The first volume, Red, Hot and Blue, collected covers of Cole Porter songs, including "Night and Day" performed by U2:

Red, Hot and Dance was possibly most notable for featuring three tracks from George Michael, left over from the Listen WIthout Prejudice Volume 2 sessions, including the model strewn "Too Funky":

1993's No Alternative has tracks by Barbara Manning and The Verlaines, and was one of the better purchases I ever made at the Wherehouse location by my high school. Oh, there were also songs by Nirvana, Soundgarden and "Glynis" by the Smashing Pumpkins:

Fast forward past tributes to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Portugal, and "Rock en Español" quite a bit to Red Hot and Riot, a hit and miss tribute to Fela Kuti, but this track with D'Angelo, Femi Kuti and Macy Gray isn't bad:

No word if there's a theme to the newest compilation, between a good cause and a National track, I'm likely to pick up a copy.

Byrne, Feist, Sufjan Join 'Red Hot' Compilation [NME]

It's "Jingles" all the way for CBS, Burnett [Reuters]

Single: "1234," Feist
Album: The Reminder, Feist
Pop album: The Reminder, Feist
Group: Blue Rodeo
New group: Wintersleep
Country recording: Paul Brandt
Juno fan choice award: Michael Bublé
International album: Good Girl Gone Bad, Rihanna
Artist: Feist
New artist: Serena Ryder
Songwriter: Feist
Adult alternative album: Small Miracles, Blue Rodeo
Alternative album: Neon Bible, Arcade Fire
Rock album: Them vs. You vs. Me, Finger Eleven
Vocal jazz album: Make Someone Happy, Sophie Milman
Contemporary jazz album: Almost Certainly Dreaming, The Chris Tarry Group
Traditional jazz album: Debut, Brandi Disterheft
Instrumental album: The Utmost, Jayme Stone
Francophone album: L'échec du matériel, Daniel Bélanger
Children's album: Music Soup, Jen Gould
Classical album, Solo or chamber ensemble: Alkan Concerto for Solo Piano, Marc-André Hamelin
Classical album, Large ensemble or soloist(s) with large ensemble: Korngold, Barber & Walton Violin Concertos, James Ehnes, Bramwell Tovey, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Classical album, vocal or choral performance: Surprise, Measha Brueggergosman
Classical composition: Constantinople, Christos Hatzis
Rap recording: The Revolution, Belly
Dance recording: All U Ever Want, Billy Newton-Davis vs. Deadmau5
R&B/soul recording: Revival, Jully Black
Reggae recording Don't Go Pretending, Mikey Dangerous
Aboriginal recording The Dirty Looks, Derek Miller
Roots & traditional album, solo: Right of Passage, David Francey
Roots & traditional album, group: Key Principles, Nathan
Blues album: Building Full of Blues, Fathead
Contemporary Christian/gospel album: Holy God, Brian Doerksen
World music album: Agua Del Pozo, Alex Cuba
Jack Richardson producer of the year: Joni Mitchell, Shine by Joni Mitchell
Recording engineer: Kevin Churko, Black Rain by Ozzy Osborne
CD/DVD artwork design: Neon Bible, Arcade Fire
Video: "C'mon," Blue Rodeo
Music DVD: 666 Live, Billy Talent

High five for Feist [Globe and Mail]
[Photo: AP]

[The "1-2-3-4" video] was just something I'd already made, it already existed and someone reputable put it on the television. And the response to it was very healthy, it felt natural, and really it was not a hard decision to make.

Turns out Feist is just as unenthusiastic about this topic as everyone else!

Did you have any idea that the advert would do so much?

If anything there was fear. I had total naivety, I didn't project what it could be. I just thought that I made this video with my friends and I really loved it.

Once it came out and the response happened, that's when a little bit of apprehension kicked in. I thought, in a way it's my worst nightmare to have people at the concert twiddling their thumbs waiting for the one song that they recognise.

