R.I.P. : Ron Asheton (1949-2009)

Looks like we lost a monster of rawk over the weekend. Stooges guitarist, Ron Asheton, was found dead on the couch in his Ann Arbor home this morning. I know I talk about them all of the time, but we can't begin to appreciate the influence The Stooges had on modern music. Their 1969 self-titled debut should be credited with bringing the feelgood 60s to a crashing (literally) halt. These four Detroit ragamuffins (including brother Scott, Dave Alexander and of course, Iggy) looked like they would be more comfortable getting drunk in the 7-11 parking lot than changing the course of popular music, but the proof is in the pudding and no record collection is complete without The Stooges (produced by John Cale), Fun House and (produced by a speed-addled David Bowie).

After the Stooges dissolved, Asheton banged around the music screen, but the band's reputation continued to grow. They reunited in 2003 with an assist from Mike Watt, resumed touring and eventually released the underwhelming The Weirdness in 2007. In honor of the man who unleashed I Wanna Be Your Dog, do yourself a favor and drop the needle on one of the first three Stooges releases this afternoon. And turn it way up. But be careful, I swear to gawd, the remastered Raw Power will make you sterile if you listen too many times.

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New Video : Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit : Kamphopo

The short story...Esau Mwamwaya was born in Mzuzu in Malawi, East Africa. He moved to London, opened a furniture store, met the Radioclit gang and The Very Best are now making great music. This new video was shot in Lelongwe, Malawi, as Esau returned to his hometown for the first time in 9 years. Kamphopo features the backing music from Architecture In Helsinki's Heart It Races...



The Very Best - Kamphopo

Previously on MOKB : The Very Best Mixtape

FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD : The Very Best - Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit are The Very Best Mixtape (.zip file)

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New Video : Fever Ray : If I Had A Heart

So what happens when you suck all the dance out of The Knife and just focus on the really dark, creepy, looping, off-the-wall elements? Or maybe we now know which half of the duo is the really disturbed one. Karin Dreijer Andersson, the female half of The Knife, launched the first single from her new solo project, Fever Ray, this past December and has now released the new video, directed by Andreas Nilsson, for the track. I don't think we can list this one as "Under The Radar" as it is definitely one of MOKB's most anticipated releases coming up in early 2009. Mute will release the debut album physically on March 24th, 2009.


(via P4K.tv)

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Dan Deacon : New Song + Bad Interview

We interviewed Dan Deacon for the 2008 Holiday Interview Series, but it was pretty weak, so we shelved it. Now that he's given the first taste of his upcoming album, Bromst, we'll go ahead and throw it in as a why not. Bromst is out 3/24 via Carpark. Deacon also has a split 12" out on 1/27 with Adventure that features this tune and another called Cave Birth.








MOKB : Any special musical plans for the Holiday Season? Any specials songs or releases?

Dan Deacon : nothing special.

Read the rest of the interview AFTER THE JUMP...

MOKB : What have you been working on lately?

Dan Deacon : secrets

MOKB : What was your favorite album or musician of 2008?

Dan Deacon : sewn leather

MOKB : What's the plan for 2009? What secret knowledge can you divulge?

Dan Deacon : i want to start fatboy slim cover band

MOKB : What is your most and least favorite things about the Holiday Season?

Dan Deacon : most: the solstice. least: greed

MOKB : What are your favorite holiday foods?

Dan Deacon : beets

MOKB : Any special holiday traditions?

Dan Deacon : not yet

MOKB : If you could collaborate with one artist this Christmas season, who would it be and why?

Dan Deacon : adam sandler

MOKB : Favorite holiday movie? song?

Dan Deacon : twins

MOKB : Santa or Satan? St. Nicholas or St. Paulie Girl? Kris Kringle or Kris Kristofferson?

Dan Deacon : santa

MOKB : Feel free to share any holiday wishes, holiday/music facts/fiction you'd like to be known, etc. here.

Dan Deacon : the radio is awful for about 45 days.

