Faith Hill - The Hits

Warner Bros

The new voice of Sunday Night Football on NBC's Faith Hill brings forth to the world another best of album. After a legacy as one of the biggest names in country music at the end of the last millennium, Hill showcases music from the beginning of her career to present. She incorporates some of her biggest hits here, including "Let Me Let Go", "This Kiss" and "The Way You Love Me".
Her and her husband Tim McGraw also perform their legendary duet entitled "I Need You", from his album Let It Go (interesting tidbit on McGraw: he spent the first 19 years of his life not knowing his father, until he found out that he was the child of famous New York Mets pitcher, Tug McGraw).
Born Audrey Faith Perry in '67, Faith has been performing since the age of 7, a precursor to her future life as a superstar. Her solo career hit the big time when she was in her early 20's, while working at a music firm, and was accidentally discovered while singing to herself while working! From there, her pop-country style blew up in the shadow of her predecessor Shania Twain, and cleared out her own name in pop-country history.

DJ Khaled - We The Best

Terror Squad/Koch

The ego that is DJ Khaled releases his Sophomore album We The Best on Terror Squad. The radio personality from Miami showcases his best, with the best. Not joking. Since he is the disc jockey, and writing interesting and intricate beats, he got some of the biggest names in early 2000 hip hop: Trick Daddy, Ja Rule, Ludacris, Lil' Wane, Akon, Jadakiss, Dre (!!!), and more.
I don't know how that's possible, but it is. Somehow. Much like the diversity of these artists, each of the songs are a little bit different, but still fitting into the over-the-top and overproduced style that is every party favorite.

Yellowcard - Paper Walls

Capitol/EMI

I came to accept a few years ago that pop punk was essentially dead. Green Day turned to glam rock, Blink 182 disbanded, and the label that brought emo-pop punk to MTV, Drive-Thru Records, finally called it quits, or an equivalent to "We no longer will put out Saves The Day clones and Dashboard Confessional records". Sure, there have been a few things to pop up, but not much. I haven't listened to Yellowcard since their first release, and threw them to the back and expected them to fade away like the rest. But this band won't die, and they want the '90's back.
Paper Walls is their third major label released, intermingling in their past works, intertwining the catchy hooks of Ocean Avenue and the hard hitting points of Lights and Sounds, making something simultaneously new and familiar. They are polished beyond belief, working the studio magic like an instrument and letting the rest sink to their hands, allowing them to focus on writing hooks and saving time for MTV award shows and teenage girls walls. I want this back. I want a thousand bands, which all have a slight variation of the same young ambitious emotion and painfully catchy melodies, and no shame in what they are doing. Unfortunately, we will all have to settle for this and the last few Fall Out Boy albums. This is certainly a winner.

Gerry Hundt - Since Way Back

Blue Bella

It's good to see musicians out there with a purpose, whatever it may be. More importantly, to take pride in it. It's one of those things that either become politicized throughout the years (i.e. Rage Against The Machine) or partying (see: Andrew WK). There are also individual's who use music as a way of escaping everyday life, and even to get out of their dire situations (claims rapper Eminem, and to a lesser extent any number of Joe Hill-era folk singers).
While a bit more trivial than these life-callings, Gerry Hundt also has desires and purposes. Desires you can find in his lyrics, but his purpose, he claims, is to bring back the blues mandolin, specifically to blues with heart. If you've read any of my reviews to date, you will hear me talking about heart and soul with any interview. For me, this is one of the most important things in music. So points there Hundt!
While only playing the mandolin for a few years now, he has been playing music since a child. His influences are all over the place: Hendrix, Johnny Young, Yank Rachell. He spent a few years playing with the Fliptops, which helped lead to his assistance with Blue Bella, becoming a studio musician and what have you. Now, after all that time helping out with the label, Hundt got his solo CD.
The CD features much of the Blue Bella roster (Nick Moss, Josh Stimmel, Bob Carter, Bill Lupkin, Willie Oshawny, and Barrelhouse Chuck). Quoted from Hundt himself: ÒI picked guys that I perceive as playing more from the heart than the head Ð with passion, not perfection. That's the blues, to me Ð especially blues recordings.Ó From the way the CD came out, he certainly made the right choice. The opening track, ÒSince Way BackÓ, features an almost competition between harmonica, guitar and mandolin, all seemingly fighting for the spotlight. Since Way Back continues in a similar fashion, with virtually no studio tricks, and musicians playing their best. The jumbled mess is only highlighted by a bit of ruff quality recording, almost a yearning for the good old days of 77 rpm singles and purely analogue recordings.

