records2007

fucking finally. i started doing this shit about 3 weeks before christmas and save for a few posts here and there, it has taken up all my nerd free time. i went back and listened to most of these, most i didn't have to but i wanted to make sure with the ones i did. after a brief sabbatical here's my 2007 in music list. seems like this was the like the 4th or 5th year in a row that we've had good luck with music and driving across the country for months and slinging pies when i wasn't traveling allowed for much listening time, maybe too much as i didn't get super acquainted with many of these records that i wanted to. so without any more interruptions. a list in no particular order. this isn't supposed to be a numbered list, just my favorite 50 or so releases. a lot of these lists i read are like 'my favorite 8 records' and shit. there is way too much music released in a year to have anything less than at least your favorite 50 or so. maybe that's just me. check it and bring joints.

choice
grinderman 'grinderman'
nick cave could fart onto some 1/2" tape ran at 7.5 ips and it would rule. and be on this list. (obviously.)
grinderman - get it on

the clientele 'god save the clientele'
after the excellent 'strange geometry' went virtually unnoticed a couple of years ago, i was totally stoked for a new clientele release. this time they added the superfoxy multi-instrumentalist mel draisey to their big star meets love meets 60's pop sound. there's some reverb in that sound too.
the clientele - bookshop casanova

the warlocks 'heavy deavy skull lover'
this is kinda picking up where 'rise & fall' left off. the warlocks return with the soundtrack to the apocalypse. if the apocalypse was strung-out on codeine. somehow they manage a bigger sound with less people. odd.
the warlocks - slip beneath

grayskul 'bloody radio'
after releasing an excellent debut ['deadlivers'] a few years back rhymesayers third finest act released another half-dark half-comic bookish underground hip hop record. this record featured guest spots from slug [atmosphere], andrea zollo [pretty girls make graves] and aesop rock. i hear they wanted to take pieces from all of hip hop's sub-genres and create something for everyone.
grayskul - missing feat. andrea zollo

grizzly bear 'friend' ep
it's amazing how these guys always release awesome fucking music (even if it's rehashing some old shit.) you know, in between gargling marbles and swallowing miles of cock. it's also very surprising that you never hear them play a reverb-drenched rusty trombone.
grizzly bear - shift (alternate version)

the besnard lakes 'are the dark horse'
in this day of bands and artists and whatnot releasing every time they ironically fart into a microphone, it's good to see a band not afraid to release an 8 song lp. getting help from other canadians [members of godspeed you! black emperor/a silver mt zion, stars and the dears all contributed] the besnard lakes created an excellent album full of different ideas that all seem to work. at times they're ripping shoegaze or brian wilson or an in-your-face wall of sound (sometimes all the same time) and other times, well, check out the loungey and surfy (sorta) vibe that builds up without gaining speed of 'for agent 13'. you'll get it.
the besnard lakes - for agent 13

the coral 'roots & echoes'
i've been a fan of the coral ever since i heard 'dreaming of you' when they were 15 and i was 21. it's kinda weird for me to still like these particular throwback 60's revivalists as i hate everyone younger than me but the music has been excellent since day one. plus my buddy from england knows these guys and said they're cool dudelys in real life. very much unlike the moochers in bloc party and the poser crackers in the libertines. (i also hear.)
the coral - rebecca you

voxtrot 'voxtrot'
i was really glad to see the voxtrot decided to cut the ep bullshit and release a proper record. fucking everything these fucking noobs do is sweet. no you guys i'm seriously.
voxtrot - ghost

the lionheart brothers 'dizzy kiss'
this gets a lot of comparisons to brian wilson. i guess that seems fair. the lionheart brothers feature some former members of 120 days and serena maneesh so you know going into this it's going to be good. 'dizzy kiss' came out way early last year in norway and comes out in the uk in a week. get the import here. (you might have to pay in kroners though).
the lionheart brothers - 50 souls and discobowl

