WikipediaThis whole year has been marked with a strong resurgence in my musical Anglophilia, but for no particular reason I can articulate, the closing weeks in particular have been marked with a heavy, heavy dose of Pulp.

Britpop debates usually start with the old Blur versus Oasis arguments, but for me, Pulp rise above them both by a considerable distance. Yes, I’ve got a big ‘ol man-crush on Jarvis Cocker and don’t care who knows it. There’s not many artists out there that I’m still desperate to see live, but he’s definitely one - in fact, if the opportunity arises to see him anywhere, I’ll be checking flights (note to Jarv - please play somewhere interesting that I can plan a vacation around).

Read more at Chromewaves →

Here's a massive YouTube mix of all their videos dating back to His’N'Hers, most of which I’ve surprisingly never seen. And seeing as how the Pulp: Hits video anthology isn’t available in region 1 or NTSC, this is probably as good as it’s going to get.

Video: Pulp - “Bad Cover Version”
Video: Pulp - “The Trees”
Video: Pulp - “Party Hard”
Video: Pulp - “A Little Soul”
Video: Pulp - “Like A Friend”
Video: Pulp - “This Is Hardcore”
Video: Pulp - “Help The Aged”
Video: Pulp - “Something Changed”
Video: Pulp - “Disco 2000″
Video: Pulp - “Sorted For E’s And Wizz”
Video: Pulp - “Mis-Shapes”
Video: Pulp - “Common People”
Video: Pulp - “Babies”
Video: Pulp - “Do You Remember The First Time?”
Video: Pulp - “Lipgloss”
Video: Pulp - “Razzmatazz”

Dig For Fire has video of former Pulp sideman and all-around awesome guy Richard Hawley last December.

Blurt talks to Stuart Staples about the reconstituted Tindersticks.

NPR is streaming a World Cafe session with The Cure.

Incendiary has an interview with Brett Anderson.

Magnet breaks new ground in wondering who was better, The Beatles or The Stones.

Gartner is saying that "2008 Should Be The Last Christmas for Retail CDs". They posit that

By propping up the CD business, rather than fully investing in online distribution alternatives, the major labels and the larger music industry have neither succeeded in stamping out piracy nor done much to recreate the business models of the old "record business."

But before you get your hackles up, you should recognize the claim isn't actually as extreme as it sounds. It's not that they're saying, "the CD is dead. Move on already" -- rather, they're simply suggesting that it's time to start thinking about releases differently. Gartner is suggesting a move toward thinking of releases in terms of digital as the primary format, instead of thinking of releases in terms of huge warehouses of pre-fabricated plastic discs awaiting physical shipment out to points across the globe.

Music labels should instead emphasize 'digital first,' making all new releases and catalog issues via digital services and moving CDs to an on-demand publishing mode.

The issue will raise some nerdy technical arguments (“glass-master-stamped CDs” vs. "'burned' CD-Rs"), but outside of that, it doesn't sound like a bad idea at all. On-demand publishing of CDs, DVDs, books, magazines, etc. seems to be a smart way forward for the future. Just ask any band who's still sitting on 4,998 unsold copies of their last album.

Opacity.us

Durrty Goodz - “The Youngers”

A dense piece, this. Swinging on vines through the halls of a haunted house, a young gang of kids are the protectors and destroyers of a certain code of conduct. A complicated hierarchy of seniority, catalogued first by age then success then bad-ass-ness then assets then physical strength then proficiency with weapons and vehicles then just plain looks. Snogging and shagging on kitchen floors and bathroom walls, every painting with moving eyes being a secret passage to one of their bedrooms, tallscreen tvs and videoblades aplenty, weird shoes that you can wear like gloves or like helmets if you need them. Plans of attack and sabotage are cockily put into freestyles that are performed nightly at the Salad Bowl Stage, thirty stories under the basement floor. Parents have long given up the idea of trying to get their kids back from this place, despite the weaker members in their weaker moments wishing beyond hope that they would. [Buy in the UK]

O.W.L. - “Be Alive”

O.W.L. are making something like what I can only think to describe as "elvin emo". Most of the tracks on the eponymously unabbreviated album Of Wondrous Legends are about things like Crimson Knights and the angel Gabriel and The Midnight Carnival, so this is the only one talking to the listener. And since the setting of the album is already heavily wooded and sun-dappled and cinched in leather with leather laces, this normally missable Yes b-side soundalike becomes for me a lovely strolling meander through the imaginary land of fantasy psychology. What does the advice "be alive" mean to a troll, to a guardbird, to a centaur prince? [Buy]

Altsounds lists bands to watch in 2009.

