Best of 2005: Staff Picks

Our favorites from the year 2005, the best we can choose on any given day.

Scroll down or jump to:
Claudia Marshall | Julianne Welby | Darren DeVivo | Dennis Elsas | Corny O'Connell | Rita Houston | Russ Borris | John Platt | Alan Light | Chris Pergolizzi | Ceol na nGael | Dianne Harms | Laura Fedele | Shari Rosen Ascher | Jeannie Waters | Michelle Gillan | Aaron Honore | Ben Jones | Brett Spiegelman | Sam Cutler | Seamus Donnelly

Claudia Marshall

FUV Weekday Morning Host

Some CDs I really enjoyed this year, in no particular order:

• The Redwalls - De Nova
• Michael Penn - Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947
• Beck - Guero
• David Poe - Love is Red
• Delbert McClinton - Cost of LIving
• James McMurtry - Childish Things
• John Hammond - In Your Arms Again
• Wilco - Kicking Television

I also strongly recommend:

• Alan Toussant, Mavis Staples, etc - I Believe to my Soul
• Sexsmith & Kerr - Destination Unknown
• Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic, Vol 1
• Charlie Sexton - Cruel and Gentle Things
• Jimmie Dale Gilmore - Come on Back
• Mary Gauthier - Mercy Now
• The Decemberists - Picaresque
• Susan Tedeschi - Hope and Desire

Julianne Welby

News & Public Affairs Director/FUV Weekday Morning Host

Favorite CDs in alphabetical order:

• Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - Cold Roses
• Beck - Guero
• Ani DiFranco - Knuckle Down
• Gomez - Out West
• Iron & Wine/Calexico - In the Reins
• New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
• Thievery Corporation - The Cosmic Game
• Paul Weller - As Is Now
• White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
• Wilco - Kicking Television

Some favorite songs:

• "A History of Lovers" - Iron & Wine/Calexico
• "Build a Bridge" - The Redwalls
• "Que Onda Guero" - Beck
• "Sweet Emotion" - Leo Kottke/Mike Gordon
• "Youngest Child" - Spottiswoode and His Enemies
• "I Burn Today" - Frank Black
• "From the Floorboards Up" - Paul Weller

Darren DeVivo

FUV Weekday Host

My favorite albums:

• Burt Bacharach / At This Time
• Beatlejazz / With A Little Help From Our Friends
• Adrian Belew / Side One
• Adrian Belew / Side Two
• Kate Bush / Aerial
• Eric Clapton / Back Home
• Coldplay / X&Y
• Neil Diamond / 12 Songs
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds / Painted On
• Foo Fighters / In Your Honor
• Robert Fripp / Love Cannot Bear Soundscapes Live In The USA
• Keith Jarrett / Radiance
• Eric Johnson / Bloom
• Judas Priest / Angel Of Retribution
• Paul McCartney / Chaos And Creation In The Backyard
• Brad Mehldau Trio / Day Is Done
• Pat Metheny Group / The Way Up
• Chieli Minucci / Got It Goin' On!
• Van Morrison / Magic Time
• Graham Parker / Songs Of No Consequence
• Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation / Mighty Rearranger
• The Rolling Stones / A Bigger Bang
• David Sanborn / Closer
• John Scofield / That's What I Say: John Scofield Plays The Music Of Ray Charles
• Son Volt / Okemah And The Melody Of Riot
• The Soundtrack Of Our Lives / Origin Vol. 1
• Bruce Springsteen / Devils & Dust
• Ringo Starr / Choose Love
• Al Stewart / A Beach Full Of Shells
• U2 / How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
• Van Der Graaf Generator / Present
• Honorable mention: Ca Ira an opera by Roger Waters

I like the artist, but I didn't hear the album in time for this list!:  Enya, Amarantine; Jim Weider, Percolator; John Mayer Trio, Try! John Mayer Trio With Steve Jordan And Pino Palladino Live In Concert.

