My Favorite Albums of 2007

[Derek]

Ok, so I'm gonna do this as a countdown and I have no clue how long it will take but I'm hoping to be done in the next two weeks. I've heard a ton of music this year so I'll make it a top 30, since 20 simply won't cover it and 50 would be spreading the love a little too thin. The order almost arbitrary, so don't wonder why my #22 is higher than my #24 or some such nonsense. I still have a couple more albums to get to before the list is finalized, but I'll get started with a few special categories to get things rolling. Commentary will start once I get to the honorable mentions, which I'll probably do alphabetically for simplicities sake.

First things first, I'm not all that into rap and since my favorite of that genre only makes my honorable mentions, I'll start off with that to satiate the appetite of the rap fans.

Top 5 Rap Albums

1) Busdriver - Roadkillovercoat
2) Cunninlynguists - Dirty Acres
3) Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
4) Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab
5) Kanye West - Graduation

Top 10 Disappointments from Artists I Like

1) Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
2) Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City
3) Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
4) Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
5) CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
6) Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist
7) Eluvium - Copia
8) Interpol - Our Love to Admire
9) Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
10) Fridge - The Sun

And just to be clear, I still like the last four albums on that list and the worst album on that list (Zeitgeist) isn't higher because Machina kinda sucked and I already had low expectations for this one.

To Be Continued...tomorrow or maybe a little more tonight if I feel like it.

Coming up: Honorable Mentions (w00t!)

[Derek]

Honorable Mention #1

Alex Delivery - Star Destroyer

I heard this album pretty early in the year, loved it and assumed it'd catch on somewhere. Unfortunately, no dice. These guys are noisy and abrasive and kinda all over the place, which is part of what I like about them. The opening track, "Komad", starts off in angry post-punk territory, abruptly shifting tone about 3 minutes in to eventually transform into some sort of bizarre dance punk hybrid. While they don't quite reach the heights of that song again, their other two epics, "Sheath-Wet" and especially "Milan", more than hold their own, making this one of my favorite albums that no one's talking about this year.

Recommended tracks: Komad (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=13226506), Milan (live sample (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGAoHBmJYWI))

[DSNT]

Top 10 Disappointments from Artists I Like

1) Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
9) Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs

These two are surprising. I've only heard a few tracks from each, which didn't sound quite as good as stuff from the last albums, but still listenable.

Pretty much agree with the rest.

Looking forward to the list.

[origami_mustache]

Cool thread, I am compiling my year end list. It's been taking me a while as I am revisiting all the albums I have from this year which is pushing 200.

[Derek]

Cool thread, I am compiling my year end list. It's been taking me a while as I am revisiting all the albums I have from this year which is pushing 200.

Yeah, I'm still relistening to some favorites and finalizing the order as well. I'm pushing 250 myself, but it helps that I'm almost always listening to music while I'm posting here and writing my thesis. I probably won't be writing too much about the honorable mentions, so I can push on to the top 30.

So, without further ado:

Honorable Mention's #2 & 3

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Probably the most anticipated album of the year, aside from the ten days following Radiohead little surprise, and the Canadian octet delivered a pretty solid album. Given, it's no Funeral, but far from a sophomore slump. Aping on Bruce Springsteen on a few songs, while still remaining true to their bombastic yet genuine sound, Neon Bible proved (to me, anyway) that these guys are one of the few bands that deserve most of the hype surrounding them the past few years.

Recommended tracks: Keep the Car Running (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFFpL6Jj5II), Black Mirror (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVcy9dVZif8), Neon Bible (in an elevator!) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjxef8AfVQg)

Arp - In Light

I'll admit it right now. I'm a sucker for almost anything krautrock or influenced by krautrock. Arp come at from more of an ambient angle with most of the songs marked by repetition and slowly adding layers. The result is a beautifully textured sound that will evoke either feelings of bliss or boredom.

Recommended tracks:

Potentialities, Fireflies on the Water (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=92097317), Premonition Of The Sculptor Steiner

[Derek]

Honorable Mentions #4 & 5

Busdriver - Roadkillovercoat

As mentioned before, this is the first and last rap album to make my list and easily the one I've listened to the most this year. His positivity and social awareness come through in his lyrics and he has a distinct rhythm by which he delivers them that I connect to whether it's more traditional or rock-based backing. And seriously, any rapper who's not only deemed cool enough to tour with Deerhoof and rhyme neo-con Nazi with Noam Chomsky is a-okay in my book.

Recommended Tracks: Less Yes's, More No's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NINLq-k_dTM) (starts ~50 seconds in), The Troglodyte Wins, Secret Skin

Caribou - Andorra

There's no excuse for this album not to be in my top 30, but the decline of quality in the middle third always bothers me. Still, 6 of the 9 songs are outstanding sun-dretched psychedelic pop - you know, the kind of sun that melts your skin or drove Meursault to kill that Arab in The Stranger. It has such a warm, inviting sound that even sitting in my parents house, freezing my ass off in actual winter weather for a change, I can feel my extremities coming back to life.

Recommended tracks: Melody Day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QklfmJ4vfLs), Sandy (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=37441987), Niobe (which brilliantly ends a psych pop album with a totally badass electronic track)

[origami_mustache]

I love Busdriver. Androrra was a bit disappointing for me, although not bad, I just prefer his older stuff, especially the Manitoba albums.

[origami_mustache]

Why so disappointed with "Copia"? What do you think of "Indecipherable Text"?

[Derek]

Why so disappointed with "Copia"? What do you think of "Indecipherable Text"?

I still like Copia and love a couple of tracks (Indoor Swimming at the Space Station, Radio Ballet), but it feels more pedestrian. It's as if he's using the piano to fall back to a safer, more traditional ambient style. It's still very pleasant to listen to, just a little disappointing since it doesn't match Lambent Material or Talk Amongst Trees (my fave of the three). I haven't heard "Indecipherable Text" yet...it looks like it has a lot of tracks from the other two albums, but there's probably a few tracks I haven't heard. I'll be sure to check it out.

[Boner M]

So far, the only album I've heard in full is Graduation (which is enjoyable but lightweight).

Looking forward to the rest, tho.

[Derek]

Honorable Mentions #6 & 7

James Blackshaw - The Cloud of Unknowing

Blackshaw creates a wonderfully rich, dense atmosphere with only a 12-string guitar and the occasional backing. As simple as the concept sound, the results are surprisingly rewarding and this is not the acoustic picking you'll hear in your local coffee shop. There are many times throughout this album where it seems literally impossible that 10 fingers are pulling it off. Dude's the real fucking deal.

Recommended tracks: Running to the Ghost (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=27562477), The Cloud of Unknowing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xE7FC6moUY), The Mirror Speaks

Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Jinx

KK's music is so creepy, I would've sworn they're from Finland. Creaky guitars and slow, but determined drumbeats, violins and ambiance create a palpable sense of isolation from, well, pretty much everything. I don't mean to make the album sound depressing, however, cuz it's not. It's simply a beast that sucks you in unrelentingly until it's over or you hit pause to escape it's hypnotic grasp. It took me a while to warm up to the last 3 or 4 (of the 8) tracks and while I still think it's not quite up with the first 4, I've come to accept that's mostly because the first half is so friggin' grand.

Recommended tracks: Jinx (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=48276670), Palimpset, Both Eyes Tight Shut

[Derek]

So far, the only album I've heard in full is Graduation (which is enjoyable but lightweight).

Looking forward to the rest, tho.

Jinx seems like an album you'd dig, especially given your fondness for Jackie-O Motherfucker.

I'll try to finish up the HM's tomorrow.

[Derek]

Honorable Mentions #8 & 9

A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers

Industrial shoegaze may not sound like a great idea, but at least it's a pretty novel one and these guys really make it work. Instead of aiming for the ethereal as most of the dream pop-tinged shoegazers do, A Place to Bury Strangers goes for a harder, more rough-edged approach that still keeps the spacey sound and swirling guitars that defined shoegaze in the first place.

Recommended tracks: The Falling Sun (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXUyKC4s9YU) (this really doesn't do justice to the album version), Ocean (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=1906825), Another Step Away

Prinzhorn Dance School - Prinzhorn Dance School

I was a little worried my last pick would be a divisive one, but Prinzhorn Dance School walks a much thinner line between brilliance and annoyance, genius and pure charlatanry. Stripping post-punk to the barest of essentials, Prinzhorn's boy-girl twosome only makes me appreciate Jack & Meg's noodling even less. This album is defined by how much it rocks, but silence, perfect timing and an absolutely wicked sense of humor. I literally laugh out loud while listening to this, which is more than I can say for almost any non-comedy based album. Yet the humor isn't so much found in hilarious lyrics, but how the songs unfold (or often don't) and the ways they toy with minimalist conventions. These guys strip everything of excess, blending form and content into a perfect blend of wicked guitar riffs, verbal sparring, cocky British accents, absurdist lyrics, spare drum beats and great pacing. It's a love it or hate it sound, but I find it completely invigorating and entertaining.

Recommended tracks: You Are the Space Invader (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoZKb-pmNm8), Lawyer's Water Jug, Crackerjack Docker (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huLplQFezHk)

[origami_mustache]

The James Blackshaw album is great.

[DSNT]

A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers
I have trouble with them because, essentially, they are a Jesus and Mary Chain knockoff, albeit a good one. I like the music, but they lack originality.

[Derek]

Honorable Mentions #10, 11 & 12

St. Vincent - Marry Me

Annie Clark's voice is just gorgeous and is especially fitting for the albums busier songs backed by synths, violins, and an assortment of other instruments. It leaves me wondering why the second half of the album is so stripped down when most of the first half succeeds so brilliantly when the backing is as interesting and offbeat as her voice. But as for the demand made in your album title, uh, indeed.

Recommended tracks: The first three on the album - Now Now (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=40624756), Jesus Saves, I Spend (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2eqWeF0ui0), Your Lips Are Red (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=40624756)

Thomas Fehlmann - Honigpumpe

The dripped honey used to spell out his name and album title on the cover is very fitting given its warm, soothing beats. It's one of the lesser talked about albums in a year of great ambient techno, likely because of its patience and unassuming nature. Fehlmann buries complex beats so deeply within his rhythms that you don't even realize the depth a song has reached until its nearly over. Tracks are washed over with swarms of ambiance, yet leave room for various riffs and ideas to play out beneath.

Recommended tracks: Soziale Warme, Little Big Horn, T.R.N.T.T.F. (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=9648306)

Various Artists - After Dark

Like St. Vincent, this is another album that I'm disappointed I couldn't find room for in the top 30. At its best, the After Dark album evokes the rain-soaked streets of the city and its still pulsating beat at 3am. Songs manage to be minimal yet rich, isolating yet inviting. It turns disco on its head, slowing down beats, stretching songs to a near eternity, adding dark, foreboading synth and sexy voices reminiscent of the most memorable and tempting femme fatales. Farah's spoken word on the deadly "Law of Life" draws me in like few tracks this year. Sure, it takes 4 1/2 minutes to technically "get going", but once it does, it's the most frightening and seductive song I've heard since Silent Shout.

Recommended tracks: Farah - "Law of Life" (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=140392658) (original, not remix), Chromatics - "In the City" (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=19439297), Mirage - "Lake of Dreams" (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=98356674)

Top 30 coming up...not sure how soon with Christmas and all, but the links should hopefully keep all 4 of you busy for a couple days. :)

[Derek]

I have trouble with them because, essentially, they are a Jesus and Mary Chain knockoff, albeit a good one. I like the music, but they lack originality.

