New Feature Alert!!! Soundcheck is a new column brought to you by Father Guido Sarducci IV, the same musicologist extraordinaire who brings you the critically acclaimed Snobcast. Soundcheck will provide a weekly concert guide featuring local bands as well as a podcast which will allow you to hear the bands before they play their show. This week's calendar can be found at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Due to the Flu... I was unable to find you any new music for this week so I've compiled some classics. Starting it off is the "supergroup" The Raconteurs. Fun Fact: In Australia the band is forced to go by the name The Saboteurs due to conflicts with an Australian band with the name Raconteurs. OK, that's enough. I'm heading back to bed. I need to get healthy before SXSW. Have a good week, bitches!! See the rest of this blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Soundcheck is a new column brought to you by Father Guido Sarducci IV, the same musicologist extraordinaire who brings you the critically acclaimed Snobcast. Soundcheck will provide a weekly concert guide featuring local bands as well as a podcast which will allow you to hear the bands before they play their show. Read the blog and see the calendar at Donnybrook writing Academy.

2008... the year for Hipster-hop? Maybe. I've been thinking about and using that term for a while (about a year now) and I was only a little surprised to see Blender use the hipster-hop phrase to describe the scene bubblying up in places like Chicago, Baltimore and NY. Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

It seems funny that just two weeks ago I was denouncing electro-pop by playing Hot Chip and Boards of Canada, and this week I'm bringing you new UK synth-pop in the form of "Pink Squares" by I Was A Cub Scout. The first US released single from this band was dropped on the states last week. The former-one-man-now-two-man-band has been racking up air time on BBC Radio 1 and MTV 2. Although Todd Marriott's voice could easily front a run-of-the-mill emo band, he sounds more in the range of a new wave inspired Connor Oberst. Read the rest of the blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Here's what everyone else is saying: “A masterpiece of epic proportions” The Word “Brilliant songs… stirring anthemics… the glorious sound of a band going for broke” The Guardian **** “Dangerously epic” Daily Telegraph “Genius… a guitar laureate’s masterpiece” Maxim ***** “British Sea Power return in style” Mojo **** “CD of the week… neo-orchestral grandeur” The Observer Here's what we said: Do You Like Anal Music? ***1/2 Armed with passionate anthems, brainy Brits rise up and take it in the ass. Yeah, we can be pretty crass, but it's all in fun. Now go enjoy this weeks Snobcast and then head over to Donnybrook Writing Academy

Electro-pop. I’ve never liked the word. Like a cigar, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and yet I always take one when offered. I feel like an amnesia sufferer when ever thinking of the topic. I will swear up-and-down that I can’t stand the genre and then I catch myself enjoying, ugh, Moby. Well, finally I have a band that doesn’t force me to contradict myself. Hot Chip is that band. Maybe the reason I can get behind this five-piece electro group is because they have soul. Their second album, 2006’s The Warning, sounds like Kraftwerk being influenced by Afrika Bambaataa, rather than the other way around. Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy

This week's feature artist is new to me, but may not be new to you.

Cass McCombs first released his recordings in 2002 on Baltimore's Monitor Records and he's lived in about as many cities as years he's been recording his music. Going from California to Baltimore to New York to Michigan back to Cali and, finally, to Chicago (for now). His new album Dropping the Writ, an informal term which Wikipedia defines as “the procedure in some government systems where the head of government goes to the head of state and formally advise them to dissolve parliament”, is released on Domino Records of London. See the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy

Lupe Fiasco hasn't been able to "Kick, Push" his way past the early hype that surrounded his first effort, '06s Food & Liquor. This is unfortunate considering he's this generations answer to the eminent group, A Tribe Called Quest. His rhymes are fun and intelligent and never plummet into the usual benighted and boorish blather that most MCs rely on today. That is probably why you haven't heard him. Too bad his new album The Cool probably won't change that. With that being said, I kick off this weeks Snobcast with his new single "Superstar" and end it with another song called "Superstarr Pt. 2" by my favorite Canadian MC, k-os. Make the jump to see the rest of this weeks play list. Read the rest of this blog at The Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Father “Born Cipher Cipher” Guido has graciously let me hijack this week’s Snobcast to bring you a sampling of pre-1990 New School hip hop that I think is still as exuberant, fresh and thrilling as the day it was made. If these joints give you even a fraction of the pleasure they have given me, I shall consider this endeavor a wild success. Thank you for listening. Colonel Hector Bravado From Denver, Colorado Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy

Bring on the music of 2008. Please!! I don't want to hear another fucking song off Neon Bible, Kala, or Sky Blue Sky for a long time. Now I know I promised to have the official Donnybrook Best-Of list ready last week, but I just could not listen to any more Band of Horses. Now that I've detoxed from the overload of year-end lists I'm finally ready to release the best (and last) Best-Of that you'll need to read. Our readers voted, commented, and almost OD'd on the Snobcast Recap: 2007 series. I narrowed down the most mentioned albums and have compiled the best Snobcast of last year. Read the rest of this blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Get Me Away From Here, I'm Dying - Belle & Sebastian Featuring our own Jeff F.