blonde redhead '23'
ever since i picked up 'misery is a butterfly' on a whim, (maybe on a recommendation from that nerd in jimmy eat world) blonde redhead has been one of my favorites. the first time i heard '23' (the song) i probably hit rewind like 16 times. hands down my favorite song of the year. it's like a ghost singing out to you thru the darkness and the rain. plus that ghost, kazu makino, is supersexy. (obviously. she is asian.)
blonde redhead - 23

mando diao 'never seen the light of day'
i'm pretty sure this was the year of the scandinavians. yup, another band from sweden. this time in the form of super catchy hooks and a good pop formula that never gets tired. breaking out their acoustic axes this time around, this album makes it 3 for 3 on their last 3 outings.
mando diao - if i don't live today, then i might be here tomorrow

panda bear 'person pitch'
someone needs to tell this guy to relax on his mushroom intake. after his next album or two of course.
panda bear - take pills

benzos 'branches'
descriptions i came across as i couldn't pinpoint it all. trip hop, early dance, ambient, drum n bass, jazz. and there are guitars on this record too. really fucking awesome guitars. play this one for the lady and you'll be pounding vaj in no time. ecstasy optional.
benzos - teach me

calla 'strength in numbers'
isn't anyone else glad that calla has made basically the same album 5 times now? i know you're going to say ''but duder, i like it when bands explore the fringes of their musical boundaries. open your eyes and taste the fucking colors brah!'' and i say ''yeah but not fucking every band is radiohead and i like it when not every fucking band tries to be.''
calla - rise

two cow garage 'three'
this would be on this list even if we hadn't interviewed them here. and more songs and description here.
two cow garage - should've california

jose gonzalez 'in our nature'
hopefully for his solo outings, jose pulls a calla and sticks with his tried and true proven formula that works every time. i wouldn't mind seeing a junip full length someday.
jose gonzalez - time to send someone away

liars 'liars'
thing(s) that i like about liars records: they are always interesting and i could never fall asleep to one. thing(s) that i don't like about liars records: they never have their earlier records at the lame record shops i go to.
liars - freak out

interpol 'our love to admire'
you can tell that peter katis and matador weren't involved. even though rich costey has a pretty credible resume it still sounds like it had to pass some major label test listen. but after releasing my favorite record ever ['antics'], it would be very hard to top that let alone ride the coattails of. that being said, 'the lighthouse' is the second best song from the last 365 days. 'pioneers to the falls' is a very close fourth or fifth though...
interpol - the lighthouse

kings of leon 'because of the times'
here's some more excellent cross-eyed southern fried rock n roll served up on your plate. the south may rise again. maybe. if it doesn't involve books. and not racism.
kings of leon - knocked up

prince 'planet earth'
if you don't like prince you are either: 1) a racist or 2) so deep in the closet you're in narnia or 3) a racist. also, ''i love you baby but not like i love my guitar uh huh''. prince rules.
prince - guitar

the ravonettes 'lust lust lust'
an orgy of garage fuzz, dark surfish-noir, drum machines, synth bass, a huge love affair with the jesus & mary chain and pop music from the 50's and 60's being produced by lou reed during his 'metal machine music' days. boss.
the raveonettes - hallucinations

arcade fire 'neon bible'
i don't think there is a better moment of music this year than "been singing hallelujah with the fear in your heart".
arcade fire - intervention

blanche 'little amber bottles'
heartbroken gothic americana at its finest from some of jack white's old and current running crew. legend has it this record was finished last year but it took some time for any label [the uk's loose records] to get their heads outta their twats and finally release this gem. other than that--dusty banjos dude!
blanche - o' death, where is thy sting?

