Wednesdays aren't usually much of a day to celebrate, I know. But if you were feeling like celebrating but didn't have much of a reason to, I'll give ya one.

Today marks my 1st year anniversary of joining Last.fm!

So, 365 days and almost 22,000 tracks scrobbled (and honestly, that's probably closer to 21,000 due to the Audioscrobbler doubling up my tracks played) and I have to say I wished I've have known about this site a while ago. Not only is it a great way to keep track of what I listen to, it has also allowed me to meet several great people from all over the map. (I guess at this point, I should givecredit to "jdhowa2", a MySpace pal that introduced me to this here site. Thanks Dawn, and to all my other pals as well.)

I guess to celebrate, I'll break down my top 20 artists as of late Tuesday and write a few thoughts about them. Then, for my 2nd anniversary (maybe) we'll look again and see if anything changes. Alright? Alright.

T19) American Music Club

A lot of people talk about how The Arcade Fire's first full length was the best disc of 2004. To me, it wasn't even the best record that Merge records released that year. That honor, in my humble opinion, goes to the comeback LP from American Music Club, Love Songs for Patriots. Not to say that a decade of
solo Mark Eitzel discs weren't appreciated, but his songs gain impact and dimension in a band structure, and who better than AMC? AMC is a band that I like almost everything I've heard from (fave: either Everclear or Mercury; least fave - San Francisco) and I hope another LP is on the horizon.

T19)Radiohead

I'll always have a soft spot for Radiohead, as their recording history from the My Iron Lung single to Kid A contains some of the best music I've ever heard. I still rate OK Computeras one of the finest LPs released in my lifetime, but I listened to it sooooooo much from 97 to say 2001 I'm still burned out on it to a degree. (The fact that neither Amnesiac or Hail to the Thief did a lot for me didn't help either. Still definitely looking forward to their new one, though.

T17)The Who

Unlike a lot of the other bands in my top 20, I don't have the complete discography from Pete Townshend and company. My Who listening pretty much only extends from The Who Sell Out to Who's Nextincluding their BBC stuff. I plan to give Quadrophenia a try one of these days, but I'm trepedicious to sample the rest of their catalogue based on the reviews I've read. Still, you have to admire how they tried to elevate pop music via concept albums and a truly remarkable live show.

T17)Eels

I firmly believe the work of E and cohorts will be more appreciated in a future generation than they are now. I enjoy the fact that he follows his muse and doesn't necessarily consider the pop audience when he's making albums (putting his biggest hit on an album as an unlisted bonus track, rocking the Unabomber look for an album, and of course we can't forget Electro-Shock Blues.) Maybe that means he's this generation's Neil Young, but he certainly also has a dash of Randy Newman, particularly in his biting satire and wit. Long may he slither.

16) Gomez

A band that the hipsters gave up on a long time ago, but really, screw them. They're created a diverse and rich catalog, while retaining a signature sound and a solid fanbase. They may never top their Mercury Award-winning debut Bring It On (although their latest How We Operate came damn close) but even when they don't quite hit their peak (Split the Difference)are interesting.

15) De La Soul

My sole hip-hop act in the top 20; I guess most of today's hip-hop still doesn't reach the heights of 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead (and, gun to my head, I'd probably pick the latter as my fave.) They've stayed true to themselves and the art of hip-hop more than any other act save maybe Public Enemy, and considering how quickly the genre changes and mutates, the fact that they still get respect and sell records speaks for itself.

14)Suede

I was scarily obsessed with this band while in college, which wouldn't have been bad except that I didn't go to college in the UK! After all these years, both Suede and Dog Man Star still get played on the regular, and I own so much stuff from these guys I expect they'll stay in the top 20 by sheer inertia. (And keep in mind I have yet to put my 6 live Suede boots or the disc and a half of demos/rareties into my Itunes library. Toldya I was huge on them back in the day.)

13)The Smiths

Another band that got me through high school/college. Would probably be a few notches higher except that I loaned Hatful of Hollow to a friend a few years back. I **really** need to get that back. Heard a nasty rumor that a Smiths box set may be on the horizon, and also heard Moz turned down $75 MILLION to reform the Smiths (and just him and Johnny to boot). So if you ever want to put a price tag on integrity (or pigheaded stubborness, with Moz, you never can tell...) there's one for you.

12)Supergrass

Another band who does it the right way. Every time one of their songs pops up on the Itunes random play, it puts a spring in my step. Their first two albums I would recommend to every man, woman and child on the face of the earth, and even Life on Other Planets has its moments. I could easily handle them hanging around as long as The Rolling Stones (Oh, and if anyone has thatThe Jennifers single and wouldn't mind forwarding me mp3 copies, you would rock in a million different ways. Hey, it's not like I can buy it in the stores...)

11) Idlewild

Credit some of the high placement to their latest Make a New World (nice f'd up tag there...) which hasn't gotten the public love that I give it. Eh, shrug. Still haven't heard Promises/Warnings or their really early stuff (tho I do have Hope Is Important and the only good thing I can say about it is that in the booket Roddy is rocking a sweatshirt from my alma mater!)

10)Pernice Brothers

I've been a fan of Joe Pernice since his Scud Mountain Boys days, and appreciate him for his lyrical and musical craft, in addition to his blue-collar work ethic (counting his solo and side projects, just about a new album every year since 1998!) Also check out his contribution to the 33 1/3 words on music series where he writes a short story based around the Smiths' Meat is Murder.

