You should check out The Replacements if you not already familiar with them.

You should check out Aerial Ballet and Nilsson Sings Newman, they're pretty good records.

For me it was Van Dyke Parks, Charles Ives, Gene Clark, The Dillards. I was a fan of R.E.M. but I listened to them a lot more this year and came to appreciate them to greater extent. Also got really interested in bands from New Zealand, like The Clean, The Bats, The Chills and The Verlaines.

I took a class on comics as an undergrad and that's how I was introduced to it.

When can we expect Chipmunk versions of "Complication" and "We Do Wie Du?"

I was glad to see it mentioned on the list as well. I hadn't heard anyone else talk about it until this article.

I was just coming here to mention Perfect Example. Glad a few others felt the same way.

I think you raised a good point about that section undercutting the snark. That's what makes the song for me.

"Father Christmas" is my favorite Christmas song.

Definitely. Shirley was great in this episode. Good point about the new writers. This season has been a little hit and miss for me at times.

I see Shirley as character akin to Ned Flanders. In the early years of the Simpsons he was a more nuanced and likable character. These days he's a stereotype of conservative Christians. It's been hard to watch when Shirley is reduced to a bigot this season, as the writers are better than that.

I thought that too and got excited that it might been a nod to the Neil Young album.