First off, apologies for all the missing posts earlier this week. Philabuster was travelling in a foreign land that upheld strict anti-blogging laws, and you know how much we respect every law not related to drugs, guns, or copyright infringement here at the 'Stamps. Fortunately, we bought a time machine on Ebay last month (good deal, though the shipping was a killer). So enjoy the now-posted posts, including the missing chapters of our "Year's Best" series, and look out for a new playlist first thing Monday to go along with the Pony Track. Now on to the important stuff...

Spinto Band and The Teeth are playing at Tritone this Saturday night for a paltry $10. So crack the whip and ring in the new year with great music from some local boys.

Or, hang out with all your favorite current and former 2nd floor Khyber DJs at Philebrity's outerspace-themed bash at the Manhattan Room.

Or, hang out with different Khyber DJs at, well, the Khyber.

Or, hang out with Philabuster and associates at Barrister's. Live music, a DJ set from yours truly, open bar, food, mirth, mayhem. Pretty standard, really.

Or just stay home by yourself. Loser.

And don't forget to vote in our new "Best of Badminton" poll! C'mon people, is it really that hard?

I've posted a couple Hard-Fi songs on here over the past few months, but none of them bring as much sheer joy to my being as this one. The gritty production, the driving post-punk rhythms, the epic choruses, the too-tall tale of lust at first sight - it all just comes together to form this perfect little nugget of indulgent pop rock excess. Perhaps the best song on perhaps my single favorite album of the year. Easily my "most rocked-out-to" song of '05.

Let's be honest here. Domestic abuse? Normally, it doesn't rock. Quite the opposite, in fact. But if Ted Leo can write one of 2004's most rockingest songs on the subject of Bulemia, then we'll go ahead and give Okkervil River the same hall pass this year. From the opening verse to the final howling chorus, Will Sheff's voice is the definition of sincerity, and the straight-edge pop melodies get beaten into your brain like a red-headed stepchild - hard.

There's nothing particularly groundbreaking about this paean to primordial instinct, aside from Paul Epworth's sharp-as-broken-glass production. The killer riffs, hammering percussion, and low-brow lyricism all follow a structure that's familiar if not downright formulaic. None of this, however, changes the fact that, if you have even a semblance of a pulse, you'll be jumping around the room and air-guitaring like first-class moron by the end of this song.

In anticipation of this weekend's impedning Christmas/Chanukah face-off, BadmintonStamps is gonna go ahead and declare itself totally neutral. Hey, there's plenty to like about both holidays, quite frankly. On the one hand, there's such a tremendous glut of Christmas music every year that at least a tiny bit of it is bound to be really really good. In 2004, The Walkmen gave us their excellent Christmas Party EP. This year, Snowden has put their Licorice EP, a great set of Christmas standards and original material, up on their site, and you can download the whole thing for free. On the other side of the foil-wrapped chocolate coin, we've got the eight crazy nights of indie quirk that can only be Yo La Tengo's Chanukah residency at Maxwells'. And if you still need one more unique, relatively secular gift, the be sure to snag a copy of DFA's fantastic '05 holiday mix. While the design on the disc is done in red and green, you just know that the lawyers who oversaw all the licensing and royalties for the compilation were Heebs to the max. Also to the max? The electro-funky goodness of this marathon Friday Freakout no-brainer. Have a thrilling winter solstice celebration, 'Stampers. Just don't get us started on Kwanzaa...

"There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they're going to come after me hard. It's definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It's not what I need."
- Johnny Damon, May '05


Dear Johnny,

The only thing that'll be missed at Fenway next season is your trophy wife's ass. You're dead to me. You're nothing. Fredo. Fuck you, you fucking neanderthal back-stabbing piece of shit sell-out.

