Just fragmentary bits today.

Austin post-rock heroes Explosions In The Sky are hitting the road this Winter in support of their new album, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone. The record is out February 20 and they’ve got a date at the Opera House in Toronto on March 24 with The Paper Chase and Eluvium as support. I’m more than a little surprised at the size of the venue – quite a jump from their last time through when they played the Horseshoe. Maybe this is a consequence of the success of the Friday Night Lights television show, which I believe still uses the film score for the theme? Great – a whole new fanbase of high school football fans.

And some other Texans ill-advisedly coming up north in the dead of Winter are Midlake, in town at Lee’s Palace on February 12. I’ve got the good sense not to go to Austin in the middle of Summer, I don’t know what these guys are thinking.

Mojave 3 frontman Neil Halstead stopped in at AOL’s Interface recently and recorded a few songs, solo acoustic style, as well as an interview.

Aversion reports that The New Pornographers’ limited edition live album, which they’ve been selling on the road, will be made available for sale over their website when they’re done gallivanting around the world. Pitchfork has more details, including the title (Live!) and the specific limited edition (1000 copies). If that figure is accurate, I can’t imagine they’ll have any left over to sell when they get home. The recordings were culled from their Fall 2005 tour, which featured the dream team lineup with Dan Bejar and Neko Case, as well as their Winter ’06 jaunt with Belle & Sebastian.

Ted Leo talks to Billboard about making his new album Living With The Living, which will be in stores March 20.

If you missed the link in yesterday’s comments, Things I’d Rather Be Doing has an interview with Richie Edwards of Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s.

Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub ruminates to Harp on how and why Bandwagonesque retains such a fond place in peoples’ hearts after 15 years.

Exclaim recounts the story of Pulp. Apparently Jarvis Cocker’s solo record Jarvis is quite good. This is encouraging – I always thought that Pulp were the best and most interesting of the bands lumped into the Britpop movement. Not that I’d agree they belonged there, but timing, as they say, is everything.

Andy Partridge has an expansive sit-down with Amazon.com about the past, as documented on the Fuzzy Warbles Collectors Album box set, and the future for him, XTC, whoever. He also makes many album recommendations which, conveniently, you can buy right there at Amazon.

Tiny Mix Tapes’ redesign = the awesome.

np – Explosions In The Sky / How Strange, Innocence

And so we have it, another year come and gone. Was it a good year? A bad year? It was a year. That’s all. And with years come lists and so here’s mine.

General procedure is usually that the year-end list is supposed to tally up the “best” records of the year – well if anyone can tell me what the hell that means, I’d appreciate it. Rankings like that are inherently meaningless (as the uproar whenever someone publishes any sort of list that makes claims of definitiveness will attest) so instead, I’ve chosen to list off the ten records that meant the most to me in 2006 – the ones that soundtracked my life, so to speak. The ones that engaged, empathized, moved, mesmerized or just connected with me and that I listened to the most. And most importantly (or perhaps disappointingly), unassailable. I don’t doubt for a minute that there’s great stuff that isn’t on this list or that I’ve not even heard, but from what I did hear, these are the standouts.

Thankfully, all are also excellent records and would stand up quite well to any proposed criteria for what defines “best”, though I know for a fact that there’s many far-better reviewed and critically acclaimed records out there that are not represented here. That’s not what this list is about. You want science, go here. You want to know my favourite records of the year? Read on.

Points you may notice that I’m already aware of – 9 of 10 artists on this list are American, none are from outside North America and most could broadly be categorized as roots or Americana. I have no real explanation for that, though it also makes perfect sense. Take that as you will. This was a year in which I became more conscious of my personal tastes, what I do and do not like in music, and this year? I liked the rootsy, lyric-y stuff. Maybe 2007 will be about the Euro-rock. We’ll see. And they’re listed alphabetically so don’t read anything into the order (like some did last year even though I stated quite clearly that there was no ranking. Though it does raise the question – who put the alphabet in the order it’s in? Someone with a prejudice against x, y and z no doubt.

I hadn’t intended to run this list for another week while I fussed and fretted over what to include, but after opting to keep things ultra-focused this year, I was done before I knew it. I thought about doing some honourable mentions or special categories, but you know what? That just opens up the floodgates and eventually I’d want every record I liked this year – and there’s many – in here and that’s just too much to deal with. So here’s ten and ten only. After the jump, of course.

And I’m particularly pleased with myself for the visual treatment of the selections – most certainly the most fun I had with assembling this post. Probably doesn’t mean anything to most of you, but the 1986-87 Topps/O-Pee-Chee NHL set will always be very special to me. You’ve no idea how long I spent looking for number 251 – Brent Peterson, then of the Vancouver Canucks – to complete the set. And I still have it.
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The Slip / Eisenhower (Bar/None) Eisenhower is meant to be The Slip’s emancipation proclamation from the jam-rock pigeonhole into which they’d been stuffed over their career thus far, and on it they seem to be diving into the broader musical buffet like a man coming off a long fast. Over the course of eleven songs they offer up pop-culture quoting pop anthems, string-laden orch-rock, power ballads, and all points in-between. While are still traces of their patchouli-stink past, mostly in their impressive instrumental chops and not-quite-conventional song structures, they also demonstrate some solid pop songwriting chops that may well have been lost on the Bonnaroo crowd. The production is a little glossy and bland for my taste, but if they’ve set their sights on some radio crossover action, then they’re on the right track. They’re at the El Mocambo this Saturday, December 9 and I’m giving away Slip stuff till Tuesday. MySpace: The Slip

We Landed On The Moon! / We Landed On The Moon! (independent) Incongruity is the watchword for this Baton Rouge outfit. The name is twee as fuck, the music is alt.indie-approved jangle and singer Melissa Eccles has the pipes and brassiness of a full-on rock diva. Oh, and their bio ill-advisedly credits the band’s existence to the recent Dukes Of Hazzard film. Don’t ask. But they make it work and work well, with their debut album an impressively tight and polished, self-produced effort. Their songwriting seems tailored to showcase Eccles’ range, from brash rockers to more restrained, introspective numbers and while it only makes sense to play to your strengths, it can also encourage oversinging and in some cases, melodrama ensues. But considering the youth of the band and the obvious potential therein, given the time to refine and focus their sound they could well turn out some terrific stuff. Pity about the name, though. MP3: We Landed On The Moon – “Everything Is Fine” MP3: We Landed On The Moon – “Simple Steps” MySpace: We Landed On The Moon

np – Aimee Mann / I’m With Stupid

Final giveaway for today, but it’s a good one – courtesy of Toolshed, I’ve got a stocking full of Aimee Mann to give away. This consists of Aimee’s entire solo catalog – probably not the Magnolia soundtrack or the Live At St Ann’s Warehouse CD/DVD set but her studio material at least, which would include Whatever, I’m With Stupid, Bachelor #2, Lost In Space and The Forgotten Arm and possibly/probably her new Christmas record One More Drifter In The Snow. I’m not exactly sure.

Mann might at first seem like an odd person to be making a holiday album, what with her being the patron saint of glum, but one forgets that Christmas is, for many, the most depressing time of the year. Think about it. But Drifter isn’t about ruining anyone’s Christmas, there’s only one Mann original, the rest are covers and standards, albeit sung with Mann’s characteristically understated and downbeat style (except for “You’re A Mean One, Mr Grinch” – how could you not have a good time singing that one?) But for a Christmas record – which are usually inherently dire – It’s actually quite nice. No, this record won’t deter those who complain that Aimee has gone all MOR on us, but whatever.

Also check out the holiday blog started in conjunction with the record wherein they solicit your holiday memories: “Ever have a bummer Christmas? What was the best holiday gift you ever got? What was the worst? When did you discover Santa wasn’t real? When did you find out Santa WAS real?” They say they want to hear about your best holiday but you know they really just want to hear your worst. Just like you really only want to read the sad stories. Admit it.

Anyway, while most Aimee fans will certainly have most if not all of these records, they’ll also make a great gift to someone whose tastes in music are too happy and need a healthy dose of depression. To enter, leave me a comment telling me about your worst Christmas ever. Doesn’t have to be in excruciating detail, just enough to make the rest of us feel better about our own dour holiday memories. As always, be sure to leave your proper email address so the winners can be contacted and gifted (which you can feel free to re-gift at your leisure).

The contest will run until midnight, December 9. Ho ho ho.

CONTEST IS CLOSED – thanks to all who entered and congrats to Jonathan, who won the CDs. And I sincerely hope your Christmases this year better than the ones you wrote about.

MP3: Aimee Mann – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (from One More Drifter In The Snow)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (from One More Drifter In The Snow)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “Dear John” (from The Forgotten Arm)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “She Really Wants You” (from The Forgotten Arm)
MP3: Aimee Mann – “Long Shot” (from Live At St Ann’s Warehouse)
Video: Aimee Mann / One More Drifter In The Snow preview

You may recall me writing a little while back about the Harry Smith Project DVD that came out last month – well as it happens, I now have a copy of the DVD to give away, courtesy of Shout Factory.

Now I haven’t seen the whole thing because, well, the copy I have is for givin’ and not for watchin’, but from the samples below and the quality of the artists participating in these shows (Wilco, Elvis Costello and Steve Earle to name but a few), there’s really no way this can’t be amazing. If you win this, consider yourself lucky. To get lucky (maybe), email me at contests@chromewaves.net with “I want the Harry Smith DVD” in the subject line and your mailing info in the body.

Contest closes at midnight, December 5.

CONTEST IS CLOSED. Congrats to Lyle, who has won the DVD.

Stream: Wilco – “James Alley Blues” (MOV)
Stream: Beth Orton – “Frankie” (MOV)
Video: Nick Cave – “John The Revelator” (MOV)
Video: Beth Orton – “Frankie” (MOV)