Thrice - The Alchemy Index Volume 1 & 2: Fire & Water

Vagrant

It's weird to me to see bands that used to be incredibly mediocre when I first see them blow up to the point Thrice has. I owned their debut album Identity Crisis in the beginning of this millennium. I thought it was mediocre at the time too, but sort of enjoyed it for that. What Thrice has become today is an all together different band. Instead of riffing like that of any local metal band, they now write music like that of professionals. Instead of their completely unimpressive vocal melodies and weak screams, they now incorporate full use of studio magic, making singer Dustin Kensrue's voice actually interesting and distinguishable from the mountain of Thrice clones out there. So far, so good.
The Alchemy Index is a four part series of EP's, each based off of a different element (fire, water, earth, and air). While Captain Planet might have made an endearing team of these, Thrice seem to be trying a little to hard. It's as if they couldn't hold themselves back from going the route that every band seems to be going these days: a bleak attempt at making something simultaneously marketable to teenage girls and Lord Of The Rings level of epic-ness.
The Fire portion of this release is pretty straight forward Thrice: metal riffing, breakdown, singing part, another breakdown. The second half, Water, is a culmination of their more polished sound and Kid A, without the vast amount of resources allocated to Radiohead to use multimillion dollar equipment to give an organic sound. While this isn't bad, it is quite a bit different than the band I knew oh-so-long ago.

Various Artists - Dear Mr. Fantasy Featuring The Music of Jim Capaldi & Traffic: A Celebration For Jim Capaldi

Eagle Rock

Traffic are one of those bands. You know, the slew of rock and roll bands that may not have the same feel as each other, may not sound the same, but holds the same spot in the library of classic rock as The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Eagles... They go beyond time itself and, while they never really caught on the same way the other bands did, still can be found in just about any record store in the country. The album is a tribute to the late Jim Capaldi, Traffic's longtime drummer who passed away a few years ago. Along with Capaldi were legendary keyboardist Stevie Winwood, guitarist Dave Mason, and Chris Wood, who played just about everything. Wood was the person who finally put the flute on the map as a legitimate rock instrument. Funny how well that caught on.
This tribute features all live songs from some of Capaldi's many friends and admirer's. Bandmate Winwood plays a track on this double disc, which is probably the best on this release. Also staring on here is Yusef Islam a.k.a. Cat Stevens, Pete Townshend of The Who, Joe Walsh of The Eagles, Jon Lord of Deep Purple, Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones, great guitarist Gary Moore, Simon Kirke of Bad Company, Paul Weller of The Jam, and more. All tracks were recorded earlier this year at a tribute concert to Capaldi in London. Marking an end of a legacy, this release will keep the memory of Jim Capaldi alive.

Interpol - Our Love to Admire

Capitol/EMI

Seth's rule of music #105: if you are going to emulate a band, you need to make sure you either a) do it as good if not better than the original band b) do something interesting with it and most importantly c) pick the best band that has ever existed. I'm okay with Bright Eyes blatantly sounding like Bob Dylan because, well, Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter to ever live. And I am sure that Interpol are sick of it, but come on, if I hadn't heard Ian Curtis had died last century, I would have figured this as his new band.
Interpol's Our Love to Admire follows in their constant up-streak; the band continues only to get better, more interesting, and more melodramatic (I say this in the most positive way possible). Songs on here follow their signature straight forward feel, with vocal melodies that almost sound disinterested at points, making me only want more. I'm waiting for the big buildup, when all of the emotion that you can hear being created to be let out, and it just never happens. "The Scale" almost hits that point at the end, almost to the climax when the song just ends, leaving the listener punching a wall and needing a cold shower. Atypical Interpol tracks like "The Heinrich Maneuver" are incredibly upbeat, almost early punk feel to it, which is equally as great.
I also want to talk about the layout for a second, which mirrors the feel of this band to a T. The insert contains next to no information on its 16 page booklet, only blank black pages and photos of Natural History Museum dioramas of animals. The pictures are soulless and epic at the same time: you know these animals are dead and stuffed, but there is still so much emotion to the front cover's lions tearing this antelope apart. You can see that the baron ice-world bison have nothing in them but paper and sand, but you see how unbelievably bleak the reality is in the frozen north. Like the CD, they pack equal parts of emotion and melodrama in the same piece.
************LATE BUT GREAT***********