Awww, the Best-Of list. Everybody longs to have the definitive outlook, but nobody ever gets it right. So here’s what we will be doing: We will be analyzing the year end lists of some other "reputable" music publications, I’ll sort of edit them accordingly to fit my preferences, and then play those songs on the Snobcast. Then you, the reader, can tell me what you think should stay; what should go; and what should be added or subtracted from the list/playlist. In the end we will have compiled the definitive Best of 2007 list. Read the full blog at attached file:
type: audio/x-m4a size: 30.51 MB here

Awww, the Best-Of list. Everybody longs to have the definitive outlook, but nobody ever gets it right. So here’s what we will be doing: We will be analyzing the year end lists of some other "reputable" music publications, I’ll sort of edit them accordingly to fit my preferences, and then play those songs on the Snobcast. Then you, the reader, can tell me what you think should stay; what should go; and what should be added or subtracted from the list/playlist. In the end we will have compiled the definitive Best of 2007 list. Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy

Awww, the Best-Of list. Everybody longs to have the definitive outlook, but nobody ever gets it right. So here’s what we will be doing: We will be analyzing the year end lists of some other "reputable" music publications, I’ll sort of edit them accordingly to fit my preferences, and then play those songs on the Snobcast. Then you, the reader, can tell me what you think should stay; what should go; and what should be added or subtracted from the list/playlist. In the end we will have compiled the definitive Best of 2007 list. This is who has been dismissed from and who has been added to the list:

Additions:	Subtractions:
Mayhem	M.I.A.
Missy Higgins	The Broken West
Spank Rock	White Rabbits
Amy Winehouse	Beirut
Von Sudenfed	Modest Mouse
Battles	Aesop Rock
Peter Bjorn & John	The Shins
Kanye West	Pinback
Bat for Lashes	Band of Horses
Albert Hammond Jr.	Menomena
The Pipettes	Kevin Drew
The Go! Team	Richard Hawley
Deerhoof	Jens Lekman
Simian Mobile Disco	The Arcade Fire
	Lily Allen
	Calvin Harris

Read the rest of this blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy

Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy

See the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy.

Read the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Academy

Read the full blog at The Donnybrook Writing Academy.

See the full blog at Donnybrook Writing Acdamy.

Awww, the Best-Of list. Everybody longs to have the definitive outlook, but nobody ever gets it right. So here’s what we will be doing: We will be analyzing the year end lists of some other "reputable" music publications, I’ll sort of edit them accordingly to fit my preferences, and then play those songs on the Snobcast. Then you, the reader, can tell me what you think should stay; what should go; and what should be added or subtracted from the list/playlist. In the end we will have compiled the definitive Best of 2007 list. I received this next list via private wire sent by Prof. Honeydew. Being an ex-resident of NYC, Honeydew is familiar with the elitist of music outlets. This list was compiled by the staff at the distinguished Manhattan record store Other Music. From their site: OTHER MUSIC (uth'er myoo'zik) n. Abbr. OM (om) 1. 1. A Manhattan-based record store specializing in amazing sounds, past, present, and future. 2. 2. An unparalleled selection of underground and experimental CDs, LPs, imports and out-of-print rarities. 3. 3. A venue hosting in-store performances from the likes of DJ Shadow, Yo La Tengo, Jim O'Rourke, Tindersticks, Mouse On Mars, etc. and others still to come. 4. A unifying aesthetic for a cornucopia of seemingly disparate musical genres; an attempt to classify the unclassifiable by delineating the common threads among these genres. 5. Your friendly, reliable 24-hour on-line liaison to all of the above. Here's their list: 1. TINARIWEN - Aman Iman 2. PANDA BEAR - Person Pitch 3. BURIAL - Untrue 4. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Strawberry Jam 5. PANTHA DU PRINCE - This Bliss 6. NO AGE - Weirdo Rippers 7. VARIOUS ARTISTS - Skull Disco - Soundboy Punishments 8. M.I.A. - Kala 9. JAY REATARD - Blood Visions 10. MAGIK MARKERS - BOSS 11. KING KHAN & THE SHRINES - What Is?! 12. VARIOUS ARTISTS - After Dark 13. THE CAVE SINGERS - Invitation Songs 14. ROBERT WYATT - Comicopera 15. ERIC COPELAND - Hermaphrodite 16. SPOON - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 17. BAND OF HORSES - Cease to Begin 18. BLACK LIPS - Good Bad Not Evil 19. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - EP 20. EFDEMIN - Efdemin 21. STUDIO - West Coast 22. THE FIELD - From Here We Go Sublime 23. CHROMATICS - Night Drive 24. ST. VINCENT - Marry Me 25. OH NO - Dr. No's Oxperiment Here's our list: "Archangel" Burial Untrue "Come Around" M.I.A. Feat. Timbaland Kala "Windows Blues" Band of Horses Cease to Begin "Veni Vidi Vici" The Black Lips Good Bad, Not Evil "Oxford Comma" Vampire Weekend EP "Now, Now" St. Vincent Marry Me "Great! There It Is (Tag Team vs LCD Soundsystem)" The Hood Internet The Mixtape Volume One "Nasty" Lil Wayne Da Drought 3 "Start A War" The National Boxer "Good Morning (Intro)" Kanye West Graduation "Waters Of Nazareth" Justice † "Weird" Menomena Friend And Foe "Ponytail" Panda Bear Person Pitch "Peacebone" Animal Collective Strawberry Jam "The Mountain" PJ Harvey White Chalk "Backed Out On The..." Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew Spirit If... "The Girls" Calvin Harris I Created Disco "If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This)" Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala "Send Away The Tigers" Manic Street Preachers Send Away The Tigers "Phantom Punch" Sondre Lerche Phantom Punch DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

