Paul Westerberg - 49:00

Paul Westerberg's latest release "49:00 of your Life" is a loud and clear middle finger to the music establishment: the TDK blank tape cover art, it's basement recording, release as an mp3 for 49 cents (yes, a penny a minute), to the entire album being a single mp3 not allowing for the tech savvy youth to load singles onto their iPods - forcing you to view the album as a whole, as intended. 49:00 is possibly Westerberg's best release since working with the Replacements. This album is just that, an album. It plays a bit like Green Day's "American Idiot" in that the album is not just music but an homage to the greats of popular music. Where Green Day's tribute is a sampling of Motley Crue, Bryan Adams, etc. Paul Westerberg digs deeper. Shades of Dylan, the Velvet Underground, and solo projects by Lou Reed and John Cale can be heard throughout. Also the raw emotion in Westerberg's voice is as prevalent as his hey day in the 'mats. A stand out on the album at about 22 minutes in is "Goodnight Sweet Prince" whose music box guitar gives way to phonic cacophony and expresses the swirling emotion of the lyric. This album is a must have for Westerberg/Replacement fans or just worth downloading for the support of a blatant snub of the music industry.

EDIT: As of 1pm July 22, 2088 Paul Westerberg's 49:00 is the most downloaded album of the day on Amazon.com