• Date is in the range: 01 Jan 2008 – 31 Dec 2008
• Kind does not contain AIFF [to filter out unprocessed bootlegs and demos].
• Grouping does not contain Extant [to filter out where I migrated my library off of my old Mac to my new one]; I then did a manual check of the Extants with a similar list and my Musiclogging archives.
• Album Rating is greater than three stars.
• Genre does not contain Concert Bootleg. If desired, I’ll cover the best of the best concert bootlegs in a separate post, probably no earlier than Friday because I’m still adding bootlegs. [I am not adding any more studio releases at this point.]

This list is unoptimized; it’s actually done in alphabetical order by artist. At the end, I’ll give a best-of list, countdown style. Because I like embracing constraints, I’ll give a one-sentence statement about each album as to why it’s just so darn good. If you’ve ever talked to me for longer than 90 seconds, you know that one sentence is an unreal constraint.

• Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha, grabbed in January. Intelligent, charming folk/pop … with whistling.
• Blind Faith, Blind Faith, grabbed in August. It’s too bad that these guys couldn’t keep it together, but I’ve come to the conclusion that one-off groupings for albums can be a killer thing.
• Tom Brosseau, Late Night at Largo, grabbed in February. Recorded after everyone left the bar that night, it’s a live record without an audience that showcases Brosseau’s brilliance as a songwriter.
• City and Colour, Bring Me Your Love, grabbed in May. Dallas Green’s writing is enough for me to forgive him for using his Canadian ou.
• Matt Costa, Songs We Sing, grabbed in December. Just when you think that you’re done with singer/songwriters, someone like Matt Costa comes along.
• Matt Costa, Unfamiliar Faces, grabbed in December. Oh Miss Magnolia … oh Mr. Pit, oh Mr. Pitiful.
• Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs, grabbed in May. I would lock Ben Gibbard up in Dick Cheney’s “undisclosed location” if he’d make another killer record like this one.
• Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism, grabbed in July. It’s a good thing that emo bands like this weren’t big when I was 15.
• Deb Talan, A Bird Flies Out, grabbed in April. I would ask Deb Talan to marry me if Steve Tannen hadn’t done so first.
• Deb Talan, Sincerely, grabbed in May. Even if her voice is a bit … unique.
• Alejandro Escovedo, Real Animal, grabbed in September. I had read No Depression rave about Escovedo for some time, and dammit, they were right.
• Five O’Clock People, Temper Temper, grabbed in March. Now if they can only go less than half-a-decade before putting out another disc.
• Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple, grabbed in August. I’m still picking up pieces of my mind blown apart by this record.
• Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere, grabbed in August. Gnarls Barkley makes me want to buy a bunch of old soul records, which I’d argue is a good thing for my musical self-education.
• Randall Goodgame, Bluebird, grabbed in November. If you ever wanted Randall Goodgame to stop playing the guitar all the time, these tracks are for you.
• Andy Gullahorn, Reinventing the Wheel, grabbed in November. Gully’s ability to have you laughing in one verse and hating yourself in the next is still with it; it feels like he’s got a Greg Maddux-like songwriting career ahead of him.
• Iron & Wine, The Shepherd’s Dog, grabbed in August. I used to sorta like Sam Beam, and this record made me love him.
• Jackopierce, Promise of Summer, grabbed in September. This is a NoiseTrade success story, and it turns out my friend David manages them, too, which is fun.
• Matthew Perryman Jones, Swallow the Sea, grabbed in August. There is a reason that MPJ started getting his songs played on TV, and it’s because the man cuts deep into his soul and bleeds all over your ears … in a good way.
• Carole King, Tapestry, grabbed in April. Thank you, Gilmore Girls, for making me feel like a natural woman … I think.
• Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin, grabbed in January. I am of the opinion that great blues/rock bands have a shelf life, but man, these guys hit it hard early, eh?
• Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, grabbed in January. And then they followed it up with a record at least as good as the first one.
• Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III, grabbed in January. Hats Off (to Led Zeppelin) for making another killer record.
• Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV, grabbed in February. Been a long time since rock and roll sounded like this, but hey, paying homage to this would sound weaksauce.
• Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti, grabbed in February. For “Kashmir” alone, but the rest of the record is really fucking good.
• Nathan Lee, Down at the Rutledge, grabbed in February. If you stuffed the soul of The Boss and The Piano Man into a muscled, keyboard-banging dude who lights up Nashville, you’d get Nathan Lee.
• Sandra McCracken, Red Balloon, which I had in August, long before it came out, neener neener neener! I still feel like Sandra’s best record is yet to come, which is both a compliment and not, if you think about it.
• Nirvana, Nevermind, grabbed in August. I can’t believe I didn’t have a copy in the 1990s; I had the plaid shirt jackets from Eddie Bauer, dammit.
• Over the Rhine, Live From Nowhere, Volume Three, grabbed in August. I don’t care that there are great tapers for Over the Rhine: I will buy every damn one of these yearly records if only to support Karin and Linford as they continue to make beautiful music.
• Andrew Osenga, Letters to the Editor: Volume Two, which I helped distribute in September. I am admittedly quite biased, but hey, he didn’t play my guitar on this one, so back off.
• Andrew Peterson, Resurrection Letters, Volume Two, which, um, I never blogged, apparently. Looks like I got it in mid-August according to iTunes metadata. Not as good as previous AP albums, but still very good.
• Portishead, Third, grabbed in December. From everything I read, it’s like Portishead and Trent Reznor had a baby, but it’s one beautiful, industrial baby.
• Radiohead, The Bends, grabbed in December. It’s good enough that I’m overcoming my “don’t put the shiny new bauble on the year-end list” sentiment.
• Radiohead, Hail to the Thief, grabbed in December. Wacky song titles, impenetrable lyrics, and a shitload of rock and roll.
• Radiohead, In Rainbows, grabbed in July. You could have had this for free, and you don’t still have it?
• Alli Rogers, The Silent Stars EP, grabbed in December. Iowan singer/songwriter makes a homespun Christmas record.
• Alli Rogers, You and the Evening Sky, grabbed in March. I really feel like Alli gets lost in the sea of Midwestern-bred female songstresses, which is a damn shame.
• She & Him, Volume One, grabbed in March. I don’t like this as much as Paste does [really, #1, guys? REALLY!?], but it’s a fun listen.
• The Soft Drugs, Get Back – Side A, which I never blogged because I downloaded this one on the recommendation of one of the music blogs I read. And, of course, now I can’t find it. Who cares where I got it, it’s four tracks of fun pop/rock.
• Steven Delopoulos, As If Love Was a Sword, which I also appear to have never blogged, nor have any URLs for. Sad. You either love Delopoulos’s ethnic-tinged songwriting and fingerpicking, or you don’t; I do.
• Waterdeep, Heart Attack Time Machine, which is a NoiseTrade download, and as such, is something I can’t link to here something I have now linked to since Derek was the bus driver and drove me to school. John Wilson, you were right to pimp these guys to me all these years.
• Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken, Ampersand EP, grabbed in February. I think I’m contractually bound to put them on there for making a record I’d wanted them to make for at least 18 months.
• The Weepies, iTunes EP, which I never blogged but love. And before you fuss, that’s an iTunes Plus link. These exclusive EPs are fun ways to get into a band’s history, as this does in bringing songs from both Deb and Steve’s solo careers into The Weepies’ sphere of influence.
• The Weepies, Happiness, grabbed in February. This is not the record to start with, but it’s good.
• The Weepies, Hideaway, grabbed in April. I would call this a bit of a major-label sophomore slump, but it’s still good; shame they didn’t tour it.
• The Weepies, Say I Am You, grabbed in January. This record makes me want to be in love, which is the best compliment I can think of to give it.
• Wilco, Kicking Television, grabbed in April. I’ve got bootlegs that are better than this, but it’s pretty damn solid, and I’m a completionist.

