Just a warning that year-end list time is upon us. Instead of doing my favorite music of the year in one post, I'm going to count down my top ten albums one by one, preceded by a list of some of my favorite tracks. This will probably take up the rest of the month, so sit tight and stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out the astonishing cover of Morrissey's new album, scheduled to come out in February. The venerable duo Sparks recorded a song this year called "Lighten Up, Morrissey" and I think he's taken that advice to heart or maybe has just lost his mind--either way, it got my attention.