The last day of 2006 is upon us and, although this year has been a great one for music, 2007 is shaping up to be even better. Here are my top ten most anticipated releases of the new year.

1. The Ark (spring)
Their new single Absolutely No Decorum sounds like it’s going to be marvelous, the band is gunning for a victory at Eurovision this year, and they’ve promised a new album that hearkens back to the sound of their debut. All is very well in the Ark world, which means the same for my world. Look for the whole of the single to be debuted next month, with the album released not long after.

2. Niklas Stenemo (summer)
It’s no secret to anyone who reads this blog regularly that The Mo is one of my favorite bands of all time. Now that the band is no more, lead singer (and Melody Club bassist) Niklas Stenemo is going solo. Said to be more pop/electronic than his work with The Mo, the album may be released late Summer, but I have yet to hear anything definitive. I am ridiculously excited about it, though.

3. Mika (February)
The only record on the countdown with an actual track listing released, I’m a bit disappointed that I’ve already heard two thirds of the album, but knowing how brilliant those tracks are, there’s no way that Life In Cartoon Motion (out Feb. 5th) is going to suck. Mika is the bright new star of 2007, no competition. So, make sure to pick up his album (and single, which is out early January).

4. Alphabeat (tba)
I have been harping about this Danish band’s first single Fascination for awhile now, but I know frustratingly little about their debut album. Fascination has done well in Denmark and the other songs on the band’s myspace sound fantastic, so we’re really just waiting on a release date.

5. Kylie Minogue (tba)
One of the more mysterious releases of the year, little is known about Kylie’s comeback album. Clips of live performances of maybe-first-single White Diamond have been floating around. She’s been working with the Scissor Sisters (always a good sign) and she’s freaking Kylie Minogue, so it’s bound to be good!

6. Maroon 5 (spring)
Promising a funkier, “more hyper” follow-up to their ancient (it was released in 2002, for gods sake!) debut, the band have kept pretty quiet about their much-delayed 2007 album. They say that all the elements fans loved about them before are still present, but the songs are harder with a real kick to them. Sounds good to me.

7. Kaiser Chiefs (February)
The Kaiser Chiefs will attempt to follow up their massive debut early next year with their as-yet-untitled follow up. Their new single will be called Ruby and will be out in mid-February and the band will also embark on a UK tour around that time. Apparently, the album was recorded in six weeks and promises more of the same sound, gimmick-free.

8. Kelly Clarkson (late spring)
Now that she’s parted herself completely from American Idol, Clarkson is set to release a different sounding record next Spring. In her own words: “the soft songs will be softer, the hard songs will be harder.” And, given that she’s written 50 songs for album consideration, it should boast the cream of the crop.

9. Lucky Soul (spring)
I’ve heard early March is the planned release for this UK band’s debut, preceded by a single in late February. Given that their current EP has been delayed until early 2007, we’ll see if these plans stick. Still, should be a fantastic album and I think it has a really good chance of becoming a success.

10. Lorraine (February)
The album is reportedly titled Pop Noir and will be preceded by another single release early in 2007. Given all of the tracks I’ve heard already, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic synth-pop record. All that’s left is for these guys to expand their following beyond Norway and take over the world.

Honorable Mention: Robyn - Only because I am oh-so-confused about whether she's releasing a brand new album or simply distributing her most recent one to other countries in 2007. Anybody know for sure?

Angel - Season 5 Review

US Airdate on the WB: October 1^st 2003 – May 19^th 2004.

The axe has finally fallen on the brilliant series as Season Five sees the gang taking over Wolfram And Hart with disastrous results. Then add the additions of Eve, Harmony, Spike, a few returns, a couple of deaths and a final episode that’s hugely debateable and see what you get.

In Control Or Being Controlled – You Decide: Season Five of Angel was never intended to be the last season and right from the very first episode of this tricky season, any viewer could tell that storylines were being seeped for a sixth season. So why did it end?

It can’t be because of ratings because Angel was generating more ratings in its fifth season than before and Joss Whedon and his staff writers certainly weren’t running out of ideas.

In fact the more you think about it; the less just cause there was for the series to end. Whedon foolishly gave in to the WB’s demand of adding Spike to the series and the show adopted a dramatically less arc driven season and there are a string of impressive episodes so for the series to end so prematurely is disappointing to say the least.

The season opened with “Conviction”, an episode where right off the bat you could see that the gang working for Wolfram And Hart was destined for disaster, especially when Gunn is getting scumbags like Corbin out of jail, Harmony is a temp, Spike is unfortunately raised from the dead and a bland little liaison by the name of Eve is just plain annoying. Okay so I would take her over Linwood and Gavin any day of the week but unlike Lilah Morgan, Eve is a charisma free zone whose cat and mouse antics with Angel are not so well handled. And you think the gang in Torchwood are shite at their jobs!

Spike’s addition to the series in my book is definitely one of the worst elements to the series. Nothing against the character or even James Marsters but when you look at it realistically, what does Spike really add to the season? Is there any episode where his interactions or input don’t come across as contrived? More importantly if the WB were so desperate for a Buffy verse character to add some spice to the series, why not Faith? There are actual storylines that could’ve been explored with her, she works a hell of a lot better with the regulars than Spike does, her and Gunn would’ve made an interesting pairing and seeing as this season lacks interesting females, she would’ve been a Godsend. Also it would’ve kept Eliza Dushku away from Tru Calling and she’d have less pressure here than if she were given a Faith spin-off.

