It's no (pop) secret that I'm a massive fan of The Big Sleep so it is yet another honor to have Gabe toss us his Top Five list of albums. Never one to follow in stride (as evident by his bustling beard), Gabe decided to switch it up and instead of throwing five albums together he gave me four albums and a show. Interesting picks all around from this guy and his number one makes me wonder whether or not he did produce most of the beats for the Beastie Boys last record. Start the rumor today. Speaking of rumors, The Big Sleep is currently on the bubble for the Mercury Lounge's NYE party featuring LEVY, Ambulance Ltd and Surfire. If you are out in Bushwick tomorrow night, stop by the Syrup Room where they are opening for Other Passengers.

Sensational :: Speaks For Itself
Like it says, it speaks for itself. Weird jiggy beats, cheap-ass Casio sounds and rapping from a guy who sounds like he just woke up and pulled a ten foot bong hit. It's pretty damn good hip hop.

Chad Van Galen :: Infiniheart
A guy who works at Sub Pop gave me this record and at first, I thought it was OK. Then it started to stick a little. Then I started hearing it in clubs and thinking, "Man, this is a good song! What is this?" And then I realized I owned it. And that's when you know an album is good.

Love As Laughter :: Laughter's Fifth
See above.

The Speakers :: Yeats Is Greats
These are a couple of friends of mine named Brian and Pete who live in SF and Davis, CA respectively. I always loved their music and the guys just get better and better. Brian last played guitar on Jolie Holland's tour, but he shies more towards an electronic thing on this album - which, by the way, is inspired entirely by Yeats. How many bands can you say that about?

The Soledad Brothers @ Southpaw
They put on the best show I saw this year. They just took it to the house. I don't know about their records, but they just shook Southpaw when they played there. And there's only TWO of 'em!

Thanks Gabe! Oh, and did anyone else see Richard Dreyfuss at the Big Hassle Holiday Party last night? I missed him, but definitely saw Iha - that dude is everywhere.