2008

Like all well-intentioned abstinence pledgers, we wanted to wait. Some call us ‘lazy,’ others call us ‘prudent,’ and our mothers call us ‘special.’

But when it comes down to it, posting any kind of Best Of list after only 11 months seems rather hasty and foolhardy — everyone would’ve been sorry had Radiohead surprisingly released another kickass, unannounced album on December 31st, after their lists had emerged. So on the heels of our comprehensive and grandstanding 2007 Year in Review, we offer up another year-end superlative for you to devour on this feels-like-a-Monday Wednesday.

After the jump you’ll find my 10 favorite albums of the past year, and at this juncture I must stress the word ‘favorite,’ which is not necessarily interchangeable with ‘best’ (though I do adore myself so much that I may have deluded myself into thinking my personal faves were indeed the best — I also masturbate exclusively in front of a mirror to videos of myself, but that’s not important right now).

Some are obvious, but some will surprise you, and I hope my explanations make more sense to you than they did to me when I wrote ’em with a wicked hangover. As always, we want to know what you think, so weigh in with your thoughts or suffer stiff backhands to the face, neck, breast, chest and head…

It’s only fitting that the band generating the biggest industry buzz in 2007 would also make the biggest splash on New Year’s Eve. Clay Aiken-Yorke and the rest of the

Since Monday’s often thought of as the beginning of the week, we sat on this for an extra 24 hours to publish it at the beginning of what promises to be another fine year.

To usher us into this revolution, this week’s offering is from the world of John Coltrane, bright joyful music. I can think of no better way to welcome an end and ring in a beginning. The opening Spiritual, from 1961 with Eric Dolphy in the band, is one of my all-time favorite performances from the band, dramatic and sweeping. The following cut is from Amiri Baraka and Air Koeln in 1984, a hot little spoken word tribute to the sax man. And to close it out, we’ve got a long, wondrous version of My Favorite Things. This shit’s guaranteed to cure a hangover. Happy New Year, and as always, enjoy!

• CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD SOME BADASS STORMY COLTRANE