That’s 47 albums. Yowza! About one a week … that’s a very, very good year.

Now, I’m gonna take it to 11 … and be a bit more verbose.

1. Radiohead, In Rainbows. There is nothing that I can add to all that has been said about this album, from the distribution to the music itself. I didn’t buy this until it came out on a physical disc [I'm a curmudgeon and have this problem, which I'm hoping to lick in 2009], but this is the album that made me a Radiohead fan, much as Yankee Hotel Foxtrot made me a Wilco fan. Favorite Tracks: “Nude”, “Reckoner”, “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”.
   
2. The Weepies, Say I Am You. 2008 was a weird year for me; I spent a lot of it pursuing a relationship that didn’t ultimately work out, and a lot of this album was my soundtrack. This is right in my wheelhouse, to be sure—singer/songwriter-y, acoustic guitar-driven, solid melody and harmony. In a world where In Rainbows doesn’t exist, it’s my best album of the year. Favorite Tracks: “Painting By Chagall”, “Riga Girls”.
   
3. Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha. I bought this album on a lark, because it was well-regarded. Some of my best musical purchases are done that way, and this is definitely one of them. I think what gets me about Andrew Bird is that he’s a self-comfortable artist who is willing to experiment and do big things with his sound. The analog to an artist I’m friends with is the amazingness of Jeremy Casella’s Recovery [and if Jerry ever sees this, he's gonna hit me for putting him and Bird in the same sentence]. This is one of those albums I find myself singing often, and there is no greater tribute to me than that. Favorite Tracks: “Darkmatter”, “Plasticities”, and “Scythian Empires”. I never will forget whistling the last as I was walking through the Nashville airport on my way back from Philly after a whirlwind, 20-hour trip to see Caedmon’s Call play.
   
4. Five O’Clock People, Temper Temper. I was a big fan of 5OCP when they were making music in the 1990s, and so I grabbed this as soon as I heard it came out. It was … nothing like their old sound, in a lot of ways, but man, it frickin’ rocks. Favorite Tracks: “Gold Rush”, “Aftermath”, and “February”.
   
5. Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple. I had heard all this buzz about Gnarls Barkley, but just … dismissed it for whatever reason. I do that; I’m dumb. But then one day “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” was highlighted on NPR, and I almost had to pull over to the side of the road, I was so blown away. Favorite Tracks: “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul”, “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster)”.
   
6. Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs. Like with Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, a lot has been made about this record coming out of Ben Gibbard taking residence where Jack Kerouac did at Big Sur. I’m of the mind that creative pursuits are often terribly lonely affairs, so I think this was a good idea. This record brought the lyrical brilliance and nose for melody that Death Cab’s always had, but they also exhibited their musical chops on it, too. For whatever weird reason, I want to draw parallels to this and Elliott Smith’s Figure 8. Favorite Tracks: “I Will Possess Your Heart”, “Cath…”, and “Long Division”.
   
7. Iron & Wine, The Shepherd’s Dog. I simply did not think that Sam Beam had this much awesome within him. I am very glad to be wrong. Very, very glad. Favorite Tracks: “House of the Sea”, “Wolves (Song of the Shepherd’s Dog”, “Peace Beneath the City”.
   
8. Tom Brosseau, Late Night at Largo. At this point, you have to mail a check to Tom Brosseau’s management to get a copy. It is worth your time in doing so. I’ve written about Brosseau before, but here he is in a nutshell: North Dakota boy moved to LA that writes about home because he both misses it and hates it, in a way. If you grew up in a cold climate and have moved to warmer latitudes, you know where he’s coming from. His music has a sense of ironic detachment, but it’s also just plain good. Also, he sings so high that he makes Thom Yorke in falsetto sound like Barry White. Favorite Tracks: “Rose”, “Broken Ukulele”, and “Young and Free”.
   
9. Matt Costa, Unfamiliar Faces. Okay, I’ve got a thing for young guys who write songs about not getting the girl, or getting the girl and losing the girl, but … dude, this guy can rock it up. Favorite Tracks: “Emergency Call”, “Heart of Stone”, and “Miss Magnolia”.
   
10. Matthew Perryman Jones, Swallow the Sea. Unlike most years, this is the only time when an artist I personally know appears on the list. I think that most of that is because I’m becoming harder on my friends’ more recent albums, honestly. But MPJ made a killer, killer record here, a worthy followup to Throwing Punches in the Dark, which I was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to top. He topped it, though. Favorite Tracks: “Save You”, “Motherless Child”, and “Feels Like Letting Go”.
    
11. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin IV. There is nothing I can add to this that hasn’t been said, eh? This is my favorite Zep album, even if it doesn’t have all of my favorite songs. Favorite Tracks: “Black Dog”, “Rock and Roll”, “Stairway to Heaven”. I mean, duh.
    

What about you? Do you have some of these records and violently disagree? Did I overlook something to the point that you’re ready to shake me for not listening to it? I wanna know.

• Nada Surf’s The Weight Is a Gift, which was a birthday present from Bryan. [Thanks, Big Time!]
  
• Sandra McCracken’s Red Balloon. It’s nice to have my physical copy.
  
• 17 Feb 1994 [Charlottesville, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. 1994-02-17: Trax, Charlottesville, VA, USA (disc 1) and 1994-02-17: Trax, Charlottesville, VA, USA (disc 2).
  
