MY FAVORITE MOVIES OF 2012 (and some of my least favorite too)

THE BEST FUCKING MOVIES OF 2012

Django Unchained: at this point you either love Quentin Tarantino or you fucking hate him...or maybe you don't even give shit (have an opinion about something!). I am a shameless QT apologist. Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction both came out when i was in highschool and had a huge influence on my taste in movies ever after. Tarantino knows what the fuck i like. Django might just be his messiest most over the top movie yet. it has literally everything you could possibly want from Tarantino: buckets and bucket and buckets of blood, Samuel L. Jackson reminding people he used to be an awesome actor, Don Johnson as a racist Colonel Sanders, Jamie Foxx killing the fuck out of everyone, people getting blown up by dynamite, Tarantino trying to act, and a bowing horse. i love it. LOVED it. will probably go see it 2 or 3 more times in the theater. it is the most Tarantino movie Tarantino has ever made. 

Moonrise Kingdom: at this point you either love Wes Anderson or you hate him (wait...didn't i just say the same thing about Tarantino) because he's been making basically the same movie over and over again...but so did Woody Allen. so get over it. i am sucker for his meticulous little cartoon worlds of bad fathers, odd children, impossibly detailed sets, 60s folk soundtracks, and upper middle class white people problems. i loved every second of Moonrise Kingdom because it was just too cute not to. other than the part where the dog dies. Wes, quit killing dogs damnit! you are bringing me down. 

The Grey: a movie almost no one i know saw. the previews just made it look like Liam Neeson fights wolves! but really it's a movie about death and courage in the face of said death. it's probably Neeson's best performance ever, but no critics seem to give a shit because it came out at the beggining of the year and they all can't remember movies that didn't happen post-thanksgiving when award season rolls around. 

Looper: i am and always will be a sucker for a good sci-fi movie. does all the time travel shit make any sense? who gives a shit? it's Bruce Willis running around killing people and the kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun trying to kill him. plus people have mutant powers. plus the most fucked up body horror scene in years. plus Piper Perabo naked. plus Jeff Daniels. plus Mazda Miatas. 

Dredd: most violently stupidly awesome movie of the summer. a simple action sci-fi story that felt like something John Carpentar would've made in his Escape From New York/Big Trouble In Little China days. also the best 3D movie i've seen. 

Goon: basically the best comedy of 2012 and the best sports comedy since Major League. 

Turn Me On Dammit!: Alma is a horny 15 year old girl that spends her time masturbating, dreaming about Artur the boy she is crushing on, and hoping to get the fuck out of her shitty little town someday. Artur pokes Alma with his dick at a party but noone believes her because these little lip balm addicted bitches can't deal with my girl Alma's foxiness and brutal honesty. so Alma becomes an outcast. highschool sucks everywhere, dudes. more masturbating and phone sex and other such adventures til our hero Alma decides these motherfuckers can kiss her ass. 

Marvel's The Avengers: i thought this movie was going to suck. i had been mostly underwhelmed by the Disney Marvel movies other than the 1st Iron Man and thought that Avengers looked pretty fucking stupid. but hey, i was wrong, cuz this was the most fun i had in a theater all year. sure the first 30 minutes of the movie are boring as fuck, a lot of dialogue is terrible...but then The Hulk shows up and starts smashing things and i was turned into a 12 year old boy just smiling stupidly as that big green sonofabitch punches giant space worms in the fucking face. 

The Cabin In The Woods: being that i love Buffy the Vampire Slayer with all my heart, i am glad Joss Whedon's finally getting his due after all these years. Cabin In The Woods felt like something that would've been a really funny Buffy episode. i dig self aware clever bullshit.

Argo: Ben Affleck is a mediocre actor who has somehow morphed himself into a totally awesome director that makes tense little thrillers that Brian DePalma hasn't made since the 70s. 

Skyfall: James Bond + The Dark Knight + Home Alone = the best Bond movie since Goldeneye.

Safety Not Guaranteed: i am totally in love with Aubrey Plaza. i am such a cliche that i don't even care anymore. 

Chronicle: if not for the stupid fucking found footage format this movie would've been perfect. what would happen if some dumb teenage guys were given super powers? probably this movie. and if one of them happened to be a social outcast from an abusive home he probably would turn into a psychotic super villain. Chronicle would make for a really awesome New Mutants movie. seriously, when is hollywood going to give me a New Mutants movie? 

End Of Watch: best cop movie in the last few years. 

Savages: a nasty little piece of cinema trash that is easily the best movie Oliver Stone has made since the mid 90s. Benicio Del Toro steals the show. lots of brutal violence and torture.

The Raid: Redeption: has basically the exact same plot as Dredd but with way more kung fu. this movie reminded me of the good ole days of John Woo's Hong Kong soap opera action movie killspree past. 

Magic Mike: the most hilarious experience i had during any movie this year was watching Magic Mike with two drunk ass girls. plus Matthew McConaughey singing "Ladies of Tampa".

