Fugazi is one of my favorite bands of all time. Here they are performing “Turnover” in Lafayette Park, near the White House, back in 1991:

And here they are at Ft. Reno Park in 1997. Tina and I were actually at this show (trivia alert: we’d been married at a courthouse in Upper Marlboro, MD just a few hours before), and we both remember Ian’s speech about D.C.:

When I was 16 years old, I thought the Judybats were the greatest band on earth. My only question now as I look back at them on YouTube is what the hell was I thinking? I saw this band five or six times in college, even interviewed them once. Who knows how many thousands of times I listened to their records. My later participation in the 1990’s indie pop scene was undoubtedly influenced by my early love of the Judybats, but their music does not hold up in 2008.

Can you believe this video sold me on them enough for me to go out and buy their CD for $18 in 1991 money? What’s that, like $35 today? Actually, the Judybat’s Native Son was the first CD I ever bought. All my previous records were enjoyed on analog audio tape.

I’m trying to figure out the horse in the video. It’s some kind of metaphor for sexuality or drugs or something. Huhm.

I picked up Heretic Pride, the new LP from the Mountain Goats today.  Emusic, usually my stalwart resource for new music, doesn’t have it, yet.  I ended up picking it up from iTunes.

I have been a fan of the Mountain Goats and John Darnielle since about 1996 or so.  There’s not a lot of bands or artists I listened to back then that I still listen to now.  In recent years, he’s worked on a trilogy of “memoirs” — albums that deal directly with his past.  I love two of the three records — The Sunset Tree, which chronicles his childhood with an absuive stepfather and We Shall All Be Healed, about his time with a group of friends in Portland addicted to crystal meth (or so I’ve read — I’m sorry if this is an inaccurate description).  Both records are beautiful and honest and contain many of his best songs.  Get Lonely, the third in the triology, was a great accomplishment, but wasn’t a very pleasant record to listen to — the loss and sadness of that record made it somewhat inaccessible to me.

It’s hard to remember now back when his records were like collections of short stories — glimpes of characters in the throes of life.  But that approach returns on Heretic Pride, and it is a welcome return.  Although the Mountain Goats continue on a a trajectory away from John’s lo-fi roots, the themes of the record and the stories here are familiar to anyone who has stuck with him over the years.  There’s even appearances from old friends who contributed to the Mountain Goats in the early days, most notably 1990’s lo-fi king Franklin Bruno and The Bright Mountain Choir, whose back up vocals have been sorely missed from many years of Mountain Goats records.

It’s hard to describe the rush of emotion I get when I listen to this record, particularly to “San Bernardino,” a song that tells the tale of a young couple who take to the highway and ultimately give birth to their son in a motel bathtub.  Despite what one might expect from the subject matter, it is infused with a tremendous sense of love and hope — it’s as beautiful and moving as anything he’s ever written.  Perhaps it’s the greatest example of John as an artist, it may very well be my favorite Mountain Goats song.  When he sings “It was hard/but you were brave/you are splendid/ And we will never be alone in this world/whatever they say/we will be okay,” any parent knows exactly what he means.  If anything, the song documents the transformation of two individuals into a family, and it does so with such empathy and love that it’s hard to believe that John hasn’t been there himself.

Other standouts to me include “Sax Rohmer, Pt. 1,” the eponymous “Heretic Pride,” “Autoclave,” and especially “Lovecraft in Brooklyn,” which finds the Mountain Goats venturing into true rock music for the first time.

Here’s the new video for “Sax Rohmer, Pt. 1:”

2007 was a remarkable good year for records. So much so, that it’s hard to get my choices down to five — instead I’ve selected six, with two tying for first place. Sadly, Arcade Fire’s Neon Bible did not make the list. As much as I love their first LP, Funeral, Neon Bible suffered from what I call “Belle and Sebastian” syndrome, where each subsequent record is a shadow of the last. Neon Bible, despite a few good new songs (and one classic re-run from Us Kids Know), is not as good as Arcade Fire’s past efforts, and is not one of the best albums of the year.