But any of those fears were quickly assuaged when I realised that would only happen if I stopped dead in my tracks and didn't do another thing in my life - then it would become my epitaph. That's not the case, it was so long ago that I even forget it really happened.

"So long ago"? It was the fall. Or does being in an iPod ad have the oddly cross-promotional side effect of putting its subjects on Internet Time?

Talking Shop: Feist [BBC News]

While choreographed routines are still rare among rock artists, more of them are making music to fill dance floors. Popular groups such as LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip, Justice and Daft Punk feature beats, samples and electronic melodies that often overshadow lyrics.

And why can't these guys, despite some of them not being rock bands at all, come up with their own leanings and rockings? Feist did it, sez the WSJ. Kinda! And so did OK Go! There is no reason why America's young people shouldn't be videotaping themselves doing the Charleston or humping ottomans or maybe some modified Oompa Loompa moves to "Waters Of Nazareth."

But Can You Dance To It? [WSJ]

When it comes to this year's crop of Grammy Awards newbies, it looks like there may just be some truth to the playground taunt "Girls Rule, Boys Drool."

I can't even get through the rest of the piece because I'm terrified that Sclafani will whip out a "milk milk lemonade" joke. Anyone want to let me know if it's safe for reading?

Invasion of the Grammy girls [MSNBC]

Best new artist nominee Feist, who is up for four Grammys, told the AP last week she planned to go to the event.

"It's going to be kind of a reunion for `The Reminder,' everyone who was involved," she said of her critically acclaimed album. "For us, it's just a night to see everyone dressed up."

That may change if the WGA pickets. She admitted she doesn't really understand the issues involved in the writers strike, and because of that, she said, she turned down an invitation to appear last week on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

"I just balked," she said. "I couldn't see myself crossing the picket line. I don't know enough about the cause to speak about it, for or against. You cross the picket line, you have to speak about it."

And here we suspected it'd be easy for the "indie" artist hailing from our commie neighbors to come out in favor of artistic solidarity rather than the execs/the opportunity to get her hair did. Realest talk comes from Tom Petty, whose support for the workin' man will keep him away from the show but that his decision is mostly academic since, "I've never met a musician who gave a damn about the Grammys, actually." Dude, we've been watching Grammy-related performances for more than 20 years; we know.

Music Industry Frustrated Over Strike [Yahoo; Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com]

By now you've seen the critics' lists of the year's best music. But what about the folks who really count—the people? In interest of fairness and balance, I've decided to take the critics' choices to some regular folks. That's right: it's time once again for this column to exploit my family.

This time around, I played the 2007 Idolator Pop Critics Poll's Top 10 Tracks for my mom, my sisters, and my sister's friend who always comes over on major holidays. The listening session took place at my sister Brittany's apartment in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Christmas Eve, shortly after dinner and gifts (opening everything the night before is a longstanding family tradition). Also around were my sisters' very tolerant significant others, Brittany's daughter Veronica, and plenty of delicious leftovers. As usual, I typed everyone's responses on the fly and occasionally paused the songs to fill in gaps.

Dramatis Personae:
Lorie, mother, age 47; listens to Christmas music
Michael, author, age 32; listens to the Marc Anthony best-of Brittany got him for Christmas
Alex, sister, age 22; kicks everyone's ass at Guitar Hero III
Brittany, sister, age 21; listens to the M.I.A. and Billie Holiday CDs Michael got her for Christmas
Cherrelle, Brittany's best friend, age 21; listens to her Kanye West ringtone

1. Rihanna ft. Jay-Z, "Umbrella" (Def Jam) [117 votes]
Alex: You know this song, Veronica?
Brittany: She sings it all the time. Is it this version that's No. 1?
Michael: This is the main version.
Lorie: Is there any versions without rap?
Michael: No.
Lorie: [frowns]
Brittany: Would you dance to it, Mom?
Lorie: I can't dance to anything.
Alex: She can probably dance better than she can sing.
Brittany: She could probably play rugby better than she sings.
Alex: She used to put on—what was it, Mom?
Lorie: A show?
Brittany: Wilson Phillips!
Alex: And she used to sing into her bedpost: "Hold on for one more day . . . "
Lorie: Are you sure I was singing and not screaming? I was pole dancing.
Brittany: I'll scream if you say anything like that again.
[The stereo we are listening on is connected to the TV, on which a commercial for itt-tech.edu is airing]
Lorie: Is this the video? People performing surgery? I thought maybe instead of the little drapes they put over you they were using umbrellas now.
Brittany: Are you retarded, Mom?

2. LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends" (Capitol) [89 votes]
Brittany: This reminds me of Schroeder—it kind of sounds like the Snoopy theme.
Michael: This is a song by LCD Soundsystem called "All My Friends."
Brittany: I wish I had a song about all my friends.
Alex: It'd be over by now.
Brittany: Michael, can you pass me that wine so I can drink my pain away?
Lorie: Good music. You couldn't hardly dance to it, though, could you? I could tell you what you could do to it, but not too many people could.
Alex: Not with you.
Lorie: No, by yourself!
Brittany: I think she's talking about cross-stitching. At least I hope so.
Michael: I'm surprised you guys like this so much; I thought the piano might turn you off. The song is basically about getting too old to party.
Alex: [immediately] No such thing!
Brittany: This is Alex's theme song in 10 years.
Lorie: It was my theme song 10 years ago.
Brittany: Fifty.
Alex: I want people to get drunk and karaoke at my funeral.
Brittany: [after talking to her boyfriend, who is from Mexico] Miguel thinks it's nice, too, and he doesn't speak English. [Author's note: He does too.] You know the twins on Peanuts who just jump? They could dance to this.
Lorie: I hope they play this at midnight mass tonight.
Michael: Why?
Lorie: So I can stay awake.

3. M.I.A., "Paper Planes" (Interscope) [66 votes]
Brittany: I've heard this. It's familiar. [The vocal comes in. Brittany holds up her just-unwrapped copy of Kala] It's her.
Lorie: I've heard this before.
Brittany: Where have you heard this?
Lorie: I've been listening to the radio. [chorus comes in] I wanna go to a bar!
Brittany: Is that what this reminds you of? The gunfire reminds you of the bars you go to? [turns attention back to music] I really like this. But it's so much different than, like, "Bucky Done Gun." You say you like this album more? But the last album was really different. She's more singing than shouting. Is she trying to be more mainstream? I think I could listen to this for longer periods of time if it's all like this. Miguel, how do you like this? The gunshot [in the chorus] reminds you of the border, doesn't it?

4. Amy Winehouse, "Rehab" (Republic) [60 votes]
Lorie: All right, hey! This is the suicidal one [Veronica] sings!
Brittany: No, that's Sean Kingston.
Lorie: Oh, I remember this song now. What happened to her?
Brittany: She's fucked up beyond words. This is kind of Christmassy. All the dysfunctional families can relate to this one at Christmas. [after the line, "I don't ever want to drink again"] You know, if drinking makes her sing like this, she should go ahead. I feel sorry for her, though. She has a lot of underlying issues, and it's so evident.

5. Justice, " D.A.N.C.E." (Vice) [54 votes]
Lorie: This sounds like the beginning of Romper Stomper Romper Room. You ever heard of that?
Michael: Sort of. Romper Room was the kids' show, and Romper Stomper is a movie about racist skinheads in Australia.
Brittany: I thought it sounded like schoolchildren but you brought that into a whole other light, didn't you, Mom? It's like "Rock with You," in the beat. They should put this on Dance Dance Revolution. That would be fun times.
Cherrelle: Romper Room sounds like a porno. This reminds me of the Jackson 5. I could listen to this, definitely.
Brittany: This would be fun to dance to . . .
Cherrelle: . . . If I was drunk.
Brittany: And you're drunk all the time!
Cherrelle: I should just start dancing.

