Yes, it's time to hop in the DeLorean and take a trip down memory lane. I didn't have a blog back in the magical year that was 2007, so I had to contend myself with simply emailing my friends and neighbors my "best of 2007" list. At least my friend Zack was clever enough to mail people an actual CD of his favorite songs. I have to use the stupid Internet.Anyway, I figured it was time to share my list with the world. This playlist (created over at imeem, which I'm still using despite some reservations) represents my favorite song from each of my favorite albums of 2007. There are a couple albums that have since become favorites (LCD Soundsystem, I'm looking at you) but I'm only posting ones that were actual favorites when the big ball dropped on New Year's Eve. Enjoy!
The playlist:
The albums:
By the way, check out those hot little icons next to the links in some of my other posts (they would be next to the album links above, but the Amazon quick-link script interferes with it). I just installed AdaptiveBlue's SmartLinks [Editor's note: more CamelCase!] and I think they're pretty cool. Let me know what you think.
What were your favorites of 2007? Any upcoming faves of 2008?
PS I'm as surprised as you guys not to see any hip hop on this list. I just wasn't blown away by the new Wu-Tang, the new Jay-Z, the new Ghostface, or the new Lupe Fiasco albums.
6 comments:
Peacebone: Ok starts off very suckily, wtf is this background noise, sounds like a cheap ass arcade. Singing in a high pitched voice like that? Trite!!! Ok 1/2 way through this track and it sucks. 20 more seconds in… Ok I'm done with you.
Desiree: Jeez where are your balls Caribou??? You sound like somebody stole your lunch money and gave you a whirlee and then asked you to sing your favorite song about your lunchbox. Ughh… "There is nothing I can say..To stop it from ending this way." Apparently there isn't anything you can do to suck less either. (well I'm a 1/3 in, I'll give them some time…) Whoo is that a triangle? More triangle! I can see this playing behind a holiday VW commercial. (F U Moby, we like Caribou now!) Ok 1/2 way through and I'm out.
Intervention: Promising, I like organs… I think this song has a triangle in it too, bonus! Ok this song is slow, but dignified. I wouldn't beat this old man up for his gold watch. But seriously, anytime now guys. What, that's the bridge? Are you kidding? It's like "Bright eyes covers The Boss!" Jeez, except with less angst, and probably less sex. Ok Manheim steamroller layering is driving me nuts, you had me briefly, but now I know your arcade really is on fire.
Wet and Rusting: The Beach Boys go Emo! Will the secret unravel? I lie in absolute electric tension waiting to find out. Ohh hey, they play acoustic guitar, that's good, I guess they must have a band or something… Dude is that more triangle? WTF was it with the triangle in 2007? This song could be summed up as "I'm a scared loser who can't actually do anything, so I wrote a song about it to commemorate my lack of kahoonahs." That said, it's very listenable.
Paper Planes: Whoo bouncy! Hello Visa Commercial soundtrack! It strangely reminds me of a techno version of "I like Shoes!" by that dude Liliam or whatever. Sticks & Stones: an actual line in this song! Bouncy monobeat continues with a sort of sophmoric rhyme pattern ditzing along with it. Bop Bop Bop… Uhmmm Bop Bop Bop… Whoo children in the bridging chorus! I'm enthralled. Seriously how is this the best song on this album? More records than the KGB.. That line almost redeemed this song, almost. (Dude why is MIA trying to sound like the Streets, get your own style you tramp!) that being said, I listened to this all the way through.
Bro's: As a man who's love of Panda Bear's knows no bounds, I had high hopes for this song. I want a Panda toaster from the National Zoo. Next time I'm there I am so buying one. (Little cute Panda's burned into your toast, who can resist???) Ok this sounds like one of those songs where the dude mixing it thought "dude I love young boys singing choir music and traditional Vietnamese wedding jangles, I'm so mixing them together." It does almost remind me of pandas though. Vaguely Xmasy though, so might be fiercely ironic if listened to during the summer. I give this song a "would listen again" rating.
