A hard run at second place

As all loyal readers know, British Sea Power has already wrapped up LOWAG's album of the year. Whay may surprise you is that two bands are hard charging for second place, and they seem like the most unlikely of bands. First, we have Eisley and their Combinations album, and tsecond we have Shearwater and their Rooks album. I'll be honest, I love Combinations, but Rooks is awesome. I never thought that Will Sheff leaving a band would be good, but Shearwater's just going gangbusters right now. That's three consecutive top-notch albums they've released (Winged Life, Palo Santo, Rooks). Are they fast becoming a top LOWAG band? Are they nearing the LOWAG Pantheon of Criminally Unappreciated Bands (currently featuring James and the Levellers)? (Actually, they just released the fifth album, so let's toss them into that pantheon...well, maybe right now they are just at the doorstep knocking loudly to enter.)

What stunned me was that the latest Death Cab album didn't do anything for me. Maybe I need to give it a listen again, but it seemed kinda boring, which is too bad. I like them, I pull for them, I hope that they really didn't just spend three years making a boring album. Sad when that happens.

I've embarked on an insane project: Identifying my top ten favorite American Indie songs in the 2000s. I lie awake at night debating the merits of Get It Faster and The Mariner's Revenge Song and I fear the retribution of a disappointed audience when they see the top ten list and yell merciless things like "Where's Xiu Xiu's I Love the Valley, OH?" But, I am a man, and as such, I will post my list shortly. Some songs are definitely in. It's just a matter of figuring out who rounds out the top ten. (The #1 song is so unlikely, yet those who know me know it couldn't be any other way.)