Awww, the Best-Of list. Everybody longs to have the definitive outlook, but nobody ever gets it right. So here’s what we will be doing: We will be analyzing the year end lists of some other "reputable" music publications, I’ll sort of edit them accordingly to fit my preferences, and then play those songs on the Snobcast. Then you, the reader, can tell me what you think should stay; what should go; and what should be added or subtracted from the list/playlist. In the end we will have compiled the definitive Best of 2007 list.Three weeks into our experiment and Jason Isbell is still the highest voted. Everybody agreed that the Arctic Monkeys didn't deserve to be on the list. The big fight seems to be surrounding Animal Collective and Panda Bear. Some, well most, people love them, while others say they're over hyped so maybe this week you can actually explain why (or why not) they should be on the Best-Of list. RIP Stylus Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. The site closed on October 31, 2007 - Wikipedia So this list isn't all that different at first glance. We still have LCD Soundsystem at #1 (WTF!!). We've gone from bad to worse at #2 with Miranda Lambert replacing Arctic Monkeys. But then they put Lil Wayne above Kanye, at #4 no less, and all your expectations go out the window. OK, maybe that's an over statement, but it is nice to see rappers (El-P, Devin the Dude, UGK) make the list who aren't named West. Aside from Spoon, The National, M.I.A, Arcade Fire, the rest of the list is filled out with unique choices, at least compared to what we've seen from Harp or Paste. Other notable inclusions, to me anyway: #31 Menomena, #31 Patrick Wolf, #38 Tinariwen. Here's their list: 50 PJ Harvey - White Chalk 49 Paramore - Riot! 48 Monkey Swallows the Universe - The Casket Letters 47 65daysofstatic - The Destruction of Small Ideas 46 The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism 45 Strategy - Future Rock 44 Colleen - Les Ondes Silencieuses 43 Basteroid - Upset Ducks 42 Calle 13 - Residente O Visitante 41 Andy Palacio & The Garfuna Collective - Wátina 40 Pantha Du Prince - This Bliss 39 UGK - Underground Kings 38 Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water is Life 37 Devin The Dude - Waitin' to Inhale 36 Marnie Stern - In Advance Of The Broken Arm 35 Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position 34 Dungen - Tio Bitar 33 Stars Of The Lid - And The Refinement Of Their Decline 32 Low - Drums and Guns 31 Menomena - Friend and Foe 30 El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead 29 Electrelane - No Shouts No Calls 28 A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Scribble Mural Comic Journal 27 Of Montreal - Oh Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? 26 Kathy Diamond - Miss Diamond to You 25 Battles - Mirrored 24 Studio - West Coast 23 !!! - Myth Takes 22 Deepchord Presents Echospace - The Coldest Season 21 Caribou - Andorra 20 Dalek - Abandoned Language 19 Liars - Liars 18 Justice - Cross 17 Grinderman - Grinderman 16 The Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse 15 The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters 14 Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog 13 Gui Boratto - Chromophobia 12 Phosphorescent - Pride 11 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible 10 Radiohead - In Rainbows 09 The Field - From Here We Go Sublime 08 M.I.A. - Kala 07 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 06 Kanye West - Graduation 05 The National - The Boxer 04 Lil Wayne - Da Drought 3 03 Panda Bear - Person Pitch 02 Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 01 LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver Here's my songs: 1. "North America Walk It Out (UNK Soundsystem) (UNK vs LCD Soundsystem)" The Hood Internet The Mixtape Volume One 2. "Cant No Nigga " LIL WAYNE Da Drought 3 3. "Fake Empire" The National Boxer 4. "Stronger " Kanye West Graduation 5. "Jimmy" M.I.A. Kala 6. "Keep The Car Running " The Arcade Fire Neon Bible 7. "One Minute To Midnight" Justice † 8. "B-Boy Battles (Mos Def vs Battles) " The Hood Internet The Mixtape Volume One 9. "EMG" El-P I'll Sleep When You're Dead 10. "Ghostship " Menomena Friend And Foe 11. "Accident And Emergency" Patrick Wolf The Magic Position 12. "Little Girl Gone" Devin The Dude Ft. Lil' Wayne, Bun-B, Tami Latrell & Tony Mac Waitin' To Inhale 13. "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" UGK featuring OutKast UGK (Underground Kingz) 14. "When Under Ether" PJ Harvey White Chalk 15. "Carrots " Panda Bear Person Pitch 16. "Dress Blues " Jason Isbell Sirens of the Ditch 17. "Lucky Ones " Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew Spirit If... 18. "Merrymaking At My Place " Calvin Harris I Created Disco 19. "Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo " Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala

"I’d rather die to succeed than live mediocre/I’m the extreme, either I’m richer or I’m broker/So play like masturbation and go fuck yourself/Especially if you’re from here and you ain’t picked my shit off the shelf" - D.O. the Fabulous Drifter

Here's the songs: "All My Friends" LCD Soundsystem Sound Of Silver "Fluorescent Adolescent" Arctic Monkeys Favourite Worst Nightmare "Dear Darkness" PJ Harvey White Chalk "Hate It Here" Wilco Sky Blue Sky "Bad Trails" Battles Mirrored "No Hidden Path" Neil Young Chrome Dreams II "Bamboo Banga" M.I.A. Kala "Comfy in Nautica" Panda Bear Person Pitch "My Moon My Man" Feist The Reminder "Intervention" The Arcade Fire Neon Bible "Down In A Hole" Jason Isbell Sirens Of The Ditch "Safety Bricks" Kevin Drew Spirit If... "Traffic Cops" Calvin Harris I Created Disco "And I Remember Every Kiss" Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala "Step Right Up" The Black Lips Good Bad, Not Evil "Phantom" Justice † DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

