Wilco - I still don’t know why I don’t like it as much as I’m supposed to. It happens with every Wilco album. Live, they rule, but in the studio, they are either too calculating or too boring, or both. Every song is brilliantly played, most are great melodies and I’m sure if I paid attention, they are lyrically coherent. I just don’t care that much. Still for proficiency, and a few stellar songs, they get a 3.0

Pappas Frittas – An interesting choice, especially following Modest Mouse last month, a band that I would put in the same category on a certain level - Quirky pop bands that can’t be described. Except the difference is that these guys are much more economical. MM annoyed me with their forays into weirdness, but Pappas Frittas will have none of that. They still are a bit quirky at times, but there is little wasted effort and a little more guitar and that helps. 3.5

Yeah, Yeah Yeahs – All right, all together now - No No No. Hey, Soft Cell on steroids still reminds me of Soft Cell and they were the ultimate representation of the worst sub genre in the history of music – unless you count whatever it was Herbie Hancock was doing when he released Manchild. The sub genre I refer to is known as ssbsm or shitty soft boring synth music, which, granted, isn’t funny or clever – much like this music. They occasionally - mistakenly – lapsed closer to Abba on a couple of tracks and those were the highlights. Greg – there must be something out there we agree on! Find it for chrissakes so I can quit drilling on you. 1.5

Dino Jr - They always promised more than they delivered. The concept always sounded better than the actual execution, so I really did not expect to like this as much as I do. Don’t know what they are doing differently, but I would have to guess these are just better melodies and more crunch and less droning guitars. One of my favorite CDs this year – 4.0

Richard Thompson – What’s not to like about Richard Thompson and this is one of his best. There’s always a bit too much bitterness, but he’s able to present it in ways that are either clever, ironic or funny, so it never seems over done. And the guitar playing is great as always, although not as smokin’ as he is live. 3.5

Terry Kath - An inspired pick by the man some in the group fondly refer to as Dumbass. This brought back some great memories, as Ken pulled a number of tracks from Live at Carnegie Hall, which I received as a gift for either my birthday or Christmas of 1971. It spent a lot of time on my turntable in those days, although it has come to represent a couple of different things to me over the years. Probably the first true box set, complete with posters and a big booklet, I have to say that it is one of the most overblown, pretentious, self-absorbed, records ever foisted upon an unsuspecting public, saved only by Kath’s consistently brilliant playing. Which is about the only thing you can actually hear as this seems to have been recorded and mastered by 1st year sound engineering students at Weaver High School. Trying to shift through the shit to get to the playing, though, was a Herculean task. The other thing that particular album represents, although this is lost on our erstwhile host, is that this signaled the end of Chicago as a vital band. Chicago 5 blows – the best song on the album is represented here and even at age 15, I found the song Dialogue (parts 1 AND 2!) naïve at best and trite at worst. Hey fellas, you didn’t make it happen and you didn’t save the children. And beyond that….6 through whatever… really a stretch to find much worthwhile. Anyway, I digress – Kath is brilliant and his death was a true tragedy in a profession where most of the tragedies are self-induced. Once I re-edited this, it was great fun to listen to.