Springtime is in full bloom and summer is rapidly approaching. The sudden transition from winter’s frosty doldrums to spring’s ebullient breezes is likely to have a dramatic impact on the daily play lists of Seacoast music fans. The Wire called upon a number of area musicians, critics and everyday fans to tell us the top three albums they have been obsessively playing these days. The response was varied, with some citing obscure new bands and others pointing to classic rock and jazz records. Some reported that the iPod has skewed their memory of which songs come from which albums, but they all did their best. Here are the results.

Elizabeth Antalek (of Foxlove):
1) “Goliath, I’m on Your Side” by Hotel Alexis
2) “Exile in Guyville” by Liz Phair
3) “Car Wheels on a Gravel Road” by Lucinda Williams

Christopher Greiner (of Northern and Foxlove):
1) “The Sunlandic Twins” by Of Montreal
2) “I Can Hear Them in the Dark” by Tan Vampires
3) “October” by U2

Seth Gooby (of Breakfast Song):
1) “Shake You Down” by Gregory Abbott
2) “Devotion + Doubt” by Richard Buckner
3) “Definitely Charlie” by Breakfast Song

Brian Michael Roff (of The Underpainting)
1) “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse
2) “Aqualung” by Jethro Tull
3) “The Sheltering Hand Casts the Shadow” by Matt Bauer

Andrew Tomasello (A.K.A. Eat Cloud)
1) “Congotronics Vol. 2: Buzz’N’Rumble from the Urb’N’Jungle” by various artists
2) “Orange Twin Field Works Vol 1” by Jeff Mangum
3) “Babies that Hunt” by Secret Mommy

Russ Grazier Jr. (executive director of Portsmouth Music and Arts Center and president of Art-Speak)
1) “Motion” by Lee Konitz
2) “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel
3) “Sound Grammar” by Ornette Coleman

Tim Webb (of Equal Time, co-founder of Avant Coast)
1) “Frequency” by Frequency
2) “Homage to Charles Parker” by George Lewis
3) “Stand Up” by Jethro Tull

Laurel Brauns (singer/songwriter)
1) “Lonesome Crowded West” by Modest Mouse
2) “Plague of Dreams” by The Everybodyfields
3) “Don’t Fall in Love With Everyone You See” by Okkervil River

what we’ve been listening to at The Wire:

Alan Chase (“Jazz Universe” columnist)
1) “Blue Train” by John Coltrane
2) “Innervisions” by Stevie Wonder
3) “Gratitude” by Earth, Wind & Fire

Liberty Hardy (writer and calendar editor)
1) “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” by Modest Mouse
2) “Miracle of Five” by Eleni Mandell
3) “Or Give Me Death” by Aqueduct

Keith Sabella (“Under the Radar” columnist)
1) “Son” by Juana Molina
2) “Greetings from Michigan” by Sufjan Stevens
3) “Songs From a Dead Man’s Couch” by Kristy Kruger

Matt Kanner (associate editor)
1) “Insignificance” by Jim O’Rourke
2) “Chocolate and Cheese” by Ween
3) “Decade” by Neil Young

Karen Marzloff (managing editor)
1) “Alligator” by The National 
2) “The Reminder” by Feist
3) The Blues Show on WUNH by Bruce Pingree*

Hillary Niles (proofreader)
1) “Love & Thirst” by Joyce Andersen
2) “King of the Road (box set)” by Roger Miller
3) “Neighborhoods” by Olu Dara

Dave Karlotski (publisher)
1) “Armchair Apocrypha” by Andrew Bird
2) “Apologies to the Queen Mary” by Wolf Parade
3) “Sorry Try Again” by Hussalonia

*Karen just had to be different and put a non-album on her list.