Killer Joe: this movie wasn't really that good, not like i had hoped, BUT still any movie where McConaughey gets to act shitballs crazy and wear a cowboy hat is a movie i am going to enjoy. 

and cuz not everything can be a gem....

THE MOST DISAPPOINTING MOVIES OF 2012

Dark Knight Rises: or how Christopher Nolan killed the serious comic boy movie for me.

Prometheus: or fuck you! this movie makes no fucking sense! i could go on for hours and hours and hours about why i hate this movie. but you've all heard all the reasons from everyone else. i will still probably go see the sequel though, so shame on me.

The Master: two really great acting performances can not make up for the fact this movie is completely pointless and plotless and is the worst Paul Thomas Anderson movie of his career.

The Thing prequel: i don't know why i tricked myself into thinking that THIS was going to be any good. it might be the worst piece of shit i saw all year. 

Ruby Sparks: everything i hate about indie romances in one fucking movie.

Another Pointless Top 10 List About Music On A Blog About Sports

i used to really love making my year end top 10s...but as i have become old and no longer as obsessed with KNOWING about everything i have fallen into a pattern of only getting albums by bands that i've heard good things about from people i really trust. (i also realized i only listen to new music that sounds like old shit i already liked as a teenager). anyways 2010 might be the least active i have ever been in my whole life when it comes to discovering new music...regardless here are a list of albums that i liked a lot, listened to a lot, and will probably still like around this time next year.

1. Harlem - Hippies
probably the best power pop/garage rock band since The Strokes unleashed their first two albums on the hipster population of the United States is Austin, Texas' Harlem. this album is so fucking catchy it might as well have been called Herpes.

2. The Walkmen - Lisbon
my favorite band of the last 10 years just keeps chugging along with album after album of solid material. easily their best record since Bows & Arrows.

3. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
the best band from Atlanta, GA also happens to be one of the best bands in all of indie rock. Deerhunter are falling into their place as the Sonic Youth of the new generation.

4. Grinderman - Grinderman 2
my love for Nick Cave can not be understated. the man is truly one of my musical heroes and i consider him one of the great songwriters of all time in league with Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen...but it's still pretty awesome to see him cut loose in his 50s with a band whose music can best be described as dirty old man rock.


5. Zola Jesus - Stridulum EP
i always have and always will have a soft spot in my heart for weird goth chicks.

6. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
two of my favorite kinds of music are 60s girl group stuff like the Shangri-Las and Ronettes and 1990s indie pop. apparently that is also the chicks in Dum Dum Girls favorite two genres as well.

7. Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils
sounds like a 90s shoegaze band trying to sound like the Beach Boys. Surfgaze. solid.

8. No Age - Everything In Between
No Age are here to remind us that Husker Du and Sebadoh are fucking awesome.

9. Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
The Jesus and Mary Chain aren't just a band from the 80s who wrote "Just Like Honey" and had awesome haircuts, they are also an entire genre of music...or you'd think they were based on the amount of bands who have ripped them off the last 25 years. Crocodiles do it a lot better than most.


10. Best Coast - Crazy For You
summer music by chicks who just wanna smoke pot and go to the beach. good vibes rock and roll.

(BONUS pick) The Black Ryder - Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride
sounds like Mazzy Star. i loved Mazzy Star.

(double BONUS pick) Surf City - Kudos
all the best indie pop comes out of New Zealand. The Clean, the Verlaines, The Chills, Tall Dwarfs, Shocking Pinks, and now you can add Surf City to the list.

i’m sure i’m forgetting something i got this year that i really enjoyed. but anyways that’s my boring ass mostly indie rock favorite records of 2010.

My Top 10 Favorite Atlanta Braves (of my lifetime)

1. John Smoltz
without a doubt the greatest Brave of all time not named Hank Aaron. watched Smoltz pitch was and always will be a thrill. if he's not in the Hall of Fame then they should burn that fucking place to the ground.

2. Dale Murphy
the man, the legend, my childhood hero. he probably deserves the number 1 spot...but Smoltz was a winner.

3. Greg Maddux
it's a toss up between Maddux and Pedro as to who the best right handed pitcher of this era is (fuck Roger Clemens) but Maddux has the hardware to claim the title. it's just too bad he wasn't more consistent in the post season and maybe the Braves would've won more than 1 World Series.

4. Ron Gant
Gant was by far my favorite player on those early 90s squads. he was a dynamic athlete and a really good guy. i was so bummed when he left town.

5. David Justice
there are sooooooooooooo many reasons to dislike David Justice on a personal level, but the dude was the Superstar we needed to replace Dale Murphy and help guide the Braves to the promised land. plus he hit the homerun that clenched the 95 title.

6. Chipper Jones
Chipper will probably go down as one of the greatest Atlanta Braves of all time. he might (should) make it to the Hall Of Fame. he's been the cornerstone of the franchise for almost the entire Bobby Cox era...but i've always had a love/hate relationship with him and the fact he's injured half the time keeps him out of my top 5.

7. Tom Glavine
ya know, he probably deserves to be way higher on this list...but going to New York and acting like a big baby at the end of his career just left a bad taste in my mouth.

