Roll out the red carpet...

Here it is, as I promised. The Dave Parker 39 Favorites of 2005 Pre-Show. I think I probably could have come up with something catchier than that. Oh well.

First, the explanation. Why Dave Parker? At the time of its conception, it made so much sense. I was thinking, Pitchfork does a Top 50, CMJ has a Top 30, andTop 40... well, I just didn't want it to get confusing. So Dave Parker, who wore #39 when playing for the Oakland A's in the late 80s, came bursting into my mind like the bull that he is. This is a man I loved at an impressionable age, and a man who would at times swing so hard he landed in the other batter's box. So why not honor the former Pirate, who was photographed in 1980 by great sports photographer Walter Iooss, Jr. smoking a cigarette, wearing a bright yellow uniform like a true player in the dugout (I wish I could find a copy of the pic to post, visit Iooss' website to catch a glimpse)? It can't make more sense.

I put a lot of consideration into the list. It can't be a reissue. It had to be released in 2005. It can't be a compilation of previously released material. Fiery Furnaces can only appear once on the list. It's all regulation, Michael.

There were two huge casualties to my strict and iron-fisted requirements, two that would have made the list easily if I didn't have these goddamn rules. Both of these albums saw a US release in 2005, but one had been out for over a year by the time hit the US, the other one, I actually already had in 2004 (UK connex, for realz).

First, Feist's Let It Be (Interscope) is a transcendent album of jazzy folk-pop, folky jazz-pop and flat out funky-ass disco. Her songwriting is top notch but it's Feist's voice that really carries the record, as Bright Eyes' cover of "Mushaboom" on the live disc Motion Sickness hardly does the song justice. And that's not even me bashing Conor, she's that unbelieveable. Her Broken Social Scene contributions ain't too shabby either.

Second, The Go! Team is flat out ass shaking amazing. I mean here we have an amalgam of 70s TV theme shows, 80s hip hop, 60s pop and timeless rock and roll fun. "Ladyflash" might be the sweetest of the bunch, but "Bottle Rocket" and "The Power Is On" both live up to their high energy names. I'm pretty f'ing lazy but if Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Columbia) comes on, you'll at least get a head nod outta me. Trust me, that's a pretty major victory.

Along with these two I'd like to present the obligatory "Award before the Awards Show" (recorded before the ceremony) award, which is pretty damn necessary. Given that I like round numbers and didn't want the year to end without me mentioning this one, John Vanderslice's Pixel Revolt (Barsuk) wins my Rick Honeycutt Just-a-bit Outside Award (lefty reliever Honeycutt was #40, duh). Pixel Revolt is Vanderslice's most solid album to date. Top to bottom, the record is full of great hooks and delicate melodies, such as the better than Digital Ash in a Digital Urn "Dear Sarah Shu" (I swear, I'm not trying to pick on Oberst, he's good, he's good) and the lilting, gentle "New Zealand Pines" (with vocals by Nedelle, who also appears on "Peacocks in the Video Rain"). With an all star support group behind him (including The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle and Silver Jews' David Berman),Vanderslice's descriptive mini-stories flourish with his rich arrangements, melding electronic with chamber-pop and straight ahead indie rock. Bravo, Mr. Vanderslice.

It's on!

Feist: http://www.listentofeist.com
The Go! Team: http://www.thegoteam.co.uk/
John Vanderslice: http://www.johnvanderslice.com/