Hello all. If you have been missing my drunken musings about music—because we all know a week without Driveway to Driveway is a bad week—the wait is over. If you didn’t know I had a column (as well as providing you your songs,and doing the colorful Weekly Music Roundups), well I do, and here it is.

I’ve made my love for all things hip-hop well known, but something you might not know about me is my love for RPGs (role-playing games). When I say that, I mean: single player turn-based RPGs (sorry WoWers). One of my all time favorite RPGs is Final Fantasy VII. I’ve played it so many times I wonder how the discs stay intact.

We lost many talented artists in 2009 making it a pretty tragic year. Those hoping for a better year in 2010 were given the first shocks. Yesterday, we lost R&B artist Teddy Pendergrass and musician Jay Reatard, who found dead at his home. He was 29. Reatard had been making music since 1995, playing in various bands in his home of Memphis, TN. With the support of local labels like Goner records, Retard went on to have a solo career issuing countless singles and a full length on In the Red. In 2008, Reatard was picked up by Matador Records, which he went on to release another singles collection, as well what would become his last full length, Watch Me Fall.

Hello, and welcome to 2010. I did one of these round-ups last year profiling new releases and things I am getting psyched on, so I figure I’ll give it another go. And, goddamn, just looking at the releases from next week until March, I am already in heaven!

This didn’t get to go up last week, so I’ve decided instead of writing at length about why I love these records so much, I would just let the music do the talking. Here are my top 5 records of 2009 complete with song clips. Be back next week for 2010.

Holy shit, is it December? Well, that means end-of-the-year lists. And since I have already wrapped up my decade, I’m going to coast out 2009 with my 25 (or so) favorite records from this year. If you would like to argue about placement or whatever, drop me a line, otherwise—sit back and relax.

Holy shit, is it December? Well, that means end-of-the-year lists. And since I have already wrapped up my decade, I’m going to coast out 2009 with my 25 (or so) favorite records from this year. If you would like to argue about placement or whatever, drop me a line, otherwise—sit back and relax.

Holy shit, is it December? Well, that means end-of-the-year lists. And since I have already wrapped up my decade, I’m going to coast out 2009 with my 25 (or so) favorite records from this year. If you would like to argue about placement or whatever, drop me a line, otherwise—sit back and relax.

Holy shit, is it December? Well, that means end-of-the-year lists. And since I have already wrapped up my decade, I’m going to coast out 2009 with my 25 (or so) favorite records from this year. If you would like to argue about placement or whatever, drop me a line, otherwise—sit back and relax.

Forget what you’ve heard, and know, about Ms. Gaga. Sure, she’s a gay icon. She’s redefining fashion, even if that means recycling Rosin Murphy outfits—I mean sure Rosin’s fantastic, but Gaga’s made your shit famous. Most people who read this site might despise her, but secretly bump her music when no one’s looking. Let me come out and say, I’ve never kept my affection secret. But let’s talk about the reason Lady Gaga even crossed our radar: the music.