While everybody is starting to post their best of ’08 album lists, I started to revisit a few records that will without a doubt appear on mine. A top five pick of mine will definitely be Portishead’s mighty comeback album, Third. I’ve been a fan of their for longer than I’d rather admit, but needless to say I was pretty damn excited when this record finally came out. In fact, the band just debuted the video for their track “Magic Doors” over at Stereogum, and it is pretty awesome.  Check it out below:

Be sure to tune into KCRW tomorrow, Wednesday, November 26 at 8PM PST. Jeff will be talking about the Pablove Foundation on Jason Bentley’s show, and playing some tracks off of the Give Listen Help charity CD.

This week’s Friday Jam is a little more obscure. While many shoegaze/dream pop bands like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins might be household names, there were also a lot of bands that flew just a little under the radar that were amazing. Case in point with this week’s pick: Kitchens of Distinction.

OK, so the band’s name isn’t that great, but their 1990 One Little Indian release, Strange Free World, is amazing. The band formed in 1986 and disbanded ten years later. Sadly, much of the early media attention that they received didn’t focus on the lush music, rather it swirled around vocalist Patrick Fitzgerald; who was openly gay at a time when that was considered rare. They remained a cult band until the release of Strange Free World in the UK debuted on the UK Top 40, but it didn’t last long. They fell, and were later dropped from their label. In 1996 Fierce Panda released a single called “Feel My Genie,” but before anything could happen the group split up.

Check out their tune “Drive That Fast,” and to see past Friday Jams, click the friday jam tag below.

For those of you who are close to the Dangerbird family, you are already aware of the Pablove Foundation. If you happen to be unfamiliar, here is the short of the long. Jeff Castelaz, co-founder of Dangerbird, created this foundation along with his wife to directly support the pediatric cancer community in and around the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The foundation is named after their son Pablo, who was diagnosed with bilateral Wilms’ Tumor this past May. Pablo has been undergoing treatment at CHLA, which you can read about over at the PABLOg.

The amazing people at Urban Outfitters at Filter Magazine have created their fifth installment of the Give Listen Help music compilation series, this time benefiting the Pablove Foundation. This two-disc set contains unreleased and remixed tracks from artists including Radiohead, Garbage, Oasis, Bat For Lashes, Rilo Kiley, Bloc Party, The Faint, Decemberists, and many more. The second disc is entirely comprised of Dangerbird artists, featuring Silversun Pickups, Eulogies, The Dears, Darker My Love, Sea Wolf, The One AM Radio and plenty of others.

You can pick up your very own copy of Give Listen Help at an Urban Outfitters location, or through their online retail outlet. To make it easier, click here to go straight to the compilation’s page at UrbanOutfitters.com. It is only $14.99, and $13.88 of each purchase will go directly to the Pablove Foundation. Since it is nearly the holiday season, pick one up for yourself and then buy one as a gift for somebody you know that loves good music!

Disc 1
1. Garbage - “Witness to Your Love” (previously unreleased)
2. Radiohead - “House of Cards”
3. Of Montreal - “Jimmy” (M.I.A. cover)
4. Bat for Lashes - “What’s a Girl” (Plaid remix)
5. Oasis - “Falling Down” (Chemical Brothers remix)
6. Rilo Kiley - “Draggin’ Around” (previously unreleased)
7. Bloc Party - “Flux” (JKL remix)
8. The Faint - “The Geeks Were Right” (DIOYY remix)
9. CSS - “Rat Is Dead” (Rage)”
10. Decemberists “Billy Liar” (live)
11. Ra Ra Riot - “Can You Tell” (Little Ones remix)
12. Ladytron - “Ghosts” (Modwheelmood mix)
13. The Little Ones “I Don’t Want to Dance” (previously unreleased)
14. Other Lives - “Paper Cities” (previously unreleased)
15. Two Sheds - “You”
16. Jack Johnson “All At Once” (live at Bumbershoot 2008)

Disc 2 – Dangerbird Records
1. Silversun Pickups - “Table Scraps”
2. Eulogies - “Is There Anyone Here?”
3. Darker My Love - “Blue Day”
4. The Dears - “Crisis 1 & 2″
5. Sea Wolf - “The Promise”
6. The Curse of Company - “All the Mines”
7. The One AM Radio - “Old Men”
8. Ed Laurie - “Albert”
9. Eric Avery - “All Remote and No Control”
10. Dappled Cities - “Vision Bell”
11. La Rocca - “Cross the River”

Well that sure didn’t take long. The influential radio station KCRW has already made a decision on their replacement for Nic Harcourt, who is stepping down from his roles as Music Director and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic. Longtime KCRW DJ and electronica guru Jason Bentley will be stepping up to fill Harcourt’s shoes, a sixteen year journey that has taken him from phone volunteer to one of the top spots.

About the new directions he will now face at KCRW, Bentley said: “My show has always reflected the continual evolution of music and emerging artists. And while I built my foundation as a champion of dance and electronic music, this is a great opportunity for me to grow, a challenge I will take very seriously.”

We’ll miss Harcourt in the morning, but we’re definitely excited to hear what Bentley has in store!