emailed
― deej, Saturday, 22 December 2007 05:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Haha I caved on Fefe Dobson after all!
Dude?!? I just heard it for the first time yesterday--it's great!
― Ioannis, Saturday, 22 December 2007 14:24 (sixteen years ago) link
In partial response to chuck's question above, Of Montreal wasn't on my list, but I was also surprised it wasn't making many lists given how much critical love I'd seen for it. Apparently that love was limited! It seemed like a whole bunch of people went "holy shit, Kevin Barnes" this year, but I guess it was all just people I knew.
― Eppy, Saturday, 22 December 2007 15:08 (sixteen years ago) link
I talked about Fefe's album plenty in my comments -- not that anyone reads them, but then again I figured it wasn't like anyone else was going to vote for that album, and the five or so poor sad souls who actually care about my list will read the comments anyway so it's all good.
Of Montreal was a last-minute addition to my list; sure it's indie and fey and precious and all that, but it's pretty astounding nonetheless. I was shocked at how much a lot of those songs stuck with me. I've got emotional problems but NOT THAT BAD, DUDE. Made me feel better.
In general this year I went with shiny surfaces over tasteful tuneage. That's just the way I feel right now.
― Dimension 5ive, Saturday, 22 December 2007 16:13 (sixteen years ago) link
Acts on zero out of four critics' Top 10 album lists in the NY Times: M.I.A., Miranda Lambert.
Act on four out of four critics' Top 10 album lists in the NY Times: Feist.
I wouldn't have predicted that.
― xhuxk, Saturday, 22 December 2007 17:28 (sixteen years ago) link
Whoa, that's pretty freaky. What have they done with Jon Pareles?
― Dimension 5ive, Saturday, 22 December 2007 20:16 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm surprised (more disappointed, I guess) that A Place To Bury Strangers self-titled debut disc didn't make anyone's Best-Of lists. I had no idea I was going to like that nu-industrial sound so much, but I was hooked as soon as those undulating guitars roared into To Fix A Gash In Your Head.
― Daniel, Esq., Sunday, 23 December 2007 04:14 (sixteen years ago) link
<a href=http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/albums_review-2007_1207.htm><b>musicOMH</b></a>
01. LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver 02. M.I.A. - Kala 03. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare 04. Radiohead - In Rainbows 05. !!! - Myth Takes 06. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible 07. Asobi Seksu - Citrus 08. The Good The Bad & The Queen - The Good The Bad & The Queen 09. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release 10. The White Stripes - Icky Thump 11. Interpol - Our Love To Admire 12. Björk - Volta 13. Holy Fuck - LP 14. Edwyn Collins - Home Again 15. The National - Boxer 16. Justice - + 17. Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars 18. Klaxons - Myths Of The Near Future 19. The Cribs - Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever 20. Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times
― Fastnbulbous, Sunday, 23 December 2007 08:24 (sixteen years ago) link
musicOMH
― Fastnbulbous, Sunday, 23 December 2007 08:25 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/23/arts/music/23sann.html?ref=music
As Chuck noted, the NY Times critics lists are available. Here's a link to Kelefa Sanneh's. His album list includes rappers Turk Talk (from Vallejo, California; Whiney praised him over on the Snap Thread), UGK, and Project Pat; country singer Joe Nichols (the only country album listed by NY Times writers), RnR's The-Dream, plus Feist, Panda Bear, Marie Stern, and Jens Lekman.
Ben Ratliff includes Gilberto Gil's nice, mostly all acoustic effort "Gil Luminoso" that was just released in the US this year, but was actually recorded (and available elsewhere?) in 1999. Both he and Nate Chinen list Joshua Redman's "Back East." Ratliff and Pareles both list Robert Plant/Alison Krauss. Ratliff's top 5 song list includes Jesu, Spanish Harlem Orchestra, Von Sudenfed, Cafe Tacuba, and Rihanna.
Over at slate.com Fred Kaplan listed the following on his best jazz list:
Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy, Cornell 1964 (Blue Note). Maria Schneider Orchestra, Sky Blue (ArtistShare). Erik Friedlander, Block Ice & Propane (SkipStone). Anat Cohen, Poetica (Anzic). Carla Bley, The Lost Chords Find Paolo Fresu (ECM). Paul Bley, Solo in Mondsee (ECM). Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters (Verve). Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Time and Time Again (ECM). Joe Lovano & Hank Jones, Kids: Live at Dizzy’s Coca-Cola (Blue Note). Kendra Shank, A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook (Challenge
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 23 December 2007 18:25 (sixteen years ago) link
That should read "R'n'b's The-Dream"
― curmudgeon, Sunday, 23 December 2007 18:26 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm always mystified by the dash in The-Dream's name.
― The Reverend, Sunday, 23 December 2007 23:51 (sixteen years ago) link
Me too. So Entertainment Weekly which usually lists 2 music critics top 10s just went with Chris Willman's this year. I think Chris posts some on the Rolling Country thread, although his top 10 just included one country cd--Miranda Lambert. He's got Springsteen at No. 1.
His list is excerpted on EW's website in a not easy to read fashion... http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20166853_9,00.html
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 00:44 (sixteen years ago) link
Terius "The-Dash" Nash
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 00:45 (sixteen years ago) link
Jim DeRogatis’ Best of 2007 list
1. Grinderman, Grinderman 2. Glenn Mercer, Wheels in Motion 3. Tim Fite, Over the Counter Culture 4. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead before the Ship Even Sank 5. Kanye West, Graduation 6. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver 7. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 8. The Apples in Stereo, New Magnetic Wonder 9. Radiohead, In Rainbows 10. Air, Pocket Symphony
― stephen, Monday, 24 December 2007 05:44 (sixteen years ago) link
There was alot of love for the Grinderman thing in that slate.com discussion too. I've only seen the youtube videos. Awesome guitar and Cave still doing his melodramatic vocal schtick. Ah, I still remember seeing the Birthday Party and the Fall on successive nights at the small old 930 Club in DC. Good times.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 16:09 (sixteen years ago) link
National Public Rado station KEXP's best hiphop 2007 list has MIA at number 1 followed by: Wu-Tang Clan; Kanye;Jay-Z; Dyme Def (Seattle trio); Ghostface Killa; Pharoahe Monch; Blue Scholars (Seattle duo); LifeSavas (Portland); and Ratatat. Hmmmmm, 3 Northwest acts...
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17519166
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 20:23 (sixteen years ago) link
nothing wrong with local/regional favoritism, especially in radio where it's a dying phenomenon.
― Alex in Baltimore, Monday, 24 December 2007 20:24 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm not sure KEXP is an NPR station, per se--maybe it is, but I've never known of any explicit connection. At any rate, it's a Seattle station that plays a lot of local/regional stuff, so a lot of PNW stuff making it onto a list (even a rap list) isn't surprising at all.
― Matos W.K., Monday, 24 December 2007 20:32 (sixteen years ago) link
Ok
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 20:39 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/display.php?id=34287
Washington City Paper lists
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 20:40 (sixteen years ago) link
SOMB Top 100 Albums of 2007 - Results Thread - Sound Opinions Message Board
1 LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver 2 Radiohead - In Rainbows 3 National, The - Boxer 4 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga 5 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible 6 Panda Bear - Person Pitch 7 Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala 8 Kanye West - Graduation 9 Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam 10 Burial - Untrue 11 M.I.A. - Kala 12 Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer 13 Battles - Mirrored 14 Vampire Weekend - Blue CD-R 15 Feist - The Reminder 16 Caribou - Andorra 17 White Stripes, The - Icky Thump 18 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky 19 Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond 20 Field, The - From Here We Go Sublime 21 New Pornographers, The - Challengers 22 Akron/Family - Love Is Simple 23 Deerhunter - Crptograms 24 Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank 25 Stars Of The Lid - And Their Refinement Of The Decline 26 Josh Ritter - The Historical Consequences of Josh Ritter 27 Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha 28 King Khan and the Shrines - What Is?! 29 Good, The Bad & The Queen, The - The Good, The Bad & The Queen 30 Iron & Wine - The Shepard's Dog 31 Liars - Liars 32 Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends 33 Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover 34 Klaxons - Myths of The Near Future 35 Bright Eyes - Cassadaga 36 Besnard Lakes, The - The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horses 37 Okkervil River - The Stage Names 38 Alcest - Souvenirs d'un Autre Monde 39 Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare 40 Shins, The - Wincing The Night Away 41 Kevin Drew - Spirit If… 42 Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder 43 Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals 44 Blonde Redhead - 23 45 Menomena - Friend Or Foe 46 Justice - † 47 Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity 48 Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus! 49 Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated 50 Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone 51 Beirut - The Flying Cup 52 High On Fire - Death Is This Communion 53 Witchcraft - The Alchemist 54 Field Music - Tones Of Town 55 Baroness - The Red Album 56 Wolves In The Throne Room - Two Hunters 57 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Living With The Living 58 Ween - La Cucaracha 59 Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times 60 Jay-Z - American Gangster 61 Earthless - Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky 62 Studio - Yearbook 1 63 Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position 64 Sally Shapiro - Disco Romance 65 Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb 66 Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger 67 Jesu - Conqueror 68 White Rainbow - Prism of Enternal Now 69 Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy 70 Boxcutter - Glyphic 71 Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin 72 Eluvium - Copia 73 Clientele, The - God Save The Clientele 74 Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain 75 Fiery Furnaces, The - Window City 76 PJ Harvey - White Chalk 77 Neurosis - Given To The Rising 78 Twilight Sad, The - 14 Autumns & 15 Winters 79 Pantha Du Prince - This Bliss 80 Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum 81 Om - Pilgrimage 82 Queens Of The Stone Age - Era Vulgaris 83 Bill Callahan - Woke On A Whaleheart 84 Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City 85 Radical Face - Ghost 86 Durrty Goodz - Axiom EP 87 Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works 88 !!! - Myth Takes 89 Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II 90 Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8 91 Stars - In Our Bedroom, After The War 92 Between The Buried And Me - Colors 93 Bruce Springsteen - Magic 94 Grinderman - Grinderman 95 Freeway - Free At Last 96 Mark Sultan - The Sultanic Verses 97 Melt-Banana - Bambi's Dilemma 98 UGK - Underground Kingz 99 Aliens, The - Astronomy For Dogs 100 Dungen - Tio Bitar
― djmartian, Monday, 24 December 2007 20:51 (sixteen years ago) link
Ann Powers from that slate.com discussion with Christgau and Jody Rosen:
What Beam is chasing is pleasure—the blood rush that comes when some new wonder unfolds, whether it's a love thing, a previously unexplored backroad, or (this is pop, after all) a new commodity. Pleasure became a problem for indie rock in the 1990s; blame Kurt, blame heroin, blame political correctness, whatever, never mind. But it's totally back, from the silk-purse neo-hippiesms of freak folk (dudes, hippies get laid), to the roving house parties of CSS and Girl Talk (Paris Hilton jumped onstage during their Coachella sets—that's hot!), to the superstoner subcult that produced Pitchfork's 2007 No. 1, Panda Bear's "Person Pitch," an album that literally puts me to sleep.
And what values are expressed by the natty retro-soul scene that championed Amy Winehouse, if not the nightlife creed of boundaries crossed in the name of fun? At Winehouse producer/It Boy Mark Ronson's El Rey show last fall, Christina Aguilera and Nicole Richie hung in the VIP lounge as Ronson's interracial troupe laid down their rock-soul hybrids.
Let me get this straight. Ann wants us to believe that indie-rock in the '90s was never about "pleasure" and that now in 2007 "pleasure" is suddenly back thanks to bearded folk-rocker Iron & Wine, CSS, and Mark Ronson, and that Christina Aguilera and Nicole Richie hanging out at a Ronson gig makes a big political statement. I don't buy that overview.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 20:56 (sixteen years ago) link
I like the Dyme Def album.
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 21:27 (sixteen years ago) link
It's better than the Wu & Ghost albums and maybe the Jay-Z, too.
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 21:28 (sixteen years ago) link
DeRogatis and Kot both placed that Tim Fite album, which I downloaded at their behest and HATED. At least it was free!
― dr. phil, Monday, 24 December 2007 21:35 (sixteen years ago) link
Geoff Himes listed Skip James style bluesman Jimmy Duck Holmes (whom I had never previously heard of) and I see Holmes also made the top 10 blues list of WXPN along with Bobby Rush, James Blood Ulmer, Marie Knight (a gospel tribute to Rev. Gary Davis), Sugar Blue, Koko Taylor, T. Williams & Wesley Jefferson (from Clarksdale, MS), Harrison Kennedy, Franklin & Baytop, and Mem Shannon. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17095982
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 22:17 (sixteen years ago) link
Do people really like Residente o Residente that much? There has to have been a better reggaeton (or "reggaeton") album from this year, although I'm not saying I've heard it. (Maybe Tego's or Voltio's or Casa de Leones' or Nejo & Dalmata's.)
― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 24 December 2007 22:38 (sixteen years ago) link
I shouldn't complain because I'm happy that people are noticing something coming from that general direction, but I'm sure not convinced it was one of the best albums of the year.
― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 24 December 2007 22:39 (sixteen years ago) link
I still think it's amazing. The Casa de Leones album might well be better, but both are great albums, and it's kind of splitting hairs at that point. (fwiw, I put Calle 13 at #2 on my Idolator ballot and CdL at #9) The Voltio album sounds great, but I only just heard it a couple days ago. The Tego album isn't as good as it seems it is, if that makes sense. Right now, I'm listening to Fusssion Musik's unreleased Transfusssion, which is kind of disappointing me because I already heard all the best songs on Danny Fornaris' myspace. But the songs I was already familiar with are killer. This is kind of a weird thing to say, but Fornaris totally has the best sound design in reggaeton.
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 22:50 (sixteen years ago) link
If you google "Transfusssion", a link to dl it is the first hit, btw. In spite of my disappointment, it's definitely worth hearing.
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 22:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Actually, the Calle 13 album was very much a grower, I think a lot of which might have to do with the slow process of picking up on the lyrics, although there were songs which came together for me musically that I didn't like at first ("El Avion Se Cae", "Uiyi Guiye").
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 22:56 (sixteen years ago) link
The Calle 13 cd has its share of cuts that don't work, but I really like the ones that do work. I continue to think that the ones that do work could appeal to folks who like electronic dance, or who like indie-rock in the LCD Soundsystem vein or even Battles math rockers.
x-post re Chicago reviewer's fave--- I don't hate Tim Fite's songs on his myspace site but they don't wow me. He's got an affected vocal style in his rapping--part alt-country Southern accent, part Springsteen trying to sound like a rapper trying to sound like Woodie Guthrie--that doesn't always work.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 24 December 2007 22:59 (sixteen years ago) link
The only song that doesn't work for me at this point is the aggro one toward the end, mostly because Residente tends to ignore the beat on such songs. But your right, you could say it doesn't really work on the level of a reggaeton album per se (only three songs have dembows!), but that doesn't matter because they're pulling most of what they try off so well and it's a bit of a moot point because most reggaeton albums have their diversions, anyway.
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:05 (sixteen years ago) link
I think the problem with Contra-Ataca is that it's the first time that Tego sounds like he's trying. Sure Calle 13 and Fusssion Musik sound like they're trying, but that's part of they're appeal, it's what they do. Tego on the other hand, is at his best when he sounds effortless. He can't reach out, he has to bring everything to him, if that makes sense. When he does that, he shines.
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:10 (sixteen years ago) link
It's a decent/good album, but I don't like it as much as El Abayarde or The Underdog. (I still need to hear El Enemy de los Guasibiri.)
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:16 (sixteen years ago) link
I am really surprised (and amused, as I'm not a fan) that the Modest Mouse album hasn't gotten more love in these year-end lists. It was their big album with "OMG Johnny Marr with Modest Mouse!!!!!!1" which certainly generated a lot of talk, if nothing else. But the album was, well...it was dead before the ship even sank, har har.
― stephen, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:20 (sixteen years ago) link
The highest I've seen Modest Mouse place was, like, #6-7-8 or something on the NPR listeners' poll. Which serves them right, they are dreadful on this record, and previously.
― stephen, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:21 (sixteen years ago) link
I've only heard No Te Veo on the Casa album. Is it worth checking the rest of the thing out?
― Mordechai Shinefield, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:23 (sixteen years ago) link
YES YES YES
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:51 (sixteen years ago) link
The whole album is that bright and sunny and joyous.
― The Reverend, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:52 (sixteen years ago) link
, and hooky.
kkk. Guess I'll go hunt it down. The best thing about living in WaHeights? Reggaeton albums sold two blocks down!
― Mordechai Shinefield, Monday, 24 December 2007 23:57 (sixteen years ago) link
Bastard. I live in suburban Seattle. I've only been able to find one store with a half-decent latin selection and it recently became an FYE. We'll see how that goes.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 25 December 2007 00:03 (sixteen years ago) link
Actually, my location is more a problem as to seeing any live reggaeton than anything else. The only show I've ever noticed is Don Omar a couple months back, but tickets were $80, and there's no way in hell I'm paying that much to see Don Omar.
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 25 December 2007 00:05 (sixteen years ago) link
The FYE in Philadelphia generally had/has a better Latin selection than Tower used to (not that Tower's was particularly good).
― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 25 December 2007 00:33 (sixteen years ago) link
Sadie Dingfelder
This list is two albums short. Bands known for experimentation (such as Wilco and Radiohead) released predictable, if lovely, albums this year. As far as I know, no other artist filled that void with a startlingly original recording. So I settled for a shorter list of albums heavy on songcraft, if a little short on innovation.
That's gotta be one of the most depressing things I've read in all the year-end wrap-ups. I'm not saying anyone is required to seek out experimentalism in music. But if that's ostensibly one of the things that moves you, and you're finding it missing from your usual sources, it's really not too terribly effing hard to seek out. Christ, Thom Yorke is always going on about the acts he borrows from, and that's just for starters. Read some blogs. Subscribe to eMusic. But to play the ostrich is just... sad.
― pshrbrn, Tuesday, 25 December 2007 00:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Yeah I see read those kinds of comments every year. The arts editor of Washington City Paper should fire her lazy ass. If she can't be bothered to find ten measly albums, then she's a pretty worthless music critic. There really is no excuse anymore.
― Fastnbulbous, Tuesday, 25 December 2007 05:01 (sixteen years ago) link
I like the Dyme Def album. It's better than the Wu & Ghost albums and maybe the Jay-Z, too.
very much noted, thanks
― Matos W.K., Tuesday, 25 December 2007 05:21 (sixteen years ago) link
Me? Liking local rap? Who knew?
Anyway, it's slightly hyphy-leaning middle-ground rap. The songs that are fun are great. The songs that aren't fun do stupid shit like sample "Let It Be".
― The Reverend, Tuesday, 25 December 2007 06:05 (sixteen years ago) link