the groggers 'the groggers'
hands down the best sounding percussion you'll find anywhere. bring whiskey. and a tooter. and your celtic jersey. another contender for my favorite release of the year.
the groggers - throw your red paint

ilan eshkeri 'stardust ost'
john murphy & underworld 'sunshine ost'
marco beltrami '3:10 to yuma ost'
nick cave & warren ellis 'the assassination of jesse james ost'
these are the awesome soundtracks to some kickass movies. marco beltrami has done the soundtrack's to some movies i've seen and some that i haven't. the music for those which i've seen didn't catch me the way it did for 3:10. anyone remember the music for 'the proposition'? me too, that's why i went ahead and got the assassination soundtrack before seeing the movie. i don't know if the sunshine soundtrack has been released on cd or whatever yet. it should be. it's fucking awesome. danny boyle hooks up with underworld again!? score! that underworld & john murphy tune was ripped from some youtube dealy as well. so dealy with it.
ilan eshkeri - shooting star
john murphy & underworld - sunshine climax (capa's jump)
nick cave & warren ellis - falling
marco beltrami - ben takes the stage/dan's burden

deerhunter 'cryptograms'
this is another one i have a hard time describing. bringing ambient, shoegaze, psychedelic and punk to the table and jumping in between them seemlessly. makes me excited for the atlas sound record next year. and the next deerhunter release.
deerhunter - white ink

white rabbits 'fort nightly'
my favorite debut record of the year. maybe the best drumming all year. (sounding as well because technically the groggers used cardboard boxes and feet on tables in a percussive manner.)
white rabbits - march of the camels

okkervil river 'the stage names'
even if this record blew gary glitter it would be on this list for the 'sloop john b' takeover. but fortunately it rules and doesn't blow gary glitter. mostly because it's not a 12 year old.
okkervil river - unless it kicks

the white stripes 'icky thump'
good to hear jack white continue his venturing and then still have time to stay at home too. plus it's got bagpipes!
the white stripes - a martyr for my love for you

the shins 'wincing the night away'
some more top notch pop song writing drenched in some form of lsd and childhood daydreaming.
the shins - red rabbits

the comas 'spells'
after 'conductor' was released i had faith in the college/indie scene again. i was a little skeptical about this new release from the comas, as vagrant records puts out a lot of emo/punk bullshit and maybe thought that the comas were trying to cash in. not the case. here is some more excellent psychedelic indie-pop full of lost love and tongue-in-cheek geekiness.
the comas - now i'm a spider

black rebel motorcycle club 'baby81'
taking (the best) pieces from their three previous records certainly means the club have done it again. they sound kinda pissed off this time as well. maybe they left some of their ennui in 2004.
black rebel motorcycle club - berlin

band of horses 'cease to begin'
not as memorable as 'everything all the time' but still better than 90% of the horseshit out there. more proof the south may rise again someday.
band of horses - islands on the coast

jason isbell - sirens of the ditch
the final entry for a southern revolt. excellent songwriting that was proven time and time again in the later days of in the drive-by truckers. if you can't wait for the next drive-by album, get this as a quick fix.
jason isbell - shotgun wedding

a band of bees 'octopus'
all you need for this is a simple equation. lo-fi + country + psychedelic + dub + jazz + a love for early rock n roll = octopus. maybe my favorite record of the year.
a band of bees - the ocularist

bettye lavette 'the scene of the crime'
i didn't find this until the last week of 2007. yes, this was a last minute addition. it's tits. having been making records since 1962, she only "made it" a couple of years ago with 'i've got my own hell to raise'. this year's 'the scene of the crime' is: rock n roll + funk + soul + hints of gospel + country wine + the drive-by truckers as her backing band + spooner oldham wrecking the ivories + choice covers from some legends = why didn't anyone talk about this album? cunts.
bettye lavette - choices

eluvium 'copia'
stunning ambient from the great northwest.
eluvium - ostinato

william basinski - el camino real
stunning ambient from the big apple.
william basinski - el camino real

stars of the lid 'and their refinement of the decline'
stunning ambient from texas.
stars of the lid - don't bother they're here

ulrich schnauss 'goodbye'
stunning ambient from berlin.
ulrich schnauss - einfeld

