Morning Music

It’s Saturday, or Sunday morning, around seven am, maybe even six.

You find yourself getting up earlier and earlier as the years go by. This is something old men do. (Old women have far too much sense.) You might even venture into the front yard to pull up the weeds. That’s fine - just don’t put on the white tube socks.

Anyway, you’re the only one up, and you’d like to hear some music, but don’t want to disturb anyone. You’re considerate like that. So, what to put on? The records below should be more than enough to get you to when someone else wakes up. There are definitely others that fit the bill, but these are the ones that have worked for me lately.

Really, Really Early, and Just for You: Yo Yo Ma – Bach’s Six Suites for Unaccompanied Cello

My nearly complete lack of knowledge about classical music doesn’t stop me from recommending this 2 CD set. I will merely attempt avoiding complete embarrassment by not trying to describe the music in any way, except to say that the title is accurate, and that it will help you feel like a civilized human being again, assuming you need a little shoring up in that department.

You don’t need to play the whole thing in one sitting. It’s just there for you when you need it.

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Now playing: Johann Sebastian Bach - Prelude
via FoxyTunes

Early, But the Neighbors Won’t Mind: Miles Davis – Kind of Blue

You’ve been telling yourself that you’d like to explore jazz a little more, because deep down you know that it can’t be that crap they play on those “quiet storm” stations.

Since I do enjoy improvisation - I was a big Grateful Dead/Allman Brothers/Cream fan - jazz should have been a natural for me, but it wasn’t. The problem was that I either didn’t like or wasn’t familiar with the songs that they were improvising from. I had totally missed the boat on the “classic American songbook”. To this day, I need the wife to name the standard we were just listening to. Since jazz musicians used these same standards as a starting point for their improvisations, I didn’t know what they were improvising from, which is what is supposed to be what makes it fun. Everything I heard just sounded like empty technique.

A jazz musician I used to know (that last phrase might sound very cool to fellow white fifty-ish middle classers, but it gets uncool real fast when he owes you rent money) recommended “Kind of Blue”.

There are no standards here, just very minimal themes that any rock and roll fan can get a handle on. They’re played in a very cool, almost laid back way, so you can take your time getting into them, and it leaves a lot of space for the musicians to stretch out. The overall quiet tone also makes it ideal early morning music, even when John Coltrane gets going.

The jazz train starts here.
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Now playing: Miles Davis - So What
via FoxyTunes

Time for a Human Voice: Nick Drake – Five Leaves Left

Nick Drake is a not very well known British folk singer from the early seventies. What distinguishes him from many others is that it’s not just Nick strumming a guitar. And although Richard Thompson provides a perfect electric guitar accompaniment to the lead off song, “Time Has Told Me”, I think that the key instrument here is the piano. Then there are the strings which are used at just the right times, and give a jazzy or even classical, rather than a sappy, feel to the music. This may sound rather awful in your mind’s ear, but in fact, its muted tone and modest singing make it perfect for 7 or 8am.

And although Nick helped me through many a morning, he himself didn’t make it, committing suicide after recording only three albums. I’m now considering breaking my “One CD per Artist” rule in order to check out the other two.

So hats off to Nick. If I drank at that time of day, I’d toast him.
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Now playing: Nick Drake - Time Has Told Me
via FoxyTunes

I’m Now Ready to Confront Yesterday, and Maybe Today: Beck – Mutations

Speaking of drinking, this one is probably pretty good for a hangover.

And no, he's not Jeff Beck. Just Beck, of 1995’s “Loser”. You know the one: “I’m a loser, babe, so why don’t you kill me?” Very uplifting stuff. Actually, he’s hilarious, and for his first two albums he uses an everything-but-the-kitchen sink / hip-hop approach to rock music. There are some great moments on both albums but I don’t recommend them to us older folk because of their overall abrasiveness.

The third times a charm, though. For some reason, Beck decided to tone it down with the sound effects, pick up an acoustic guitar and write some actual songs. The results are wonderful. Folky, bluesy, elegiac (like that word? So do I. I’ll have to look it up.)

Things don’t get loud until the very end, but let’s face it - you’ve been up all this time. Why the hell isn’t everyone else?
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Now playing: Beck - Nobody's Fault But My Own
via FoxyTunes

Listening Skills

So you bought a new CD and now you’re just putting it on. Don’t just sit there doing nothing, waiting for it an epiphany. Go do the dishes or something. If the CD’s good, it will get your attention. And maybe not the first time, either. Sometimes you have to just give it time. Some of my all time favorite albums didn’t hit me until listen six. A couple, even later than that.

