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Merry Festivus

Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.
Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?
Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!

Air your grievances !

Favs of 8

This should be hard.

Looking at my iTunes collection, I'm stunned to see how few new releases I bought in 2008. In alphabetical order:

  1. Andrew Bird - Soldier On
  2. Beck - Modern Guilt
  3. Belle & Sebastian -BBC Sessions
  4. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  5. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
  6. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  7. Foxboro Hottubs - Stop Drop And Roll
  8. Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
  9. Marah - Angels Of Destruction
  10. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
  11. NiN - The Slip
  12. Robyn Hitchcock - Shadow Cat
  13. Sea & Cake - Car Alarm
  14. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
  15. Tift Merritt - Another Country
  16. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
  17. The Walkmen - You And Me

And if I take out those I haven't really listened to enough to have a strong opinion about (or haven't listened to at all), that leaves:

  1. And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Festival Thyme EP
  2. Andrew Bird - Soldier On
  3. Beck - Modern Guilt
  4. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  5. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  6. Marah - Angels Of Destruction
  7. Robyn Hitchcock - Shadow Cat
  8. Sea & Cake - Car Alarm
  9. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
  10. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

"Buying it and listening to it" isn't much of an endorsement. So if I filter out things that I don't much care for, that leaves:

  1. Andrew Bird - Soldier On
  2. Beck - Modern Guilt
  3. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  4. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  5. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell

And if I rank them, I get:

  1. Black Keys - Attack And Release
  2. Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
  3. Beck - Modern Guilt
  4. Cassandra Wilson - Loverly
  5. Andrew Bird - Soldier On

And that's that. Not hard at all.

Optimism

globeandmail.com:

Police were hunting a trio of would-be robbers in Mississauga last night, after they tried unsuccessfully to hold up an armoured car outside a bank.

It was just after 9:30 p.m. when a pair of armed guards were working outside a TD Bank on Southdown Road, just north of Royal Windsor Drive and immediately adjacent to the entrance for the Clarkson GO Train Station.

They were approached by three men, who sources said were armed with a pellet gun, but the guards weren't having any of it.