Blue October - Foiled For The Last Time

Universal Motown

Blue October openly admits they aren't an easy band to understand. They play something that you could probably stretch making comparisons between, but it wouldn't stick. This band is doing something very different, but strikingly similar. Influenced by Joy Division perhaps? Not even that works fully. Maybe taking the idea of New Order and further exploring it within themselves? I guess.
There's something about this music that you can't fully get a grasp on. Definite elements of indie pop culminated with raw chunks of 80's rock ala Men Without Hats. Having been working at this band for quite a while (first release in '98), they are seemingly getting their breaks after all this time. They are on the road with Yellowcard and Shiny Toy Guns, all of which powerhouses in their own rights. The second album here is a Live set from their last Teach Your Baby Well tour, with remixes by Paul Oakenfold and Carmen Rizzo.

Various Artists - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: The Darjeeling Limited

Abkco

The Darjeeling Limited is the new feature-film from every pop-indie kid's favorite film maker, Wes Anderson. While a bit of a letdown compared to his previously well rounded films (Life Aquatic, Royal Tenenbaums, etc.), the movie still brings Anderson's signature use of zany and barely lovable characters. The Darjeeling Limited stars Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman, further exemplifying this as a very typical Anderson film. The movie takes place in India surrounding three brothers spiritual trip across the terrain, throughout which all of the brothers attempt to deal with the death of their father.
This soundtrack, again like all of Anderson's films, is superb. It takes the best of whatever theme he is examining at the moment (Indian culture), and adds in bits of the best rock and roll money can buy. Satyajit Ray, a renowned Indian songwriter, took up a good percentage of this soundtrack. I personally was stoked to see this: it would be so easy to just make the soundtrack packed with uninteresting and unremarkable songs, with a few cultural divergences to the more interesting and appealing Ray. It's a good balance. Also here are The Kinks and the Rolling Stones (ÒPlay with FireÓ), along with a track from Ravi Shankar.

Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys - Seven Miles Out Of Town

Bear Family/Varese Saraband/Universal

Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with Western swing. Although he did not invent the genre single handedly, he did popularize the genre and changed its rules. In the process, he reinvented the rules of popular music. Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys were a dance band with a country string section that played pop songs as if they were jazz numbers.
Their music expanded and erased boundaries between genres. It was also some of the most popular music of its era. Throughout the '40s, the band was one of the most renouned groups in the country and the musicians in the Playboys were among the finest of their era. As the popularity of Western swing declined, so did Wills' popularity, but his influence is immeasurable.
From the first honky tonkers to Western swing revivalists, generations of country artists owe him a significant debt, as do certain rock and jazz musicians. Bob Wills was a maverick and his spirit infused American popular music of the 20th century with a renegade, virtuosic flair. Seven Miles Out Of Town, which is actually the first release of WIlls' to ever be available on CD in this country, and is a collection from the 30's and 40's, some of the last that Wills ever did.
********Shelton's Single of the Week: "Sunbonnet Sue"********

Zap Mama - Supermoon

Heads Up

With all the recycled garbage that filters through the airwaves these days, it is so nice to get an album that is not only genre-bending, intelligent, and original, but also incredibly pleasing to the ears. Zap Mama's sixth album, Supermoon, is an intimate feel into front woman Marie Daulne's life. It is a reflection of her childhood: one that is more suiting to a feature film than someone's actual life.
Growing up in the Congo and raised in an interracial family (her mother was from the Congo and her father Belgium), she experienced the horrors of war at a very young age. When she was a week old, her father was killed by local rebels, opposed to mix-race marriages. After staying with a local tribe until her and her mother were safe, they both emigrated to Belgium, attempting to start a new life in a new land. She there got her taste of French and American music. Despite all of the tragedy thrown throughout her childhood, she continued to keep high spirits, leading to her success.
I think this might be my favorite album of hers to date. While previous releases were polished to a point and keep with the same style, I feel like this time she fully accepts the niche she created for herself. All of Daulne's music combines her mixed-heritage background into a solid, flowing continuum of rhythm and soul, putting the continent of Africa into the framework of modern r&b. She manages to incorporate the very African sound of percussion and chants into the machine without creating a rift in songs; everything is flowing and beautiful. As she says, this is who she is.