Listen to your inner cheapskate who is telling you I just spent x dollars on this thing, I’d better invest at least a few spins in it. If you’re the type who spends good money on a CD and then puts it away after one listen, you obviously have way too much of it. Stop buying music, and give the money to charity. I’ll include my address.

The reason I’m going on about this is that you could very easily dismiss a perfectly good CD because you are in one mood and the CD is good for a completely different one. So it’s important to find the right time play it.

First, don’t open a new CD by an artist you don’t know, and then play it during “family time”. It’s the “No Soul Coughing at Dinner Time” Rule. I came to love their CD “Ruby Vroom” but it really didn’t work for the wife and kids at that moment. (It kicked in big time on a Walkman during a long train ride, though.)

Then there’s the right time of day. This is very subjective, since it has a lot to do with whether you’re a morning or an evening person. If when you first wake up, you can’t decide to use the razor to shave or slit your wrists, you probably shouldn’t put on Meat Loaf (music or food) at 7am. If you are a little more chipper than that, and think ML would be cool at that time, as one ex-girlfriend did, you should probably stop reading this now anyway. If you live next door to me, you’ve probably heard from me already.

Some CDs are great in the morning, like Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” or Nick Drake’s “Five Leaves Left” because of how they can gracefully ease you into the day. These same CD’s may seem a bit draggy by mid-day when you have to be somewhere and you’re still waiting for the artist to get dressed.

Time of the year is important too. I like tuneful pop and energetic electric guitars during the summer, as a way of fending off the heat and humidity. I don’t recommend being too adventurous. You want something that will bear you up while the sun is beating down on you. It should probably be either very familiar sounding or just plain pleasant. After all, it’s hot as hell out there. But that’s me. I once played Peter Gabriel’s third album (you know, the one about torture, war and assassination…hmm…maybe this isn’t helping) for a captive audience on a beautiful summer day while driving to a Mets game. The only reason I survived was that everyone was too depressed to beat the sh*t out of me. The Mets lost, too. I like the album a lot, but it’s definitely for the winter.

The autumn is for more song oriented albums. Less flash, more texture and depth. The more melancholy the better. Break out those minor chords! But nothing too heavy. Summer’s just finished fer chrissakes! In the late fall, as the holidays begin, I find myself listening to music that I had listened to before at this same time of year. It really brings back the memories, and can put you in the holiday mood without having to listen to a bunch of Christmas songs you’re totally sick of. The important thing, though, is to get something new so that you will remember this year, too.

Winter (after Christmas) is for experimentation. I’m hibernating anyway so I don’t want anything too happy or uplifting. I may have asked for a boxed set for Christmas (“The Complete History of Depressing Music”). The windows are shut tight and it’s kind of quiet. Everyone’s in bed. This is good, because I may have another Soul Coughing on my hands.

Spring depresses the hell out of me for some reason (perhaps the music I’ve been listening to for the prior three months?), so I need music that heals whatever imaginary wounds I’ve inflicted on myself. This is a very hard quality to pin down. The music should be soothing but not boring. The one that worked best for me is Yo La Tengo’s “I Can Hear the Heart Beat As One”. But for those of you who prefer to sit back and enjoy your depression, I suggest Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”, which I spent several months listening to, to the exclusion of all else. Sometimes the healing just has to wait.

You can probably think of your own favorites that are specific to a time of year or a time of day. When you try to place them in a different context, they just don’t work as well. You don’t have ice cream for breakfast, and you probably don’t have cereal at night, so why wouldn’t you have similar needs or preferences when trying to nourish your soul?

Now go and enjoy your new music.

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Now playing: Soul Coughing - Casiotone Nation
via FoxyTunes
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Now playing: Peter Gabriel - Biko
via FoxyTunes
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Now playing: Yo La Tengo - The Lie and How We Told It
via FoxyTunes
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Now playing: Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
via FoxyTunes

An Old Fogey's Guide to Music Critics

All right, I said the unsayable in a prior posting. But I said it and I’m glad. There’s nothing wrong with using critics as a source of information, and, indeed, even opinion. It’s just that you have to bear in mind that what they say is subjective. Think of every sentence they write as being preceded with the phrase “My opinion is…”. After all, if he hates something that you like, does that mean you’re wrong? Of course not, unless he’s me.

Their opinions are like landmarks that tell you how far away you are from your own destination. If someone you agree with a lot raves about a new CD, you might be close to land, it’s just that you may never go anywhere different.