I can't really argue with this, but I think they do enough on a few songs to distance themselves from a pure J&MC knockoff band. "To Fix The Gash In Your Head" at least rips off Depeche Mode. ;) And while "The Falling Sun" wouldn't exist without "Just Like Honey", it's beautiful and moving enough for me to appreciate on its own.

[DSNT]

I can't really argue with this, but I think they do enough on a few songs to distance themselves from a pure J&MC knockoff band. "To Fix The Gash In Your Head" at least rips off Depeche Mode. ;) And while "The Falling Sun" wouldn't exist without "Just Like Honey", it's beautiful and moving enough for me to appreciate on its own.
Agreed. I don't think its necessarily a bad thing to pay homage by borrowing a style, especially if you do something with it (as they do), but sometimes I'm not sure how to take it.

[origami_mustache]

I still like Copia and love a couple of tracks (Indoor Swimming at the Space Station, Radio Ballet), but it feels more pedestrian. It's as if he's using the piano to fall back to a safer, more traditional ambient style. It's still very pleasant to listen to, just a little disappointing since it doesn't match Lambent Material or Talk Amongst Trees (my fave of the three). I haven't heard "Indecipherable Text" yet...it looks like it has a lot of tracks from the other two albums, but there's probably a few tracks I haven't heard. I'll be sure to check it out.

The rest of the disappointments list is agreeable for the most part, although I didn't even check out the new Interpol. I'd much prefer to listen to Joy Division. I was especially disappointed with Devendra Banhart's album, but got what I expected from Stars. I happened to like the CocoRosie and Band of Horses albums with the expeption of a handful of tracks. They weren't spectactular, but at least on par in my opinion.

[Derek]

#30

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum

Genre: Psychedelic Pop

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s723237.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/black_moth_super_rainbow/dandelion_gum/)

Mmmmm, gooey psychedelic pop drenched with electronic fuzz, distorted vocals and smoothed over by a luscious flute. Unlike much of the distorted pop sounds you hear from modern bands, Dandelion Gum is still full of catchy, upbeat hooks, using their wide assortment of instruments not to bury rhythms and melodies, but to heighten them. These guys aren't exactly groundbreaking, but the album is incredibly consistent and packed with groovy pop tunes with a summertime flavor that's still good all year round.

Recommended tracks: Drippy Eye, Sun Lips (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=9934934), Jump Into My Mouth and Breathe in the Stardust (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sKFqeGwMQA)

[Derek]

#29

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

Genre: Singer/Songwriter, Whistler Extraordinaire

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s631158.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/andrew_bird/armchair_apocrypha/)

While I do fall into the camp that finds the second half a little too soft and inconsistent, the brilliant first half capped by the album highlight, "Armchairs", is enough to put this right up there with Mysterious Eggs. Bird is one of the most talented musicians out there and his triple threat of violin, guitar and whistling makes for a wonderful mix of traditional songwriting and his own unique flare. Full of moments of both delirious quirkiness and emotional depth, Armchair Apocrypha is one of those albums that's right for just about every mood.

Recommended Tracks: Armchairs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRz7ilkufMg), Plasticities (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktxy7ikUKjM), Sycthian Empire (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=7121660)

If you need further evidence of Andrew Bird's awesomeness, please see this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HmkLu24w2o).

[DSNT]

Good call on Andrew Bird. It was a bit of a drop from Mysterious Production of Eggs, but that still leaves a very strong album. My favorite tracks are Heretics, Darkmatter, Scythian Empires and Spare-Ohs.

[Derek]

#28

Pole - Steingarten

Genre: Minimal Techno, Dub

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s749924.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pole/steingarten/)

I'll freely admit my general indifference towards dubstep and while even its peak, Burial's Untrue from this year, has a few great tracks, there's really no album that's begged me to return. I mention this not because Steingarten is strictly a dubstep album, but because it takes what I find unengaging and flat about it and breathes life and creativity into it. Oddly enough, it's probably even more alienating and initially off-putting, but the songs are so unpredictable and filled to the brim with offbeat sounds (from soft crackling to whirring sirens) that take you in completely different direction that it eventually becomes gripping. Pole's pacing is nearly glacial at times, but it's incredibly rewarding to the patient listener. It's a shame this album got lost in the mix of all the other great minimal techno albums out there (thou really, it's more accurate to call this electronic music than techno, cuz no one's dancing to this shit unless there's a lot of cough syrup being passed around) since it's actually more inventive than quite a few of them.

Recommended Tracks: Achterbahn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afkx-s4S-80) (only a small clip), Warum, Jungs

[Raiders]

Lists like this just make me realize how little music I listen to in comparison to most people here. My top ten of the year would be almost all mainstream, or at least people who have an outside chance at being heard on the radio.

[Derek]

#27

Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History in Rust

Genre: (Mostly) Instrumental Post-Rock

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s698279.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/do_make_say_think/you__youre_a_history_in_rust/)

In the Naughts, there are few bands that I can think of that are more consistent than Do Make Say Think. Over the past year or two, post-rock has taken some hits from critics, some deserved, others not, but with this album, the band seems to have weathered the storm. Of course it helps that while many of the bands they're lumped together with have stuck with the slow build to a powerful crescendo song structure, DMST continue to create a journey within each song rising, falling and plateauing only when the music calls for it. With their army of multi-instrumentalists (nearly every band member seems to play 2 or 3 instruments), they are able to create a unique sound that varies from album to album and song to song while remaining identifiable to fans. This album's only mistep is "The Universe" which actually kinda rocks, but does so in a very predictable, been-there-done-that way. The rest is a wonderful blend of their heavier, rock-driven and softer, more contemplative sounds. The fact that this is actually one of their weaker albums speaks only to the strength of their output.

Recommended Tracks: In Mind (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FNKxwLrO3Y), Herstory of Glory (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvmuQ35LcKY), A Tender History in Rust (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rK4_mdz-Sw)

[Derek]

Lists like this just make me realize how little music I listen to in comparison to most people here. My top ten of the year would be almost all mainstream, or at least people who have an outside chance at being heard on the radio.

Hey, you like St. Vincent! You should check out a few of the links I posted. I think you'd really like Andrew Bird and possibly Do Make Say Think and Caribou in particular. Maybe I'll start listing the genre just so people who haven't heard them know what to expect...or skip.

[Melville]

Lists like this just make me realize how little music I listen to in comparison to most people here. My top ten of the year would be almost all mainstream, or at least people who have an outside chance at being heard on the radio.
Yeah, me too. I wouldn't be able to make a top ten of the year at all, mainstream or not. Derek has about half as many albums from this year as I have in total.

However, this list is great. Especially the links. I just downloaded the James Blackshaw album, and it is astounding.

[DSNT]

#27

Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History in Rust
Love this album/band. It would be higher on my list, but very nice choice.

[Boner M]

Have you heard Memories of the Future yet, Derek?

[Derek]

However, this list is great. Especially the links. I just downloaded the James Blackshaw album, and it is astounding.

Good to hear. I was considering not bothering with the links anymore, but as long as someone finds them useful, I'll keep 'em coming. I'm glad you loved the Blackshaw album - beautiful stuff.


Love this album/band. It would be higher on my list, but very nice choice.

I'm not sure why it fell quite as far as it did. Had it come out a little later in the year, I'd probably have it in the top 20.


Have you heard Memories of the Future yet, Derek?

Nope, but Kode9's on my radar and that'll be the first album I check out. I definitely haven't given up on dub since I haven't heard much and really liked parts of Untrue.

[transmogrifier]

Dude, I'm like basing all my future downloads on this list. My utorrent is empty. Pick up the pace.

PS On first listen, I like Busdriver a lot. I couldn't get that particular Blackshaw almbum, but found another (name escapes me right now), and its good.

[EvilShoe]

Liking this list so far!

Dark Matter is my fav track on the Andrew Bird album though.

[Derek]

Ok, the pace will be picked up for today. I have 5 more, but not sure I can get the clips up for all of them. I'm heading back to my parents tomorrow, so I should have daily updates from now on.

#26

Akron-Family – Love is Simple

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s902240.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/akron_family/love_is_simple/)

Genre: Folk rock

Akron-Family’s commune of chanters and jammers is bound to turn off those with distaste for the hippie spirit, but their passion for life and music is undeniable here. With a wonderful blend of folk and rock, jams and traditionally structured songs, Love is Simple is one of the years more uplifting, invigorating releases. Like Do Make Say Think, Akron-Family is the type of band the fill up a stage both literally and figuratively and their arsenal of musicians are as talented as their music is inviting.

Recommended Tracks: Ed is a Portal (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH2hy4bpfxI), Don’t Be Afraid, You’re Already Dead (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfolsn3qwH8), I’ve Got Some Friends (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=265606614)

[Derek]

#25

Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s663662.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/deerhoof/friend_opportunity/)

Genre: Art rock (?)

Deerhoof is quite simply the best absurdist rock band out there. Their sound is stripped down, yet remarkably complex and their infantile lyrics bring a humor that somehow fit comfortably within the compressed rockouts. What initially seems silly begins to make sense after additional spins as it becomes more evident that the lyrics aren’t written for the music or vice versa. Deerhoof treats the voice like another instrument and use their simple phrasing merely as the base of each song. They stretch elementary phrases like “If I were a man and you a dog, I throw a stick for yoooou” out for entire songs, constantly toying with the phrasing as layered drums intertwine, some building, others losing interest and falling to the background. Their tactics seem varied on nearly every song on the album; some tracks remain restrained while other rock out, yet none are content simply to head in the direction you’re expecting.

Recommended Tracks: The Perfect Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rrnTDDhVnw), +81 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJkbcrHPABA), Cast Off Crown

[Derek]

#24

Raccoo-oo-oon – Behold Secret Kingdom

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s799979.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/raccoo_oo_oon/behold_secret_kingdom/)

Genre: Noise rock, psychedelic rock

Just forget about the band’s terrible name or their music will kick your ass. I don’t even know how to begin describing their music, but I guess it’s a sort of drone metal, noise rock hybrid full of echoed lyrics and distortion. These guys do, however, have the courtesy of combining all these elements into fully realized songs. They do so not by burying them beneath the chaos of noise, but by shaping the noise into somewhat melodious forms, which, along with the more traditional drums, drive the songs full-speed ahead. I realize I’m making these guys sound more inaccessible than they really are and while you do have to like your music a little loud and chaotic to enjoy them, they’re worth checking out if you’re at least a little adventurous.

Recommended Tracks: Antler Mask, Visage of the Fox, Mirror Blanket

[Derek]

#23

The National – Boxer

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s807633.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/the_national/boxer/)

Genre: Indie rock

When I first head The National’s first album, Alligator, I found their singer’s voice off-putting and his tenor crooning at odds with music. I’ve since come to except I didn’t know what the hell I was talking about, yet even when I first heard Boxer it took a little getting used to. Now that I’ve come to love it, his low monotone carries with it a weight and depth, which makes the songs all the more tragic and beautiful. Whether it’s a slow love ballad like “Green Gloves” or “Slow Show” or the more Springsteen-inspired rock of “Mistaken for Strangers”, The National’s music is always tight and efficient while emotionally engaging. They’re more traditional than a lot of other indie bands out their, yet manage to create a sound all their own, making them one of the best torch-bearer of plain ole’ “rock music”.

Recommended Tracks: Fake Empire (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=15140729), Green Gloves (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVRLAmzPF5Q), Slow Show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZDl2xRK_r8) (cut to clips of Godard's Masculine, Feminine WTF?)

