This is music?
Turisas – The Varangian Way: Listening to this album was roughly an hour of my life I’ll never have back. In The Court Of Jarislief was the only song I thought memorable.
Garbage, refuse…the like:
Editors – The End Has A Start: I can’t remember anything from this LP. That’s a bad sign.
Eluvium – Copia: These piano pieces didn’t move me for the most part. Yawn.
Buffalo Tom – Three Easy Pieces: One of the most overrated releases of the year. Going by this record (not their previous work, which I haven’t heard), there are better country rock bands out there.
Manic Street Preachers – Send Away The Tigers: It’s like night and day comparing this to the superb Everything Must Go. Manic Street Preachers still have a pulse, but a really weak one at that.
Maroon 5 – It Won’t Be Soon Before Long: Can’t Stop is as catchy as anything else released this year, but little else on this LP is worth hearing.
120 Days – Sedated Times: I recall this sounding like run-of-the-mill something-or-other, but it escapes me now. Refer to one of my older posts for a longer review.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Some Loud Thunder: CYHSY’s second output is disappointing compared to the self-titled debut. What was producer Dave Friedmann (The Flaming Lips) thinking when he mixed the first two tracks?? It pains me to put Some Loud Thunder in the “refuse” category, but most of the songs here were unexciting or too long.
Bloc Party – A Weekend In the City: Instead of building on Silent Alarm, these guys went the bland route. If I remember correctly, this LP is totally uninspiring (I deleted it from my computer after listening to it once).
The Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist: I love these guys (one of the best bands of the ‘90s, in my opinion), but despite stuff like Doomsday Clock, it can’t get worse for the Pumpkins. The good news is that the next release can only be better.
Pelican – City Of Echoes: They may be quite good in the future, but they need to kick out their drummer, pronto. This album plods along with the percussion’s too-heavy beat.
Magik Markers – Boss: Think of Sonic Youth without a sense of melody and with rambling solos. Uh oh.
Replacement-level:
Wilco – Sky Blue Sky: On this album, Wilco chose to imitate Eagles. Since I consider the Eagles to be one of the most overrated bands of the ‘70s, it follows that this album is overrated. *Yawn…*
Oh, sorry. I was falling asleep listening to this a second time. Were these guys castrated before they recorded this album? (An exception is the soloing guitarist – he came to play.)
Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris: Not bad, but not good enough to lure me in for another listen prior to this writing. I’ll probably listen to these guys more in the future.
Velvet Revolver – Libertad: Even Slash’s riffs couldn’t bridge the gap between mediocrity and greatness during this album. Give us the next Guns N' Roses album already!
Minus the Bear – Planet of Ice: Minus the Bear definitely tries to be interesting here, but it falls short of They Make Beer Commercials Like This.
West Indian Girl – 4th and Wall: Starts great, then rapidly bores the listener. I must have been deluded when I wrote my fuller review a few months back.
Mediocrity, say hello:
UMPHREY’S McGEE – The Bottom Half: Oh, how I long for the days of Anchor Drops and Local Band Does O.K.. It’s admirable that Umphrey’s McGee is trying to bring their songwriting to the level of their instrument playing, but more improvement is needed.
The Shins – Wincing the Night Away: Thank goodness the Shins abandoned the tasteless pop of Chutes Too Narrow. They actually tried some cool stuff here.
The Go! Team – Proof of Youth: This is the quintessential pick-me-up album. Every song is happy – and it starts to grate after awhile. Best listened to if morbidly depressed.
The Frames – The Cost: I feel like I’m underrating this a bit. Falling Slowly and a few other ditties stand out; nonetheless, there were just too many better LPs this year. If it’s any consolation, I think Glen Hansard’s voice is heavenly.
Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero: My introduction to Trent Reznor and his industrial rock wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t good, either (in retrospect).
Mew – Frengers: Mew’s LP debut (released several years back in Europe) finally reached the States this summer. It doesn’t compare to And the Glass-Handed Kites but has its moments.
Richard Branson is listening:
Bear Colony – We Came Here To Die: This LP could grow on me with more listens. Essentially, think of an unpretentious, mellower The Smashing Pumpkins album – one that Billy Corgan would gladly trade for this year. I’m amazed they have less than 100,000 listens.