That said, here’s my list for the best records of 2007:

5. The National, The Boxer

Moody, dark and beautiful, The National takes Joy Division, Bauhaus, Interpol, etc. and comes out with something surprisingly earnest and substantative. The Boxer is a fantastic album, from the opening chords of “Fake Empire” onward. Tina and I saw them open for Arcade Fire this year, and felt that they were better than the main band.

4. Menomena, Friend or Foe

Menomena patches together various snippets of a song using software that they created. The result is somewhat off-kilter, but surprisingly traditional. Favorite songs include “Wet and Rusting” and “Rotten Hell.” When they play live, they have to approximate the recorded songs with real instruments. Great stuff.

3. Shout Out Louds, Our Ill Wills

This Swedish band does their best Cure impression on this record, which wraps the whole thing in a sense of nostalgia. I know to some that’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, but Our Ill Wills surpasses simple pastiche into a sublime record of lost loves and wistful melancholy.

2. Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

This time around, Kevin Barnes dispenses with the Elephant Six-esque pop of the past in favor of a kind of manic blend of indie pop, electronic dance music, and pure madness. Personal in the same way that the best Mountain Goats records are personal, Barnes lays bear his own mental illness for us all to see. Sometimes uncomfortable, Hissing Fauna are You the Destroyer? is always brilliant.

1. Los Campesinos!, Sticking Fingers Into Sockets EP and International Tweexcore Underground Single

Imagine sprawling bands like Belle and Sebastian and Arcade Fire, but making pure indie pop in the vein of bands like Talulah Gosh and Bis. It’s been years since there’s been an indiepop band this good — they channel youthful energy and enthusiasim in a manner of great dead bands. The old record collectors would never admit that they’re the second coming, which is exactly what they are. Can’t wait for the full length.

Los Campesinos have just released a video for the song “Death to Los Campesinos!” from their forthcoming LP, Hold on Youngster …

As with all their past work, it’s completely brilliant. For fans of Heavenly, Belle and Sebastian, Bis, even Black Flag!

When did Merge become the greatest record label in America? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a video on Subteranean that made me buy a record, but here’s the first since at least 2006: “Impossible” from The Shout Out Louds. It’s like the Cure rose from their schlocky grave as a pack of pretty Swedes.

And in the “old favorites from 2006″ department, here’s the Thermals with “Pillar of Salt.” Their LP, the Body, the Blood, the Machine is still in heavy rotation on my iPod.

I was in our bedroom this morning, digging around for some clothes, when I happened to glance over at my old CD shelf. I haven’t bought a new CD in about three years, and it’s been even longer since I’ve bought a vinyl record. I’ve gone completely digital.

Now, when I hear about a band (usually from a Pitchfork review), I immediately check eMusic for them. If they’re not there, I make a mental note to check iTunes, and if they are there I add them to my “Save for Later” list, to be downloaded once my eMusic subscription refreshes.

There was a time only a few years ago when a new release meant a desperate jaunt over to a brick and morter indie record store to hunt for that elusive record, only to find out that they just sold their last copy five minutes ago. And god help you when that indie record store inevitably went out of business — your access to music was seriously diminished. Now music is accessible beyond measure, and with eMusic, it’s pratically free, though perfectly legal.

I guess what I’m getting at is that I don’t miss records at all. At the dawn of the MP3 era, with the advent of Napster, I was depressed by the loss of physical media. Now I wish it would all go away. Movies and games are next, thank god.

Oh, how I’ve missed Kim Deal. The Breeders will be releasing a new record in April, entitled “Mountain Battles.” You can listen to one of the new songs on their MySpace page.

“Title TK,” their last LP, was a work of genius. Totally ignored by music fans, but easily containing some of Kim’s best songs. What I’ve heard from the new record sounds equally as good — definitely more in the “Pod” vein than “Last Splash.”

Now if only that Pixies reunion record will ever come together …

This song is over ten years old, but look at the audience reaction. New Mountain Goats record out in February — huzzah!

Imagine Carter USM and Heavenly having a kid. That kid would be Los Campesinos, who I believe are from Wales:

“I never cared about Henry Rollins … I never cared about Ian MacKaye …”

Great stuff.