365 days, 255 posts

That's right! A year ago today I gave the interweb a big smack on the butt and said "scoot over and make room for me!" Sad & British was born.

Oh, we've had some good times this year. We met Elvis Costello. We saw the Kenyans in the New York Marathon. We went to King's Island and drove to Fargo. We had to listen to 14:59 by Sugar Ray. It's safe to say we've learned some valuable lessons.

It's been fun writing something every day that 10 to 20 people might read. It hardly seems like anything, but every time I get tired, somebody leaves a comment or mentions something to me about the site and I feel a little more inspired. So, thanks to all of you who comment and/or complain. You're the wind beneath my wings.

I'll get back to my list of listening tomorrow, but today it's time for NEW MUSIC MONDAY! I'm not sure this will be a regular installment but we'll see. With all the albums I've been getting from lala.com, I have a lot of new music.*

Last week I bought Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip by The Whigs. Yes, like the political party. No, not the Afghan Whigs. Rolling Stone just called them, "A fiery, young and timelessly tuneful rock trio from Athens, Georgia -- may well be the best unsigned band in America." So, I had to check them out.

First of all, they are very good. The album didn't excite me immediately but I think that had more to do with a poor running order than anything. The first two songs are mid tempo rockers that never take off the way I'd hoped. The third track, "Technology" is a keeper, though. So good. After a few listens the whole CD has started to grow on me and I pronounce them to be an excellent band.

Imagine, if you will, a mix of Kings of Leon and Gomez with a little bit of The Strokes thrown in. If you don't know any of those bands, get thee to a record store. If you do know them, you'll be pleased to know that The Whigs has a little bit of that southern rock crunch and the looser jamminess of Gomez, but they're not afraid to play the garage rock card every once in awhile, too. It's a nice mix.

Since they're unsigned, you can only get their album from iTunes (which is cool like that) or their web site. Think of how good it would make you feel to help out a little band and buy their album. Besides, it will give you cool points later when they become all famous.

*by "new music" I mean music that's new to me. Some of it might actually be new, new, too.

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I thank you all for your inappropriate love song suggestions. I'll compile the full list here in a few days but I'd like to announce that Summer is the winner of the inappropriate love song contest. She and Matt actually seemed to give the question the thought it deserves, and as somebody who probably has a wedding in her future, it affects her the most. Summer, please avoid inappropriate love songs (I do give matt a pass on "To Love Somebody" but it's a close call).

So email me with your preferred iTunes song and I'll send it your way. If I may suggest a tune, it would be my favorite inappropriate love song "Almost Blue" by Elvis Costello.