Brandon's Buzz

Are you believin’ we’re already a month into the new year?! The Buzz hasn’t even fully closed out the books on 2008 yet, and ‘09 has already ticked away thirty precious days of its half-life.

I know that we’re already knee deep into the new year’s music slate, and that you’ve no doubt already largely forgotten all the brilliance 2008 had to offer, but please allow the Buzz a final opportunity to sway your ears. The ten tracks which make up the playlist that follows don’t necessarily comprise the absolute best music of the year just ended — any list of that stripe which fails to include Sugarland’s fascinating cover of “Life in a Northern Town,” Kings of Leon’s incendiary “Use Somebody,” Tift Merritt’s devastating “Another Country,” or Kacy Crowley’s wondrous “The Universe” is just ridiculously short-sighted and ill-conceived — and, indeed, a great many of these songs may have slipped entirely through the cracks of your musical cognizance last year. Do seize this shot to correct that foolishness. It may not come ’round again.

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Didja miss me?

After a forced hiatus induced by a skittish music industry unwilling to compete with two major holidays for consumers’ attention, the Buzz’s weekly record store report returns in earnest. And while there’s not a hell of a lot upon which to wax eloquent this week — in the runup to The Fray’s thrilling return on February 3, January’s slate is awfully light — it’s a great pleasure just to have something to discuss.

PS: A suggested this post’s headline, and I thought it was cute. So if you don’t like it, flog him.

And now, a band whose music I know positively nothing about: Scottish experimental rockers Glasvegas, whose self-titled debut — a smash overseas last fall — arrives on American shores this week. The album’s Amazon page describes the band’s sound as “equal parts Jesus and Mary Chain, Elvis, and Phil Spector” combined with ’60s girl pop and doo-wop influences. Kids, I can totally get with that. (Plus: bonus points for that ultra-cool band name.)

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