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Today's My Old Kentucky Blog Radio on SIRIUS XMU Playlist : 010609

Today is My Old Kentucky Blog Radio on SIRUS XMU! Channel 26 on SIRIUS & channel 43 on XM. Tune in at 12pm EST and again at Midnight EST!

DM Stith - Your God Is A Lion Recently Fed, Drowsy
Bosque Brown - Went Walking
Port O'Brien - Tree Bones
Kings of Leon - The Bucket
dent may & his magnificent ukulele - meet me in the garden
Heartless Bastards - Searching For The Ghost
Kings of Convenience - i'd rather dance with you
Dan Auerbach - I Want Some More
The Dodos - Fools
Bonde Do Role - Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag (Pigbag cover)
Nightwaves - In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins cover)
Lykke Li - Knocked Up (Kings Of Leon cover)
Bon Iver - Your Love (The Outfield cover- live)
The Walkmen - in the new year
Paul Simon - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover
The Walkmen - Postcards from Tiny Islands
Lemonade - BLISSOUT
The Knife - Heartbeats
Cut Copy - Hearts On Fire
Girls - Hellhole Ratrace
The Boat People - Livin' On A Prayer (Bon Jovi cover)
Girls - Lust for Life
The Bloody Beetroots - Butter
ACDC - Thunderstruck (Crookers Remix)
The Bloody Beetroots - Cornelius (DeLa Edit)

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Those Darlins : Live at Grimey's Records : Nashville, TN

It's only Tuesday, but you need to start planning your weekend now. Those Darlins, one of the outstanding bands that played our Americana Music Association Festival and Conference show this past September in Nashville, TN, are playing Radio Radio, this Friday night, for only $5! They'll be joined by Kentucky Nightmare and Dorsey. Our friends at Tugboat Productions in Nashville, Tennessee sent us a couple pretty great videos from the Darlins' recent in-store performance at Grimey's Records in Nashville. They ended the short set with their rompin'-stomper Wild One.

MP3 DOWNLOAD : Those Darlins - Wild One

On hand to watch and listen was Country Music Hall Of Famer Charlie Louvin. The significance of that, other than he's pretty amazing on his own, is that Wild One was written as a response Louvin's You're Running Wild. You can see/hear it sung here as a duet with Emmy Lou Harris.

Basically, Charlie wrote the song You're Running Wild about a woman breaking his heart by running wild and Those Darlins answer with “If You don’t Want A Wild One quit hanging round with me.” Kind of hilariously, Louvin made the girls pretty nervous, standing just five feet from them as they sang their response to his classic song.

Wild One:



Whole Damn Thing:



So, as I said previous, come out Friday night to Radio Radio and hillbilly punk out with Those Darlins!

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Buffet Libre's Rewind 2

The Buffet Libre DJs have completed their second REWIND project. You may remember we shared the first one with you last July. This time around they focused on covers of songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s and feature an even more impressive lineup of bands...

Starfucker, CFCF, The Botticellis, Little Boots, Nightwaves, Codebreaker, Robbers On High Street, Au Revoir Simone, Bonde Do Role, Headlights, The Glass, The Ruby Suns and almost 80 other bands and DJs are covering loads of classics and rarities. Some amazing song you never want to forget and some songs you hoped you'd never have to remember.

Classic covers include Whitesnake's Here I Go Again, Color Me Badd's I Wanna Sex You Up, Bon Jovi's Living On A Prayer, New Kids On The Block's Step By Step, Rockwell's Somebody's Watching Me, Salt N Pepa's Let's Talk About Sex, Stacy Q's Two Of Hearts, Falco's Rock Me Amadeus and many, many more.

Nightwaves - In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins cover)
Starfucker - Girls Just Want To Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper cover)
Little Pictures - Buddy Holly (Weezer cover)
The Boat People - Livin' On A Prayer (Bon Jovi cover)
The Botticellis - Here I Go Again (Whitesnake cover)

See the entire list of available tracks AFTER THE JUMP...

