BlueAngel

1. Ooh La La - Faces 2. American Girl - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 3. Dreams - The Cranberries 4. Wild Horses - The Flying Burrito Brothers 5. Back On the Chain Gang - Pretenders 6. A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall - Leon Russell 7. And She Was - Talking Heads 8. Killing the Blues - Robert Plant & Allison Krauss 9. Room To Move - John Mayall 10. Sunday Morning Coming Down - Johnny Cash Some new ones and some old favourites, great choices Lucky.

1. She Bangs the Drums - The Stone Roses 2. Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground - The White Stripes 3. Shelter From The Storm - Bob Dylan 4. Pretty When You Cry - VAST 5. Bulletproof - La Roux 6. Apple Pie Bed - Lawrence Arabia 7. Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution - AC/DC 8. Shoot Out The Lights - Richard & Linda Thompson 9. Big Me - Foo Fighters 10. Shoot The Runner - Kasabian

"She Bangs the Drums" - The Stone Roses (1989) "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" - The White Stripes (2001)

1. Ordinary World – Duran Duran 2. Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode 3. London Calling – The Clash 4. Weight, The – The Band 5. Learning to Fly – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 6. Don’t Dream it’s Over – Crowded House 7. Feel Good, Inc. – Gorillaz 8. One Love/People Get Ready – Bob Marley & the Wailers 9. Silent Lucidity – Queensrÿche 10. Lovesong – The Cure Probably the hardest list to rank yet. The top six I was considering for mine.

1. Take a Picture - Filter 2. Wake Up - Rage Against The Machine 3. Damaged Goods - Gang of Four 4. Cold Cold Water - Mirah 5. Forever Young - Rod Stewart 6. Hit the Ground Running - Smog 7. Hurricane J - The Hold Steady 8. Possession - Sarah MacLachlan 9. I Remember - Yeasayer 10. Leeds Leeds Leeds - Leeds United FC players and supporters Honorable mentions: Alcest, Decemberists, Exit Calm, Hendrix

I was actually referring generally to the music of most of the publicly over-exposed and musically under-developed "superstars" of today (Bieber, Swift, Cyrus etc.) that are shoved down the masses throats (which I believe is clearly in violation of the Geneva Protocol; Subsection B, Paragraph six governing the use of auditory irritants against civilian populations). As for Lady Gaga, I don't mind one or two of her songs, but most just don't really do it for me. Whether or not they're well-crafted or "good" is still more or less an opinion, a matter of taste. In the world of theatrical synth-pop I would take Goldfrapp, La Roux, Electric Youth, Little Boots, Robyn, Lykke Li or Lily Allen well before Lady Gaga.

I haven’t really suffered too much under the Gaga media barrage partly due to not living in America and partly because I make frequent use of the skip/off/mute buttons when exposed to things that I find particularly grating. So, her music: overall pretty standard electro-dance-pop fare, I’d say. A little more edgy (by that I mean overtly sexual and provocative, a theme where I tend to think subtle is often more effective than blunt both lyrically and visually) and detached yet sharp and self-aware. She certainly has some talented producers behind her and in the realm of pop rubbish she is a cut above, for now. She’s got a pretty good system worked out: her music/show can be annoying and repetitive and people will label it ironic, sarcastic or satirical or it can be inspired and original and they’ll say it’s fresh, alternative or post-modern (i.e. "weird for the sake of weird" – Moe, bartender, random Simpsons quote of the day). Win, win. Concerning her image/show, again minimal exposure makes it hard for me to comment I don’t think I’ve ever watched an entire music video, performance or interview. For me, public appearance (outfits, live shows, personal lives) on a musical relevance scale of 1 to 10, comes in about negative 4. As for Madonna comparisons, there’s some truth there except I’m no fan of hers either so that would serve only to deter me. I wasn’t around during Madonna’s heyday to draw really accurate parallels but I suspect she was about the same ratio of image to music as Lady Gaga is now. Sure she was influential and celebrated as a sort of pop renegade/trendsetter but I find most of her 80’s and early 90’s music hasn’t aged very well (which is likely the fate of Gaga’s discography). And am I the only one who finds it a bit sad that these are the people our culture looks to as icons, known more for a media facade than actual artistic accomplishment?

Reflects the general historic consensus so no complaints from me. I'm glad to see both my noms make it in something. And I agree that the Band is very nice (and deserving) inclusion.

Catching up on Series 5 of Doctor Who, episode four "The Time of Angels. I was among the first to say casting Matt Smith to replace David Tennent as the Doctor was right up there with renewing CSI Miami for another season in the bad decisions for the future of television department. But having seen him I am genuinely impressed. He's young, but his interpretion is fresh and bold. His incarnation seems a bit more serious and thoughtful and if the look isn't quite the most pleasing his spot-on overall delivery (and particularly his voice) more than make up for it.