8. Terry Pendelton
he was the leader of that early 90s team that turned the Braves from the laughing stock of the National League into the most dominate NL team of the 90s.

9. Fred McGriff
one of the all time underrated stars of the game.

10. Bob Horner
Bob Horner hit a homerun at the first Braves game i ever went to. that sorta stuck with me.

The 2000-2009 Top 25

A LIFETIME OF DEFEATS TOP 25 of the Decade

1. Miami 2001 (12-0) BCS Champs
2. USC 2004 (13-0) BCS Champs
3. Texas 2005 (13-0) BCS Champs
4. USC 2005
5. Oklahoma 2000 (13-0) BSC Champs
6. Auburn 2004 (13-0) SEC Champs
7. Florida 2008 (13-1) BCS Champs
8. USC 2003 (12-1) AP Champs
9. LSU 2003 (12-1) BSC Champs
10. Florida 2006 (13-1) BCS Champs
11. Ohio State 2002 (14-0) BSC Champs
12. Alabama 2009 (13-?) SEC Champ...and most likely national champ
13. Miami 2002 (12-1)
14. USC 2008 (12-1)
15. Utah 2004 (12-0)
16. Oklahoma 2004 (12-1)
17. Utah 2008 (13-0)
18. Texas 2004 (12-1)
19. UGA 2002 (13-1)
20. LSU 2006 (11-2)
21. Ohio State 2006 (12-1)
22. Oregon 2001 (11-1)
23. LSU 2007 (12-2) BCS Champs
24. Penn State 2005 (11-1)
25. Boise State 2006 (13-0)

Top 100 Albums of the Decade (2000-2009)

01. The Strokes- Is This It
02. Radiohead- Kid A
03. Spoon- Kill The Moonlight
04. Fugazi- The Argument
05. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Fever To Tell
06. Wilco- Yankee Foxtrot Hotel
07. The Walkmen- Bows & Arrows
08. White Stripes- White Blood Cells
09. Interpol- Turn On The Bright Lights
10. Outkast- Stankonia
11. Radiohead- In Rainbows
12. TV On The Radio- Young Liars EP
13. The Faint- Dance Macabre
14. The Strokes- Room On Fire
15. Ted Leo & Pharmacists- Hearts Of Oak
16. Jay Reatard- Blood Visions
17. PJ Harvey- Stories From The City Stories From the Sea
18. Deerhunter- Microcastle
19. White Stripes- Elephant
20. Q and Not U- No Kill No Beep Beep
21. Spoon- Girls Can Tell
22. Primal Scream- XTRMNTR
23. Black Lips- Let It Bloom
24. Broken Social Scene- You Forgot It In People
25. Hot Snakes- Suicide Invoice
26. Radio 4- Gotham!
27. Elliott Smith- Figure 8
28. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead- Source Tags & Codes
29. Yo La Tengo- And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
30. M83- Saturdays = Youth
31. LCD Soundsystem- Sound Of Silver
32. The Unicorns- Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone?
33. The Stills- Logic Will Break Your Heart
34. The Icarus Line- Penance Soiree
35. The Warlocks- Phoenix
36. The White Stripes- De Stijl
37. Jay Z- The Blue Print
38. The Shins- Chutes Too Narrow
39. Ted Leo & Pharmacists- The Tyranny Of Distance
40. The Rapture- Echoes
41. No Age- Nouns
42. Converge- Jane Doe
43. Comets On Fire- Blue Cathedral
45. The Fucking Champs- IV
46. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
47. Liar- They Threw Us All In A Trench and Stuck A Monument On Top
48. Shocking Pinks- Shocking Pinks
49. Black Mountain- Black Mountain
50. Lightning Bolt- Wonderful Rainbow
51. High On Fire- Surrounded By Thieves
52. The Ponys- Laced With Romance
53. Arcade Fire- Funeral
54. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Show Your Bones
55. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds- Abattoir Blues/ Lyre Of Orpheus
56. TV On The Radio- Return To Cookie Mountain
57. Pleasure Forever- Pleasure Forever
58. Sonic Youth- Sonic Nurse
59. The Horrors- Primary Colours
60. The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart- Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
61. The Walkmen- Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone
62. The Libertines- Up The Bracket
63. The Lilys- Precollection
64. The Radio Dept.- Lesser Matters
65. The Shins- Oh, Inverted World
66. Whiskeytown- Pneumonia
67. The Exploding Hearts- Guitar Romantic
68. The Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
69. !!!- Louden Up
70. Kanye West- the College Dropout
71. Modest Mouse- Moon & Antarctica
72. Grinderman- Grinderman
73. Dead Meadow- Dead Meadow
74. Les Savy Fav- Go Forth
75. Dinosaur Jr.- Almost Ready
76. Albert Hammond Jr.- Yours To Keep
77. Spoon- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
78. Danger Mouse- The Grey Album
79. The Reigning Sound- Time Bomb High School
80. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
81. The Drive By Truckers- Decoration Day
82. Crystal Stilts- Alright Of Night
83. The Hives- Veni Vidi Vicious
84. Daft Punk- Discovery
85. Spoon- Gimme Fiction
86. The Murder City Devils- In Name and Blood
87. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- Howl
88. The Panthers- Things Are Strange
89. Dismemberment Plan- Change
90. Death From Above 1979- You're A Woman and I'm a Machine
91. The Kills- Midnight Boom
92. A Place To Bury Strangers- A Place to Bury Strangers
93. Devendra Banhart- Rejoicing In Hands
94. Pissed Jeans- Shallow
95. Blonde Redhead - Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons
96. Beck- Sea Change
97. Franz Ferdinand- Franz Ferdinand
98. Boris- Pink
99. Lil' Wayne- Tha Carter III
100. Out Hud- S.T.R.E.E.T.D.A.D.