AVAILABLE TRAVELS:

01 Au Revoir Simone - Here Is The News (ELO cover)
02 Amiina - Souvenir (OMD cover)
03 The Young Punx - The Clapping Song (Belle Stars cover)
04 Good Books - Only You (Yazoo cover)
05 Starfucker - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cindy Lauper cover)
06 Little Boots - Love Kills (Buffetlibre vs Sidechains remix)(Freddie Mercury cover)
07 Bonde Do Role - Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbab (Pigbag cover)
08 Parker Lewis - I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World (Ronnie Milsap cover)
09 Division Day - Ghosts (Japan cover)
10 Canadians feat Cherielynn Westrich - Neverending Story (Giorgio Moroder cover)
11 Project Jenny Project Jan - Self Control (Laura Branigan cover)
12 Diamond Cut - Teardrops (Womack & Womack cover)
13 The Botticellis - Here I Go Again (Whitesnake cover)
14 Dolby Anol - Your Woman (White Town cover)
15 Charlie Ash - I Wanna Sex You Up (Colour Me Badd cover)
16 The Procession - Old Time Rock And Roll (Bob Seger cover)
17 Robbers On High Street - Shout To The Top! (Style Council cover)
18 Sportsday Megaphone - Ever Fallen In Love (Buzzcocks cover)
19 Man Like Me - Lets Talk About Sex (Salt-n-Pepa cover)
20 The Prodigy - Everybody In The Place (AC Slater remix)
21 We Have Band - West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys cover)
22 Headlights - Making Plans For Nigel (XTC cover)
23 New Kids On The Block - Step By Step (The Requesters remix)
24 Pin Me Down (Redux) - The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover)
25 Setting Sun - You Got Lucky (Tom Petty cover)
26 Saar & Sky - Somebody's Watching Me (Rockwell cover)
27 Codebreaker - First True Love Affair (Jimmy Ross cover)
28 The Picture - Bring On The Dancing Horses (Echo & The Bunnymen cover)
29 Sohodolls - Open Your Eyes (Lords Of The New Church cover)
30 Electric Youth - Lying Still (Level 42 cover)
31 Johnny Hates Jazz - Shattered Dreams (The Amplid remix)
32 The Glass - 2CV (Lloyd Cole cover)
33 What She Wants - Jealousy (Pet Shop Boys cover)
34 The Old Believers - Naive Melody (Talking Heads cover)
35 Division Kent - Cry For Love (Iggy Pop cover)
36 Malente feat Knixx - Rock Me Amadeus (Falco cover)
37 CFCF - Forbidden Colours (Sylvian & Sakamoto cover)
38 Electric Valentine vs Ultraviolet Sound - 2 Of Hearts (Stacey Q cover)
39 Heads We Dance - Computer Love (Kraftwerk cover)
40 Freezepop - Only You (Yazoo cover)
41 Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy (TMX remix)
42 Ultra Nate - Free (Sidechains remix)
43 Chin Chin - Some Like It Hot (Power Station cover)
44 Hexes & Ohs - Head Over Hells (Tears For Fears cover)
45 DVAS - Urgent (Foreigner cover)
46 Miami Horror & Dan Hartman - Starmaker (Relight My Fire remix)
47 Josh & Anand - Billie Jean (Michael Jackson cover)
48 Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal (LAZRtag remix)
49 The Mocks - Enola Gay (OMD cover)
50 Little Pictures - Buddy Holly (Weezer cover)
51 Beau Jennings - Streets Of Bakersfield (Dwight Yoakam cover)
52 Hidrogenesse - Quien Maneja Mi Barca (Remedios Amaya cover)
53 Matt Keating - Reel Around The Fountain (The Smiths cover)
54 Telonius - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (Ian Dury cover)
55 Melnyk feat Sara Berg - Running Up That Hill (Kate Bush cover)
56 Love Motel - Dance On (Prince cover)
57 Aleks And The Drummer - Fade Away And Radiate (Blondie cover)
58 The Rock Steady Crew - Hey You (Justin Faust remix)
59 Dan Hartman - Instant Replay (The Phantom's Revenge remix)
60 The Ruby Suns - Arm Around You (Arthur Russell cover)
61 La Chansons - Sex And Candy (Marcy Playground cover)
62 Cruel Black Dove - Love My Way (The Psychedelic Furs cover)
63 The Human League - Sound Of The Crowd (Youth Attack remix)
64 Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Baby Diamonds remix)
65 Kah - Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
66 Computer Club - Just One Fix (Ministry cover)
67 We Were The States - Rise (Public Image Ltd cover)
68 Mojib - Paranoid Android (Radiohead cover)
69 Schnitzer - Heart And Soul (Joy Division cover)
70 Nightwaves - In The Air Tonight (Phil Collins cover)
71 Bee Gees - You Should Be Dancing (Giko remix)
72 Robin Gibb - Juliet (CatComplex remix)
73 Fight Bite - Live To Tell (Madonna cover)
74 The ELF - Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
75 The Model - Wicked Game (Chris Isaak cover)
76 Club84 - Sussudio (Phil Collins cover)
77 Absent F - Hills Of Katmandu (Tantra cover)
78 Gwen McRae - All This Love That I'm Giving (JoolsMF remix)
79 The Boat People - Livin' On A Prayer (Bon Jovi cover)
80 Deltawave - Lost In Music (Sister Sledge cover)
81 Kraftwerk - Heimcomputer (Facteur vs Dubmood remix)
82 Tears For Fears - Shout (Redial remix)
83 PhD - I Won't Let You Down (Toiletdisco remix)
84 Micky Finn - Some Justice (Super Mal remix)
85 David Swinburn - Unpretty (TLC cover)
86 Flou - I Love Rock And Roll (Joan Jett cover)
87 2 Unlimited - Get Ready For This (Gun n Rose remix)
88 Bling Crosby - Uh Oh Mr Sandman Goes To Belleville (Mashup)
89 Baron Von Luxxury - Y Control (Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover)

