Ken
Sir Richard Bishop \”While My Guitar Violently Bleeds\”
Group Doueh \”Guitar Music From the Western Sahara\”
Chris Corsano and Mick Flower \”Radiant Mirror\”
Rafael Toral \”Space Solo 1\”
Group Inerane \”Music of Niger\”
Alex Neilson & Richard Youngs \”Electric Lotus\”
Selda -s/t Reissue
Baby Grandmothers -s/t Reissue
Henry Flynt and Nova Billy – s/t
Stars of the Lid \”And Their Refinement of the Decline\”
Magas
Sightings “Through the Panama”
Andrew WK “Close Calls With Brick Walls”
Black Dice “Load Blown”
ADULT. “Why Bother”
Chris Connelly “Episodes”
Demons “Frozen Fog”
Aaron Dilloway “Infinite Lucifer”
Blank Dogs Various 12\”s & 7\”s
Witchcraft “The Alchemist”
Prurient & Kevin Drumm “All Are Guests In The House of the Lord”
Billy
Shannon Wright \”Let In The Light\”
Shellac \”Excellent Italian Greyhound\”
Rufus Wainwright \”Release the Stars\”
Robert Plant & Allison Krauss “Raising Sand”
\”They Live By Night\” (1949) out on DVD
Foo Fighters \”Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace\”
U2 \”Joshua Tree\” 20th Anniversary reissue
White Stripes “Icky Thump”
Matt
Alcest \”Souvenirs D\’un Autre Monde\”
Amesoeurs \”Ruines Humaines\”
Baroques “s/t” LP reissue
Sir Richard Bishop \”While My Guitar Violently Bleeds\”
Bjork \”Volta\”
BlondeRedhead \”23\”
Boris w/ Michio Kurihara “Rainbow”
Circle of Ouroborus/ Urfaust split LP
Deathspell Omega \”Fas: Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum\”
Deerhunter \”Cryptograms\”
Drudkh \”Estrangement\”
Dungen \”Tio Bitar\”
Furze \”Utd\”
Grouper \”cover the windows and walls\” lp (sadly out of print)
Pj Harvey \”White Chalk\”
Karl Hendricks Rock Band \”World Says\”
Liars s/t
Nasheim/ Angantyr split (specifically the 25 minute Nasheim song)
Peste Noire \”Lorraine Rehearsals\” LP
Radiohead \”In Rainbows\” & bonus disc
Townes Van Zandt CD reissues
Velvet Cacoon “Genevieve” LP
Watain \”Sworn to the Dark\”
Wolves in the Throne Room \”Diadem of 12 Stars\”
Robert Wyatt \”Comicopera\”
Xasthur \”Defective Epitaph\”
Neil Young \”Live at Massey Hall\”
Jason
- Bumps \”s/t”
- Pelican “City of Echoes”
- Soft Machine “Third\”
- Soft Machine “Fourth”
- Soft Machine “5”
- Fucking Champs “VI”
- Om “Pilgrimage”
- Sven Libaek \”Inner Space; Film Music\”
- Bill Dolan \”Do-Ist\”
- Trans Am \”Sex Change\”
Dave
In no particular order.
Between the Buried and Me “Colors”
Animosity “Animal”
Rager “2007 Demo”
Altered Beast “2007 Demo”
Arbiter “2007 Demo”
Exit 13 “High Life”
Machine Head “The Blackening”
Yesterday\’s New Quintet “Yesterday\’s Universe”
V/A “East of Underground” reissue
Dillinger Escape Plan “Ire Works”
Impaled “The Last Gasp”
Corpus Mortale “A New Species of Deviant”
V/A: Now-Again “RE:Sounds Vol. 1” boxset
Chicago Thrash Ensemble “Unreleased Trax Vol. 2”
A Life Once Lost “Iron Gag”
Anything with Lil\’ Wayne on it
Clipse “We Got the Remix mixtape”
Chris P
Current 93 “The Inmost Light” reissue
Camberwell Now “All\’s Well” reissue
Dirty Projectors “Rise Above”
Angels of Light “We Are Him”
Cluster “II” & “Zuckerzeit”
Vashti Bunyan “Somee Things Just Stick in Your Mind”
Robyn Hitchcock “I Wanna Go Backwards” boxset
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Panda Bear “Person Pitch”
V/A “The Lost Tapes – Minimal Wave Compilation”
V/A “Do It Yourself – The Rise of the Independent Music Industry After
Punk”
Antena “Camino Del Sol” LP reissue
Lee Hazlewood “The Very Special World of…”
Om “Pilgrimage”
Pylon “Gyrate Plus”
DJ SCREW “June 27”
Keith
Black Lips “Good Bad Not Evil”
Busy Signals “s/t”
Circus Devils “Sgt. Disco”
Deerhunter “Cryptograms”
Deerhunter “Fluorecent Grey EP”
Dinosaur Jr. “Beyond”
King Khan & the Shrines “What is?!”