The Matt Schofield Trio - Ear To The Ground

Nugene

European blues guitar genius Matt Schofield releases his second album with his trio, entitled Ear To The Ground. Comprised of Schofield on guitar and singing, Jonny Henderson on organ, wurlitzer, and clavinet, and Evan Jenkins on drums, the trio have been playing since 2003. They are a band based on the idea of a live performance. This record, recorded live in the studio, followed the three strikes rule (3 attempts or its out!), making sure that the feel of every song was the feel of that great club band from a few nights ago.
Combining some of the best elements of blues, funk, and jazz, Matt Schofield's Trio can do nothing short of impress. Schofield's consistent soloing (he was in Guitar & Bass magazine as one of the top 10 British Bluesmen of all time...) is accented by some of the best piano work I have ever heard. This is not to exclude the percussion section, which is equally as good. Really, the emphasis on trying to give the live feel really aids in the full dynamic to this recording. Contemporary blues at its best.

Various Artists - Rare Family Songs of Woody Guthrie

Rounder

All I have to say for this is Billy Bragg covering Guthrie songs. I could finish the review there if I wanted to, but I'm gonna give ya'll a bit more to work with. So this is a bit of an oddity (beyond one of the best contemporary folk artist playing the best folk artist of all time).
This is a release for children, with taking Guthrie's less political and more fun-timey songs that were never officially released, and in some cases, never recorded. Some tracks were taken from his home reel-to-reel demos, some that were next to impossible to find, and some that were just sketchings in a notebook. So don't be expecting your straightforward Guthrie tunes on here.
Still, you can hear the greatness through the airwaves when you put this on. It's a sort of light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak: a day when, after the revolution, when we are all free and we can finally spend our days at home learning the accordion and planting radishes, we can spend time with our children, playing these songs for them. Hope.

Chris Cornell - Carry On

Suretone/Interscope/Universal

Cornell's 13th career album Carry On puts together a bit of everything: a sort of culmination of everything he's done until this point, but expanded through the artistic licensing of "solo-project". He can get away with having no two songs sound the same because the only person he has to answer to musically is himself. His signature, kind of gruff yet remarkably clear voice was voted 12th on MTV's "22 Greatest Voice in Music," outranking such geniuses as David Bowie, Steven Tyler, and Bruce Springsteen. He can't help but write catchy and interesting songs: he even manages to cover "Billy Jean" and have it work better than Alien Ant Farm's miserably catchy cover. Having recently departed from Audioslave, Cornell is back in action, and bringing it full force.

Jesca Hoop - Kismet

3e/red ink/Columbia/Sony BMG

I think the best way you could possibly describe this would be in Hoop's own words, on her personal influences: "early early folk songs, pop radio, chamber music, gospel music, 20's to 40's jazz, ol' country, ol' blues, slave songs, dance hall, murder ballads, rock and roll, bluegrass (and) my back yard".
While each of those things have a semi-interesting feel and, well, a fairly easy sound to them, Kismet is the opposite extreme: I don't think it would be capable to fully wrap your mind around. Think Tom Waits (who was the person who discovered Hoop) playing blues-influenced pop hits, touring with Joanna Newsome. Her vocal melodies feel almost stream of consciousness. The lyrics are flowing and coherent, but her melodies are bounced off walls and drugged with LSD. She differs tones from track to track, sometimes putting more of an influence of psych-rock and sometimes more on the blues end of the spectrum. This is one of my favorite releases of the year.

Chris Trapper - Hey, You

Starlit

Combining mid 90's mainstream pop rock and electronics beats, Chris Trapper releases his fourth solo CD entitled Hey, You. Trapper has a solid voice, neither a dynamic mastermind nor a powerhouse with a 20 octave range, but solid. Not incredibly impressive, but he manages to incorporates lyrical hooks and a heavy bit on the crooning which evens it all out to the previously stated ÒsolidÓ.
While his guitar playing is also nothing that hasn't been done before, showcased at a majority of coffee shops across the country, you can see the guitar playing on an occasional television appearance under the name Soundgarden ("Truly, Madly, Deeply) or Eagle Eye Cherry. I feel like what really saves this is the electronics, which are perfectly placed. Not overwhelmingly enough to make it the center of attention, but more so under the guise of accents: making the music only fuller with odd sample tones. While the name ÒChris TrapperÓ may not be one you've heard before, his previous band The Push Stars did a number of songs for soundtracks (Something About Marry, Malcolm in the Middle, etc.). All in all, I'd say this is pretty good. Interesting enough to keep your attention, but not enough to diminish its commercial appeal.