sharon jones & the dap-kings '100 days, 100 nights'
4'6" sharon jones and this 10 foot wall of down home funky soul growing behind her. this is unbelievably excellent. filling in for the hole that not having curtis mayfield or james brown around anymore creates. for those of you in the know, the dap-kings played on the most recent mark ronson release (which will be reviewed here very shortly).
sharon jones & the dap-kings - keep on looking

dungen 'tio bitar'
top notch psychedelic jazziness from sweden's finest one man band. i'm surprised that this isn't on any of the top 2007 lists i've read. must be everyone is still trying to hold onto some very important indie cred. whatever that is. maybe someone heard this before them and now they can't let on that someone else was there first.
dungen - familj

sea wolf 'leaves in the river'
this is where i expected to put the new beirut or maybe the new bright eyes record. but this is better. and duder here didn't have to fuck off to france to make it. (not that beirut's new record isn't really good.) plus it's got some sweet accordions. tits!
sea wolf - song for the dead

ween 'la cucaracha'
stronger than the previous 'quebec'. this ranks up there with other ween heavy hitters like 'chocolate and cheese', 'white pepper', and 'the mollusk'. ween man. fuuuuucking weeee-eeeen. man. even though it seems this is a kinder gentler ween.
ween - object

kula shaker 'strangefolk'
after releasing one of the most underrated sophomore efforts ['peasants, pigs & astronauts'] in the last 20 years, the shakers finally return with more of their indian influenced britrock. tits.
kula shaker - dr. kitt

cheeseburger 'cheeseburger'
the perfect record for any situation where you are drinking booze, plan on drinking booze, just got done drinking booze, should be done drinking booze, drinking booze under your bed in the dark, plan on getting a little blow to go along with your booze, or you are at your local pub and the jukebox is eerily quiet and you want to get the party started. plus they've got the word burger in their name so they'd slide in automatically, even if this was a pink tribute record. (it's been a little while since anyone's given a fucking shit.)
cheeseburger - do you remember?

battles 'mirrored'
let's hope this post-rock sorta-supergroup continues to do what they did this year. make sweet sweet music with covers i can stare at for minutes on end. even though the term math rock is gayer than two dudes making out in a park.
battles - tonto

do make say think 'you, you're a history in rust'
explosions in the sky 'all of a sudden i miss everyone'
six parts seven 'casually smashed to pieces'
citay 'little kingdom'
lengthy and epic-y instrumentals were spot on this year. too bad my education didn't release one this year. that shit woulda fit nicely in there as well.
do make say think - a tender history in rust
explosions in the sky - catastrophe and the cure
six parts seven - falling over evening
citay - former child

a place to bury strangers 'a place to bury strangers'
i think it was buddyhead who hipped me to these morose motherfuckers. i totally see why buddyhead likes these cats. i heard they broke into the jesus & mary chain's house and stole all their equipment and didn't change any of the settings on it. then they listened to some velvet underground and maybe some singapore sling and made this record that could easily be the soundtrack to some movie made by david lynch, john hughes, satan and darren aronofsky. it's really fucking good. plus the main stranger makes these killer guitar pedals used on this record.
a place to bury strangers - the falling sun

no age 'weirdo rippers'
i think this is guitars and drums and shit but i might just be hearing clouds trapped in mason jars.
no age - every artist needs a tragedy

dr. dog 'we all belong'
this record rides on this peculiar steely dan wave at some times. kinda reminds of a slightly less psychedelic/more pop-oriented asteroid #4 or lilys. doesn't seem to have the 60's vibe that 'easy beat' had. i guess that previous steely dan reference would be that this one has a coked-out 70's vibe to it.
dr. dog - alaska

the octopus project 'hello, avalanche'
black moth super rainbow 'dandelion gum'
anyone get in (off) on 'the house of apples & eyeballs'? seeing that i randomly grabbed that for the title and bands involved alone i was not sure what to expect from these two bands going solo. each of these albums are exactly what i hoped them to be. excellent sunshiny electronic and experimental psychedelic music for nerds and probably made by nerds.
the octopus project - i saw the bright shinies
black moth super rainbow - drippy eye