So, here are some of my suggestions for using critics:

Ignore most of what they have to say. Look for enthusiasm. Everything else, including good reviews, is just an autopsy.

Even a positive review can reveal that the writer hasn’t really lived with the CD. A lot of them just slap it on, and if it passes the time, they will tell you that it’s fine. But that’s a load of crap, because they get their CDs for free, and you have to pay for yours. Plus, they’re getting paid for this, so they can afford to waste a lot of time. You’re not. You have a real job.

AMG is a great informational resource, but sometimes the reviews simply summarize the common wisdom. What you need is a unique voice that reflects thought and passion, even if you don’t agree with everything they say.

When a new CD comes out that everyone is raving about, just wait until the commotion dies down, it’s not going anywhere. The world is full of impatient idiots who just have to see a movie the day it comes out. There’s always another, better DVD you can rent. It’s the same with music. All of the CDs worth owning didn’t just come out today.

If you can hold out, wait until you see some year end lists and polls. Personal lists are good for gauging the critic. Polls are better for actual CD choices, since it balances out the various tastes of individual critics. But then again there is the overall thrust of the poll itself, which carries with it it’s own emphasis on certain genres, etc. You can weigh things like the source of the poll and the cross-section of voices. If you despise rap music, maybe you shouldn’t buy the Source’s pick for CD of the Year. Dip in for a while. Find out if they’re your kind of people. If so, you can use it as a guide, but only as a guide!

When you find critics who actually seem to listen closely, and think about what they are listening to, and who say something thoughtful, then you should consider checking out one of their recommendations.

And since nothing is ever certain, you just may not like it. Don’t fret. It’s not a conspiracy, it’s just a learning process. You’re placing them on your map. If you always agree with a critic, one of you is a wimp. I’ve even used certain critics whose tastes differed so drastically from mine to get interested in music that they hated. (Yes, there are some idiots out there whose negative review can only increase my interest in a CD. No, I’m not too spiteful…)

One thing to keep in mind about critics who seem dismissive of something you like a lot: they hear a lot of music. Maybe the band that sounds new and fresh to you sounds like a hundred other bands they’ve already heard. This does not mean that your response is invalid. It just means that you can judge originality better when you’ve gotten a better grasp of the overall landscape. If you haven’t heard music like this before, then it’s fresh to you. So enjoy the music, but you might want to check out whoever the critic thinks is being ripped off/imitated.

So in sum, critics are people, too. They have tastes, prejudices and blind spots. They sometimes think they are stating fact when they are only giving their own opinion. The worst ones murder to dissect, substituting analysis for feeling, and logic for what, against all logic, works. But the best ones open you up to something you might never have tried, and help you love music again.

So now you have a healthy (dis)respect for the role of the critic and the way they can help guide you through the morass of current pop music. This does not mean that you’re obligated to admit it in public, however. It’ll just be our little secret.

We Like Our Guitars

The following is meant to explain why you’ve hated my recommendations or violently disagreed with my opinions up to this point. I’m concerned that you might be losing some sleep over this, so I feel it necessary to assure you that there’s nothing wrong with you.

It’s not you, it’s me. I (still) like guitars.

A friend and I were talking music the other night. I was saying how my son liked a lot of the music that I liked when I was growing up. Thanks to Guitar Hero, it was easy for him to get “classic rock”. Young people – well, white fourteen year old boys, let’s say – seem much more open than we ever were to music that isn’t from their own time period.

You’d think people who grew up in the sixties would be very open, but I’ve come to the conclusion that we never had to be open to anything. It all came right to us. It helped that AM radio was amazing. Just turn it on and feel the love! It spoiled us, so by the time the seventies rolled around, we really didn’t like anything else. And radio also began to get more and more rigid about what it would play.

It didn’t help that I reacted to the disdain people had for rock and roll by being disdainful right back. So the music my parents liked was out. The Beatles ruined just about everything else for me, so I found “oldies” music to be totally lame. My friend agreed. We liked what was happening at the time, and not much else.

Then he told me that he never really got Elvis. This came as somewhat of a relief, because I felt the same way for a long time. It was only as an adult (and I use that term loosely) that I got into “The Sun Sessions”, “Elvis’ Gold”, the “comeback” special. The rest of it just reeked of Vegas to me. My favorite was “The Sun Sessions”. Why? Well, there are a lot of reasons, but the one that’s most pertinent at the moment is Scotty Moore’s guitar.