So here we are at the end of another year. What do we have to show for it? Well, T.I. was on his way to being the Jay-Z of the South, while Jay-Z was working on becoming the Jay-Z of 1998. The Tims brought sexy back. Kanye West became the best-paid hipster in North America, Brandon Flowers tried to become Springsteen before listening to Neon Bible, and TV on the Radio made an album, did anybody hear that one? Then there's the bands that we'll be talking about next year (Glasvegas, Murs, Black Mountain, Burial). However, all that is in the past. The best-of lists are being compiled and nothing can be changed. Everybody longs to have the definitive outlook, but nobody ever gets it right. So here's what we will be doing: We will be analyzing the year end lists of some other "reputable" music publications, I'll sort of edit them accordingly to fit my preferences, and then play those songs on the Snobcast. Then you, the reader, can tell me what you think should stay; what should go; and what should be added or subtracted from the list/playlist. In the end we will have compiled the definitive Best of 2007 list. After our first round of criticism we have concluded that Paste Magazine's target demographic is not the Elitist Hipster Snobs that reside at the Donnybrook Writing Academy. In other words, Paste sucks. Know who doesn't suck though? Our readers. After the first round of votes, this is who has been dismissed from and who has been added to the list: Additions: Subtractions: Richard Hawley Bruce Springsteen Calvin Harris The White Stripes Rumskib Modest Mouse The Mary Onettes Amy Winehouse Yelle Kanye West Animal Collective Jens Lekman St. Vincent LCD Soundsystem Kevin Drew The Black Lips Kings Of Leon Spoon Rilo Kiley PJ Harvey Georgie James Peter Bjorn & John The New Pornographers Justice Jason Isbell Linda Thompson Neil Young Battles Our next subject of criticism is Harp Magazine. All I know about Harp is that they are "aimed at serious music enthusiasts" and judging from their top 50 albums of 2007 it does seem that they take more risk. For example, Future Clouds & Radar are at #4, and Jason Isbell makes the top 10 beating out The White Stripes. That makes my day. However, Okkervil River (?) are #1 and both Band of Horses and Feist are still in the top 5, huh? What do you guys think? Here's their List: 50 Tunng - Good Arrows 49 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights 48 Oakley Hall - I'll Follow You 47 Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals 46 Manu Chao - La Radiolina 45 Bettye LaVette - The Scenes Of The Crime 44 Beirut - The Flying Club Cup 43 Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone 42 Mavis Staples - We'll Never Turn Back 41 Dr. Dog - We All Belong 40 Ian Hunter - Shrunken Heads 39 Patty Griffin - Children Running Through 38 Eleni Mandell - Miracle Of Five 37 Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars 36 Bright Eyes - Cassadaga 35 Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam 34 Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger 33 St. Vincent - Marry Me 32 Kevin Drew - Spirit If... 31 Robert Wyatt - Comicopera 30 Grinderman - Grinderman 29 Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times 28 Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - This Is Somewhere 27 of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? 26 Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade 25 Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter - Like, Love, Lust And the Open Halls Of The Soul 24 M.I.A. - Kala 23 Bill Callahan - Woke On A Whaleheart 22 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Living With The Living 21 The National - Boxer 20 Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight 19 Bruce Springsteen - Magic 18 Georgie James - Places 17 The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen 16 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky 15 The New Pornographers - Challengers 14 The Shins - Wincing The Night Away 13 Avett Brothers - Emotionalism 12 Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon 11 The White Stripes - Icky Thump 10 Jason Isbell - Sirens Of The Ditch 09 Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II 08 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible 07 Radiohead - In Rainbows 06 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 05 Feist - The Reminder 04 Future Clouds & Radar - Future Clouds & Radar 03 Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog 02 Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin 01 Okkervil River - The Stage Names Here's the songs: "The General Specific" Band of Horses Cease to Begin "1234" Feist The Reminder "Shining Light" Neil Young Chrome Dreams II "The Devil Is My Running Mate" Jason Isbell Sirens Of The Ditch "Sleeping Lessons" The Shins Wincing The Night Away "Challengers" The New Pornographers Challengers "What Light" Wilco Sky Blue Sky "Need Your Needs" Georgie James Places "Close Call" Rilo Kiley Under the Blacklight "$20" M.I.A. Kala "Charmer" Kings Of Leon Because Of The Times "TBTF" Kevin Drew Spirit If... "Paris Is Burning" St. Vincent Marry Me "The Well And The Lighthouse" The Arcade Fire Neon Bible "Derek" Animal Collective Strawberry Jam "A Cause des Garcons" Yelle Pop Up "Void" The Mary Onettes The Mary Onettes "Where Are the Flowers" Rumskib Rumskib "I Created Disco" Calvin Harris I Created Disco "Valentine" Richard Hawley Lady's Bridge DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

