Thrice- Alchemy Index (Video 4)

Thrice- Alchemy Index (Video 3)

10.16.07

Thrice- Alchemy Index (Video 2)

The album of the year came out today, and you need to buy it right away. Eisley's "Combinations" is spectacular. More to come...

Thrice- Alchemy Index (Video 1)

Darkness fell across the land
Our hope fell in the sand
And there it was
Though for certain we stood still
The earth shook and spilled
Then gave it up
Could we believe our eyes
When life has tossed us aside?
So turn and hang your head
He is given up for dead
And so am I

So give me the light to understand
The fight to comprehend the whys
So give me the mind to step ahead
When I hear what You’ve said and hide

The night turned to day
The days fade away
And so it was
The hours wouldn’t pass
And forever couldn’t last
We gave it up
We were fixed on the door
Waiting for… is this a dream?
Tell us how to feel
Can it be that this is real?
What am I?

So give me the light to understand
The fight to comprehend the whys
So give me the mind to step ahead
When I hear what You’ve said and hide

We once were full of hope to know
He’s opened up our eyes
But if He walks across the sea
What does any of it mean
If He has died

But the stone was rolled away
And the angel came to say
He’s alive, He is alive
But the stone was rolled away
And we just have to say
He’s alive

So give me the light to understand
The fight to comprehend the whys
So give me the mind to step ahead
When I hear what You’ve said and hide




"Friday to Sunday" by
Poor Old Lu
From the album "The Waiting Room" (2002)
Words by Scott Hunter

As long as I have been listening to music, I have been making year-end lists. I have favorites for everything, and I always make a top 10 album list at the end of every year. Thanks to the fact that I am a pack-rat (and keep a blog), I have located my top 10 lists for the last 10 years. I am going to post them here just for kicks. Some inclusions (Five Iron Frenzy) and exclusions (Radiohead) are fairly embarrassing, but what can I say, my musical tastes are constantly evolving (and hopefully improving?).

Within the next week I am going to make new updated top-10 lists for every year starting with 1991. (I own very little music pre-1991.) I also plan to make a best-of mix for every year from 1991 to the present. My top albums have generally stayed the same, but the rest of the lists have changed drastically in some cases.

The stars (*) represent which albums are available on vinyl. Three stars (***) represent which albums I actually own on vinyl (I am in the long process of getting all of the starred albums on vinyl.) If you are aware of any of these albums being available that I don't have starred, please let me know.

1997:
1. Sixpence None the Richer**
2. Stavesacre- Absolutes
3. Model Engine- The Lean Year’s Tradition
4. Velour100- Of Colour Bright**
5. Luxury- The Latest & The Greatest
6. Rose Blossom Punch- Ephemere
7. Dear Ephesus- The Consolation of Pianissimo
8. Christine Glass- Human
9. Havalina Rail Co.- Russian Lullabies
10. Starflyer 59- Americana*
11. Five Iron Frenzy- Our Newest Album Ever
12. Vigilantes of Love- Slow Dark Train
13. Pedro the Lion- Whole EP*

1998:
1. Sunny Day Real Estate- How It Feels to Be Something On*
2. Jennifer Knapp- Kansas
3. Pedro the Lion- It’s Hard to Find a Friend*
4. REM- Up*
5. The Smashing Pumpkins- Adore*
6. Mineral- EndSerenading*
7. Circle of Dust- Disengage
8. Aunt Bettys- Ford Supersonic
9. Starflyer 59- The Fashion Focus*
10. Common Children- Delicate Fade

1999:
1. The Juliana Theory- Understand This is a Dream
2. Vigilantes of Love- Audible Sigh
3. Fleming & John- The Way We Are
4. Jimmy Eat World- Clarity**
5. P.O.D.- The Fundamental Elements of Southtown
6. Stavesacre- Speakeasy
7. Luxury
8. The Innocence Mission- Birds of my Neighborhood
9. Lost Dogs- Gift Horse
10. Starflyer 59- Everybody Makes Mistakes*

2000:
1. Sunny Day Real Estate- The Rising Tide*
2. The Juliana Theory- Emotion is Dead*
3. Cush
4. Elliott- False Cathedrals**
5. Pedro the Lion- Winners Never Quit**
6. Aaron Sprinkle- The Kindest Days
7. Smashing Pumpkins- Machina*
8. Kerith Ravine- The Streams of Jettison
9. Evanescence- Origin
10. Blindside- A Thought Crushed My Mind

