Last night's episode of Lost was enough to make my whole year, but yet another shocker (not quite as startling as Hurley's vision of Jacob) came in the form of Jukebox The Ghost's debut LP, one that has been far too long in the making.

Ever since I first saw this band, I knew that they had successfully found the line between quirky and universally appealing. In their debut, Let Live And Let Ghosts, there really is something for everyone--from the cleverly titled "Hold It In," to the epic three-song End Of The World trilogy, to the fan-favorite "Victoria." Since I've seen this band more times that I should probably admit, these songs weren't exactly new, but hearing them in a recorded setting actually forced a physical reaction. That's right, the moment I heard the hand claps in "Lighting Myself On Fire" there was a cross between goosebumps and some sort of high pitched squeal. Trust me, it wasn't pretty. But luckily, that song is.

2008 will be a breaking year for this band -- fall in love now so you can say you knew them way back when. For the full experience, you can catch the band live at their New York release show, next Saturday night (February 9) at Brooklyn's Union Hall. They'll be playing with A Brief Smile, Hymns, and perhaps this person typing these words right here will be spinning on the decks. (I hate self-promotion). You can enter to win a pair of tickets over at CMJ.com.

Let Live And Let Ghosts is currently available for purchase at any of the shows or on the band's MySpace. The album will get national distribution this spring. Tracklist is under the cut.

01. Good Day
02. Hold It In
03. Beady Eyes On The Horizon
04. Under My Skin
05. Miss Templeton's 7000th Dream
06. Static
07. Victoria
08. My Heart's The Same
09. Lighting Myself On Fire
10. Fire In The Sky
11. Where Are All The Scientists Now?
12. A Matter Of Time