I think that when Jacob threw his brother into the light cave he became the smoke monster; that was the "worse than death" thing his mother talked about. The monster than had to wait in smoke form until it found (another) dead body to inhabit (present-day Locke). And I would have to say the brother is quite important since a part of the island's events seem to center around the struggle between him and Jacob symbolized by the game they played as children (and played out on a larger scale throughout the series), with Jacob (good; the white pieces) trying to stay and protect it and his brother ( evil; the black pieces) trying to use it for his own ends namely to escape. The first time I saw the two of them together I thought of the story of Jacob and Esau in the Old Testament, the twin (though generally opposite) sons of Isaac and grandsons of Abraham. In the story Jacob, with his mother's help, steals his brother's birthright and they become violent enemies for a long time. I'm still unsure about who "Mother" is and how she became so powerful and knowledgable about the island (unless she too is some kind of smoke monster-type being?), but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

"Take a Picture" - Filter (1999) "Cold Cold Water" - Mirah (2001)

1. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths 2. Ordinary World - Duran Duran 3. Black Metallic - The Catherine Wheel 4. A Question Of Lust (Minimal) - Depeche Mode 5. Two Worlds Collide - Inspiral Carpets 6. True Faith - New Order 7. Leaving - Suede 8. Say Something - James (I haven't heard this one for years, good memories) 9. Around The World - Daft Punk 10. Kelly Watch The Stars - Air Could easily have included any of these... Lips Like Sugar - Echo And The Bunnymen More Than This - Roxy Music Oprofessionell - kent Methods Of Dance - Japan Plasticine (Lounge Version) - Placebo The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get - Morrissey Sketch For Summer - The Durutti Column Theme From Taxi Driver - Bernard Herrmann Halah - Mazzy Star Wonderland - Xymox Nice, very nice.

1. Novocaine for the Soul - Eels 2. Just - Radiohead 3. Golden Touch - Razorlight 4. Creep - Stone Temple Pilots 5. Replay - Electric Youth 6. Respire - Mickey 3D 7. Moonage Daydream - David Bowie 8. Rocket - Goldfrapp 9. Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel 10. Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney & Wings

"Replay" - Electric Youth (2009) "Golden Touch" - Razorlight (2004)

^ "Break Through Today" - Adam Gilbert

"Dynamite" - The Happy Unfortunate

1. Rubber Soul - The Beatles 2. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan 3. Are You Experienced - The Jimi Hendrix Experience 4. The Band - The Band 5. Blind Faith - Blind Faith 6. Tommy - The Who 7. The Stooges - The Stooges 8. Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground 9. Disraeli Gears - Cream 10. The Doors - The Doors Honorable mentions: Stones, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, Pink Floyd...

I think I'll borrow Lucky's idea of a top 20 for this one: 1. Hey Little Rich Boy - Sham 69 2. 1969 - The Stooges 3. Down By The Water - PJ Harvey 4. Marquee Moon - Television 5. Jesus And Tequila - Minutemen 6. 21st Century (Digital Boy) - Bad Religion 7. Better Off Dead - La Peste 8. Bring It On Home To Me - Sam Cooke 9. El Amor Brujo - Ray Manzarak & Roy Rogers 10. Do You Wanna Dance - The Ramones 11. Vicious - Lou Reed (this and 12 easily could have been top 10 but I really liked "El Amor Brujo") 12. St. James Infirmary - Allen Toussaint 13. Father Daughter Song - Loudon Wainwright III 14. The Seventh Son - Mose Allison 15. Hideaway - John Mayall & The The Bluesbreakers 16. Little Bit Of Sympathy - Robin Trower 17. Mixed Up Shook Up Girl - Patty & The Emblems 18. Oh Susquehanna - Defiance, Ohio 19. Cleanhead's Blues - Cleanhead Vinson 20. Texas Flood - Larry Davis Classic and covers much of rock's best and purest forms. Nicely done. (And it's also nice to know I'm not the only Minutemen fan out there. Double Nickels on the Dime would definitely be in my top 10 American rock albums of the 80's.)

1. Buddy Holly - Weezer 2. Bargain - The Who 3. Friday I'm In Love - The Cure 4. Higher Love - Steve Winwood 5. Low - Cracker 6. Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan 7. No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley 8. Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd 9. Simple Twist Of Fate - Bob Dylan 10. You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman - Aretha Franklin

1. This is Hardcore - Pulp 2. Angel - Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her 3. Oh My God - Kaiser Chiefs 4. Sexx Laws - Beck 5. Slowdive - Slowdive 6. Crazy Dan - Scratch Acid 7. Out of Time Man - Mano Negra 8. Vision Of Division - The Strokes 9. Where Have All The Good Times Gone - The Kinks 10. Spaceman - Babylon Zoo

1. Let's Stay Together - Al Green 2. Help Me - Joni Mitchell 3. Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe - Barry White 4. Still The One - Orleans 5. The Air That I Breathe - The Hollies 6. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel - Tavares 7. I'm Not In Love - 10cc 8. Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts 9. You Belong To Me - Carly Simon 10. Shining Star - The Manhattans I especially like the theme idea, and it made for some nice listening.

Song titles with names of US States in them. A B Carolina in my mind- James Taylor Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers E F Georgia Vs. Yo La Tengo - Yo La Tengo H Idaho - The Four Seasons J Kentucky Woman--Neil Diamond L M N O Private Idaho-B-52's Q R Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd T U V West Viginia (Take Me Home, Country Roads) - John Denver X Y Z

Me neither. It's probably my favourite Beatles album, just ahead of Rubber Soul and Revolver, and it definitely deserves a nomination...

"Boten Anna" - Basshunter

If I had to choose I'd have to go with theory No. 2 on Desmond's little hit and run. And, yeah, the explanation for the whispers was a bit of a letdown, but perhaps it was a red herring of sorts; there could be more to it. Otherwise supremely kick-butt, twist-packed (even by Lost standards) episode, which drew from me a record four audible "what the hell"'s, one of which was for that preview. Awesome.