Welcome to the Third Annual AC1 Week!

I can't believe I've been doing this for so long! Ya see, folks: It takes commitment to do a blog. I haven't found stats on this yet, but it seems that most blogs that are out there don't make it very far. Almost every blog I find on blogger either only has one entry, is a spam blog, or hasn't been updated in 2 or 3 years. For those that make it, they usually have a rabid readership that keeps the discussion afloat, and a benign, benevolent moderator that has attained demigod status. That kind of thing can keep you propped up for a while, too, I would guess.

But imagine how much effort it takes to come back and post to a blog that you know is NOT going to be read? That, I believe, is the truest form of commitment you could ever witness. Blind faith in the process is what that is. So now, once again, to honor that blind faith, I will spend time each day this week (and maybe beyond, since I have so many songs I want to share with you) telling you about music I lovers.

I'm gonna kick off with something fresh, but then I'm gonna jump back in time and do a little of that catching up. So hang with me:

I've liked Spoon for quite a few years. Ever since I discovered "Lines in the Suit."
And though I wasn't overwhelmed by Gimme Fiction. I was very excited to see Spoon join up with Merge records for that release. Most folks don't care too much about labels. Even in the indie scene where a label can define a scene even better than a savvy concert promoter or club owner. Labels only seem to matter when someone leaves an indie and goes major (like the furor over Death Cab or Modest Mouse, and I dare you to find a review of the new Interpol album that doesn't mention that this is their major label debut).

But for me, I've paid some reasonable attention to labels over the years, mainly because I've been on mailing lists for SubPop, Mammoth, Bar None, V2, Barsuk, and naturally: Merge. So I have seen their efforts in promoting and building image with their acts.

Merge must have done something right in the last few years. I mean, I'm sure that they are artist-friendly and great to work with. But how can you just use those categories to explain a roster like: M. Ward, Matt Suggs, Magnetic Fields, Dinosaur Jr. and Lou Barlow, Imperial Teens, American Music Club, and (OMG!) The Arcade Fire.

I was a fan of Merge when they had a small roster that was mostly made of the superb Superchunk. I never imagined that they would end up the nexus not of a "scene" but of an amazing tapestry-like world of music and art.

But indeed, they have. And this album from Spoon (Austinites, if you wanna talk about scenes...), called Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is a great reflection of Merge's new place in the music industry. And they do have a place. Unlike all of the other labels I mentioned, only Merge has scored multiple top-10 Billboard Album debuts in 2007. Nice.

This track is wonderful. It keeps the stripped Spoon feel but nicely flourishes with horns and spasmodic experimental percussion. It's actually a pretty nice summer road trip song. This one will keep me going for a while, and for that reason, it's today's.... AC1!

And in a special note:

Hey all. I would love to be one of those cool MP3 blogs that you see all over the place, but I just can't bear stealing other people's music and then giving it away. Though I love those blogs, because (natch), they help me find new music that I can hear and have NOW, I am not that brave... But, from now on, I am going to try and find links so you can connect to a stream or a video or something, to be able to hear the song. Today's song can be seen(!) and heard by clicking the title for this post.

Happy AC1 WEEK!