2010 Compilation

Every year I make a mix of some of my favorite songs. Here's 2010:

1) Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait
2) The Bird and the Bee - Heard it on the Radio
3) Ra Ra Riot - Do You Remember
4) Jeremy Messersmith - Lazy Bones
5) Belle and Sebastian - I'm Not Living in the Real World
6) Field Music - Them That Do Nothing
7) Stars - Fixed
8) Robbie Williams - Heart and I
9) Jimmy Eat World - Heart is Hard to Find
10) Broken Bells - The High Road
11) The Roots - Right On
12) Vampire Weekend - Giving Up the Gun
13) Cloud Cult - You Were Born

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Billy Joel: 1980 - 1977

When I decided to write about every single Billy Joel studio album I knew had a bit of a leg up in that I'd written reviews of a handful of his records already. What I didn't realize until just now was that those reviews were of albums that had been released consecutively between 1977 and 1980. As I reread those reviews - the most recent of which is 14 years old! - I found that I still stand by them. My writing style has mellowed a bit, and I no longer give grades to albums, but otherwise my opinions then are my opinions now. So here you go... Billy Joel: Glass Houses (1980) Billy Joel: 52nd Street (1978) Billy Joel: The Stranger (1977)

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The End of REO Speedwagon's Road

I devoted the summer of 2019 to listening to and writing about Champaign, Illinois' own REO Speedwagon. It was an eye-opening journey through a complex and inspiring history, and one that ended with me seeing them in concert for the first time. They've played nearby a couple of times since then, but I haven't ventured out for various reasons. Then I saw that they were playing right here in my hometown in early November. I looked into tickets right away, but I didn't end up buying one, partly because they were quite expensive, but mostly because Ticketmaster wouldn't let me buy a ticket for just one seat! I figured I'd wait until the day of and see what offers were out there. Then, in mid-September, came the news. The band released a statement revealing that they would cease touring - and though it wasn't stated, cease to be a band - effective January 1, 2025. In digging further into this announcement, I learned that founding member Neal Doughty retired in Ja...

3 Minutes, 49 Seconds

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