In the coda to last year's best of list I wrote the following:

For better or for worse, we live in the age of leaked albums. How will this phenomenon effect the lists of '07? Have our finicky tastes already tired of the new (officially forthcoming) Shins, LCD Soundsystem, Deerhoof, Of Montreal, and the rest?

Funny because at the end of 2006 both Sound of Silver and Hissing Fauna... had already leaked and my transcribed thoughts referred to their superiority to practically everything from that year. Of course the date of a leak had no bearing on the eligibility for '06, but the fact that these albums have stayed close to our ears for not only all of this year, but also portions of last, speaks against the improper conventional wisdom of music blogs' oft-berated, "hype-to-bust" knock. Both brilliant, both instant classics, and both proof that the music speaks for itself without help from us keyboard jockeys. And that was just two of the top three of 2007.

2007 was a banner year for music. No, the radio dial is still a far reach for most of our favorites, but when was the last time mass acceptance correlated with critical acclaim? (Exhibit A for the defense.) Sorry lazy journalists, Rock is not dead, neither is hip-hop, or dance music. 2007 was special right from the beginning.

After the jump, the consensus list for best albums of 2007 from Merry Swankster.com's writers. Thanks for reading.

Continue reading "BEST ALBUMS OF 2007" »

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

20. Bishop Allen -The Broken String

Guilty pleasures are defined by questionable validity from the critical canon, pan-accessibility, and most of all a slight embarrassment. If any of those three things truly determined the music we enjoyed we'd all be in serious trouble of exploding from "am I cool?" anxiety. Thankfully, irresistible pop from Bishop Allen was around to alleviate such ridiculous, asinine methodology. Because sometimes all you need is an honest sounding pop tale, and few did it better with such simplicity this year.

Favorite tracks: "Rain", "Flight 180", "Click, Click, Click, Click"

19. Phosphorescent - Pride

Matthew Houck is the one man force behind Phosphorescent, which you may or not know is the word for the emission of light without burning, sometimes referred to as "afterglow". The soft, slow burning sounds emitted by Mr. Houck's folk-tinged Pride seem to fit into that definition rather gorgeously.

Favorite tracks: "A Picture Of Our Torn Up Praise", "My Dove, My Lamb", "Wolves"

18. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam

This era's most improbably popular musical basket case strikes again. Offensive, nails on the chalkboard sounds like digital static, sudden high-pitched vocal squeals (think 13 year old boy going through puberty fluctuations), and ear-piercing screaming is dexterously fished from some mythical junkyard of circus noise and repatriated into perfectly difficult pieces of each composition's puzzle along with surprising elements of harmonies and indeed, melody. Without argument, masterful. Still probably headphone music, but go ahead and freak out your friends and neighbors anyway. They don't know what they're missing.

Favorite tracks: "For Reverend Green", "Unsolved Mysteries"

17. Deerhunter - Cryptograms

From the first three words of the title cut, "My greatest fear" to closer chorus "was not seen again", Deerhunter haunted, entertained, shocked, piqued interest leading to reference digging and sent tongues wagging -- often all at once. Once you got past the splashy tabloid worthy headlines, all apt descriptions for the album. Also, nod for best sonic representation of a scary nightmare where you're left alone and lost in a dark, dank cave.

Favorite tracks:"Heatherwood", "Strange Lights", "Cryptograms"

16. Justice - †

Ever wonder what would happen if the next generation of French DJs took over the Rock/Techno/Awesome baton of Daft Punk and added even more gigantic arena-rock sentiments and aspirations? No? Here is your answer anyway.

Favorite tracks: "Genesis", "D.A.N.C.E.", "Phantom"

15. Arthur & Yu - In Camera

In a list glutted with excellently updated takes on dance, glam, Americana by way of 60s pop or otherwise, and Bruuuuuce spawns, Arthur & Yu is unlike anything else while still sounding familiar. If My Bloody Valentine is the go-to reference for the noisy meandering of certain rock and rollers with footwear facing dispositions, then Velvet Underground seems the clichéd bet for grounded psych rock built around scratchy 60s music. In the face of conventional wisdom I agree with my comrade on the VU hop being fairly misplaced. Perhaps a less harmonious Simon & Garfunkel with less sheen. Better yet would be something rougher and less beautiful than Camera Obscura. Like a long nostalgic conversation with an old, dear friend - cozy, warm and well acquainted. Have you met Arthur and Yu?

Favorite tracks: "There Are Too Many Birds", "Afterglow", "Lion's Mouth"

14. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

America's most dependable band continues to showcase their chops by churning nugget after nugget of fantastically crafted pop. Succeeding in reaching at influences without explicitly trying to recreate them. So what about that baby talk album title? Nonsensical? Or an allusion to their prowess in producing delicious rock and roll coated candy? Either way, everybody wins.

Favorite tracks: "Underdog", "Target"

13. Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Because Brian Wilson on acid would be doubly redundant, Noah Lennox (aka Panda Bear) put hundreds of music writers (and their thesauruses) on a path of wordy explanation when attempting to describe the echoing chamber of 60s soundscapes he created on Person Pitch. Consider this an admission of failure in attempting to revise what I consider the cheapest form of musical commentary (e.g. _____ sounds like _____ on acid).

Favorite tracks: "Take Pills", "I'm Not"

12. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Neon Bible finds the band grown up, so to speak, from the majestic debut of Funeral. Montreal's emotional marauders shifted their focus from the coming of age challenges defined in Funeral to confront some very adult, very relevant themes on their second long form album. However romanticised, Arcade Fire is a band obsessed with the purity of innocence and the pursuit of justice - in search of human truths, whether pretty or pockmarked with warts. Neon Bible doesn't present the same levels of exuberance compared to it's predecessor, but that thirst for existence in visceral anguish remains. Whether coming to terms with the lies we tell ourselves on "Black Mirror", ruminating on complex religious saviours on "The Well and the Lighthouse", or reeling in the post-9/11 burning paranoia of "Windowsill".

Favorite tracks: "No Cars Go", "Keep the Car Running", "The Well and the Lighthouse"

11. Feist - The Reminder

Squeezed out of the top ten, but for what it's worth - the best album of the year to share with your parents. Not to say Ms. Leslie Feist is hokey, no sir (though that depends on your parents). With a voice that never veers far from the narrow window of tentative inward breathiness, Feist isn't built to blow you away. However, it's that authentic weariness that propels way past the limitations of those overworked vocal chords to give credence to all the tales she spins. With a great knack for vocal timing to boot, Feist clearly knows how to use her strengths for maximum benefit. You'll feel it all too.

Favorite tracks: "Sea Lion Woman", "I Feel it All", "The Limit to Your Love"

Continue reading "Individual lists: BEST ALBUMS OF 2007, MERRY SWANKSTER" »

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In a year where breaking up a band in order to someday do a reunion tour became a profitable marketing strategy, these vets should not be overlooked for their 2007 contributions.

5. Prince- Planet Earth

Truth be told, I don’t even own this album, but if it's half the reason why Prince made the most confusing sexually suggestive moment of 2007 then it belongs on this list. If ever brought to trial by the FCC for the phallic holding of his guitar during the Super Bowl halftime show, Prince could offer the chorus of the album’s first single as Exhibit A.

I love you baby
But not like I love my guitar
Not like I love my guitar, no

4. Neil Young- Chrome Dreams II

If Neil Young hadn’t put out four albums, two archival releases, and two concert films in the last four years then Chrome Dreams II could be considered a comeback album. We can all look forward to the day when Todd Haynes directs a Neil Young biopic and casts Kirsten Dunst, Steve Buscemi, and Tommy Lee Jones to play different facets of Young’s life.

3. Bruce Springsteen- Magic

Buddhist monks have abandoned the one hand clapping meditation and started postulating the enigma of Magic sounding like Neon Bible.

2. Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss-Raising Sand

A collaboration just as interesting as Jack White and Loretta Lynn, Krauss and Plant combined sound almost too natural that if Plant hadn’t strutted around shirtless crooning high register screams he could have been a moneymaker on the bluegrass circuit.

1. Levon Helm- Dirt Farmer

The Lance Armstrong of drummers, Helm overcame throat cancer to belt out some of his most passionate pleas since The Band’s famed last concert. If I were ever to do a full chronology of The Band’s sound I would have to put Dirt Farmer at its roots.

Posted by Yonah Korngold at 02:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An explication (Feel free to invalidate my list). I spent almost no time with the sort of mainstream rock that has been on other list (Spoon, The National, Band of Horses, etc.) and absolutely zero time on Braffian rock like the Shins. I'm sure more time on the former would put one or two of those on my list, not sure about the latter. Anytime, work kicked my ass this year, and this list was only created with some late December cramming. Of the brilliance and placement of 1-5, however, I am sure. Enjoy. And stay brilliant out there. Out.

10. Justice - Cross
So, I just grab the stem here? It won't burn my hand, will it? OKAY, thanks Mssrs. de Homem-Christo and Bangalter. Sure I loved D.A.N.C.E. as much as they next guy, but the real gems were found in the instrumental selections on Cross, from full-throttle noise beauties like "Let There Be Light" and "Stress", to the more accessible "Phantom Pt. 1" and "Genesis."

9. Blonde Redhead - 23
If Blonde Redhead made a movie soundtrack, the resulting film would have a budget of $14 trillion. Everything about its anthemic, graceful sound implies fast cars racing on smooth pavement, flowing gowns and diamond-studded hands holding expensive champagne, as suitors look on in impressive suits. That is to say, Blonde Redhead's music is gorgeous and sprawling. Potential lost in the gloss? 23 (and indeed all Redhead albums) is incredibly calculated math rock, fundamentally sound. A winner, all around.

8. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Bring on the earnestness. Let's tackle the weighty themes. Let's pretend that "(Antichrist Television Blues)" is about Jessica Simpson's dad. It is true this album is Brucian, in that it tackles the dishy issues found in dusty towns, but, like all good albums, it extrapolates that into larger issues graspable by the larger populace. Bruce seemed to be consumed with escaping or remaking his towns, Arcade Fire seems focused on escaping the nadirs of life itself.

7. Times New Viking - Present The Paisley Reich
Hilarious that teens from Columbus, OH (Go Buckeyes!) deliver a line about NYC (not that the line was intended to convey that) greater than any past musician or poet. "I don't want to die in the city alone." So many disparate great tracks. From the knowing "Devo and Wine" to the sheer frenetic madness of "Let Your Hair Grow Long" to the patient, Pavement homage "Love Your Daughters." Noise pop rock, done perfect, for 28 minutes.

6. Fiery Furnances - Widow City
I'm still waiting for a 60s-inspired solo album from Eleanor Friedberger, but, while I do, I will enjoy some "Restorative Beer" and Matthew Friedberger will enjoy the title of the most frustrating genius. Friedberger, as chiding parent, gives you what (he thinks) you need, rather than what you want. The song, unsurprisingly, are rich, fuzzed-out tapestries of folk, electronica, Middle Age troubadour, and who knows what else. A rare gem under the scuff.

Continue reading "Individual lists: BEST ALBUMS OF 2007, KEITH O'BRIEN" »

Posted by Keith O'Brien at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

20. A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers

While the album couldn't capture the overwhelming "I'm a stalk of wheat in a raging hurricane" feeling of their imposing live show, I'm not sure I'd want that. There are sharp songs here that have a utility beyond sensory overload.

19.Chromatics - Night Drive

Portland's Chromatics actually recorded and sorta released two discs this year, and while a combination of the sleek disco anthems from In Shining Violence and Night Drive would have probably cracked the top ten, this stand alone was close enough to a mandate for dreamy obsession.

18.A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Scribble Mural Comic Journal

I sort of expected the Daniels clan to shoo away the fog on their full length debut and boy, they sure didn't. Bewildering sonics and lovely left turns galore (whoa, they're Aphex Twin fans!) filled in for the clarity. We finished ahead.

17.Liars - Liars

It was a bit of a recording rush job and in places that's exactly what it sounds like, but it's gratefully humanizing too. They don't just listen to This Heat albums a smoke human bones, apparently.

16.Handsome Furs - Plague Park

Of all the Bruce-sters littering this year's release calendar I like this one the best, because I believe it the most. The minimal, broken throb of these songs are like the claustrophobic shack that Dan Boeckner's wail is desperate to escape. It's the starkness I trust. I mean, if you've got string arrangement cash lying around, what's to complain about?

15.Panda Bear - Person Pitch

I don't begrudge Noah Lennox the accolades that his blissed out breakout generated, but let's just be real for a sec. The droning echo that permeates these seven songs only morph into coherence during four. Surely it's worthy of note, but it's not suited for the tip top pinnacle.

14.Various Artists - After Dark

For decades it was like Giorgio Moroder had predicted a future that never came to pass, and then it suddenly came to pass!

13.the Fiery Furnaces - Widow City

I had a real Road to Damascus (or, uh, Plane to Oregon) moment with this album recently when I realized it was really, sincerely great. Sure, every insult you could throw at them still applies; it's too long, Matt F's penchant for annoying synth tones remains occasionally sadistic, and there are just too many words in there to immediately process. Once you soldier past that though, it's so human, funny, and even raucously heavy that it's a shame its makers seem borderline autistic. I mean, "Japanese Slippers" is the pop song the Fall never really wrote, and by now they've lost scores of people who might never come back to hear it.

Continue reading "Individual lists; BEST ALBUMS OF 2007, JEFF KLINGMAN" »

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

10.The Clientele – God Save the Clientele

Nothing makes me feel more like I just woke up in a wet paper bag on shrooms while listening to Nick Drake more than the Clientele. I keep thinking they’re going to burn out on their trademark sound, but they keep finding plenty of lovely facets of it to explore.

9.Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

On the official list of the world’s most awkward record titles that God keeps in a file cabinet, Hissing Fauna... appears well below Fiona Apple’s When the Pawn… and not far from Bright Eyes’ Lifted, or The Story’s in the Soil Yet... , for all the obtuseness and kinda bratty falsetto vocals, Of Montreal’s mix of beats, glam, and bitterness makes for a surprisingly frothy (and danceable) experience.

8.Radiohead - In Rainbows

It’s not Nebraska, but this Radiohead feels awfully stripped down. I, for one, appreciate In Rainbows’ utter lack of anything resembling the kind of philanthropic wankery (that’s wankery for the benefit of the fans) of post-OK Computer releases. Just 10 strong songs and nothing so overtly experimental that it kills the momentum. And unlike any of their other records, this one actually gets stronger as it reaches the end. Each time out, Radiohead seems somehow more in control of its art than ever before, and the trend continues with In Rainbows, along with the band’s obvious mastery of commerce.

7.Blonde Redhead - 23

With its slaloming Loveless guitars and Kazu Makino’s vocals so reminiscent of ethereal 4AD stalwarts Lush, 23 is a difficult album to talk about without resorting to the word “shoegazing.” I thank the secret cabal that controls world events that I didn't have to go there.

Continue reading "Individual lists: BEST ALBUMS OF 2007, DAVID KLEIN" »

Posted by David Klein at 03:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I completely agree/disagree with the notion that you can/cannot encapsulate a year in music based on a single trend or concept. To whit: 2007 has seen the release of a lot of songs that talk frankly about taking (unspecified) pills.

As for a musical signifier, 2007 will go down as the year when it became critically acceptable to completely rip-off another artist’s work. In fact, praised, preferred. In no particular order, my favorite albums of the year manage to bite easily-recognizable chunks out of New Order, the Beach Boys, David Bowie, Pixies, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, the Clash and others. There used to be at least a little bit of shame in so blatantly copying another’s art, it was something that you'd admit only to your closest friends or in the basement of the liner notes. But then again, taking too many pills probably used to be that way, too. This is a post-Night Ripper America, and now these are things you openly trumpet in public forums.

Here are my ten favorite albums of this past year:
10. Good Girl Gone Bad by Rihanna – Make no mistake, this is by no means a paper tiger. For sure, there are some throw-away tracks here, (I’m talking to you, “Say It”), but when this album is firing on all cylinders, like with “Breakin’ Dishes”, “Shut-up and Drive” and the dragon-slaying “Umbrella”, Rihanna is stating her case as the 21st Century's Donna Summer. But I doubt Summer rhymes her way through, “I’ve got a house, but I need new furniture/Why spend mine when I could spend yours?” while what sounds like the Florida A&M marching band bounces around the background. You know what, just replace the filler with all of the singles’ remixes, and this album would’ve placed even higher.

9. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire – From the unnecessarily parenthetical “(Antichrist Television Blues)”: “Do you know where I was at your age?/Any idea where I was at your age?/I was working downtown for the minimum wage/And I'm not gonna let you just throw it all away!” You couldn’t throw a rock at a review of Neon Bible without hitting a reference to Bruuuuuuuuce, a fact that sent many an indie fanboy into a tight-wadded tizzy. But if you’re going to throw stones at this, the most anticipated follow-up album of the year, then you’re probably some kind of jerk anyway, because Arcade Fire managed to not only meet the high expectations set by the magical Funeral, they did so while creating a record that is both politically critical and extrovertedly antidisestablishmentarian. If Bible owes anything to Springsteen it’s the idea that you can’t be taken seriously about anything important if you aren't actually sincere about things that are important. So throw you damn lighter up, already, just don’t let you’re other first stop pumping.

8. Wild Mountain Nation and Cool Love #1 by Blitzen Trapper – Trapper's work is all over the place. Acting as unofficial chroniclers of the 20th Century’s closing decade, these guys do jam band on the title track and it’s “Come out from the world/and into my arms” opening; a little Soundgarden grunge with “Miss Spiritual Trap”; spacey, Lips-inspired psych-pop on “Sci-Fi Kid”; a short Oh, Brother –type bluegrass number (“Wild MTN. Jam”); an appropriately-named, nonsensical Elephant 6 instrumental (“Woof & Warp of the Quit Giants Hem”); and twelve other eclectic brothers that invite you to play a game of “spot that influence”. The only unifying thematic is the northwestern mountain twang (if there even is such a thing). If you love the ‘90s but the VH1, then Nation and its companion EP are right up your alley, er… dirt road.

7. Person Pitch by Panda Bear – “Coolness is having courage/courage to do what’s right”, Noah Lennox assures us on the opening track to this (recently) zenithly-praised album. But Lennox's claim is an incredibly profound and pertinent observation, a fact that seems to have been overlooked considering that most of the praise heaped on P. Biddy has been directed at his instrumental/sampling/lap topping prowess. Not that that admiration is completely misplaced – Person Pitch is overstuffed with idiosyncratic nuances that become more and more impressive with each successive listen – but what makes this album move beyond merely nice and into the territories of timely and meaningful is the humanizing lyrics that flow in and out of all the beautiful arrangements.

Continue reading "Individual lists: BEST ALBUMS OF 2007, RANDALL MONTY" »

Posted by Randall Monty at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

#50 - 41
#40 - 31
#30 - 21
#20 - 11

Prinzhorn Dance School - "Crackerjack Docker"

Prinzhorn Dance School keep to an approach so simple that it threatens to obscure the fact that this Brighton duo has done that rare thing—come up with a sound of its own. But with non-sequiturs as ripe as these (Hobnail boots/on the escalator/Beeswax beeswax/Down the radiator!) it's probably only a matter of time before PDS edges toward the next musical level. Let's hope not. - D. Klein

Animal Collective - "For Reverend Green"

Motorheads and experimental rock fans rejoice! Crunchy, growling, heavy-duty rated and delay-enabled guitars loop through the entire five-minutes of this brilliant song. Revving like a gas-hungry muscle car puttering in idle. In a mutually exclusive, industrial way, both types of sounds elicit fawning as things of beauty. Avey Tare's rantish comments are hurled specifically at Brooklyn hipsters, but work just as easily referencing anyone from our entitled times, from boomer to Gens X through Y. Accentuated by ceiling-busting, primal screams, each subsequent shriek blows past the scratchy boundaries that would otherwise ground Tare's playfully adaptive, chameleon voice. Lucky us. M. Swankster

Of Montreal - "Suffer for Fashion"

The first rush of greatness from Hissing Fauna. It seemed like those of us who take Eno's pop records really seriously in spite of their silliness were finally vindicated by this record, and this song specifically. It's got those glam guitars entwined with the intellectually oddball phrasing, but damn if it all doesn't seem like it means something. - J.Klingman

Rihanna - "Umbrella"

Another (seemingly obligatory) mailed-in Jay-Z performance. Chris Brown trying to fuck up my entire summer, ("Cinderella?" Are you kidding me?). Yankovician remakes, ("Salmonella", anyone?). Coincidental, even deadly, inclement weather in England, New Zealand, Spain, Greece and Mexico… but none of it mattered because, driven by blistering turns of fuzzed-out feedback, this ode to kinky friendship was all ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh. - R.M.

Deerhunter - "Fluorescent Grey"

In which Bradford Cox-- blood stained, frock wearing, rock(y) horror-- makes you tingle with anticip.... Before that neutron bomb feedback hits you though, you've got to appreciate the dark literacy and itchy diction. Cox (and his critics) threw the name Dennis Cooper around a lot this year, but this meditation on how a fleshy shell of guts and gore can inspire overwhelming, unfair devotion is where he earned and transcended the comparison. - J.K.

Justice - "D.A.N.C.E."

It was Thriller that was released a hair over 25 years ago today, but Justice's self-evident, nonstop party banger owes a whole lot to the entirety of Michael Jackson's career. Direct lyrical references are made to MJ classics like, "PYT", "ABC", "Black & White" and "Working Day and Night", but it's the sonic allusions that interest me more. The vocal tone is vintage 5, the keys, drum and strings are Off the Wall, the bass is freakin' Bad. Nowadays, most people know MJ only as the no-nosed, child molesting freak. Glad to see his legacy hasn't been completely soiled. - R.M.

Of Montreal - "She's a Rejecter"

Missing new Franz Ferdinand output this year was mitigated by several songs, none more so than this dip by Of Montreal into the jagged, angular pool of dance-rock . The best Hissing Fauna... track, and more quantifiable, the most prototypical song of the scorned man cum glam conqueror storyline. Most/More importantly - its damn danceability. - M.S.

LCD Soundsystem - "All My Friends"

Trading sentimentalized grief for a sentimentalized stock taking of life, James Murphy takes bronze plated hardware by penning the year's best chance for lasting anthem. By providing a first person account through the prism of a world-shaker, it presents superficial glitz wrapped in a ribbon of staccato keys. Ultimately ending with rationalized nostalgia typical in these clarifications on the lack of regrets. Terrifically reflective in that respect, also about death in terms of grown-up awareness of an end versus the sorrow of "Someone Great". Always the entertainer, jet-setting around the world yet finding a strong pining for the special allure of friends. Anthemic, yet terribly sad. Murphy grown up, the sad clown. - M.S.

M.I.A. - "Paper Planes"

A song stitched together from so many parts that it's baffling there aren't more seams showing. It loops the first 20 seconds of the Clash's "Straight to Hell," making that song seem like it never lost its early propulsion. It takes the chart shaking chorus of "Rumpshaker" but swaps out that song's vapidity for wordlessly sinister cartoon effects. It even throws up that cloying old staple of the children's choir, but cuts the sugar by giving the little bastards a taste for your blood. Just relentlessly good. - J.K.

LCD Soundsystem - "Someone Great"

James Murphy fashions his scratches, sirens, and blips like a jeweler, dotting his work with transcendent glockenspiels. I never realized how dark a tale "Someone Great" tells until I sat down and read the lyrics; to me it was always the sound of triumph. For my money, the song of the year. - D. Klein

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

#50 - 41
#40 - 31
#30 - 21

Gui Borratto - "Beautiful Life"

If Panda's Person Pitch was the essence of Brian Wilson, spaced out and made newly weird, Brazilian producer Gui Borratto's "Beautiful Life" did the same for New Order. That's a tough sell in the first two minutes, when it's just a buzzing loop and a machine press beat. But long before the heartbreak guitars cement the comparison, it's there in the simple progression of synth chords and in the way the fey voice can't quite match the rhythm but feels more human by failing to measure up. Sure, N O were never this sunny, but they're from Manchester and he's from Brazil. See how that alters your world view.
- J. Klingman

Frog Eyes - "Bushels"

This here is more epic tragedy than mere "song", clocking in at over nine minutes and containing some eleven different movements. Did I mention that one of them is 126 seconds of guitar soloing? There are tumbling walls of piano and a lot of laughable hoopin' and hollerin' going on as well, and the song is actually about a farmer, but don't let all the art school idiosyncrasies fool you, "Bushels" is pure classic rock at heart. - R. Monty

M.I.A. - "Jimmy"

All three of Maya Arulpragasam's tracks on this list cannibalize recognizable bits from other songs, but "Jimmy" is the only straight up cover. As some very non-intensive search engine time will inform you, "Jimmy Adja" is an old Bollywood number, an awesome one at that. Save some excellent studio updates, the bones of it are right there to hear. But where some run of the mill hipster might exploit it for kitsch, Maya recognized the killer tune there. That it was a piece of her treasured childhood pop culture explains the loving faithfulness, but the universality of the end result (and Kala as a whole) suggests a new pop reality. Now that we have this giant pool of cultural ephemera from around the globe at our fingertips, why should we keep it sequestered? - J.K.

Besnard Lakes - "Devastation"

After the, "Hello, Cleveland!" into, fast-forward to the 4:15 mark, kick back for thirty seconds, and bask in the two-fisted glory. That right there was the best drum solo performed by a member of homo sapiens this millennium, my friend, courtesy of no less than three different people playing at once. (So I guess, technically, it's six-fisted glory. Even better!) But that's just the jelly filling in this donut of awesomeness. Replete with power stance guitar chords and lyrics about being in love with a spy (or something), "Devastation" is a song that demands you to turn it up to 11! - R.M.

Feist - "1, 2, 3, 4"

The burrower... One, two, three, four - by the end it may have annoyed, but, seemingly forever, you adored. The soaring swings, Feist's slightly raspy, charming voice; and the banjo and horns. Easy listening the world can get behind. We, here at the Swankster, love our noise rock and complicated structures, but we know simple and pure. Here's to Feist and the musical equivalent of a simple, delightful seared sea scallop. Maybe with a little bacon. Mmmmmmmmmhhh, bacon. - K. O'Brien

Deerhunter - "Heatherwood"

Based solely on his public persona in this year, Deerhunter's Bradford Cox seems a tough nut to crack. Similar notes seem valid for "Heatherwood", surely the anomaly of Cryptograms based on clarity alone. Recorded in the second of two spaced out sessions, it exists artistically distant from the rest of the album. For those curious for a more accessible side of Deerhunter, look no further. After all, satisfying the jones for bands with fuzzed out reverb must start somewhere. - M.Swankster

Spoon - "the Underdog"

Modest Mouse's cousin... No, you didn't read that wrong. Spoon wins the 2007 version of the Modest Mouse award - the band that surprisingly is embraced by a much larger audience than you thought possible. And that suggests all might be right with the world - Britt Daniel & Co. have always had a great sense of melody and pace - "The Way We Get By" should have been a rock radio staple. This song evokes a studio session jam -- horns ducking in and out and a wonderful ending crescendo - where all the parts go together perfectly. - K.O.

Arcade Fire - "No Cars Go"

In the year of the green this song is perhaps the year’s best musical argument for the two-legged express. Comparing the 2003 version on their self-titled to Neon Bible’s full orchestral throttling is the difference between the “click of the light and the start of the dream.” One can only imagine the distant euphoric space this song can travel if the band took another stab at it in another four years. -Y. Korngold

Deerhunter - "Cryptograms"

"Cryptograms" had me at that first ringing guitar figure at :025, which is undoubtedly my favorite single musical moment of the year. Seeing the band perform it live in August at the South Street Seaport was a thrill, memorable for certain indescribable audio embellishments and the sight of singer Bradford Cox holding forth on the wind-whipped stage. -D. Klein

Feist - "My Moon, My Man"

Low register juke joint thumping met with the seductive crooning of Leslie Feist’s voice alone will keep this song a favorite for years. “My Moon My Man” comes at you like a boxer but like Iron Mike, it disarmingly still sounds gentle and sweet. -Y.K.

Posted by Merry Swankster at 07:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

#50 - 41
#40 - 31

Hot Chip - "Shake a Fist"

I refuse to believe that I'm the only one to realize the completely unsubtle awesomeness of this track, although my lone voice of reason accounts for its list placement. I prefer to believe that its white label advance nature has caused some eligibility confusion. You see, '08 will be the year of the Chip. The year their geek disco shtick gives way to serious, serious ass shaking dominance worthy of the D-F-A scrawled on their records' sleeves. I'll wait here silently for my apology. - J. Klingman

Black Kids - "I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You"

My first thought upon hearing this band was, "Man, I sure hope that there's at least one actual black kid in the group." Second, my mind turned to the obvious cultural touchstones of Morrissey and the Go Team! Third and henceforth, "Holy crap, this is a perfect running/driving/drunk dancing/dorking out song!" (It's funny how often those four meet.) - R. Monty

Chromatics - "Running Up That Hill"

Kate Bush's original is a force and all, but God, this just melts me to a puddle. In a year when producer Johnny Jewel basically made the Italians Do it Better label a thriving disco force all by himself, his knob twiddling was never this graceful. But let's not pretend that Ruth Radelet, the coyest bride in his vocalist harem, isn't vital. Whatever pills she's just taken must have been dreamy. - J.K.

the Shins - "Phantom Limb"

Dear Coda:

I can’t believe we’ve never met! I’ve heard so much about you and your catchy “Oh Oh Oh's" that I thought it was time for us to finally come together.

Sincerely,

The First Part of Phantom Limb - Y. Korngold

Panda Bear - "Take Pills"

Two songs for one... A bit of a postmodern trip. Disjointed sounds, seemingly from a commune, provide sonic stimuli while Panda Bear's voice serves the serene melody, slowly carrying on, until you reach pt. 2 - a fast-paced round-robin sing-along. It's sexier than it seems. - K. O'Brien

Radiohead - "House of Cards"

Adam Smith might have been wise on Capitalism but his band was way over the top. Radiohead not only stuck it to Smith by selling their album for free but proved the Western world wrong with “House of Cards” and their famed theorem "Less = More." - Y.K.

M.I.A. - "Bamboo Banga"

Just getting a stew on, man. - Forget mashups, Bamboo Banger is killah because it seamlessly works in so many different elements. In the first 5 seconds alone, there's disaffected indie rock intonation, freeway-speeding Miami bass sample, and North VA Timbaland/Neptunes hand claps. But no song gets you as amped as when the bass drum kicks in as M.I.A. assures for the second time "M.I.A. coming back with power-power." - K. O.

the National - "Fake Empire"

Matt Berninger's talents as songwriter trump his vocal ability chiefly in the way he sets an indirect, some would say roundabout, storytelling rhythm. More is gained from his treatment of words than from the indulgences afforded by his forlorn singing style. Shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that his band's '07 emergence into the broader awareness (behind the solid Boxer) comes along with the manifestation of Bruce Springsteen's instrumental influence on certain corners of indie rock. Rather than a simple 'apple pie' to signify Americana, Berninger chooses "picking apples, making pies." Clever. I'm still not sure whether "Fake Empire" references an overwhelmed perspective with regard to sociopolitics, or a sweet, and completely unrelated, reflective song about youth's blissful ignorance. - M. Swankster

LCD Soundsystem - "North American Scum"

In a world rife with songs you can't help singing along to, no matter what they might actually be saying, "North American Scum" proves we're all putty in James Murphy's hands. While people who pump their fists in the air for "Born in the U.S.A." or Pearl Jam's "Better Man," can be accused of not paying attention to the lyrics, which only sound like they're saying something positive, this one is not vague in the least. But with a backbeat this spine-loosening, potshots at Spanish raves and even a reference to mimes, it hardly seems to matter. - D. Klein

Of Montreal - "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"

The melodic call of "Chem-i-cals" is the most immediately inviting segment of this album, but the jubilant feel is a farce; there's some serious stuff going on behind the curtain. Kevin Barnes lyrics follow the unfortunately-logical path from breakup to depression to addiction that affects hundreds of thousands of people every year. A pertinent, dreamy, hyperbolic pscyh-pop gem. - R.M.

Continue reading "Our Top 50 Songs of 2007: #30-21" »

Posted by Merry Swankster at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

#50 - 41

Animal Collective - "Peacebone"

Melodic freak trance... The opening encapsulates Strawberry Jam's concept: fuzzed out electronic blurts flailing non-rhythmically suddenly get harnessed into a groove. Then, what follows is a purposefully-rough-around-the-edges song of beauty. Be not afraid. - K. O'Brien

Bright Eyes - "Four Winds"

What the hell? A completely earnest protest song by a white American male that comes across as neither limp-wristed non-involvement nor as jingoistic caricature. We needed this. In an '07 list theme, "Winds" opens up with a fiddle solo wailing over a plunk key saloon piano and honky-tonk beat. What makes this track work as a proper protest song is that it treats all sides equally: "The Bible's blind, the Torah's deaf, the Qu'ran's mute / If you burn them all together you get close to the truth." - R. Monty

Sophie Ellis-Bextor - "Catch You"

Trying to evade Ms. Bextor's grip on delectable pop is a lesson in futility. Bound for discovery you are! Sure the chorus proclaiming "There ain't no distance far enough/ My love's gonna find you" doesn't even pretend to hold back the cheese factor, but the relentless pulse of the bass-heavy synth isn't pulling any punches either. Yes please. - M. Swankster

Sunset Rubdown - "Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days"

Much like the whole of Random Spirit Lover, this song is a grower. Admittedly, the medieval Celtic hootenanny intro can be a tough sell to paddle past, but oh my goodness, once you do! If the music between minute marker 3:19 through 3:50 is not the most undeniably excellent section of any song released this year then, well...your opinion varies from mine. - MS

Blonde Redhead - "23"

The title track to Blonde Redhead's 23 references the 23 Enigma (the belief that all events are connected by the number, 23, which William Burroughs famously espoused). After a mournful tolling keyboard, the strong, insistent melody kicks in, set against slaloming Loveless guitars, and achieves major liftoff. Kazu Makino updates the ethereal vocal sound of 4AD stalwarts Lush to fine effect on a song that is very difficult to talk about without resorting to the word "shoegazing." I thank the secret cabal that controls world events that I didn't have to go there. - D. Klein

Jay Z - "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)..."

Y=X, where Y is the amount of horns in a hip-hop song and X is how much I'm going to like it. - RM

the White Stripes - "Effects and Cause"

The philosophy of causality never sounded so casual. Even Aristotle would have been a fan. Though the chicken/egg debate will rage on until the next album, the contagious playfulness of this song makes it a clear favorite. - Y. Korngold

Radiohead - "Nude"

This song has been bootlegged since '97, but I'm not sure this would have made my list a decade ago. It was all about Radiohead's bombast back then. So, what's changed? Well for one, it's obvious now that this sort of miserable in the details but uplifting as a whole ballad is an even trickier tightrope than I'd ever dreamed (cough*Coldplay*cough). But mainly it's that both me and my high school favorite band grew up. The subtle studio mastery in this finally finished song proves they've got a monumental lead. - J. Klingman

Caribou - "She's the One"

Who knew caribou were monogamous? Dan Snaith’s vocals are smooth enough for wedding play but backed with enough pop that I wouldn’t be too surprised if a certain presidential hopeful played this song on repeat down in Iowa. - YK

Spoon - "Don't You Evah"

What grabs me is that fat bass locking in on the beat, the terse guitar commentary, the handclaps, the finger snaps, and the ragged glory of Daniel's vocal. And of course, the economy of the package. As the Katie Holmes character reminds the Michael Douglas character in The Wonder Boys, writing is about making choices, and the Spoonists have taken this to heart; you can appreciate what they didn't do as well as what they did. And while "Don't You Evah" will never be as sophisticated lyrically as "Well Did You Evah," the Cole Porter chestnut, its sly refrain is a keeper. - DK

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 05:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We're willing to entertain the crazy notion that perhaps the world isn't crying out for yet another blog list, but we're not sure that we care. In a great year for music in general, and albums in particular, it was clear that the song is still king. It's not so much that albums are getting any better or worse, it's just that the single serving blog format has irrevocably changed how we talk about music. Convenience and, uh, ethics dictate that standalone tracks are what each local corner blog can offer to the digital void. They are our first snippet of the new and exciting and just as easily enjoyed out of context as in. So here, is as close a consensus as we can muster for 2007's definitive playlist, doled out ten at a time.

Our six man sample size aspires to some degree of universality though is, in reality, easily hijacked by individual passion and minor convergences in taste. Perhaps it's for the best though. You tell us.

Sissy Wish "Float"

Scandinavians keep churning out irresistibly crafted pop hits like so many surprisingly affordable and vaguely futuristic cabinets. Even though the love flowed disproportionately to smug goofs like Jens Lekman, it was Siri Alberg who won the Golden Herring Award for recording the Northern European single of 2007. Her purebred bubblegum voice sucks you into a pick-me-up narrative immediately, but the subtly shifting synth patterns are a point of interest even after you've been suitably cheered. - J. Klingman

Macromantics "the Dark Side of Dallas"

Hip-hop prog... Not since Rahmelzee Vs. K.Rob's "Beat Bop" has a hip-hop song changed directions so often. Australia's own Macromantics - a one-woman show - brings us a gritty tale of drugs over looping Spaghetti Western keys. Australian hip-hop scenesters are divided over her suitability as a representative of the scene, but Cadence Weapon and Keith O'Brien dig her - what else do you need? -K. O'Brien

Times New Viking "Let Your Hair Grow Long"

Frenetic synth mastery... Low-fi Cleveland, OH trio blasts through the desolate sky with some tasty keyboard/fuzzed out guitar thrash. The female-male vocal trade off is equally strong. Those who can't stomach the distortion miss on out the truly sweet. -K.O.

Von Südenfed "Flooded"

"Flooded" made an appearance in each of my forays into DJ-dom this summer. Hard to resist that familiar truculent slur serving as my calling card: "A guy shows up/says he's the DJ tonight/Sven Vath/But it was me, I was the DJ tonight." Sounds like doggerel on paper, but filtered through the living musical instrument that is Mark E. Smith and combined with the lively dubstep beat-scape of his Mouse on Mars compatriots, "Flooded" has toxic charisma to burn. - David Klein

PJ Harvey "When Under Ether"

Sylvia Plath and the ghost twins from the Shining couldn’t pen a composition as emotionally haunting as Harvey’s. With lyrics that perform hypnosis sung vacantly with innocence, “When Under Ether” will linger around the headphones and slip deeper into the ear every time Harvey makes a trancelike pronunciation of a word with the “S” sound. - Y. Korngold

Electrelane "To the East"

Electrelane's recent announcement of 'indefinite hiatus' provides an added emotional twist to this very pretty, intensely personal tale of longing. The deeply romantic plea for togetherness is delivered with such honest, heart-wrenching feeling that it almost feels like an intrusion on private matters of the heart. Sheltered tightly with a minimalist arrangement, the music rises alongside soaring vocals and tempers quietly to nursery appropriate levels during softer transitions. - M. Swankster

Dinosaur Jr. "Almost Ready

It's like the old wedding toast joke: "Who hasn't slept with the bride?" Groom: "Me." Everyone else: silence. There was no better way for J. Mascis to authoritatively announce his return than with the sui generis noodle work of "Almost Ready", the opening track of Beyond, Jr.'s first original line-up album since 1988. How many other artists can step away for nearly two decades and then pick up right from where they left off? Mascis: "Me." -R. Monty

the New Pornographers "Myriad Harbour"

Yeah New York! As a New Yorker transplanted from the forever home of his heart -- who [at the time of this write up] is mere hours away from a weekend jaunt to the City -- listening to the Dan "Destroyer" Bejar's "Myriad Harbour" hits extra close to home, no pun intended. Folky, inasmuch as the New Pornographers can ever be folky, Bejar's sentences are punctuated by his superstar New Porno's colleagues. It succeeds in becoming the perfect New Pornographers showcase without necessarily lessening Bejar's mark on it. - MS

Okkervil River "Plus Ones"

"Plus Ones" shot a numerical arrow straight through my heart. Here's a song that name-checks classic but not necessarily well-known numerical songs, adds one to the familiar number, and somehow transcends the inherent gimmickry of the enterprise. Then I realized how easy it was:

No one has a clue/that Iggy Pop is five foot two/
And Swedish magazines don't mean a thing to him/
His real name is Osterberg from Michigan/
Despite the years of drug abuse he still hits the gym...and he's a vegan

I won't be a geek for you all nine days of the week/
Won't wait for you out there on the edge of eighteen/
Won't see a flick with Martin Short or Martin Sheen/
Just like the New York Dolls I'm just a human bein' (when it gets obscene)

- DK

Telepathe "I Can't Stand It"

February 26th, 2008 is the date that the much anticipated Rare Book Room Records compilation Living Bridge can find its way to the hands of the increasingly imaginary paying indie rock customer, but there was no way we could ignore the stunning teaser that's been floating in the digital wind since mid-summer. Ethereal is an overused word in music criticism, but what the hell are you supposed to call a song that's practically made of lightly glowing vapor? One suspects that this delicate haunting can't survive the raunchy production of the Spank Rock members working on the duo's impending 2008 debut. That only makes this trembling tune a more precious commodity. - JK

Posted by Jeff Klingman at 08:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)