Apostle of Hustle – National Anthem Of Nowhere: The hits are awesome (
National Anthem of Nowhere); the misses stink (NoNoNo). This indie rock band that plays music with a Hispanic flair should be on your radar.They Might Be Giants – The Else: Hilarious lyrics and some good songs toward the end leave this album as a deep sleeper.
Interpol – Our Love to Admire: This LP doesn’t match the heights of Antics or Turn on the Bright Lights, but at least they sound a little happy here. I don’t wish any of the band members to go the way of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, the band to which they have frequently been compared.
Interpol – Live: The band’s first live record (an EP) recently hit stores. I wish their live act was a little different from their studio efforts; if they’re excited to be playing in front of thousands of people, it barely shows.
Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha: Bird’s deeply intellectual lyrics lost me. I’ll try this album a second time (eventually) and see what happens since it’s definitely not bad, just hard to figure out. I did hear
Scythian Empire recently and loved it.Sea Wolf – Leaves In The River: This is a singer-songwriter LP debut; the singer-songwriter is surrounded by a collective. The music shows a lot of potential (which is fully realized on the track You’re a Wolf). A second listen didn’t impress as much as the first, however.
The Ponys – Turn The Lights Out: The anti-Turn on the Bright Lights record? Perhaps – The Ponys are far more excited than Interpol, that’s for sure. Beyond some great riffage (and a few good melodies), there’s not too much to hold on to here.
PJ Harvey – White Chalk: When she shows passion, Harvey blows the world away (
The Mountain, anyone?). When she’s in a more meditative mood (Grow Grow Grom), the world snoozes.Band of Horses – Cease to Begin: Band of Horses sound suspiciously like The Shins on this album. What happened to the sweet guitars? If this is the rule, not the exception, the band will disappear fast.
Okkervil River – The Stage Names: Okkervil River’s 2007 album is another widely-overrated record. This is not “great”; it’s “ok.” The lyrics may be slightly above average, but the compositions themselves don’t lend themselves to your attention.
The New Pornographers – Challengers: I just listened to this on Christmas Day 2007 for the first time. Sounded pretty good to me, but who knows what opinions further listens will bring.
Major Record Label will sign you as long as it gets 80% of the pot per CD:
As Tall as Lions – Into The Flood: ATAL released this EP the year after their successful self-titled album of ambient rock, and the band has taken another step forward with more complex arrangements (especially on the track
Into the Flood).The Reign Of Kindo – The Reign Of Kindo: This band formed from the ashes of This Day & Age after their lead singer departed. Instead of ambience rock like TDAA, TROK focuses on jazz-inspired indie rock. Three great compositions in Needle & Thread, hard to believe, and Just Wait instill promise for their first full-length.
Bat For Lashes – Fur and Gold: There’s much intrigue here in this medieval-inspired LP (with harp in places). Ultimately, I couldn’t really connect with it in my two listens, but more tries could lead to a greater appreciation for this interesting record.
Peter Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block: PB&J (sandwich) did not suffer from the affliction that is the name of their album.
Young Folks is tremendously catchy, and the rest of the album is solid pop. Nonetheless, I didn’t enjoy Writer’s Block as much as some of the other more heralded releases of 2007.The Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse: Disaster is the greatest track Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys never wrote. The album is front-loaded with good pop-rock songs; it feels too long by the end.
Kings of Leon – Because of the Times: Kings of Leon are one of the better American rock bands today, judging by this record. It needs more than two listens before I can pin down a rating for certain.
The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters: Like the Besnard Lakes album, Fourteen Autumns is front-loaded with great tracks (such as
Cold Days from the Birdhouse and That Summer, at Home I Became the Invisible Boy) and then fizzles some. You have to dig the lead singer’s heavy Scottish accent.Dr. Dog – We All Belong: You’d think that these guys are The Band redux when listening to them. We All Belong is a good “chill” album, unlike most of the other stuff on this list.
Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone: At first listen, this sounds like any old Explosions in the Sky album. A closer inspection reveals that the long, powerful buildup numbers are just not as good as on previous efforts, although the quieter interludes are improved.
Clinic – Visitations: While I couldn’t recommend Visitations over Internal Wrangler, this is a solid effort by a band flying under the radar these days – a real sleeper.
