New releases:

1 Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (Nonesuch).  Not since the 60s heyday of the Beach Boys and the Beatles has a band combined innovation and pop hooks as Wilco did with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Experimental, but still warm and accessible. Dark, yet beautiful and inviting. The most talked about record of 2002 (and 2001), YHF will be remembered and revered long after everyone forgets about the sidebar storylines.     Buy this CD

2 Paul Westerberg/Grandpa Boy Mono/Stereo (Vagrant).  Following multiple lackluster solo releases, the songwriter for the greatest rock-n-roll band of the last twenty years submitted two albums worthy of complete attention. Playing to his strengths, the Mono record (as Grandpa Boy) focuses on inspired Stones/Faces-inspired rock-n-roll, while Stereo captures his heart-on-your-sleeve balladeer side in revitalized form. He finally got it right.  Buy this CD

3 Andrew WK I Get Wet (Mercury). After ten years of downer rock, Andrew WK swoops down and brings back the party again. The previously unthinkable hybrid of death metal and 80s synth-pop drive catchy tunes about partying, girls, living in the red, and, well, partying. Overwhelmingly positive and life-affirming, Andrew WK rocks like theres a million tomorrows.  Buy this CD

4 The Fucking Champs V (Drag City).  The Melvins play the music of Queen? Ironic prog-rock? Heavy metal with a heart? Whatever it is, it is complex (can you count the riffs?), funny (sans any vocals), and HEAVY. Would Yes have been this good if Jon Anderson was left out of the equation? Buy this CD

5 Drive By Truckers Southern Rock Opera (Universal).  Southern culture, life, and rock woven together and meticulously explained to a public still confused about what exactly goes on below the Mason-Dixon line. In the end, theres redemptionand not just for Southern Rock, but for the Drive By Truckers themselves and anyone who once hated the place they now proudly call home. Buy this CD

Re-issues:

1 Gary Wilson You Think You Really Know Me (1977, re-issued by Motel).  A record that not only presages DIY ethics, but synth-pop, awkwardly confessional singer/songwriters like Lou Barlow, and the one-man funk of Prince. Seriously.  Buy this CD

2 Teenage Fanclub Howdy! (UK 2000, re-issued by Thirsty Ear).  Finally a stateside release for the best pop album of 2000. Its been a decade since the band were cover boys for trendy British rags and did Big Star better than anybody. Its a shame theyre largely ignored now, as the unit produced a classic with Howdy!, and sound more like themselves than ever before.  Buy this CD

3 Red Krayola God Bless the Red Krayola and All Who Sail with It (1968, re-issued by Sunspots). Post-punk in the 60s? It happened.  Buy this CD

4 Townes Van Vandt Live at the Old Quarter (1973 recordings; released 1977; reissued by Tomato).  A mix of country, bluegrass, and blues, the songs of Townes Van Zandt will always be as picturesque as they were to the lucky few who braved the sweltering heat in that Houston bar. A recording full of ambience and warmth (and not just from the bodies), Live at the Old Quarter reveals Van Zandt as an alt-country hero.    Buy this CD