9) Blur

have to be honest and say these guys don't have the same appeal to me as they did in college. I own all their albums and a ton of singles besides so they're well-represented in my iTunes library, but now the lyrics seem very trite and some of the music seems transparent. Parklife is still a classic though, and I still respect them for making something as avant-garde and off the wall (well, for Blur) as 13. Don't think much of Think Tank, though. I'll still rate them over Oasis if anybody's still keeping score in that rivalry.

8)Morrissey

While I like my number 1 artist right where they are, I do also like that their plays aren't as many as combining all my Smiths and Morrissey plays together. Can't believe it's been 15 years since my fave Moz album Your Arsenalcame out.(I suppose it's been 10 years since my LEAST fave Moz album Maladjusted came out too.)

7)The Magnetic Fields

If someone had told me Stephen Merritt would be in my top 20 last year, I've have been shocked. But I suppose d/ling the entire 69 Love Songs release might have contributed to that, as well as 5-6 other of his things. Thing is, I don't reach for albums from the Fields for whatever reason, excepy maybe for The Charm of the Highway StripLP which got me into them in the first place. They sound great in the middle of an iTunes mix though -- always a pleasant burst of electro-pop.

6) The Beach Boys

For the longest time, I never really rated Brian Wilson and company...I always lumped them in with all the other acts on the moldy oldies station. It wasn't until I heard Pet Sounds and then, through a Columbia House sale, the Good Vibrations: 30 Years of the Beach Boys box, that I realized the Beach Boys were truly the music legends their fanbase proclaim them to be. I went to church through age 18, but I firmly believe hearing Pet Sounds in '93 was the first truly spiritual music I heard.

5) R.E.M.

I sometimes wonder how my music education would have progressed had R.E.M. not come into my life via The One I Love in '87. Before that, I would listen to the top 40 and dimiss the wide majority of it. My favorite acts were Eurythmics and Hall & Oates; I had liked Prince but his Parade really underwhelmed me. Then I heard R.E.M., and my brother's Document cassette would often be found in my boombox, instead. (A high school friend of his made a mix of their IRS albums and I quickly appropiated that as well!) Of my first 10 CDs, 3 were R.E.M. albums,and I got to follow them as Losing My Religion made them one of the bands of my generation. One of the greatest holes of my musical life is not being able to see them in concert, and I hope to rectify that the next time they hit the road. Even if I never do, I will always have love for Michael Stipe and company, even if their last album Around the Sun was their weakest.

4) Sloan

Sloan's music depresses me. Now, it's not in the way you'd think, especially if you're familiar with the entirety of their wonderful catalogue. No, I hear great albums like Navy Blues and their great new one Never Hear The End Of It and am sad that the majority of my fellow Americans not only have neglected to buy their albums in bulk, but aren't even aware of their existance. In a just world, these guys would have the profile, the riches and love that, oh say, Nickelback or Dave Matthews Band(Not comparing their music to those two bands, but if millions upon millions can dig THOSE bands...) They would play big arenas, and people would be making water cooler comparisons between Never Hear...and White Album. People bemoan the slow death of the music industry, but if the members of Sloan aren't living in jewel-encrusted mansions or wiping their asses with $100 bills, maybe the music industry deserves to die a little.

3) Wilco

As a minor history buff, I always try to look at the music scene beyond what exists now, and try to hypothesize what acts will be respected and revered in the generations to come. I tend to think that only a few select artists will still gain love and respect, and Wilco will almost certainly be one of them. Obviously being the focus of two documentaries helps their profile, but their discography to this date is without peer. They've embraced noise, country, folk, skronk and all points in between... they haven't gone hip-hop yet, but if they did, I'll snap up a copy and probably love it too. (And you KNOW a band is worth their salt if their side projects are all high quality -- both Loose Fur and The Autumn Defense have been well received around these parts, though not quite at much as Sky Blue Sky.

2)XTC

Another band who never quite got their due. Even with every new Brit band giving them a namecheck nowadays (Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, Maximo Park, Bloc Party, etc etc) too few people are in the know about Andy, Colin and the rest of the folks who have drifted in and out through the years. R.E.M. may have opened me up to the "college rock" style of music, but it was XTC who made me turn my back on top 40 music for good. It pains me to even single out a few albums...I guess English Settlement and Skylarking would be how I'd introduce them to a novice. I doubt they'd stay novices for long, though....

1) The Beatles

I know, I know... I fill my top 20 with a smattering of underhyped bands and fringe artists, and then make the biggest band of all time my number #1. Still, at the end of the day, it's songs and tunes and melodies and harmonies that do it for me, and the Fab Four had them in spades. There may be bands or acts in the future that may equal their sales numbers but I can safely say there will NEVER be another band or act that will have their impact, their talent, their schedule (13 albums -- one a double disc set -- and about a dozen non-album singles in SEVEN YEARS)or their stature ever again. I cherish every note I've heard from them and hope generations to come will think of the collaborative union of George, John, Paul and Ringo with the same respect, love and admiration that I do now.

So with that, my longwinded blog comes to an end. Hope you enjoyed it, and here's to another year of last.fm!