Very sincerely,
Philabuster

"The story of this organization's genesis and nascent roots are by now familiar. The McDonald's night manager in a crime-ridden area of the Bronx, who, sickened and saddened by his city's deterioration, took matters into his own hands. He formed a voluntary, weapon-free patrol of 13 to take the subways, the streets and the neighborhood back from crime. The accolades that followed and success of their programs only heightened the symbolism of the red beret, now a worldwide icon for safety"

Fighting soldiers from the sky, fearless men who jump and die...wait. Sorry, wrong color beret. Still, let's give Philly's latest New Yorkicizing element a warm, non-violent, vigilante welcome. Hey, now I - HEY!! I said NON-VIOLENT!!! Oh, you guys...fine, but those were the last three, okay? No more violence, starting...NOW!

If I were stranded alone on a desert island, and could bring however many albums I wanted, but only ten could be from 2005, these are the ten I'd include...

LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem (mp3 here)
Hard-Fi - Stars of CCTV
Gorillaz - Demon Days
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
Stellastarr* - Harmonies For The Haunted
Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
Spoon - Gimme Fiction
The Rakes - Capture/Release
The Sun - Blame It On The Youth (mp3 here)

Left behind, but sorely missed: Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll, Little Barrie - We Are Little Barrie, Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy, Robbers On High Street - Tree City, The Spinto Band - Nice And Nicely Done

EP: The Harlem Shakes - new demo (here)
Live Album: Phoenix - Live! 30 Days Ago
Compilation: DJ Premier & Mr. Thing - Kings Of Hip Hop
Retrospective: Orange Juice - The Glasgow School


Very Live in '05: Arcade Fire @ TLA, Kaiser Chiefs @ The Five Spot, Hot Chip @ Rothko, The Sun @ The Khyber, LCD Soundsystem @ Bowery, Les Savy Fav @ Bowery, Polysics @ Troc Balcony, Franz Ferdinand @ Tower Theater, Love Is All @ Transit, Diamond Nights @ The Khyber

Gettin' Ready For: New Strokes, new YYYs, new Red Sox Championship, new Zero 7, new Hot Chip, new chapters of R. Kelly's "Trapped In The Closet", new Futureheads, new diss tracks.

Pounds n' respek to The Webmastah, 'Slim, and everybody else payin' attention out there in the webiverse. So far, this is kinda fun...

It's been virtually impossible to avoid all the press Philly has drawn over the past several months dubbing us the infamous "sixth borough" and likening our youthful and flourishing urban scene to the next Williamsburg. Suddenly, it seemed like every Brooklyn hipster worth their salt was professing their love for our affordable housing and totally anti-scene scene. But the highways and biways that connect our great metropoli run in both directions, dear Gothamites, and it was only a matter of time before Philly started to love you back, as the saying goes. So, here ya go - have a big ol' helping of irrational, strike-prone public transit workers. If you didn't already know, Philly has something of an embarrassment of riches in that department, sorta like how New York has a seemingly endless supply of brash young retro rock bands. And since you've been kind enough to send some of the best of 'em, like Friday Freakout poster-boys Diamond Nights, over to our neighborhood every now and then, we figured the threat of a full-on, city-paralyzing transit strike was the only fitting thank-you card. Philadelphia: always looking to share its gifts with those beyond the city of brotherly love.

Ah, good ol' "Shift". The computer key that made it possible to type Stellastarr* now brings you Sunn 0))). Pitchfork is all in a tizzy over this parenthasized duo, at least until that new #SnaRG}7 album comes out next month. You can witness the moans and drones for yourself this Friday night at the church basement.

SXSW has announced the preliminary line-up of artists attending the 2006 festival, March 15-19. Some larger names of interest include Belle & Sebastian, The Go! Team, and...Dashboard Confessional?

The French government blames last month's riots on music, free speech. In a related story, Monsieur R. is named BadmintonStamps' 2005 International Rapper of the Year.

