As 2008 dwindles down, we begin to lick our lips with the anticipation of what’s to come in 2009. In the coming weeks, we’ll be hitting up bands for recipes of some of their favorite treats to post right here on the Uncensored Interview blog. Think of it like an online indie-rock cookbook! As we wait for them to scour through index cards in their parents’ kitchens, I thought I’d take the time to look back on some food-related bands talking about food related topics.

Pepper

In the clip above we find out that Pepper aren’t named after the spice but rather an SNL sketch. Though isn’t it suspicious that the sketch involved restaurants?

Suckers

It’s probably wise that Suckers didn’t call themselves “The Lollipops.” It’s just not as catchy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t candy addicts!

(MORE FOODIE ACTION HERE)

How could something so bad be so good? The answer is simple ma chéries. If it weren’t so bad, it just wouldn’t be as good! It’s a classic paradox and also what makes Michael Bolton a prime make-it-hurt-so-good candidate. We just had to be around to catch The Matches admit it on tape. Oh, and bad music is only the beginning folks.

“How Many Licks” is going to take a weekly look at all things hidden beneath the shiny candy shell surface of indie – all manner of guilty pleasures, obsessions, the what-you-didn’t-knows – and take you to the ooey-gooey center of the artists. Because as with all things, there’s a lesson to be learned. In this case, surprising musical choices from our artist reveal a deep moral: A bad song is like a misfit toy. As long as there is someone out there who loves it, it will never fade into obscurity. How’s that for a holiday message?!

So in a time of the year when this moment’s guilty pleasure will become next year’s resolution, let’s embrace the bad music we love so much. What other vices could we indulge in over and over and not have to worry about ending up in weight watchers, therapy or in jail?

Here’s a bit of “How Many Licks: UI Artists’ 08 Guilty Pleasures” year in review:

Teedra Moses is a Soulja Girl, so you’d better walk like this:

(MORE LICKS: UI ARTIST’S GUILTY PLEASURES)

The can of Pabst Blue Ribbon IS half FULL! You attract more slutty groupies with PBR than with vinegar! If at first you don’t succeed, have another Pabst! If it simultaneously fits on a fridge magnet AND makes your life better then bring it on! Nuggets of wisdom passed from person to person have helped the human race move from sloppy amoebas to the guitar-slinging heathens we are today.

Welcome to the new weekly Uncensored Interview feature! In 2009 “Sound Advice” will exhume hope from the hovels of indie culture. Self promotion, positivity and optimism don’t exactly epitomize the indie rock attitude, but great ideas can not be suppressed. Even getting high, being ironic and growing a finely manicured mustache can be a beacon of light in the murky fog of life. To illustrate, let’s kick this whole thing off with a look back at some of the best nuggets of 2008.

5. Hello Tokyo reminded us to have compassion for those we don’t understand, and part of that compassion is by offering a bong hit.

4. The Architects exemplify the all important idea of “Know Thyself.”

(DON’T HATE! KEEP READING)

Achieving success in the music business’ fuzzy future is a little like busting out all that fine candy from a piñata on the first try, or pinning the tail on the donkey while blindfolded, spun around and hung upside down for a day or two. In other words, it’s a lottery of luck where gun-shy, non-gamblers need not apply. Clearly, predicting these fortunate winners is no easy task.

But starting with this special year-in-review edition, Uncensored Interview will present its newest regular feature, “Almost Famous,” in which we take a look at some of our recent Q & A subjects and give you the head’s up  on who’s the fewest inches away from leaping off the front page of our site and onto the covers of international music mags.

And keeping with this week’s 2008 Is Enough, year-end-wrap-up motif, we present the past 12 months’ UI-approved groups/artists on the verge of capturing the larger zeitgeist.

5. Everybody loves a challenge, so how about a band–such as the Fuck Buttons–which sound nothing like their name? This act has the most wonderfully offensive name since The Sex Pistols, yet make moody electronic music. (OK, they also do tend to scream a bit. But I can’t imagine too many people moshing to it).

4. It never hurts to be the son of a rock star. Nevertheless, cockiness is far more acceptable than being, well, a cock. Consider, if you will, Fiction Plane.

(CONTINUE READING ALMOST FAMOUS: 2008′S UI ARTISTS ON THE BRINK)

How many cool bands were there in 2008? Lots, and we talked to them all. If a band had a break out year, Uncensored Interview was there covering their rise to fame in this mercurial music industry. From Lykke Li and the Mae Shi to The Dodos and Hercules and Love Affair, 2008 represented a solid year in music for its diversity of sound and opinion on what a band should sound like in the first place.

To celebrate our superb tastemaking skills, we’re offering a week of reflective year-end posts that also introduce regular new features! From The Perry Train’s sagely wisdom in “Sound Advice,” to who we think is on the brink in “Almost Famous,” you’ll keep coming back for more in 2009.

Everyone says that radio sucks these days. In fact, people have been saying it for at least a decade. I had fond memories of listening to the radio growing up, but I was also listening to one of the coolest commercial radio stations at the time, WFNX in Boston. But even that holy grail of radio seemed dim on my last visit to the Bay State. This weekend I had the opportunity to travel down the east coast to check out some local radio, and I thought I’d share some lessons I have learned.

Someone covered “Lollipop.”
Yes, a “modern rock” band called Framing Hanley band covered a Lil Wayne song. You can listen to it over at their MySpace page–actually watch the Youtube video there for the “full version.”

311 is now “Classic Rock.”
Yep, I heard “Down” back to back with the Rolling Stones. Apparently, the Toadies are also in that genre now as well.

M.I.A. gets no props for T.I.’s “Swagga.”
Before the title came up on the radio dial, I actually thought this was T.I.’s bizarre M.I.A. remix. The song is officially titled “Swagga Like Us (feat. Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil’ Wayne)” with no mention of M.I.A.

Casey Kasem is still alive!
And apparently when the holidays roll around, he counts down the top Christmas songs…still! Though I don’t think the “top” songs on the list have changed since I was a kid. Quite sad as they do need to sneak “Christmas in Hollis” somewhere onto the list.

Everything is filtered through Auto-Tune.
Not just the obvious stuff like Kanye West and Lil Wayne, but even listening to rock radio you can hear the weird noise that often happens when Auto-Tune is used. It’s not nearly as obvious, but it’s there.

Oh, yeah, and…
People DO, in fact, like Nickelback.

Having survived the past week of unseasonably freezing temperatures here in New York City, two things have become blindingly apparent to me:

1. Those Eskimos are tough motherfuckers. I tip my hat to those sub-zero loving Inuit bastards.
2. We need to do something about global warming. And by that I mean, we need to speed it up.

(MORE BRING ON GLOBAL WARNING HERE)