2001:
1. Tess Wiley- Rainy Day Assembly
2. Jimmy Eat World- Bleed American**
3. Thursday- Full Collapse
4. Over the Rhine- Films for Radio
5. Death Cab for Cutie- The Photo Album*
6. POD- Satellite
7. Appleseed Cast- Low Level Owl Vol. 1 & 2**
8. Starflyer 59- Leave Here a Stranger*
9. Aaron Sprinkle- Bareface
10. The Lassie Foundation- The El Dorado LP

2002:
1. The Gloria Record- Start Here*
2. Poor Old Lu- The Waiting Room
3. Sixpence None the Richer- Divine Discontent
4. Pedro the Lion- Control*
5. Blindside- Silence
6. The Anniversary- Your Majesty*
7. Brandtson- Dial In Sounds**
8. The Beautiful Mistake- Light a Match, for I Deserve to Burn**
9. GRITS- The Art of Translation
10. Chevelle- Wonder What’s Next

2003:
1. Fountains of Wayne- Welcome Interstate Managers
2. Thrice- The Artist in the Ambulance**
3. Death Cab for Cutie- Transatlanticism**
4. Over the Rhine- Ohio*
5. Nada Surf- Let Go**
6. The Appleseed Cast- Two Conversations*
7. Sleeping at Last- Ghosts
8. Elliott- Song in the Air**
9. Zwan- Mary Star of the Sea
10. Mates of State- Team Boo**
11. Brown Feather Sparrow- Wide Awakens Everything
12. The Jealous Sound- Kill Them With Kindness

2004:
1. Brandtson- Send Us A Signal
2. Lovedrug- Pretend You're Alive
3. Tess Wiley- Not Quite Me
4. Jimmy Eat World- Futures**
5. Blindside- About a Burning Fire
6. Mindy Smith- One Moment More
7. Pedro the Lion- Achilles Heel*
8. Jump (Little Children)- Between the Dim and the Dark
9. Demon Hunter- Summer of Darkness
10. Starflyer 59- I am the Portuguese Blues

2005:
1. Eisley- Room Noises**
2. Sufjan Stevens- Illinois**
3. Thrice- Vheissu**
4. Luxury- Health & Sport
5. Starflyer 59- Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice**
6. Over the Rhine- Drunkard's Prayer
7. Fiona Apple- Extraordinary Machine**
8. The New Pornographers- Twin Cinema*
9. Rosie Thomas- If Songs Could Be Held
10. Death Cab for Cutie- Plans**
11. Coldplay- X & Y*
12. Nada Surf- The Weight is a Gift**

2006:
1. Fair- The Best Worst-Case Scenario
2. Mates of State- Bring it Back**
3. Jeremy Enigk- World Waits
4. Manchester Orchestra- I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child*
5. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Bring the Flood*
6. Starflyer 59- My Island
7. The Be Good Tanyas- Hello, Love
8. The Appleseed Cast- Peregrine**
9. Brandtson- Hello, Control
10. Sleeping at Last- Keep No Score

Remember, these were my top-10 lists at the time, and not currently!

Well I woke one morning,
found you staring down at me,
you said "I'll take my share now, father please",
and you took your money,
and you took your leave,
you drilled my heart and turned your back on me...

And you hit the town,
and you hit the bottle hard,
you race 'round in your fancy cars and you blow all your money,
on brothels, beds, and bars,
before you know your broken times get hard...

I still stand here waiting,
with my eyes fixed on the road,
and I fight back tears and I wonder,
if you're ever coming home,
don't you know son that I love you,
and I don't care where you've been,
so please come home.

And now you've hit bottom,
all those open doors have shut,
and you're hungry stomach's tied in knots,
but I know what you're thinking,
that you troubled me enough,
nothing could ever separate you from my love...

I still stand here waiting,
with my eyes fixed on the road,
and I fight back tears and I wonder,
if you're ever coming home,
don't you know son that I love you,
and I don't care where you've been,
yes and i'll be right here waiting,
'til you come around the bend,
and I run to you and hold you close,
won't let go again,
so please come home,
please come home...

Don't you know son that I love you?
And I don't care where you've been,
so please come home




"Please Come Home" by Dustin Kensrue
From the album "Please Come Home" (2007)
Words by Dustin Kensrue

She stepped outside into the morning air
To watch the cars go by and let the sun dry her hair
I wanted to tell her how beautiful she was
But I just stared

I sat behind the wheel and watched the raindrops
As they gathered on the windshield
And raced down into the humming motor
And she folded up her fears like paper airplanes
And lost them in the trees

And I know I don't deserve this
The capacity to feel
To laugh and cry and to praise
For that I live and breathe and wake each day clean
Is nothing less than your grace
In awkward and glorious movement



Mineral- "If I Could"
From the album "The Power of Failing" (1996)
Words by Chris Simpson