Strong live albums:  Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic Vol. 1, Cream Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6 2005, Gomez Out West, Wilco Kicking Television: Live In Chicago

Some great songs:  "Sleeps With Butterflies" Tori Amos, "Shine" Trey Anastasio, "Broken Mouth Blues" Nic Armstrong & the Thieves, "Que Onda Guero" Beck, "Love In A Bubble" Paul Brady, "King Of The Mountain" Kate Bush, "Fix You" Coldplay, "Soul Meets Body" Death Cab For Cutie, "Busting Up A Starbucks" Mike Doughty, "Looking At The World From The Bottom Of A Well" Mike Doughty, "Good Life" (new version) Francis Dunnery, "Painted On" The Fabulous Thunderbirds, "Scar" Missy Higgins, "Spiders" Moby, "Spanish Suite" Stephen Stills, "Rough Justice" The Rolling Stones, "Boomerang" Roomful Of Blues, "Something Wild" Maia Sharp, "From The Floorboards Up" Paul Weller

Important Reissues:  George Harrison's The Concert For Bangladesh on CD and especially on DVD, The Band's box set A Musical History, the reissue of most of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' albums, the twentieth anniversary reissue of Song X by Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman (with Charlie Haden, Jack DeJohnette and Denardo Coleman), Al Stewart's box set Just Yesterday...., Remembering, a collection of material by my friend, the late jazz saxophonist Bob Berg, the reissue of Chicago's Chicago At Carnegie Hall, King Crimson's box set The 21^st Century Guide To King Crimson Volume Two 1981-2003

Concert highlights:  Seeing the Cream reunion show twice at Madison Square Garden (once from the seventh row), four nights of Paul McCartney at Madison Square Garden, Ringo Starr and his band the Roundheads in a rare performance at Irving Plaza, Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation at Irving Plaza, Robert Fripp solo at IMAC (the Inter-Media Art Center) in Huntington, taking my daughter to see Twelve Girls Band at the Beacon Theatre (and sitting in the front row), taking my son to see "Sesame Street Live: Super Grover! Ready For Action" (and sitting in the third row)

2005 music memory:  Roger Waters reunites with Pink Floyd (David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright) at Live 8.

"They say the neon lights are bright...":  "Lennon" and "Jersey Boys" on Broadway

The family chimes in:

• Sherri - X&Y Coldplay, Life In Slow Motion David Gray
• Emily - Crazy Frog Presents Crazy Hits Crazy Frog, Choose Love Ringo Starr, Romantic Energy Twelve Girls Band
• Dylan - still catching up on 2005's stuff!!!!!!!

Dennis Elsas

FUV Weekday Host

Top Twenty Tunes of 2005
(Alphabetically by song title)

• "Catch My Disease," Ben Lee
• "Change," Tracy Chapman
• "Echoes," Dar Williams
• "Fine Line," Paul McCartney
• "Half a Million Miles," the Kennedys
• "I Need Your Love in My Life," Solomon Burke
• "I Will Not be Broken," Bonnie Raitt
• "Landed," Ben Folds
• "Master of Disaster," John Hiatt
• "My Biggest Fan," Loudon Wainright
• "My Doorbell," the White Stripes
• "Nature Boy," Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• "Rough Justice," Rolling Stones
• "Say You Love Me," Rodney Crowell
• "Thanksgiving," Ray Davies
• "The Beautiful Side of Somewhere," The Wallflowers
• "The Dark Don't Hide It," Magnolia Electric Co
• "The One I Love," David Gray
• "Tired of My Tears," Susan Tedeschi
• "We Both Go Down Together," the Decemberists

Corny O'Connell

FUV Weekday Host
In alphabetical order:

• Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Jacksonville City Nights
• Beck - Guero
• Caitlin Cary & Thad Cockrell - Begonias
• Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
• Aimee Mann - The Forgotten Arm
• Redwalls - De Nova
• Josh Rouse - Nashville
• Susan Tedeschi - Hope and Desire
• Thievery Corporation - The Cosmic Game
• Lucinda Williams - Live at The Fillmore

Rita Houston

Music Director/The Whole Wide World Host

Top Ten Albums:

• Black Eyed Peas - Monkey Business
• John Prine - Fair and Square
• Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird
• Thievery Corporation - Cosmic Game
• Raul Midon - State of Mind
• My Morning Jacket - Z
• Amos Lee - Amos Lee
• Feist - Let it Die
• Wilco - Kickin' Television
• Aimee Mann - The Forgotton Arm
• Richard Hawley - Coles Corner
• Magic Numbers - Magic Numbers

