Ahh, pop-country music...

I just picked up the new Taylor Swift album. Read that again. Go ahead, mock me. I hid it as I carried it up to the counter at my local Best Buy, but now I'm writing about it. I like this record. While it isn't the caliber of recent masterpieces by Vince Gill and Miranda Lambert, it is another catchy and ultimately satisfying pop country crossover, a type of record that I seem to be playing more and more this year.

With that said, an 18-year old girl just put out a more memorable album than anything being played on rock radio right now. Is this a pretty clear indication that rock music is dead? Seriously, play Taylor Swift and Brad Paisley and then play the new albums by Hinder and Nickelback. You might tell your male friends the rock albums are better, but tell me you aren't humming the country hits on the way home.

Lil Wayne and Kanye West made hip-hop popular again and a new class of very-young songwriters have revived pop country. Rock music needs help. This new Guns N' Roses album really has its work cut out for it.

Until then, at least give the song "Change" by Taylor Swift a try. Give in to country music. You know you want to. Most of us already have.

Deerhunter's Microcastle

Ah, its nice to hear some good old guitar noise again. It's actually become kind of a rare thing - most indie rock these days incorporates kitchen sink instrumentation (Arcade Fire), complex harmonies (Panda Bear), multi-genre exercises (TV On The Radio), pop hooks (The Shins), and on and on. After Nirvana popularized the punk-noise that Sonic Youth perfected, indie rock kind of moved on.

That's why Deerhunter's Microcastle is such a refreshing listen. This band takes the torch passed from Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, and Pavement. "Agoraphobia" and "Nothing Ever Happens" are catchy, loud, and drive with the urgency "college rock" (as it was then called) did 20 years ago. This band writes some beautiful ones too: "Green Jacket" is a piano and light vocals floating in guitar distortion and "Little Kids" could pass as prime R.E.M.

The record store I found this at had it in the "experimental" section, which seems a bit odd - wasn't this the norm in underground music back in the late 80s? Isn't this just great guitar pop with bad production? How does that make it experimental? It isn't - its just a great reminder of how indie rock got to where it is, and that alone makes it one of the year's most interesting listens.

Q-Tip's The Renaissance

I was starting to get worried - is Lil Wayne's Carter III the only worthwhile rap album coming out this year? It was looking that way, with Jay-Z further delaying his and Kanye sounding like he's abandoning rap altogether (and the Streets new album barely qualifying as rap). Every fall, there is a late entry into the race, and last week gave us a masterpiece.

I incorrectly assumed Q-Tip hasn't done much since his Tribe Called Quest days. He's actually recorded four albums in ten years, now two of which have been released. And Wilco thought they had record label problems: at least their recordings eventually get released by somebody.

On the Renaissance, Q-Tip brings back a few things rap has been missing. First is the funk: the low end of this record reminds me of west coast rap from the 90s. Second is actual choruses: between his rhymes of "Gettin' Up" is a beautifully sung harmony. Third is social conscience in the Bob Marley sense of the phrase: "We Fight/We Love" is a calm, peaceful rally call that is out of place with the typical curse-at-the-President fare that passes for political in today's hip-hop. Even "Life Is Better", a romantic duet with Norah Jones, holds together and works in the record's context.

If you own any Tribe Called Quest albums, you already know you are getting one of the best MCs alive; in fact, Jay-Z might be his only competition. Let's all make an effort to make sure this guy is never prevented from releasing an album again: this is everything a rap record should be.

Yes We Can!!!

Well, it was nice to have an uneventful election. No recounts, no riots, just Obama winning and a renewed sense of optimism this country hasn't seen this decade. Here are a few songs that we will always have to remember George W. Bush by:

"Devils and Dust" by Bruce Springsteen - An old fashion anti-war ballad that could have fit the Vietnam War too. I really think Bruce's endorsement of Obama is responsible for at least a million of his votes - nobody can convince me otherwise.

"Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails - Here's a trick that gave Trent new life in his career: make horrifying music about how screwed America is, then give it a dance beat. Any song from that album would fit this list.

"Sins Of Our Fathers" by Tom Waits - The title pretty much says it all. This song didn't need eleven minutes to make its point, but I'm glad it goes that long.

"Holiday" by Green Day - He compares Bush to Hitler, and this song becomes a huge radio hit uncensored. Am I the only one who thinks that's crazy?

"When The President Talks To God" by Bright Eyes - The least subtle and most brutal of the GW Bush slanders, it sounds like an enraged drunk man trying to preach.

Thanks for the memories Bush! Now that rock musicians like the President, what are they going to sing about? This isn't going to be like the 90s where all rock musicians do is cry about the girl who left them, right? I guess we'll see.

Ryan Adams

10 albums in 8 years - this guy is a workaholic. His first album, Heartbreaker, was a new standard in alt-country moping. But then he couldn't decide what he wanted to be: Gold incorporated rock and 70's pop while Rock N' Roll was a straight-up glam punk album. He finally grounded his sound a bit by forming his band (the Cardinals) but he's still cranking out music faster than the average fan can keep up with.

