Welcome to 2008! For music fans such as ourselves, 2007 was complete bananas. Each year around the beginning of January, we post our favorites from the year that was. This year we're a bit late in getting this out...but as they say, better late than never! So without any more rambling, here's the grooves that were circling our platters (or rockin' our pods) in 2007
Michael Ardaiolo - Music Director
Woods - At Rear House
Zelienople - His/Hers
Yesterdays Universe - Prepare for a New Yesterday, Vol. 1
Mannequin Men - Fresh Rot
Paul Duncan - Above the Trees
His Name is Alive - Sweet Earth Flower: a Tribute to Marion Brown
Vieux Farka Toure - Vieux Farka Toure
Chris Connelly - The Episodes
Fog - Ditherer
Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake - From the River to the Ocean
Group Doueh - Guitar Music from the Western Sahara
Fred Lonberg-Holm Trio - Terminal Valentines
Dan Morgridge - Asst. Music Director
10. M.I.A. - Kala
9. Feist - Let It Die
8. Jay-Z & Beirut Music - "Beirut Gangster" the Re-Mixtape
7. Datarock - Datarock Datarock
6. Justice -
5. Misha - Teardrop Sweetheart
4. Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
3. Caribou - Andorra
2. Battles - Mirrored
1. Kanye West - Graduation
Chris Siuty - Underground Communique
1. J Church - Horror of Life - No Idea Records - This could very well
be my favorite album of the year. I seriously CRIED the first time I
heard this album. Tears ran down my fucking face. This is a freight
train of a record and the last thing Lance Hahn recorded before he
died. I can't say much else. The words "favorite band" are far too
weak to truly express how I feel about this band.
2. Lifetime - S/T - Decaydance - I went into this album with extreme
caution. I was honestly expecting this record to suck hard, but boy
howdy was I wrong! This was in my top five pretty much right away.
I'm always wary of old bands getting back together. Especially old
bands that I hold near to my heart, like Lifetime. I was pleasantly
surprised and happier than shit that this album was amazing. Go
geezer squad.
3. Ergs! - Upstairs/Downstairs - Dirtnap Records - This album crept up
on me. After the wonderful awesomeness of the Dorkrockcorkrod album, I
was slightly disappointed. After a few hundred listens, this one won
me over. It was during a road trip up to Minneapolis to see Naked
Raygun that it really clicked that the Ergs really are the best pop
punk going today. Plus, the "Maggie May" era Rod Stewart version of
Stinking Of Whiskey Blues is incredible.
4. World/Inferno Friendship Society - Addicted to Bad Ideas -
Chunksaah - This album was significantly less "poppy" than the
previous album, Red Eyed Soul and it was a return to the familiar
style found on their previous albums.
The album starts out with an orchestral introduction to a remake of
the W/IFS classic, Peter Lorre. From there, it's a mix of new songs
and reworkings of classic tracks that are pulled together to tell the
story of the late, under appreciated actor, Peter Lorre.
5. Two way tie for #5. Canadian Rifle's two 7"s.
Canadian Rifle - S/T 7" - Squirrel Heart Records - The first 7" from
one of my favorite local bands. The tracks on this 7" make up half
their demo and are some of the best songs I've heard come out of this
town in a long long time.
Canadian Rifle - S/T 7" - Criminal IQ - This 7" is rest of the tracks
from their demo. The sound of Canadian Rifle is coming from the same
school as Dillinger Four, Jawbreaker, Leatherface and oddly, Fifteen.
They feature ex-members of Ambition Mission, Fourth Rotor, Milemarker,
Hostage Situation, Thin the Heard and current members of Lone Wolf and
Cub.
6. Busy Signals - S/T - Dirtnap - '79 style power pop from members of
the Krunchies, the Carbonas and the Tyrades. Excellent, super catchy
and fun power pop that makes it forgivable that many of the songs run
into one another.
7. Arrivals - Marvels of Industry - Not many words to describe it
other than "goosebumps" and "all killer, no filler." Plus Paddy from
the Dillinger Four is in the band now, so that's pretty cool too.
8. Revisions - Revised Observations - Dirtnap - Featuring ex-members
of the Observers and current members of the Red Dons and the Clorox
Girls, this band has a lot more in common with the Shins than it does
with it's pedigree. Acoustic pop song reworkings of Observers songs as
well as new material that's beautiful and haunting.
9. Methadones - This Won't Hurt - Red Scare - Despite all of my issues
with the production on this record, the songs are phenomenal and Danny
Vapid's excellent song writing shines through with every honest lyric
on this record. Fuck the haters.
