As is the case every year, there were some trends in 2009's music releases. This is just a brief summary and not exhaustive, and should not substitute for the actual "best of" that might or might not be coming soon. Heed:

Released Their Best Album in 7-11 Years:

Pearl Jam - Backspacer
Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey & The Groo Grux King
Rancid - Let The Dominoes Fall
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm (even though 2007's Beyond was perfectly good)
Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy

Always Great, but On Upswing in 2009:

Wilco - Wilco: The Album
Muse - The Resistance
Norah Jones - The Fall
The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You
Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

Good, but Overrated:

Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic
Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orce
The Low Anthem - Oh My God, Charlie Darwin

Somewhat Of A Let Down, But Still Solid:

The Swell Season - Strict Joy
Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown
U2 - No Line On The Horizon

Major Let Downs:

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight: Franz Ferdinand
Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
Brand New - Daisy
Poison The Well - The Tropic Rot

The Return of Good Metal:

Mastodon - Crack The Skye
Converge - Axe To Fall
Baroness - The Blue Album
Isis - The Wavering Radiant

Usually Prolific Bands with Nothing Conclusive to Show For 2009:
Okkervil River
My Morning Jacket
Ryan Adams
Radiohead
Iron & Wine

It's mid-December, so several things are making their annual presence known. That includes Santa, bowl games, Salvation Army bell-ringers, mornings in the 20s and unsightly amounts of candy. More important than all of these, though, are end-of-year music lists. Since 2009 is also the end of a decade, there's the added bonus of end-of-decade lists as well.

Making these lists requires quite a bit of work and that work might not be worth it. People enjoy reading the lists, but 5 minutes later they've probably forgotten who ranked where and the only likely conversation it created was an examination of how wrong the author was. Then there's the whole matter of deciding if the author's opinion really matters in the first place. Would you read a list of some perfect stranger's favorite breakfast cereals? Ok, maybe that wouldn't be so bad, but digression...

Of course, the source of the ranking says a lot about the contents of the list before you even read number 10, 20, 50 or whatever the list starts at. If you're reading a jazz critic, you won't find much heavy metal, or vice versa. Regardless, everyone wants to feel like maybe, just maybe, their taste is similar to someone whose opinion has been deemed viable. This is such a strong pull of human nature that a presumably unintended (negative?) result often occurs.

A sense of group-think come about when all the critics polarize their opinions in similar fashions so that their opinion will still be "relevant" when the following year's best-of lists come out. As a result, a small music blog ends up thinking Merriweather Post Pavilion is this year's best, just like Pitchfork surely will. Although it's not guaranteed, probably the reason that small blog writer liked the album so much in the first place was that they read Pitchfork's review when it came out. It also helps when an album comes out in the first week of January to rave reviews and becomes the standard by which all subsequent releases that year are measured. Then again, it also gives plenty of time for the consuming public to forget about it. Never fear, though, that's where Pitchfork and its lesser-known contemporaries come in handy. In the case of Animal Collective, though, they just released an only slightly less-esteemed EP to bookend all of the inferior releases this year.

Ok, this is not an Animal Collective bash-fest. Both MPP and the new EP are good records and worthy of listening and appreciation if that's your thing. By now, some people have probably made "My Girls"* the anthem of their life, and maybe understandably so. Anyway, the point is, year end lists are great, but #1 isn't always better than #20, or even "honorable mention". It's all about how a particular album struck you and nothing about how a particular review, rating or ranking struck you.

With all of this in mind, keep an eye out for the humble opinions of this blog soon. Some of you have proven to be trusting souls previously, so you're welcome to extend the courtesy again...if that's your thing, of course.

*If you're unacquainted, give the song a couple of minutes. It gets better and ultimately burrows out a cozy place in your memory.

While spending many hours on interstate highways it is easy to imagine many different metaphors for what is going on around you. As everyone knows, there are times when there's only one lane of traffic and other times there are 6 or more. This should be an indication of how many people want to go where you're going. Depending on how you look at it, this can be either a good thing or a bad thing. If you want to feel like you're making a popular decision, the traffic is a good thing. You're normal, after all. Then again, given the volume of traffic, it may feel like your path as been determined for you. That road was built with you in mind. It's there because you're supposed to be there using it. That might be a little unsettling.

Even once you've decided you're on the right road, the observations don't cease. With all those lanes of traffic come a lot of choices. There are the perceived "fast" lanes and the perceived "slow" ones, then of course there's the lane you need to be in. Obviously, the human factor kicks in at some point. Everyone becomes "self aware" all of a sudden and decides if they're more "left lane" or "right lane". Then the real fun starts.

Once you're between exits and nobody is merging in or merging out, the lane-dancing begins. Everyone is jockeying for position and trying to get ahead or at least not fall behind. Everyone wants to get to their destination first, but the risks of driving dangerously and getting a speeding ticket, along with the limitations of your vehicle start to weigh in. Some cars are simply faster than others and some people are simply more willing to drive theirs faster than others. And there's life.

It becomes clear that not everyone can be in the fast lane at once. It quickly becomes the not-fast lane when everyone flocks to it. This is what happens with almost anything in life. The window of opportunity is only open for a limited time and the first-movers and quick-responders benefit, while those left trying to decide usually get left out. By the time they make the move, they've joined gridlock and have lots of company. Meanwhile, those who made the move first have either zoomed away or already moved to another lane. Either way, you're watching their taillights and they could care less about your situation.

So yeah, if this entry isn't evidence that a long commute is a dangerous thing, let it at least be another indication of how tough life can be. It seems like that's all this blog is about right now. That's no fun. Maybe it's time to change lanes. Hope it's not too late.