Hey Chris - great summary of the day, it made me feel like I was there!

Basically inspired by Matt Ashworth's previous post, I'm curious as to what "hip young people" are listening to these days. It's also one of my favorite questions upon meeting someone for the first time, it can tell you a lot about them. . .

My top three right now:

1. Wilco's "Sky Blue Sky": Jeff Tweedy gets rid of artsy noise guy Jim O'Rourke and creates a beautiful, layed-back masterpiece. Makes me want to crack a beer and lay out in the sun. In serious contention for album of the year. . .

2. Thurston's "Trees Outside the Academy": Although I disagree with him only using his first name (who does he think he is Cher?) Sonic Youth's main man releases a quiet, surprisingly pretty record. Featuring mostly acoustic guitar in regular tuning, violin, and soft vocals, this is Thurston stripped down to his most innocent, introspective self.

3. Pinback's "Autumn of the Seraphs": Picking right up where they left off with 2004's "Summer in Abbadon," "Seraphs" finds Pinback in familiar indie-pop territory. Programmed drums, tasty vocal harmonization, and enough giant hooks to land a monster fish. Consider this the "feel-good-summertime-head-bobbing" soundtrack.