Having the bleach blond and on occasion why isn’t he gagged Spike back in the mix it means both Gunn and Lorne are surplus to requirements and the first few episodes deal with his resentment towards Angel (“Just Rewards”) and teaming up with Fred in a bid to become corporeal in werewolf tale “Unleashed” and the creepy “Hell Bound”. The season though is a lot lighter than Season Four and hilarity does rear its head in the cracking Lorne piece “Life Of The Party” but the dull “The Cautionary Tale Of Numero Cinco” reaps havoc by now having Spike as a candidate for the Shanshu prophecy.

“Lineage” gives the brilliant Alexis Denisof a powerful role to play when Wesley and his overbearing father come to a violent showdown but the impact is almost ruined when the episode’s twist is something that feels more at home on Alias than Angel.

As much as Spike grates my cheese in Season Five, the only episode in which he and Angel are actually given stuff of true substance is the rocking “Destiny”. Having more Intel on the twisted ménage a trios with these two and Drusilla in the day provides some of the most riveting flashbacks since Season Two and also the shock of dumbass Eve being in cahoots with Lindsey in an effort to bring Angel down is nicely played at the end.

The light hearted stuff is then back for “Harm’s Way”, the only instalment that bothers to make viewers try and care for Harmony. Granted Harmony isn’t quite as dreadful as you’d expect but like Spike and Eve, a lot of her scenes do ring hollow and overall these three have you missing Lilah, Cordy and Connor all the more.

Thankfully “Soul Purpose” with its Farscape hallucinatory sequences gets the series on track as Eve’s pretty obvious mind fucking seems to be unravelling while a neat exploration of a psychotic slayer and Spike’s past actions makes “Damage” hugely watchable, even if it does inflict us to the awful Andrew and has the stupid logic of the Scooby Gang turning their backs on Angel Investigations.

With the Angel gang not doing any real good at Wolfram And Hart and increasingly being undermined by the very law firm they’ve fought against in the previous four years, we really needed someone to call them out and it needed to be someone who actually had an idea of what they are talking about. Not a nerdy little freak whose loyalties could be easily swayed under certain circumstances or even a “shouldn’t he have stayed dead” vampire who really doesn’t need to be in LA but like a co-dependant puppy lingers on no less.

The person in question had to be Cordelia and with eleven episodes deprived of her, Charisma Carpenter’s one episode stint in the series 100^th episode “You’re Welcome” was the perfect opportunity to do this. Everything you loved about Cordelia was perfectly executed in easily the best episode of the season (a part of me wonders with a little tweaking that this could’ve been the series finale) – her humour, abilities to put people down at the drop of a hat, the way she scolded Angel on his choices regarding Wolfram And Hart, apologising to Wesley, taking on Lindsey (who got his own desserts) and that gorgeous, tear-jerking farewell kiss. Too bad she only appeared in one episode but at least she left Angel a more than potent parting gift.

Of course with an episode as spectacular as that, the next one was obviously going to be a disappointment and the predictable and somewhat bland “Why We Fight” disappointed in spades. I didn’t care about some guy Angel sired when he had a soul or the same guy threatening a bound and gagged Wesley, Fred and Gunn. I didn’t even care about the contrived manner in which Spike featured in the flashbacks or the way that once again, Lorne had bugger all to do. I wanted continuity on Cordelia, the gang being informed of her death, an actual funeral sequence and an exploration into both Angel and the gang’s grief over losing her. These are the things we should’ve gotten with this episode. The lame A-plot could’ve been a subplot, I think most viewers would’ve appreciated that one.

Luckily though the bitterness subsided enough for me to enjoy the hilarious but for me not the best episode of the season – “Smile Time”. Puppet Angel was fine, even funny but it was Wesley and Fred’s pairing at the end that was great.

Then came “A Hole In The World”, which was an exceptional tour de force and all, but was it really necessary to kill Fred off three weeks after Cordelia? I know Joss likes a death but there are things called limits and seeing as Season Five did lack interesting females, this latest demise while a great showcase for Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker was unjust.

Then again we should be lucky, at least Acker was still on the payroll even if she was now playing a fallen God named Illyria who has to come to the crappy realisation that she’s in a world where no-one is actually scared of her and her only faithful companion, the disturbed Knox is shot by a grief stricken Wesley in “Shells”.

Grief does funny things to Wesley such as making him shoot a random employee in the leg who wasn’t concerned about Fred’s condition, it also had him stab Gunn (who inadvertently signed the sarcophagus into Wolfram And Hart) and of course the killing of Knox.

However these are nothing compared to Wesley taking on Illyria as a pet project with varying degrees of results “Underneath”, “Origin” and “Time Bomb”. Through these episode as Illyria makes her own ham fisted way of adjusting to humanity, Gunn takes Lindsey’s place in a hellish suburban nightmare, Eve is replaced with much nastier and effective Hamilton (another Firefly alumni in Adam Baldwin), Connor reappears and so does everyone’s memories of last year while Illyria is at the receiving end of the ultimate emasculation and Gunn is brought back to the fold.