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VH1 Show Premiere : Rock Of Love (III) Bus

The other way I wasted my time last night...

I have seen some train wrecks in my day, but nothing prepared me (not even the first two seasons!) for the amount of crazy that showed up for Rock Of Love Bus (season three) last night. Small photo recap here.

Porn stars, strippers, Penthouse pets, fighting Brazillians and a plentitude of silicone-injected groupie/white trash turned out to battle for former Poison frontman Bret Michael's annual ego-building/temporary affection contest.

Bret is on tour this season, so the ladies have been divided into two groups on two buses and will be following him around from tour stop to tour stop. The rest of the show remains the same as the previous two seasons...challenges, dates, yadda yadda yadda. The Blue Bus contains the tamer, "more stable" sect of women, while the Pink Bus holds the tornado of crazy now known as "The Blonde-tourage".

Episode One, which starts off in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky(!), contains your standard drunkeness, low self-esteem, crying, excessive drinking, making-running, alcohol throwing chaos we've come to expect from the early season ROL episodes, however this season we're treated, right from the get-go, to a girl fight for the ages. I mean this season has gone from 0 to 60 in record time. Barfy Brazillian Marcia had reached her breaking point with with Scary Tatooed Barbie Ashely. After a previous drink-pouring incident, the two later erupted into all-out choking, hair-pulling fury in their hotel room. It was a thing of beauty.

Here is the first altercation that set things in motion...



Cartoonish is an understatement this year. Trashy Jessica Rabbits are plentiful this year. Check out photos of all the girls here and here and here's the basics breakdown:



Maria - Odds-on favorite to win...former model
Marcia - Throws up and then makes out with Bret...pours drinks on other girls...chokes a bitch out. Badass.
DJ Tranny Pack (aka Nikki aka DJ Lady Tribe) - "I'm a very spiritual person. I'm deep as well." Maybe the scariest chick I've seen since Angelique last season. This train wreck gets kicked off and won't leave set...has to be carried out. Would've liked to see her stay for another episode just for the cringes. Also rapped for Bret with lyrics written on the back of a piece of paper with instructions for treating Genital Herpes.
Jasmineva - Desperate porn star...serious crazy waiting to explode. Hilariously Bret has an issue with her past sexual exploits. Come on Bret...pot kettle black.
Constandina - Spiritual guru-full-of-shit weird chick that has done too many drugs
Samantha - Too thin, kinda scary, very desperate...leopard print WT
Beverly - Beefy tomboy...likes to start shit with blondes...throws drinks.
Farrah - Definitely a stripper or a dude...best described as "Brooke Hogan 20 years from now."
Kareena (aka Gina) - Shit-started, kicked off...her drama will be missed.
Kelsey - Tells us that some people rely on brains and others on boobs...she knows boobs are her strong suit.
Taya - Former Penthouse Pet prides herself on being the classy one in the bunch...only willing to show her ass at the photoshoot.
Melissa - Won't last long...already screaming to go home...admittedly uses men to advance in the world.
Natasha - Token african-american girl...absolutely loses her shit over the packing of the tour bus. almost comes to blows with DJ Tranny Pack.
Brittanya - Cheek studs...yikes. Not bad though otherwise.
Stephanie - Sent home...pretty vacant. Too nice for this competition anyway.
Heather - A snoozer...sent home.
Marciela - I don't remember her...sent home.
Megan - I don't remember her
Mindy - I don't remember her

Based on what I've seen, this show has simply degraded into a ratings grabber for VH1 and a media exposure booster for Michaels. No way he "finds love" on Season Three. I'll enjoy the chaos while it lasts though. Episode Two journeys to my current hometown...Indianapolis, Indiana! Yay. How did I miss this?!

Kentucky Sucks...



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VH1 Show Premiere : Confessions Of A Teen Idol

Let's take a TV break for few and discuss some of VH1's new show premieres...

I got pretty wrapped up in Confessions Of A Teen Idol last night. For now, this reality show actually seems to have some soul in it. I hated on more than a few of these guys growing up, so before it aired, I thought I might enjoy seeing how their careers have faultered. I actually found myself feeling quite the opposite at times.

The basic premise for those who missed it, "Seven teen idols return from obscurity for their chance to step back into the spotlight." The obvious fact behind the show is that fame is an addiction that drives many young stars onto various paths of self-destruction, and now that these "has beens" have got their lives back in order, what will it take to get them back to stardom. The group will be guided through group therapy sessions administered by psychology-expert-to-the-stars Cooper Lawrence, as well as various meetings with directors, producers and other folks who Scott Baio calls the entertainment industry's "gate keepers", to see if they have what it takes to get back to the good side of the public eye. The show is the brainchild Scott Baio (Chachi) and Jason Hervey (Wayne from The Wonder Years), both teen stars who have found ways to stay relevant in today's entertainment world.

Since this isn't actually a competition for fame, the big question of the show becomes, in this pseudo-quest to recapture their lost fame, what are these guys hoping to actually do on this show? It seems they will be broken down to the point of accepting (or not) their own roles their losses, but beyond this new media exposure, how can/will they actually gain anyting tangible that will put them successfully back in the limelight?

Only Adrian Zmed (T.J. Hooker) seems to currently be working hard (he has a regular show performing on a cruise ship) to stay in front of people that once might have known or cared about him. The others are obviously open to any opportunities that might present themselves, but are they actually willing to work to make new opportunities happen?

Jeremy Jacksons' (Baywatch - The Hoff's son) story is especially interesting/heart-wrenching and you find yourself, at least at this point, rooting for the guy. He seems to have conquered a terrible addiction to meth and has been humbled to the point of willingness to accept his faults and build from square one again.

Some of the other still seem to be wrapped in a world of delusion and coping mechanisms. Eric Neis (the original Real World and MTV's The Grind) is really off his rocker (now making a living as a vegan life coach), but at the same times seems to have good intentions in all he is doing.

With age comes wisdom (and maybe desperation) and Christopher Atkins (The Blue Lagoon) and Adrian Zmed (T.J. Hooker) seem to have enough smarts and public good will out there to find their way back to a good place.

