My favorite albums of the moment

Please note: all could change in the blink of an eye. However, this will do for now. Simply ignore that much of what follows could have been filed under My Favorite Eponimously Named Albums of the Moment. "Truth in Advertising," as that maniac painter of my ill-fated acquaintance used to say.

1. The Hal al Shedad by The Hal al Shedad. Spitting, angular, and supremely difficult music with amazing lyrics and a heavy Slint-meets-Sonic-Youth-at-your-sister's-graduation-party kind of vibe.

2. B-52's by The B-52's. Pulled this one out tonight (I still have it on LP, natch) and played the A side for Kira. She dug it. I dug it. Great guitar tone, and it sounds like it was recorded in a room with walls covered twelve feet thick in cotton. Strangely, that's a good aesthetic. Plus, the album flat out rocks.

3. Special Beat Service by The English Beat. I remember arriving at the end of one of my high school's football games with the express purpose of finding Jill, the coolest gal I knew, and putting this tape in her hands. It's that kind of album. Fast forward to earlier today, when Kira and I walked past a duo playing a steel-drum version of "Ackee 1-2-3" at a sidewalk festival. I swear the universe is conspiring to make me happy.

4. All the Best Cowboys have Chinese Eyes by Pete Townshend. Even cooler because an episode of Lost is named after it. I remember being quite taken, years ago, with the video for "Face Dances II," which is what initially made me buy the album. Every track is good, but his rendition of the old folk standard "North Country Girl" takes the cake for me every time. A brilliant album.

5. Rock N Roll by Ryan Adams. Came across this one by accident, long after its release and the buzz about it had passed. Heard the track "Burning Photographs" on the local slacker college station and my jaw dropped. Bought the album that very day. I'm told it's a bit different from his other material. That's a pity, because he has a knack for making adolescent crotch-rock with a lot of wit and a lot of heart. Also, the album's first track contains the best chorus any former philosophy major and still-unrepentant hopeless romantic could ever ask for: "Don't waste my time. This is it. This is really happening" - sung in the context of the teenage wannabe lover in all of us. Vital.

So there you have it. Go make your own list, citizen. Go.