• 5 Mar 2006 [Chapel Hill, NC, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2006-03-05: Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA (disc 1) and 2006-03-05: Memorial Hall, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA (disc 2).
  
• 7 Oct 2006 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2006-10-07: Tall Stacks, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
  
• 17 Apr 2008 [Austin, TX, USA] concert bootleg of Son Volt. 2008-04-17: Antone's, Austin, TX, USA (disc 1) and 2008-04-17: Antone's, Austin, TX, USA (disc 2).
  
• 22 May 2008 [Manchester, England] concert bootleg of Feist. 2008-05-22: Palace Theatre, Manchester, England.
  

Here’s what I did the last time around, a month ago …

• George Strait’s Strait From the Heart. I found this to be right in the wheelhouse—three stars.
  
• Nirvana’s From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. I found it a bit uneven—great in spots, meh in others. Three stars.
  
• 5 Sep 1993 [Copenhagen, Denmark] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. 1993-09-05: Cafe Rust, Copenhagen, Denmark. Somehow, I still haven’t gotten to this one. It’s been that kind of month. 5 Nov: Another one where I might as well have not bothered. Two stars.
  
• Wilco’s Summerteeth Demos. Summerteeth Demos. Three stars—the finished product is, of course, much better.
  
• 17 Dec 2005 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-12-17: The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2005-12-17: The Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH, USA (disc 2). Still haven’t listened to this one, either. Man. 5 Nov: PASS. I gave it two stars, but I don’t think it deserved that. Omni mics + large room + lots of bass = bad. I’ve made those recordings.
  
• 17 Mar 2006 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2006-03-17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2006-03-17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 2). Three-and-a-half stars, and it would be better if the Ryman didn’t suck when it comes to taping.
  
• 25 Aug 2008 [Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Radiohead. 2008-08-25: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 1) and 2008-08-25: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA, USA (disc 2). Stop me if you’re surprised that I haven’t listened to this, either … didn’t think so. 5 Nov: Outdoor shows are hard as hell to record. Two-and-a-half stars.
  

• Feist’s Open Season.
  
• Alejandro Escovedo’s Real Animal.
  
• The Velvet Underground’s eponymous album.
  
• 15 Jun 2006 [Northampton, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2006-06-15: Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA, USA.
  
• 24 Jun 2007 [Northampton, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2007-06-24: Pines Theater, Northampton, MA, USA (disc 1) and 2007-06-24: Pines Theater, Northampton, MA, USA (disc 2).
  
• 29 Jun 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Sandra McCracken, Derek Webb, and Bleu. 2008-06-29: 12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 1) and 2008-06-29: 12th and Porter, Nashville, TN, USA (disc 2).
  
• 6 Aug 2008 [Boston, MA, USA] concert bootleg of Gnarls Barkley. 2008-08-06: Wilbur Theater, Boston, MA, USA
  

Last week was uneven, but the good stuff was very good:

• Sandra McCracken’s Red Balloon. Predictably, I love it. There are a couple moments on the record that I don’t get, but all in all, I think this lives up to the hype that Derek has been giving it. Four stars.
  
• Nirvana’s In Utero. Sadly, it doesn’t have the punch that Nevermind did, probably understandable as a sophomore major-label release. That, plus a dalliance into noise rock that I didn’t enjoy, got it two-and-a-half stars from me. The goods are great! The bads are … meh.
  
• Jackopierce’s Promise of Summer. Quite, quite enjoyable. A four-star record for me, and I’ll be getting more JP records from the back catalog. [See? Giving stuff away for free works.]
  
• 3 Feb 2006 [Las Vegas, NV, USA] concert bootleg of Coldplay. So meh. A distant recording from the audience, and … eh. Two-and-a-half stars.
  
• 26 Oct 2007 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Fan-fucking-tastic. Four-and-a-half stars. If you love OtR, get it. Go. Now. You. NOW.
  
• 17 Jul 2008 [London, England] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. Also kinda distant, but with a better base to start with. Three stars.
  
• 26 Jul 2008 [Anchorage, AK, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. No, I didn’t pick this in honor of Sarah Palin. This is the band whose debut release was titled A.M.; sadly, it sounds like it was recorded from an AM broadcast: over-compressed, tinny, and muddled. An example: when the band does their Wall of Noise trick in the opening cut, “Via Chicago”, everything is … the same sound level. Jeff is clearly heard. This … just isn’t the way it ought to be at all. Having looked at the mic used in the recording, I’m guessing that this is the sound guy’s fault, or perhaps just crappy mains. But, you know, if I lived in Anchorage, I really wouldn’t give a shit, because Wilco rocks. The good thing is that we get two new songs out of it, and new songs? Always good. The rating is two stars.
  