Top 100 Movies of the Decade (2000-2009)

01. Children of Men
02. The Royal Tenenbaums
03. Lost In Translation
04. City Of God
05. The Dark Knight
06. No Country For Old Men
07. There Will Be Blood
08. 28 Days Later
09. Munich
10. Inglourious Basterds
11. You Can Count On Me
12. Eternal Sunshine Of the Spotless Mind
13. Kill Bill Vol. 1
14. I Heart Huckabees
15. Slumdog Millionaire
16. A History Of Violence
17. The Wrestler
18. Zodiac
19. The Departed
20. Brick
21. Lord Of The Rings
22. Amores Perros
23. Memento
24. High Fidelity
25. Let The Right One In
26. The Incredibles
27. 24 Hour Party People
28. Battle Royale
29. Dirty Pretty Things
30. Y Tu Mama Tambien
31. Control
32. Mulholland Drive
33. Marie Antoinette
34. The Proposition
35. Friday Night Lights
36. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
37. Black Hawk Down
38. Sex & Lucia
39. Milk
40. Thank You For Smoking
41. Grindhouse
42. The Fantastic Mr. Fox
43. 40 Year Old Virgin
44. Superbad
45. The Constant Gardener
46. Old Boy
47. Talk To Her
48. The Virgin Suicides
49. Traffic
50. X-Men 2
51. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
52. Collateral
53. Open Range
54. Good Night, and Good Luck
55. Before Night Falls
56. Amélie
57. The Lives Of Others
58. Brokeback Mountain
59. Wall E
60. Sunshine
61. Shaun Of the Dead
62. Old School
63. American Psycho
64. March of the Penguins
65. Almost Famous
66. A Simple Plan
67. Batman Begins
68. The Darjeeling Limited
69. Punch Drunk Love
70. Adventureland
71. Donnie Darko
72. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
73. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
74. About A Boy
75. Spirited Away
76. Eastern Promises
77. The Hangover
78. Sin City
79. Ghost Dog
80. Kill Bill Vol. 2
81. The Bourne Supremacy
82. Star Trek
83. Little Children
84. Half Nelson
85. Match Point
86. Into The Wild
87. The Squid and the Whale
88. Son Of Rambow
89. Catch Me If You Can
90. Iron Man
91. District 9
92. In The Mood For Love
93. Boiler Room
94. Sexy Beast
95. Syriana
96. Jarhead
97. In Bruges
98. Pineapple Express
99. Casino Royale
100. The Descent

NCAA FOOTBALL ALL-DECADE TEAM

ALL DECADE TEAM

QB, Vince Young (Texas)
RB, Reggie Bush (USC)
RB, Darren McFadden (Arkansas)
WR, Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech)
WR, Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech)
WR, Larry Fitzgerald (Pitt)
TE, Heath Miller (Virginia)
OT, Joe Thomas (Wisconsin)
OG, Logan Mankins (Fresno State)
C , Greg Eslinger (Minnesotta)
OG, Steve Hutchinson (Michigan)
OL, Jake Long (Michigan)

K , Mike Nugent (Ohio State)
P , Dustin Colquitt (Tennessee)
KR/PR, Devin Hester (Miami)

DE, Julius Peppers, (UNC)
DT, Tommie Harris (Oklahoma)
DT, Glenn Dorsey (LSU)
DE, David Pollack (UGA)
LB, Derrick Johnson (Texas)
LB, Jonathan Vilma (Miami)
LB, Patrick Willis (Ole Miss)
LB, AJ Hawk (Ohio State)
DB, DeAngelo Hall (Virginia Tech)
DB, Mike Huff (Texas)
DB, Eric Berry (Tennessee)
DB, Ed Reed (Miami)


SEC ALL-DECADE TEAM

QB, Tim Tebow (Florida)
RB, Carnell Williams (Auburn)
RB, Darren McFadden (Arkansas)
FB, Peyton Hillis (Arkansas)
WR, Josh Reed (LSU)
WR, Percy Harvin (Florida)
WR, Sidney Rice (South Carolina)
TE, Leonard Pope (UGA)
OL, Marcus McNeil (Auburn)
OL, Andre Smith (Alabama)
OL, Michael Oher (Ole Miss)
OL, Shawn Andrews (Arkansas)
OL, Max Jean Giles (UGA)

DE, Quentin Groves (Auburn)
DT, Glenn Dorsey (LSU)
DT, Albert Haynesworth (Tennessee)
DE, David Pollack (UGA)
LB, Jared Mayo (Tennessee)
LB, Patrick Willis (Ole Miss)
LB, Brandon Spikes (Florida)
CB, Fred Smoot (Mississippi State)
CB, Carlos Rogers (Auburn)
S, Reggie Nelson (Florida)
S, Eric Berry (Tennessee)

K, Billy Bennett (UGA)
P, Dustin Colquitt (Tennesse)
KR/PR, Javier Arenas (Bama)

Best and Worst NFL Throwback Uniforms

so you probably already know by now that it's the 50th anniversary of the old AFL and all the original teams are wearing throwback replicas of their original counterparts. some are awesome (Chargers, Bills, Raiders, Oilers) and others make me wish i were blind (Broncos). anyway it got me thinking about my favorite and least favorite throwback uniforms in all of the NFL and so i made a useless list of each.


The BEST (aka Do)

1. San Diego Chargers

nobody can touch the powder blue. why these aren't the Chargers everygame uniforms i will never understand. if you watch a Chargers game EVERYONE in the stands is wearing these. hell these aren't just the best throwbacks...they are the best NFL uniforms ever...period.

2. Buffalo Bills

as much as i love the Chargers, i'll admit that Buffalo is pretty damn close to being just as good. there's just something about THAT color blue and those white helmets and that red bison. it just looks fucking crisp and stylish and super retro. i don't know, they're just fucking rad. this is another team that should just switch back to their classic design cuz what they wear now sucks.

3. Detriot Lions

yes, they suck at all things playing football related, but damn those throwbacks are pretty sweet. i love the solid uniforms without many stripes and the no logo look. i've always thought Detriot had some of the best colors in the NFL and so just seeing the Silver and Blue stand alone without anything else just makes it pop for me. every thanksgiving when they rock these i always say, "well at least Detriot has better uniforms."

4. Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers)

if you can't tell by now, i loves me some blue uniforms...especially powder/baby blue. those old Oilers unis are the powder-bluest. the Oilers are a team who i ALWAYS loved their look and when they unvailed the Titans design i just hung my head and wanted to cry. whatever, having sweet throwbacks won't make anyone forget how fucking bad they are this season.

5. New England Patriots

okay, i'll admit that the old school Pats unis are kinda wussy lookin' and mostly they just remind me of being a little kid and watching the Bears destroy them in the Super Bowl...but i HATE their current uniforms and would much rather see them go back to rockin' Patriot Pat instead.

bonus pick:

6. Atlanta Falcons

file this under: shameless homerism. but i FUCKING LOVE those Falcons original throwbacks. the black jersey with the red helmet and the gold and black stripe that gives a nod to Georgia Tech and UGA. when they busted these out for the first time this year i got really stoked and even thought about buying a jersey...and then i remembered that people who wear NFL jerseys are usually douchebags and so i didn't.

The WORST (aka Don't)

1. Philadelphia Eagles

Where Powder/Baby Blue goes horribly wrong...when it is combined with BRIGHT FUCKING YELLOW. worst uniforms in any sport...EVER. to be fair: these technically ARE NOT Eagles uniforms and are instead the Frankford Yellow Jackets. but the Eagles still thought it was a good idea to take the field in these and try to sell them to the public.

2. Denver Broncos

boring brown and yellow make them look like giant rotten bananas. and what the fuck is up with those fucking socks?! another reason why Cutler wanted out of town.

3. New York Jets (New York Titans)

like the previous two teams you can understand why they had a complete color scheme overhall. i don't even know what you call this other than boring.

4. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THE GAY PIRATE EVER AGAIN! worst NFL uniforms of my lifetime.

5. Pittsburg Steelers

it's funny how much just changing the color of the helmets and pants totally ruins what is one of the NFL's best uniforms ever. i don't know, yellow just sucks when it's on your head, dude. hate it, hate it, hate it.

for no apparent reason: My Top 100 Favorite Songs of the Decade

Pitchfork made their top 500 songs of the decade list...I guess it's safe to assume nothing in these last 4 months is gonna be worthy of inclusion, whatever. Anyways I agreed with some of their picks, others I thought they totally dropped the ball on. Anyways if VH1 asked me to put together a list of the Top 100 songs of the decade then this would be mine.

1. The Walkmen- The Rat
2. The Rapture- House Of Jealous Lovers
3. Outkast- Hey Ya
4. The Strokes- Last Night
5. The White Stripes- Fell In Love With A Girl
6. Spoon- The Way We Get By
7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Maps
8. Phoenix- Too Young
9. Franz Ferdinand- Take Me Out
10. Interpol- PDA
11. TV On The Radio- Staring At The Sun
12. LCD Soundsystem- Losing My Edge
13. R. Kelly- Ignition (remix)
14. M.I.A.- Paper Planes
15. Kanye West- Flashing Lights
16. Radiohead- Idioteque
17. Jay Z- Big Pimpin'
18. Outkast- B.O.B.
19. Youngbloodz- 85
20. The Exploding Hearts- Throwaway Style
21. Bloc Party- Banquet
22. Grinderman- No Pussy Blues
23. No Doubt- Hella Good
24. The Strokes- Hard To Explain
25. The Lilys- Will My Lord Be Gardening
26. The Shins- Kissing the Lipless
27. Arcade Fire- Wake Up
28. Broken Social Scene- Cause = Time
29. Radiohead- All I Need
30. Justin Timberlake- Like I Love You
31. The Killers- When You Were Young
32. MGMT- Time To Pretend
34. Dr. Dre- Still D.R.E.
35. LCD Soundsystem- Someone Great
36. TV On The Radio- Wolf Like Me
37. The Radio Dept.- Pulling Our Weight
38. Silversun Pickups- Lazy Eye
39. Ted Leo & RX- I'm a Ghost
40. Andrew WK- Party Hard
41. Lil Wayne- A Milli
42. Kanye West- Gold Digger
43. Death Cab for Cutie- Soul Meets Body
44. White Stripes- Seven Nation Army
45. M83- Don't Save Us From The Flames
46. Air- Playground Love
47. Yo La Tengo- You Can Have It All
48. Beck- Lost Cause
49. Sonic Youth- Incinerate
50. Morrissey- The First Of the Gang To Die
51. Jay Z- 99 Problems (Dangermouse grey album version)
52. Gnarls Barkley- Crazy
53. Dinosaur Jr.- Almost Ready
54. Bat For Lashes- Daniel
55. Phoenix- 1901
56. David Byrne & Brian Eno- Strange Overtones
57. Wilco- Jesus, Etc.
58. No Age- Teen Creeps
59. Death From Above 1978- Romantic Rights
60. Radio 4- Dance to the Underground
61. Chromatics- In The City
62. LCD Soundsystem- All My Friends (Franz Ferdinand remix)
63. The Faint- Agenda Suicide
64. The Rapture- Out of the Races and Onto The Tracks
65. Jimmy Eat World- The Middle
66. Belle & Sebastian- If She Wants Me
67. Vampire Weekend- Oxford Comma
68. The Strokes- New York City Cops
69. Deerhunter- Nothing Ever Happened
70. Devendra Banhart- Lover
71. The Clientele- We Could Walk Together
72. Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Cheated Hearts
73. Broken Social Scene- Lover's Spit
74. MGMT- Kids
75. Mike Jones- Still Tippin'
76. Maximo Park- Apply Some Pressure
77. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead- Another Morning Stoner
78. !!!- Heart of Hearts
79. Spoon- Everything Hits At Once
80. The Icarus Line- Party The Baby Off
81. Shocking Pinks- Emily
82. Jay Reatard- Always Wanting More
83. The Libertines- Don't Look Back Into The Sun
84. Q & Not U- A Line In The Sand
85. The Stills- Lola, Stars and Stripes
86. Modest Mouse- Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
87. Missy Elliott- Get Your Freak On
88. Lil' Scrappy- No Problem
89. The Warlocks- Shake The Dope Out
90. Fugazi- Full Disclosure
91. Interpol- NYC
92. Guided By Voices- Glad Girls
93. Spoon- I Summon You
94. PJ Harvey with Thom Yorke- This Mess We're In
95. Mobb Deep- Get It Twisted
96. The Strokes- Under Control
97. Black Lips- Dirty Hands
98. Ariel Pink's Haunted Grafitti- For Kate I Wait
99. The Killers- All These Things I've Done
100. Elliott Smith- A Fond Farewell

for Pitchfork's list go here.

Hey, Who Likes Stupid Arguments?

ESPN created some new poll for college football fans to vote for a BRAND NEW Division 1 A that includes only the top 40 programs in the country for some mythical SUPER LEAGUE. and though i agree that D1 could stand to trim a conference or two (The MAC and Sun Belt, most of the teams in Conference USA, some of the MAC & Mountain West), getting it down to a list of just 40 schools is pretty silly...mostly because you'd have to eliminate a number of state schools who would all be able to produce far better football programs without smaller schools sucking away talent (imagine how much better Texas A&M would be if Houston, UTEP, SMU, & Baylor weren't around). anyways only the top 8 SEC Schools made the cut (Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Auburn).

If there was to be a new Super Division then I think 60 teams would be a better number as you'd be able to include all the traditional powers, the major state schools from all those states who have DI programs, and then include a number of the successful smaller programs like Boise State, BYU, and Utah.

So here would be my Super 60:

The South

Alabama
Auburn
Arkansas
LSU
Ole Miss
Florida
UGA
Tennessee
South Carolina
Kentucky
Florida State
Miami
North Carolina
Georgia Tech
Clemson
North Carolina State
Virginia Tech
Virginia
Maryland
Louisville

Midwest/North

Ohio State
Michigan
Notre Dame
Penn State
Michigan State
Iowa
Wisconsin
Illinois
Minnesota
Boston College
Pittsburgh
West Virginia
UConn
Missouri
Nebraska
Kansas
Kansas State
Cincinnati
Rutgers
Purdue

The West

USC
California
Oregon
Washington
Oregon State
UCLA
Stanford
Arizona
Arizona State
Texas
Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Colorado
Oklahoma State
TCU
Utah
BYU
Boise State
Hawaii

so yeah, 60 teams broken up into either 3 divisions of 20 or 6 divisions of 10 with 8 playoff spots up for grabs.