Various Artists - Down at the Sea Hotel

The Secret Mountain/Ryko

Down at the Sea Hotel is a concept album, for children and parents alike. Fun loving and happy go-lucky songs are the only thing you'll find here, folks. Designed for parents and targeting children, this album brings some of the best talent together. Two different casts are featured here: writers and players. The writers are all legendary, and the players are on the rise. Tom Waits, Neil Young, Don Henley, and Mary Chapin Carpenter are a few of the names on this album writing, with Guy Davis, Eliza Gilkyson, and The Wailin' Jennys performing. This storybook and CD is the perfect Christmas present for any young child.

Nicole Atkins - Neptune City

red ink/Columbia/Sony BMG

There has recently been a new era of music starting. Much like fashion, which has taken such a bad turn for the worse that has thrown people to vintage shirts and thrift store dresses, we have a long string of music literally looking to the past for inspiration.
I recently reviewed an album by The Pipettes, which did that sort of thing. Nicole Atkins takes the idea one step further: incorporating old 60's pop and surf styles into a modern pop culmination. Her voice is beyond belief. She sings in the way that even those with no sense for music can hear that she has talent. Her song writing is also incredible: going from a soft, jazzy low to a surf high, but never falling out of signature moves. She was called one of Rolling Stones "10 Artists to Watch". And watch you should: I can only imagine great things coming from this woman.
***So Nice, Gotta Do It Up Twice (Created by the Original NYC DJ, Jocko, 1955)***

White Rabbits - Fort Nightly

Say Hey

New York's White Rabbits are taking their self-proclaimed "honky-tonk calypso" to the world. Their first release Fort Nightly is getting great reviews throughout the country, and are heading their way to success. A sort of disco-ey country conglomeration, with pieces of Elvis Costello and Bright Eyes in there as well, they are playing an interesting blend of rock and indie, which really will pave the way for them. Their shining point is "three singers and two drummers". I love more percussion than is really needed, so I'm all about this.

Saw Doctors - The Cure

Shamtown

It is always interesting to hear a band from a different country influenced by American music, and attempting to fit the genre. They usually do the genre great, but have a bit of local influence on there. Accents aside, different cultures see music differently from others, thinking various chord progressions sound different ways, different techniques, etc. Saw Doctors are playing pretty American rock with their signature Irish flair. They are huge across the Atlantic: topping pop charts and sold out UK tours. So this is just the beginning of this band over here.
Springsteen-styled but no where near ripping off, The Cure, is said by critics to be their best writing to date. If you love the sound of Irish accents, than you will most certainly love this. I think, personally, the best part is the saxophone. Some of the best I've heard in a while outside of third-wave ska bands.
********Shelton's Single of the Week: "My Last Summer in New York"********

Siouxsie - Mantaray

Decca/UMG

Queen of Punk and most misspelled first name of the last decade, Siouxsie brings forth her first solo album entitled Mantaray. I would almost feel safe to say that Siouxsie may not have actually changed that much stylistically as time took its toll, just preference of genre. Where the Banshees were more of 80's mainstream punk with the odd culture-bashing fashions that Siouxsie was known for, Mantaray goes for a sort of modern dance-punk feel with the odd culture-bashing fashions that no one will probably ever get, no matter what she's doing.
She turned in her softer melodies for a much more pissed and stand-off-ish sass-mania that Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Gossip do all so well. The influencer is taking notes from the influencees. Interesting how time will do that. It really does need to be said, though, that the eccentric song writing and sort of out there singing stands on its own: I would probably like this equally as much if I didn't grow up listening to old Banshee records.

They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob
When their was earth to plow or guns to bear
I was always their right on the job

They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead
Why should I be standing in line
Just waiting for bread?

Once I built a railroad, I made it run
Made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once I built a tower up to the sun
Brick and rivet and lime
Once I built a tower, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell
Full of that Yankee-Doodly-dum
Half a million boots went sloggin' through Hell
And I was the kid with the drum

Say, don't you remember, they called me "Al"
It was "Al" all the time
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal
Say buddy, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, ah gee we looked swell
Full of that Yankee-Doodly-dum
Half a million boots went sloggin' through Hell
And I was the kid with the drum

Oh, say, don't you remember, they called me "Al"
It was "Al" all the time
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal
Buddy, can you spare a dime?