• Sandra McCracken’s Red Balloon. When you’re friends, you get advance copies.
  
• Nirvana’s In Utero.
  
• Jackopierce’s Promise of Summer. This is a NoiseTrade success—wouldn’t have bought this album without listening to the EP. So, if you’re interested … get the EP at the end of the post.
  
• 3 Feb 2006 [Las Vegas, NV, USA] concert bootleg of Coldplay. I’m done with them now. 2006-02-03: MGM Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA.
  
• 26 Oct 2007 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2007-10-26: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY, USA (disc 1) and 2007-10-26: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY, USA (disc 2).
  
• 17 Jul 2008 [London, England] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie.
  
• 26 Jul 2008 [Anchorage, AK, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2008-07-26: The Moose's Tooth, Anchorage, AK, USA (disc 1) and 2008-07-26: The Moose's Tooth, Anchorage, AK, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week:

• Blind Faith’s eponymous album. It’s a shame that Windwood, Baker, and Clapton couldn’t co-exist. Three-and-a-half stars.
  
• Lenny Kravitz’s It Is Time for a Love Revolution. Starts off with a bang, and then … mellows. Three stars overall.
  
• Matthew Perryman Jones’s Swallow the Sea. I have sadly not given this album the time that it deserves this week, but a copy will go in my car for my Labor Day driving. But from the first few listens, it gets four-and-a-half stars.
  
• 20 Jul 1995 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Sometimes, the sound guy needs to get shot. This is one of those times. Two stars.
  
• 20 Apr 2004 [Minneapolis, MN, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward, Jim James, and Conor Oberst. Matt started his set with a harmonica, which is a sure-fire way to have me love it. [I have yet to understand my affinity for the instrument, but it's undeniable.] Matt’s set is pretty much everything you’d expect from a 2004-era show. As usual, Jim James’s stuff confounds me—I just don’t grok it, for whatever reason. Conor Oberst’s set mostly bored me. Two-and-a-half stars overall.
  
• 18 Nov 2006 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. The taper noted that the distortion errors are present in both the SBD and AUD sources. SOUNDBOARD FAIL. Two stars.
  
• 1 Aug 2008 [Sugar Land, TX, USA] concert bootleg of Andy Gullahorn. Great recording from Jim, who hosted the show. Great performance by Gully. Fun times. Four stars.
  

And again … here’s that JP EP:

My Brightest Diamond’s A Thousand Shark’s Teeth.

Sigur Rós’s Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust.

21 Apr 2002 [Toronto, ON, Canada] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2002-04-21: Convocation Hall, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.

14 Nov 2003 [Los Angeles, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. 2003-11-14: Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

22 Apr 2005 [St. Paul, MN, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward. [Thanks to emdot for the use of her photo for this cover art.] 2005-04-22: Turf Club, St. Paul, MN, USA.

5 Nov 2005 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-11-05: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2005-11-05: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 2).

4 May 2008 [Birmingham, AL, USA] concert bootleg of Derek Webb & Sandra McCracken. 2008-05-04: Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL, USA and 2008-05-04: Workplay Theatre, Birmingham, AL, USA.

Last week was abbreviated in an effort to catch up:

• Sloan’s Parallel Play. Three stars: almost three-and-a-half, but not quite. Fun power-pop, though.
  
• Eric Peters’s Bookmark. Two-and-a-half stars: it works as a tide-me-over album, which is what it was intended to be, best as I can tell. A worthy grab for EP fans and completionists.
  

• Death Cab for Cutie’s Narrow Stairs.
  
• 7 May 1999 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. I’m sneaking two in here to try to work off the backlog. 1999-05-07: Riviera Theater, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 1) and 1999-05-07: Riviera Theater, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 2).
  
• 3 Nov 2004 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of The Delgados. 2004-11-03: Music Millenium, Portland, OR, USA.
• 4 Nov 2005 [Dayton, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. 2005-11-04: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 1) and 2005-11-04: Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH, USA (disc 2).
  
• 28 Sep 2006 [Santa Monica, CA, USA] concert bootleg of M. Ward. 2006-09-28: KCRW-FM, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
• 3 May 2008 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken. By my own hand! 2008-05-03: 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN, USA and 2008-05-03: 3rd & Lindsley, Nashville, TN, USA.
  