6. Peter Bjorn & John, "Young Folks" (Almost Gold) [50 votes]
Lorie: Oh, I love this! [whistles along]
Brittany: How do you know this and I don't?
Michael: Where have you heard this?
Lorie: I heard it at work. I love that whistle part. It just grabs you right away.
Michael: This came out last year internationally, and did well on last year's poll, but it was released in America this year, which is why it placed again. It was a big crossover hit—Kanye West rhymed over it on a mixtape.
Cherrelle: Now, why do you wanna ruin a perfectly fine piece of music like this? He's been stepping out of his realm with that Daft Punk stuff.
Brittany: He's been taking a flying leap out of his realm with that.
Alex: I've heard this song before.
Brittany: Where did you hear it?
Alex: I don't remember.
Michael: It's a group called Peter Bjorn & John. They're Swedish.
Cherrelle: [to Alex] Well then, maybe you heard it at Ikea.

6. Battles, "Atlas" (Warp) [50 votes]
Brittany and Alex: [immediately] "The beautiful people, the beautiful people."
Brittany: It is! It totally is.
Michael: It's not.
Brittany: I hate to disagree with you, Michael. I didn't know Marilyn Manson was still making records. [vocals come in] They're singing it backwards; they're putting in subliminal satanic messages. We could do a ouija board to this.
Cherrelle: I couldn't listen to this alone. I'd need to turn all the lights in the house on. Let's have a séance. This is what Marilyn Manson makes love to.
Brittany: These are probably his kids. Hey, Alex, come over here and let me carve a pentagram into your arm.
[Lorie, in kitchen, drops a cake on her foot]
Brittany: See? This music fucked her up so bad she dropped a cake on the floor.
Alex: [growling] "Red rum. Red rum."
Brittany: Did you just say you were going to spin your head in a circle?
Michael: So, do you guys like this?
Brittany: I like it on Halloween.
Lorie: [calling in from kitchen] I'm scared to fucking death of this song!

8. UGK ft. OutKast, "Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" (Jive) [49 votes]
[Michael restarts the song a couple times so the group can hear the first verse]
Cherrelle: He sounds like he's trying to be a pimp.
Michael: Sort of—-it's called "Int'l Players Anthem." But Andre 3000's verse is about getting married.
Brittany: Is he going to marry me? That's all I care about.
Cherrelle: I don't love that old crap in the background. It's like '60s gospel that my mother would listen to.
Brittany: I think that's your mother singing in the background.
[Second verse begins]
Cherrelle: I like how he's talking about marrying someone and saying "bitch" and "pussy."
Brittany: They're gonna get "bitch" and "pussy" engraved on their wedding rings.
Cherrelle: I like this guy's voice.
Michael: This is Pimp C, who recently died.
Cherrelle: Well, how you gonna hate on a dead man?
Michael: OK, this is Big Boi now.
Cherrelle: They're both tiny men.
Michael: Big Boi is much smaller than Andre.
Cherrelle: [to Brittany] Andre could wear your clothes.
Brittany: I'd let him. He can wear my clothes anytime.
Cherrelle: This is all starting to sound alike to me.
Brittany: [to Cherrelle, who's black] Racist.

9. Feist, "1234" (Cherrytree) [48 votes]
Brittany: [immediately, to opening strums] "The beautiful people . . . "
Alex: This is the video with all the kids all skipping rope. [imitates choreography]
Brittany: [after the line, "Teenage hopes arrive at your door"] "Teenage hoes"?
Cherrelle: She keeps saying "ho."
Brittany: Very Christmassy.
Cherrelle: [sings] "1-2-3-4, you a ho."
Brittany: [sings] "5-6-7-8, your momma's a ho too/9-10-11-12, your grandma's a ho, too."
Cherrelle: If we weren't so mean, this would probably be a nice song.
Brittany: If we weren't so fucking cynical, we could enjoy this. If we hadn't just listened to Marilyn Manson . . .

