1. *Wisely*--- Wisely. My favorite release of the year was made even more
special by Wisely's "house" concert here at Flying Colors Comics last
February.

2. *Spiraling* ---- Time Travel Made Easy. A late entry as I got this from
one of Bruce's Not Lame sales. This one hits all the right marks for me---
pop hooks, some proggy synths, and the feeling that I'm hearing something
truly original.

3. *The Fireman*--- Electric Arguments. Who knew Paul's best CD in years
wouldn't even have his name on it? This one will last longer for me than
Macca's most recent efforts, too. Subtle, ambient, melodic, airy and
energetic.

4. *Brian Wilson*—That Lucky Old Sun. The lesson I learned from this one is
that Scott Bennett is a major talent (but I already knew that from The
Dotted Line).

5. *SLOAN*--- Parallel Play. One of the cool side benefits of loving this
great band is that with 4 songwriters, there usually isn't too long a gap
between releases.

6.* Aprilsrain*--- Stellar Transmission. Working with Chris Manning, Roger
Joseph Manning Jr and Chris Brown, Jonathan DelArroz delivers a dreamy
debut. Spacey pop with a sparkle.

7. *Daisy *--- It's About Time. The Finnish band wears its influences
proudly with what feels like a lost '70s masterpiece.

8. *Roger Manning Jr* --- Catnip Dynamite. This will probably make my 2009
list, too, when it gets released on Oglio.

9. *Cliff Hillis* – The Long Now. Another strong one from Mr. Hillis!

10. *Kooks* --- Konk. Comes with a British accent!

11. *Pretenders* --- Break Up the Concrete. Sometimes a little Diddley,
sometimes a little country, a very welcome outing from Chrissie and Co.

12. (tie) *Ness*--- You Can't Afford to Feel and *Dungen* --- 4. Each of
these has some great stuff and each of these has stuff that left me cold.
But when they're good, they're great, so that was enough to get them on the
list.


Would have included it if I could:
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway --- *Rewiring Genesis*.
A collaboration of singer/drummer Nick D"Virgilio (Spock's Beard) and
producer/arranger Mark Hornsby, I will admit that as much of a Genesis fan
as I am, The Lamb was never my favorite album from them.

Upon hearing this "re-wiring", though, I've been exposed again to all the
wonderful melodies and cool bits that are in each of the songs, often
obscured by Peter Gabriel's failed attempt to provide a cohesive narrative.
D'Virgilio and Hornsby are joined by Nashville session players who were
mostly unfamiliar with the source material, having replaced all the
synthesized keyboards and voices with horns, strings and actual singers.

The result is a warm and live sound that transforms The Lamb from a dense
and occasionally brilliant prog epic to a musically exceptional and
accessible style-hopping surprise.

Joe Field
Flying Colors Comics <http://flyingcolorscomics.com>
Concord CA