Death Metal MusicMusic and Culture on the Edge

The annual Soundscan numbers are in. I'm almost as excited as I am when the new phone book arrives.

Unquestionably, summer 2008 will be remembered as a time when very few significant artists released new albums. With the notable exceptions of Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson and My Morning Jacket, most of the summer's finest music was being heard at festivals and inside concert halls, not in living rooms or at the gym on an iPod.