[Derek]

#22

Menomena – Friend and Foe

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1024079.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/menomena/friend_and_foe_f1/)

In my year-end write-up for TV on the Radio’s, Return to Cookie Mountain, I predicted a slew of shallow imitators. Well, not only was I wrong about the amount of imitators, but the one band that most resembles their sound managed to make one hell of an album. While ---‘s voice doesn’t quite match Tunde Adebimpe, their music has a sound of it’s own, using mathematical patterns to drive the songs to wonderful emotional peaks. Whether it’s the pianos on “Wet and Rusting”, the drums on “Rotten Hell”, the sax and whistling on “Boyscout'n” or nearly every instrument on “Muscle ‘n Flo”, Menomena leave room for every band member to define songs and seem to find a new way of getting their each time.

Recommended Tracks: Rotten Hell (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=100374360), The Pelican (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiK98P-B7sI), Boyscout'n (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K38wyqDiFc)

[Kurosawa Fan]

Fantastic album. I was hoping it'd make your list. In fact, the last two would make my list, should I ever feel compelled to make one (which I won't).

[DSNT]

The National is a good choice. Love that album, but I really prefer their first two and the Wasp's Nest EP.

Nice list so far. Still a lot here that I haven't heard.

[origami_mustache]

Everyone seems to love The National album, but it just screams mediocre indie band to me. Reminds me of all the love for The Hold Steady record last year.

[DSNT]

Reminds me of all the love for The Hold Steady record last year.
For what it's worth, I hated that record, although I like their contribution to the I'm Not There soundtrack.

Alligator was very popular too.

[Acapelli]

#26

Akron-Family – Love is Simple

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s902240.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/akron_family/love_is_simple/)
This would be in my top ten, first time that they really clicked with me.

[Derek]

Everyone seems to love The National album, but it just screams mediocre indie band to me. Reminds me of all the love for The Hold Steady record last year.

I agree that The Hold Steady's record was thoroughly mediocre, but I think The National write some consistently interesting music. Both of their albums took a little while to grow on me, however.

[transmogrifier]

Everyone seems to love The National album, but it just screams mediocre indie band to me. Reminds me of all the love for The Hold Steady record last year.

Yeah, I don't get the love of The National at all. They are okay, but somewhat one-note and nothing spectacular.

[krazed]

National backlash, eh? I love that album, it's my favorite of the year. They're an incredibly subtle band, using progression and song structure to complement Berringer's aching vocals and lyrics. It's hard to deny his attention to lyrical detail, just check out Green Gloves; incredible. Some people call it boring, but I think it's anything but; it's extremely emotional and on occasion tough to listen to, but I think it really nails the middle class notion of finding acceptance and love like very few can these days.

Great, great band.

[krazed]

#24

Raccoo-oo-oon – Behold Secret Kingdom

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s799979.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/raccoo_oo_oon/behold_secret_kingdom/)

Genre: Noise rock, psychedelic rock

Just forget about the band’s terrible name or their music will kick your ass. I don’t even know how to begin describing their music, but I guess it’s a sort of drone metal, noise rock hybrid full of echoed lyrics and distortion. These guys do, however, have the courtesy of combining all these elements into fully realized songs. They do so not by burying them beneath the chaos of noise, but by shaping the noise into somewhat melodious forms, which, along with the more traditional drums, drive the songs full-speed ahead. I realize I’m making these guys sound more inaccessible than they really are and while you do have to like your music a little loud and chaotic to enjoy them, they’re worth checking out if you’re at least a little adventurous.

Recommended Tracks: Antler Mask, Visage of the Fox, Mirror Blanket

Awesome choice, great album. Though I prefer Cave of Spirits.

[Boner M]

I think I need to spend more time with Behold Secret Kingdom. Every thing I'd read about it beforehand made it sound like the best thing ever, but I was a bit let down by it upon hearing it.

I heard that Pole album today... didn't care much for it on first listen, but I scanned through it again listening for what others deemed highlights, and it's growing on me a bit. It doesn't sound that fresh or original to my ears, but it does remind me of the best parts of Mouse on Mars and early Autechre, which is a good thing.

[Derek]

Last 5 picks are updated with links, except for Raccoo-oo-oon which I couldn't find anywhere. I'd still recommend downloading 1 or 2 if you haven't heard it.


Fantastic album. I was hoping it'd make your list. In fact, the last two would make my list, should I ever feel compelled to make one (which I won't).

Awesome, I didn't know you liked them. I know Thirdy and one or two others around here loved them, but I figured most people forgot about the album since it came out so early in the year.


The National is a good choice. Love that album, but I really prefer their first two and the Wasp's Nest EP.

Nice list so far. Still a lot here that I haven't heard.

I really like Alligator, but after hearing both enough times, I do prefer Boxer a little. I haven't heard their first album or that EP, so I'll get right to it!


Awesome choice, great album. Though I prefer Cave of Spirits.

I have that one sitting around and definitely plan to get to it soon with your reco and TMT's 5-star review.


I think I need to spend more time with Behold Secret Kingdom. Every thing I'd read about it beforehand made it sound like the best thing ever, but I was a bit let down by it upon hearing it.

I heard that Pole album today... didn't care much for it on first listen, but I scanned through it again listening for what others deemed highlights, and it's growing on me a bit. It doesn't sound that fresh or original to my ears, but it does remind me of the best parts of Mouse on Mars and early Autechre, which is a good thing.

To be honest, I wasn't all that impressed with either of these albums the first couple listens. For some reason though, I kept going back to them and they slowly grew on me.


#'s 16-21 are written, so I'll start getting them up with links a little later tonight.

[Derek]

#21

Studio – Yearbook 1

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s773402.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/studio/yearbook_1/)

Genre: Krautrockish neo-new wave with a side of awesomesauce

This was a late find for me, but the blend of danceable new wave grooves and upbeat post-punk bass and drums had me hooked from the first note. Had I caught this earlier on, I have a feeling it'd be at least another 5 spots higher. Anyways, while Studio doesn’t win many points for originality, they more than make up for it with the passion behind the music and the unique way they seamlessly blend multiple recognizable sounds into something new. The album starts off with “No Comply”, an updated version of the new wave ballad with a beautifully filtered sounds, followed by krautrock jam session in “Radio Edit” before changing directions drastically again with a seeming tribute to David Byrne with the 16-minute epic, “Out There”. From Talking Heads to New Order to The Cure, it may sound like Studio is merely ripping off bands that already had a successful and definitive sound, but the band is far greater than just the sum of their influences. Like a post-modern blend of everything good about 80s music, and really there wasn’t all that much, Yearbook 1 manages to look into the past for the inspiration to move towards the future.

Recommended Tracks: Origin (Shake You Down By The River) (http://www.oldeenglish.org/david/migratingtaste/Studio_-_Origin.mp3), No Comply (http://themusicmiz.imeem.com/music/BrZ_O1nU/studio_no_comply/) (very small clip), Radio Edit (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=61429652) (another small clip, *sigh*)

[Boner M]

I've really dig what I've heard of Studio; I'm sure that album will make my top ten when I hear it in full. Thx for the memo.

[Derek]

#20

Islaja – Ulual Yyy

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s777394.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/islaja/ulual_yyy/)

Genre: Freak folk

An album so haunting and frightening that if played for the Church of Scientology, I’m confident they’d reverse their stance of depression. Like Bjork after being lost in a vast forest of nothingness for a decade, Merja Kokkonen‘s alto crooning evoke a palpable sense of isolation and unease. The band’s often mistuned instruments create dense, atmospheric sound and swarming madness for Kokkonen‘s fragile yet authoritative voice to push through. One of the best groups in the New Weird Finland movement and among the most consistent in freak folk period, Islaja gravitate more towards the freak end, content to remain inaccessible in favor of following through on their sound, which recalls the empty landscapes of their homeland and a haunting nostalgia for a ghostly past that may not have ever existed.

Recommended Tracks: Pete P ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBpWiUqwcQY ), Varjokuvastin ( http://www.moteldemoka.com/squashed/varjokuvastin.mp3), Sydanten Ahmija ( http://www.ravensingstheblues.com/mp3/Sydanten_Ahmija.mp3)

[Derek]

I've really dig what I've heard of Studio; I'm sure that album will make my top ten when I hear it in full. Thx for the memo.

Yeah, it's an awesome album and so much fun. It's only as low as it is b/c I just got to it a little over a week ago and didn't want put it too high simply due to initial excitement.

[Derek]

#19

PJ Harvey – White Chalk

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s917064.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pj_harvey/white_chalk/)

Genre: Singer/Songwriter

Polly Jean puts her guitar down in favor of a more stipped down approach. With just a piano and some simple, mostly acoustic, backing, she bears her soul in a far more intimate way than she has before. Nearly as haunting as Ulual Yyy, I give this one the slight edge for its more personal touches and the emotional complexity it achieves through its minimalist approach. To be honest, these are the types of albums that usually have a few songs I really like and even more that leave me cold, so the fact that this one is consistently awesome is a pleasant surprise that earns it my respect and admiration. Harvey’s proven she can rock out with the best of them and now she’s beaten Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco and [insert your thoroughly mediocre, overrated female vocalist with this approach here] at their own game her first time out. And quite badly, I might add.

Recommended Tracks: The Mountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMHZiwBkdvo), Grow Grow Grow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uctrQBJSY8), White Chalk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBAA0vtsbhI)

[Raiders]

Good pick. I was just listening to my previous favorite album of hers, To Bring You My Love, and realized I may actually like her more than I remembered.

As a side note, the bizarre line in my signature is actually from Long Snake Moan where she says "is my voodoo working?," a line I always misheard. I like my interpretation better, though.

[transmogrifier]

#19

PJ Harvey – White Chalk

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s917064.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pj_harvey/white_chalk/)

Genre: Singer/Songwriter

Polly Jean puts her guitar down in favor of a more stipped down approach. With just a piano and some simple, mostly acoustic, backing, she bears her soul in a far more intimate way than she has before. Nearly as haunting as Ulual Yyy, I give this one the slight edge for its more personal touches and the emotional complexity it achieves through its minimalist approach. To be honest, these are the types of albums that usually have a few songs I really like and even more that leave me cold, so the fact that this one is consistently awesome is a pleasant surprise that earns it my respect and admiration. Harvey’s proven she can rock out with the best of them and now she’s beaten Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco and [insert your thoroughly mediocre, overrated female vocalist with this approach here] at their own game her first time out. And quite badly, I might add.

Recommended Tracks: The Mountain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMHZiwBkdvo), Grow Grow Grow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uctrQBJSY8), White Chalk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBAA0vtsbhI)


Yeah,the first time I heard this, I was like "When did Tori Amos kill PJ Harvey and take over her career?", but upon repeated listens, the Polly Jean craft and songwriting skills emerge from the shock of the change in direction. Simply a great, great artist.

[Derek]

Good pick. I was just listening to my previous favorite album of hers, To Bring You My Love, and realized I may actually like her more than I remembered.

As a side note, the bizarre line in my signature is actually from Long Snake Moan where she says "is my voodoo working?," a line I always misheard. I like my interpretation better, though.

I definitely like your interpretation better. :)


Yeah,the first time I heard this, I was like "When did Tori Amos kill PJ Harvey and take over her career?", but upon repeated listens, the Polly Jean craft and songwriting skills emerge from the shock of the change in direction. Simply a great, great artist.

I really haven't listened to her previous albums all that much, though I liked everything I'd heard. That probably made it easier for me to instantaneously fall for this one. You should check out the live performance of "Grow Grow Grow" she did for French tv that I linked. Her voice is absolutely remarkable.