Les Savy Fav “Let\’s Stay Friends”
Mannequin Men “Fresh Rot”
Miss Alex White & the Red Orchestra “Space & Time”
The Ponys “Turn the Lights Out”
Shellac “Excellent Italian Greyhound”
White Savage “Destroy Your Style” 7\”
Kit
Albums!
Akron/Family “Love is Simple” – flail & shout! listen for the conch!
Pissed Jeans “Hope for Men” – smash your fist into that wall, scream
about it, repeat
Dirty Projectors “Rise Above” – sing along, i dare you
Randall of Nazareth “s/t” heavy Fahey love
Sir Richard Bishop “Polytheistic Fragments” – whoa…wait, what? see
above
King Khan & the Shrines “What is?!” – gritty old-school garage rock
DJ Screw “June 27” – i\’m sorry but if you\’re sober then forget it
Voice of the Seven Woods “s/t” – almost sounds like he\’s mad at his
guitar, but then suddenly you hear the love
White Magic “Dark Stars EP” – putting the fairy girls to shame
Compilations:
V/A “D.I.Y: Rise of the Independent Music Industry After Punk” – makes you
wish you\’d thought of it first
David Shrigley “Worried Noodles” – this man is insane, listen to how
insane he is. really.
V/A “Eccentric Soul: Twinight” – mellow dance party soundtrack
V/A “New Orleans Funk” – ass-kicking dance party soundtrack
V/A “Yellow Pills: Prefill” – sickly sweet early pop, the perfect mixtape
uplift
Reissues:
Flower Travellin\’ Band “Satori” – everyone loves this because they love
to think about what the world would be like if Ozzy was Japanese
Telegraph Avenue “s/t” – classic psych guitar swirl time warp
Boscoe “s/t” – intensly political 70s Chicago soul
German Oak “s/t” – heavy wiggy space-out good times
Lux
1 Turzi “A”
2 Big Business “Here Come the Waterworks”
3 Pissed Jeans “Hope For Men”
4 Johnny Lunchbreak “Appetizer/Soups on” (reissue)
5 True West “Hollywood Holiday Revisited”
6 Sarolta Zalatnay “s/t” reissue
7 Stephen Stills “Just Roll Tape” reissue
8 Warhammer 48k “Etheral Oracle”
9 Joni Mitchell “Shine”
10 Earthless “Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky”
11 Ophiucus “s/t” reissue
12 Vee Dee “Glimpses of Another World” (7\”)
13 Samara Lubelski “Parallel Suns”
14 La Otracina “Tonal Eclipse of the One”
15 Fucked Up “Year of the Pig”
16 Loudon Wainwright “Strange Weirdos”
Live
Neil Young
Jay Reatard
Circle
Blonde Redhead
Neko Case
Enslaved
Patti Smith
Leslie
Boris with Michio Kurihara “Rainbow”
Bill Callahan “Woke on a Whaleheart”
Chris Connelly “Episodes”
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Amiina “Kurr”
Om “Pilgrimage”
Nicole Willis “Keep Reachin\’ Up”
V/A “Now-Again Re:Sound”
Feist “The Reminder”
The National “Boxer”
Caribou “Andorra”
Mannequin Men “Fresh Rot”
White magic “Dark Stars”
James
- Okkervil River “The Stage Names”
- Deerhunter “Cryptograms”
- Mannequin Men “Fresh Rot”
- Les Savy Fav “Let\’s Stay Friends”
- Dinosaur Jr. “Beyond”
- PJ Harvey “White Chalk”
- The National “Boxer”
- Phosphorescent “Pride”
- Black Lips “Good Bad Not Evil”
- Battles “Mirrored”
- The Narrator “All That To The Wall”
- Sir Richard Bishop “While My Guitar Violently Bleeds”
- Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
- Angels of Light “We Are Him”
- King Khan & The Shrines “What Is?!”
