needless to say I was relieved, but I have a feeling that will be short lived.
• Line of the Week: “You sir are weak! You are unwilling and unable to look evil in the eye and deal with it!” The whole torture debate as a whole has been handled much better this year than in season six.
• My overall opinion on the first half of this season is that it’s a solid rebound and certainly worthy of inclusion in the 24 canon after the lackluster mishmash of season six. However, I can’t help but feel that some of the magic is gone. This whole affair has a very season four feel to me, however, so maybe what is missing is the familiarity. Of course that all lead to the greatness of season five, so maybe what we’re dealing with is a “rebuilding” season if you will.

Most of us imagine the transformation of a free society to a tyrannical state in Hollywood terms, as a melodramatic act of violence like a military coup or an armed insurrection. Tocqueville knows better. He foresees a slow death of freedom. The power of the centralized government will gradually expand, meddling in every area of our lives until, like a lobster in a slowly heated pot, we are cooked without ever realizing what has happened. The ultimate horror of Tocqueville’s vision is that we will welcome it, and even convince ourselves that we control it.

There is no single dramatic event in Tocqueville’s scenario, no storming of the Bastille, no assault on the Winter Palace, no March on Rome, no Kristallnacht. We are to be immobilized, Gulliver-like, by myriad rules and regulations, annoying little restrictions that become more and more binding until they eventually paralyze us.

Subjection in minor affairs breaks out every day and is felt by the whole community indiscriminately. It does not drive men to resistance, but it crosses them at every turn, till they are led to surrender the exercise of their own will. Thus their spirit is gradually broken and their character enervated…

The whole article is a must-read, and I felt like I should share. Fascism should not be defined as Hitlerism, but as the merger of the state with corporations, with the church, and with every minute aspect of our lives. I fear this is the destination we will arrive at very soon, but I am becoming increasingly fearful that we will lack the character to return to our founding principles when the pendulum inevitably swings back. I guess I have to put Democracy in America in my book queue now.

-MPAW

Music

1. Fun – Untitled
It’s the second coming! The Format is no more, but the former band members can still make music. If the single “Benson Hedges” is any indication then this has the potential to live up to Dog Problems. Or that may turn out to be the most absurd notion since, “Wings is going to be better than The Beatles!”

2. Jimmy Eat World – Untitled
The drama here isn’t so much will it be good (it will be), it’s will these guys ever hit a target release date? They’re saying summer 2009, so I’m guessing fall 2010.

3. Brand New – Untitled
I’m still waiting for the lyric booklet from The Devil And God that I paid one American dollar for. That was a lot of money back then.

4. Blink-182 – Untitled
Yeah. You read that right and I’m not crazy (speaking of second comings). No way that after 5 years of musical maturation under my belt this ends up disappointing me, right?!

5. Say Anything – Say Anything
I hate when bands have self-titled albums that aren’t their first release, but I’ll graciously make an exception here.

6. Green Day – 21st Century Breakdown
Will this top American Idiot? No. Will it really be released this year? Maybe. They can’t distract us with this Foxboro Hot Tubs nonsense forever.

7. Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground – Introducing Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground
Their self-titled is so great. Can’t wait to see what these stinky hippies do next. Dance for me stinky hippie, DANCE!

8. Arctic Monkeys – Untitled
More awesome beats and indecipherable lyrics! Count me in.

9. Morrissey – Years of Refusal
I plan on purchasing this when it is released, but let’s just say that if it were to have leaked or if I were to have accidentally heard it before now, I would probably think it was phenomenal.

10. New Found Glory – Not Without A Fight
Has NFG ever slipped up? Not really. This will be good, not great. You heard it here first.

11. Eminem – Relapse
One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn’t belong. Can you tell which thing is not like the others by the time I finish my song?

12. Eve 6 – Untitled
I can’t prove that this is actually happening, but they’re reformed and touring so a guy can hope, right?

13. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Untitled
This one I can prove! They’re back and recording, baby! 2009 seems to be the year of the reformed bands.

14. Cartel – Untitled
Cartel, there was a time when I called you friend. Stand with me now and make something that doesn’t bore the crap out of me.

15. My Chemical Romance – Untitled
I really liked The Black Parade. Maybe I’ll like this one too!

16. Saves The Day – Daybreak
I’m never sure what to expect with these guys other than vocals like raking a chalkboard, yet I can’t help but anticipate this.

17. Mark Hoppus – Untitled Solo Album
+44 was mediocre, but Angels & Airwaves is terrible. Mark + Tom > Mark or Tom. (Edit: I’m not even sure this is happening any more. I’ll live either way).

18. John Mayer – Untitled
John Mayer has bedded half of the women you’ve ever seen at the magazine rack in your grocery store. The other half is Oprah. He also makes good music.

19. MxPx – On The Cover 2 and Untitled Studio Album
Eh, why not? Should be good for 2 weeks of entertainment come summer.

20. Reel Big Fish – Fame, Fortune and Fornacation
I’d be more excited about this covers album if it wasn’t 65% Poison songs.

21. Two Tongues – Two Tongues
Don’t look now, but I’m pretty sure Chris Conley and Max Bemis are dating.

22. Motion City Soundtrack – Untitled
Still waiting for this guy to cut his hair and lose his powers.

23. AFI – Untitled
Don’t click here. It will ruin it for you.

24. Dropkick Murphys – Untitled Live Album
I don’t usually go for live albums, but I’m curious if the mics pick up the many bloody deaths that take place in the pit of every DKM show.

25. Taking Back Sunday – New Again
Carpathia sounds not so great, but when do the labels ever pick the right first single for punk bands?

26. Thursday – Common Existence
I would have liked A City By The Light Divided a lot more if it didn’t sound like they recorded it at a friend’s apartment party . . . and the microphones were with the neighbors.

27. All Time Low – Untitled
It seems I will never tire of generic pop-punk.

Movies
Behold the mediocrity! (With a few notable exceptions)

Arrested Development
Watchmen
Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Inglorious Bastards
Terminator Salvation
Friday The 13th
Toy Story 3D
Avatar
Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder