You’d Be Surprised How Little I Knew Even Up to Yesterday

The Bloggregate has been updated; meager jump from 122 sources, 349 albums to 148 sources, 419 titles.  I doubt there’ll be call to go at it again, this year.  Next year, I’ll start earlier so’s it won’t feel so after-the-fact.  Promise.  But for now...

Crazy Frog is on the list.  If ever there was a sign to stop, it’s that.

The spreadsheet on the Main Page is all square, and the new lists are noted on the Links page as well.  I did not update the picture file; too much work unless there’s radical amounts of change.  Those of you who can’t open Excel – and really, who are you? – can follow the links back to the original sources for the candy.

If you’re curious about rankings, and that sort of thing, here’s a quick before/after:

Nothing climbed in or fell out of the top 20.  Some shuffling around.  Yawn.

But we’re not here for the numbers, we’re here for the music.  This time around the thing that made me most happy came courtesy of the folks over at Popsurfing; their list hipped me to the work of Richard Swift.  The stuff streaming on his site (Which is, itself, incredibly awesome.  It has bats!  Don’t forget to drag the ring!) is really pretty West Coast songwriter-driven pop with that Michael Penn/Jon Brion schwirly production sound and an affection for old sounds that wavers between Old Tom Waits and Rufus Wainwright.

I’m describing it poorly, because I’ve had no sleep.  Just go there and listen.  New Yorkers will want to skip right to “The Novelist.”

The only problem with Mr. Swift is that, according to his discography page, the particular collection the Popsurfers recommended is only available at shows.  I’m sure there are other sources.  But it just means Mr. Swift will have to come East.  Soon.

(Whew.  Got through all that without making a lame “Modest Proposal” joke.  Or the like.)

Other goodies await.  Run, children, explore!

Thanks to those who e-mailed me links and corrections and supportive comments.  And if you have more links – or corrections, or supportive comments – don’t be afraid to send ‘em along.  Can’t hurt.  Not too much.

I mean, Crazy Frog is already on the list.

tags: best of 2005  best music  2005 music bloggregate  richard swift  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    reddit