10. Kanye West, "Stronger" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam) [35 votes]
Brittany and Cherrelle: [immediately] "Intergalactic, planetary, planetary, intergalactic . . . "
Cherrelle: I love this song.
Michael: Based on what you said earlier, I thought you didn't like it.
Brittany: No, I said I thought he took a flying leap out of his realm.
Michael: I misunderstood, then.
Cherrelle: Yeah, this is my ringtone.
Brittany: [deadpan] And that says a lot. You've really got to be a hardcore fan to have someone's song for a ringtone. And everybody turns around and says, "Hey, 'Stronger'! Let me holla at you!" [to Cherrelle] Does this ringtone make you stronger?
Cherrelle: [sardonically] I feel empowered. [song continues for awhile] I felt bad when his mom died.
Lorie: You know recently I just took a day off when my father's wife died.
Brittany: You know what's a big factor of why I don't like this song? Those awful fucking sunglasses with the blinds. They look retarded.
Cherrelle: You look like you have Down's Syndrome when you have them.
Brittany: Camp Courage sunglasses. [to Michael] Don't put that in there.
Michael: Can I please?
Brittany: If I get shanked for this, Michael, it's your fault.
Lorie: If you get shanked for this, I get a day off!

From last night's Critics' Choice Awards. Jess: "Imagine if they mated? I don't think the planet could take a child with a face that long and angular."

[Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic.com]

THE GOOD: Queens Of The Stone Age finally make a year-end Top 10 that doesn't have the word "hotties" in it. And perhaps a well-placed Times endorsement will finally break that Tracey Thorn solo album out of sales purgatory.
THE BAD: Blah blah Feist blah blah shrug. No real beef here. It's the Christmas miracle.
THE WHAAAA? "In a year with shockingly few big albums..." Sales-wise, perhaps true. (Perception-wise among the mass public, perhaps also true, since pop perception is always tied to sales to some extent.) But allowing for us having to redefine the world "big" in a niched-to-death music industry, didn't most of the high-placers on 2007's year-end lists (Radiohead! Arcade Fire! M.I.A.! Bruce!) prove we had the usual crop of traditionally crit-friendly, statement-making, and/or zeitgeist-exploiting/exploring "Big Albums"?

JON PARELES
Top Albums
1. RADIOHEAD: 'IN RAINBOWS'
2. FEIST: 'THE REMINDER'
3. AMY WINEHOUSE: 'BACK TO BLACK'
4. IRON AND WINE: 'THE SHEPHERD'S DOG'
5. CALLE 13: 'RESIDENTE O VISITANTE'
6. ROBERT PLANT AND ALISON KRAUSS: 'RAISING SAND'
7. LUPE FIASCO: 'THE COOL'
8. BATTLES: 'MIRRORED'
9. PANDA BEAR: 'PERSON PITCH'
10. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: 'ERA VULGARIS'

Top Songs
M.I.A. "Paper Planes"
SHAKIRA "Hay Amores"
JONI MITCHELL "Hana"
KANYE WEST "Stronger"
NEIL YOUNG "No Hidden Path"

BEN RATLIFF
Top Albums
1. JOSHUA REDMAN: 'BACK EAST'
2. GILBERTO GIL: 'GIL LUMINOSO'
3. ROBERT PLANT AND ALISON KRAUSS: 'RAISING SAND'
4. BILL MCHENRY: 'ROSES'
5. NO AGE: 'WEIRDO RIPPERS'
6. FEIST: 'THE REMINDER'
7. SAM YAHEL TRIO: 'TRUTH AND BEAUTY'
8. KARTET: 'THE BAY WINDOW'
9. ALICIA KEYS: 'AS I AM'
10. NINA NASTASIA AND JIM WHITE: 'YOU FOLLOW ME'

Top Songs
RIHANNA "Umbrella"
VON SüDENFED "The Rhinohead"
SPANISH HARLEM ORCHESTRA "Sácala Bailar"
CAFé TACUBA "Volver a Comenzar"
JESU "Conqueror"