Sadly though as we get towards the end of the series, the series hits an all time low with the downright awful “The Girl In Question”, a lame assed tale (complete with embarrassing Darla/Drusilla flashbacks) where Spike and Angel head to Europe to save Buffy from The Immortal but are told from Andrew of all people to move on. Even if the series had gotten a sixth season this would still be a bad episode – you don’t even see Buffy or The Immortal and the comedy between the Rome hi jinks is too stupid for its own good. The only thing watchable about this is the cat and mouse antics with Wesley and Illyria and even that’s flawed.

The last two episodes have an arc set in place – Angel taking down both Wolfram And Hart and The Circle Of The Black Thorn and while “Power Play” is a little anti-climatic, I did enjoy learning about Angel inheriting Cordelia’s visions (why didn’t the writers bring her back for the last two?).

“Not Fade Away” is our big series ender and while I prefer Buffy’s more upbeat ending in “Chosen” a year prior, as last ever episodes go, this is good (although Six Feet Under’s “Everyone’s Waiting” is so much better).

Wesley’s death affected me, Connor and Angel teaming up to beat on Hamilton was nice as was Wolfram And Hart coming down (is Eve dead?), though things like Harmony being a traitor and Lorne coerced into murdering Lindsey was a little disappointing. Angel’s final line as he, Spike, Gunn and Illyria stood side by side to take on a hoard of baddies is also effective. This isn’t the most ideal way the series could’ve ended but unlike other series, we did get an ending that does provoke thoughts and feelings, if not entirely positive ones. Goodbye Angel, while Torchwood may be vying for your crown you were the original and you still are the best.

DVD EXTRAS: It’s the last season so the extras really had to go all out and you know what, they totally did. Disc1 has an amusing commentary for “Conviction” by Joss Whedon the “Hey Kids: It’s Smile Time” featurette to back itself up but Disc 2 was even better with both Steven S. DeKnight, David Fury, Skip Schoolnik and Juliet Landau offering their own thoughts on Angel and Spike’s chequered history in their commentary for “Destiny”. Similarly effective is the dream team of David Boreanaz, Christian Kane and Brent Fletcher for “Soul Purpose” on Disc 3. Disc 4 gives us commentaries on two of the best episodes with “You’re Welcome” (David Fury/Christian Kane/Sarah Thompson) and “A Hole In The World” (Joss Whedon/Alexis Denisof/Amy Acker) as well as pulling in Charisma Carpenter for the “Angel 100” feature while Disc 5 has Adam Baldwin, Sarah Fain, Elizabeth Craft and Skip Schoolnik for “Underneath” and a blinding feature on stunts for the episode “Shells”. Disc 6 rounds things off nicely as Jeffrey Bell talks fondly of “Not Fade Away”, while other features include the usual set of bloopers, an informative overview of the fifth season, a nice run down of Angel’s best episode (though one or two choices are mystifying) and Recurring Villainy is great for fans of Darla, Drusilla, Lilah and Lindsey. With extras as comprehensive as this, no wonder the likes of Lost and Doctor Who go all out. There is a standard here of quality and quantity that only recently TV shows on DVD are beginning to strive for.

EPISODE RATING FROM 1 TO 10:

5x01: Conviction = 9/10, 5x02: Just Rewards = 8/10,
5x03: Unleashed = 6/10, 5x04: Hell Bound = 9/10,
5x05: Life Of The Party = 8/10, 5x06: The Cautionary Tale Of Numero Cinco = 4/10,
5x07: Lineage = 9/10, 5x08: Destiny = 10/10,
5x09: Harm’s Way = 7/10, 5x10: Soul Purpose = 9/10,
5x11: Damage = 8/10, 5x12: You’re Welcome = 10/10,
5x13: Why We Fight = 5/10, 5x14: Smile Time = 8/10,
5x15: A Hole In The World = 10/10, 5x16: Shells = 9/10,
5x17: Underneath = 8/10, 5x18: Origin = 9/10,
5x19: Time Bomb = 7/10, 5x20: The Girl In Question = 3/10,
5x21: Power Play = 8/10, 5x22: Not Fade Away = 10/10.

Season Five is currently available on VHS and DVD.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HOLIDAY TRAIN SHOW AT THE BOTANICAL GARDENS

The annual Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens is spectacular. Here's a brief video blog. Below is the transcript of the video, with additional links.




TRANSCRIPT:

Hi. Here at the Enid Haupt Conservatory, this is Eric from QPORIT, posting from the New York Botanical Gardens -- which hosts the annual Holiday Train Show. It is quite amazing. There is a delightful collection of trains and trolleys, models of period houses and bridges, scaled natural scenery, and incredible model trains, that fascinates both children and adults.

Here is a model of a building – a mansion – built in 1764, that once stood on the corner of 91st and Columbus. Other landmarks, like City Hall and Gracie Mansion, New York Skyscrapers, the Statue of Liberty and the Little Red Lighthouse, do still exist and these little models make you want to visit the originals. The exhibit is detailed, fun… and huge. Leave time to take it all in, and even visit other parts of the Gardens.

