Might as well kick off '07 by shilling for some friends. The Forms, an NYC-based indie band, are coming to the Middle East Upstairs on Wednesday, January 10th. I've seen them a few times in New York, and I can vouch for their awesomeness. Pitchfork showed their first record, Icarus, some love, and you should too. Album number two will hopefully drop some time in '07, and the band's Myspace page has a track from said record available for your listening pleasure.

In other news, I received three music-related gifts for Christmas, all of which are awesome:

1. Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Live At The Fillmore East - Neil Young is one of those musicians who fall into that "if you don't like them, i hate you" category. Granted, his more recent stuff is a mixed bag (and his website is kind of lame), but the man at his peak is hard to resist.  There are only six songs on this record, but they're all badass, PLUS you get a DVD of the set to boot. Hard to beat, and it's currently glued to my home stereo.

2. The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia - Michael Gray drops an enormous book of Dylan science on your unsuspecting ass. Not only does the man come correct with little-known tidbits and insightful critiques, but he is also hilarious, especially when he hates something-He does nothing but DESTROY U2 in the band's entry, and has some time in the entry on Van Morrison to point out his "ill advised" getup (though not his killer singing) at The Band's "Last Waltz" concert. This tome makes no pretenses about being objective about its subject matter, but it's the better for it. More insightful than batshit insane, which is nice, considering all the batshit insane things that have been written about my man Bobb-O. Recommended for hardcore fans only though, as newcomers might freak out and get lost.

3. Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season - Highlights include John Belushi's Joe Cocker impression. Lowlights include episode two of the season, which is ENTIRELY devoted to a Simon & Garfunkel reunion. If you hated Simon & Garfunkel before, you will surely hate them even more after seeing 90 minutes of them-ESPECIALLY when you were expecting to see people in Bee Suits and Land Shark. The musical guests, like the sketches, are a mixed bag, but there's more good than bad here.