So it came to me - we like our guitars. All the other stuff is nice – a pretty melody, an energetic beat, a good vocal, smart or funny lyrics (assuming I even get them, being that I’m obtuse and hard of hearing). But guitars are king. Horns are fine, but there’s just no comparison. Thank you Les Paul, Beatles, Stones, Who etc. You ruined me for anything else.

A childhood friend of mine liked Slade (“Mama, We’re All Crazy Now”) a lot. At the time, my problem with them was that all of their songs sounded the same. He replied, “You know there’s only so many different sounds you’re going to be able to get out of an electric guitar.” Well, that worried me for quite a while. But after thirty five years, I’ve gotten over it. Every time I think that the whole form is played out, somebody comes along to point out the limits of my imagination. It’s great to have your expectations trashed like that.

So, even though I’m fifty years old, my tastes have not grown up in a conventional way. Just when I was succumbing to mid-seventies singer-songwriters, which would have led to a natural progression to MOR, I suddenly got interested in punk rock and its variants. This setback to my musical (and emotional) maturity has never been fully corrected.

Okay, so that gets me to the age of forty. What’s my excuse for the next ten years? The answer lies in not getting stuck in a rut. I’ve been dabbling in other genres for quite a while. This not only brings me in contact with new types of music, it makes my familiarity with rock and roll avoid breeding contempt. I can get away from rock and roll long enough to miss it again.

I don’t like music that is meant to act as a background. It should be my option to use it that way, but it must be able to bear more attention than that. So I don’t find Easy Listening easy to listen to at all. And the overly emotive singers and huge orchestrations just don’t do it for me. To me, Bonnie Raitt’s simple “I Can’t Make You Love Me” or “Feels Like Home” blow away anything by Celine Dion. Maybe I just don’t like having emotions conveyed like the national anthem. Let’s not even discuss Michael Bolton…

So, for better or worse, that’s where my taste lies, which should tell you if I have anything to say to you or not.

So I hope this helps explain where I’m coming from: the inside of Pete Townsend’s Marshall amp.

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Now playing: Elvis Presley - That's Allright (Mama)
via FoxyTunes

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Now playing: The Who - Summertime Blues
via FoxyTunes

The Geezer's Guide to Buying CDs

I'm probably unlike you in that I buy a lot of CDs that I’ve not heard before. I don't mean that I haven't heard the whole thing. I mean that I haven't heard it at all. Sometimes I have no clue, other than what I’ve gathered from a review, what I’m about to hear. This is occasionally dismaying when the music actually starts. But just as often it’s thrilling. I’ve already written about the problem with buying CDs that you’ve already heard. I figure my batting average is at least as good as yours.

As far as actually tracking down stuff, I recommend checking your usual haunts once or twice. But if you can’t find it, consider joining a music club (I’m in BMG, and they aren’t bad at all). This will put a greater selection at your finger tips. If you still can’t find it, just order the damned thing from Amazon or J&R and be done with it. Your time is too valuable. You’re not a teenager who can haunt record stores for days at a time. 

Vinyl albums were risky to buy used, because they could be full of scratches, but were arguably (the arguer being the guy who sold it to you) playable. CDs either work or don’t work. If you can find them used, buy them. I’ve gotten some great albums this way (Randy Newman’s “Faust”, Old 97s “Fight Songs”, Elliot Smith’s “XO”). I've saved some money, too, but it does takes a lot of time to go through the bins and, well, it’s kind of pathetic. So if you must do it, be discreet. If necessary, wear a disguise.

Now, all of the above is geared towards tracking something down that you’ve already decided you want. The other way of shopping is to browse. You can spend a lot of time doing this, too, but it's usually more fun. It depends what you find. I'll admit that it takes a keen eye to discern between the pathetic bargain shelf mole and the perfectly respectable browser. (I think it’s all in the posture, myself. I do recommend dressing up like you’re on your lunch break from your important job. Everyone will see right through this, but they’ll appreciate the effort you’re making.)

Another thing I love to do is window shop. CDs are expensive so I try to keep my instinct to overbuy in check. But around my birthday I like to treat myself. (The spouse long ago learned that I’m impossible to buy a gift for, so my trip to the record store saves everybody lots of trouble, although I’m not above asking for a box set. By the way, don’t buy a box set from a record store! Look it up in your record club. Even with shipping, it’s GOT to be cheaper).