The Wave Hill mansion, here – in the Bronx -- is currently a site for concerts and special exhibits.

The 250 acres of the Botanical Gardens, of course, are host to beautiful exhibits and gardens throughout the year. There’s an Orchid Show coming in February, Caribbean Colors in the spring.– And there’s miles and miles and miles for leisurely walking. Check the website for what’s in flower… And the Conservatory, where this train show is held, is always full of special plantings.

Here’s the Little Red Lighthouse. To see the real Little Red Lighthouse -- it’s tucked under the GW bridge – go to the boat basins on the Jersey side and look across the Hudson River.

I love this little winter train. The trains run – till the 7th of January – this year. And if you’ve missed it, or want to revisit, it’s worth remembering to make a trip here next year – especially with a child who loves trains, nature, or New York City.

We have all the links -- to the Botanical Gardens and the other sites we’ve mentioned -- on our website, QPORIT. www.qporit.com . Come visit us.

And finally, to conclude this preview, lets return to the model of the Conservatory, host to the Holiday Train Show.

Christmas Bargain-Bin Music Hangover

Regular #1 Hits posts will be back on Monday, just in time for the new year… but for now I have some things to finish up in 2006.

In addition to being one of the best days of the year, Christmas is also my annual time to catch up on music releases that I, for whatever reason, haven’t heard/bought yet. This year my attention was focused on three bargain-bin priced releases from artists that I’ve posted about this last year. All are undeservedly forgotten albums, and I was happy to discover that they’re all three pretty good. It’s not entirely unexpected to get burned by albums that are on sale for under five dollars on amazon, but these three were a good buy:

Tally Hall
I posted Good Day by Tally Hall a few months ago to great success, and I was eager to hear the whole album. I’m happy to report that it’s the best of the three releases. A very schizophrenic album, the band has the eccentric stylings of groups like Sparks and Of Montreal, and also a very strong Beatles influence in some songs. The record is all over the place: songs about bananas, the Olsen twins, haikus, etc. There’s even an amusing rap thrown in. The Queen-like Good Day is still the highlight, but the entire thing is remarkably consistent.

Mp3: Ruler Of Everything
Buy

Glovebox
I posted In The End by Australian duo Glovebox awhile ago and it seemed to interest a lot of you. Luckily, it’s not even the best song on the album. I recently saw the band’s video for their debut single Superstar and loved their style, so I decided to invest in the (admittedly cheap) record. It’s pretty good. There are definitely highlights with some filler surrounding them, but the whole thing ends up sounding like Anastacia if she hadn’t gone rock.

Mp3: Serendipity
Buy

De Novo Dahl
I posted Shout by these guys awhile ago and it seemed to go somewhat unnoticed, but I loved it, so I picked up their earlier album, an interesting two disc set called Cats & Kittens. Both discs contain the same songs, but Kittens is in remixed form. I actually haven’t listened to Kittens yet… still digesting the original versions. What I hear is fantastic Cars-esque power pop that, at very brief moments, almost reminds me of my beloved Ark. It’s actually better than their new stuff.

Mp3: All Over Town
Buy

Angel - Season 4 Review

US Airdate on the WB: October 6^th 2002 – May 7^th 2003

The Apocalypse hits LA and it has big intentions on staying put as our gang through further life changes. Cordelia sees herself as a paramour to both Angel and Connor as an entity named Jasmine takes control of her, Fred and Gunn head for Splitsville, Wesley and Lilah’s affair ends in death, Lorne is dragged back from Las Vegas and a slew of baddies reign supreme.

The Lights Are Out And They’re Not Alone – To a lot of people, Season Four might be the most jarring season of Angel and for some odd reason, it happens to be the best. This is strange because there is a fair amount of stuff I can pick fault with but even when I do, even I have come round to this season in particular after some repeated airings and watching it as a whole on DVD and to enjoy this particular season on Angel, I strongly urge watching it on DVD as opposed to the TV format.

As Season Three left off with an interesting cliff hanger, the first episode “Deep Down” manages to actually surpass it with some deliriously uncomfortable fantasy sequences that would be more suited to either Farscape or Six Feet Under but mainly three months later, it goes to show that Fred and Gunn are just about holding on, Connor is sullen personified, Justine is a pathetic mess (no wonder she was kept in a closet), Wesley is getting his rocks with Lilah, who does everyone a major favour and gets rid of Linwood while keeping the equally bland Gavin in line and oh yeah, Cordelia is in Higher Plane heaven and Angel at the bottom of the sea.

Angel’s rescue to me in a way more or less validates Wesley and should reaffirm the gang’s trust in him but for some reason not everyone wants him back and the spat between Angel and Connor sets the tone for this season – Angel will try to be a father while Connor will choose to believe everyone but his father. Once or twice you can understand it but Connor’s consistent gullibility will test the patience of a Saint at times.