- Henry Flynt & Nova\’ Billy “Henry Flynt & Nova\’ Billy”
- Boris w/ Michio Kurihara “Rainbow”
- Shearwater “Palo Santo: Expanded Edition”
- Lifetime “Lifetime”
- Thurston Moore “Trees Outside The Academy”
- White Magic “Dark Stars”
- Office “A Night At The Ritz”
- LCD Soundsystem “Sound of Silver”
- Kid Sister “Control” 12\”
- Scott Walker “ …And Who Shall Go To The Ball?…And What Shall Go To The Ball?”
Reissues/Live:
Neil Young “Live At Massey Hall”
Vashti Bunyan “Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind”
Sebadoh “The Freed Man”
Sonic Youth “Daydream Nation” Deluxe edition
V/A “East of Underground”
Connelly
1 Joan of Arc “Orchard Vale” soundtrack
2 Throbbing Gristle “Part Two: Endless Knot”
3 Doll by Doll “Remember\” reissue
4 Doll by Doll “Gypsy Blood” reissue
5 Pj Harvey “White Chalk”
6 Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
7 Current 93 “Inmost Light triology”…
8 Scott Walker “And Who Shall Go to the Ball…And What Shall Go To The Ball?”
9: Wire “Read & Burn 3”
10 Pantaleimon “Mercy Oceans”
Michael
- Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake “From the River to the Ocean”
- Yesterdays Universe/Yesterday\’s New Quintet “Prepare for a New
Yesterday, Vol. 1” - Boris with Michio Kurihara “Rainbow”
- His Name is Alive “Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown”
- Chris Connelly “Episodes”
- Mannequin Men “Fresh Rot”
- Zelienople “His/Hers”
- Fog “Ditherer”
- Group Doueh “Guitar Music from the Western Sahara”
- Woods “At Rear House”
- Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio “Terminal Valentine”
- Paul Duncan “Above the Trees”
- Vieux Farka Toure “s/t”
- (((Powerhouse Sound))) “Oslo/Chicago (((Breaks)))”
- Birigwa “Birigwa” reissue
Dan M
The National “Boxer”
Okkervil River “Stage Names”
Les Savy Fav “Let’s Stay Friends”
Sonic Chicken 4 “s/t”
Grinderman “s/t”
Harlan T. Bobo “I’m Your Man”
Panda Bear “Person Pitch”
Phosphorescent “Pride”
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Iron & Wine “Shepherd’s Dog”
Dylan
Benoit Pioulard “Precis”
A very pretty record with some brilliant songwriting
Wilco “Sky Blue Sky”
The AOR record they were born to make, with some truly sweet riffs.
Chris Connelly “Episodes”
Another left turn exposing the tunes to the raw naturalistic cores
Shellac “Excellent Italian Greyhound”
Short but sweet – some of the best songs of their career
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum “In Glorious Times”
Heavy and arty
Bad Plus “Prog”
A brilliant collection of \”jazz\” tunes for people who hate jazz
Ted Leo “Living With the Living”
The Elvis Costello of our generation just keeps getting better
Grinderman “s/t”
Some gritty blues without the exploitation
Charlotte Gainsbourg “5:55”
A Gainsbourg makes a record that I can stomach all the way through
Lindsey Buckingham “Under the Skin”
A beautiful pop record
Fall of Troy “Manipulator”
I sometimes like to break things, and I need a decent soundtrack
Bjork “Volta”
Great arrangements and some of the most interesting lyrics yet
Patton Oswalt “Werewolves & Lollipops”
One of my favourite observational comedians
St. Vincent “Marry Me”
Immensely hummable tunes with unorthodox arrangements
Dirty Projectors “Rise Above”
Enough about the concept – bonkers pop with the best backing vox ever
Animal Collective “Strawberry Jam”
Technology & hippies can co-exist
Akron/ Family “Love is Simple”
Sprawling freaky music has never been this tight
Qui “Love’s Miracle”
Some good back porch blues
Bylan & Jarboe “Viscera”
Truly frightening music by truly frightening people
White Magic “Dark Stars”
Uniquely freaky in a sea of mediocre \”psych\” bands
Radiohead “In Rainbows”
My only download to date, but I had to have it.