I browse the aisles, picking up whatever strikes my fancy. The reason I do this is because there’s no telling if I’ll find a lot of stuff or nothing, so I cast my net wide. That way I don’t end up with nothing to show for the time spent. There have been times when I had 30 or 35 CDs, and I'd only gotten up to the letter J. I’ve somehow convinced myself that there is dignity in this.

Now begins the paring process. I look at those 35 CDs and ask myself a series of questions.

1. Does it a nice cover? (What? It helped me pick up a very good Charles Mingus album. Besides, you want your friends to say, “Hey, what a nice cover!”)  
2. Is the title on the edge of the jewel box vertically centered? Again, you may not see the relevance here, but remember, this will take up precious space on your shelf. You’re probably going to end up with a neck cramp while reading the titles. It'll only be worse if the titles are unreadable. (On LPs, this area used to be called the “slug line”. I don’t know if they still call it this. This has kept me from buying many an album, which is a good thing. After all, there are children to be fed.) 
3. How many CDs do you already have by this artist? If you have a few, is this one going to be worthwhile? Maybe there’s another artist who you haven’t tried yet who deserves some of that attention. When in doubt, skip it. 
4. How about the price? They can vary wildly. The only problem with some of the cheaper ones is that they may be older albums that will soon be re-mastered, with bonus tracks added. Ah, but now they’re expensive again. Your call. 
5. How much music is on the CD? This can be tricky, as a little of a great thing is better than a lot of crap, but it’s something to consider. A CD can hold almost 80 minutes of music. Typical vinyl albums held less, and averaged about thirty-five minute per. The typical CD has at least 50 minutes of music on it. I hate buying CDs with only about thirty minutes on them. However if I followed this rule slavishly, I wouldn’t own the Shins “Chutes Too Narrow”, one of the best of the decade. 
6. Bear in mind that you should try to balance enjoyment with that horizon broadening that’s intended to ruin a good time. Another good balance is old music vs. current. How about intimidating vs. accessible? Melodic vs. rhythmic? 
7. What are the chances, based on what you know, that you’ll enjoy the CD? This step is optional. (Just kidding.)
   

By now you should be down to less than ten. Put those other CDs back where they belong! This is a pretty sad sight, but it’s the right thing to do. Now pare it down again. (You can leave these rejects lying around. Enough is enough. You’re not a saint. Besides, the security guard is getting suspicious.)

You should end up with about four CDs. You’ll never absorb more than that in the short term.

I predict that you’ll like one CD immediately, two others will be okay to good. You will hate one. Keep an eye on this one. It may be the one that broadens those horizons I’ve been warning you about. While the first three may be infatuations, it’s the one you hate that you’ll form a relationship with. And like some relationships, you might find yourself coming around to if you give it half a chance. But we’ll talk about at another time.

Now get home. Everyone is wondering where the hell you’ve been.

So Just How Weird Are You? - Luna's "Penthouse"

I bought Luna’s “Penthouse” and liked it right away - so much so that I immediately lent it to a co-worker. (By the way, don’t ever lend anything to anyone.). This young lady (twenty-Cover of Penthousesomething) scoffed at it, and pointed out everything that was “wrong” with it. The spaced out, almost shell shocked vocals, the weird lyrics, and maybe the occasional extended instrumentals that she felt had no point.

What? Now it’s got to have a point? If that’s the requirement, it’s time to get rid of the stereo (Remember those?) altogether. Point! I’m not even sure if I have one…

Anyway, I realized that, despite my thinking otherwise, there was stuff that I found perfectly normal that others found weird. That’s okay for me, but a problem when I’m recommending stuff to people.

For instance, I seem to have no problem with weird voices (Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction or Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, even Freedy Johnston), but I just seem to accept it as part of a package. Indeed, sometimes it’s the essence of the package.

When I read a negative review for an album I like, I’m often amused to find that the supposed flaws are the very things that I consider to be the record’s defining characteristics. In fact, they’re the things I like the most about it, or, at the very least, the very things that makes the album unique.

I mean, what’s more fun? Abiding by the rules or breaking them? In fact, the flaw would appear to be the …point. If the record has nothing unique about it, what is its reason for even existing?

And getting back to Luna (remember Luna?), I found those shell shocked vocals to be quiet appropriate for the times – I bought it right before 9/11. And yes, some of the lyrics were strange (especially the “Meows” at the end of my favorite song), but the guitars were right up my alley. So those instrumental breaks were wonderful

I LIKE the fact that Big Star’s original of “September Gurls” (greatest pop song ever?) ends with a missed beat. The Beatlesque cover by the Bangles is smooth as silk, and thus, merely excellent. Alex Chilton’s guitar solo in the original, is practically absent of technique – but thrilling, while the fancy break in the cover version is technically perfect, but only…nice.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing at all wrong with something that’s smooth and well executed. There’s nothing wrong with balance and harmony. But songs are like friends. After a while the perfect ones get on your nerves. It’s the imperfect ones that are more endearing, and leave the more lasting impression.