My Top 20 Favorite Punk Albums Of All Time

London Calling and Nevermind the Bollocks are both great, don't get me wrong, but for me...these are the true greatest punk albums of all time.

1. Black Flag- The First Four Years

this album is what it says...a collection of all Black Flag's singles/eps/etc. from their first four years as a band. all of it is pre-Henry Rollins. the band went through several different vocalists (their 1st one Keith Morris does a pretty fucking good Johnny Rotten impression). every song on this is a hardcore punk classic with "Nervous Breakdown", "Wasted", & "Six Pack" being some of my favorite songs ever written. this is the sound of Hardcore being born. nihilism, paranoia, depression, isolation, despair, the sound of the city of LA closing in around you. whenever i put this on i just wish i was a 15 year old skater who could go out and vandalize something.



2. The Stooges- Fun House

recorded in May of 1970, Fun House was the Stooges 2nd album. the band recorded everything live in the studio with no overdubs, so it's the closest thing to capturing their live fury of any of their other records. after their debut's basic garage/psych approach (if you could really call it basic) the band decided to indulge in their love of free jazz. most of the songs are basically just a riff with the rest of the band and Iggy just doing whatever they want. this is the sound of the apocalypse and next to the Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat is one of the first truly punk records ever recorded. "Tv Eye", "Loose", & "1970" are the highlights...but honestly every fucking song on this album is a chaotic masterpiece.

3. Gang Of Four- Entertainment!

okay, so this is more of a post-punk record to be honest, but there's enough punk rock attitude on this album to let that slide. equal parts political manifesto and dance record, Gang of Four took the sound of 70s punk and mashed it together with funk to create a sound totally original. they influenced the likes of the Minutemen, REM, & Fugazi and basically spawned an entire genre of music (Dance Punk) that exists today. "Anthrax", "Damaged Goods", & "At Home He's a Tourist" are some of the highlights...but every song is memorable.

4. Suicide- Suicide

has there ever been an electronic record that sounded darker, scarier, and more punk rock? Ministry and Nine Inch Nails can go fuck themselves. Suicide pre-dated the New York Punk scene by a number of years and their live shows were the thing of legend. singer Alan Vega is like an Elvis on bad cocaine and Martin Rev just keeps the drone going. they influenced EVERYONE. the Jesus & Mary Chain, Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Cabaret Voltaire, Spacemen 3, Chrome, Big Black, The Screamers, Bruce Springsteen (yeah the Boss credits them for the inspiration to Nebraska), and every single band that ever decided to make music with just a singer and a drum machine. "Ghost Rider", "Rocket USA", and "Girl" are among the best tracks on this album and the 10 minute plus "Frankie Teardrop" is one of, if not THE, most fucking harrowing songs put to record.

5. Wire- Pink Flag

easily one of the most original bands of the UK punk explosion, Wire are part art project, part lesson in minimalism (in both sound and song length), and part fucking awesome. this record is the beginning of indie rock as it's pretty obvious that Pavement were fans of this. intelligent, strange, catchy, sometimes abrasive...a true classic. "three girl rhumba", "strange", and "ex lion tamer" are my favorite tracks...but honestly there isn't a single song of the 21 on here that aren't awesome.

6. The Clash- The Clash

the Clash's debut record combines the band's love of reggae, 50's rock and roll, and British pup-rock and delivers one of the greatest records of all time. London's Calling gets all the press, but THE CLASH is the album that defines who the band are and what they've got to say. both the US and UK versions of this album are both chock full of classic hits. the US version has a couple of UK singles added and a few album tracks missing from the UK version. honestly it's just better to buy the US one and download all the missing tracks from the British version.

7. The Birthday Party- Prayers On Fire

take the Stooges noisey freakouts...add an even darker and crazier frontman (a young Nick Cave), stick it in a meatgrinder, crank the murder/sex/death/rock up to 11 and then you've got the Birthday Party. this is as punk as goth ever got.

8. The Misfits- Static Age

sounding like a scary version of the Undertones and Ramones...Static Age is the ultimate Misfits album. horror cartoon punk. the soundtrack for any high school kid worth a shit's night on the town. EVERY SONG IS A CLASSIC. "attitude", "hybrid moments", "last caress", etc....


9. The Gun Club- Fire Of Love

swamped out hill billy punk...like of Creedence Clearwater Revival had grown up Black Flag fans. this is LA roots punk at it's finest. better than anything X ever recorded by a mile. this album had a huge influence on the coming Alt.country scene as well as The Meat Puppets, The Flaming Lips, & the Pixies....plus the White Stripes owe them a dept as well. "sex beat" (which has maybe the best line ever: "we can fuck forever but you'll never get my soul."), "she's like heroin to me", and "for the love of ivy" are the choice cuts.