With Angel back in the fold, both “Ground State” and “The House Always Wins” are key in pulling both Cordelia and Lorne back into the mix and while they’re not the strongest of episodes, moments like Fred going Pylean, Gunn’s near death experience and moderately okay mutant thief Gwen. Lorne’s return isn’t exactly excitement central but Cordelia’s is every bit as mysterious as it’s arbitrary and the convenient amnesia that bestows her in “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” has a certain amount of emotional resonance but once again Lorne gets the shit beaten out of him when he uncovers something about Miss Chase and a triangle between Angel, Cordy and the nihilistic Connor is yuck beyond words. After all Cordy played surrogate mom to this kid last season and seeing the two of them fornicate in “Apocalypse Nowish” isn’t a pretty sight by any means.

Better handled is the quadrangle between Wesley, Lilah, Gunn and Fred, mainly due to the leaps and bounds of Alexis Denisof, Stephanie Romanov, J. August Richards and Amy Acker. As plots go this is so riveting. It’s nice to see Gunn and Fred’s relationship actually be challenged, especially in the rather boring “Supersymmetry” when Fred contemplates murdering the man who sent her to Pylea and Gunn alleviates her conscience by carrying it off. Wesley and Lilah’s affair may not have lasted as oh say Buffy/Spike but it’s similar in tone and oddly somewhat more effective. I hate to admit it but some sympathy is drawn for Lilah as she feels more for the world weary former watcher than he does for and their break-up in “Habeas Corpses” has Lilah come out with the most perceptive comment and best way of describing Angel the series as a whole.

Of course personal dynamics aside, Season Four actually has an ongoing plot and it involves and as the “Tabula Rasa” influenced “Spin The Bottle” showed in its very last moments, The Beast is making his way to LA and he has every intention of blocking out the sun and there’s not a thing Angel and company can do about it. “Apocalypse Nowish” had The Beast rise from where Connor was born, Angel battered and the sky raining fire in one of the most breathtaking sequences of the show as “Habeas Corpses” had Wolfram And Hart slaughtered, Lilah made into a fugitive and Cordelia getting a hell of a dressing down from Angel.

The next three episodes proved pretty potent as “Long Day’s Journey” threw in the bomb about The Beast and Angelus being former allies as the sun was blocked out and the Ra Tet was destroyed while “Awakening” pulled the “it’s all but a dream” when Angel and Cordy bonked and the former became Angelus. Of course this didn’t actually happen but for an episode which is more in line of the bait and switch tactics of Alias, it works pretty damn well. It’s a shame then that “Soulless” is nothing more than long speeches, pissing contents between Wesley and Gunn over Fred, Angelus taunting the disillusioned crew and moderately okay flashbacks because Lord Of The Rings’ Sean Astin does a good directorial job no less.

But being into the second half of the season, “Calvary” provides some truly inspired shockers in its wake. First off all it’s beyond great to know that both Angelus and The Beast are pawns in this big apocalypse but it’s also quite eerie to realise our big bad is Cordelia of all people. Hasn’t Joss had enough of turning his good guys evil? Apparently not as a reported feud between him and Charisma Carpenter saw the latter’s real life pregnancy in the show written in a way that not only devolves Cordelia but does Connor little favours in the process as he gets sucked into her mind games and evil schemes.

With Lilah getting a particularly violent death and Angelus on the loose (along with Connor being a pain in the ass), “Salvage” saw the most welcomed character return as Faith busted herself out of the big house and once Eliza Dushku positively sparks with everyone she encounters, particularly when she faces Angelus and the two of them go all out to best the other in pretty gruesome “Release”. Angelus may be clever but it seems so is Faith and Wesley as “Orpheus” has both slayer and vampire sharing an inspired coma and not even Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” can put you off this. This is easily the best episode of the season, especially when a bright and bubbly Willow has her own magic fight with Cordy who ends the episode in spectacular fashion by revealing to all and sundry that she’s knocked up and this is after we get Angel back.

With only seven episodes left in the season, you do wonder how many more surprises we can be inflicted to and although neither Cordy or Connor benefit well towards the end both Charisma Carpenter and Vincent Kartheiser do give it their all so more a case of bad Joss when “Players” and “Inside Out” show the extremes both of them take in order for Goddess Jasmine to be born. Dark and disturbing the latte episode also sees the return of Darla and the arrival of Gina Torres.

Fresh from Firefly, Torres has a wonderful ethereal quality that makes you understand why so many people have no qualms in succumbing to Jasmine’s thrall. Physically Jasmine is a stunner and “Shiny Happy People” sees her as something genuinely compassion and it’s the first time all season that Angel and Connor agree on anything to be honest.

However you just know that something doesn’t add up with Jasmine. After all, why all the darkness and slaughter to be born and Fred being put against her friends when she becomes privy to Jasmine’s true intentions (devour humans more or less) in “The Magic Bullet” showcases more of Amy Acker’s talents.

One by one everyone except Connor begins to realise that Jasmine is bad news and with them all getting captured at the end of “Sacrifice” while Angel blurts out Jasmine’s true name in “Peace Out”, Connor’s ongoing struggle to find a good lie to believe is creepy. You feel bad for the lad but at this rate you can’t help but want to scream at him to side with his father.