Political Article: Kucinich for 'Realists' By: Tom Gallagher Back To Top Published on Thursday, November 29, 2007 by CommonDreams.org The conventional "realist" line on Dennis Kucinich's presidential campaign goes something like: Great on the issues; terrible in the polls; can't win; need to find another candidate. This logic may be okay - unless you're actually seriously concerned with things like ending the war in Iraq or achieving universal health insurance. In November, you vote for the presidential candidate you have to vote for. And if one of the Democrats currently leading the field in fundraising does ultimately secure the nomination, no doubt most Iraq war opponents and universal health insurance advocates will quite readily back him or her over whatever the Republicans throw up. After all, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama are all against the war - more or less, and they all want to do something about health care. But the primaries are when you can vote for what you believe in - that is, if you're fortunate enough to find a candidate who agrees with you. And by that measure, you might say that serious antiwar and pro-health care voters who don't back Dennis Kucinich are, well, throwing their votes away. After all, it's not just that the front runners won't commit to actually removing all our troops from Iraq by the end of their first term but they all go out of their way to clarify their fundamental agreement with the saber rattling policies that got us there in the first place. Edwards, for instance, insists that "To ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons, we need to keep all options on the table," a statement widely understood to include possible American use of nuclear weapons. For her part, Clinton pushes continued use of American troops to pursue Al Qaeda in Iraq, ignoring the fact that it was the introduction of American troops that brought Al Qaeda to Iraq in the first place, and votes to declare part of Iran's armed forces a terrorist organization. (Presumably allowing for the continued jettisoning of the Geneva Accords currently rejected in our ongoing wars.) And Obama not only outflanks his rivals, but Bush himself, in threatening military action in yet another country, warning that "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and (Pakistan's) President Musharraf won't act, we will." Over the past five years, millions of Americans have opposed the Iraq War in word or deed and yet it would be quite a stretch to argue that any of the "top three" Democratic candidates represent them on the war. Chances are then, that if you have ever been to a demonstration or even written a letter against the war, Kucinich's positions of complete American withdrawal in ninety days, maintenance of Iraq's rights to its own oil, no permanent American military bases, and an international transition force are a lot closer to your views than those of Clinton, Edwards or Obama. The situation regarding health care really isn't terribly different. Clinton, Edwards and Obama all have plans that if enacted might make some significant improvement upon our current situation of forty million uninsured, but none tackles the elephant at the center of the problem - the wasteful private health insurance industry that diverts billions of dollars from actual health care spending. Instead their plans will themselves require new bureaucracies to determine individual eligibility for government assistance and to look for potential insurer discrimination. And two of them would require monitoring individual compliance with a new legal mandate to purchase health insurance. Kucinich's Medicare For All plan, on the other hand, is widely recognized as a legitimate solution that would dramatically decrease the diversion of health care funds from actual health care spending. There are two main "realist" responses to the fact that the top fundraisers offer such tepid approaches to the country's major problems. One is to tease meaningful distinctions out of their pretty similar positions and go with the one who seems ever so slightly better. The other is simply to pick the one most likely to win and hope for the best. Unfortunately, this approach produced rather dismal results last time around when some opted for Howard Dean as the "electable" antiwar candidate and others went for John Kerry as the most likely nominee. Despite all the wishful thinking about Dean (as they used to say, Kucinich actually was the candidate many people thought, or wanted to think Dean was), he was gone by the California primary, his candidacy entirely premised upon "electability" and the money that brought. Meanwhile Kerry, feeling little electoral pressure from the antiwar movement, never veered from his pro-war stance, leaving antiwar voters with little more than the hope that he didn't really support the war, but had only voted for it out of the delusion that it was politically expedient. Such were the accomplishments of "realism" in 2004. So does voting for Kucinich in the 2008 primaries require believing that he can somehow rise to the top of the polls? Not necessarily, but it does require recognizing that you have to actually vote for your positions for them to have any electoral impact. Although we can't yet say who will get the Democratic presidential nomination, there is one thing already certain: if you don't vote for what you believe in in the primaries, you certainly won't get to vote for it in November. And of course, if everyone who believed that no more American soldiers should die for a lie decided to actually vote that way, the polls would start to look a whole lot different.

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