[Derek]

#18

Fog – Ditherer

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s776402.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/fog/ditherer/)

Genre: Pseudo-experimental Rock, Church of Jeff Mangum

Fog’s Ditherer seemed to be overlooked or scoffed at by most outlets aside from Cokemachineglow’s dismantling of Pitchfork for so quickly dismissing it – a paragraph that stands as one of the most amusing rants of any year-end write-up. But now onto the actual music. First off, this album is far more complex that it initially sounds. At first, it’s flares of classic and southern rock guitars riffs give it a somewhat derivative feel, but it’s off-kilter and ever-so-slightly off-key sounds unearth the originality and ferocity of the tight compositions. Songs progress with authority achieving a rhythm of their own, yet often taken abrupt, disconcerting turns that build to powerful crescendos like “Hallelujah Daddy” and “You Did What You Thought” or the soft, emotional plateaus of “Ditherer”. As you may have noticed by this point in the list, there are not many traditional R.O.C.K. rock albums on this list, mostly because there aren’t many rock bands out there willing to do much with the form without going into the experimental. No thank you, Great White Stripes Hype. Fog and Prinzhorn Dance School are among the few bands holding strong to the traditional rock template while able to deconstruct its clichés and reform it into a sound all their own.

Recommended Tracks: Hallelujah Daddy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h95Z69WRRs), We Will Have Vanished (http://boogie4.us/track/83168/) (just press the megaphone looking thing to left of Fog to play), Your Beef Is Mine (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=43275825) (slightly different from the album cut)

[Derek]

#17

Phosphorescent – Pride

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1012334.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/phosphorescent/pride/)

Genre: Lo-fi folk rock, Chamber pop

Pride’s glacial pacing will likely lose the impatient listener before the first track even ends, but those who stick with it are in for one of the most emotionally gratifying and purest albums of the year. With choral harmonizing, acoustic guitar strums stretched to an eternity and the gentle rattle of tambourines and drums in the distant background, Phosphorescent achieve a sense of peacefulness and calm in their music that is downright spiritual. Relying not on a slow burn towards a predictable catharsis at the end, the band allows their songs always to exist and linger in the NOW instead of saving all the good stuff for the end – an approach which demands the near-perfection of every note, which the album primarily achieves. The electric guitars on “Wolves” and flurry of ancient piano’s on the second half of “Cocaine Lights” are as cathartic as anything I’ve heard all year, yet they are firmly implanted in the song’s structures, not an exit which we’ve been waiting to take for minutes prior. Phosphorescent’s organic sound contains the power not only to move you, but to make life and everything around you seem a little bit more beautiful, if only for the 42 minutes the album’s playing.

Recommended Tracks: Wolves (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=16600699), Cocaine Lights (http://hypem.com/track/436032), A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=16600699)

[origami_mustache]

I like Fog, although not a huge fan, but really disliked Ditherer.

[D_Davis]

Cool list. I like your write ups, good stuff. I don't really care for any of these bands or albums yet, but I am enjoying reading what you have to say.

[Derek]

Cool list. I like your write ups, good stuff. I don't really care for any of these bands or albums yet, but I am enjoying reading what you have to say.

Nothing you like even in the honorable mentions!? I figured I'd at least have a little something for everyone...hopefully I'll get to something you like by the end. ;)

And thanks, people reading these and checking out some of the songs really makes it worthwhile.

[MacGuffin]

I just bought Pride a few days ago on iTunes, and while I've only listened to the first three songs so far, if those are a sign of what's to come, I'm in for something really special. Will Wolves in the Throne Room's Two Hunters make an appearance on this list? I just bought that one on iTunes, and it sounds good so far as well.

[Spinal]

If you guys ever get a chance to see PJ live, it's pretty much the best thing happening on planet Earth.

[D_Davis]

Nothing you like even in the honorable mentions!? I figured I'd at least have a little something for everyone...hopefully I'll get to something you like by the end. ;)

And thanks, people reading these and checking out some of the songs really makes it worthwhile.


I've listened to some of the stuff you've listed, the stuff I haven't heard, and while some of it is pretty good, it just doesn't grab me. I am not saying these are bad choices, it just takes a lot to get me into a new band these days. I've grown kind of old and miserly with my music listening the past few years, and I am pretty content with all the bands and artists I already listen to. Most of the "new" stuff I listen to these days is old stuff I've recently discovered or purchased, or new albums by older artists. I guess I just don't connect with a lot of the new "indie" stuff the kids are making these days.

My top albums from 2007 looks something like this:

Ulrich Schnaus - Goodbye
Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd - Before the Day Breaks and After the Night Falls
Ween - La Cucaracha

That's about it! I just don't explore or connect with enough new stuff.

Oh, I did check out ARP, and I thought they were pretty cool, but I already listen to a ton of Tangerine Dream, so I don't think I need more analog arpeggios. ;)

[Derek]

I've listened to some of the stuff you've listed, the stuff I haven't heard, and while some of it is pretty good, it just doesn't grab me. I am not saying these are bad choices, it just takes a lot to get me into a new band these days. I've grown kind of old and miserly with my music listening the past few years, and I am pretty content with all the bands and artists I already listen to. Most of the "new" stuff I listen to these days is old stuff I've recently discovered or purchased, or new albums by older artists. I guess I just don't connect with a lot of the new "indie" stuff the kids are making these days.

My top albums from 2007 looks something like this:

Ulrich Schnaus - Goodbye
Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd - Before the Day Breaks and After the Night Falls
Ween - La Cucaracha

That's about it! I just don't explore or connect with enough new stuff.

Oh, I did check out ARP, and I thought they were pretty cool, but I already listen to a ton of Tangerine Dream, so I don't think I need more analog arpeggios. ;)

I hear you with regard to not getting into newer music. I used to listen to a ton of classic rock in favor of newer music, until a few years ago a friend started sending me a ton of great new stuff and got me hooked on it.

I certainly can't argue with choosing Tangerine Dream over Arp, but I guess I like analog arpeggios enough to make room for both of them. :)

EDIT: Oh, and I liked the Schnauss album, but there were a few other ambient electronic albums I liked more and put on the list instead. It was interesting how he tried to integrate vocals into a genre which usually doesn't have any...even if it didn't always work.

[Derek]

#16

Shugo Tokumaru – Exit

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s980166.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/shugo_tokumaru/exit/)

Certainly among the finest pop albums of recent years, Exit achieves similar results as the Phosphorescent album, but by extremely different means. Tokumaru’s upbeat acoustic guitar is enhanced by xylophones, synths, flutes and a variety of other seemingly cutesy instruments that fold themselves into his happy and offbeat vision of the world rather than standing out as senseless quirkiness. Exit is music at its brightest and most enjoyable – the kind of music that might cause some people to raise an eyebrow at first, to which I’d respond with a “Lighten the fuck up!”

Recommended Tracks: Button (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrSGT146zDI), Parachute (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbfLycuhhjI), Clocca

Not quite in my top 3, but the video and song are still great: Green Rain (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QW2F-_1lYvM)

[D_Davis]

EDIT: Oh, and I liked the Schnauss album, but there were a few other ambient electronic albums I liked more and put on the list instead. It was interesting how he tried to integrate vocals into a genre which usually doesn't have any...even if it didn't always work.

I would like to hear more vocals in ambient music. I think this is an area of music not yet fully explored.

I discovered this website last night, it is pretty damn awesome.

http://www.ambientmusicguide.com/pages/essential.php

Check it out if you haven't yet. The essay on the history of the genre is quite good.

[Boner M]

Have you heard the new (well, early '07) Marissa Nadler, Derek? I can't stop listening to it.

[Derek]

Have you heard the new (well, early '07) Marissa Nadler, Derek? I can't stop listening to it.

Yup, I love it. It was one of the more painful cuts to the year end list as "Sylvia" and "Mexican Summer" are both among my favorite tracks of the year. Unfortunately, this and a couple other early '07 albums probably slipped a little too far simply because I haven't listened to them as recently as some others. Her debut album Ballads of Living and Dying is equally good if you haven't heard that one.

[Derek]

I would like to hear more vocals in ambient music. I think this is an area of music not yet fully explored.

I discovered this website last night, it is pretty damn awesome.

http://www.ambientmusicguide.com/pages/essential.php

Check it out if you haven't yet. The essay on the history of the genre is quite good.

Thanks, that looks fantastic and incredibly comprehensive!

[Boner M]

Yup, I love it. It was one of the more painful cuts to the year end list as "Sylvia" and "Mexican Summer" are both among my favorite tracks of the year. Unfortunately, this and a couple other early '07 albums probably slipped a little too far simply because I haven't listened to them as recently as some others. Her debut album Ballads of Living and Dying is equally good if you haven't heard that one.
Yeah, I've liked her other albums, but her latest blew me away. My only quibble is the "Famous Blue Raincoat" cover, which is awesome on it's own, but a pretty cliche inclusion on an record like this. Great live last year too, despite the worst crowd imaginable.

Reminds me... I need to check out the latest Nina Nastasia.

[Derek]

Yeah, I've liked her other albums, but her latest blew me away. My only quibble is the "Famous Blue Raincoat" cover, which is awesome on it's own, but a pretty cliche inclusion on an record like this. Great live last year too, despite the worst crowd imaginable.

Reminds me... I need to check out the latest Nina Nastasia.

Another good'un. Jim White's drumming is amazing.

[Derek]

#15

Blonde Redhead – 23

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s757958.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/blonde_redhead/23/)

I make no apologies for my general fondness towards anything with even a hint of shoegaze, so I was not surprised to love its incorporation into Blonde Redhead's new album. Oddly enough, many critics saw this as a regression for the art rockers, but I can think of no direction I'd rather them head than towards a more lush sound that melds perfectly to Kazu Makino's sexy voice. While Misery is a Butterfly is their most original album, 23 is the album that best plays to the trio's strengths of breathy duets and efficient guitar work. It's dream pop feel is curbed by catchy guitar riffs and simple, yet hard-edged drum beats that give it a distinctive rock sound. The album's production is magnificent as well, layering multiple guitars and vocal tracks creating rich melodies that flow seamlessly from one song to the next.

Recommended Tracks: 23 (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=13306843), Publisher (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmrjhvq0A1Q) (ignore the video), Top Ranking (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAUx8-UJ3fE) (video w/Miranda July!)

[Derek]

#14

Deer Tick - War Elephant

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s928093.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/deer_tick/war_elephant/)

Let's get one thing out of the way - I hate country music. I mean, it's not just a "not my thing" feeling I have towards it, but a "block CMT from my cable channels, so I don't accidentally catch a second of it and have to clean the blood that drips from my ears" one. Now, Deer Tick isn't exactly your typical country music, but he's not really like your Wilco's and Neko Case's that are also apart of alt-country either. There's enough of a rock sound to his music to avoid the twanginess that literally destroys an entire musical genre for me, but the roots of his sound holds an undoubtable debt to country. And this is part of the reason why I love this album so much. It manages to take cues from a genre I long considered devoid of all value and crafts it into something beautiful and intensely emotional. John McCauley's Dylanesque voice is the perfect vessel for the bittersweet lyrics that grace his songs of love and loss - lyrics which take themes so popular in country, yet are developed in such interesting and complex ways that they become an interesting element on their own. That I normally consider the voice another instrument, it speaks to the strength of this album when I say that I've perked my ears up to catch the lyrics of each and every song. Trust me, this album will take a few listens to get on the same wavelength, but it's definitely worth the effort. Even moreso, if you're a hater of country like myself. Oh yeah, dude's only 21, so respeck.