The season delivers the best ending with the ambiguous “Home”, originally designed as a prelude to Season Five or a series finale if the WB didn’t renew the show (and they really fucked with the scheduling for this season). I loved Lilah’s return, could deal with the way both Cordelia and Connor were exited (that doesn’t mean they should’ve been) and the gang taking the reigns of Wolfram And Hart had potential. This season was so brilliant and exhausting to watch that an ending less action packed worked in its favour.

DVD EXTRAS: Again more brilliance on this front. Starting with Disc 1, there’s a fairly interesting commentary on “The House Always Wins” with David Fury and Andy Hallett while Disc 2 has commentaries for “Spin The Bottle” (Joss Whedon/Alexis Denisof) and “Apocalypse Nowish” (Steven S. DeKnight/Vern Gillum) as well as a featurette regarding the apocalypse. Disc 3 has Buffy/Angel trailers for both shows on DVD while Disc 4 has a commentary for “Orpheus” director Terrence O’Hara and oddly Jeffrey Bell. Disc 5 is only commentary filled with ones for “Inside Out” (Steven S. DeKnight) and “The Magic Bullet” (Jeffrey Bell). Disc 6 finishes proceeding off with Tim Minear providing all on his last episode “Home” and there are featurettes regarding a Season 4 overview, a look at Wolfram And Hart, Monsters, and The Hyperion etc.

EPISODE RATING FROM 1 TO 10:

4x01: Deep Down = 9/10, 4x02: Ground State = 7/10,
4x03: The House Always Wins = 7/10, 4x04: Slouching Toward Bethlehem = 8/10,
4x05: Supersymmetry = 6/10, 4x06: Spin The Bottle = 8/10,
4x07: Apocalypse Nowish = 10/10, 4x08: Habeas Corpses = 8/10,
4x09: Long Day’s Journey = 7/10, 4x10: Awakening = 9/10,
4x11: Soulless = 7/10, 4x12: Calvary = 9/10,
4x13: Salvage = 9/10, 4x14: Release = 8/10,
4x15: Orpheus = 10/10, 4x16: Players = 7/10,
4x17: Inside Out = 8/10, 4x18: Shiny Happy People = 7/10,
4x19: The Magic Bullet = 8/10, 4x20: Sacrifice = 7/10,
4x21: Peace Out = 9/10, 4x22: Home = 10/10.

Season Four is currently available on VHS and DVD.

02. Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah
They did it before in 2004 with their debut, and if it wasn't for tougher-than-nails competition this year, they would have had the number one album again. Ta-Dah, more than anything, proved that the band had staying power. A carnival of pop styles that manages to be at once dark and dancible, the album really has something for everyone. Combined with their debut, unreleased demo and mountain of b-sides, Scissor Sisters are the band to beat in 2007.

Album Track: Might Tell You Tonight - The sweetest and most subdued track on the album, it sounds like a long-lost AM radio classic, and it will be a shame if it's not released as a single. Of all the tracks on Ta-Dah, I think it has the most staying power.

01. Delays - You See Colours
I still remember the first time I listened to this album. It was one of those knock-you-over-the-head, practically religious experiences that you can only get with transcendent pop music. Classic after classic, You See Colours is unlike any other album out there. Smart pop is hard to find, and even harder to market (as evidenced by YSC's poor chart performance). Basically, I could go on and on about this miraculous album. If you don't have it yet (and apparently not many people do), buy it as quickly as you can. You will not be sorry.

Album Track: Given Time - One of what I consider to be the album's unsung tracks, Given Time possesses one of those huge, magical choruses that'll hook you right off the start.

5. The Killers - When You Were Young
Biggest single yet from Las Vegas' favorite rockers... epic riffs meld with Meat Loaf-esque vocals to create something timeless.

4. My Chemical Romance - Welcome To The Black Parade
Former screamo quintet go all Queen on us... craft the single of their career in the process.

3. Mika - Love Today
Delightful pop truffle mixes the best of Prince, Scissor Sisters and Freddie Mercury... an anthem in waiting.

2. Scissor Sisters - Don’t Feel Like Dancing
The catchiest single this year, and an amazing success for a band that I didn't think could get any better... unavoidable.

1. Delays - Valentine
Ultra-clever pop rocker about life-or-death love amidst Hurricane Katrina... epic, epic, epic. Undoubtedly the single of the year.

4. The Alpine - On Feel Trips
My favorite debut of the year, The Alpine have the gift of creating perfect power-pop. Any band that can make this type of music sound so life-affirming deserves all of the success they get. On Feel Trips is a whopper of an album. There's barely room to breathe between one huge epic chorus and the next. They've really found the perfect blend between girl/boy vocals, guitar and keys.

Album Track: Iceland - Not one of the band's most uptempo cuts, but definitely one of their most catchy, this atmospheric ballad is so gigantic that you could probably hear it all the way from Iceland.

3. Melody Club - Scream
A ridiculously fun pop release from one of my favorite pop bands, this is the kind of music that should be setting radio waves on fire, yet seems only to gain any sort of success in Scandinavia. Comprised of eleven tracks that recall the best of the eighties, Scream is the band's funkiest, most propulsive effort to date, and one of the best pop albums of the year.