180gs (Negativland) “180G\’d to the Future”
Negativland are so ridiculous, you have to give them some credit
Japancakes “Loveless”
Country tinged cover of the MBV record reveals the songcraft
Dillinger Escape Plan “Ire Works”
Sometimes I only want to theorize about breaking things
Flight of the Conchords “Distant Future”
Very funny stuff, best stage banter ever
Reissues
Sonic Youth “Destroyed Room”
I never fell head over heels, but I really like this collection
Rhy Chatam “A Crimson Grail”
Beautiful noise
Camberwell Now “All’s Well”
I\’m always glad to see a new reissue of this art rock classic
Elliott Smith “New Moon”
A nicely done collection of odds n ends
Betty Davis reissues
To my feeble mind, nobody can touch this funk
Harvey Milk “My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment”
Mighty and gigantic
Peter Brotzman Octet “Complete Machine Gun Sessions”
Free jazz at its apex
Bobb Trimble “Iron Curtain Innocence”
How did this freaky pop masterpiece escape my notice for so long?
Robyn Hitchcock reissues
I never realized how out there his early stuff was
Chocolate Rain “Tay Zonday”
Best song of 2007, hands down.
Also, worst internet meme of 2007
Jacob
M.I.A. “Kala”
Pj Harvey “White Chalk”
White Magic “Dark Stars”
Avey Tare & Kria Brekken- \’Pullhair Rubeye”
Panda Bear “Person Pitch”
Animal Collective “Strawberry Jam”
Fovea Hex “Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent: Allure”
Bill Callahan “Woke on a Whaleheart”
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Circle “Katapult”
Courtland
- Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
- Group Inerane “Music of Niger”
- Thelonious Monk & John Coltrane \”At Carnegie Hall\”
- Charles Mingus \”Cornell 1964\”
- Bruce Langhorne \”Hired Hand\” soundtrack
- Sir Richard Bishop \”Polytheistic Fragments\”
- Scharpling & Wurster \”Art of the Slap\”
- Sugar Minott \”Live Loving\”
- V/A \”When Rhythm Was King\”
- V/A “Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story” DVD
- Stars of the Lid \”And Their Refinement of the Decline”
- Charalambides \”Likeness\”
- V/A “East of Underground”
- Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake \”From the River to the Ocean\”
- Nicole Mitchell \”Black Unstoppable\”
- Chris Connelly \”Episodes\”
- Lichens \”Omns\”
- Reminder \”West Side Cabin\”
- V/A “Eccentric Soul: The Outskirts of Deep City”
- Pieces of Peace “s/t”
Best Live shows:
- De La Soul at Intonation
- William Parker at Intonation
- L. Subramanian at Millennium Park
- Black Earth Ensemble at Millennium Park
Jeff
Non-HC faves of 2007 (in no real order):
She, Sir \”Who Can\’t Say Yes\”
Panda Bear \”Person Pitch\”
Brother Kite \”Moonlit Race\”
Warlocks \”Heavy Deavy Skull Lover\”
Blasphemy “Fallen Angel Of Doom\”
Ceremony \”Disappear\”
New Pornographers \”Challengers\”
V/A \”Heavy Metal\” boxset (Rhino)
Pissed Jeans\”Hope For Men\”
Besnard Lakes \”Are The Dark Horse\”
The National “Boxer”
Death breath “Let it Stink\”
Spoon \”Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga\”
Kid Sister \”Pro Nails\”
FUXA \”Commits Suicide\”
Raymond Scott Woolson \”View From Boggins Heights\”
A Place to Bury Strangers \”A Place To Bury Strangers\”
Akron/ Family \”Love Is Simple\”
Blonde Redhead \”23\”
Darkthrone \”Canadian Metal\”
Alcest \”Souvenirs D\’Un Autre Monde\”
DJ Screw \”June 27\”
Jatun “s/t”
Safeashome “Grid\”
