David Berman

Happy New Year from the best band in the world. Jigsaw is just Thom and Jonny (and Ed in another room doing something inexplicable with his guitar). All I Need is insanely good even without the cellos...though you can see them doing it, you just don't know how they do it.

OK I'm a little late for this year's holiday but this is truly one of the loveliest Christmas songs ever! (thanks for the heads-up, Tiny Mix Tapes ) It's a duet between Carl Newman and Neko Case (the redheads front L & R in this photo) telling the story of the immaculate conception from Joseph's point of view. Baby, you're asking me to believe in too many things... The New Pornographers - Joseph, Who Understood (from 2007's The Spirit of Giving EP)

I definitely had me a Dan Fogelberg period in the mid-70s. Here's his breakthrough single, Part of the Plan, from his second album, produced by Joe Walsh. MP3 Dan Fogelberg - Part of the Plan (from 1974's Souvenirs)

Well you can't find the clips on youtube anymore but I guess Warner Brothers hasn't heard of DailyMotion yet. A 63-year-old Jimmy Page with snow white hair cranking out that most famous guitar solo after all these years, wow. And here's a song that used to SCARE me when I was a teenager, Kashmir, with bassist John Paul Jones (of one rock's greatest arrangers, never forget he did the strings on Automatic for the People) again on the keyboards. MP3 Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven (from 1971's Led Zeppelin IV) MP3 Led Zeppelin - Kashmir (from 1975's Physical Graffiti)

I have finished my end-of-year lists! Enjoy. For quick reference, here's the Top 10 albums: 1. The National - Boxer We played it to death but that's only because it was so damn good. I'm very happy for these guys, I'm not the only one who's got them at #1 this year. MP3 The National - Slow Show 2. Radiohead - In Rainbows Listen to Jonny Greenwood tell the New York Times how they created the awesome white noise that just completely covers the last minute of this song. It's a thrill to hear it every time. MP3 Radiohead - All I Need 3. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup 21-year-old Zach Condon channels Jacques Brel. MP3 Beirut - Guyamas Sonora (Anneliese's favorite!) 4. Burial - Untrue Like nothing you've ever heard. Nobody knows who this guy is, either. MP3 Burial - Archangel 5. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible No, it was not and never will be Funeral. Still, I predict these folks will be around for awhile. MP3 Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running 6. Okkervil River - ...

NOT the video you would expect to accompany this gorgeous song, this features flamenco dancers and somehow it works. MP3 Iron & Wine - Boy with a Coin (from 2007's The Shepherd's Dog)