Do you feel like every week there’s some band your “eccentric” co-worker/friend is trying to turn you on to? Are you confused as to which band with the word “wolf” or “horse” you’re supposed to like? Lucky for you, every week DJ Father Guido spends hours in his lab sifting through bits and bytes of hipster blog entries and indie magazines searching for the finest aural pleasures available. Then the Father compiles them here for you to enjoy in the comfort of the Donnybrook Campus. So here we are at the end of another year. Another great year for music...unless your Stephen King. So what do we have to show for it? Well, T.I. was on his way to being the Jay-Z of the South, while Jay-Z was working on becoming the Jay-Z of 1998. The Tims brought sexy back. We were introduced to a beautiful album (Writer's Block) recorded by PB&J, second only to the croque-monsieur as my favorite sandwich. Also this year, Kanye West became the best paid hipster in North America, Brandon Flowers tried to become Springsteen before listening to Neon Bible, and TV on the Radio made an album, did anybody hear that one? We didn't have a Gnarles Barkley this year but we did have "D.A.N.C.E" and did I mention Jay-Z is back? Also promising, we heard rumblings from both the Outkast and Wu-Tang camps. Then there's the bands that we'll be talking about next year (Glasvegas, Murs, Black Mountain,Burial). However, all that is in the past. Now we are at that point of no return. The best-of lists are being compiled and nothing can be changed. If any bands out there feel like they were cheated they will just have to do better next year for this is the month that your critics rate the good and the bad of what we have heard and seen in the past 12 months. Awww, the Best-Of list. Everybody longs to have the definitive outlook but, nobody ever gets it right. So here's what we will be doing: We will be analyzing the year end lists of some other "reputable" music publications, I'll sort-of edit them accordingly to fit my preference and then play those songs on the Snobcast, then you the reader can tell me what you think should stay; what should go; what should be added or subtracted from the list/playlist. In the end we will have compiled the definitive Best of 2007 list. I'm opening this up to my readers for one month. One month where I won't act like I know more than you and you can bask in the warmth of my musical credibility. So chime in. Our first subject is possibly the most intellectual, but most boring of music rags, Paste Magazine. Here's their List: 100. Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War 99. The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City 98. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond 97. Marissa Nadler - Song III: Bird on the Water 96. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare 95. The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen 94. Suzanne Vega - Beauty & Crime 93. Lori McKenna - Unglamorous 92. Jesse Sykes – Like, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul 91. The Fratellis - Costello Music 90. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon 89. Anat Cohen - Noir 88. Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History In Rust 87. White Rabbits – Fort Nightly 86. Ruthie Foster - The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster 85. Menomena - Friend and Foe 84. Liars - Liars 83. Deerhunter - Cryptograms 82. Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings 81. Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated 80. Akron/Family - Love Is Simple 79. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity 78. The New Pornographers - Challengers 77. Jeremy Fisher - Goodbye Blue Monday 76. Okkervil River - The Stage Names 75. Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara 74. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup 73. Warm In The Wake - American Prehistoric 72. Bettye Lavette - Scene Of The Crime 71. Josh Rouse - Country Mouse City House 70. Ween - La Cucaracha 69. Bat For Lashes - Fur & Gold 68. Office - A Night At The Ritz 67. St. Vincent - Marry Me 66. Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder 65. Caribou - Andorra 64. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam 63. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone 62. Joseph Arthur - Let's Just Be 61. Prince - Planet Earth 60. The Broken West - I Can't Go On I'll Go On 59. Imperial Teen - The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band 58. Romantica - America 57. The Clientele - God Save The Clientele 56. Kate Nash - Made of Bricks 55. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover 54. Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If... 53. Fionn Regan - The End Of History 52. Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy 51. The Frames - The Cost 50. Battles - Mirrored 49. Carolina Chocolate Drops - Dona Got A Ramblin’ Mind 48. The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour 47. Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart 46. Justice - † 45. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights 44. Norah Jones - Not Too Late 43. The Everybodyfields - Nothing Is Okay 42. Lifesavas - Gutterfly 41. Brandi Carlile - The Story 40. Damien Dempsey - To Hell Or Barbados 39. The Perishers - Victorious 38. Olof Arnalds - Vid Og Vid 37. Eleni Mandell - The Miracle Of Five 36. Joe Henry - Civilians 35. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block 34. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga 33. PJ Harvey - White Chalk 32. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha 31. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? 30. Björk - Volta 29. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 28. Mary Gauthier - Between Daylight and Dark 27. Derek Webb - The Ringing Bell 26. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away 25. Over The Rhine - The Trumpet Child 24. Patty Griffin - Children Running Through 23. Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil 22. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver 21. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala 20. Blonde Redhead - 23 19. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Living with the Living 18. Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 17. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter 16. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger 15. Kanye West - Graduation 14. Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir 13. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black 12. Avett Brothers - Emotionalism 11. Radiohead - In Rainbows 10. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog 09. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin 08. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank 07. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky 06. M.I.A. - Kala 05. Feist - The Reminder 04. The White Stripes - Icky Thump 03. Bruce Springsteen - Magic 02. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible 01. The National - Boxer Here's this weeks songs: 1. "Neon Bible" The Arcade Fire Neon Bible 2. "Magic" Bruce Springsteen Magic 3. "Conquest" The White Stripes Icky Thump 4. "Sea Lion Woman" Feist The Reminder 5. "Mango Pickle Down River" M.I.A. Feat. The Wilcannia Mob Kala 6. "Sky Blue Sky" Wilco Sky Blue Sky 7. "Florida" Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank 8. "Is There A Ghost" Band of Horses Cease to Begin 9. "He Can Only Hold Her" Amy Winehouse Back To Black 10. "Champion" Kanye West Graduation 11. "Shirin" Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala 12. "North American Scum" LCD Soundsystem Sound Of Silver 13. "Trancendental Light" The Black Lips Good Bad, Not Evil 14. "Turn On Me" The Shins Wincing The Night Away 15. "The Underdog" Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 16. "Broken Harp" PJ Harvey White Chalk 17. "Start To Melt" Peter Bjorn & John Writer's Block 18. "Let There Be Light" Justice Cross 19. "Versatile Heart" Linda Thompson Versatile Heart 20. "Atlas" Battles Mirrored DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

