Topspin™

Last Wednesday morning, as I stepped out of my car in the rain and dragged my luggage toward LAX’s terminal one, I switched my iPod from the car to my headphones so I could finish listening to Sound Opinions’ “Best of 2008″ podcast. As I was weaving my way through the parked cars, Chicago Sun-Times’ music critic Jim DeRogatis announced his #2 favorite album of the year: David Byrne and Brian Eno’s self-released (using Topspin’s technology) “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today”. Even though we had nothing to do with the album being so damn good and ultimately making the list, it is an important record in Topspin’s short history and hearing the first verse of the title track play on the podcast after it was chosen made me proud and (I admit truthfully at the risk of sounding like a sap) brought a little tear to my eye. I left Yahoo! Music to join this great team at Topspin in April and since we’ve released albums by Byrne/Eno, Paul McCartney, Lou Reed, and a documentary video by Arcade Fire. Not to mention great music from some of my personal favorite new artists: White Denim, Imaad Wasif, Spinnerette, and many others. And wait til you see what we have coming next year. It’s a dream come true. Thank you to Topspin’s amazing team, unbelievable board, killer, idealistic bands, and their truly music-loving fans. As Ozzy liked to say, “I love you all!” I am a very lucky person to have the good fortune of being affiliated with you all.

Sound Opinions weren’t the only ones to rank Everything That Happens highly this year. The album is making more year-end lists than I could list here, including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork (also Strange Overtones made the “best songs” list and Byrne/Eno was #2 on the “best reunion” list in the readers poll), Uncut, NPR Listeners, and more. The Fireman made the AMG list, and The Guardian put White Denim in their top 50 of ‘08, too. Congrats to you all. It’s truly an honor.

Since Topspin is an office full of nerds of music as well as tech, we decided to take a swing at our own “best of 2008″ list. Everyone submitted their picks and Sir Thomas Grogan counted the ballots. Here is the list of winners according to Topspin employees:

Top Albums of 2008, voted for by Topspin Employees

1. Feed the Animals - Girl Talk
2. Meanderthal - Torche
3. Everything That Happens Will Happen Today - David Byrne & Brian Eno
4. Dear Science – TV on the Radio
5. Oracular Spectacular – MGMT
6. Santogold - Santogold
7. For Emma, Forever Ago- Bon Iver
8. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
9. 808s and Heartbreak – Kanye West
10. Only By The Night – Kings of Leon
11. Narrow Stairs – Death Cab for Cutie
12. Nude With Boots – The Melvins
13. Evil Urges - My Morning Jacket

Top Songs of 2008, voted for by Topspin Employees

1. Cath - Death Cab For Cutie
2. Electric Feel – MGMT
3. Lights Out - Santogold
4. California Girls – Magnetic Fields
5. Across the Shields – Torche
6. Lights and Music – Cut Copy
7. I Will Possess Your Heart - Death Cab For Cutie
8. Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
9. Stupid Now – Bob Mould
10. Time To Pretend – MGMT

If I had more time I would have added pretty cover art and links to download some MP3s, but, well, time isn’t something I have enough of these days and I trust you can find your way over to Hype Machine to sample some of the things you haven’t yet heard.

We decided to go one step further in helping you with your (very) last minute holiday shopping, we asked the good people of Topspin to share one album they think everyone should hear, something they would give when giving the gift of music. Here’s what came back:

Adam Bates - Glassjaw, Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence
Peter Brambl - The Velvet Underground, Loaded
Gary Brotman - David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust
Tara Brown - Rage Against The Machine, Rage Against The Machine
Jim Bumgardner - Portishead, Live: Roseland NYC
Daniel Ceballos - Dan Deacon, Spiderman of The Rings
Bjorn Croce - I Am Kloot, Natural History
Justin Davis - Funkadelic, The Electric Spanking of War Babies
Mike Davis - The Aquabats, The Aquabats Vs. The Floating Eye of Death
Kyle Evans - Neutral Milk Hotel, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea
Richard Goetz - John Coltrane, A Love Supreme
Peter Gotcher - Graham Parker, Squeezing Out Sparks
Thomas Grogan - The Allman Brothers Band, At Fillmore East
Jason Kadlec - The Meters, Funkify Your Life
Timon Karnezos - Roxy Music, The Best of Roxy Music
Jim Kaufman - The Jam, All Mod Cons
James Lamberti - The Who, Quadrophenia
Chris Levine - Smashing Pumpkins, Gish
Ameet Mehta - DJ Shadow, Endtroducing…
Bob Moczydlowsky - Wire, Pink Flag
Brad Pankop - Hum, You’d Prefer An Astronaut
Steve Patch - Can, Future Days
Phoebe Price - Thievery Corporation, The Richest Man In Babylon
Shamal Ranasinghe - The Greyboy All-Stars, A Town Called Earth
Tim Read - Miles Davis, Four & More
Ian Rogers - Willie Nelson, Spirit
Will Sargent - A Girl Called Eddy, A Girl Called Eddy
Rich Schiavi - Minutemen, Double Nickles on The Dime
Valerie Syme - Stevie Wonder, Musiquarium
Christopher Ward - Akron/Family, Akron/Family
Estelle Weyl - The Beatles, Abbey Road
Ty White - Kaddisfly, Set Sail The Prairie

Damn, that’s a good list from a great bunch of people. Music is the best and y’all are family. Thanks. I salute you. Thanks for a great year, and here’s to the one to come.

ian c rogers
Topspin

Not just any bar, THE Bar. We’re moving our weekly meetup at Bar Chloe in Santa Monica to The Bar (5851 Sunset Blvd) this Wednesday at 9:30 pm. Just like at Bar Chloe, Travis Keller (Buddyhead) will be spinning some tunes and others from music and tech industries will be joining us for drinks and discussion. Will you be one of them?

It’s Vinyl Week here at Topspin Santa Monica, and the good times, they are a-rollin. We shut down the Apple Airport that usually feeds our speakers and opened up the turntables to our employees and their favorite records. Tim Read kicked the week off with Metallica’s Master of Puppets, Jason Kadlec spun a new favorite in Les Blanks, and our fearless CEO Ian Rogers threw down Tuesday’s favorite in Aceyalone’s “The Guidelines.” We’re currently spinning some Bad Brains, and judging by the number of 12″s that have made their way through our doors over the last few days, we’ve still got lots of great music to come.

Back in the digital world, British electronic dance pop act Hadouken! launched a great new album last week. Head to their website where you can pick up the mp3s for “Music For An Accelerated Culture” for $7.99, or spend $3 more to get 6 more tracks in the Deluxe Edition. The design is simple, elegant, and reflective of the band’s personality. A word of warning: playing the album at maximum volume may incite spontaneous dance parties.

Also just launched is a pop rock band with clean hooks and soaring melodies, Glacier Hiking. Check out their website, where not only can you pick up “The Color By Number EP” in CD-quality FLAC format, but you can also get the lead single “Shotgun” for free. But don’t keep it for yourself — they’re giving away a very limited edition (not for sale) physical CD, signed by Ross and Tommy to the first 25 fans who share the single with 25 friends. What are you waiting for? Go forth and spread the good word!