Adam Franklin \”Bolts Of Melody\”
Naked Raygun \”What Poor Gods We Do Make\” DVD
Vice review of last Jens Lekman CD
Hardcore best of 2007 (also, in no real order):
Punch in the Face \”At War With Everybody\”
Fucked Up \”Year Of The Pig\”
Mind Piece NYC \”Demo\”
Reign Supreme \”Fuck The Weak\”
Shipwrecked \”Arctic Nights\”
Knife Fight \”Crisis\”
Violent Minds \”Eyes Of Death\”
86 Mentality \”Final Exit\”
John Joseph \”Evolution Of A Cro-Magnon\” book
Double Negative \”The Wonderful & Frightening World Of…\”
Bitter End \”Climate Of Fear\”
Rampage \”Limit Of Destruction\”
Life Trap \”Bleak Reality\”
Negative Approach/ Meatman live in Detroit 5/26/07
Steve R
(in no particular order)
Magik Markers “Boss”
Paul Metzger “Deliverance”
Panda Bear “Person Pitch”
Thurston Moore “Trees Outside the Academy”
Shit & Shine “Ladybird”
Flower-Corsano “Radiant Mirror”
Eleh “Floating Frequencies/ Intuitive Synthesis Volumes 1 & 2”
V/A “Separate But Evil” boxset
Group Doueh “Guitar Music From the Western Sahara”
Group Inerane “Music of Niger: Guitars From Agadez”
PJ Harvey “White Chalk”
Henry Flynt & Nova\’Billy “s/t”
Joanna Newsom “Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band EP”
Zaimph “Mirage of the Other”
Boris w/ Michio Kurihara “Rainbow”
Nina Nastasia & Jim White “You Follow Me”
Bonnie \”Prince\” Billy “Ask Forgiveness”
Wally Shoup/ Paul Flaherty/ Chris Corsano “Bounced Check”
Sir Richard Bishop “While My Guitar Violently Bleeds”
Sir Richard Bishop “Polytheistic Fragments”
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Steve Ritchey (continued)
Bill Callahan “Woke On a Whaleheart”
Stars of the Lid “And Their Refinement of the Decline”
Air Conditioning “Dead Rails”
Angels of Light “We Are Him”
Karen Dalton “Cotton Eyed Joe”
V/A “Cult Cargo: Grand Bahama Goombay”
Kevin Coyne & Siren “The Dandelion Years 1969-1972”
Vashti Bunyan “Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind”
Bob Dylan “Other Side of the Mirror: Live at the Newport Folk Festival” DVD
Emily
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Thurston Moore “Trees For The Academy”
Bad Brains “Build A Nation”
Wolves In The Throne Room “Diadem Of 12 Stars”
Vashti Bunyan “Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind: Singles and
Demos 1964-1967”
Amy Winehouse “Back To Black”
Anthony Joseph and The Spasm Band “Leggo De Lion”
Micheal Yonkers “Grimwood”
Ariel Pink\’s Haunted Graffiti “Scared Famous”
UGK “Underground Kingz”
Pig Destroyer “Phantom Limb”
Deerhunter “Cryptograms”
Mouthus “Saw A Halo”
PJ Harvey “White Chalk”
Dungen “Tio Bitar”
Radiohead “In Rainbows”
Melissa
In no particular order
Blonde Redhead “23”
Liars “s/t”
Alcest \”Souvenirs D\’un Autre Monde\”
Deerhunter “Cryptograms”
Pj Harvey “White Chalk”
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Chris Connelly “Episodes”
Bill Callahan “Woke on a Whaleheart”
Feist “Reminder”
Grinderman “s/t”
Pissed Jeans “Hope For Men”
Selda “s/t” reissue
Betty Davis reissues
Mannequin Men “Fresh Rot”
Radiohead “In Rainbows”
Sweet Cobra “Praise”
V/A “Now Again: Resound 7\” boxset
V/A “East of Underground”
V/A “Homeschooled: Abc\’s of Kid Soul”
V/A “Eccentric Soul: Deep City Label”
Black Lips “Good Bad Not Ugly”
Om “Pilgrimage”
Witchcraft “Alchemist”
Neil Young “Live at Massey Hall”
Queens of the Stone Age “Era Vulgaris”
Common “Finding Forever” (well, about half of it)
SHOWS of 2007
