On Wednesday night I was fortunate enough to plant myself front and center for the RZA show at Emo's. If you know me, that does paint a somewhat conspicuous picture, but you know I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Austin was the second U.S. stop on the promo tour for the new Bobby Digital album, Digi Snacks, which will be released on June 24th. The cover art alone (above) demands some attention.

I personally love the RZA (to the point of a mini-crush). I mean, he is the goofy, endearing, organizational mastermind behind the Wu Collaboration, but I was a little nervous the show might turn out to be a rocky showcase. Thankfully, it was definitely a positive experience. There were some slight technical difficulties on stage, but I had the benefit of proximity, which granted us some ridiculous allowances that ultimately compensated for any rough spots. Yes, Margaret and I did gank a bottle of champagne from stage after RZA sprayed the crowd and dropped it right in front of our faces. We were passed herbal refreshments from stage, and the RZA himself held onto both of our hands, which he insisted be in the air at all times throughout his performance.



Stone Mecca, a funky, soul-fueled ensemble, backed the RZA with a smooth energetic, humbling counterbalance to the overwhelming presence of our host and the Wu Affiliates that accompanied him on stage. To my taste, the opening acts of Solomon Childs, Black Knights and DJ Notion weren't consistently entertaining, but when Stone Mecca took over the stage, I was mesmerized. There were at least six members of Stone Mecca for this particular showcase: three songstresses who switch off on lead vocals, two guitarists, a keyboardist or two, a drummer, I lost count. I was too busy dancing. At one point their keyboardist nudged me with a copy of their new self-titled debut album, and I almost didn't avert my attention. Luckily I did and promptly packed it back in my bag at the first ease of the crowd. Seriously, I saw Rock The Bells, I know what can happen when people get excited. And there was definitely reason to get excited. RZA catered to the crowd with old Wu-Tang and Gravediggaz favorites, then peppered the mix with some new Digi Snacks. Tasty, indeed.

A couple weeks ago, Sarahspy blogged about her favorite albums of 2008, and promptly challenged me to do the same. Sadly, it's taken me forever to find the time to meet her request, and I simply haven't had enough listening time to match her list of twenty. But at long last the time has come to reveal my list. Here are the top ten albums that have ruled my rotation so far this year, in order from most awesome, to slightly less awesome, and so forth.

The Felice Brothers - The Felice Brothers
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer (official release on June 16th)
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Tokyo Police Club - Elephant Shell
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Lykke Li - Youth Novels
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

She & Him - Volume One
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Ratatat - LP3 (official release on July 8)
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

Man Man - Rabbit Habbits
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (official release on July 15)
Myspace | Hype Machine | Amazon