How do you celebrate the holidays and create a festive atmosphere using just the magical waves/particles that us common folk call "light"? Well, if you're Mayor Street, you hire French contractors to turn City Hall into a giant Easter egg for seven hours every night. The color schemes, which change nightly, have thus far run the gamut from charmingly gauche to mildly nauseating to violently and existentially troubling. The real kicker is, of course, that this isn't even the most bizarre lighting decision made in Philly this season. That award goes to the designers of the Cira Center, Philly's newest skyscraper. The uniquely-angled structure looks innocent enough during the day. However, come nightfall, a grid of color-changing bulbs transforms the building's facade into something resembling what can only be described as the world's biggest Lite-Brite (as opposed to the world's smallest Lite-Brite). This selection of ambient genius from Fennesz is an homage to light and the city that's known for it, and is simultaneously disorienting and hyponitic. Kinda like what those Parisians are doing to my City Hall.

Several weeks after he gets to pokin', Young Buck gets to probatin'.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to boost his popularity in indie circles, 50 Cent becomes Canadian. G-Unit "Collective" not as fortunate.

The Game calls Tony Yayo gay. Fader calls The Game gay for calling Tony Yayo gay. We're gonna go ahead and call Fader gay, just because.

Ever wonder how the whole gang stays in touch? Obviously, G-g-g G-Mail! Don't act like you don't know.

Q-Unit, a series of Queen/Fiddy mash-ups, has been bouncing around the net for a while now. Yeah, that Grey Album shit may float some people's boats, but we'll take the subtle stylings of a Ratatat remix over some novelty rock/rap hybridization any day. That's just how we do.

When the US Mint introduced the Susan B. Anthony dollar on this day in 1978, they thought they'd be making life easier for people. And you know what? It is easier. It's easier to lose a dollar in between the cushions of your sofa. It's easier to be the asshole that accidentally jams the vending machine 'cause you thought you were putting in a quarter. And it's easier to feel and sound like you're part of a chain gang when you eventually do lug around a pocket full of these fun-sized sawbucks 'cause you've just got to find some way to get rid of them all and if that means paying for a gallon of milk and a bag of Milano cookies with 'em at the Wawa then so be it. Still, the tale of this much-maligned coin does seem oddly appropriate. Mizz Anthony was, after all, immortalized in currency form for her efforts to secure women's right to vote. And if the recent studies of American voter turn-out are to be believed, then the suffrage for which she fought appears to be just as large an inconvenience as the coin on which her portrait now resides. And if that ain't enough belaboured irony for the hipster segment of our readership, may we suggest paying for your next can of PBR with three shiny Sacajeweas?

Safety is no laughing matter, and something we here at the 'Stamps always try to advocate in clear and responsible fashion. That's why we always wear helmets when blogging. It's also why we get as excited as a kid in a pile of safe-t scissors when W.A.T.C.H. releases its annual list of the 10 Most Dangerous Toys. The unassuming pastel pals at right are some of this year's main offenders. Their weapon of choice? "Long, fiberlike hair which is not adequately rooted and is easily removable." While Bag-O-Glass is mysteriously absent from the 2005 list, several repeat offenders, suck as blocks, reprise their place of shame for another holiday season. One newcomer featured this year is a pair of spring-loaded over-shoes called "Air Kicks". Sure, the manufacturer includes a warning that users should "always remain in control of your motions". But what if hipster mommy and daddy are blasting The Fever on the living room stereo? Expecting anyone, let alone young children, to remain in control of themselves when this spaztastic slice of new wave is playing at full-tilt Friday Freakout levels is naive and unrealistic. That fine print routine may help you stay kosher with the law, GeoSpace International, but we all know that putting out a product as dangerous as this is a seriously cold blooded move.

Tonight at 9PM, eletcro/glitch/laptop guru Peter Rehberg will be giving an intimate performance in the First Unitarian's 50-seat capacity mini-chapel. Which is, ya know, pretty darn cool. If clicks and buzzes aren't really your thing, head over to the North Star at 7PM for an all-ages soiree with the French Kicks, who may or may not have toured as the Freedom Kicks over periods of 2003.