Entrance @ Empty Bottle
The Blow @ Empty Bottle
Deerhunter/ Dan Deacon @ some Warehouse
Black Angels @ Empty Bottle
Enslaved @ the Pearl Room
Mika Miko @ Empty Bottle/ Reckless Records
Wolves In The Throne Room @ Empty Bottle
Bryan
Fucked Up “Year Of The Pig”
Sweet Cobra “Forever”
Career Suicide “Attempted Suicide”
Wolves In The Throne Room “Diadem Of 12 Stars”
Baroness “Red Album”
Interkosmos DVD & soundtrack by Jim Becker & Colleen Burke
Amy Winehouse “Back To Black”
Dungen “Tio Bitar”
Deathspell Omega “Fas – Ite, Maledicti, In Ignem Aeternum”
Urfaust/Circle Of Ouroborus Split LP
Built To Spill vinyl re-issues
Deathspell Omega vinyl re-issues
Code Of Honor discography CD
Mobile Fidelity record brush (new to me anyway!)
Sweet Cobra beer koozie
Daniel
NEW STUFF
- Black Lips \”Good Bad Not Evil\”
- Fiery Furnaces \”Widow City\”
- Mannequin Men \”Fresh Rot\”
- \”No Country For Old Men\” dir. by Joel & Ethan Coen
- Municipal Waste \”The Art of Partying\”
- 30 Rock (NBC)
- The Narrator \”All That to the Wall\”
- \”Superbad\” dir. by Greg Mottola
- Marnie Stern \”In Advance of the Broken Arm\”
- Tegan & Sara \”The Con\”
- Ghost \”In Stormy Nights\”
- Sunset Rubdown \”Random Spirit Lover\”
- Dungen \”Tio Bitar\”
- R. Kelly \”Double Up\”
- Bruce Springsteen \”Magic\”
- Ted Leo & The Pharmacists \”Living with the Living\”
- The 1900s \”Cold & Kind\”
- Jarvis Cocker \”Jarvis\”
19.The Besnard Lakes \”The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse\” - Mekons \”Natural\”
OLD STUFF (reissues & comps): - Medicine Head \”New Bottles Old Medicine…Plus\”
- Neil Young \”Live at Massey Hall, 1971\” [CD+DVD]
- \”Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara (Pitfall/Woman in the Dunes/The Face
of Another)\” (Criterion DVD) - v/a \”Life, Too, Has Surface Noise: The Complete Dandelion Records Singles
Collection 1969-1972\” - Blue Oyster Cult \”Some Enchanted Evening: Deluxe Edition\” [CD+DVD]
- Wreckless Eric \”Big Smash\”
- Judee Sill \”Live In London: The BBC Recordings 1972-1973
- Kevin Coyne & Siren \”The Dandelion Years 1969-1972\”
- \”If…\” dir. by Lindsay Anderson (Criterion DVD)
- Catherine Howe \”What a Beautiful Place\”
Mica
- Battles “Mirrored”
- Amy Winehouse “Back to Black”
- Burial “Untrue”
- Bjork “Volta”
- Animal Collective “Strawberry Jam”
- Boxcutter “Glyphic”
- St. Vincent “Marry Me”
- LCD Soundsystem “Sound of Silver”
- Panda Bear “Person Pitch”
- Yeasayers “All Hour Cymbals”
Kip
(in no particular order)
Cornelius \”Sensuous\”
Feist \”Reminder\”
Battles \”Mirrored\”
Big Business \”Here Come the Waterworks\”
Cinematic Orchestra \”Ma Fleur\”
Shellac \”Excellent Italian Greyhound\”
Andrew Bird \”Armchair Apocrypha\”
Marnie Stern \”In Advance of the Broken Arm\”
Shannon Wright \”Let in the Light\”
Dungen \”Tio Bitar\”
Best week of shows ever!:
Neil Young
Sharon Jones
Enslaved
Cole
Top 10, mostly in order:
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
If you know anything about this album, you already know about its three parts, the foreign languages, blah blah blah. Fact is, this man clearly understands the smallest and largest details of musical composition and hasn\’t lost a step in his 40+ years of creating music. His voice sounds great and his brilliance is unrelenting. Find the picture of him in a field playing trumpet to a horse and tell me how anyone could not like this man.