• 5 May 2008 [Missoula, MT, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. 2008-05-05: Harry Adams Center, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA (disc 1) and 2008-05-05: Harry Adams Center, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA (disc 2).

Two weeks ago turned out pretty well:

• Deb Talan’s Sincerely. A solid, four-star effort. The rendition of “How Will He Find Me” is the strongest track.
  
• City and Colour’s Bring Me Your Love. Another four-star release for me; “The Death of Me” and “Body in a Box” are both good little numbers.
  
• 4 Sep 1967 [West Hollywood, CA, USA] concert bootleg of Cream. Two-and-a-half stars, which is what I’d expect for a four-decade-old recording.
  
• 27 Aug 2005 [Cincinnati, OH, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Four stars; “The World Can Wait” and “Firefly” just sparkle. Fun between-song banter, too. It’s OtR with a hometown crowd—hard to beat that.
• 4 Feb 2006 [Malmö, Sweden] concert bootleg of Death Cab for Cutie. It starts a little slow, but they really fly in the second half of the concert. The renditions of “Crooked Teeth” and “What Sarah Said” are the best to my ears.
• 26 Mar 2008 [Melbourne, Australia] concert bootleg of Wilco. Three stars. I was terribly bored.
• 9 Apr 2008 [Louisville, KY, USA] concert bootleg of Son Volt. Two stars. Just not a good recording.

• Alli Rogers’s You and the Evening Sky.
  
• 30 Mar 1996 [New York, NY, USA] concert bootleg of Elliott Smith. Now that I’ve got a new HDD for my newer mini, I can go back to the bootlegs that were on my old machine as I slowly merge the iTunes libraries of the two machines. 1996-03-30: Westbeth Theatre, New York, NY, USA
• 18 Sep 2004 [North Olmsted, OH, USA] concert bootleg of The Weepies. 2004-09-18: Butternut Ridge, North Olmsted, OH, USA.
  
• 4 May 2007 [Portland, OR, USA] concert bootleg of Andrew Bird. 2007-05-04: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA (disc 1) and 2007-05-04: Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR, USA (disc 2).
  
• 8 Jun 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. Made by my own hand. 2007-06-08: 3rd and Lindsley, Nashville, TN, USA.
  
• 5 Oct 2007 [London, England] concert bootleg of Son Volt. 2007-10-05: Luminaire, London, England (disc 1) and 2007-10-05: Luminaire, London, England (disc 2).
• 19 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Fourth night of the residency at the Riv. 2008-02-19: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 1) and 2008-02-19: Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA (disc 2).
  

Last week was very, very good to me:

• Five O’Clock People’s Temper Temper. Simply fantastic. I hadn’t been listening to the stuff on their MySpace, so I wasn’t prepared for the shift to a bit more of a modern rock sound [in spots], but … very nice. Four stars.
  
• Led Zeppelin’s Coda. Okay, so we all know what this album is: an album put together by the remnants of Zep after David Bonham’s sad death. I … just kinda wish this hadn’t been made. :shrug: Two-and-a-half stars. I need to get Houses of the Holy so I can finish my tour through the LZ catalog on an up note.
  
• 2 Mar 1992 [New Haven, CT, USA] concert bootleg of Uncle Tupelo. Two-and-a-half stars. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m burned out on Uncle Tupelo or if I’ve just been babied by superior bootlegging technology.
• 11 Feb 2005 [Richmond, VA, USA] concert bootleg of Caedmon’s Call. It’s a soundboard, Danielle’s not there, and it sounds flat to me. It’s good, but this is one of those recordings that reminds me why I generally prefer AUDs to SBDs. [No, really, I do.] Three stars.
• 14 Dec 2006 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Over the Rhine. It’s pretty meh. That was definitely not the best recording environment, nor the best recording setup. Two-and-a-half stars.
• 16 Mar 2007 [Nashville, TN, USA] concert bootleg of Sandra McCracken. As I listened to this one, I thought about two things: one, thanks to Stephen Lamb for babysitting my recorder that night so I could walk around and take photos all night, and two, man, do I wish that I’d had a bass roll-off for this show. If I had, it would be as good as I could get out of single-point stereo omnidirectional microphone. Three stars.
  
• 18 Feb 2008 [Chicago, IL, USA] concert bootleg of Wilco. Fan-fucking-tastic. That’s it. The second disc … my oh my. Four-and-a-half stars. This is why I prefer AUDs.