Best of 2007: The Music

[EdgarDiazRocks]

I won't pretend that i'm relevant in this catergory much anymore. I didn't go to see a live performance all year, and wasn't really sad about that.

 

The twins of Wilco and Ryan Adams were just Meh . . .to me and truly the only thing that did blow my socks off was the "new" Elliott Smith album, and I'm still processing the Radiohead, so I'll let you kids bandy about the topic . . .

 

I will add tho' that I'm not going to overlook the huge effort by Amy Winehouse just because it was massively overplayed and she became People magazine fodder.

 

Several songs on that album are spectacular.

[And That]

While Amy Winehouse became popular this year, her album came out sometime late last year. It's a very good album, just a shame that she's been cast in the public light like she has. "Me and Mr. Jones" might be my favorite cut off of "Back to Black" if only because it invented an entirely new usage for a popular swear word.

 

You underrate the Wilco album, but I will agree that the "new" Elliott Smith album is almost unarguably (to me anyway) the album of year, if you consider a collection of unreleased material eligible for something like that.

[patrickgpe]

i think my 5 favorites from this year is

 

Jose Gonzalez "In Our Nature"

Spoon "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

The National "Boxer"

The New Pornographers "Challenges"

Jars of Clay "Good Monsters"

[And That]

2007 was a superb year for music, almost the antithesis of 2006. Here are my top 10 album of the year right now (with the caveat I still have at least a half dozen albums from 2007 in my queue):

 

1. Elliott Smith: "New Moon"

2. Panda Bear: "Person Pitch"

3. A.A. Bondy: "American Hearts"

4. LCD Soundsystem: "Sound of Silver"

5. Wilco: "Sky Blue Sky"

6. of Montreal: "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?"

7. Radiohead: "In Rainbows"

8. Grand National: "A Drink and A Quick Decision"

9. Caribou: "Andorra"

10. The National: "Boxer"

 

Honorable mentions:

-Apparat: "Walls"

-A Sunny Day in Glasgow: "Scribble Mural Comic Journal"

-The Besnard Lakes: "The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse"

-Black Kids: "Wizard of Ahhs EP"

-Bon Iver: "For Emma, Forever Ago"

-Dan Deacon: "Spiderman of the Rings"

-Matthew Dear: "Asa Breed"

-Earlimart: "Mentor Tormentor"

-The Field: "From Here We Go Sublime"

-Hopewell: "Beautiful Targets"

-Iron & Wine: "The Shepherd's Dog"

-Justice: "†"

-Brad Laner: "Neighbor Singing"

-Liars: "Liars"

-Pela: "Anytown Graffiti"

-The Silent League: "Of Stars and Other Somebodies"

-Richard Swift: "Dressed Up For A Letdown"

-Underworld: "Oblivion With Bells"

[KRM17]

Peter Bjorn & John - Writer block is on my top 10 list for sure

[funkyplaidcoat]

Ah yes...list time. My favorite time of year. Rather than rank in order, here are my favorites and honorable mentions of the year in alphanumeric order; somewhat similar to and that's list...i also expect a few posters to say they've never heard of half of these artists.

 

Air: "Pocket Symphony"

Apostle of Hustle: "National Anthem of Nowhere"

LCD Soundsystem: "Sound of Silver"

Band of Horses: "Cease to Begin"

A Sunny Day in Glasgow: "Scribble Mural Comic Journal"

Baroness: "Red Album"

Brother Ali: "The Undisputed Truth"

Chromeo: "Fancy Footwork"

The Clientele: "God Save the Clientele"

Dungen: "Tio Bitar"

Feist: "The Reminder"

Field Music: "Tones of Town"

Robert Gomez: "Brand New Towns"

The Hood Internet: "Mixtapes vol 1 & 2"

Jesu: "Conqueror"

Les Savy Fav: "Let's stay friends"

Justice: "†"

Maximo Park: "Our Earthly Pleasures"

Menomena: "Friend and Foe"

of Montreal: "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?"

Panda Bear: "Person Pitch"

Rhianna: "Good Girl Gone Bad"

Stars: "In our Bedroom After the War"

Ween: "La Cucaracha"

White Rabbits: "Fort Nightly"

[pogokat]

PB+J album came out in 2006, not 2007...sorry...

[Menotti80]

SOULJA BOY!!!

lol

[KRM17]

PB+J album came out in 2006, not 2007...sorry...

Pitchfork says 2006

iTunes says 2007

 

hmmmmm....

[pogokat]

definitely 2006 because i bought it in july 2006... edit: i was out of tthe counttry...i guess it's possiblee it didn't get released in the us until 2007...though it was definitely released across the atlantic in 2006

[brewcrewreview]

Brad Paisley: "Fifth Gear"

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Spoon "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

 

I gotta say that You Got Yr Cherry Bomb man be my favorite song of the year . . . .

You underrate the Wilco album

 

I really liked Impossible Germany, but when i really parsed it, it seemed to me he's added copying Elvis Costello along with The Replacements. But then really the documentary has turned me sour and made me a little prejudiced against him.

[Patrick425]

They still make music?

 

I was in Brookfield Square yesterday and I realized there is no longer a music store in the mall. Are there any music stores in any malls any more? I realize that this is a different age where everything is downloaded. However, are people just purchasing individual songs now? Does anyone purchase an entire CD any more?

