Best of 2007

[bobbob1313]

1. Radiohead- In Rainbows

2. Arcade Fire- Neon Bible

3. White Stripes- Icky Thump

4. Dr. Dog- We All Belong

5. Wilco- Sky Blue Sky

[GtrPlyr]

2. Rickie Lee Jones-Exploration Blvd.

3. Lucinda Williams-West (I will never understand the lack of love for this)

It's good to see somebody else picked the Rickie Lee Jones disc. That seems to be one of the most overlooked records of the year.

 

I thought of the Lucinda record but couldn't remember if it came out this year. It wouldn't make my top 5, but definitely top 20.

[Spilled Milk]

As of right now:

 

1. Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch

2. The 1900s - Cold and Kind

3. Deadstring Brothers - Silver Mountain

4. Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues

5. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

[Spilled Milk]

What about the new Richmond Fontaine record?

I need more time to figure all the things I've heard this year that were released this year. I should really label this stuff in my Ipod...

 

It's pretty fantastic. Along with The Roadside Graves and Everybodyfields' records, it's made it an incredibly solid year for alt.country.

[the_fliz1]

Holy crap do I feel out of the loop...I've never even heard of The National. Guess they're good huh?

 

 

Don't feel bad I haven't heard of half of the artists that are being mentioned. People always tell me I'm weird because I listen to obscure music that nobody has ever really heard of. I don't feel so bad now. Not that I'm calling anybody here weird

[damo]

this is hard, no particular order

 

sly hats - liquorice nights

dappled cities fly - grandance

national - boxer

elvis perkins - ash wednesday

andrew bird - armchair apocrypha

 

and heaps more

 

kevin drew, animal colelctive, arcade fire, shins, wilco, beirut, good bad and the queen, iron and wine , jose, ...

 

theres too many was a good year

[OOO]

I am listening to Bon Iver thanks to all the recommendations here

[Mystik Spiral]

elvis perkins - ash wednesday

 

oooooh, another good one!

[bourbonbreath]

the three that i have cared about:

1. the National - Boxer

2. Wilco - SBS

3. Spoon - Ga, etc.

[DrNo]

I just made a preliminary list of stuff I've heard this year and it was like 60 or 70 albums. I think I have a problem. I've heard plenty I liked this year, but not so much that really stuck in the way my favorite records do. I was disappointed in a lot of albums by my favorite artists--Okkervil, Spoon, Springsteen, Band of Horses, Steve Earle, etc.--and a couple of my '07 faves were actually released in 2006 before being widely released this year (Elvis Perkins, Rock Plaza Central). This is gonna be hard.

[bobbob1313]

I need to figure out how much new music I heard this year. I think it's gotta be close to 50. This was definitely the biggest year for me for music.

[insideoutoflove]

was just going through my 2007 playlist..almost forgot explosions in the sky had a new one this year.

 

anyway, i guess for now (in no particular order yet):

 

Radiohead--In Rainbows

Arcade Fire--Neon Bible

Wilco--SBS

Okkervil River--Stage Names

Dr Dog--We All Belong

 

honorable mentions: andrew bird, sea bear, spoon, iron and wine, eits

 

still have a few i havent even heard yet (dont have the new pornos or the national yet, and just got devendra, rilo kiley, and jose gonzalez)

[peqger]

Three shoo-ins:

The National - Boxer

Spoon - Ga^5

Radiohead - In Rainbows

 

Other favorites (which I find unnecessary/impossible to put in any particular order...yet):

Explosions In The Sky - All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone

Ultrasport - False Start City

The Snake The Grass The Crown - Cotton Teeth

Magnolia Electric Co. - Sojourner

Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala

Vampire Weekend - Blue CD-R

Josh Ritter - Historical Conquests Of

Akron/Family - Love Is Simple

iLiKETRAiNS - Elegies To Lessons Learnt

 

And there are also a couple of records I need to listen more, for example that Bon Iver one that a lot of people keep praising.

[damo]

whats new akron/family like? havent got round to it yet

[Whitty]

LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Dr. Dog - We All Belong

The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen

 

Lots of candidates for that fifth spot- Menomena, Blitzen Trapper, Dinosaur Jr., M.I.A., Radiohead...

[lizish]

Ooh, can I, can I?

 

It's a great little record. I think people are steering clear of it in droves because either the lack of publicity is really hurting the disc (it's on Vanguard), or they're afraid of what Levon might sound like.