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver: One of the stronger electronica releases this year, Sound of Silver lands here by simply being good for its genre. However, there were better electronica albums released in 2007.
“Hey, this is pretty good – why don’t you burn a copy for me?”:
Burial – Untrue: Burial is the recording name of an anonymous British trip-hop artist, and boy, did mystery man pull off an awesome album here. Untrue actually has worth beyond that of dance floor fare! While the whole thing is one cohesive unit,
Archangel works pretty well as a standalone track. Good night-walk-alone music here.Liars – Liars: The third release in the band’s canon is probably the weirdest of all the albums in this recap, but if you let your inner nerd out (if you haven’t done so already, that is), Liars can be appreciated over and over. Methinks the band was listening to Frank Zappa before writing
Freak Out. Sailing To Byzantium doesn’t outcool They Might Be Giants’ Istanbul, but the ending Middle-Eastern riff is sweet.Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam: There are a few classics here in For Reverend Green and Fireworks; many others also like Derek. None of them approaches 2005’s
Grass, however.Bruce Springsteen – Magic: So what if the Boss returned to his roots for Magic? You’ll enjoy
Radio Nowhere and Gypsy Biker immensely, and the self-titled is a work of art. BRRRUUUUUCCCEEE!!!Ted Leo and The Pharmacists – Living With The Living: Some of the most precisely crafted music released this year is found on this album – every note is just right; Ted Leo’s falsetto hits the mark. A Bottle of Buckie, Bomb. Repeat. Bomb., and The Sons Of Cain all rank among my favorite songs released this year. They even dabble in reggae on The Unwanted Things. It’s a tad too long, though.
The National – Boxer: The National sure have come a long way from their Bruce Springsteen aping days. The contemplative mood on numbers such as Fake Empire befits a night alone.
Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position: The former child prodigy has certainly made a career for himself. Is there a happier song in existence besides
The Magic Position? He also makes use of a wide palette of instruments to create just the right tone in each track.The Trio of Doom – The Trio of Doom: One of the greatest gatherings of musical talents in history occurred when Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin, and Tony Williams recorded together a few times in the early ‘70s. The resulting jazz fusion blows the mind.
Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare: It’s quite clear that these guys can’t spell. First they scribed “favorite” with a “u,” then they recorded a number called
Brianstorm. Whatever you do, don’t get near Brian – he’s dangerous! Regional variations in the English language and clever transforms aside, Favourite Worst Nightmare is a vast improvement over the band’s debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am Not. This is probably due to maturity (they weren’t even out of their teens when the first was recorded), but welcome regardless.The White Stripes – Icky Thump: Jack and Meg White are clearly diversifying the band’s sound here; there’s an Irish- or English-sounding hymn-like song in Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn, for crying out loud. A song that is titled the blues, 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues, actually has few blues stanzas. Yes, it looks like a brave new world.
Dinosaur Jr. – Beyond: Turn back the clock – it’s 1989 all over again! At least, listening to Beyond, one would think so: Dinosaur Jr. is in fine punk form here, just as good as they were during their first inception in the late ‘80s. One of the best rock songs of the year is
Almost Ready; there’s no filler on this LP.The Aliens – Astronomy For Dogs: Looking for ‘60s pop and rock of all forms? This is precisely the album you want – unabashedly desperate lyrics, 10+ minute-long jams (
Caravan), novelty numbers (Robot Man), etc. Formed from the ashes of the critically-acclaimed The Beta Band, The Aliens have delivered a record that classic rock junkies will love.Do Make Say Think – You, You’re A History In Rust: No other album released this year by a widely acclaimed band has flown so far under the radar. I haven’t heard a peep about it since its May release in the US! Well, don’t make the mistake of overlooking it.
Bound To Be That Way is absolutely gorgeous. This is the quintessential soundtrack to a quiet fall morning: the air brisk, the crunching of crisp leaves audible under your feet…you get the idea.Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity: These guys got a little less experimental after one of their guitarists departed, but the music made in his absence is much improved in terms of melodic quality (whatever that means). There’s no filler; I’d say this is the album you want to listen to first if you’re going to get into Deerhoof for the first time.