--- Now playing: Big Star - September Gurls via FoxyTunes

--- Now playing: The Bangles - September Gurls via FoxyTunes

--- Now playing: Luna - Freakin' and Peakin' via FoxyTunes

A Geezer's Guide to Finding Good Music

So, I’ve convinced you that you’re missing out on something, and your pride won’t let you admit that you’re just totally out of touch. You want to think you’re kinda cool, but your running out of evidence to support this.

I’m only kidding. You love music, but you doubt that there’s been anything made in the last thirty years that measures up the 1964-75 period. But you’re willing to try something out. I’m here to help.

First, ignore commercial radio. It’s a dead end. If you hear a song you like, don’t worry, you’ll hear it again (and again and again). If you hear a second song that you like from the CD, you will probably hear that one a lot, too.

There is a remote possibility that the CD will have a lot of other songs that are just as good, but don’t count on it. There’s a reason why the songs you heard were “released as singles”, whatever that means. The artist or record company thinks they are the best things on the CD, and they want you to buy it.

And when you really get down to it, by the time the radio gets through with an actual good CD, you’ve probably heard all those good songs as many times as you need to. I’ve often made the mistake of buying an unquestionably great album, that I later realize I’ve already heard as much as I needed.

Thus, I’ve gotten to the point of using the radio to pass the time, but not to expand my horizons. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a great song on the radio that I felt compelled to rush out and buy. Such songs often don’t have a long shelf life. It’s the musical equivalent of a relationship that should have stayed as a one night stand.

There’s always “college” radio. Program a station it on your car radio and put it on every once in a while. If you like what you hear, keep it on. If you don’t, just change the channel for a while. If you don’t like what you hear for a while, this does not mean that the station sucks. It just means that it is no worse than the other crap you usually put on. Come back to it later.

Unlike commercial radio, if you hear a song you like, YOU WILL NEVER HERE IT AGAIN, so pay attention to the deejay when he announces the song and band.

If I do hear a great song on the radio, I will simply note the name of the song and the artist and bide my time. (Of course if I were thirty years younger I’d probably just download the damned song and be done with it. But I’m not, and besides I’m an album guy, not a single guy. I need to be able to hold the object in my hand. In the meantime, if the song gets played to death, I probably don’t want the CD anyway.)

If you hear about a great album from someone you trust, you might consider getting it. But let’s face it. Who do you trust? Your friends? Please. Their taste is probably even worse than yours. That’s why they’re your friend. You need to have someone you can feel smarter than. But all kidding aside, they’re your friend despite their taste not because of it.

I look into the album and artist on AMG, which is great resource for finding out more about the music that interests you. It includes band biographies, discographies, and ratings (which are somewhat less reliable).

Then there’s Metacritic, which tries to calculate an aggregate score based on numerous reviews and listener reactions.

A lot of publications have year end polls. My favorite is the Pazz and Jop (get it?) Poll in the Village Voice, which is strongest in terms of the number of critics who participate. This ensures a certain degree of variety in taste and styles of music. Check out several polls and note whether you’ve heard of any bands or not. If you’ve heard of them all, you can stick with this publication, if you like. But if you want to broaden your horizons, look at the ones that only mention a few that you recognize. This may be your jumping off point.

After having done this, note if there are any CDs that just keep popping up on various polls. You might want to check some of these out just to know what the hell is going on.

Lastly, I suggest that you read some reviews. Yes, there, I said it. Read what some critics have to say about it. This does not mean that you slavishly buy whatever they suggest and feel compelled to like it because they do. It just means that you’re listening to the opinion of someone who’s heard the album, and has had to put some thoughts together on it. I fail to see why this approach isn’t at least as valid as buying whatever your friend with the drinking problem suggests.

Some friends of mine (gotta love em!) proudly state that they don’t pay attention to critics, while blindly swallowing the blurbs plastered on movie ads whole, as though they weren’t written by quote whores, or the studio itself. At least a critic has to get up there every day, say what’s on his mind and defend it. That’s where you come in. It’s your option to agree or disagree.

But by now, you're intrigued by some of the names that keep popping up. It's time to start your list.

More later.