Top Ten Songs: All very much worth 99 cents each

• "Feel Good Inc." - Gorillaz
• "Throw it All Away" - Brandi Carlile
• "Driver Education" - Amy Ray
• "My Doorbell" - The White Stripes
• "Que Onda Guero" - Beck
• "Brighter Than Sunshine" - Aqualung
• "Mr. Brightside" - The Killers
• "Pussy" - Brazilian Girls
• "Studying Stones" - Ani DiFranco
• "Half a Million Miles" - The Kennedys

Russ Borris

Assistant Music Director

Albums:

10. Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
9. Richard Hawley - Coles Corner
8. Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
6. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
5. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
4. System of a Down - Mezmerize
3. Kanye West - Late Registration
2. The Decemberists - Picaresque
1. Neil Diamond - 12 Songs

Songs:

5. Jack Johnson - "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing"
4. Ben Folds - "B*tches Ain't Sh*t"
3. Neil Diamond - "Create Me"
2. System of a Down - "B.Y.O.B."
1. The Decemberists - "The Mariner's Revenge Song"

John Platt

Marketing & Communications Director/Sunday Breakfast Host

Favorite songs:

• Ben Lee, "Catch My Disease"
• Richard Thompson, "Let It Blow"
• Dar Williams, "Echoes"

Favorite CDs (In alphabetical order):

• Ryan Adams - Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights
  Separately, these stand up as two of the best of the year (without even counting his brand new CD, 29); if you could cherry pick the best of each for a single CD, it would be one for the ages.
• Jackson Browne - Live Acoustic, Vol. 1
  Like having him in your living room singing songs from the soundtrack of your life.
• Mary Gauthier - Mercy Now
  One of our most talented (and underrated) songwriters releases her most fully-realized album.
• Tracy Grammer - Flower of Avalon
  The late Dave Carter's partner and muse keeps his legacy alive on her first solo album, featuring nine of his compositions, but with production that suggests she's not afraid to try something different.
• Herbie Hancock - Possibilties
  A master who can pull off anything from straight ahead jazz to funk, here he explores the limits of pop and rock in collaborations with John Mayer, Paul Simon, Sting, and others
• Sonya Kitchell - Cold Day
  A 16-year-old from Massachusetts with an astonishing voice that echoes Norah Jones and mature lyrics that belie her youth.
• Raul Midon - State of Mind
  A spellbinding talent, born in New Mexico to an Argentine father and American mother with a style that's been described as a cross between Jose Feliciano and Stevie Wonder.
• Judith Owen - Lost and Found
  An English expat living in L.A. and married to Harry Shearer, she combines originals with offbeat covers, like a torch version of "Smoke on the Water."
• John Prine - Fair and Square
  If you figured he wouldn't wait 10 years to release a CD of new material and put out anything less than great, you'd be absolutely right.
• Ben Taylor - Another Run Around the Sun
  Son of James and Carly, he can't help having their influence imprinted in his DNA, but he's got the goods in his own right.
• Various Artists - I Believe to My Soul
  Hot producer Joe Henry corrals R&B thoroughbreds Mavis Staples, Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Ann Peebles, and Billy Preston and puts them through their paces in the studio.
• Dar Williams - My Better Self
  Solid new songs and some great covers prove that motherhood has only enriched Dar's music.
• Neil Young - Prairie Wind
  After 2003's misguided Greendale project, Neil harvests a bumper crop of country-folk tunes.

Not to forget:
Jeff Black, Paul Brady, Kate Campbell, Rodney Crowell, Francis Dunnery, Vance Gilbert, Eliza Gilkyson, The Kennedys, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Susan Tedeschi

Favorite Concerts:
U2 at Madison Square Garden, Joan Armatrading and Raul Midon at the Apollo, Vance Gilbert, Ellis Paul, and Jill Sobule at William Paterson University, David Grisman and Old School Freight Train at Town Hall

Favorite Films:
Crash, Mad Hot Ballroom, Good Night and Good Luck

Favorite Plays:
Doubt, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Light in the Piazza, Sweeney Todd

Alan Light

FUV Weekday Morning Music Correspondent

• Neil Young - Prairie Wind
• Beck - Guero
• Heartless Bastards - Stairs and Elevators
• Los Super 7 - Heard it on the X
• Lewis Taylor - Stoned
• Lee Anne Womack - There's more where that came from
• Kayne West - Late Registration
• Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang
• Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
• Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine

Chris Pergolizzi

FUV Jamboree Host

In no particular order:

• Kings of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak
  These guys are the kind of hard-drinking, attitude-having rebels that rock and roll needs, but it's more than just posturing. They make real rock records, and those are a rare commodity these days. They were one of my favorite sets at Bonnaroo as well.
• Common - Be
  Kanye West's second record was on a lot of best-of lists this year, and while I can't knock what Kanye does (I think he has a great pop sensibility), Common's Be was not not only the best hip hop record of the year, it was also the best Kanye West record of the year. This record brought together what may be the best two hip hop artists ever to come out of Chicago. Kanye produced almost the entire record, and he is almost always better behind the board than behind the mic. Common, on the other hand, has been one of the best lyricists in the business for years and has gone largely unnoticed outside of underground hip hop. The characters in his raps range from a kid growing up in the inner city to a woman who frames her lover and gets him sent to jail, and the album has what might be the best opening I have ever heard on a hip hop record, with an upright bass so thick you can feel every note.
• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - The Sameness of Difference
  Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey are not known too well outside the jam band scene, but FUV Jamboree listeners might recognize the name. They've had a few solid records, but their most recent, The Sameness of Difference, is a masterpiece. I'm a sucker for weird jazz covers, and this one is chock full of them--including Hendrix, Neil Young, Bjork, and the Beatles--and their drums, keyboards, and bass through bizzarre effects setup does such strange things to these melodies that at times you feel like the songs are being completely destroyed and rebuilt from the ground up. The result is a remarkable, moving jazz album that really gets under your skin.
• Percy Hill - After All
  Another group that hasn't made much of a dent in the mainstream market, jam band fans are spoiled having Percy Hill all to themselves. After All is an incredibly optimistic, uplifting record, and it has this distinctly Steely-Dan-for-the-dancefloor feel.
• The Arcade Fire - Funeral
  The Arcade Fire is a Canadian band that had a huge buzz at the end of last year, and in many ways this album warranted the hype it got. It was one of those sort of new-wave influenced things, but it didn't sound like a retro throwback, it just sounded like a band who had their own sound, whose influenced weren't their label and the producer their label had hired for them. This album is worth a listen.
• Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
  Just a great rock record.
• R. Kelly - Trapped in the Closet Chapters 1-12
  R. Kelly has been through a lot in the last few years, between accusations that landed him in court and disputes with Jay Z that got him kicked off a tour and made people question his sanity. With the release of Trapped in the Closet, Kels has without a doubt proved to the world that he is certifiably out of his mind. This guy has written a (to this point) 45 minute opus--sort of an r&b opera--that involves several unfaithful spouses, a gay pastor, a midget, ex-convicts, lots of guns and at least one shooting, and one angry, spatula weilding neighbor. This is pretty much the craziest thing I've ever heard. Is it good? I don't know. I can't say that this has a great deal of value as music. It's R. Kelly switching between crooning and fast talking over a simple, repetitive beat. Profanity is used early and often, and the plot twists are almost infuriatingly absurd. That said, all 12 songs of this series have kept me completely enthralled. I hang on his every word, wondering what he can possibly say next, and even when I had heard it myself several times, felt compelled to share it with everyone I know. And the songs and accompanying videos were a pretty big hit, so for all the apparent craziness, R Kelly has hit on a remarkably successful formula, one that he claims he might keep going for another 20 years, with spin offs and merchandising in the works. So I guess you can't argue with his success--he's laughing all the way to the bank. But I still can't tell if I'm laughing with him or at him.
• Beck - Guero
  After Beck showed us his sensitive side with Sea Change, we knew that he had real versatility, but I think there are many of us, myself included, who worried that maybe the upbeat, quirky Beck who liked to rock out wouldn't come back. But this album dispelled any and all of those fears, showing that he still has the crunchy rock guitar riffs and electro pop hooks that we loved before the beautiful sadness of Sea Change, and that he can definitely still rock out.
• The Decemberists - Picaresque
  These guys came in the studio to do an interview on WFUV, and they were nothing but trouble. They didn't want to talk, they were difficult to soundcheck, and they seemed pretty cranky it general (it was early). This kind of stuff normally turns me off to a band, but when I heard their album, I was amazed. Definitely one of the best, most original records of the year.
• The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
  They still rock.
• Bob Marley - Africa Unite: The Singles Collection
  I'm a sucker for Marley. Mainly a collection of tunes that have been out for a long time, but these are new versions and I really dig this record.
• Mike Gordon and Leo Kottke - 66 Steps
  These guys had a good first record, but now they're starting to really gel, and they work quite well together. Worth checking out if you haven't heard it yet.
• Damien 'Jr. Gong' Marley - Welcome to Jamrock
  The record overall isn't perfect, but this is a really exciting album in that it shows some of his father's powerful combination of reggae groove and scathing social commentary. The title track is one of the best reggae songs I've heard in years.