Battles “Mirrored”
This was the first album of 2007 to really impress me. The musicianship is incredible and the production suits the music perfectly. There\’s a lot of fluidity and movement to this album without it buying into all the horrible dance stuff hipsters won\’t be caring about in a couple years.
Panda Bear “Person Pitch” Way better than the new Animal Collective and probably anything AC has ever done, this Panda Bear album was one of the more surprisingly good things about 2007. \”Person Pitch\” is totally unlike his previous album, for one in that it\’s overwhelmingly happy, and second in its use of loops and layering to create a really \”big\” sound. With never-ending Brian Wilson comparisons, this album came out at a perfect time for good spring/summer listening.
Spoon “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” & Shins “Wincing the Night Away”
Spoon and the Shins doing what they do best. These two bands were two of only a few mainstream indie bands to actually put out good albums this year. So much boring, disappointing music in an age where bands can\’t afford to be
boring or disappointing. These two albums are everything good pop music should be: instantly likeable, easy on the ears, and catchy as hell.
Do Make Say Think “You, You\’re A History In Rust”
I\’ve always liked this band, and a lot of those Constellation post-rock build-and-build-and-explode kind of bands, but the whole thing is pretty formulaic, isn\’t it? Start slow, add more instruments, build, and finally swell. I get it. Wait, there\’s singing on this record?! Ok, you win DMST.
Group Inerane “Guitars From Agandez”
I don\’t have much to say about this record other than that it\’s nuts! The guitar playing is really incredible, it\’s totally uninhibited in a way that I don\’t think westerners are capable of, and it\’s described as \”the now sound of the Tuareg Guitar Revolution.\” How could this record not be amazing?
Caribou “Andorra”
In truth, I never really paid much attention to this guy. It wasn\’t until this year, during a string of bad new releases (Rilo Kiley?), that I decided to put on \”Andorra.\” I didn\’t expect to like it as much as I did. This album provides a good mix of 60\’s psychedelia with more contemporary electronic sound and structure. And \”Melody Day\” is a great single.
Jesu “Sun Down/Sun Rise”
Out of the numerous Jesu projects in 2007, this was easily my favorite. Everything Justin Broadrick has done under the Jesu moniker sounds pretty similar, but this is the most concise. Probably most comparable to \”Silver,\” this EP provides a really spacious landscape without meandering. His vocals sound pretty redundant overall, but fortunately there isn\’t much singing on this one.
Alex Delivery “Star Destroyer”
A really good and overlooked debut from this Jagjaguwar band. I\’m surprised more people weren\’t interested in these guys with Deerhunter and No Age and all those \”experimental\” washy fuzz-rock bands making such a big splash this year. Also reminiscent of Need New Body and even Can. A really strong debut well worth a listen.
