It's a waste of time if I can't smile easily

* Information Leafblower has compilied a list of the top 40 bands in America. Here is the top ten:

1. Ted Leo
2. Wilco
3. Interpol
4. Guided by Voices
5. The Fiery Furnaces
6. The Pixies
7. Brian Wilson
8. Luna
9. Modest Mouse
10. Spoon

Have to say, very surprised to see Brian Wilson at 7. The panel was the following bloggers: Nude as The News, DCSOB, Damore Retrobuzz, Largehearted Boy, Fluxblog, Matt 5500, Teaching The Indie Kids To Dance Again, The Real Janelle, Chromewaves, Connie NYC, Seeking Irony, Kerry Sosaysi, Bradley's Almanac, The Big Ticket, Weirdcurves, Coolfer, Music For Robots, MethodOne from 1115.org, Uncle Grambo, and Information Leafblower.

* Flagpole talks with the Summer Hymns. excerpt:

"Their first album, Voice Brother and Sister, released in 2000, is a remarkable collection of tender psych-pop gems, full of memorable melodies, impressive musicianship and a vague, indecisive romanticism that runs throughout Gresham's work. Love is pretty much always a haunted mystery in a Gresham song, with equal portions of regret, remorse and good old confusion running rampant. But even so, it's immediately evident once Almstead's flawless bass work suddenly erupts at the start of 'Beginning to See,' that Summer Hymns take their album-making seriously. The songs are lavishly produced, but without stifling the spirit or spontaneity of the music. The revelatory ending to 'Mr. Brewer (Cackle, Cackle),' the highlight of the early Hymns live performances, might have lost some of its visceral impact, but the whirling, breezy saxophone of Adrian Finch more than makes up the difference. A thin psychedelic haze settles in over much of the record, a slightly otherworldly layer of sound (best heard on the song 'New Underdressment') that fosters a lulling sensation and a dream-like ambiance. This atmospheric fog never blocks out the humility and humanity that is intrinsic to the group, though, qualities that are best (and most obviously) represented by Gresham's fragile, uncommonly expressive voice. Voice Brother and Sister stands as a paramount example of modern Southern psychedelic pop, and helped establish the Summer Hymns not just locally but throughout America."

* If anyone is in Norfolk, Virginia, head out Saturday night to see The Caribbean at Relative Theory Records, 271 granby st, 2nd floor, Norfolk. In DC? Saturday night at Georgetown University, as part of the New Yorker College Tour, Sonic Youth and Alex Ross will talk. 7:30 pm at the Bunn Intercultural Center Auditorium.