The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen: This supergroup actually works pretty well, including members from past bands like The Clash, Blur, and Gorillaz. The Clash influences can be felt throughout, since even though the album is thoroughly British in flavor, reggae touches color songs like
History Song and Herculean. The record was supposed to be a one-time deal, but the results have pleased the band’s members, and so a 2008 album is in the works.“I’m gonna start ranking these now…” league:
14: Caribou – Andorra: Here, Daniel Snaith recreates some of the better pop of the ‘60s in Melody Day. Gee, Sandy isn’t so bad either…and Sundialing has one of the coolest samples around. The ballad She’s the One is magical as well. Don’t let the intimidating recording name of Snaith (who would win a battle between a caribou and a human, after all?) scare you away from one of the best electronica albums of the year.
13: Panda Bear – Person Pitch: Animal Collective’s drummer outdid his band’s record on his solo effort this year. Ditto what was said about Caribou’s “Melody Day” with Panda Bear’s
Comfy in Nautica. The juggernauts, Bros and Good Girl/Carrots, not only contain interesting samples but also entrance the listener with series of high-quality sections that seamlessly flow into one another. The idyllic I’m Not is my favorite.12: Porcupine Tree – Fear of a Blank Planet: The progressive metal band led by Steven Wilson has turned in another fine effort with Fear of a Blank Planet. This still-mostly-unknown British group has recorded one of the year’s masterpieces in Anesthetize, an over-17-minute track recalling Pink Floyd’s Echoes. The album works as a unit, although the lyrics are somewhat sophomoric (as always). The whole group composed Way Out of Here, my second favorite here.
11: Dungen – Tio Bitar: Here is probably the most unknown group out of all those that have a ranked album. This Swedish band plays a tantalizing blend of classic rock, jazz, Swedish folk music, and pop. Their sophomore effort is much shorter than the critically acclaimed Ta Det Lugnt, and perhaps it’s for the better. The album bursts out of the gates with the blistering
Intro, and a decent Jimi Hendrix impression results. Familj, the beautiful C Visar Vägen, and Mon Amour are other highlights.10: Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog: It’s about time: Sam Beam, the man behind Iron & Wine, finally upgraded to hi-fi recordings for this album, and the results are impressive. Pagan Angel And A Borrowed Car has the sort of sunny-summer-day feeling conducive to listening this album in a convertible with the top down. White Tooth Man just wouldn’t have been possible without the use of electric guitar and the multiple layers used in the recording of this LP. The haunting Carousel is near the top of my favorite songs of the year.
9: Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: The songwriting on this album is excellent, even if it is somewhat held back by the musicians’ playing abilities. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb is one of the most recognizable songs of the year, and Don’t Make Me a Target and Don’t You Evah are two terrific tracks as well. The band has put forth another concise effort without abandoning its identity. Good job, Britt Daniel.
8: The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible: While it seemed a little low to me at first, this is not a slight against the band at all in this year of strong releases. The band wisely eschewed its tendency toward anthemic charts for its sophomore release, favoring more contemplative numbers such as Black Mirror and The Well and the Lighthouse. However, the reinvention of
No Cars Go is the best track, IMO, despite being the only anthem here.7: St. Vincent – Marry Me: The witty lyrical content of The Polyphonic Spree’s Annie Clark, along with her use of a wide variety of musical genres, catapults this record near the top. The former point is no more evident than in Jesus Saves, I Spend – har har. Rock, pop, jazz – it’s all game for Clark, and her debut solo album is nothing short of terrific as a result.
6: Battles – Mirrored: Truly for the mathematically inclined, this post-rock album combines a dance flair with time signatures I can’t decipher.
Tonto and Atlas exemplify the best of the genre, and the LP bookends, Race: In and Race: Out, are juicy bits of post-rock bliss.There aren’t enough stars (or thumbs up) to give these releases:
5: of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?: Feel the rrraaaagggeee. If you can’t tell, Kevin Barnes is really angry (The Past is a Grotesque Animal and She’s A Rejecter). He’s depressed, too – evident in compositions like
Gronlandic Edit and A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger. He chose the electronica album to overflow with his personal feelings, and the passion, combined with the great beats, make this one of the top albums of the year.4: Les Savy Fav – Let’s Stay Friends: An offbeat record, the height of the band’s sonic powers is witnessed as The Equestrian, a whirlwind account of sex in the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages theme continues off-and-on throughout the record, but the hits are found everywhere: Pots & Pans, Brace Yourself, Patty Lee, The Year Before The Year 2000, Slugs In The Shrubs, What Would Wolves Do?, and The Lowest Bitter. Clearly, the band has a talent for writing great melodies. The record ends before the listener has had enough, and thus, he comes back to it over and over.