Recommended Tracks: Dirty Dishes (http://iguessimfloating.net/assets/mp3s/04%20Dirty%20Dishes.mp3), Art Isn't Real (City of Sin) (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=10130120), Standing At The Threshold (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=10130120)

[DSNT]

#15

Blonde Redhead – 23

I make no apologies for my general fondness towards anything with even a hint of shoegaze, so I was not surprised to love its incorporation into Blonde Redhead's new album. Oddly enough, many critics saw this as a regression for the art rockers, but I can think of no direction I'd rather them head than towards a more lush sound that melds perfectly to Kazu Makino's sexy voice. While Misery is a Butterfly is their most original album, 23 is the album that best plays to the trio's strengths of breathy duets and efficient guitar work. It's dream pop feel is curbed by catchy guitar riffs and simple, yet hard-edged drum beats that give it a distinctive rock sound. The album's production is magnificent as well, layering multiple guitars and vocal tracks creating rich melodies that flow seamlessly from one song to the next.

:up: Been a Blonde Redhead fan for years now, although they're far from their original no-wave style, but I think the changes have been for the better with their last two albums. You're right about Kazu's voice. A little reverb makes it sound heavenly.

Maybe my memory is different, but I thought the critical reception to this one was very positive, almost overwhelmingly so.

[Derek]

:up: Been a Blonde Redhead fan for years now, although they're far from their original no-wave style, but I think the changes have been for the better with their last two albums. You're right about Kazu's voice. A little reverb makes it sound heavenly.

Maybe my memory is different, but I thought the critical reception to this one was very positive, almost overwhelmingly so.

Funny you say the last two albums since Melody Of Certain Damaged Lemons is my favorite from them. :) Misery and 23 aren't too far behind though!

I just checked Metacritic and it's at 83, which is really damn good. I remember a couple positive reviews sounding somewhat disappointed in the new sound, but clearly it's not as widespread a complaint as I thought.

[Derek]

#13

Deerhunter - Cryptograms (& the Fluorescent Grey EP)

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s676318.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/deerhunter/cryptograms/)

There are few moments on any album this year more invigorating that the pulsating base that starts off "Cryptograms" following by the wicked guitar riff that builds for a good 2 minutes until everything melds together and the echoed repetition of "There wwwaaasss no sound" is buried deep in the background. It's not even my favorite song on the album, but it's what kicks into full gear and since the rest plays more like a continuation of its sound rather than a succession of separate songs, it's like a great credit sequence that starts a film you love. Like the best psychedelic rock, Cryptograms is more about pacing and rhythm than great "traditional" songwriting. It's quite possibly the most patient rock album of the year, allowing ample space for their slower, more ambient based tracks to languorous take us from one badass jam to the next. The album's ambient textures are more than just window dressing, however. They set the otherworldly mood upon which the spacey guitars, base and drums dance and jam together. While musical craftsmanship might not be their forte, they sure know how to create and sustain a distinct atmosphere with their instruments.

Recommended Tracks: Octet (http://hypem.com/search/deerhunter%20octet/1/), Cryptograms (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=8942689), Lake Somerset (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EuzC_eOdAE)

[Boner M]

Oh man, I hadn't seen that "Lake Somerset" video until now. Awesome.

Good album, better EP, kinda forgot about them recently though.

[Milky Joe]

Excellent calls on Phosphorescent and Deer Tick. Two vastly underappreciated/underheard albums.

[Derek]

Oh man, I hadn't seen that "Lake Somerset" video until now. Awesome.

Good album, better EP, kinda forgot about them recently though.

I actually hadn't seen it until I started searching for it either. I love the EP, but it's essentially become the last 4 tracks of the album for me. They fit so well at the end of Cryptograms, they're almost like bonus tracks.


Excellent calls on Phosphorescent and Deer Tick. Two vastly underappreciated/underheard albums.

Indeed. It's always good to hear of people who dig those bands.

[MacGuffin]

I'm liking After Dark as well.

[krazed]

Good album, better EP, kinda forgot about them recently though.

Yep.

[Llopin]

I saw Deerhunter live about a month ago... that was supposed to be their last show, as they're going into some kind of hiatus... hypes are getting more shortlived these days.

[Winston*]

There are four deer bands/artists on your list so far. What's the deal?

[Derek]

There are four deer bands/artists on your list so far. What's the deal?

Three I believe (Deerhoof, Deer Tick, Deerhunter), but I could be missing one. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe having grown up neer a park full of them, I naturally gravitate towards anything related to them. It's the year of the deer. :)

[Raiders]

Three I believe (Deerhoof, Deer Tick, Deerhunter), but I could be missing one.

Caribou. Though they were only an HM.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Three I believe (Deerhoof, Deer Tick, Deerhunter), but I could be missing one. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe having grown up neer a park full of them, I naturally gravitate towards anything related to them. It's the year of the deer. :)

They've even affected your spelling. :P

[Derek]

Caribou. Though they were only an HM.

Oh, I didn't even think of that!


They've even affected your spelling. :P

:lol: Fucking deer are everywhere! Time to call Scar in with a high-powered rifle.

[Derek]

#12

Battles - Mirrored

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s782491.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/battles/mirrored/)

Breathing life into math rock and instrumental post-rock - genres which had seemingly run their course, Battles' album starts out at in full gear and never lets up. Mirrored is simultaneously epic and efficient, layering distorted vocals upon multiple tracks of badass guitar riffs and rapid-fire drums that keep a fast pace without sacrificing intricacy in their arrangements. This isn't to say Mirrored always maintains such an intense pace, but even the slower tracks are so tightly packed with various musical ideas that build upon and play off one another that they move along with an authority and conviction that much music of these genres lack. Full of twists and turns and unexpected progressions, Battles remain true to the mathematical patterns of math rock, yet break free from its restrictions with their playful experimentation and wide array of instruments and distortions.

Recommended Tracks: Atlas (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=39551579), Tij (http://hypem.com/track/285277), Rainbow (http://hypem.com/track/456653)

[Derek]

#11

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s814956.jpg

Slaraffenland - Private Cinema

Along with the Battles album, Slaraffenland's Private Cinema (my pick for the most tragically overlooked album of the year) restores my faith in post-rock and the new avenues it still has available for bands to explore. This Danish quintet manages to blend various influences, from Do Make Say Think to Liars, together into a unique sound that can lull you to sleep with gentle dreamscapes or send you spinning around your bedroom with its harsher guitars and heavily filtered drums. The band strikes the perfect balance between a strange gentleness, heavy distortion and off-kilter, off-beat experimentation and remain incontent to stick with one sound. Every instrument, from the horn section and drums to the guitars and vocals, plays a different role in each song. The sax and clarinet that have a smooth, jazz-like feel in one song may be screeching alongside the guitars in the next. Even individual songs are like chameleons with long stretches of drone or ambience (which even vary from haunting to calming) giving way to heavy rock songs or slow, dark ballads transforming into upbeat charmers. Slaraffenland are not afraid to throw everything into the pot and while it might not always taste perfect, so much of Private Cinema is invigorating and unexpected, that it offers something different every time I return to it.

Recommended Tracks: You Win, Show Me the Way (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=31943990), Watch Out (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=31943990), Polaroids (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=31943990)

[EvilShoe]

Oh wow, I completely forgot Private Cinema was a 2007 album.

Great choice!

[Derek]

#10

Pantha du Prince - This Bliss

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s768903.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pantha_du_prince/this_bliss/)

For starters, any musical artist who lists Arvo Part, This Heat, Slowdive and Ride as major influences is one who I'm immediately down with. Then throw in Michael Haneke, Claire Denis (WTF^2?) and a remix of Animal Collective's "Peacebone" and, well, you just don't get much cooler than that in my book. Pantha du Prince's This Bliss was just one of the many minimal techno albums in 2007 and while it's not quite my favorite, it is surely the most sophisticated one and has aged over time like a fine wine, releasing new flavors and vibes I never heard the first few times I heard it. Creating a dense fog of atmosphere, Pantha patiently guides us through each song with flurries of xylophone-esque beats, triangles and chimes and yes, even the occasional dance beat. The use of sounds not usually found in electronic music, particularly the strings of "Saturn Strobe" (one of my five favorite tracks of the year), are a crucial component of the album's eclectic feel. Its patient allows each note to strike with meaning before moving on to the next, to the point that it seems like Pantha isn't even interested in making music to be danced to, but rather to project us inward. It's dance music (for the bedroom) in the spirit of psychedelia (in black-and-white), yet it really can't accurately be described as either. With my relatively limited knowledge of the genre, I'll simply have to settle for the boring, old "original" label and hope that's enough to get people even a little excited.

Recommended Tracks: Saturn Strobe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkEItawfg3Q), Steiner im Flug (http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/steinerimflug.mp3), Asha (http://hypem.com/track/457477), Urlichten (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=120644306)

[Derek]

Oh wow, I completely forgot Private Cinema was a 2007 album.

Great choice!

Yeah, it came out pretty early in the year. I had put a few more albums ahead of it, but once I listened to it a couple more times in the past month, I remembered how great it was. I really wish I could've squeezed it in the top 10.

[krazed]

#10

Pantha du Prince - This Bliss

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s768903.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pantha_du_prince/this_bliss/)

For starters, any musical artist who lists Arvo Part, This Heat, Slowdive and Ride as major influences is one who I'm immediately down with. Then throw in Michael Haneke, Claire Denis (WTF^2?) and a remix of Animal Collective's "Peacebone" and, well, you just don't get much cooler than that in my book. Pantha du Prince's This Bliss was just one of the many minimal techno albums in 2007 and while it's not quite my favorite, it is surely the most sophisticated one and has aged over time like a fine wine, releasing new flavors and vibes I never heard the first few times I heard it. Creating a dense fog of atmosphere, Pantha patiently guides us through each song with flurries of xylophone-esque beats, triangles and chimes and yes, even the occasional dance beat. The use of sounds not usually found in electronic music, particularly the strings of "Saturn Strobe" (one of my five favorite tracks of the year), are a crucial component of the album's eclectic feel. Its patient allows each note to strike with meaning before moving on to the next, to the point that it seems like Pantha isn't even interested in making music to be danced to, but rather to project us inward. It's dance music (for the bedroom) in the spirit of psychedelia (in black-and-white), yet it really can't accurately be described as either. With my relatively limited knowledge of the genre, I'll simply have to settle for the boring, old "original" label and hope that's enough to get people even a little excited.

Recommended Tracks: Saturn Strobe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkEItawfg3Q), Steiner im Flug (http://sayanythingsyndrome.com/mixtapes/electrograffitiatbusshelters/steinerimflug.mp3), Asha (http://hypem.com/track/457477), Urlichten (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=120644306)

It really confuses me when people say that The Field's album is better than this. Great choice.

[Acapelli]

I'm hoping that your favorite minimal techno is Gui Boratto. The Pantha never really clicked with me.

[MacGuffin]

It really confuses me when people say that The Field's album is better than this. Great choice.

Why? They're right. It's probably the best recording I've ever listened too. This Bliss is still great though.

[krazed]

Why? They're right. It's probably the best recording I've ever listened too. This Bliss is still great though.

I mean, I dig From Here We Go Sublime, it's a very smooth album and really interesting how he made it, but I'd rather listen to something something as interesting as Saturn Strobe than the looped, smooth, pretty stuff on The Field's album.. It's a good album, but I guess it just never stuck out to me as truly exceptional.

[Derek]

It really confuses me when people say that The Field's album is better than this. Great choice.


I'm hoping that your favorite minimal techno is Gui Boratto. The Pantha never really clicked with me.

*gulp*

[MacGuffin]

I mean, I dig From Here We Go Sublime, it's a very smooth album and really interesting how he made it, but I'd rather listen to something something as interesting as Saturn Strobe than the looped, smooth, pretty stuff on The Field's album.. It's a good album, but I guess it just never stuck out to me as truly exceptional.

Axel's music is so emotionally intense to me, and the breakdowns fulfill this suspense he creates. Each track is really atmopsheric and even catchy. I don't really think I could say anything to persuade you into liking it any more than you already do, but Pantha du Prince is amazing also, and while I like The Field too, I just like The Field more.

[Derek]

#9

Liars - Liars

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s889765.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/liars/liars/)

If there’s one thing you can count on from Liars, it’s that they’re gonna make whatever kind of record they feel like and they could care less if it’s what you’d expect or want. After their triumphant debut, They Threw Us in a Ditch and Stuck a Monument on Top, which essentially trumped all other dance punk albums out there, they ditched the genre altogether leading to critics all but burning them in effigy before quickly stomping out the flames to reanoint them as kings after last year’s masterpiece Drum’s Not Dead. Certainly the new album isn’t as groundbreaking or cohesive, but it’s not really meant to be. You’ve gotta love their sense of humor and willingness to distance fans and critics in favor of making the music they want to make. And really, saving the self-titled moniker for the album that sounds least like a Liars record is also pretty funny. But enough with their shenanigans - this shape-shifting album, which Angus Andrew refers to as their “pop album”, is a virtual fun house of popular and retro genres, reflecting an absurdly wide array of influences which are nonetheless twisted and reshaped into something distinctly their own. Not as awe-inducing as their previous album, Liars shows the band at their most efficient and eliminates any questions about their song-writing abilities. Along with their typical, what some might call, harmonizing vocals (falsetto and deep) and heavy guitars in hand, Liars riff on everything from Beck to post-punk and once again manage to transform their sound without losing their identity.

Recommended Tracks: Pure Unevil (http://www.zshare.net/audio/5970260697af96/), Cycle Time (http://www.ravensingstheblues.com/mp3/Cycle_Time.mp3), Clear Island (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=17847147), What Would They Know (http://hypem.com/track/441853)

[MacGuffin]

Quick question: is Shut Up I Am Dreaming as good, or simillar to Random Spirit Lover? I am thinking of getting the former, provided I am in for more pop goodness. It's either that or The National's Boxer or maybe Liars' Drum's Not Dead (is that worth getting if it doesn't come with the DVD?)

[Derek]

Quick question: is Shut Up I Am Dreaming as good, or simillar to Random Spirit Lover? I am thinking of getting the former, provided I am in for more pop goodness. It's either that or The National's Boxer or maybe Liars' Drum's Not Dead (is that worth getting if it doesn't come with the DVD?)

Of those three, I'd definitely go with Drum's Not Dead which is just plain badass and one of the best albums of the decade. Shut Up... and Boxer are both great, but not quite as good.

[MacGuffin]

Of those three, I'd definitely go with Drum's Not Dead which is just plain badass and one of the best albums of the decade. Shut Up... and Boxer are both great, but not quite as good.

Cool. I went ahead and bought Drum's Not Dead along with They Threw Us In a Trench and Stuck a Monument On Top (I've already heard this one and love it). I'll let you know what I think of the former.

[krazed]

Cool. I went ahead and bought Drum's Not Dead along with They Threw Us In a Trench and Stuck a Monument On Top (I've already heard this one and love it). I'll let you know what I think of the former.

Drum's Not Deadis one of the few contenders for album of the decade. So, so, so good.

But do get Boxer, Dreaming has its moments too. For a Krug fix though, I prefer Wolf Parade's stuff, actually.

[krazed]

Axel's music is so emotionally intense to me, and the breakdowns fulfill this suspense he creates. Each track is really atmopsheric and even catchy. I don't really think I could say anything to persuade you into liking it any more than you already do, but Pantha du Prince is amazing also, and while I like The Field too, I just like The Field more.

Definitely.

Reading my post over shows why I shouldn't try to say anything substantial while drunk at 4 in the morning.

[D_Davis]

#10

Pantha du Prince - This Bliss

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s768903.jpg (http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/pantha_du_prince/this_bliss/)



This is pretty cool. If The Orb and Ultramarine had a kid....

[Derek]

This is pretty cool. If The Orb and Ultramarine had a kid....

Glad you like it. I haven't heard Ultramarine before, so where's a good place to start?

[Derek]

#8

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s796730.jpg

Ah yes, the minimal techno album for those of us who don't like progression or growth in our music...hardy-har-har. Considering one of critical elements of minimalist music is friggin' repetition, I'm not sure why someone would demand traditional progression and criticize The Field for not providing it. What I find so brilliant and moving about From Here We Go Sublime is the growth within the loops and the subtle changes and intricacies introducing themselves throughout the songs. It is transcendent through its repetition, but never limited by it. Instead, The Field explores variations of the same theme throughout each track, adding depth and meaning through additional sounds which rhythmically swarm around the initial melody like an array of birds swerving and dancing around a train which never leaves its tracks. In the sense that the album is grounded in the idea of repetition, yes, I suppose it is limited, but through its restraints, it achieves emotional heights that most other electronic albums of the year could only hope for and it does it on every single track. As much as I love Pantha du Prince's album, The Field's is quite simply more consistent in following through on the promise of every song. Among the most the beautiful and captivating releases of 2007, From Here We Go Sublime shows that dance music doesn't have to be limited to the clubs. It can be, well, sublime and to me, as relaxing as the best ambient music out there.

Recommended Tracks: Everyday (http://www.myspace.com/thefieldsthlm), Silent (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/42556-the-field-silent-stream), Sun and Ice, Mobilia

[MacGuffin]

#8

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s796730.jpg

Ah yes, the minimal techno album for those of us who don't like progression or growth in our music...hardy-har-har. Considering one of critical elements of minimalist music is friggin' repetition, I'm not sure why someone would demand traditional progression and criticize The Field for not providing it. What I find so brilliant and moving about From Here We Go Sublime is the growth within the loops and the subtle changes and intricacies introducing themselves throughout the songs. It is transcendent through its repetition, but never limited by it. Instead, The Field explores variations of the same theme throughout each track, adding depth and meaning through additional sounds which rhythmically swarm around the initial melody like an array of birds swerving and dancing around a train which never leaves its tracks. In the sense that the album is grounded in the idea of repetition, yes, I suppose it is limited, but through its restraints, it achieves emotional heights that most other electronic albums of the year could only hope for and it does it on every single track. As much as I love Pantha du Prince's album, The Field's is quite simply more consistent in following through on the promise of every song. Among the most the beautiful and captivating releases of 2007, From Here We Go Sublime shows that dance music doesn't have to be limited to the clubs. It can be, well, sublime and to me, as relaxing as the best ambient music out there.

Recommended Tracks: Everyday (http://www.myspace.com/thefieldsthlm), Silent (http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/42556-the-field-silent-stream), Sun and Ice, Mobilia

#1, #1, #1!!! My favorite album ever! AHHH! Rep.

But seriously, it's a great album. I'm thinking of compiling like my top 20 songs from 2007, and this CD will probably have three or four songs on the list. They're all amazing songs, but I couldn't put them all on the list.

[Derek]

#7

Kemialliset Ystävät - Kemialliset Ystävät

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s860188.jpg

Psychedelic is a word of tagged to music that simply has a bit of distortion in its guitars or vocals, stretching traditionally structured songs into something a little different, yet still ultimately recognizable. It's a word I myself use far too often to describe music and Kemialliset Ystavat's self-titled release led me to question its use. The word psychedelic is defined as "of or noting a mental state characterized by a profound sense of intensified sensory perception, sometimes accompanied by severe perceptual distortion and hallucinations and by extreme feelings of either euphoria or despair." Okay, so back in the 60s, people were popping LSD like tic-tacs and everyone was seeing pink elephants and blue giraffes dancing in harmony along candy-coated rainbows and all, but with the accompaniment of acid, I'm pretty sure you could see some funky shit while listening to Air Supply or The BeeGees too. Kemialliset Ystavat are the real thing - the effects of the drugs built right into the music, so that your visual perception is distorted and, depending on your mood, euphoria and despair tag along as well. I'm still not sure if this is music designed for human beings, or even music at all, but it is one thing and that's really fucking strange. Layers of found sounds, hidden melodies, mulitple instruments constructing their own various and different songs and group chants are just a few of the various elements of the band and really, beyond that, it's nearly impossible to describe. It's often almost too much to take at once, intense not because of speed or volume, but the density of the music, within which there's not much to grasp and hold onto before it disappears amongst the madness. The album is less an album than an experience and like LSD, there's only two ways it can go - a good trip or a really friggin' bad one.

Recommended Tracks: Superhimmelli (http://www.ravensingstheblues.com/mp3/Superhimmeli.mp3), Näkymättömän Hipaisuja (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=223471640), Himmeli Kutsuu Minua (http://www.ravensingstheblues.com/mp3/Himmeli_Kutsuu_Minua.mp3)

[Derek]

#1, #1, #1!!! My favorite album ever! AHHH! Rep.

But seriously, it's a great album. I'm thinking of compiling like my top 20 songs from 2007, and this CD will probably have three or four songs on the list. They're all amazing songs, but I couldn't put them all on the list.

If it's any consolation, my top 8 are particularly close in terms of quality and I was shuffling all but my #1 right up until the end.

[Boner M]

I thought Ystavat would be higher, given your 5-star rating on RYM. Anyway, I'd put it at roughly the same position; it grew on me after I sorta dismissed it.

I've somehow avoided all the minimal techno this year except that Pole album; I'll have to check out The Field.

[MacGuffin]

If it's any consolation, my top 8 are particularly close in terms of quality and I was shuffling all but my #1 right up until the end.

Oh, I understand. I know I should probably review From Here We Go Sublime, but for now (and I know it being my favorite recording may seem rather soon, but I just really don't care) I'll just say that no other album has had such an emotional affect on me. I walk around with my headphones on listening to this, and it is the soundtrack of my life. Through rainy days with "Everday", to sunny days with "Over the Ice" (or something), I can see and feel the music.

Plus, I don't think any artist has shown such a strong appreciation to music history, not only in his clever, and respectful samplings (The Flamingos end the recording skipping out... not fading out, they'll never fade out... their music lives on), and his revolutionary style.

[Derek]

I thought Ystavat would be higher, given your 5-star rating on RYM. Anyway, I'd put it at roughly the same position; it grew on me after I sorta dismissed it.

I've somehow avoided all the minimal techno I've heard this year except that Pole album; I'll have to check out The Field.

Yeah, it dropped to a 4.5 after a few more listens. I still love it and maybe it should be a bit higher, but the ones above it are as good and at least a bit more, um, inviting. :)

[MacGuffin]

Here's a video of Ystavat in the studio. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZriJfgv0I_Q)

[D_Davis]

#7

Kemialliset Ystävät - Kemialliset Ystävät

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s860188.jpg



Wow. I just listened to this, and thought it was terrible. Ugh. :D

I'm all for noise and experimentation, but I am not into music without a semblance of melody or harmony. To me, this sounds like a bunch of clowns hopped up on goofballs jacking off with the elephants in a circus. Like you said, the term "psychedelic" is often thrown around without much care, but when compared to the psych stuff from the '60s, I wouldn't call this psych at all.

I would hate to listen to this while on acid. It sounds hellish, and chaotic. I always preferred a more soothing sound to accompany my trips, something that edified my soul rather than scratched at it like steel wool.

It is definitely unique, and abrasive, but I would never call this music. Perhaps it is not, and that's all good.

I definitely would not have ever heard this had it not been for this list, so kudos to you, sir!

:)

[D_Davis]

#8

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s796730.jpg



This stuff is pretty good. Often times, when I see the word "minimal," I go in expecting lazy music lacking melody and composition. This is minimal, but there is still a lot of thought put into it.

It kind of reminds me a bit of Yoshinori Sunahara. Have you heard his airport trilogy? Really good stuff.


Also, if you haven't yet, you may really dig this cat, Takagi Masakatsu. His album Journal for People is awesome.

[Derek]

Wow. I just listened to this, and thought it was terrible. Ugh. :D

I'm all for noise and experimentation, but I am not into music without a semblance of melody or harmony. To me, this sounds like a bunch of clowns hopped up on goofballs jacking off with the elephants in a circus. Like you said, the term "psychedelic" is often thrown around without much care, but when compared to the psych stuff from the '60s, I wouldn't call this psych at all.

I would hate to listen to this while on acid. It sounds hellish, and chaotic. I always preferred a more soothing sound to accompany my trips, something that edified my soul rather than scratched at it like steel wool.

It is definitely unique, and abrasive, but I would never call this music. Perhaps it is not, and that's all good.

I definitely would not have ever heard this had it not been for this list, so kudos to you, sir!

:)

Don't worry, this is not upsetting in the least considering how abrasive it is. I would hate to listen to this on acid as well, which is why I said it has the psychedelic effect built into the music - no drugs necessary! I was mostly joking with the term, but going by the definition, you shouldn't need drugs with the psychedelic music to get the effects. Also, I'm not sure I'd call it music either, but unlike you, I don't mean that in a bad way. ;)


This stuff is pretty good. Often times, when I see the word "minimal," I go in expecting lazy music lacking melody and composition. This is minimal, but there is still a lot of thought put into it.

It kind of reminds me a bit of Yoshinori Sunahara. Have you heard his airport trilogy? Really good stuff.

Also, if you haven't yet, you may really dig this cat, Takagi Masakatsu. His album Journal for People is awesome.

I'm surprised the two albums you've dug the most are the minimal techno ones, but that's really cool. I haven't heard anything from either of those guys. I've added them to my list of stuff to pick up. Thanks for the reco's and for continuing to listen to the samples even when you're not loving most of them! :)

[Derek]

#6

Radiohead - In Rainbows

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1052924.jpg

If, the still too often dismissed, Hail to the Thief was a band in transition and not quite sure where they were heading, In Rainbows is the boys of Radiohead at their most assured, laid back and comfortable. For nearly every other band, I would use this description for a lazy output, but with Radiohead, who hit their peak over a decade ago and have essentially maintained it ever since, fitting like a glove is most definitely a compliment. Not to gush like too rabid a fanboy, but if you're already floating amongst the stars, you no longer need to shoot for them and while In Rainbows doesn't mark the drastic shift in modern rock music that OK Computer or Kid A did, it is a more efficient and refined sound. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying this album is superior, but rather than trying to create another blueprint from scratch, they've honed their skills as musicians, tightened up the notches and simply created music that is part of their DNA. The intricate guitarwork on "Nude" and "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi" for instance are initially almost underwhelming, yet their underlying beauty and complexity are unearthed over multiple listens. And much of the album is like this, containing golden nuggets buried in the dirt If parts of In Rainbows sound almost a little too familiar, it's because they somewhat are, but like all great artists who survive long enough, Radiohead realizes the value in sometimes exploring similar themes and motifs as you have in the past. Over time, they've changed as both people and musicians, so it's no surprise that they can sound so familiar yet so different at the same time. No, this might not be revolutionary, but it sure as hell is growth and maturity.

Recommended Tracks: Nude, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, Videotape, All I Need (No links because either you have these on your hard drive, you've already deleted them or you started reading the list, wondered who the hell these Arcade Fire fellows are and gave up)

[Derek]

#5

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1019220.jpg

And here’s another of my favorite bands delivering their pop album in 2007, though this one has a sugary sweetness to it that Liars will probably not venture towards. While it still retains their psychedelic spirit of their previous work, Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam reflects the bands growth and maturation as both musicians and individuals. Lyrically, it’s more cohesive and they seem to be sharing the workload, allowing each member to play an integral role in every song. For all its good vibes and celebratory feel, the Collective are still relying heavily on Avey’s spastic singing. In Strawberry Jam, however, there is less dissonance and discord than before, with the instruments adopting a more rubbery sound that stretches and conforms to various extremes the vocals take them. As a result, and to the dismay of some of their fans, the album contains more traditional sounding songs than any previous album. Despite this, Strawberry Jam is not much of a move towards the mainstream, as they’ve kept far too many of their eccentricities in tact for that charge to stick. They may be a little bit more focused and calm, but at heart, they’re still the same Animal Collective I know and love.

Recommended Tracks: For Reverend Green (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhHQukKXxCw), Fireworks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6KPDWNAPBU), Unsolved Mysteries (http://obscuresound.com/mp3/anicol-uns.mp3), Peacebone (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=34901479)

[bac0n]

Wow. This Bliss sounds like it would be right up my alley.

[Derek]

Wow. This Bliss sounds like it would be right up my alley.

It's great stuff and even if none of the other tracks quite match up to the brilliance of "Saturn Strobe" (though few songs this year have), it's still consistently engaging, especially if you're even remotely interested in electronic music.

[Derek]

#4

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s480487.jpg

To be honest, with as early as this came out in 2007, I expected to lose esteem for this album every single time I heard it and every single time I heard it, it was as good, if not better, than I remembered. One of the biggest compliments I can give to it is that about 7 or 8 times the album preceeding it in my ITunes ended and once Hissing Fauna started, I didn't stop it once before it finished. Few albums have provided me so much joy, humor, quirkiness and just plain gooey pop goodness. Kevin Barnes disco diva antics and the band's consistently interesting, energetic backing make this is one of the distinct few albums that is wall-to-wall brilliant. From the baby sounds and soft string plucks of "Suffer for Fashion" to the chanting grooves which drive "We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling" to its conclusion, there are almost no missteps. And for a pop album this ambitious and unique, that's absolutely astounding. Considering my general indifference towards the other two albums I've heard from them, The Gay Parade and Satanic Panic in the Attic, I don't hesitate to call this the biggest step forward by any band all year. Barnes transforms the pain and anguish of his divorce into an absolutely glowing and hysterical celebration of life and all the shit that weighs us down, sometimes to the point of suffocation. It is the soundtrack of happy days and one of the few albums that can honestly brighten up the bad ones. And really, that's what pop music is all about, although I can't think of few bands that have ever so thoroughly followed through with its promise.

Recommended Tracks: Cato As A Pun (http://hypem.com/track/450186), We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YphoV0-lq2U), She's A Rejector (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmdNGcmiuKQ), A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmdNGcmiuKQ) (the dangers of listening to Hissing Fauna in public...)

[Acapelli]

I love that album. The funny thing is that I initially ignored it, but after becoming addicted to Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider, the rest of the album just clicked.

[bac0n]

That album is on my to-buy list. I'll be picking it up at some point or another, as soon as I've felt I've listened to my more recent purchases enough and it's time for a little something new.

[EvilShoe]

Yes!
The epic "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" is my favorite song on there. Love that track.

[D_Davis]

I'm surprised the two albums you've dug the most are the minimal techno ones, but that's really cool.

Well, as a huge fan of Brian Eno and Harold Budd, I've been into the whole minimal thing for a while. I dig some of this new stuff, and thanks for pointing it out. I don't think I would have stumbled across it had it not been for this thread.

[D_Davis]

It's great stuff and even if none of the other tracks quite match up to the brilliance of "Saturn Strobe" (though few songs this year have), it's still consistently engaging, especially if you're even remotely interested in electronic music.

Too bad they don't sell it on iTunes. I can't imagine why - everything should be on there. When it is released on iTunes, I'll buy it, for sure.

[Derek]

I love that album. The funny thing is that I initially ignored it, but after becoming addicted to Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider, the rest of the album just clicked.


That album is on my to-buy list. I'll be picking it up at some point or another, as soon as I've felt I've listened to my more recent purchases enough and it's time for a little something new.


Yes!
The epic "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" is my favorite song on there. Love that track.

Well good, I was expecting a little backlash in here for putting it this high, so this is a pleasant surprise. And bac0n, definitely pick up the album if you like what you've heard so far. It's so fun and upbeat and never gets old, to me at least. :)

[Boner M]

HFAYTD? is great, I can't fathom anyone not enjoying at least a few songs (my hipper-than-thou friends give me weird looks for liking it).

[transmogrifier]

#4

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s480487.jpg

To be honest, with as early as this came out in 2007, I expected to lose esteem for this album every single time I heard it and every single time I heard it, it was as good, if not better, than I remembered. One of the biggest compliments I can give to it is that about 7 or 8 times the album preceeding it in my ITunes ended and once Hissing Fauna started, I didn't stop it once before it finished. Few albums have provided me so much joy, humor, quirkiness and just plain gooey pop goodness. Kevin Barnes disco diva antics and the band's consistently interesting, energetic backing make this is one of the distinct few albums that is wall-to-wall brilliant. From the baby sounds and soft string plucks of "Suffer for Fashion" to the chanting grooves which drive "We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling" to its conclusion, there are almost no missteps. And for a pop album this ambitious and unique, that's absolutely astounding. Considering my general indifference towards the other two albums I've heard from them, The Gay Parade and Satanic Panic in the Attic, I don't hesitate to call this the biggest step forward by any band all year. Barnes transforms the pain and anguish of his divorce into an absolutely glowing and hysterical celebration of life and all the shit that weighs us down, sometimes to the point of suffocation. It is the soundtrack of happy days and one of the few albums that can honestly brighten up the bad ones. And really, that's what pop music is all about, although I can't think of few bands that have ever so thoroughly followed through with its promise.

Recommended Tracks: Cato As A Pun (http://hypem.com/track/450186), We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YphoV0-lq2U), She's A Rejector (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmdNGcmiuKQ), A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmdNGcmiuKQ) (the dangers of listening to Hissing Fauna in public...)

I really don't like the album much at all (missteps abound, I think), except for The Past is a Grotesque Animal, which is one of the best songs of the decade. Perhaps it's because the driving, repetitive nature of the song flattens out the bands tendency towards shrill preciousness, I don't know. But it's a fucking great song on a pretty annoying album.

[transmogrifier]

#5

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s1019220.jpg

And here’s another of my favorite bands delivering their pop album in 2007, though this one has a sugary sweetness to it that Liars will probably not venture towards. While it still retains their psychedelic spirit of their previous work, Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam reflects the bands growth and maturation as both musicians and individuals. Lyrically, it’s more cohesive and they seem to be sharing the workload, allowing each member to play an integral role in every song. For all its good vibes and celebratory feel, the Collective are still relying heavily on Avey’s spastic singing. In Strawberry Jam, however, there is less dissonance and discord than before, with the instruments adopting a more rubbery sound that stretches and conforms to various extremes the vocals take them. As a result, and to the dismay of some of their fans, the album contains more traditional sounding songs than any previous album. Despite this, Strawberry Jam is not much of a move towards the mainstream, as they’ve kept far too many of their eccentricities in tact for that charge to stick. They may be a little bit more focused and calm, but at heart, they’re still the same Animal Collective I know and love.

Recommended Tracks: For Reverend Green (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhHQukKXxCw), Fireworks (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6KPDWNAPBU), Unsolved Mysteries (http://obscuresound.com/mp3/anicol-uns.mp3), Peacebone (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=34901479)

Gave this another try yesterday. I liked Peacebone, and thought, well, maybe these guys are clicking finally - but the rest of the album is typical AC pointless, kind of irritating noodling with nothing for me to really hold on to.

Oh well.

[Boner M]

"Derek" is my favorite SJ track; when the drums kick in I just grin like crazy.

[EvilShoe]

Fireworks for me.

[Acapelli]

"Derek" is my favorite SJ track; when the drums kick in I just grin like crazy.
Yes!

I don't get trans comment about the noodling. If anything, I can see someone say that about #1 and Cuckoo Cuckoo, but that's it.

Then again, I can't say me and trans have much in common, music-wise.

[origami_mustache]

Unfortunately I think disc 2 of In Rainbows feels more like a b-sides album, but I still feel obligated to regard the album as one of the better releases of the year if not for the tracks on disc 1 then for the pioneering pay what you want mp3 release.

I'm a big Of Montreal fan, but find this album to be a bit overrated. I still like, it but doesn't strike me as top ten material.

The Animal Collective album is fantastic however. One of the few bands who I honestly think get better and better with every album.

[transmogrifier]

Then again, I can't say me and trans have much in common, music-wise.

I'll take your word for it. I don't have enough data to make the comparison.

:)

[Acapelli]

Well I'm just using your response to my Belle & Sebastian thread as evidence.

:P

[transmogrifier]

Well I'm just using your response to my Belle & Sebastian thread as evidence.

:P

Your thread was fine. Sturdy, well-constructed, good craftsmanship. Could house a worthy subject one day. But not this day.

[Acapelli]

Your thread was fine. Sturdy, well-constructed, good craftsmanship. Could house a worthy subject one day. But not this day.
http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/2413/img0956yv7.jpg

[Derek]

"Derek" is my favorite SJ track; when the drums kick in I just grin like crazy.

That one really grew on me, but "For Reverend Green" and "Fireworks" are easily my two favorites with "#1" being the only weak link.


Unfortunately I think disc 2 of In Rainbows feels more like a b-sides album, but I still feel obligated to regard the album as one of the better releases of the year if not for the tracks on disc 1 then for the pioneering pay what you want mp3 release.

I'm a big Of Montreal fan, but find this album to be a bit overrated. I still like, it but doesn't strike me as top ten material.

The Animal Collective album is fantastic however. One of the few bands who I honestly think get better and better with every album.

I basically consider disc 2 of In Rainbows as a B-sides album, since it's really only a bonus disk.

That's strange about Of Montreal b/c I found this to be significantly better than the other two albums I've heard from them.

Animal Collective may be my favorite working band, though my favorite is still Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished with just Avey and Panda w/Feels a close second. I love all their stuff though, even Here Comes the Indian.

[Derek]

#3

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s723260.jpg

Brianwilsonbeachboys. Ok, now that I'm past the apparently contractual obligation to mention them every time anyone writes about Person Pitch, we can get to the actual music. After his quaint but eloquant ode to his father on Young Prayer, I don't think anyone expected Lennox to come back with something so rich and full of layer upon layer of found sounds, swirling acoustic guitars, ambience and alternate melodies that all conform in perfect rhythm throughout the songs. The length of the album's anchor "Bros", the song of the year as far as I'm considered, allows it to patiently progress from a simple jam to absolutely epic proportions, building intensity and attaining an emotional catharsis more powerful than anything else I've heard recently. The rest of the album maintains the same beautifully textured sound through its intricate production and wondrous harmonizing of Lennox's voice and every other element of the music. It has the surreal qualities of a beautifully haunting dream, yet remains so focused on creating dense, atmospheric melodies that it never gets lost in the clouds. To be honest, despite the endless comparisons to The Beach Boys, I find the less frequent comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, albeit more in approach than the actual sound, to be more accurate.

Recommended Tracks: Bros (http://one.sixoneeight.net/songs/bros.mp3), Good Girl/Carrots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkHVctmFYHo) (part 1), Take Pills (http://hypem.com/search/Take%20Pills/1/)

[MacGuffin]

Yeah, I wrote a review for Person Pitch on my website. It's amazing. I like it more than Strawberry Jam by very, very far.

[krazed]

#3

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s723260.jpg

Brianwilsonbeachboys. Ok, now that I'm past the apparently contractual obligation to mention them every time anyone writes about Person Pitch, we can get to the actual music. After his quaint but eloquant ode to his father on Young Prayer, I don't think anyone expected Lennox to come back with something so rich and full of layer upon layer of found sounds, swirling acoustic guitars, ambience and alternate melodies that all conform in perfect rhythm throughout the songs. The length of the album's anchor "Bros", the song of the year as far as I'm considered, allows it to patiently progress from a simple jam to absolutely epic proportions, building intensity and attaining an emotional catharsis more powerful than anything else I've heard recently. The rest of the album maintains the same beautifully textured sound through its intricate production and wondrous harmonizing of Lennox's voice and every other element of the music. It has the surreal qualities of a beautifully haunting dream, yet remains so focused on creating dense, atmospheric melodies that it never gets lost in the clouds. To be honest, despite the endless comparisons to The Beach Boys, I find the less frequent comparisons to My Bloody Valentine, albeit more in approach than the actual sound, to be more accurate.

Recommended Tracks: Bros (http://one.sixoneeight.net/songs/bros.mp3), Good Girl/Carrots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkHVctmFYHo) (part 1), Take Pills (http://hypem.com/search/Take%20Pills/1/)

Awesome pick. I can't wait to nab this on vinyl.

Now let's pump out those last two.

[Derek]

#2

A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Scribble Mural Comic Journal

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s769928.jpg

Scribble Mural Comic Journal (say it five tive fast!), begins with repetitive thumping sounds amidst swirling ambience and Elizabeth Fraser-esque vocals, which sounds as if A Sunny Day in Glasgow are hermetically sealing my head shut to assure their lush, dreamy grooves don't accidently escape my brain and seep into the outside world. The vocals carry over into the second track "No. 6 Von Karman Street", which stands as one of only two dance tracks on the album while managing to set up its mantra of dream pop fused with, well, things not normally fused with it. The noise rock of "A Mundane Phonecall to Jack Parsons", the jangly guitars of "Our Change Into Rain is No Change at All (Talkin' 'bout Us)", the near-reggae shuffle of "List, Plans", and the abrasive minimalism of "Panic Attacks Are What Make Me 'Me'" all bring something to completely unexpected to the table while still retaining the bands', here's that word again, shoegazey aesthetic. While some bands attempt to rebuild the same wall of sound that came crashing down somewhere in the mid-to-late-90s, A Sunny Day in Glasgow are picking the scraps from all over the place and constructing something familiar yet somehow entirely unique. Take "5:15 Train" for instance, a song so gorgeous that it may one day literally cause my heart to explode, which uses echo-chamber vocals buried beneath fuzzy guitars that we've all heard before, but within those layers, the band lets in Fennesz-like glitches, hisses and pops along with a thumping base that is rarely associated with the gushy pop love song. In the end, however, it's not the originality of the band, which can surely be debated, that I love, but the sheer variety of their sound and its consistent ability to lull me into beautiful dreamscapes.

Recommended Tracks: 5:15 Train (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=65806894), A Mundane Phonecall to Jack Parsons (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=65806894), No. 6 Von Karman Street (http://hypem.com/track/441928)

[Melville]

I downloaded the Blonde Redhead album today. Great stuff.

[Derek]

I downloaded the Blonde Redhead album today. Great stuff.

Awesome! I love that band so much, I feel guilty for not having 23 a little higher.

[Derek]

#1

Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/s875408.jpg

I [heart] Spencer Krug and once a week, I attend the Church of Hipster to worship the world's greatest Canadian since Wayne Gretzky. Not really, but in all seriousness, no man has done more for our neighbors to the north in my lifetime because while Krug will never average over 1 goal-per-game in a season, he has performed the impossible task of making up for 30 years of shitty Rush albums. And until Gretzky puts a puck right between Geddy Lee's eyes, I'm afraid he's staying at #2. But I digress. I really had no idea what to right about this album and since making fun of Rush is so fulfilling, I figured I'd use that to get into the write-up. Ok, enough with describing my writing strategy as I'm writing and onto Random Spirit Lover - the YAY, album of the year. First of all, I can understand why people aren't all over this album like Wolf Parade's Apologies... or the Rubdown's Shut Up I Am Dreaming because sometimes growth is disconcerting, especially when it happens over such a short period of time. This album is probably even more bombastic and sprawling than their last album, but it is far more cohesive as a complete work. The Sgt. Pepper's move of blending every track together gives it not simply a continuity, but an epic feel that explains the massive indulgence ("Colt Stands Up, Grows Horns"/"Stallion") that for many weigh down the middle of the album. But for all its warts, there's nothing like "For the Pier..." or "Up On Your Leopard" on any other album this year. Seriously, there just aren't too many musicians out there writing rock songs going "Why don't we start this one off with an auto-harp and steel drums, k?" or "Let's build to a crescendo two minutes in and the start the fuck over and go for an even bigger one in the end!" It's just such a bold approach to song-writing that I can't help falling all over myself trying to talk about, forgiving lines like "Where there's a will there's a way, so way to go!" because they're so perfectly in line with Krug's overtly over-the-top approach that grabs you by the balls and dares you to run away. The dueting with Camilla tempers Krug's occasionally grating delivery, at times giving the album a much needed calm and others, such as the end of "Up On Your Leopard", taking it to soaring heights that no Krug-related project had reached. Despite its messy, indulgent nature, Random Spirit Lover is, for me, what music is all about - fun, beautiful and packed with emotion

Recommended Tracks: For The Pier (And Dead Shimmering) (http://brookewilliams.imeem.com/music/DGkngjVI/sunset_rubdown_for_the_pier_an d_dead_shimmering/), Up On Your Leopard, Upon The End Of Your Feral Days (http://download.stereogum.com/mp3/Sunset%20Rubdown%20-%20Up%20On%20Your%20Leopard%20 Upon%20The%20End%20Of%20Your%2 0Feral%20Days.mp3), The Taming Of The Hands That Came Back To Life (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.view profile&friendID=245626869)

[MacGuffin]

Wonderful #1. I'm interested to see how I feel about it in a month.

[Boner M]

Haven't heard #1 and #2 yet. Got some downloadin' to do.

Great effort with this list anyway. I've discovered some great stuff (Jinx, This Bliss) and at least moderately like everything listed so far.

[Horbgorbler]

"5:15 Train" is top five songs of the year material. I'm suprised that Keyin wrote those guys off, seeing how indebted they are to Disco Inferno, and how obviously that song in particular is influenced by "Footprints in Snow."

It's probably the first shoegaze related album since Treasure I really like, actually.

[dreamdead]

You sold me on Sunset Rubdown. Looking forward to hearing the full album once it arrives.

I'd have picked up Sunny Day..., but I still lack an mp3 player. I's old school!:pritch:

[DSNT]

It's probably the first shoegaze related album since Treasure I really like, actually.
*thinks about the neg rep button, then thinks twice.*

I like the Sunset Rubdown album, but not as much as the first one. It has grown on me more over time, so maybe that'll continue.

[Sycophant]

I'm impressed with your list, but can't comment much as none of the three albums I listened to in 07 made it. Still, nice work. I may check into one or two of these.