Thanks For the Memories

With Turkey Day approaching, now is the time to reflect on what to be thankful for. Of course friends, family, health, food and shelter top the list, but music fans can count additional blessings. Here's Unwind!'s list of the top five things popular music enthusiasts can celebrate the last Thursday of November.

1. The return of Flight of the Conchords - New Zealand's fourth most popular digi-folk duo are picking up their guitars for a second season on HBO, set to premier January. Bret and Jemaine, the awkward, bumbling and mumbling pair, had to write all new songs for the sophomore installment of the hit television series. But if the tunes and story lines are even half as good as those of the first season, viewers will be in folk parody paradise.

2. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's new album - The boss and company will drop a new 12-track album, Working on a Dream, Jan. 27. In this age of muddled and mashed up genres, the rock scene needs as many quientessential, classic records as it can get. Plus, Springsteen is an avid Obama supporter, so expect some optimistic political tracks.

3. The Recent British Invasion - UK exports were some of the best and most innovative artists of the 1960s and new millennium acts have been following suit for the past several years. This past year, there have been hit new albums by more seasoned bands such as Bloc Party and The Streets, reunion concerts by legendary groups The Who and Led Zeppelin, as well as breakthrough acts such as Estelle and Kate Nash. Plus, super producer Mark Ronson is tearing it up by manning UK pop singer Lily Allen's upcoming album, in addition to executive producing D.C. rapper's Wale's yet-to-be-released debut. And of course, the biggest bands in the world are arguable Coldplay and Radiohead.

4.T.I. has to go to prison - Of course hip-hop fans will miss him, but this harsh reality has given the Atlanta-based emcee a whole new outlook on life and propelled him to make his best album yet, Paper Trail. His killer punchline and versatile, aggressive flow has always been there, but his lyrical content was far more mature, reflective and personal. When a rapper's back is against the wall, he or she usually delivers provocative and ground-breaking material.

5. Outkast will release three albums in 2009 - One of hip-hop's most experimental groups, who has infinite crossover appeal, are reuniting after two years apart to drop an Idlewild follow up LP, as well as two solo efforts. Although the original Idlewild soundtrack wasn't all that, perhaps Big Boi and Andre 3000 will be more cohesive on the second record. And even if the duo's album can't measure up to Aquemini or Stankonia, their solo albums also have a chance to acheive the Grammy-winning success of their preivous Speakerboxx/The Love Below

In addition to being a month filled with colorful leaves, turkeys, and students’ dismay that terms papers are almost due, November is also stacked with great music releases. Here are a few upcoming albums to check out.

The Renaissance, Q-Tip, drops Nov. 2 – The former lead emcee and beat-maker for the legendary A Tribe Called Quest continues to crank out jazzy, soulful, funky grooves in this skillfully produced album. Q-Tip even uses live drums and bass on songs such as “ManWomanBoogie.” The Abstract’s lyrics are always fresh and he also discusses personal matters such as relationship troubles and the memories of friends who died. However, Q-Tip’s serious content is balanced by his always up-beat instrumentals.

Day & Age, The Killers, drops Nov. 25 – This four-man multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated band experiments with more diverse sounds on its third studio album. The album is concise—only 10 songs—but features a range of styles that include electronic-influenced dance tracks and classic, guitar-driven rock. The Killers even incorporates steel drums and saxophone into the poppy, undeniably catchy “I Can’t Stay.” When the album comes out, perhaps we will actually live in the day and age of The Killers.

808s & Heartbreak, Kanye West, drops Nov. 25 – Kanye West’s relentless experimentation will either make him or break him. The super-producer decided to stop rapping on his latest release and just use a T-Pain-esque voice augmentation machine to craft ‘80s-style dance tracks. The music on leaked songs “Love Lockdown” and “Heartless” is masterfully arranged with a seemingly endless amount of instrumental layers. However, Kanye is tone deaf even with technology’s help. The melody is completely lacking. However, the album is worth downloading (not buying of course) to see if he continues to flop and throw away his career.