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10.Magma live at Highline Ballroom - even the bourgeois seating plan of that shithole couldn't ruin the waves of Zeuhl beauty flowing from the stage. One of those rare occurences where an artist that arguably peaked over 30 years ago can still write interesting material. I still don't know what the fuck Vander is talking about.

9.Hexbreaker Quintet @ Port D'or - yeah, theyre all buddies but if they sucked I'd tell you. definitely worth the trip to the hinterlands of Brooklyn.

8. Nurture Abuse @ 13 Thames - perfomance was great, but the "West Side Story" like fracas between the early noise show scum and the coked out party fucks swooping in for the late show rave was even better.

7.Northampton Wools @ The Rock Shop - Nace/Moore with the addition of Corsano. Looks good on paper, sounds better in person. Bill and Thurston may be the best gtr combo since Betts/Allman. Corsano proving once again to be one of the best listeners around.

6.Lussuria "Silk and Honey" CS (Hospital) - 20 minutes of dark ambient with one of the best vocal samples ever.

5. Trepaneringsritualen "Septentrional" (Hanson) - sick, twisted industrial blackness from the always reliable Hanson Records. They don't have a porn star in the band so I doubt anyone cares.

4. Sawyer/Yeh/Wooley @ union pool - improv from three of the finest this pathetic city has to offer. this set made me hard and despite me slobbering congratulations all over him everytime we meet, Wooley is still a prick to me.

3. C.Lavender/Ceci Moss @ Triple Canopy - real women doing real noise.

2. Yellow Swans "Going Places" (Type) - yeah, they toned it down somewhat from earlier work but this record is so intricately layered and constructed it hits every sweet spot in my body. the warmest record ive heard in a long time.

1.Mark Mcguire - Please don't lump this guy in with the tidal waves of nu-age garbage that has been rolling through the blogosphere. I've been brought to tears listening to the simple majestic beauty of Mcguire's guitar excursions both live and on record which probably means I'm a giant pussy but fuck it. This isn't some kid fucking around with expensive toys trying to pretend its Berlin in 1977. Totally outside of any trend/genre, Mcguire makes music that will be cherished for years to come while his peers move on to exciting careers as publicists,hedge fund managers and professional vacationers.