Jamie Walters (Beverly Hills, 90210) and Bill Hufsey (TV's Fame) seem to also be living good, healthy lives, but neither really seems to have much going for them in the "why would I care again" department. Walters' hit song How Do You Talk To An Angel was a terrible TV created phenomenon and I doubt his current music is good enough to attract any new listeners in today's day and age. We'll find out, and regardless, both seem to be good enough guys to at least have you feeling no animosity towards them.

Former Baywatch hunk, David Chokachi was the first to almost lose his shit. After being duped into believing throngs of fans awaited behind a curtain, only to find only the show's Executive Producers standing there once it was opened, Chokachi threatened to walk off the show. Chokachi seems to have enough self-esteem to at least posture that he won't let the show's producers publically humiliate him. Like some of the others, he has retained all his former bo-hunkness, but his acting chops are still in question of course.

We'll see as things unfold if these guys are sincere, mentally healthy and willing to put in some work behind their faded status or simply here to let the world know they still exist.




Scott Baio's Episode Two Preview: "They get to see how a focus group of women react to photos of them when they were famous and now. It's pretty hard-core stuff, and it's not a cruel thing but a real thing. It's very tough to be objective about yourself so this was a chance for them to hear what people really think about them."

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Under The Radar : Artists and Albums To Look Forward To In 2009 : Bosque Brown

Denton, Texas' Bosque Brown have been working on their sophomore release, Baby, for the last 15 months and are now set to release it this March. This extensive time to record and get things right is in stark contrast to the expediency with with their debut and follow-up EP were created. The reports also indicate more expansive instrumentation, but with a focus on lead singer, Mara Miller's vocals. Producer Chris Flemmons of the Baptist Generals was brought in help achieve the balance. Miller's vocals are often layered or harmonize with her sister Gina Milligan and guitarist Jeremy Buller.

Baby will be released March 3rd through Burnt Toast Vinyl. Went Walking is the first taste of the album. A smokey classic that definitely features Miller's splendid vocals and much of that "expanded instrumentation" we mentioned, but very laid back, subtle. The emphasis is on all the right pieces.

Bosque Brown - Went Walking

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My Old Kentucky Blog Albums of 2008 : Senior Superlatives

2008 was an exciting year in many ways. Of course the socio-political climate gave many of us something be excited about, but I was pretty charged up looking back on 2008 and all the quality music it produced. In today's disposable, no attention span world, there were a lot of bands with a lot of staying power and a lot of bands that might buck the internet darling/burn-bright-burn-out trends.

We here at MOKB are taking a slightly different approach to our "Best Of List" this year. Not everyone is on board, but not everyone is me. Like your average high school year book (because this whole indie music blog world is just like high school anyway right?!), we're picking our "Senior Superlatives" of 2008. I don't necessarily like ranking things and just because an album is picked, it doesn't necessarily mean it is a "Best Of" album, but a lot that were picked are. Most all of these were our favorites, order be damned. Anyway, you'll get the drift pretty quickly I'm sure.

Before we get into it all, I've also gone ahead and put together a playlist of songs from some of my favorite albums of 2008. You can only embed 50 at a time I guess, but there are far more if you go visit the playlist on Lala. Again, no importance given to order. All these albums could make a case for yummy goodness that you should look into.

Also, we'd love to see your favorites of 2008 in the comments or if you think of any funny Senior Superlatives you'd like to share!

Most Likely To Wear Flip-Flops Year Round...or What's so great about a shower anyway?!

No...just kidding. I really loved all three of these albums to the point of dirty, stinky, sweaty, lovin'. We both needed a shower afterwards...many times...until chafing set it.

Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Port O'Brien - All We Could Do Was Sing
Fleet Foxes - S/T

Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Port O'Brien - Sour Milk/Salt Water (live on The Laundromatinee/MOKB SIRIUS XM Blog Radio)

Best Rock n Roll Will Never Die...or Most Likely To Lead A Protest...

These bands are proving that slap your ass and punch-you-in-the-mouth-rock is still alive and well in the indie world.