This Weeks Feature: Glasvegas The name alone is awesome. Imagine Las Vegas but with a bunch of Scots. Instead, Glasvegas is something much more accessible, a pop band. Glasvegas are an unsigned experimental pop band who hail from Glasgow, Scotland. On the song "Daddy's Gone" they sound like a mash-up of the Ramones and the Beach Boys. Glasgow isn't known for its surf music but that's the territory these lads are wading through. The song is about, well, obviously, a father who has left his family.This could easily be mistaken for a 50's doo-wop B-side, but here it is one of the most heartfelt songs I've heard all year. Maybe that is why no big labels have come calling yet. Glasvegas just isn't modern. Unless if modern is the reemergence of the Jesus & Mary Chain. This Weeks Playlist: "Daddy's Gone" Glasvegas Daddy's Gone - Single "My Chosen One" Guillemots from the cliFfs "Kissing the Lipless" The Shins Chutes Too Narrow "Adieu" Enter Shikari Take To The Skies "Hanging In A Tie" South Ambulance Labrador summer sampler 2007 "Tahiti" Bat For Lashes Fur And Gold "Bumps and Bruises" The Wheel Desire and Dissolving Men "Sawdust & Diamonds" Joanna Newsom Ys "Mary Jo" Belle & Sebastian Tigermilk "Michelle" The Beatles Rubber Soul "Dog" El Perro Del Mar El Perro Del Mar "Heart With No Companion" Leonard Cohen Various Positions "Jesse James" The Pogues Rum, Sodomy & The Lash "Hallelujah" Jeff Buckley Grace "Garrie" The Life There Is "Floorplan" Tegan and Sara The Con "Riffs And Variations On A Single Note For Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, And The King of Swing, To Name A Few" Sufjan Stevens Come On Feel The Illinoise! "Sunday Eyes" Blue Million Miles Blue Million Miles "I'm Cool (Interlude)" Outkast Stankonia DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

So lately I've been featuring a lot of mainstream artists. Ever since I featured The Go! Team, I've been focused on the hip-hop tip. It started off OK (Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip, Common feat. Lily Allen, The Hood Internet) but then I found myself writing about Fergie. Well that stops here. This week we revert back to the indie hipster scene. I've never been a PJ Harvey fan, but lately I've been listening to a lot of kick-ass females (Tegan & Sara, Feist, Bela Karoli) so I thought I'd try out White Chalk, PJ's newest (released Sept. 24). White Chalk is PJ Harvey's eighth album. She started recording for this album after finishing and releasing last year's PJ Harvey: The Peel Sessions. Last year she also released PJ Harvey On Tour: Please Leave Quietly, her first DVD. Harvey has gone through many transformations on each album, kinda like an indie Madonna. On White Chalk, she has morphed from rocker girl to Victorian waif. This new album uses piano in place of guitars. So, naturally, I chose the song "The Piano" to open this week's Snobcast. PLAYLIST: "The Piano" PJ Harvey "1234" Feist "Trouble" Throw Rag "Lost Limbs" Lion Sized "XR2" M.I.A. "Humble Mumble" Outkast "Robeson" Saul Williams "Soul Machine" The Salsoul Invention "Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night" The Fratellis "BB Baise" BB Brunes "Misunderstanding" The Electric Soft Parade "Put The Sun Back" The Coral "Moribund" The Bastard Fairies "A Pair of Brown Eyes" The Pogues "Silver Rocket" Sonic Youth "Un Autre Introduction" DJ Shadow "No Excuses" Dynomite D Featuring Kid Koala "Getting into the Jam" Electric 6 "You're Supposed To Be My Friend" 1990s "That's What Ice Cream Is" Amerie vs New Young Pony Club "Aerodynamic" Daft Punk DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

Do you feel like every week there’s some band your “eccentric” co-worker/friend is trying to turn you on to? Are you confused as to which band with the word “wolf” or “horse” you’re supposed to like? Lucky for you, every week DJ Father Guido spends hours in his lab sifting through bits and bytes of hipster blog entries and indie magazines searching for the finest aural pleasures available. Then the Father compiles them here for you to enjoy in the comfort of the Donnybrook Campus.

I hate when artists I don't like make songs I can't help but like. It puts into question my (usually) infallible taste.  This rarely takes place, but occasionally it happens. Case in point: "Clumsy" by Fergie (of the once talented, but now horrendously annoying, Black-Eyed Peas).

I've had issues with this girl ever since she became  a Black-Eyed Pea. My first reaction was, "Why does such a great group need a kitch factor?" Then I quickly realized this was a group that wanted to shed their underground status and reach for that MTV money. Well, OK, as long as they don't sacrifice their heady, conscious raps.

The first single, "Where Is The Love?", seemed to be on the right track. It may have featured JT but at least it had a message. Then came "Shut Up". Umm...yeah. Then came "Let's Get Retarded" and right then I knew I had to throw the towel in on this once great group.

I stopped caring about the Peas, but one question kept nagging. Was Fergie the reason for their down fall?

The answer never really mattered to me. I assumed she couldn't do much more damage. Then came "My Humps". I don't need to continue at this point. Everyone knows what I'm talking about here. What I do need to do is back peddle and explain why we are even talking about Fergie.

We can thank Tim Tim for this one. The other day he tells me he has a new song he's digging. So I'm like, "Hey that's great. Play it for me." Even though I knew I'd hate it, Tim is my best friend so I had to give him a chance. Turns out, he was right. I like this song. It reminds me of a much better song, "Talkin' Bout Hey Love" by De La Soul, but that's OK.