Here's what is really amazing: almost all of his albums have been pretty good. Heartbreaker is his only masterpiece, but alt-country is all about consistency. His albums got a little turbulent in 2005 when he decided to release three in one year, but last year's Easy Tiger was a solid return to form.

His new record, Cardinology, is his best record since Gold. The new single "Fix It" incorporates R&B vocals and "Magick" reminds us on his punk leanings from his earlier albums, but most of it sticks to the plan: guitar hooks, emotional singing and a country twang. There aren't a lot of people who are doing it better right now.

The highlights come in the middle from two mid-tempo ballads. "Cobwebs" is a stadium power ballad that sounds like U2's best 80s singalongs and "Let Us Down Easy" is gospel roots that Dylan would be proud of.

I'm satisfied with Ryan Adams putting out solid alt-country records like this one: he doesn't need to swing for the fences and put out something adventurous that might not work (like the trainwreck of an album Lucinda Williams just put out). Just keep writing memorable songs like these and he has a great future. Cardinology won't win new fans, but it will keep the old ones happy.

Nine Inch Nails in Orlando

Anybody who has been following Nine Inch Nails for more that a decade now know that there are essentially two sides to this band. One of them wants to make loud industrial pop-rock and releases albums like With Teeth, Broken, and The Slip. One of them wants to make slow-burning intricate epics like Year Zero, Ghosts, and The Fragile. Both sides are essential, but how is Trent Reznor going to balance these two urges on a stage show?

That question brought me to see them last night at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. I never thought the pioneer of industrial-goth would fit in at a college basketball arena, but it was actually the perfect sized venue for him. Here's some random thoughts on things I loved about this show:

- The oddball setlist that worked even though it still doesn't make sense. "Echoplex" as an encore? "In This Twilight" as a closer after you just played "Hurt" as a communal sing-along? "The Wretched" as the only thing to represent The Fragile? No setlist by any artist has ever kept me wondering like this one.

- The crowd: amazingly enthusiastic college kids interspersed with a few random actual goths. I actually felt less nerdy as I was leaving the arena. The night was filled with spirited sing-alongs, particularly "March Of The Pigs", "Head Like A Hole", "Closer", and several more.

- The politics: after showing a picture of Bush fading into McCain during "The Hand That Feeds", Trent delivered the message "come on, Florida, you need to get your shit together this time!"

- The lighting can't be adequately described here. In an interview earlier in the year, Trent claimed he wanted to use video as an instrument. Now I get it. Video projections in front of and behind the band made for some stunning effects, while more peaceful backdrops accompanied the softer material. Speaking of that...

- The "Ghosts" instrumental mini-set. Although several people in the crowd found it as an opportunity for a bathroom break, this set featured a marimba, upright bass, banjo, and some stunning atmospheric music that sounded like a completely different band that the one that just lit up the arena with "Wish". "Piggy" was the perfect transition to bring it back to the older material.

- There was an overabundance of Year Zero. Before it's all said and done, that might be the most underrated record of this decade. Multiple keyboards and intense visuals took over when "God Given" and "The Great Destroyer" hypnotized the crowd with their apocalyptic chants.

Even if you know the Downward Spiral material better than anything new, I don't think there has ever been a better time to see the Nine Inch Nails. Now 14 years removed from his commercial peak, Trent is hitting his stride right now.

(Now Trent, give us another live record. Please?)

Guns N' Roses new album

It seems like this might be a disappointing fall for music. Two albums that might have been critical and commercial blockbusters, albums by U2 and Jay-Z, look like they might not be finished this year. Kanye West is putting out a new record, but it's a non-hip hop experiment that has about a 50 percent chance of failing completely. Unless you are getting excited about the new Hinder and Nickelback releases, it might be a dull couple of months.

So after a decade and a half, Axel Rose thinks this is a good time to drop the new Guns N' Roses album. The sudden rise of of Guitar Hero and Rock Band certainly helps: look what it did for Metallica's resurgence. Say what you want about Axel's singing - he might be a marketing genius.

Now the funny part: how is he going to distribute this album? A multi-tiered online/store release like the Hold Steady did? A revolutionary pick-a-price deal like Radiohead's? No, this album is going to be released at one store. On November 23, you can find this album at Best Buy and nowhere else. I have mixed feeling about this idea:

1.) I like the idea of midnight release parties with people flooding the store to be the first to hear a new release. I think iTunes pretty much killed this idea; it will be a nice throwback to my high school years.

2.) I like the idea of them saying no online vendors because they want people to physically own the album, but did you also have to screw over independent record stores? Aren't they suffering enough?

3.) I hope Best Buy keeps up on demand, because this is going to be one of the biggest selling albums of the decade, even if it isn't good. That's my not-so-daring prediction.

I know I should be pissed about Axel jerking me around for the past decade and a half, but I will almost definitely buy this album for two reasons: I think there is still talent there, and there have been a staggering lack of memorable mainstream rock albums in the past five years. Once we get the hype out of the way, we can see if the music will stand on its own.

I'm going to go search for leaked GNR tracks on the internet now.