Pitchfork reports that actress-singer Zooey Deschanel and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard are engaged.

DJ Earworm mashes up the top 25 songs of 2008.

Gothamist interviews MTV's John Norris.

Do you keep up with the music blogs? Which do you read regularly, and have you considered starting your own?

My bookmarks toolbar features the usual suspects: Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, Idolator, A.V. Club, Paste, Largehearted Boy and of course the 'Fork. I also like Sasha Frere Jones' blog. I have surely thought of starting my own - but would want to do something different. In what way different, that's tbd.

Paste lists the best lists of 2008.

Daytrotter's Monday session features in-studio mp3s from Athens' Dark Meat. Monday's session features the the Peekers.

Yo La Tengo at The Crystal Ballroom
Todd Slater, 2004

Black Milk featuring Colin Munroe - “Without U”

When people bitch about “haters” holding them back, it’s easy to be suspicious and wonder if they’re just egomaniacs who cannot handle any form of criticism, or if they are actually dealing with toxic, negative people who are genuinely undermining their happiness and creativity. In the case of “Without U,” I’m inclined to feel that Black Milk was actually dealing with the latter. This could easily be an excessively bitter and angry song, but mostly, he just sounds relieved and eager to move on. Even if this were an instrumental, the light, airy bounce of the track would still express that feeling of a weight lifted off of one’s chest.

Buy it from Amazon.

Flying Lotus featuring Dolly - “RobertaFlack”

The critical success of this Flying Lotus record comes as something of a surprise, at least in the sense that I didn’t realize so many of my peers were eager for new iterations on trip-hop. As an album, Los Angeles is comforting and functional background music — it maintains a steady groove, and its sound feels classy yet slightly perverse. Upon closer inspection, many of its tracks reveal subtle charms, mainly in the form of intriguing textural clashes, rhythmic shifts, and samples that temporarily stray from its primary palette of tones. The most effective tracks include vocals, or some other emotive element — too much of the album floats along in a stoned haze, but its gradual drift toward more expressive and communicative tracks is a nice trick in and of itself.

Buy it from Amazon.

Stefano GiovanniniDepending on how familiar you are with early-’90s American college rock, Gramercy Arms’ resume will either read impressively or anonymously. Led by former Dambuilders honcho Dave Derby, the New York-based outfit also boasts drummer Kevin March (also Dambuilders and the final lineup of Guided By Voices), guitarist Sean Eden (of the late, loved Luna), guitarist Hilken Mancini (Boston power-poppers Fuzzy) and bassist Rainy Orteca (also of Joan As Policewoman, who aren’t circa ’90s but whose Joan Wasser was also in the Dambuilders). So to say there’s many lifetimes of playing dingy clubs wound into their collective DNA would be an understatement, and that doesn’t even begin to include the number of guest stars who appear on their recordings.

Full review at Chromewaves →

MP3: Gramercy Arms - “Automatic”
MP3: Gramercy Arms - “Looking At The Sun”
MP3: Gramercy Arms with Kendall Jane Meade - “This Christmastime”
MySpace: Gramercy Arms

The Acorn have put together a little holiday gift for their fans in the form of Ear Worms, a collection of 12 songs 30 seconds in length each, and Little Elms, a short 4-song EP. Both are available for free download at their website right now.

ZIP: The Acorn / Ear Worms
ZIP: The Acorn / Little Elms

Arcade Fire are offering a free download of an unreleased track in exchange for your email address.

Magnet reports that Bob Mould will be releasing a new solo album, still untitled, on April 7, and are going so far as to call it his best record since Sugar’s File Under: Easy Listening. That there’s some high praise - be interesting to see if its warranted.

AOL Sessions is currently featuring an in-studio performance from Ryan Adams.