10. The Leftovers - On the Move - Rally Records - The surprise hit of
the year! I wasn't expecting this to be good. It's a horrible band
name, the art work sucks and honestly, the only reason I checked it
out was because my friend Joe recommended it. Well that and it was
produced by Ben Weasel, so it was worth giving a chance.
Every song on this record is platinum. Seriously, this record is pretty
much by and for the leather jacket/Chuck Taylor crowd, so if you don't
dig that scene, you might hate this record. But if you care less about
image and more about song writing, these are thirteen songs that
should not go unnoticed. They're all pop gems that will have you
either dancing or crying.
Honorable mentions: Defect Defect - Words 7" - Clarence Thomas
Records; Test Patterns - No Translation 7" - Contaminated; Clorox
Girls - J'aime Les Filles - BYO; The Copyrights - Make Sound - Red
Scare
Mary Nisi - DJ Mondays 6-9
in no real order:
sharon jones and dap kings -- 100 days, 100 nights
jens lekman -- night falls over kortedala
ulrich schnauss -- goodbye
midlake -- the trials of van occupanther
fujiya and miyagi -- transparent things
caribou -- andorra
les savy fav --let's stay friends
airiel -- the battle of sealand
sloan -- never hear the end of it
darjeeling limited soundtrack
others that kinda belong in this list but violate the rule of 10:
lcd soundsystem -- sound of silver
battles -- atlas
feist -- the reminder
interpol -- our love to admire
morning recordings -- the welcome kinetic
grizzly bear -- friend ep
Tony Breed - DJ Fridays 6-9AM
1) LCD Soundsystem / Sounds of Silver
* Nine tracks' worth of awesome. Good dance music, but also a little
deeper than that. More consistent than the previous album.
2) Patrick Wolf / The Magic Position
* It still surprises me how much I like this one. Sort of a cross
between Marc Almond and Rufus Wainwright.
3) New Pornographers / Challengers
* A solid yet varied pop album. Probably the secret ingredient is Neko Case.
4) Haale / Paratrooper/Morning
* Two simultaneously-released EPs rather than one album, actually. I
discovered this one last spring, and it bowled me over. Music for
people who thought Dead Can Dance would be better with electric
guitar.
5) The Polyphonic Spree / The Fragile Army
* Up till now I haven't been all that impressed with the Polyphonic
Spree... maybe I just didn't give them a fair chance before. Anyway,
this album grabbed me and made me listen, and you know what? It's
real good.
6) The Noisettes / What's the Time Mr Wolf?
* The Noisettes grabbed me, knocked me around, threw me against a
wall, and made me listen. This is the hardest rock album of the list.
Lead singer Shingai Shoniwa has a fantastic voice.
7) Battles / Mirrored
* I use 30% more of my brain listening to Battles compared with other
indie rock. Patterns on top of patterns, slightly psychedelic:
Battles makes the whole Math Rock genre less annoying.
8) Cass McCombs / Dropping the Writ
* This man has a great voice, and has put together a well-varied, solid album.
9) The Earlies / The Enemy Chorus
* Mix prog rock with electronica and Sugar-era Bob Mould and this is
what you get.
10) Air / Pocket Symphony
* When Charlotte Gainsbourg's album came out this year, and all the
music was by Air, I thought I liked it better than Air. But after a
few months I realized that Pocket Symphony was the better album. It's
a little bit like a warm bath. In a good way.
11) Jens Lekman / Night Falls over Kortedala
* Our favorite Swede has been studying 60's pop. The orchestrations
are sometimes over the top, but hey, I like them anyway.
12) Rufus Wainwright / Release the Stars
* I wanted Rufus to give us a great album this year, and I didn't
really get it. It is, however, good, and I know I'll be listening to
it for years to come -- maybe just not as much as Want One or Poses.
Honorable mention -- albums I also thought were notably great but for
one reason or another dropped out of my top list:
Mavis Staples / We'll Never Turn Back
Andrew Bird / Armchair Apocrypha
Office / A Night at the Ritz
Mirah and Spectratone International / Share This Place
St Vincent / Marry Me
Uztaglote / La liberation des corps
Trevor Borg - DJ Mondays 2-4AM
1. Battles - Mirrored
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
3. The National - Boxer
4. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
6. Pantha du Prince - Thiss Bliss
7. Menomena - Friend or Foe
8. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
9. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
10. Liars - Liars
Nicole Chavas - Mondays 8-10pm
10. Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse
09. Fujiya and Miyagi - Transparent Things
08. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
07. Handsome Furs Plague Park
06. Panda Bear Person Pitch
05. Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, You Are the Destroyer
04. Matthew Dear Asa Breed
03. The National Boxer
02. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
01. Menomena Friend and Foe
Carrie Weston - DJ Thursdays 2-4PM
1. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
2. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
3. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
4. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
5. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
6. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
7. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
8. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
9. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
10. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver
(With honorable mention going to Radiohead, Band of Horses, Ulrich
Schnauss, Aesop Rock, Gui Boratto, that awesome Fuck Buttons 7", Kanye
West, Arcade Fire, Art Brut, Dan Deacon, Von Sudenfed, New
Pornographers, Love of Diagrams, Electrelane, Caribou, Andrew Bird,
and El-P.)