Album Track: Last Girl On My Mind - A hotbed of hooks, the anthematic Last Girl On My Mind is one of the album's early highlights, opening with stabbing strings and only getting better from there.

10. The Alpine - Mondays Look The Same
Peppy power pop anthem... kinda angry, but sounds absolutely joyous.

9. Melody Club - Destiny Calling
Swedish band's most direct single yet... mature and shimmering pop.

8. Alphabeat - Fascination
Quirky candy pop from multigender Danish group... inescapable from the very first listen.

7. Mika - Relax, Take It Easy
Scissor Sisters-esque dance rock... timeless in its simplicity and verve.

6. The Zutons - Valerie
My summer song of the year... perfect for backyard barbeques or days at the beach.

6. The Killers - Sam's Town
A highly touted and much criticized follow up to the Killers' beloved debut, Sam's Town is probably the best on-the-road album of the year. Huge choruses and overblown lyrics highlight this delightfully schmaltzy (but ultimately affirming) release. A pretty big departure from the Killers' earlier sound, it is successful because of its earnest nature and its big ambitions.

Album Track: Why Do I Keep Counting - The All These Things That I've Done of the album, this gorgeous, building ballad nearly caps off Sam's Town in perfect form. It's practically built for the stage of a rock opera.

5. Under The Influence Of Giants
Fusing disco, funk and rock in a near-perfect combination, UTIOG were one of the most promising new bands to come out this year. Listening to the album is in many ways like reverting back to the best of seventies soft-rock, disco and pop. In addition to the requisite dance floor stompers, the band excels at the mushy ballad too, evidenced by Stay Illogical.

Album Track: Faces - A propulsive, insanely catchy (and funky) disco-rock confection, Faces comes late in the album and is only the icing on an already miraculous cake.

15. The Feeling - Sewn
Epic lighters-in-the-air ballad... shake that ass Danny boy!

14. Razorlight - In The Morning
Crazy-catchy AM radio throwback... pop swagger never sounded better.

13. Bodies Without Organs - Temple Of Love
Catchiest offering yet from Swedish trio... a temple a sizable amount of us wouldn't mind visiting.

12. Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy
Throwback pop/soul from group to watch in 2007... demands shaking.

11. Linda Sundblad - Oh Father
Subversive Madonna-esque pop with glossy melody... Sundblad's perfect solo introduction.

YOUR BEST GUESS

Add YOUR BEST GUESS on what will happen in the future to our new blog

Your Best Guess (YourBestGuess.blogspot.com) .

We'll be posing the questions you want answered, and you'll be able to weigh in with your answers and the reasons you give.. Well keep a running tally of the results, and the explanations...

It's the part of our project


HOW TO PREDICT THE FUTURE
AN EVENING OF SCIENCE THEATER


that gives YOU (see Time magazine) the chance to post your best guesses on the answers to questions about what will happen in the future.

In my continuing file hosting drama, all files for the time being will be posted via yousendit, which means that they will be available for one week only. As of this moment I just don't have enough bandwidth to do it anyway else. Hopefully I will be able to find a new host in the near future. Until then, come back often to hear the music!

8. Whyte Seeds - Bold As Love
The best classically influenced rock album of the year, Bold As Love steals elements from the 60's, 70's and 80's and melds them into a surprisingly potent mix. The songs don't hit you over the head the very first listen, but their melodies quickly become inescapable. The verve of the band's performance guarantees that every track reaches its full potential, whether it's a dance rock hybrid or a gentle Beatles-esque ballad.

Album Track: Hungry - Opening the album with an undeniable riff, this was the song that sold me on the album. More than anything, it's the energy of the track that makes it so irresistible.

7. Linda Sundblad - Oh My God!
The female pop album of the year, hands down, belongs to this young Swede. Like all the best pop stars, Sundblad proves herself adept at a variety of styles, from Madonna-esque dance to more current spare, electronica-tinged tracks. Those waiting patiently for a new Robyn release could do worse than picking this up.

Album Track: Keeper - Note to Gwen and Fergie: This is how to do a hip-hop/dance/electronic/pop hybrid. Keeper is a strange little song that takes a few listens to appreciate fully, but unlike most disposable pop, it pulls you back in every time you hear it.

20. The Sounds - Song With A Mission
Swedish dance-rock group adds Rolling Stones riffs and gospel ad-libs to its sound... a guaranteed party starter.

19. Scissor Sisters - Land Of A Thousand Words
Epic ballad for nonexistant Bond film... a deserving successor to Mary.

18. Revl9n - Walking Machine
Otherworldly electroclash from a group of sexy Swedish aliens... nominee for video of the year as well.

17. The Automatic - Monster
Stadium song of the year... the goofy chorus was impossible to pry from your brain.

16. Bodies Without Organs - We Could Be Heroes
Near perfect cheesy euro-ballad... belongs in a textbook on how to write a hit single.

NEXT DOOR

Don't let the title fool you. Next Door is a Norwegian language film, Naboer, with subtitles. It is not in English. You have to read the fine print on the DVD box to discover this!