Saturday night, it's another clash of the titans. In the TLA corner, weighing in at whatever Nick Hornby decides is a poetic number, is Philly's own Marah, kicking out those Springsteen jams like a series of vicious left hooks. But countering over at the Khyber in classic bob-and-weave fashion is Diamond Nights, ready to bring an REO Speedwagon-sized load of pain down on anyone who dares to stand still during "The Girls Attractive".

Sunday, why not just chill out and eat good at Reading Terminal Market. 'Cause you totally can now. Woo-hoo!

And wherever you go, be sure to take a cue from Kanye and dress warmly.

Fluxblog informs us of the the Ten Mike Jones Commandments.

The Gap and Karen O issue Spike Jonze commandments.

Hold the phone! Actually, throw the phone! We have a new worst long band name!

Pitchfork reports the latest on a new album from Philabuster fave Mojave 3. In addition, the band has posted a demo track on their website.

Everybody's redesigning their sites. Said The Gramaphone celebrated its status as one of the oldest mp3 blogs around with an all-new mold-covered look. Scenestars lost the ghey pink stars and went for a manlier, bloglier navy color scheme. The BM Rant has new bricks. And Product Shop NYC basically ripped off our layout, but with worse colors and no radios. Miss Modern Age wants to redesign her site, and is currently taking applications. She's willing to pay, but would rather get it for free. Yeah, wouldn't we all.

Everybody loves a winner. And everybody loves a Sharpie. Put those two things together, and you've got something that people will shower with media attention and sign to huge (but not too huge) contracts. It's a proven formula for success. Too bad the Eagles decided to put on their huge loser uniforms before Monday Night Football, and that the only thing sharp about the team was Koy Detmer's neck stubble (we swear, that image is not doctored in any way). Fortunately, Sweden's hottest new purveyors of organized low-fi din, Love Is All, are here to pick up the slack. The band has put together a spectacular debut record which is already netting plenty of (pitchfork)media attention. And after the way they outperformed almost everybody's expectations during their sizzling set at Transit last month, I'm sure their label would be more than amenable to restructuring the band's contract. This gorgeous track, another successful manifestation of the winner/marker combo, is more cool-down than club banger, tipping its too-cute hat to Mazzy Star and The Concretes while shuffling its slow-dancing feet to the lazy drones of a My Bloody Valentine ballad.

If you're hankerin' for more LIA tracks, you're in luck. One was featured in a previous week's Friday Freakout, while two more are available over at everybody's favorite sasquatch-themed blog.

Sure, Lady Sovereign may have alienated every single fan she ever had in Philly. But at least she still has walking hip-hop punchline Ja Rule wearing her EP as a necklace. JA-FUCKING-RULE! Enjoy your brief flirtation with Ashanti-like mediocrity, princess, and then get the hell out of our country.

Unlike chav wannabe Sov, Pete Doherty is a true hooligan's hooligan. In fact, according to the police who arrested him last week, he's Class A.

Wanna show Pennsylvania some genuine respek? Take a cue from Matt Pond PA and include the state abbreviation in your band's name. When he's not hyping the Keystone State, Matt stays busy by hyping Ratatat's highly anticipated sophomore album on blogger questionaires. Also, he stays busy by playing enitre shows for people who buy tickets to see him.

Lady Sovereign hits Silk City Lounge tonight, and the 'Stamps boys are gonna be representin' down in front. Diplo has pulled out of warm-up duties, but the stalwart Dave P can surely hold things down on his own. While the show isn't sold out yet, R5 is not selling any more advance tickets. If you want to get in, show up at 9 PM. Still just $8. Still an insanely good time to be had. See ya there.

Friday night, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists take over the Starlight Ballroom. Inquiring 'Stampers want to know: Ted, whatever happenned to your spunky little red-headed keyboard player? Show up at 8 PM with $12 in hand, and maybe you can corner him and find out.

Iron & Wine and Calexico will lull the crowd at the Electric Factory into a dreamy garden state this Saturday night at 8:30. Don't feel like paying? Enter yourself into a drawing for some free tickets at Philebrity.