 

He sounds just incredible.

 

The cancer took its toll on his voice, but he's regained so much power and strength that it's really just miraculous. He basically sounds like you'd expect any powerful performer to sound when they start the creep towards 70 years of age. A little husky, a little short of breath at times, but exactly like Levon Helm. Honestly, if nothing else, Dirt Farmer probably features my favourite vocal performance of the year.

 

If you're a Band fan, you'll probably love hearing the songs on the disc, too. Lots of old classics, like Little Birds and Blind Child, and there are plenty of new ones in the mix that are perfectly suited to Lee's voice, like Steve Earle's The Mountain and Buddy and Julie Miller's Wider River to Cross.

 

This is definitely another one of those records that I'm depressed to see so few people on music boards touting.

 

thanks. A sampling I will go.

[solace]

I just made a preliminary list of stuff I've heard this year and it was like 60 or 70 albums. I think I have a problem. I've heard plenty I liked this year, but not so much that really stuck in the way my favorite records do. I was disappointed in a lot of albums by my favorite artists--Okkervil, Spoon, Springsteen, Band of Horses, Steve Earle, etc.--and a couple of my '07 faves were actually released in 2006 before being widely released this year (Elvis Perkins, Rock Plaza Central). This is gonna be hard.

 

 

I need to figure out how much new music I heard this year. I think it's gotta be close to 50. This was definitely the biggest year for me for music.

 

while i've probably still heard quite a bit more than the average music listener, i've definitely slacked off pretty hardcore this year. usually i have no problem listing 50 albums that i enjoyed enough to mention, this year that might be closer to 30-35, hard to say. it's moreso out of laziness than good records though.

[EL the Famous]

In no order:

 

Miracle Fortress - Five Roses

Spoon - Ga Ga (etc.)

Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Mobius Band - Heaven

Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War

 

and my guess is that the list will be rounded out w/ Voxtrot, The National, The Cult, Panda Bear and Ohmega Watts.

[lizish]

In no order:

 

Miracle Fortress - Five Roses

Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War

 

Fucking Canadians and their not-so-good-bands. Why that country flushes all these indie bands down to the good ole USA, I will never know.

[solace]

if i could count the Vampire Weekend Blue CDR, that'd probably be top 5... certainly top 10

 

can't wait for their full length

[imsjry]

If you're a Band fan, you'll probably love hearing the songs on the disc, too. Lots of old classics, like Little Birds and Blind Child, and there are plenty of new ones in the mix that are perfectly suited to Lee's voice, like Steve Earle's The Mountain and Buddy and Julie Miller's Wider River to Cross.

 

This is definitely another one of those records that I'm depressed to see so few people on music boards touting.

 

It could be because it just came out. Or it could be because Levon Helm doesn't fit in with the Pitchfork-Indie-Hipster flavor of the week band that people usually pick on end of the year lists.

[EL the Famous]

if i could count the Vampire Weekend Blue CDR, that'd probably be top 5... certainly top 10

 

can't wait for their full length

 

i enjoyed it enough to be interested to see what a full-fledged album is going to sound like...that tune 'A-Punk' was catchy as hell, i enjoyed the others in a reheated 'graceland' sort of way.

[EL the Famous]

Fucking Canadians and their not-so-good-bands. Why that country flushes all these indie bands down to the good ole USA, I will never know.

 

i'll go so far to say that i think five roses is going to come in at the top spot. canada does seem to be a hot bed of good indie rock and strip clubs. and garage rock loving milfs.

[cryptique]

1. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond. In a surprisingly good year for music, this, to me, is the cream of the crop.

2. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog. Would have been #1 in most other years. Fantastic.

3. Georgie James - Places. Just a great pop record. In this case, that's enough to rank highly on my list.

4. Grant Lee Phillips - Strangelet. He's only getting better.

5. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha. Hard to pick #5, but this one's been on endless repeat in my car lately, giving it the edge.

 

Other contenders:

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Dr. Dog - We All Belong

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

The National - Boxer

Ted Leo - Living With The Living

Rickie Lee Jones - The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard

John Doe - A Year in the Wilderness

Maria McKee - Late December

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

Graham Parker - Don't Tell Columbus

Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers

[DrNo]

Oh shit, I forgot about Dinosaur Jr.