Ok, jerks. Here's the latest. I think this mix has reached its potency. Its potential. I am jiving on a couple glasses of wine, and I've just finished reading Diablo Cody's s.p. for Juno. It puts the silent "n" in "damn good."

Let me know, there again, if I can hook you up with any of these songs.

Something for a New Year

1) Randy Newman - Political Science
2) Coconut Records - It's Not You It's Me
3) Rivers Cuomo - Lover in the Snow
4) Ryan Adams - Starlite Diner
5) Coldplay - 2000 Miles (The Pretenders cover)
6) Tom Waits - There's a Place for Us
7) Bob Dylan - The Man in Me
8) George Harrison - If Not for You
9) The Moldy Peaches - Anyone Else But You
10) Barry Louis Polisar - All I Want is You
11) Ryan Adams - Perfect and True
12) Warren Zevon - Searching for a Heart
13) Matt Costa - Never Looking Back
14) Elvis Costello - Imagination (Is a Powerful Deceiver)
15) Joy Division - Atmosphere
16) The Moldy Peaches - Lazy Confessions
17) Cat Power - Sea of Love
18) Stephen Malkmus & Lee Ranaldo - Can't Leave Her Behind
19) Josh Ritter - The Temptation of Adam
20) Van Dyke Parks - Keep Me in Your Heart (Strings Only)
21) Randy Newman - A Few Words in Defense of Our Country

1), 20) - Randy Newman is one of my favorite songwriters, and he's by far my favorite satirist. These two figurative gems, crafted from the man's mind's ore, are truly just gorgeous takes from two different eras of political conflict in our young country's existence. Freakin' amazing how pertinent track one (1972) is today, and just gut-wrenching how true track twenty-one (2007) rings today.

2) Jason Schwartzman just might be the most talented guy my age. Go, go, Schwartz! Go! Hey, ask your cousin Nic to make another Leaving Las Vegas. I miss him, but I like money.

9), 16) Adam, my old friend, who was always much cooler than me, probably still is, introduced this band to me - along with the Gadjits - when we were juniors in college. He brought this CD back from Christmas break... and then our dorm burned down. Coincidence? I don't think so. Kimya... you are incendiary.

12), 20) Another songwriter hero of mine. I've been listening to "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" a lot lately.

15) Control. The only other movie this year I've seen twice.

17) I loved Robert Plant's cover of this when he was with that supergroup, The Honeydrippers in the eighties [Page, Plant, (Jeff) Beck, Setzer, Schafer (... yes, Paul Schafer)]. I used to listen to it incessantly at swim meets. What do you think that says about me?

19) Most beautiful song of the year. Mr. Probst, you're right. Paste Mag has a great vid of JR talking about the crafting of this one.