All the best albums lists in the world don't come close to this

As always in December, the Best Of This Year lists come out. I never agree with these lists but I always read them just to see what's supposed to be good or hip or whatever the standards are and if someone, if just one person, lists one of the albums I enjoyed so much this year.

Each and every list I read so far lacked my personal favourite and best album of 2010, Quasi's amazing 'American Gong'. Even the 'Overlooked' list.

Do I really have an exclusive taste? Or do people think my taste is shit? Where are The Corin Tucker Band? The Vaselines (yeah come on, they are quite known aren't they?)? The Thermals (big in the Netherlands? If you say so Thermals...)? Kate Nash? I'm not completely off this world when it comes to music or am I? Let me put one thing straight right here right now, I don't aim to be. It's completely irritating to go to a record store and not finding the records you like because they are too 'alternative'.

You can't help liking what you like can you? So whether my taste is exclusive, shit, difficult, edgy or whatever you want to call it, it's my taste. And my taste is good enough for me. And Quasi released the best album of 2010, that's one thing I will not argue about, it's simply the way it is.

What is the sound of an avalanche taking out a dolphin?

I've been blogging lately without forcing it down the throats of my twitter followers (meaning me tweeting the link, not sure if my entire twitter following reads it but I don't expect them to). Not sure why really, I had something to say, the good and the bad, just to get it out of the system. Nothing wrong with that.

I'm currently more than just obsessed (I have no other word for that) with the band WILD FLAG. In case you lived under a rock, have no interest in whatever happens in the Portland music scene nor the post-riot-grrrl movement, do not care what pitchfork has to say, etc here's who's in WILD FLAG: Carrie Brownstein, Janet Weiss, Mary Timony, Rebecca Cole. And if that doesn't make you just the slightest excited than you probably don't understand why I am so excited about a band who only formed a few months ago, has not recorded one single note, did not tell anything about what exactly they sound like. They do have a record deal and will be recording their first album (insert fan-girlish squeak here) and are currently on tour at the US West Coast. I am jealous of each person who is attending their shows. All of them. I mean, grrrr, I wanna be there too!!! But I'm here in Amsterdam and chances are that I probably will never see them (which I also thought with Quasi, so who knows) so what's left for me is hoping someone has recorded it and thankfully, there are 3 videos out there and my oh my! I hate live recordings but not these. It's all I got! And these women rock, like you'd expect them too. They all sing, which is fantastic news because Janet Weiss has a fantastic voice too, and they just sound fantastic. Most anticipated album of 2011? Yes! Best album of 2011? I have no idea who else will release albums in 2011 (apart from the Decemberists which first song from that album is amazing as well), but I can already tell they have a good chance! It's been a while since I was so excited about a new band. And you know what, I'm loving it.

It's November and crawling towards December and we all know what that means. Indeed, End Of The Year Lists. Oh yeah. I never agree with these lists by so-called experts and always wonder why they left out them and them and them. But I read them anyway, hoping someone will meet my standards. Will I make them as well? Of course. Will I force them through the throats of my twitter following? You bet I will! I've been thinking about my best albums, songs and live gigs of 2010 already and it's not as easy as one might think. It's not that I don't know what the best album of 2010 is (I know this since February) nor what the best song is (since January) but who else is in the list and in what order? It's time to get serious about this.