Ceol na nGael

Celtic Sunday afternoons with Maggie Dolan and Maura Monahan, Noon-4pm

In alphabetical order:

• Altan - Local Ground
• Black 47 - Elvis Murphy's Green Suede Shoes
• Liz Carroll & John Doyle - In Play
• Cherish the Ladies - Woman of the House
• The Chieftains - Live in Dublin
• Danu - When all is said and done
• John Doyle - Wayward Son
• The Kane Sisters - Under the Diamond
• Kate Rusby - The Girl Who Couldn't Fly
• Cathie Ryan - The Farthest Wave
• Solas - Waiting for an echo
• Ronan Tynan - Ronan

Dianne Harms

Director of Individual Giving
A baker's dozen (more or less), in alphabetical order:

• Amos Lee - Amos Lee
  Beautiful songs; his voice pacifies me.
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
  Just a good time band, and they're from Brooklyn! I know a lot of new artists don't like to be compared to others, but for some reason they remind me a lot of early Talking Heads.
• Herbie Hancock - Possibilities
  I'm a purist about a lot of things, but some things I'll take any way I can get them, and I've been a fan of Herbie's since Headhunter. This collaboration cuts across a lot of different styles, but never misses. Very listenable.
• John Coltrane - One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note
  I absolutely dig Coltrane, and think 'A Love Supreme' and 'Giant Steps" are two of the best albums ever, but his live stuff gives rise to things like the 23-minute version of 'My Favorite Things' you'll find here - worth buying this double CD just for that cut.
• John Prine - Fair and Square
  The man writes a mean song, that's all I know - 'Glory Of True Love' and 'Morning Train' are so "Prine" I thought I'd heard them before, 'Takin' A Walk' is simply beautiful, and 'Crazy As A Loon' and 'Some Humans Ain't Human' both have that down-to-earth, plain speaking thing that I just love about him.
• Lizz Wright - Dreaming Wide Awake
  Beautiful cover of Neil Young's 'Old Man', but I love 'Hit the Ground' (co-written with Jesse Harris). It's got a nice, earthy quality reminiscent of early Nina Simone. (There I go, making comparisons again!)
• M.I.A. - Arular
  The girl is fierce, that's all.
• Odetta - Gonna Let It Shine
  Recorded at the Flom during a WFUV Marquee Member show last winter; you'll hear our own Rita Houston on the intro. If you're into spirituals, or have a gospel-lover on your list, this is a really nice pick. The Holmes Brothers sing harmonies on 'Down By The Riverside' and 'This Little Light of Mine'.
• Raul Midon - State of Mind
  Just a great debut - nice, sweet R&B sound.
• Soundtracks - 'Hitch' and 'Crash'
  Okay, I know I'm cheating here, and not just because it's really two selections. Soundtracks are cheesy, but both of these were just so right for the films.
• Stevie Wonder - A Time to Love
  Worth the wait - 'Positivity' is vintage Stevie.
• Thelonius Monk Quartet with John Coltrane - Live at Carnegie Hall
  Best jazz release I've heard in a long time - genius solos, you just feel right listening to it. They're good together.
• Thievery Corp - Cosmic Game
  Great for late night listening.
• WFUV - City Folk Live 8
  What can I say? You can't get it anywhere else!

Laura Fedele

Web Site Director

• Gomez - Out West [Not just because I flew out to SF for it, either]
• Ani DiFranco - Knuckle Down [Once an Ani fan, always an Ani fan]
• Gillian Welch - Black Star EP [Two songs, but perfect ones]
• Brandi Carlile - Brandi Carlile [I want a better voice so I can sing along in my car]
• Neil Diamond - 12 Songs [I'm oddly obsessed... just repeat 'renewed respect as a songwriter']
• Amos Lee - Amos Lee [Just lovely]
• Ryan Adams & the Cardinals - Cold Roses [I miss Jerry too]
• The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan [Plus extra points for best title]
• Erin McKeown - We Will Become Like Birds [And then we will sing, in Latin]
• Antony & the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now [I just had to put those two together]