The Mending of the Gown: Ok this songs title turned me off, is Guinevere going to break out her needle and thread or what? It's like you duct taped ben folds mouth shut and made him play piano for the lead singer from interpol. It's vaguely catchy, also slightly stolen "modest mouse" sound. I was into this until it started sounding repetitive, which was about after 2 minutes through my first listen.
Spotlight: Hey have you heard of DCFC? You have, sweet, then we won't have to explain where we get our ideas from. Ohh snap, and the beetles… Well at least they rip off quality right? These guys also dig reverb, I think maybe they are into that guy who plays guitar for Rush. Man this music is sapping my soul. I give it minus 5 for using so much guitar in such an uninspiring way. I keep waiting for Xanadu to fade into this..
Racing Like a Pro: The title of this reminds me of how Cake likes to title their songs. The singing makes me think of a Nick Cave contest as entered by the lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket. I love sprockets. I love dancing. Coincidence? Anyhow nice tremble on the guitar, could almost break into a bad ass Gypsy Kings type of riff, but the dude is under tight control. This song is money. I think the National is money. I am totally going to see them with REM & Modest Mouse. Dude I love the bandwagon, it's comfy! (seriously I am going to that show though…)
Foundation & Earth: Ok how can I not like a song that is an homage to Isaac Asimov? Ok, so I probably can, but let's see what they do with it. Dang this song is like jacked up, I can only hear the first 30 seconds or something. Had promise as a loungy sort of 70s throwback song that wasn't quite as annoying as actual songs from the 70s.
Section 25: Young Yesterday: Dude the spree is timeless… You'll swear it's the sixties! Except you'll be a little bored of the sixities. Damn this song is cut off too. Weak!
Farewell to the Pressure Kids: All of these last 3 songs are jacked up. I can't even give this one a fair review. I'll assume it's a B+ though given the band. Fix yo shinitz baby!
Dude, hip hop is dead.
In no particular order, here's what I listened to the most in 2007 that came out in 2007. Most of my listening was older albums.
Kaiser Chiefs: Yours Truly, Angry Mob
The White Stripes: Icky Thump
Alison Krauss and Robert Plant: Raising Sand
The New Pornographers: Challengers
TMBG: The Else
Dethklok: The Dethalbum
I've been transitioning away from listening to music and more into reading. Less and less impresses me anymore.
An alternate interpretation is that as I'm playing and creating my own music more these days, I'm getting my fill there. There are only 720 hours in a week, and music is getting margainalized into fewer of those hours. In any event, I bought fewer albums in 2007 than in any year in recent memory.
Rock on.
And just for the final record... Where is VHS or Beta??? They are fantastic! What too poppy? Too Bullshit! Put those dudes up on here, I demand it!
hey -- liked your best of 2007 list. here's mine: http://tinyurl.com/yudhse
hope you liked the web-based playlist creation feature i pointed out -- i'm the formerly anonymous commenter. i run PR at imeem.
matt
Intervention? Really? I count eight better songs on that album (it beats My Body is a Cage and Ocean of Noise). Take away the organ and it's a dull, repetitive song with cheesy lyrics. Sound and fury, signifying nothing.
And am I the only bored to tears by this National album?
This isn't my best of list, but here are some 2007 albums you might want to check out:
Cloud Cult
Deerhunter
Liars
New Young Pony Club
Of Montreal
Shout Out Louds
St. Vincent
Turzi
The Aliens
Architecture in Helsinki
The Twilight Sad
Vietnam
The Warlocks
Yeasayer
A Place to Bury Strangers
Akron/Family
Alex Delivery
have fun.
@nate: Wow. Where do you even *get* a bottle of Haterade that big? Costco? Military surplus store? (you know the military has the best Haterade)
@99: I didn't know anyone else had heard of the Twilight Sad. I don't even remember where i heard of them.
My best of 2007: several of them have been listed already, so here are the ones that i like (and probably only me)
Bonde Do Role, With Lasers: It's Brazilian! It's dancy! And if you speak Portuguese, it's supposedly extremely raunchy! What more could you want?
Marnie Stern, In Advance of the Broken Arm: She's a chick, she shreds, and her name sounds like she would have been on the math team with me. Sweet.
My so-far best for 2008: Thao freaking Nugyen. Just listen to her and love her and get it over with.
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