That said, this a better than average violent psycho-sexual drama with high tension. All the actors (Kristoffer Joner, Cecilie A. Mosli, Julia Schacht -- with an especially demanding role, Anna Bache-Wiig, and Michael Nyqvist) are very good and interesting to look at. The film is well made on several levels, including script and direction by Pål Sletaune -- a director to watch. The music, art direction, and other technical credits are excellent as well.

MODEL RAILROAD EXHIBITIONS

Model railroad exhibitions in New York:

At the Bronx Botanical Gardens.

At the Citicorp Center.

At Grand Central Station, the Fifth Annual Holiday Train Show at Grand Central.

In Brooklyn.



And here's a guide to other exhibitions around the country.

I'd like to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas! I hope everybody has a fun, relaxing day tomorrow. For now, I have a few early Christmas gifts for you!

First off, my best gift so far has been a short snippet of the Ark's new single "Absolutely No Decorum," over at their website. From what I can hear, it sounds like another future classic from my favorite band. Kind of a cross between Calleth You, Cometh I and One Of Us Is Gonna Die Young... brilliant already.

Speaking of the Ark (and really, when am I not speaking of them?), they also released a very old performance video of the Christmas classic O Helga Natt (O Holy Night for those who don't speak Swedish). I've got the video and the mp3 for you today.



The Ark - O Helga Natt

Third, (even though it's been posted all over the place already) I just had to post my favorite modern day Christmas song (forgetting of course that Mariah Carey's brilliant All I Want For Christmas doesn't exist). Darren's gives us the definitive version of this Wham classic and turns it into a brilliant pop song, Christmas or no Christmas.

Darren Hayes - Last Christmas

Finally, I'm posting quite possibly the worst Christmas song (and video) ever. There are people who love this, and for those that do... stop reading now. Christmas Shoes is the most schmaltzy, overdone thing I have heard this season. The singing coupled with the banal lyrics gets me everytime. The thing is, if you don't laugh at this, it really is one of the most depressing songs ever recorded. Don't get me wrong... I am not against "heartwarming" stuff, but god that chorus is lame.



I'll be back the day after Christmas to continue the end-of-the-year countdowns!

In a year full of pop gems there's bound to also be some stinkers. Here are six songs I never want to hear again…

6. Justin Timberlake - Sexy/Back
Okay, so it was tolerable the first few times. It even seemed innovative. Then, everyone started quoting it. Everyone was bringing their sexy back, even those who had obviously never had it in the first place. When a song becomes a catchphrase, it’s all over for me.

5. Pink - Stupid Girls
A very lukewarm return from a once promising new star. If you’re going to try your hand at satire, please don’t be so obvious. The circa 1999 hip hop beat didn’t help, either.

4. Vincent - Paradise
Proving that not all Swedish music is created equal, this song proudly owns the worse chorus of the year. Infuriatingly spelling out the title (with a “the” in front of each letter) over and over again, I cringed every time I heard it.

3. Beyonce - Ring The Alarm
Clattering, squawking mess that instantly revoked my fan status. If I wanted to hear a hissy fit like this I’d turn on Jerry Springer.

2. Fergie - London Bridge
An inferior Gwen Stefani sound-alike, Fergie couldn’t even the name of the bridge right. Annoyingly this went to number one in America. It only shows our ignorance.

1. Hinder - Lips Of An Angel
A wimpy breakthrough from self-professed saviors of rock and roll. And what do they give us? A soggy, misogynistic pop ballad that manages the amazing feat of being sub-Nickelback. It’s worse every time I hear it.

10. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Another surprise entrance into my list, MCR managed to create something that, while not straying completely from their sound, loosened them up and freed them from the confines of a screamo stereotype. I'm a sucker for rock operas, and MCR's is right up there with recent efforts from Green Day and the Killers. Surprising in its scope, The Black Parade finds the band at their undisputed pinnacle.

Album Track: Disenchanted - A more subdued track from the band, this song has one of the best melodies and vocal performances of the year. More than almost any other track the band's recorded, Disenchanted is a classic, epic pop song.

9. McFly - Motion In The Ocean
The fact that this album made the countdown (and so high) surprised the hell out of me. I never thought a McFly album would end up in my top ten, but here we are. A cornucopia of power pop styles, this is a mature yet youthful effort. Each song is its own entity and the boys imbue every of the album's many styles with a sense of urgency and playfulness. Motion really is the album that should catapult McFly to a wider audience. I have yet to play it for someone who didn't instantly love it.

Album Track: Transylvania - A bizarre marching band/opera/pop song hybrid that's unrivaled in its joyful weirdness, it is one of the standouts of the band's career, begging to be a single.

25. McFly - Friday Night
Schizophrenic sorta-boyband cribs Def Leppard's power metal... bombast never sounded better.

24. The Kooks - She Moves In Her Own Way
The sound of a late summer afternoon by the pool... subtle, yet inescapable.

23. Mika - Grace Kelly
Madcap cartoon put to music... music's new hope reincarnates Freddie Mercury and throws in some Robbie for good measure, too.

22. Boy Kill Boy - Suzie
Snarly British version of the Killers at their catchiest... squeaky synths battle with a monster hook.

21. White Rose Movement - Girls In The Back
To the sound of a cracking whip WRM recalled the best of Devo and Adam Ant... shockingly few listeners took notice.