Fergie, I'm sorry I hated on you for so long. I know will.i.am is the real perpetrator. He's the one that hoodwinked the back-pack set into thinking he was one of them just to turn around and go POP! But Fergie you where always meant to be a pop star and now you have a song that might actually help you get there with out grossing us out (ie. "My Humps").

"Clumsy"    Fergie    The Dutchess

"That Time"    Regina Spektor    Begin To Hope

"Take Me To the Riot"    Stars    In Our Bedroom After the War

"Velouria"    Pixies    Bossanova

"From Nothing to Nowhere"    Pinback    Autumn of the Seraphs

"Mommy Can I Go Out & Kill Tonight (Live)"    The Misfits    Walk Among Us

"Are You The One?"    The Presets    Beams

"J"    Mindless Self Indulgence    Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy
"Dollar"    Heiruspecs    A Tiger Dancing
"The Boy Next Door"    The Bastard Fairies    Memento Mori
"Sarah Silverman"    P.O.S.    Ipecac Neat
"Wake Up Alone"    Amy Winehouse    Back To Black

"I Feel Like Dying"    Lil' Wayne    The Drought Is Over Part. 2

"Perfect Hair II"    DangerDoom    Occult Hymn

"Your Neighborhood Spaceman"    Peeping Tom Feat. Jel & Odd Nosdam    Peeping Tom
"The Commercial"    Wire    Pink Flag
"Fa-Fa-Fayo Technology"    50 Cent vs Datarock
"You're Hot"    Sneaky Sound System    Sneaky Sound System
"Bandages"    Hot Hot Heat    Make Up the Breakdown

"Cuntry Boys and City Girls"    The Fratellis    Costello Music

"Girls on TV"    Be Your Own PET    Be Your Own PET

"Hope"    Sublime    40 Oz. To Freedom

"Secrets"    The Electric Soft Parade    No Need To Be Downhearted

"Lion's Teeth"    The Mountain Goats    The Sunset Tree

Click here to get your own player.

DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

Do you feel like every week there’s some band your “eccentric” co-worker/friend is trying to turn you on to? Are you confused as to which band with the word “wolf” or “horse” you’re supposed to like? Lucky for you, every week DJ Father Guido spends hours in his lab sifting through bits and bytes of hipster blog entries and indie magazines searching for the finest aural pleasures available. Then the Father compiles them here for you to enjoy in the comfort of the Donnybrook Campus.

Finally there is an honest answer to Danger Mouse' Grey Album; a place where mash-up isn't a bad word. The Hood Internet does what no one else has been able to do since the Beatles played back-up for Jay-Z. These mash-up artists take your favorite indie bands and pair them up with your favorite hip-hop artists. The best part? 95% of the results are actually worthy of, if not better than, the original songs. So check 'em out; down load the mix tapes; and embrace the Hood.

I'm leading off this week with a much talked about new song "My Car" from Bay area skate rappers the Pack. On this jump-off single from the new album Based Boys, the Pack have hung-up their Vans and bought a car. Now they can get their hyphy on, except here the boys are backed by the heart-breakers in the Blow, creating an aptly titled ode, "My Car Blows".

Also this week we have a couple extra special joints from the 5 Points Plan Crew. Our very own Col. Hector Bravado is featured so make the jump and enjoy this weeks play list.

"My Car Blows"    The Pack vs The Blow
"Retro Electro (Jme White Remix)"    5PP
"Duh Nuh (Duh Nuh Nuh Duh Nuh Nuh)"    Url Gray-V feat. Col Hector Bravado
"Contract On The World Love Jam"    Public Enemy
"Black Ice (Hymn 4 Disco)"    k-os
"Anecdote"    Ambulance Ltd
"Sad Songs and Waltzes"    Cake
"Bucovina (Felix B Booty Mix)"    Shantel
"Like O, Like H"    Tegan & Sara

"We Are Your Friends"    Justice

"Kidnapped By Neptune"    Scout Niblett
"Rudie Can't Fail"    The Clash

"I Love You You Imbecile"    Pelle Carlberg

"F--ked Up Kid"    Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew
"Up Against The Wall"    Peter Bjorn & John

"Myxomatosis. (Judge, Jury & Executioner.)"    Radiohead
"Eric’s Trip"    Sonic Youth
"Here's A List"    Half-Handed Cloud
"Creator"    Santogold

DISCLAIMER: Songs featured on the Snobcast are FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. If you like what you hear, go buy the albums – contact us if you don’t know where to find them. And if we feature your music and you want it taken off the Snobcast, email us at GoDonnybrook@gmail.com. Rock!

p>This is a very special Snobcast. This week Angora Holly Polo gave Father Guido some time off and she took the responsibility of picking this weeks songs. Angora is a huge fan of Halloween so she jumped at the chance to do this special edition Snobcast. The Father was still responsible for mixing the tracks into a podcast format, so a round of applause for our team effort. (clap, clap, clap)

Zombies! Death and terror! Oh, mon dieu! This is the Halloween Snobcast featuring the darkness of the Denver Sound. Each of these artists bring terror on a wide spectrum, from apocalyptic visions of hell to your garden variety despair and loneliness. Hellfire and damnation! It's the....

...HALLOWEEN SNOBCAST FEATURING THE DENVER SOUND! sound! sound. sound...

