As of Today, the Best Record in the World Is... (a thread with rules)

"Highlights" by Beef is bittersweet, glorious, too short, a pop sung by Spaniards with a Sonic Youth fetish, and sung in half-broken English

most def steely dan's "pretzel logic" and has been for the last two or so years for me. jazz structures that rock and confusingly closed harmonies that unveil things you never heard before even on the 100th listen

Sun Kil Moon - Never Ending Math Equation

It's one of my favorite Modest Mouse songs, and this Sun Kil Moon group really made it their own. Sort of like Cat Power doing (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

I got the This Heat box today, so of course the best song in the world is "Health And Efficiency". Great sound, great lyrics, great vocals, great musicianship, and the instrumental breakdown at the end sounds immense on the remaster.

XTC - "Oranges and Lemons"

'Cuz XTC is one of the best bands going and this album is one of their most diverse and inventive discs.

Vex'd - Degeneration

Because this incendiary dubstep shit got me out of bed this morning.

Cuizinier, "Goonies Track"

1980s electropop track with uptempo falsetto rapping in French, old-school scratching, and a shoutout to Corey Feldman. Because it's Friday and life is short.

Talking Heads, Fear of Music

Brilliantly written, viscerally produced, funny as hell. About as perfect a fusion between rock and dance music as there's ever been.

Signals, Calls and Marches- Mission of Burma

Because it's passionate, energetic, and contains That's When I Reach For My Revolver, which is perfect.

Kaada, Music for Moviebikers

Exactly the kind of thing I'd usually snooze on (indie-ish chamber pop, he's affiliated with Mike Patton), but it's so swoonbeautiful and Scandinavianally restrained!

Mihaly Dresch Quartet & Archie Shepp, Hungarian Bebop

The title sums it up nicely in only two words. Gypsy jazz at its finest - infectious and fierce.

Monteverdi - 1610 Vespers - c. John Taverner

500 years of religious choral music crunched down to one lightspeed song cycle written 400 years ago most beautiful thing imaginable

correction, taverner consort conducted by andrew parrott

Joan Jett The Hit List

For finding the Glitterbeat heart in AC/DC and other lumpenpunkmetal, I salute you.

Black Sabbath - Paranoid

\,,/
or I guess it then was

,,\/     \/,,

whatever

red house painters - songs for a blue guitar
===
red house painters is one of those rare bands where, search high
or low, i cant find a bad review for them. nevertheless, thats
not the source of my admiration for this album. my wellspring of
joy comes from the song writing/interpreting genius of mark
kozelek, a sublime mixture of erudition and pure glandeal rock
muscle. kozeek is one of those expert souls that knows how to
take a good song and cover it exponentially, revealing certain
profound and beautiful textures that were certainly never intended.

ever thought of "silly love songs" as a primer on the wistful,
doomed, and beautifully futile realm of unrequited love? be
prepared to. ever thought of progband yes as purveyors of raging,
crazy horse-esque songs full of righteous stoned indignation?
be prepared to. because "long distance runaround" absolutely burns
here, and every song is totally unforgettable.

welcome to the apocalypse. "songs for a blue guitar" proves that
rock n roll is still an art form above reproach.

The Comsat Angels - Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones

Because it has their cover of "Citadel."

I just checked and it's still In the Aeroplane.

Richard Davies - telegraph.
cause its the best melodic singer/songwriter album ever, and its underrated as hell.

I really like the new Walkmen album!

"bitch" on sticky fingers (uh, the stones).

Depeche Mode, Violator.

Brilliantly written, viscerally produced, funky as hell. About as perfect a fusion between rock and dance music as there's ever been.

(Sorry O'Connor, this is where your description needed to go, with a crucial letter difference. ;-) )

Science Fiction is probably the right answer, though I haven't heard Avatar yet.

Psapp - The Only Thing I Ever Wanted

Dreamy like Feist, and as AMG says "Live instruments such as piano, brushed percussion, and xylophone comprise most of the musical samples, creating a powerful hybrid of earthy folk and sophisticated electronica"

"U Ain't Runnin Shit," George Clinton f/ Que Bo Gold, Kool Ace, Jazze Pha, Little Blunt

Big minor-key bouncy beat, everyone gets called a bitch including Betty Crocker, George namedrops Paul Revere like a true OG, making my Wednesday