The PopCast with Andrew Rose

Episode 50! A special extended 2008 year in review episode! PopCast #50 - 2008 is Broken (for Henry) Actually, I know that I've done way more than 50 of these things since I started this podcast back in 2005. Chalk it up to way too many "Side A"s and "Part 2s". It being a special end of year wrap-up, and twice as long as your standard episode, there was no way I was going to call it "Episode 47" or something lame like that. So here you have it, ten songs from ten great albums that came out this year, plus some extra nuggets. Dedicated to Henry Benjamin Rose, born October 30th, 2008!

It's finally here, I can finally get Jack Dylan off my case and say a proper goodbye to 2007...in March. I'll spare you the details of how it came to be that we've not gone live with this until now, but this episode was finished in January, and caps off the Top Ten International Albums countdown we began on Episode 45B Part 1. PopCast #45B - Part 2 [We're Not Here] Lots of Jack Dylan rambling, some amazing songs, and attitude advice. As always, it's anybody's guess as to what happens from here, but I'm sure Jack will be on my case when he returns from Japan... Enjoy.

The glowing blind spot of 2007, featuring everything not packed into the more conventional countdowns and wrap-ups of the year gone by (ie. episode 45, Sides A and B ...). In this episode I take advantage of Jack Dylan's overseas incompetence (ie. Part 2 of Side B is coming soon) to deliver a kind of outtakes intermission ... touching on some late discoveries / oversights from 2007, some reissues, some covers, and some soundtrack samplings. Maybe my favourite of the 2007-in-review-bunch. Anyway, by some calendars, we're only a couple of days into the new year. We'll dedicate this one to Heath Ledger; may it carry him through the afterlife. PopCast #45C [I Want You to Know - 2007 Covers, Reissues, Soundtracks, and Oversights] Featuring: Ólöf Arnalds, Sandro Perri, Elfin Saddle, Wilco, Nelson Angelo e Joyce, Stephen Malkmus, Peter Sarstedt, Jonny Greenwood, Sunset Rubdown, Andrew Bird, CSS.

One of the things I love about doing the PopCast is being able to highlight songs, albums, and artists of recent memory, but without the sometimes over-anxious pace of breaking news, leaks, debuts, and scoops. Now, you could say that's a convenient excuse for laziness or journalistic resignation, or say, finally putting the finishing touches on a 2007 wrap-up in February, and you might be right. But at least by the time anyone hears this (does anyone still listen to these? Matt Shane doesn't think so...), they will have long since stopped caring about who made what top ten. And rightly so. Yes, this is Side B of Episode 45 [the mass we left behind]. Where Side A was "Canadian/Montreal" 2007 countdown of sorts, Side B hits up all those other great records from the year gone by, the one we've left behind. We've even split this into two further parts, partly to confuse things, and partly because Jack Dylan (who now fancies himself a full fledged co-host) thought it would be appropriate given the length of the episode. While I don't know if I should pass over "production" duties to him (Part 2 will surface as soon as I undo the damage he's done to it), he might be right in this regard. Jack likes to talk. I don't know if all this talking is a good thing or a bad thing, but these songs are pretty great. And I do like the little doodles he's been making lately. Rumours of an additional pod-pop-show are bubbling as young prospects appear to be eyeing for ice-time all over. If the Habs have taught us anything this year, it's that every organization needs a good crop of up and coming talent to carry and develop the load. So bring it, kids! Jack is off to Japan for a couple months, where he'll be filing field reports...and the PopCast, whatever it is, continues to rattle along. Enjoy!

PopCast #45 (Side A): Emotional Rescue (Canada 07) The PopCast commences it's end of year wrap up with a look at the best Canadian albums of the year, and welcomes Jack Dylan as official co-host alongside Andrew Rose....leave your cats at home; this one gets heavy.