Best Comedy Album of the Year:

James Kochalka Superstar � Don�t Trust Whitey: I remember the first time I heard this CD. I played �Even the Clouds Get High� on my radio show, not quite sure what to expect. At first it was basically those words over and over, until Mr. Kochalka warped it into �Steven the Mouse Says Hi�, with a little mouse saying hello over and over again. I couldn�t stop laughing all the way through the song and I damn near screwed up my entire radio show because of it. But that didn�t stop me from going on to enjoy such fare as �Frog On Top of a Skyscraper� and �Talk to the Wookie� over the next few weeks. And the title track itself, �Don�t Trust Whitey�, still remains my personal anthem to this day.

Best Song That Really Should�ve Been on an Album:

Super Furry Animals, �Tradewinds�: as good as Rings Around the World was, their b-side �Tradewinds� is better than almost every song on there (and that�s really saying something). Why it wasn�t included, I could not fathom a guess. Hopefully, the US release will get a few extra tracks including this one and �Happiness is a Worn Pun�. Honorable Mentions: Radiohead, �Cuttooth�, �Fog�; Weezer, �Teenage Victory Song�, �Starlight�.

Best Live Song you pretty much have to download:

Sigur Ros, �Pop Song�: I saw these guys live in October, and it was a concert experience unlike any I�ve ever had. Most of it was awesome and completely out-there (especially when the lead singer started singing into his guitar) but the highlight was by far their closing piece, a 10-minute unreleased song that they�ve used to finish all of their recent shows. Some of the earlier songs had been laid-back and relaxed (to the point that I almost fell asleep at one point � hey, I was tired), but this song, spelled a million different ways but usually referred to simply as �Pop Song�, completely kicked me in the ass with its incredible intensity. There�s no way I can recreate the whole live experience, but I did the second best thing and found the best mp3 of the song currently available, renamed it �Pop Song (BEST VERSION)� and threw it up on Audiogalaxy. So go get it!

Best Live Act:

Radiohead: Good lord, what an amazing concert Red Rocks was last June. They�re faithful to the old stuff while giving us a new spin on most of the new tracks, including a beefed-up �Packt like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box� and a hyperventilating �I Might Be Wrong�. I guess you could pick up their live EP I Might Be Wrong � Live Recordings, though I found it much more rewarding to browse the radiohead FTPs and make my own live album. At any rate, go see them. If you can get tickets, of course. Honorable mention to the Icelandic Sigur Ros and those guys from Weezer.

Best �Best of� Compilation:

The Smashing Pumpkins � Rotten Apples/Judas O: OK, So I�m a little biased in that The Pumpkins are one of my favorite bands. And perhaps it may be a little early for a best-of retrospective (though others are much more to blame; see the next category), but as far as best-of comps go, this was definitely one of the most satisfying. Remember that all compilation CDs are going to be disappointing by nature; they will ignore excellent album tracks (in this case, songs such as �Muzzle� and �Mayonaise�) while less-impressive singles are included, while songs from other venues such as soundtracks (�The End is the Beginning is the End�) will never be included due to silly copyright rules. That said, Rotten Apples does a great job of including the Pumpkins� songs that are not only successful but sound great too (�Bullet With Butterfly Wings�, �1979�), so although the album is 95% singles, you never feel stiffed. The best part of the package is the inclusion of Judas O, a 2nd disc collection of b-sides and unreleased songs that gave those of us who already had the singles a reason to buy this album. A well-done compilation, as far as mass-produced compilations go. Also, I hear Pink Floyd�s Echoes is pretty good, though I haven�t listened to it yet, and personally have a problem with cutting up albums like Dark Side of the Moon. Ah, who knows.

Worst �Best of� Compilation

Too many to list here: 2001 saw a ridiculous amount of �Best of� compilations, most of them completely unnecessary. Artists such as Cappadonna released retrospectives to the enjoyment of the 12 people that still find them significant (remember the Gin Blossoms Best of�?), while actual good artists such as Outkast and Madonna that are still consistently releasing new material felt the need to grace us with these compilations, basically existing only to provide an outlet for one or two new songs they had floating around. Then there are artists like the Backstreet Boys who are both insignificant and still active; though even as their popularity is fading, they had the audacity to title their comp �Hits � Chapter One�. Chapter 2�s release is about as likely as a Lil� Bow Wow Best of showing up next year� oh wait, that�ll probably happen.

Worst New Band Name
I Hate Myself: leaving no doubts in the mind of that one person who still didn�t know what Emo was all about, I Hate Myself has managed to distill their entire message into their name, basically leaving them without a reason to go ahead and write any songs. The band itself is OK, listenable and all that. But as soon as you see their name you know exactly how their songs are going to sound, and that�s never a good thing.

The �Bafflingly Popular� Award
Linkin Park: I cannot describe this. If you have heard them, you know what I�m talking about. The fact that they can remain so popular just makes me want to leave the country.