10. Bad Brains- Bad Brains

the holy grail of hardcore punk was created by four black kids from Washinton DC who decided to take their jazz chops and play the fastest punk rock music ever at the time...and with some little reggae numbers thrown in to change things up a bit. Bad Brains moved to New York and basically changed the punk scene to hardcore overnight. LA metal and thrash owe a huge dept to Bad Brains as well. "attitude", "banned in DC" & "pay to cum" are the hits.


11. The Damned- Damned Damned Damned

the first UK punk band to hit the airwaves and easily one of the best. thrashy rock and roll and Stooges influenced garage rock. "Neat Neat Neat", "New Rose", and "Stab Your Back" are classics. they also do a Stooges cover for good measure.

12. The Nation Of Ulysses- Plays Pretty For Baby!

teenage rebellion as a political manifesto. the band's 2nd album took their love of the MC5, free jazz, artrock, and hardcore punk and then just took the whole thing up about 20 notches. angry, witty, and full of passion. Image isn't everything...it's the only thing. listen to "shakedown"...if you don't get it after that then you never will.

13. New York Dolls- New York Dolls

predating the punk scene by a few years, this American glam band took what T.Rex and Bowie were doing in England and made it seem dangerous. Rolling Stones and Chuck Berry riffs being played over songs about sex, decadence, drugs all done sloppy and violent. THIS IS THE MOST ROCK AND ROLL ALBUM EVER. The Dolls were New York's first and their finest. "personality crisis", "lookin' for a kiss", "trash", "jet boy"...every single song is perfection.

14. Ramones- Rocket To Russia

the 3rd and the best of all the Ramones albums. cleaner production and more hooks plus the best songwriting to date. iot's the perfect combo of their love of 60s girl group pop, surf rock, and chuck berry. "rockaway beach", "sheena is a punk rocker", and "teenage lobotomy" standout...but every single song is a classic.

15. Black Flag- Damaged

the band's debut album with Henry Rollins as it's full time vocalists. their sound now was perfected after years of writing and touring. the strongest lineup the group ever had with 2 guitarists and a killer rhythm section. every song is like an angry man balling up his fist and then fighting in a blind rage anything that comes near it. "gimmie gimmie gimmie", "tv party", & "rise above" can peel paint off the wall and "depression" is the birth of noise rock.

16. The Wipers- Is This Real?

mostly unheralded Oregon punks whose first 3 albums are basically the sound of Grunge being invented. Seattle was paying attention. this album is their first and best. tons of great songs, "Return of the Rat" and "D-7" (both covered by Nirvana) are the best known, and "Mystery" is a perfect little power pop love song that clocks in under 2 minutes.



17. Stiff Little Fingers- Inflammable Material

Belfast punks who took the Sex Pistols sound and cranked up the political unrest 20 notches with their debut record. probably the angriest UK punk record of the 70s. "Suspect Device" and "Alternative Ulster" are the hits, but every song is a classic. "Barbed Wire Love" being my personal favorite.

18. Mudhoney- SuperFuzz BigMuff

combining Mudhoney's first EP with their early singles, Sub Pop released the definitive grunge record of all time. Mudhoney combined their love of the Stooges, Northwestern garage (the Sonics), and hardcore punk into a fuzzed out, primitive, feedback drenched sound. 12 songs of perfect rock and roll...with "Touch Me I'm Sick", "In and Out of Grace", and "Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More" being the most well known. this is the album that made me fall in love with garage punk.

19. The Saints- Eternally Yours

the Saints 1st record is a classic of punk rock/garage energy, but it's the follow up that shows off that they could do equal parts oldschool rhythm & blues and even shameless power pop. the song "This Perfect Day" may very well be the greatest punk anthem ever written. "Lost & Found" is a pure garage burner and "Know Your Product" sounds like a soul record on speed with big horns and mighty hooks. Nevermind the Sex Pistols...it's the Saints who showed punks how to rock and roll.



20. The Cramps- Bad Music For Bad People

most people would probably pick their debut album as the place to start but for me this collection of singles and b-sides released in 1984 is the perfect intro to the kings of garage trash punk....it probably has something to do with me hearing this first. it's just 31 minutes and full of debauchery and everything is a fucking gem. the Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valetnine, The Dwarves, the Horrors, and every band who ever played garage trash afterwards owes this band a lot. classic cuts "human fly", "garbage man", and "new kind of kick" all fucking rule.

Bonus Pick:

21. The Zeros- Don't Push Me Around

i hate to put a compilation cd on this list but for The Mexican Ramones i will make an exception. Bomp records collected this comp of Zeros recordings from 1978-1980. if this isn't the best pop punk of all time then it's right up there with anything the Undertones, Buzzcocks, or Ramones ever committed to tape. includes the classic cuts "Don't Push Me Around", "Wild Weekend", and my personal favorite..."She's Just A Girl On The Block"

punk