Other good albums (in no order):
Menomena “Friend & Foe”
Bill Callahan “Woke On A Whaleheart”
Efterklang “Parades”
Tunng “Good Arrows”
Deerhunter “Fluorescent Grey” & “Cryptograms”
Stars of the Lid “And the Refinement Of Their Decline”
Castanets “In the Vines”
Cole Cooney (continued again)
LCD Soundsystem “Sound of Silver”
Shearwater “Palo Santo (reissue)”
Dungen “Tio Bitar”
Charles
Kaipa “Angling Feelings”
Beardfish “Sleeping In Traffic”
St Vincent “Marry Me”
New Pornographers “Challengers”
Marnie Stern “In Advance Of the Broken Arm”
Velvet Revolver “Libertad”
Baroness “Red Album”
The Dear Hunter “Act 2”
Sieges Even “Paramount”
Jon Spencer “Jukebox Explosion”
JAZZ
John Zorn “Six Litanies For Heliogabalus”
Chris Potter “Follow The Red Line”
Erik Friedlander “Block Ice And Propane”
Miles Davis “On The Corner Sessions”
William Parker “Corn Meal Dance”
REGGAE
I Roy “Gussie Presents”
Culture “Two Sevens Clash”
Dan W
Wilco “Sky Blue Sky”
Mannequin Men “Fresh Rot”
1900s “Cold & Kind”
Spoon “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”
Times New Viking “present The Paisley Reich”
Thurston Moore “Trees Outside The Academy”
Watchers “Vampire Driver”
Takeovers “Bad Football”
Les Savy Fav “Lets Stay Friends”
Eternals “Heavy International”
Magik Markers “Boss”
Steve S
Big Business “Here Come the Waterworks”
Black Dice @ Lakeshore Theater
Boris w/ Michio Kurihara “Rainbow”
Danava “Where Beauty & Terror Dance” 7”
Dead C “Future Artists”
Deerhunter “Cryptograms”
Dungen “Tio Bitar”
Ghost “In Stormy Nights”
Growing “Vision Swim”
Daniel Higgs “Metempsychotic Melodies”
Mouthus “Saw a Halo”
Municipal Waste “Art of Partying”
Neurosis @ Logan Square Auditorium
Om “Pilgrimage”
Panda Bear “Person Pitch”
Pig Destroyer “Phantom Limb”
Pissed Jeans “Hope for Men”
R. Kelly “Trapped in the Closet” Chap. 13-22 premiere @ the Music Box
Sir Richard Bishop “While My Guitar Violently Bleeds”
Wooden Shjips “S/t”
Neil Young “Live at Massey Hall”
Chris R
Group Inerane “Music of Niger”
Group Doueh “Guitar Music From the Western Sahara”
Alex Neilson & Richard Youngs “Electric Lotus”
Lambsbread “Stereo Mars”
UGK “Underground Kings”
Sir Richard Bishop “While My Guitar Violently Bleeds”
Robert Wyatt “Comicopera”
Rafael Roral “Space Solo 1”
Julie Mittens “April/June”
Baby Grandmothers “s/t” (reissue)
R. Kelly “Double Up”
Angleblood “s/t”
V/A “Life is a Problem”
live shows:
Tent City “live @ the smell, LA”
Lucky Dragons “live @ Che Cafe, San Diego”
Sarah
- Battles “Mirrored”
- Panda Bear “Person Pitch”
- Neil Young “Chrome Dreams II”
- Les Savy Fav “Let’s Stay Friends”
- Spank Rock “Fabriclive 33”
- Thurston Moore “Trees Outside the Academy”
- Common “Finding Forever”
- Liars “s/t”
- V/A “Home Schooled: ABC\’s of Kid Soul”
- Stevie Nicks “Crystal Visions”
- 11.The Drive (especially album side Thursdays)
Michael A
Black Lips \”Good Bad Not Evil”
We All Together \”The Singles\”
Wild Billy Childish \”Punk Rock at the British Legion Hall”
Eux Autres \”Cold City\”
Marnie Stern \”In Advance of The Broken Arm\”
Big Business \”Here Come The Waterworks\”
Bottomless Pit\”Hammer of The Gods\”
Demon\’s Claws “Satan\’s Little Pet Pig\”
Ghostface Killah\”Big Doe Rehab\”
Caribou\”Andorra\”
Boston Chinks \”s/t\” (7\”)
Shapes & Sizes \”Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner\”
Master Ace \”Take A Look Around (Deluxe Ed.)\” (reissue)
Dungen \”Tito Bitar\”
Madlib \”Vol. 3 &4/ Beat Konducta in India\”
Times New Viking \”Paisley Reich\”
Capstan Shafts \”Her Versus The Sad Cold Eventually\”
Tough & Lovely \”Teardrops\”
Holy Fuck \”LP\”
Kanye West “Graduation\”
Nervous Patterns \”Nervous Patterns\”
Deerhunter \”Cryptograms
The Takeovers “Bad Football\”