Weekly Music Thread: Nothing To Do With Xmas Edition

According to my infallible instincts, it's time for another edition of the WMT.  In this week's installment, I promise to try not to crap all over this thread.  In any case, questions regarding both the best of 2008 and the best we were introduced to in 2008 have been addressed, so we might as well wrap up and move on to 2009.  Are there any releases you're looking forward to this year?  Heard any good leaks yet?  Any directions you been thinkin bout explorin? 

The three that come to mind to me are AC Newman, Andrew Bird and Neko Case, all of which are supposed to come out in the first quarter of 2009.  Neko's is the only of the trio who's album I've yet to come across a leak of.  Get Guilty, the new ACN, isn't the departure that The Slow Wonder was, especially squished between Electric Version and Twin Cinema.  It sounds to me like Carl is still exploring the structures and sounds from Challengers, but I pretty much love everything he does no matter what and this is no exception.   As for the Bird album, I find myself thinking he peaked on Mysterious Production.  Or at least I wish he had pushed that direction to the one he picked for Armchair and is following on Noble Beast.  Still, I haven't given this one enough time yet.

I do also want to make one more plug for albums of the year in 2008.  Paul Westerberg released an album (download only afaik) called 49:00 that just comes in one giant file with no means to skip tracks.  It's a little frustrating because it means you have to really commit to listening to the album and it's the bigggest reason why I haven't given it as much time as it deserves.  But I love the Replacements and Westerberg is just so damn good at his rock/punk/pop fusion that I can't help but be drawn in.  Especially when he makes the first fifteen minutes so catchy.