soulsavers 'it's not how far you fall, it's the way you land'
this album features the vocal stylings of mark lanegan. also they cover 'no expectations' by the stones and 'through my sails' by neil young. still want more info? will oldham (aka bonnie 'prince' billy aka palace (brothers)) and one of the brosephs from doves guest as well. i first heard of soulsavers off of the layer cake soundtrack. and after hearing that they were able to make pussies like starsailor sound killer, i looked into this. this has sort of a holy revival feel to it (somehow) by way of its sweet atmospherics. and mark lanegan. their take on 'no expectations' is the third best song of the last 12 months.
soulsavers - kingdom of rain

dalek 'abandoned language'
at first this record seemed dark and brooding. then it seemed ambient and loungey. either way it's most excellent blueprint hip hop.
dalek - content to play villain

richard hawley 'lady's bridge'
this duder from pulp channels roy orbison and that dude singing about trees and shit from that restaurant scene in 'kingpin'. at times he also seems to be doing his best mark lanegan impression. that's pretty cool. this album gives off this nashville-via-the 60's feel to it. maybe neil diamond going laid back rockabilly after coming down from (or going on) a scott walker bender. either way, we're still waiting on that pulp reunion. thanks to my old kentucky blog for the heads up on this gem.
richard hawley - lady solitude

mary weiss 'dangerous game'
the old lead singer of the shangri-la's hooks up with memphis's reigning sound and delivers a throwback to her old sound. an update if you will on the sound she was famous for. if you listen closely, you can hear what the raveonettes hear. plus the reigning sound are fucking badass. also ''kids...kids don't know shit''.
mary weiss - don't come back

rjd2 'the third hand'
what's this? the half of soul position located behind the decks leaves def jux and is now singing pop songs? what the fuu-uuck? as i was expecting a sample based marathon i got some indie based instruments. not what i was expecting but a good time nonetheless. better than that last dj shadow record.
rjd2 - laws of the gods

the sadies 'new seasons'
excellent alt-country from the great white north. the guitar player shreds honkytonk all over this motherfucker here. the old 97's should take note here. plus these guys were on 12 0z mouse. so that's pretty sweet.
the sadies - what's left behind

frog eyes 'tears of the valedictorian'
this is excellent indie, with boundaries touching on the psychedelic and experimental, from the great white north. more people seem to talk about this band than listen to them. the destroyer and sunset rubdown/wolf parade connection (frog eyes main man casey mercer formed swan lake with dan bejar and spencer krug) only seem to be a conversation piece and no one actually wants to listen to it. too bad for them as 'tears of the valedictorian' draws many comparisons to various stages of tom waits, nick cave, the cramps, roxy music, john philip sousa and on and on. the lyrics could be heavy or they could be nonsense; i still can't decipher what he's saying. check out the killer one two punch of 'evil energy, the ill twin of...' and '...eagle energy' when you get the album.
frog eyes - "stockades"

busdriver 'roadkill overcoat'
you probably won't be surprised that busdriver's old man wrote the screenplay for the blockbuster 'krush groove'. you might be surprised that he guested on islands last album for the song 'where there's a will there's a whalebone'. this year's 'roadkill overcoat' was once again filled with his abstract lyricism and eccentric delivery, just as he's been doing for the better part of the last decade. check it out.
busdriver - pompous posies! your party's no fun

there you go. the year 2007 in music. due to all the overlooked records we are gonna start right away with our missed 2007 gems. so go ahead and tell me i'm wrong.

ps. i know that's a lot but 2007 coulda been the year i bought the most records ever. and i know it's totally superweak to be undecided and not make it a reasonable 25 or something selections. life sucks. get a fucking helmet.

ppss. and all the hype about 'in_ra/inb/_/o_w/s' was right. it's tits, i just didn't want to be another wanker writing about it.


go buy whatcha likes and delete whatcha don't