3: Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta!: Gypsy punk sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not: an accordion and a violin nailing riffs at blazing speed sounds like bliss when it comes from Gogol Bordello. The band’s talent was evident in the past, but the songwriting has finally caught up. Reggae ideas are explored in Dub The Frequencies Of Love; Tribal Connection also extends the range of genres the band plays. More great songs are Forces Of Victory, Alcohol, and American Wedding. The number of members in the band provides the recordings with a lot of depth. All those seeking a dance party need to look no further than Super Taranta!
2: Radiohead – In Rainbows: Much has been written about how Radiohead released In Rainbows. Since you probably know the story by now, I’ll just skip to the music. I was initially a little disappointed upon hearing
15 Step, not because it was bad (it’s quite good, in fact), but because it sounded like Kid A all over again (save the cheering children’s chorus). However, Bodysnatchers relieved me since it’s not really reminiscent of any of the band’s previous work. The haunting O.K. Computer-era Nude is tremendous with just the snare and bass for long stretches. Possibly my favorite track on Disc 1 is the longing Weird Fishes/Arpeggi. Faust Arp is the uncommon poignant, acoustic ballad from the group, while Reckoner fills the role of danceable-yet-sorrowful midtempo number. Nonetheless, the real surprise of the album comes in the form of the reggae love song House of Cards because its message is not hidden in mysterious metaphors. A close second to Weird Fishes/Arpeggi is Jigsaw Falling Into Place, inheriting the mantle of latest angry rock tune from There There. Just in case you were getting too optimistic, though, Videotape brings you down in the manner of Motion Picture Soundtrack.Disc 2 (yes, I am reviewing it here as well) begins with a reprisal of Videotape, followed by the well-known track from concerts, Down Is the New Up. The lyrical content of Down Is the New Up doesn’t compare to much of Disc 1, but I’d be kidding you if I said you wouldn’t like it. The jewel of Disc 2 takes the form of Go Slowly; it could have been written by Pink Floyd with its acoustic melancholy. Last Flowers is an ok piano track, while Up on the Ladder gives the discos another good number for the dance floor with its loud bass and extremely rhythmic guitar line. The cruncher of Disc 2 is Bangers & Mash – it tops Jigsaw Falling Into Place with regard to brute force. To end Disc 2, Radiohead curiously chose the peaceful 4 Minute Warning. This conclusion seems all too appropriate for the eclectic In Rainbows.
Disc 2 sounds like a collection of b-sides compared to Disc 1; the band did the right thing by excluding the Disc 2 tracks from the lead disc. Still, the 18 tracks, as a group, top almost everything else released in 2007.
Now, you’ve made it to the top CD of 2007 (in all likelihood, by skipping most of this list).
Think about it…
You’re almost…
There…
The best of 2007:
1: Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank: Not a surprising choice by any means, and one that won’t please the “Modest Mouse sold out!” groupies, Isaac Brock’s songwriting is stronger than ever. Every track here is a masterpiece. All the hits from this album (well, hits in the indie rock sense) could be contenders for song of the year:
March Into the Sea, Dashboard, Florida, We’ve Got Everything, Fly Trapped in a Jar, and Education. The slower tracks impress as well: Parting of the Sensory, Missed the Boat, and Little Motel. The leftovers are better than just appetizers: Fire It Up is the feel-good song from this album like Float On was for Good News for People Who Love Bad News, Steam Engenius is Brock’s reality check with weirdness, and Spitting Venom continues Brock’s tradition of writing long, disgruntled compositions. Ah, yes – Johnny Marr’s (formerly of The Smiths) inclusion in the band only strengthens the songs, especially on Fly Trapped in a Jar. Yikes, I’ve said too much already – go listen to this album! Pronto!That concludes my long-winded, yet whirlwind, account of the year 2007 in music. I hope this journal entry was informative both in guiding your next music purchase and in disseminating my music opinions. Have a good day (or holiday, if you celebrate one).