Really, this ended up being more of a mish mash of pseudo-insight into Angora's psychology, a tour of her fears. So judging by these songs,we can deduce that Angora is most afraid of:

- abysmal loneliness as a glimpse into the dropoff otherwise known as "the afterlife"

-insanity

-Biblical anything

-gypsies, and

-folkies (they ruin property value)

Autumn is a time of change, Halloween a time of death and rebirth; so this Snobcast is packed full of new releases (Black Lips, Bela Karoli, the Wheel, Tarmints) and bands who have gone to the grave (Bright Channel and Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots). We also dusted off some old songs you haven't heard for a  while - in the local scene, of course. Enjoy! List of songs and descriptions and linkies after the jump!

Tarmints, "Robey": Tarmints bring the Halloween year-round. If I didn't start the Snobcast with this song, off their newest album Thirteen Dead Cats, I would fire myself. Their new album has less growl and less bite, more '70s rock and songs that build slowly, then change and morph completely. "If You Could Read Your Mind" Clinic: If the bees from Dante's inferno comprised a guitar sound, it would be like this: a buzzing, bouncing gypsy parade to hell that tours all the hidden corners of the earth. In the Halloween Snobcast, Clinic wins. Hands down. "Slime and Oxygen" The Black Lips: God, I fucking love these guys! It's old school blues rock, with lots of squishy chaotic feedback crap! Awesome. This song is so Halloweeney - from the fearful Reefer Madness-esque rant about drugs and parties, to the grotesque song title, to the howling chorus. Cat-a-tac "Devil": This is the first song of cat-a-tac's that casually overtook me; I thought it was just alright, and then I listened to it more, and pretty soon I was singing it constantly until it became...a problem. And I pass that problem onto you. Of course I chose the song because it's called "Devil," and also that ex of Jim's sounds pretty scary... "Airborne" Bright Channel: The most terrifying thing about this band is the fact that they recently broke up; because they made the most alarmingly beautiful, paralyzing music. That echo you hear is the sound of each note bouncing off the edges of the abysmal void of collective human dispair. True story. But the good news is that human despair can be pretty. Yay. "String of Lights" Bela Karoli: upcoming local darlings! Everyone is in love with them. Sometimes an uneasy feeling can be created simply with strings and the minor end of the Eastern European bag-o-keilbasa, and that's enough for me; and this song's repetition of "inside" makes me shudder. "The Most Evil Thing You Can Do" The Sundresses: Real Sex always plays rockabilly music, and somehow it makes the gigantic woman being zipped up in a vinyl torture device seem whimsical, like a cute hobby. Rockabilly music is dark, yes, but also kind of winking and adorable. How they do it, I do not know. The Sundresses put on a show at South Park Music Festival in '06 that ended in toothless locals dancing in the street. Back to those folkies... "Amen Corner" Munly and the Lee Lewis Harlots: this is what Denver has that no one else does. American Gothic Country, for me, captures a fear Denverites can understand: the fear of being an open and cosmopolitan city in the midst of a gigantic minefield of Bible-thumping redneckery. You need not go further than Bailey or South Park to catch a fright and never go back. American Gothic Country celebrates our rural roots with a scary, pentacostal vibe. Eeeerie. "This is How We do Things" Slim Cessna's Auto Club: We can talk about monsters and demons, but as a concerned citizen of the world, we Donnybrookers know the most fear-inspiring beasts of death are the gypsies and folkies. For this reason, you'll find their exotic sounds and country twang laced throughout. "I Do" Tarmints "This Loneliness" El Perro Del Mar: Isn't she just the sweetest little thing? Sweet like blond children in horror movies and old dirty baby dolls. Sweet like poisoned lollipops. She is so great and makes me want to hide in a corner. "Distinguished Guest At The Downtrodden Ball" The Swayback: This is an old one, and probably no longer representative of their sound. When I interviewed the Swayback in their creepy practice space - with mannequins and posters of murder victims on the walls, and bums trying to sell us raw meat in the alley - I asked them to play this song for me and me alone. And it was ah-hawesome. "Black Mirror" The Arcade Fire: Arcade Fire recently played Red Rocks, starting out their amazing set with this doomsday sound, pounding on pianos, the stage lit up red, girls playing stringed instruments and accordions in creepy old dresses, Win Butler's face lit up, shadows projected on the rocks behind them. Bright Channel "Final Stretch": I'm not sure what the Final Stretch refers to, though it might have to do with technology or outer space; but it seems final and tragic, not like, the motivational final stretch of the marathon or anything. It feels more like the final stretch of war and disease and apocalypse. It seemed like a good choice towards the end of a podcast. Devotchka, "Llorona": Devotchka brings twinkling darkness to the stage with this little Mexican ode to the folklore of la Llorona. The myth itself has many versions. The standard is that La Llorona was a mother who was wronged by her husband, or was overwhelmed by her children, so she drowned her kids in the river, and her ghost wanders the rivers, and pops out of sinks, and drowns people and stuff. Mexican moms and dads tell their kids that if they stay out too late, or wander off too far, La Llorona will snatch them and throw them in the river! You can also find articles on modern-day Lloronas, mothers who've gone crazy and killed their children. Many people, to this day, believe they've seen her ghost. Seriously. The Wheel "When We Were Towers": this gloomy song is EIGHT MINUTES LONG, but if you're patient, you get to hear Nathaniel D. Rateliff absolutely lose his shit! The man is amazing, and simulates a nervous breakdown for our listening pleasure. Would you do that? The Wheel just released this on Friday at the Hi-Dive. It has the same downtempo, rainy-day feel as Born in the Flood, but with less; and this song is more thunderous than the rest.