[TURBO]

Paul Stanley - Live To Win

[burniebrewer]

Paul Stanley - Live To Win

 

I knew I could count on you to post something I've heard of!

 

Patrick425--I think the Best Buy's of the world beat the mall stores on price and selection, and then of course, you have to consider how many people download nowadays. I never used to go to the mall music stores because they were always so overpriced and I was a loyal customer of The Exclusive Company.

[cnycerveceros]

Rilo Kiley's new album was good, and Jason Isbell put out a good disc.

[Patrick425]

I never used to go to the mall music stores because they were always so overpriced and I was a loyal customer of The Exclusive Company.

Yeah, it was always kind of a convienence thing for me. I'm in the mall shopping for something else anyways, don't want to make that extra stop at Exclusive or Best Buy (God, I hate going to that place), to save a few extra bucks.

[radman12484]

They still make music?

 

I was in Brookfield Square yesterday and I realized there is no longer a music store in the mall. Are there any music stores in any malls any more? I realize that this is a different age where everything is downloaded. However, are people just purchasing individual songs now? Does anyone purchase an entire CD any more?

 

There isn't any music store at Mayfair either. They have cd's at Barnes & Noble, thats it.

[TURBO]

Paul Stanley - Live To Win

 

I knew I could count on you to post something I've heard of!

no doubt, I thought I had stepped into another world with the stuff being listed here. I haven't even heard of most of it. I think that sometimes, when making "best of" lists, a lot of people just try and list the most obscure things they can, to be on the hip and cool list...

 

lol

[patrickgpe]

there may be some of that cause there are alot of cd's that came out this year that are very good that make it to radio and are popular. I really liked Seether's , Chevelle's, Fuel's. I think part of it though there is alot of stuff that comes out that never sees the light of day which is very good.

[TURBO]

there may be some of that cause there are alot of cd's that came out this year that are very good that make it to radio and are popular. I really liked Seether's , Chevelle's, Fuel's. I think part of it though there is alot of stuff that comes out that never sees the light of day which is very good.

 

ok, but I have to disagree with the statement that a lot of good music came out this year... I rarely find anything that I like these days that is new. I try, I listen, I just can't get into the new sounds I guess.

[And That]

I thought I had stepped into another world with the stuff being listed here. I haven't even heard of most of it. I think that sometimes, when making "best of" lists, a lot of people just try and list the most obscure things they can, to be on the hip and cool list...

 

Or there are people that enjoy a continual expansion of musical horizons, and on that journey run into a lot of music that you won't find at Best Buy or Target. Personally, I feel that the day I rely on the radio and the best seller bin at Circuit City to satiate my musical desire is the day that I give up on music. Just because you haven't heard of something doesn't make it obscure or anything, it just means you haven't heard of it.

As for the state of the album, I still buy whole albums. Whether they are CDs off Amazon or downloads on iTunes or Emusic, I can't bring myself to only listen to a song or two from an artist. For better or worse, an album is a more complete picture of the artist's vision (save of course compilations, live sets or sometimes EPs), and to me, it's difficult to see the picture for the few brush strokes of a single song. Maybe it was because I was raised on records and tapes and had the patience to get listen to all of the songs to get to the ones I liked. Yah, you may only end up really liking one or two songs on the album, but sometimes you have to be able to appreciate the trees for the field.

 

 

 

 

[patrickgpe]

well turborickey, there is alot of good stuff, its just not on the radio. Really the only station i listen to at all in Milwaukee is RadioMilwaukee and have to turn it off when they play hip-hop. I have found alot of songs i like and could download that would never be on anything else in town. I really rely on internet and word of mouth to find stuff to listen to. Even this site has helped as Brettac suggested the national, and i really like there work. I did check into some of the stuff that and that posted yesterday and i like it too. Unfortunately most people don't know that there is other music than what KISS FM plays.

 

I guess its more of what you are in to. I really only listened to hard rock and recently have got into alot more indy stuff that none of my friends have heard of, but its better than what I used to listen to.

 

I will give you that most of the stuff you hear on the popular radio stations in town is crap.

[brettac1]

1. The National - "Boxer"

2. Bon Iver - "For Emma, Forever Ago"

3. Wilco - "Sky Blue Sky"

4. Elliott Smith - "New Moon"

5. Jens Lekman - "Night Falls Over Kortedala"

6. Radiohead - "In Rainbows"

7. of Montreal - "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?"

8. Josh Ritter - "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter"

9. Ryan Adams - "Easy Tiger"

10. Magnolia Electric Co. - "Sojourner" (boxset)

 

I gotta say that You Got Yr Cherry Bomb man be my favorite song of the year

 

Definitely a great song. I really like that album quite a bit, but it just seems a little light to me.

[dadofandrew]

Turbo, I often wonder if critics feel unhappy when a favorite achieves popular success. I know it was mentioned a few years ago that while critics drooled all over an album when released (Vanessa Carlton?), it then sold oodles, and then was seemingly left off of many "best of the year" lists, despite getting a higher mark at the time. While many would not comment, one gent did admit that the constant radio play and pop success made him "rethink" the quality...basically, if the public liked it, it was beneath him.

 

Maybe Brett could answer, if next week, Bon Iver was played nonstop on top 40, how would he feel?

 

By the way, I bought Bon Jovi's new one and Jim Croce's greatest hits, and both were very good.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Bon Jovi has aged right along with me.