KELEFA SANNEH
Top Albums
1. FEIST: 'THE REMINDER'
2. TURF TALK: 'WEST COAST VACCINE: THE CURE'
3. PANDA BEAR: 'PERSON PITCH'
4. JOE NICHOLS: 'REAL THINGS'
5. UGK: 'UNDERGROUND KINGZ'
6. TRACEY THORN: 'OUT OF THE WOODS'
7. JENS LEKMAN: 'NIGHT FALLS OVER KORTEDALA'
8. PROJECT PAT: 'WALKIN' BANK ROLL'
9. MARNIE STERN: 'IN ADVANCE OF THE BROKEN ARM'
10. THE-DREAM: 'LOVE/HATE'

Top Songs
RIHANNA "Umbrella"
R. KELLY FEATURING T.I. AND T-PAIN "I'm a Flirt (Remix)"
MARTINA MCBRIDE "Anyway"
SOULJA BOY TELLEM "Crank That (Soulja Boy)"
LINDA SUNDBLAD "Lose You"

EDIT: Dudes, I totally misspelled Ben Ratliff's name in a post where I was making fun of the Times for getting my name wrong. God (or Santa) just pantsed me on the Internet. As usual, I blame the nog.

Of Radiohead and 'Rehab,' '1234' and Calle 13 [NYT]
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/music/23ratliff.html?ref=music [NYT]
Few Big Albums, but Small Ones Sounded Just Fine [NYT]

THE GOOD: Not even going there.
THE BAD: Sure, you could pen a 10,000-word rant on how this list of female fantasy objects reflects indie rock's insular ideals even when it comes to sex, but we'll just say that sexism, stereotyping, and body image issues will no longer be a concern in indie culture when a lady who looks like Dan Deacon makes it into the Top 20.
THE WHAAAA? R&B queen Sharon Jones deserves to be on this list if anyone does, but aside from wrecking the curve in terms of both age and ethnicity, who in their right mind would class Ms. Jones as an "indie rock" hottie? (Also whoever voted for Natalie Portman needs their life changed with a boot in the ass.)

Chick Hotties
50 Elisa Ambrogio (Magik Markers)
49 Laura Burhenn (Georgie James)
48 Hesta Prynn (Northern State)
47 Jesca Hoop
46 Uffie
45 Jemina Pearl (Be Your Own Pet)
44 Scout Niblett
43 Mariqueen Maandig (West Indian Girl)
42 Natalie Portman
41 Grace Potter (Grace Potter and the Nocturnals)
40 Victoria Legrand (Beach House)
39 Victoria Bergsman (Taken By Trees)
38 Rosay (The Pipettes)
37 Amanda Palmer (The Dresden Dolls)
36 Ninja (The Go! Team)
35 Sharon Jones
34 Nicole Atkins
33 Robyn
32 Becky Stark (Lavender Diamond)
31 Laura Veirs
30 Amy Millan (Stars)
29 Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead)
28 Gwenno (The Pipettes)
27 Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond)
26 Amy Winehouse
25 Marissa Nadler
24 Beth Ditto (The Gossip)
23 Björk
22 Kathryn Calder (The New Pornographers/Immaculate Machines)
21 Meg White (The White Stripes)
20 Marnie Stern
19 Polly Jean Harvey (PJ Harvey)
18 Lovefoxxx (CSS)
17 Sara Quin (Tegan And Sara)
16 Kate Nash
15 Régine Chassagne (Arcade Fire)
14 Eleanor Friedberger (The Fiery Furnaces)
13 Karen O. (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
12 Regina Spektor
11 Lily Allen
10 Joanna Newsom
09 Tegan Quin (Tegan And Sara)
08 Natasha Khan (Bat For Lashes)
07 Emily Haines (Metric/Broken Social Scene)
06 Neko Case
05 Chan Marshall (Cat Power)
04 Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.)
03 Annie Clark (St. Vincent)
02 Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley)
01 Leslie Feist (Feist)