White Denim - Exposion
The Black Keys - Attack & Release

Which leads us to... Dangermouse for Prom King...

Dangermouse produced the first two and both deserve a place on the "Best Of 2008" list. His own personal project with Cee-Lo Green, Gnarls Barkely's sophamore release The Odd Couple, didn't quite pack as much punch, but it did release one of the best singles of the year in Who's Gonna Save My Soul?.

The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Beck - Modern Guilt
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple

The Black Keys - I Got Mine (Live at The Crystal Ballroom)

Which leads us to... Dan Auerbach for Junior Prom King...

If it were a head-to-head, this dude probably only lost by a couple votes, and only because he was working with lesser-known artists. He's heir-to-the-thrown we'll say. Next year could be all his with his solo/band project coming out. He produced some serious up-and-coming talents that released in 2008.

Hacienda - Loud Is The Night
Jessica Lea Mayfield - With Blasphemy So Heartfelt
Buffalo Killers - Let It Ride

Hacienda - She's Got A Hold On Me
Buffalo Killers - Let It Ride

If You Have a King, You Gotta Have a Queen...

Come on, she's amazing.

Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad

Best Album from a Pregnant Lady Not Named Mathangi Arulpragasam...

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)

Most Likely to Rock it at a Skating Rink and Knows How to do the Pee Wee Herman...

Also known as "This woulda been just as cool when Don Johnson was cool".

M83 - Saturdays = Youth

M83 - We Own the Sky (Maps remix)

Best Dressed...

Or Most likely best consumed in small doses. Or Most likely to eventually incite hipster rage. Vampire Weekend continued their rapid accension in 2008. People want to hate, but it's just simply an entertaining record. Sure African and Calypso have been mixed with pop music for years. That's what the white man does, steal it, and try to make it better (or at least sell).

Vampire Weekend - S/T

Best Change Of Pace or Most Opinionated...

Also the best "love-to-hate" or "hate-to-love". Auto-tune fan or not, Kanye released an excruciatingly honest effort that shows his continued ability to flip the switch yet still keep things interesting and remain at the top of the hip-hop heap.

Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak

Best Breakout or Transfer Student Of The Year...

My favorite session of the year by far. Creativity runs rampant with these guys and thus everything they do from now on deserves attention...because it will be good. This album had some serious obession tracks on it (the ones you listen to five times in a row, before you realize what a fan boy you are and switch to something else so as not to fully admit your bromance for said male artist(s).) Anyway, after years of being on the undercard (to some pretty amazing bands at least), these boys moved up a weightclass and started to throw with the big boys.

Dr. Dog - Fate

Dr. Dog - The Old Days
Dr. Dog - The Beach (live at VIBES on MOKB/SIRIUS Blog Radio)

Best Don't Call It A Comeback...

The Walkmen needed a comeback album and they made just that. They changed things up a little too, slowed them down but kept it boozey.

The Walkmen - You & Me

The Walkmen - In The New Year

Best Use Of Other People's Music or Most Likely To Steal It and Say It Louder...

Always a guaranteed party...the sheen of the schick is wearing off, but that doesn't make it any less fun to dance to. Maybe also winner of "Best Attempt At The Radiohead Album Selling Schitck".

Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

Girl Talk - Set It Off

Most Likely to go to Jail for Stalking Andre 3000 and or Big Boi...

Smart, funny and reminiscent of a time when I couldn't get enough Outkast...now with more genre blending!

The Knux - Remind Me In Three Days

Just as Best in 2008 as it was in 2007 (or earlier) or Those Kids That Failed Health Class and had to Come Back for a Second Senior Year...

We loved these albums last year and they all saw re-release or U.S. release this year. Some others probably fit here, but we may not have really discovered them until this year, so we won't put them here. If you put any of them on your lists, a-ok with us. We love 'em still.

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Santogold - S/T
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Bowerbirds - Hymns For A Dark Horse
The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain
Robyn - Robyn

Bon Iver - For Emma (