Welcome back to the round table (although there's only two of us, so the table doesn't necessarily need to be round) discussion of power-pop-occasionally-Warp-Tour-attending, Ben and indie-minded-see-you at-SXSW-in-March-music-enthusiast, Jim.

Today, Ben and Jim discuss their favorite songs of 2008:

Ben's Top-10 Mix
1. Underoath, "Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear"
2. Lydia, "Hospital"
3. Deas Vail, "White Lights"
4. The Matches, "Point Me Toward the Morning"
5. The Hush Sound, "Honey"
6. Valencia, "Holiday"
7. Straylight Run, "Wait and Watch"
8. PlayRadioPlay!, "Lococommotion"
9. Automatic Loveletter, "The Answer"
10. People in Cars, "Clutch"

Jim's Top-10 Mix
1. Weezer, "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived"
2. Vampire Weekend, "A-Punk"
3. Sons & Daughters, "Gilt Complex"
4. Santogold, "Creator"
5. What Made Milwaukee Famous, "Sultan"
6. The Raconteurs, "Consolers of the Lonely"
7. Hot Chip, "Shake a Fist"
8. MGMT, "Time To Pretend"
9. ISHC, "Seatbelt"
10. Dizzee Rascal, "Sirens"

By Jim Shearer in BEN & JIM | Link | 0 Comments | Recommended (3)

Tags: Anberlin, Automatic Love Letter, Ben and Jim, Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal, Hot Chip, MGMT, People in Cars, PlayRadioPlay!, Sons and Daughters, Starylight Run, The Hush Sound, The Matches, The Morning Benders, Valencia, Weezer, What Made Milwaukee Famous

Let me introduce you to Ben.

Ben is my sister-in-law's brother, and ever since we met, we've talked about music. The first time I met Ben, he approached me with various questions on what I've seen and done in the music industry. Being a former VJ for a well-known music television station, I'll occasionally find myself knee-deep in these types of situations.

Many times, it seems, people will prod a little to see if I'm really into music, or if I am just a talking head with no clue. More times than not, the conversation will cut straight to the heart of independent music.

That's where I thought Ben was headed with his series of questions. No doubt the kid had a vast knowledge of music, but I was surprised to find out--when the conversation went full tilt--that Ben was throwing out names embraced by the pop-punk and emo rock world. As I vigorously and passionately threw out names familiar to the readers of Pitchfork Media, Ben did the same for frequent visitors to Absolute Punk. What we had here wasn't necessarily an argument about whose taste in music was better, it was a dialog about each other's musical interests, likes, and dislikes.

Do I favor indie-minded acts over bands that frequent the Bamboozle Festival? Absolutely. However, am I still interested in what's happening on that side of the world? Indeed I am--I just don't have the patience to sift through piles of albums until I find that one pop-punk gem that I love.

So that's where Ben comes in. Since we've known each other, he has become my one-man, Warped Tour-lovin' focus group. Because we usually end up talking about music every time we see each other, I thought it would be a good idea--and beneficial to some of our indie music die-hards who don't know what's going on outside their own music circles--to share our back-and-forth discourse with all of you:

By Jim Shearer in BEN & JIM | Link | 2 Comments | Recommended (3)

Tags: Bamboozle, Ben & Jim, Emo, Hawthorne Heights, Indie Rock, Pop-Punk, Warp Tour