Dude Hotties
50 Naeem Juwon (Spank Rock)
49 Eddie Argos (Art Brut)
48 Chris Bear (Grizzly Bear)
47 Carl Newman (The New Pornographers)
46 Rufus Wainwright
45 James Mercer (The Shins)
44 Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age)
43 Morrissey
42 Blake Sennett (Rilo Kiley)
41 Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth)
40 Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead)
39 Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys)
38 Will Oldham
37 Kele Okereke (Bloc Party)
36 Caleb Followill (Kings Of Leon)
35 Brandon Flowers (The Killers)
34 Colin Meloy (The Decemberists)
33 Jeff Tweedy (Wilco)
32 Mark Ronson
31 Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear)
30 Devendra Banhart
29 Tim Harrington (Les Savy Fav)
28 Ted Leo
27 Ben Bridwell (Band Of Horses)
26 Paul Banks (Interpol)
25 Patrick Wolf
24 Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy)
23 Sam Beam (Iron & Wine)
22 Kanye West
21 Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk)
20 Will Sheff (Okkervil River)
19 Craig Finn (The Hold Steady)
18 Jack White (The White Stripes)
17 Bradford Cox (Deerhunter)
16 Dan Deacon
15 Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes)
14 Ryan Adams
13 Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene)
12 Matt Berninger (The National)
11 James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem)
10 Win Butler (Arcade Fire)
09 Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown)
08 Andrew Bird
07 Noah Lennox (Animal Collective/Panda Bear)
06 Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
05 Sufjan Stevens
04 Britt Daniel (Spoon)
03 Zach Condon (Beirut)
02 Kevin Barnes (of Montreal)
01 Jens Lekman

Indie Rock Hotties Of 2007 [Stereogum]

So whom does the MTV pundit line up as Mr. "Irreplaceable"'s chief competition? The latest High School Musical spawn Corbin Bleu? The numbingly consistent CD-seller Tori Amos? (She could release an album of piano tunings with a picture of her in a bathrobe on the cover—a very artsy, self-aware bathrobe—and it'd debut at #2.) The mercifully Kroeger-less soundtrack to Spider-Man 3? Guess again:

...Feist's The Reminder, which The New York Times has declared as "the album that should transform her from the darling of the indie-rock circuit to a full-fledged star, and do it with no compromises." The whole thing's up on her MySpace page already—and it's been in stores overseas for a week—but that hasn't quelled the buzz. Her stylish new "1234"—directed by Patrick Daughters (Death Cab for Cutie, Yeah Yeah Yeahs)—has our interest piqued, and even Best Buy is hyping the album as, ahem, "A strong sophomore effort from an acclaimed Canadian indie-rocker." There we go.

There you go, indeed. While in our wildest fantasies the Broken Social Scene alumna turned indie-coffeehouse girl would indeed threaten a hitmaker like Mr. Yo, we're betting that any chart action Feist sees will be of the slow-and-steady variety. The Times's glowing profile does indeed help—the Paper of Record's readership nails Feist's hoped-for demographic square in the wallet—but it's now more than two weeks old. Asking middle-aged Arts section readers, even those hoping for indie cred, to remember an album's release date for half the length of a mortgage payment is more than a little wishful. And she's got competition for the mortgage-payer dollar this week from deathless Hair Club For Men rockers Rush, and Tony Bennett Idol substituter Michael Bublé.

As for our girl Leslie Feist, the new record's a very respectable bid for the brass ring, and we predict a respectable low-five-figure sum in week one—a top-half-of-the-top-100 debut, maybe even cracking the top 30. But if she's fated to cross over big-time á lá Norah Jones, it'll happen the way it happened for Norah five years ago: soooooo veeeeeeery slooooowly.

New Releases: Ne-Yo Aims To Put Feist On Ice, Stymie Spider-Man & More [MTV.com]

Fluxblog has a new track from Canadian singer Feist, who's much beloved around the Idolator flophouse for the 2004 AM-gold homage "One Evening." Her new album, The Reminder, is due out this spring, and "My Moon, My Man" is a promising kick-off single, especially when the piano and the drums start beating each other up near the end:

Feist - My Moon, My Man [MP3, link removed]
Feist [MySpace]