Shari Rosen Ascher

Underwriting Director

• The Kennedys - Half a Million Miles
  I fell in love with The Kennedys when I saw them at a WFUV event. The CD has been in my car since I bought it after the Marquee Members Show. I also bought it for my sister and my friend. The CD is a lot of fun but seeing them live is AWESOME! I encourage everyone to go out and see The Kennedys for themselves. You won't be sorry!
• Kathleen Edwards - Back to Me
  Her voice, her lyrics, her guitar playing...it gets better each and every time you listen. She is a perfect example of why I need WFUV in my life. Where else would I hear her?
• Bruce Springsteen - Devils and Dust
  I feel obliged to put this one on my list because my husband Neil is the biggest Bruce fan in Westchester and he doesn't work here, so he can't put his picks on this list. Personally I like Bruce a little better with the E Street band, but I have spent a lot of time listening to this album in my husband's car.
• Stubbs the Zombie Soundtrack
  I don't actually own this album, but every time I hear one of the songs on the station it puts a smile on my face.
• Raul Midon - State of Mind
  Once again, I was fortunate enough to see him at a WFUV Marquee Members Concert and he blew me away. I haven't listened to the CD the same way since seeing him live. He is one of the most unique performers I have seen in a long time.

Jeannie Waters

Traffic and Continuity Director

I won't lie, I was quite upset when I realized Kelly Clarkson's Breakaway came out in November of 04. Really... I daresay it would have been #1. And to be above Ani in my world... is just unheard of. Damn you Kelly Clarkson!

• Ani DiFranco - Knuckle Down
• U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
• Tori Amos - The Beekeeper
• Dave Matthews Band - Stand Up
• Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
• Coldplay - X&Y
• Dar Williams - My Better Self
• Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
• Herbie Hancock - Possibilities
• Aimee Mann - The Forgotten Arm

Michelle Gillan

Development/Major Giving Maven
In alphabetical order:

• Ryan Adams - Jacksonville City Nights
• Tracy Chapman - Where You Live
• Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman
• John Hiatt - Master of Disaster
• Robert Earl Keen - What I Really Mean
• The Kennedys - Half a Million Miles
• Marah - If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry
• Michelle Shocked - Don't Ask, Don't Tell
• Raul Midon - State of Mind
• Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?
• Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust
• Dar Williams - My Better Self

Aaron Honoré

Engineering Intern

• Ed Gein - Judas Goats and Dieseleaters
• The Whites Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
• Between the Buried & Me - Alaska
• Nic Armstrong & the Thieves - The Greatest White Liar
• Matisyahu - Live at Stubb's
• Blessing the Hogs - Twelve Gauge Solution
• Calexico/Iron and Wine - In the Reins
• Buck 65 - This Right Here is Buck 65
• Beck - Guero
• Nouvelle Vague - Nouvelle Vague

Ben Jones

Music Manager

• Ryan Adams - Cold Roses
• Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
• Bright Eyes - I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
• Deerhoof - The Runners Four
• Neil Diamond - 12 Songs
• The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
• Tha Shivas - D.C. EP
• Supergrass - Road to Ruen
• White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
• Wilco - Kicking Television

Brett Spiegelman

Graduate Assistant, Music Department

• Nada Surf - The Weight Is a Gift
• Lagwagon - Resolve
• The Wallflowers - Rebel, Sweetheart
• Harvey Danger - Little By Little
• Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die?
• Against Me! - Searching for a Former Clarity
• Brett Dennen - Brett Dennen
• Jess Klein - Strawberry Lover
• John Cale - BlackAcetate
• Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise
• Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
• The New Amsterdams - Killed or Cured-Protect
• Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth

Sam Cutler

WFUV News Reporter

1. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
2. Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary
3. Annie - Anniemal
4. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
5. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
6. Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
7. M.I.A. - Arular
8. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
9. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
10. The Go! Team - Thunder Lightning Strike

Seamus Donnelly

FUV Weekday Morning Production Assistant

10. Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman
9. Sigur Ros - Takk
8. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
7. The Perceptionists - Black dialogue
6. Wilco - Kicking Television
5. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
4. Johnny Cash - The legend of Johnny Cash
3. Animal Collective - Feels
2. The Decemberists - Picaresque
1. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree