Year-End Critics' Polls '07

I can't help but notice how the Philly City Paper claims to list the best "Rock/Pop/Hip-hop CDs" and neglects to include any hip-hop until #33.

Even I was a little surprised by the absence of hip-hop. (Is anything after Kanye West hip-hop? I don't recognize all the names, but it doesn't look like it.

Sean Price, but that's it.

Usually ILM rap types complain about there being 1-2 consensus rap albums that show up in every year-end list, but it turns out to be better than the alternative.

In the battle of psychedelia circa 2007: Caribou's Andorra and of Montreal's Hissing Fauna... are sooooo >>>>>> Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam and/or (especially) P***a B**r's Person Pitch. Or is that the less the latter two sound like music (i.e., their aural opacity), the better they're received critically (cf. the often mind-numbingly consistent/constant sonic signature of The Field's From Here We Go Sublime)?

I picked up Animal Collective, Panda Bear, and Of Montreal all based on the many year-end list appearances - been meaning to buy OM and PB for most the year but just never did. Turns out the AC album is my favorite of the three, and based on only a couple listens I find that Of Montreal album to be mostly repellent. I want to put it on again to try and figure out why it's being hailed as so wonderful, but the idea of putting it back on makes me groan.

From WFMU

DJ/Rupture Top 10 2007
DJ/Rupture checks in with his Top 10 (all Listen links are real audio):

1. Superstar Ralph & Sandman - Cumbia Caliente (mix cd) Listen

2. Fnaire - Yed El Henna (album) Listen

3. Eyvind Kang & Jessika Kenney (live performance for viola and voice)

4. Swizz Beats (producer) Listen

5. Calle 13 - Residente o Visitante (album) Listen

6. Skepta (production) Listen

7. Transes (music documentary about Moroccan band Nass el Ghiwane) Listen

8. Sweat X (band) Listen via myspace

9. Dirty Projectors - No More (song) Listen | Download MP3 (via Dead Oceans label)

10. Lil Wayne (MC) Listen

Also, Sonido Martines did a mix of cumbias rebajadas for my show, and came into the studio for a bilingual chat about the cumbia rebajada scene (see playlist | listen to archive). You can download Sonido Martines' entire 30 min mix here (MP3). The music is all South American & Mexican, older records (pre-70s mostly), sloooowed down.

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/12/djrupture-top-2.html

more dj top 10s from WFMU

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/wfmus_top_ten_of_2007_lists/index.html

why it's being hailed as so wonderful

Few of my friends have warmed to this album, or of Montreal, in general, either. For me it's Hissing Fauna's (and by that I mean, Kevin Barnes') songcraft, its/his embrace and interweaving and juxtaposition of technology and classic (rock) instrumentation, the personality and intimacy of its/his lyrics and themes.

By contrast, those selfsame friends can't get enough Strawberry Jam; needless to say, we're no longer on speaking terms.

Of course I wouldn't be surprised if the reasons I think Hissing Fauna's the cat's PJs are the selfsame reasons you find it to be mostly repellent.

Those selfsame friends just never give a fellow a break.

I don't mean repellent as a casual dis - I mean there are things going on in this album that push me away from it. For instance, that it is so dense with instrumentation as to be muddled, and for a lot of harmonies that grate rather than soothe. It seems like a pop record on the surface - it's got all the pop elements, i.e., the 60s-influenced stuff that marked previous OM albums, but it seems light on actual hooks and is so busy being, well, busy that I can't really get a toehold. I had a similar complaint about In Rainbows, which is that I think there is no air in the record at all.

Of course, that may well be exactly what Barnes intended, so good for him. I don't think the album is trash, but I find it... repellent. It repels me.

But he did that on purpose, because he finds himself repellent as well!

I would think of In Rainbows as being rather minimalistic.

I would think of In Rainbows as being rather minimalistic.

It's not exactly dense, but there is little to no silence, and rarely is there just one thing happening (aside from the beginning of the first song). There's a constant wash of instruments or white noise in every corner of every song. Synthesizers, guitar tones, backing vocals. Layers and layers of sound, even if they're not shoving it in your face. I noticed and now I can't stop noticing.

Maybe. I've only listened to it twice, and not recently, but it did strike me as rather roomful.

Although I'm too tired to dismantle your inconsistent logic completely, what more of an opinion can one form, based on only a couple listens of Hissing Fauna (or In Rainbows) or anything else for that matter, other than a casual dis?

Your = pgwp's.

I picked up Animal Collective, Panda Bear, and Of Montreal all based on the many year-end list appearances - been meaning to buy OM and PB for most the year but just never did. Turns out the AC album is my favorite of the three, and based on only a couple listens I find that Of Montreal album to be mostly repellent. I want to put it on again to try and figure out why it's being hailed as so wonderful, but the idea of putting it back on makes me groan.

Are you familiar with of Montreal's earlier stuff? To me Hissing Fauna was the great leap forward in lyrical terms. It's not showy, but it's still verbose, it's overwrought but sincere. The Animal Collective record is amazing though.

But getting the EOY picks and asking them to impress you is a pretty flawed way to get into any album, surely?

Although I'm too tired to dismantle your inconsistent logic completely, what more of an opinion can one form, based on only a couple listens of Hissing Fauna (or In Rainbows) or anything else for that matter, other than a casual dis?

Speaking of inconsistent logic. Come on--the number of opinions that can form on only a couple of listens to anything are endless.

Although I'm too tired to dismantle your inconsistent logic completely, what more of an opinion can one form, based on only a couple listens of Hissing Fauna (or In Rainbows) or anything else for that matter, other than a casual dis?

okay well first of all I'm not the one who said that about Radiohead - I listened to that plenty. second, what matos said. I'm sharing my impression of the record; what I mean by saying it's not meant as "a casual dis" is that I'm simply trying to talk about the record. You're taking it as an insult to the record but I don't exactly mean it that way. "Repel" has more than one meaning; it doesn't have to mean distasteful. Anyway, when you've gotten some rest, please dismantle my logic.

Craig - I'm familiar with some, not all, of Of Montreal's other stuff. I have Cherry Peel and Satanic Panic, the latter of which I think is pretty outstanding. I haven't really sat down with the lyrics on Hissing Fauna.

I wouldn't say I'm "asking them to impress me." It's not as antagonistic as that. I purchase albums hoping to like them.

under no circumstances is there anything antagonistic about or wrong with asking a performer to impress you, since the performer's job is to impress their audience enough to keep them coming back.

if you pay money to someone to perform a task, you are asking them to impress you. that's why they get money for it.

Although I will readily and happily admit that my sweeping statements vis-à-vis psychedelia circa 2007 were designed, in part, to generate debate, if challenged, I would explain my position to the best of my ability and/or inclination. Your posts, however, strike me as woefully lazy if not wholly disingenuous. So, as I've offered, and you've accepted, here's where disassembling your logic (for want of a more accurately meaningful word) begins:

"Repel" has more than one meaning; it doesn't have to mean distasteful...

You're taking it as an insult to the record but I don't exactly mean it that way.

In the brief context of your first post, what meaning, exactly, (other than arcane references to the adjective's magnetically polaric or entomically aerosolic connotations) did you expect anyone to assign "repellent" in light of the proximity of Hissing Fauna..., mostly repellent and trying to figure out why (Hissing Fauna's) being hailed as so wonderful, but the idea of putting (Hissing Fauna) back on makes me groan.? That is, without two of your next three posts explaining that the meaning readers would most likely assign the term, especially in the context of music criticism, wasn't the one you intended?

Strawberry Jam vs. Hissing Fauna... vs. In Rainbows

(AKA valid criticism vs. invalid criticism).

If Strawberry Jam’s won your heart (or ears), great! I'd love to read why, about what it has or does that Hissing Fauna... or In Rainbows don't. But to suggest, as your posts imply, that either of the latter two are more sonically dense than the effects cornucopia-slash-delay pedal laden Strawberry Jam misrepresents all three.

In other words, if Hissing Fauna... or In Rainbows did not favorably impress you, criticism of either's merits/aesthetics/etc. are valid. But, to me, your "repulsion" to the former and criticisms of the latter are not based on considered listens of either. Accordingly, your comparison to the objectively dense sonic signature of Strawberry Jam fails, and your criticisms notwithstanding the comparison, are invalid. That is, your opinions are not based on subjective impressions or objective measures of either album as they exist, but rather on, at best superficial, listens to both.

For instance, your characterization of Hissing Fauna... as being so dense with instrumentation as to be muddled misses the many pared-down moments of the album, namely:

0:37 to 1:10 and 1:31 to 2:05 of "Cato As A Pun";
0:00 to 1:03 and 2:37 to 2:50 of "Gronlandic Edit";
1:30 to 2:00 and 2:48 to 3:25 of "Bunny Ain't No Kind of Rider"; as well as,
0:28 to 0:55 (or really until 1:50, when the bridge kicks-in) and 2:20 to the outro of "Faberge Falls For Shuggie."

I can't say what you'd hoped for in terms of "silence" or "space" on an album, much less on an Of Montreal album given your alleged familiarity with their earlier, and more importantly, recent work - but certainly, there are many less sonically-occupied moments on the album than your characterization would mislead one to believe. Yet I do find it telling that most of the less dense moments occur in the latter half of the album. To me, that says you've not heard half the album, but are "repulsed" by it in its entirety just the same.

Further, what is a grating harmony? Other than an oxymoron? If harmonies wrought with falsetto aren't your cup of tea, than say so. But, to me, for a harmony to grate, it would require dissonance. By contrast, the expertise with which Barnes & Co. execute some of the most musically awe-inspiring harmonies I've ever heard (mind you, not only on record, but live too), again, in my view, misrepresents what one actually hears on Hissing Fauna....

For a second instance, you ...had a similar complaint about In Rainbows, which is that...there is no air in the record at all..., ...there is little to no silence, and rarely is there just one thing happening (aside from the beginning of the first song). There's a constant wash of instruments or white noise in every corner of every song... Really? You see, such sweeping and demonstrably inaccurate statements immediately call into question the validity of your criticism. Songs like "Nude," "Videotape" and "Faust Arp" (the latter featuring only acoustic guitar, a voice and occasional strings) have plenty of room for additional instrumentation and yet there’s space aplenty unoccupied. Here again, however, you'd have to listen to the album beyond the the beginning of the first song.

Or do you disagree?

Do you find the quieter moments of In Rainbows (some even call them ballads) so filled to the brim with digital effects as to wholly distract your attention from the songs themselves? And if you do hear the effects in songs like "Nude," "Faust Arp" and "Videotape" - the so-called constant wash of instruments - could you please point them out? I have a pair of hi-fi headphones, a whole lot of patience, and can't wait to hear In Rainbows' (many?) moments of white noise for myself.

wow--WHOLE MINUTES of Hissing Fauna were relatively quiet! stop press!

Speaking of, have you got a release date for Of Montreal's Selected Ambient Works? I hear it'll be even quieter.

dude, chill. you're frothing.

The credit I feel Of Montreal deserves is due entirely to manipulating new music media to cover every detail of their public appearances from the moment Hissing Fauna was released. But what made it so different from anything they'd done since the last days of E6? Great media stunt, tho.

the last couple albums are far better than any of the E6-era stuff, come on

I guess what I don't get is the general outrage that Hissing Fauna wasn't consensus album of the year. And I stand by the notion that more than anything else Kevin Barnes reinvented himself/band as can't miss this year, whereas I never felt that they were must-see before this glammy incarnation.

I seriously doubt there's a "general" "consensus" about this.

Results 1 - 10 of about 418,000 for grasping at straws. (0.09 seconds)

Agreed, I'm not sure to what "general outrage" fukasaku tollbooth's referring. I, for one, could care less where Hissing Fauna ranks in terms of album of the year (mine, incidentally, is The National's Boxer).

Although Kevin Barnes as the Svengali of new music media... That's new...

Yeah, you're probably right, but that's not what I said either Matos.

it sure read like it!

dblcheek - I appreciate your long post about Hissing Fauna and I'll respond to it a little later - working right now, so can't spend as much time as such a post would deserve.

But first, seriously, let's discuss the album without being total assholes about it. I'm sorry my "repellent" comment has angered you; I've tried to clarify what I meant. We can talk about this album without being so confrontational about it.

I never felt that they were must-see before this glammy incarnation

Heck, I didn't think they were must-hear before Hissing Fauna....

I was very put off by their early work (too sugary and sparkly and nice) and didn't bother with them again until this year. Now, working backwards through their catalog I can definitely see, retrospectively, how they got to where they are today (with or without [pun semi-intended] their silly clothes).

On the other hand, I have no idea what their concerts were like before their most recent tours, but kudos to them for giving fans their money's worth in terms of over-the-top costumes, disco staging, etc.

But first, seriously, let's discuss the album without being total assholes...we can talk about this album without being so confrontational about it.

LQTM.

I don't know what that means.

I also have not previously liked much of what I've heard of Of Montreal, and I had to get past the first track on this one before it started to make sense and to sound good to my ears. Honestly, the first time I heard the first track I thought it sounded like a bad production of a high school musical. Now I think it's great! I love the glam/gay sound, the joyful melodies and incredible harmonies, the perversity of the lyrics, the humor, and the quick stops/starts/turns. It's dense, but in a very good way.

If Strawberry Jam’s won your heart (or ears), great! I'd love to read why, about what it has or does that Hissing Fauna... or In Rainbows don't. But to suggest, as your posts imply, that either of the latter two are more sonically dense than the effects cornucopia-slash-delay pedal laden Strawberry Jam misrepresents all three.

Certainly being sonically dense is not de facto a bad thing. Nor is it de facto good. These three albums are a good example of the spectrum. I find the cornucopia of sounds on Strawberry Jam to be used in surprising ways. “Peacebone” for instance is full of sounds—effects, instruments, vocals—that drop in and out and are like little unexpected presents. My comment about In Rainbows was mostly an observation, not a damnation—I realize I called it a “complaint,” but I meant of the quibbling variety. (If you’re curious, here’s what I wrote about In Rainbows when it came out, expanding on what I’ve said in this thread.) I like In Rainbows, though that doesn’t stop me from noting its sonic density and questioning whether it’s totally successful.

In other words, if Hissing Fauna... or In Rainbows did not favorably impress you, criticism of either's merits/aesthetics/etc. are valid. But, to me, your "repulsion" to the former and criticisms of the latter are not based on considered listens of either.

To be “repulsed” and to be “repelled” are two different things. I never said I was repulsed. I think there is something about Hissing Fauna that causes resistance. I think it has something to do with the way Of Montreal apply a certain density of sounds across the record. All three of these bands are using this density in different ways. (It is, after all, kind of a vague term, “sonic density”—not to mention kinda pretentions sounding.)

…your opinions are not based on subjective impressions or objective measures of either album as they exist, but rather on, at best superficial, listens to both.

I’ve admitted up front that I’ve only listened to Hissing Fauna a few times, and I’ve explicitly said I’ve listened to the Radiohead quite a lot. You have me confused with another poster in that respect.
Honestly I can’t argue with you too much on Of Montreal. My original post was meant to describe my first impression of the album Unfortunately, my impression is that they made a pop record that is antagonistic and not inviting, and hence I have difficulty wanting to go back to it. (Yes, in the “arcane” sense of the word, as in magnets, the album repels me… is there a more modern way to describe how magnets work?)

I can't say what you'd hoped for in terms of "silence" or "space" on an album, much less on an Of Montreal album given your alleged familiarity with their earlier, and more importantly, recent work

Heh. “Alleged” – yes, I’m inventing my familiarity so as to convince you of my ability to listen to Hissing Fauna correctly! :)

It’s really not so much that I want “silence” on the album, or even “space.” More that I found myself wishing in some places that there’d just be one less instrument or one less sound. It sounded busy and full, more so than it needed to be. That was my impression. Like I said in my original post, that was likely Barnes’s intent. Good for him.

Further, what is a grating harmony? Other than an oxymoron? If harmonies wrought with falsetto aren't your cup of tea, than say so. But, to me, for a harmony to grate, it would require dissonance.
Compare the harmonies on Hissing Fauna to, say, the Byrds—or for that matter “Disconnect the Dots”—and I think you could quite easily describe the former as “more grating.” There is something rather harried in the vocal delivery of many of the songs on Hissing Fauna, for example on “Suffer for Fashion.”

For a second instance, you ...had a similar complaint about In Rainbows, which is that...there is no air in the record at all..., ...there is little to no silence, and rarely is there just one thing happening (aside from the beginning of the first song). There's a constant wash of instruments or white noise in every corner of every song... Really? You see, such sweeping and demonstrably inaccurate statements immediately call into question the validity of your criticism. Songs like "Nude," "Videotape" and "Faust Arp" (the latter featuring only acoustic guitar, a voice and occasional strings) have plenty of room for additional instrumentation and yet there’s space aplenty unoccupied.

I promise to listen again if you do. I feel there is some form of white noise painted across 90% of In Rainbows. To the level of constant distraction? Not for the average listener, no. But like I said, once I noticed it, I couldn’t stop noticing it. It’s like how graphic designers can’t help but notice bad design in the world, or writers/editors can’t help but notice typos or bad grammar. Obviously the band intended it to be textural, but I noticed.

http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/562/41071051mariopa203bf2.jpg

Top 5 Songs of 2007
1. Kanye West – “Flashing Lights”
2. Wyclef Jean – “sweetest girl”
3. Justin Timberlake – “What Goes Around Comes Around”
4. Alicia Keys - “Like You'll Never See Me Again”
5. Rihanna – “Umbrella”

Top 10 Albums of 2007

Alicia Keys - As I Am
Common - Finding Forever
Cassidy - B.A.R.S.
Incubus - Light Grenades
Jay Z - American Gangster
Kanye West - Graduation
Plies - The Real Testament
Robin Thicke - The Evolution of Robin Thicke
T.I. - T.I. vs TIP
J. Holiday - Back Of My Lac

http://creative.myspace.com/cms/Music_Best_Of/archive/mario.html

I guess what I don't get is the general outrage that Hissing Fauna wasn't consensus album of the year.

You do realize that all those "outraged" kornrulez posts upthread were poking fun at people who complain about there not being enough indie in lists that are 90% indie anyway, right? I think there was some comment complaining about the low placement of Hissing Fauna on Stylus' list that triggered it.

http://i4.tinypic.com/87b8s92.jpg

AP's Best Album
Article Tools Sponsored By
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 29, 2007

Filed at 10:01 a.m. ET

With the hundreds of albums released this year, finding ten that rose to the top was surprisingly difficult -- few were special enough to merit repeat listens, let alone remain in your brain long after the CD stops playing.

Here are the rare records with a permanent place on our playlists in 2007:

1. ''Back to Black,'' Amy Winehouse: The tragedy of 2007 is that Amy Winehouse is now simply known as the ''Rehab'' chick with the drug habit, not as the gifted singer-songwriter who created the most compelling album of the year. Winehouse's raspy, soulful voice is dazzling enough on its own; add the retro-soul licks and the alternately hilarious, heartbreaking lyrics, and it's an album that you just cannot shut off. While ''Rehab'' was a clever, gimmicky hit, it can't begin to reflect how amazing ''Back to Black'' truly is.

2. The Bird and the Bee, ''The Bird and the Bee'': Imagine the Carpenters on an acid. That's the best way to describe the surreal pop debut of The Bird and the Bee, comprised of the duo Inara George and Greg Kurstin. George's vocals are dreamy and angelic, but the lyrics are anything but -- one of the album's best tracks is ''(Expletive) Boyfriend.''

3. ''Finding Forever,'' Common: Maybe Common is just too darn clever and crafty for his own good. Once again, he put out an excellent rap disc that didn't get the attention it deserved, but perhaps only a select group can appreciate the intellect, wit, and charm he dispenses with each rhyme: This ain't for the ''Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)'' crowd. Though rap certainly needs some Common Sense these days more than ever.

4. The ''Once'' soundtrack: ''Once,'' starring Marketa Irglova and the lead singer of the Frames, Glen Hansard, was the perfect romantic movie that flew under mainstream radar. The same could be said about its wonderful soundtrack. Irglova's sweet voice is the perfect accompaniment to Hansard's raspy vocals -- they don't need much else, and the simple production of just a piano here or guitar there makes the music even more intimate than the touching lyrics convey.

5. ''Graduation,'' Kanye West: Truth be told, ''Graduation'' is actually West's weakest album -- but when you consider the first two, ''The College Dropout'' and ''Late Registration,'' were nothing short of brilliant, it's OK that this one rates as just very, very good. West's use of techno beats give some tracks a more experimental sounding vibe, but it's his always clever rhymes that make you listen again and again.

6. ''Double Up,'' R. Kelly: Given the nonsense that permeates 1/3 of this disc, ''Double Up'' shouldn't even be on this list. But how can it not be when the rest of the songs are so crazy and so good? When you can make a prison visit a must-listen-to groove (''Best Friend''), you are truly creating the stuff of genius. Plus, he gets extra credit for that whole ''Trapped in the Closet'' saga.

7. ''As I Am,'' Alicia Keys: Though it's not a perfect album, it contains perhaps three of the most perfect songs you can find in pop today -- ''Wreckless Love,'' ''Lesson Learned'' and the slow-jam piece of ecstasy otherwise known as ''Kiss Me Like You'll Never Kiss Me Again.'' And thankfully, unlike her past albums, most of the other songs on ''As I Am'' are strong enough to make you want to listen to the CD in its entirety, instead of cherry-picking the best tracks.

8. ''Alright, Still,'' Lily Allen: Lily Allen doesn't have the greatest voice, and is not much of a stage presence, as her live performances this year bore out. But you'd never guess that by listening to her charming debut, buoyed infectious ska-pop beats and wry lyrics. Like Winehouse's ''Back to Black,'' producer Mark Ronson's handiwork elevates this CD.

9. ''Good Girl Gone Bad,'' Rihanna: Rihanna's hard-driving sophomore CD blended pop-rock, electronica and a dash of R&B for slick and sexy club music. It also separated her from the wanna-be Beyonce pack. Though much of the credit for this disc's allure goes to the producers who came up with the catchy beats, Rihanna delivers a powerful punch despite her somewhat thin voice -- its her emotive vocals that helped to make ''Umbrella'' one of the most requested songs of the year, and what makes the ballad ''I Hate That I Love You'' so passionate.

10. ''Kala,'' M.I.A.: The British born, Sri-Lankan raised rapper got even more eclectic -- if that's even possible -- with ''Kala,'' a mish-mash of Indian beats, African rhythms, electronic synths and fierce rapping. It's not as hypnotic as her debut CD, ''Arular,'' but it's just as fiery.

--------

Honorable mention:

''Because of You,'' Ne-Yo

''American Gangster,'' Jay-Z

''Sound of Silver,'' LCD Soundsystem

''In My Element,'' Robert Glasper

''Blackout,'' Britney Spears (YES, I SAID IT!)

Parallel worlds: "This year belonged, in part, to Gebhard Ullmann, who turned fifty."

West's use of techno beats give some tracks a more experimental sounding vibe

You do realize that all those "outraged" kornrulez posts upthread were poking fun at people who complain about there not being enough indie in lists that are 90% indie anyway, right? I think there was some comment complaining about the low placement of Hissing Fauna on Stylus' list that triggered it.

-- The Reverend, Saturday, 29 December 2007 05:47 (11 hours ago)

I do get that, and that's the so-called consensus I was referring to, since I'm seeing that 'outrage' in comments sections everywhere.

...there is some form of white noise painted across 90% of In Rainbows.

I think the primary point of my "frothing" is that most of your assertions are based on a "feeling" - my query, boiled-down, is: what are some examples that drive your intuition?

Not to be all CSI and fact-based, but perhaps you could start by citing examples of the white noise painted across "Faust Arp" or "Nude" or "Videotape" or "House of Cards" or "All I Need"?

Corny indie fuxx be corny. (xp)

Tijana Ilich's top 10 salsa

http://latinmusic.about.com/od/cdtoppicks/tp/TPSALSA2007.htm

click on the link for her blurbs on all 10

1. Issac Delgado - En Primera Plana

Cuba's master of timba released his first album from his new U.S. home. En Primera Plana means "On The Front Page" and that's where this album belongs. I like it for the changes in rhythms, the many breaks and the outstanding command of the genre that is Issac Delgado's.

2. Gilberto Santa Rosa - Contraste

3. La Excelencia - Salsa Con Conciencia

4. NG2 - Al Fin

5. Marc Anthony - El Cantante

6. Jerry Rivera - Caribe Gardel

7. Andy Montanez - The Godfather of Salsa

8. Victor Manuelle - Live At Madison Square Garden

9. Tito Nieves - Live In Colombia

10. Cubanismo - Greetings From Havana