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The age we live in is amazing. In the last week or so, I’ve been introduced to a writer’s work, intensely disliked said writer, written an (admittedly) mean-spirited blog post about the writer, gotten a response from the writer who, for all intents and purposes, shouldn’t even know who I am, received a press release from Gibson telling me about the writer’s new work, and, after reading the article, grudgingly gained a little respect for the writer.

And if I passed him on the street, I would have no idea.

Jonah Bayer’s follow-up to the Top Ten list that fueled my ire is posted at Gibson’s website, and, I have to say, OK, at least he gets what was so pathetic about the first one. There’s still a strange atmosphere of a music snob lampooning music snobs, which creates this sort of irony black hole, but I get the feeling that Jonah actually sat down and wrote this one, instead of leafing through The Great Indie Discography and phoning it in.

And, I have to hand it to the guy, he manned up and actually left a comment on our previous post.

Jonah, if you’re reading this, I take back nothing I said about your first “indie snob” post, but give credit where credit is due for your second. [ms]

Indie Music Snob Name Drops Top 10 Indie-Music-Snob-Name-Drops
In Other News : Uroboros Clones Self, Eats Clone

In Jonah Bayer’s eye-opening entree into the mind of a music snob, he picked out 10 albums that all (repeat : ALL) indie record store clerks name check.

After reading the piece, I immediately wanted to know more about the man who created such a populist musical stepping stone for the lesser-informed. I wanted to know how he came to single out these 10 records from the scores of albums created solely to provide music snobs and indie bloggers material to pontificate on.

In his emailed response, he graciously provided me his reasoning for each selection. Here’s his email:

A lot of you have probably read or heard about U2 manager Paul McGuinness heaving a charged monologue towards ISPs at MIDEM this week.

Long story short, McGuinness wants ISPs to be held accountable for the data they pass, and wants a cut of the profits they make.

I have to admit, the idealist in me wants to be able to flame every last one of his accusations as bald-faced money-grabs - and some are - but I’m completely torn.

With organic warmth that belies the weather in our part of the world this time of year, Signposts is full of emotive soundscapes and energetic, optimistic grooves custom built for your next road trip.

So we’ve been completely preoccupied with a few items around Burst HQ lately (new recording projects, year end accounting hell, and our beloved Packers devastating loss, blah blah blah…) but we’re eager to get some hot new music to you, our dear friends and fans.

On that note, we bring you our latest collection of hip hop production music, Thump Trunk.

Popular mash-up alchemist DJ Earworm has constructed a 5 minute mix of Billboard’s Top 25 for 2007.

While the mash-up itself is technically impressive, it’s interesting and a little depressing to note how easily many of these songs fit together. Same keys, same progressions (or sympathetic progressions)…

I’m not going to win any awards for lamenting the monotony of modern pop music and it’s propensity toward mediocrity, but I’ve never felt as old and grizzled as I did listening to this mix.

Channel Surfing with Dreighton Pickner (ad critic) : Jan 2008

First off, a Happy 2008 to all my faithful readers out there on the Internet Superhighway! I just love reading each and every email that you take the time to send in. By the way – Heldstrom Florist was totally jazzed to know that their commercial received almost 100 views on YouTube! Ain’t technology grand sometimes?

I thought this month I’d talk a little bit about what’s been going on out there in La-La Land with the ongoing Writer’s Guild strike.

It’s kind of sad, really, that I may have already heard the best news all year, what with it being only halfway through January.

A film about, and set in, Los Angeles club Largo is in post-production and slated to be released in the spring of this year.

Featured in the concert film are, among others, Jon Brion, Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann, Elliott Smith, Colin Hay, Flight of the Conchords, Zach Galifiankis, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt and Paul F. Tompkins.

If I ever felt the need to name my fingers, I would name them in honor of this film’s lineup, starting with Jon Brion (left thumb).

Seth Godin offers timely and relevant advice for the music business on the incredible opportunity that sits right in front of our noses.

It is amazing how relatively little effort is needed if you really set out to make it happen. Check this snippet from Godin’s excellent post :

Jason Wade (of lite-pop outfit Lifehouse) has scored an Allstate commercial warning of teen-related dangers of the open road.

Thanks to iTunes and a cherry timeslot in the middle of a Friday Night Lights episode, the single cracked the top 40, according to Billboard. Does that seem weird to you? The song itself is effective enough, if a mite saccharine and ambiguous. I guess it’s a good thing that people are buying music at all these days, but talk about a harbinger of change. With cassingles long dead, I can’t imagine something like this happening without iTunes - in fact, it would be impossible without iTunes.

Take a look (below) - am I missing something, or can this just be chalked up to a lot of Nick-tweens watching prime-time NBC while their parents were out trying to score Hannah Montana tickets?