Megan Timmons - DJ
10. Bonde do Role, With Lasers
9. Dan Deacon, Spiderman of the Rings
8. Kanye West, Graduation
7. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
6. M.I.A., Kala
5. Chromeo, Fancy Footwork
4. Feist, The Reminder
3. Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer?
2. Simian Mobile Disco, Attack Decay Sustain Release
1. Justice, Cross
Austin Harvey - DJ
1. of montreal - hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?
2. spoon - ga ga ga ga ga
3. battles - mirrored
4. lucky soul - the great unwanted
5. marnie stern - in advance of the broken arm
6. m.i.a. - kala
7. jens lekman - night falls over kortedala
8. the twilight sad - fourteen autumns and fifteen winters
9. moviola - dead knowledge
10 (tie). les savy fav - let's stay friends
10 (tie). radiohead - in rainbows
Seville Lilly - DJ Saturdays 6-9AM
Against Me! - New Wave
Augie March - Moo You Bloody Choir
Feist - the Reminder
Foreign Born - On the Wing Now
Nick Lowe - At My Age
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer
Elliott Smith - New Moon
Spoon - Ga x 5
John Vanderslice - Emerald City
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Phillip Von Zweck - Something Else
1-10. Times New Viking Present the Paisley Reich
Jenny Lisak - Women on Women
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
The New Pornographers - Challengers
M.I.A. - Kala
Mavis Staples - We'll Never Turn Back
Kate Havnevik - Melankton
Imperial Teen - The Hair The TV The Baby and The Band
Office - A Night At The Ritz
Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
Yoko Ono - Yes I'm A Witch
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition Reissue)
Dave Leoschke - DJ Tuesdays 2-6
1. Babyshambles: Shotter's Nation
2. Tinariwen: Aman Iman
3. Kings of Leon: Because of the Times
4. Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators: Keep Reachin Up
5. Deerhunter: Kryptograms
Honorable Mention: All Numero Group releases, Githead, Wire's Read
and Burn EP, The Coral, New Porns, Arcade Fire, Bert Jansch, Prinzhorn
Dance School.
Karin Fjellman - (DJ Moxie)
Lazy favorites of 2007, in no particular order
Panda Bear - "Person Pitch"
Caribou - "Andorra"
Radiohead - "In Rainbows"
King Khan & BBQ - "The King Khan & BBQ Show"
Boris & Michio Kurihara - "Rainbow"
LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver"
Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Dandelion Gum"
Andrew Bird - "Armchair Apocrypha"
Spoon - "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
worth mentioning for some reason or another:
Feist - "The Reminder"
The National - "Boxer"
Low - "Drums & Guns"
Jens Lekman - "Night Falls Over Kortedala"
Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible"
Black Lips - "Good Bad Not Evil"
Deerhunter - "Cryptograms"
Fog - "Ditherer"
Erik Roldan -Think Pink Radio
Albums
Amy Winehouse--Back To Black
Radiohead--In Rainbows
Lonely, Dear--Lonely, Noir
Tegan & Sara--The Con
Yelle--Pop-Up
Interpol--Our Love To Admire
Electrelane--No Shouts, No Calls
Modest Mouse--We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Deerhunter--Cryptograms
Deerhoof--Friend Opportunity
Shows
Bjork @ The Auditorium Theatre
Old Time Relijun @ Ronnie's
The Blow w/ High Places @ The Empty Bottle
Yo Majesty @ The Abbey
Electrelane w/the Arcade Fire @ The Chicago Theatre
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton @ The Lakeshore Theatre
Scout Niblett w/ St. Vincent @ Empty Bottle
Chris Garneau @ Queerfest Midwest
Neko Case @ Park West
Diplo @ Metro
Dr. Steven Migalski
1. Blonde Redhead - 23
2. The Changes - Today is Tonight
3. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortadela
4. Johnette Napolitano Scarred
5. Siouxsie - Mantaray
6. P.J. Harvey - White Chalk
7. Tracey Thorn - Out of the Woods
8. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
9. The Bird and the Bee - Self Titled
10. Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
