hippy
ONE<br>love, blood, life
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762bestof-sml.JPG" alt="" />
<strong>By Andy Smith and Kimberly Egolf, Editors
2007.12</strong>
Ah, 2007. How quickly you came and went. And how much good music you managed to deliver along the way. In the wide world, 2007 saw bands and companies employing new means to deliver music, while ways to listen to that music practically overwhelmed the marketplace. 2007 saw reunions by some of music?s biggest artists (Do we deserve Zeppelin and Verve in the same year?!) and reissues of many classic albums we?ve loved. Podcasts exposed us to an increasing number of new artists, many of whom hit the ground running with some of the year?s best discs. Yet established artists held their own and proved again why they are artists we respect and love.<!--more-->
Perhaps our new positions as Editors of InterMedia gave us more access or we were simply paying more attention, but everything in 2007 seemed to point toward a rapidly expanding musical horizon. Whatever it was, 2007 delivered more impressive albums than we could honestly cope with.
And this explains how we came up with the two very diverse lists we?ve compiled below. These are your Editors? favorite albums from a bountiful year!
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>ANDY?S TOP ALBUMS</strong></span>
When some of my friends hear me prattle on praising the best music of the year, they return kind but quizzical looks. ?I couldn?t name a single record released in 2007,? one confessed.
To the person not paying attention, the music business is just another struggling, mainstream behemoth adjusting to the chaotic forces of a millennial market ecology. To me, it?s the anti-business of amazing artists arriving at the mysterious threshold to perpetually massage my ears, head, and heart.
While I cannot name the day when I went from being a serious music fan and zinester-turned-blogger to an obsessed pop music fanatic, webzine editor, festival frequenter, and weekly radio host, my appreciation for great music in 2007 can be measured in part by how much of my free time I devoted to this third career. Of course, I remember this reckless rock and roll ache from my high school days: the unquenchable ecstasy of slipping out on weeknights to catch shows and staying up until dawn to write about them.
As I read in a recent Rolling Stone news blip, many industry insiders predict that the portable, digital jukeboxes of the online subscription services will pave the future of for the serious fans. I must confess my unequivocal concurrence. While the brand-name matters little (for me it?s Napster-to-go and a compatible Creative Zen player), the construct has changed my listening habits in seismic shudders of sheer ear-bleeding bliss.
Now, I know that ?instant gratification? gets a bad rap in some circles, but to me, music acquisition has never been so soothing and seductive an adventure, with me lovingly clicking away at the laptop to access the universe without ever unhooking the headphones. Radiohead?s visionary gesture to bypass it all and offer its injection of fuzzy confection directly to fans was the download heard round the world. I?m still trying to reckon with the In Rainbows hype and backbite and may be for some time to come.
Back in ?oh-four,? Bush-bashing was the bait on every agit-prop artist?s hook, and while anti-war anthems continue to populate many of the year?s best records, a topical shift has us treading on waters even more choppy with the waves of fear and future-shock. Eight years since we partied like it was 1999, global dread has grown into a pop commodity of delectable desperation.
As the calendar crashes toward another turn, rock?s growl and grime and synth-pop?s glam and slime are our answer to the sub-prime crisis, once again mortgaging our souls to rock and roll!
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762horses.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>1) Band of Horses ? ?Cease to Begin?</strong>
Frankly, I can?t turn this record off. It?s one to listen to every day and do to your soul like orange juice and yoga. Perhaps it?s the general darkness of the times that adds to the seductive denial of this disc?s sunny disposition. Born-again southerner Ben Bridwell brings the happy noise?a heart-swell of sing-a-long indy lushness, something to soothe the people pining for the next My Morning Jacket record.
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762arcade.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>2) The Arcade Fire ? ?Neon Bible? </strong>
All the ink spilled and inspiration testified regarding this record: it?s all true and then some. When <em>Neon Bible</em> snuck into my ears in late winter, it wrecked me. The prophetic surge of this sonic collective caressed my brain?s brawn and belligerence. Beyond protest poems, these piercing hymns of hypnotic hopelessness are too believable and beautiful to deny. When I saw this group live in early May, it was one of those moments for permanent memory and bragging rights. Months later, the mystery and magic hold.
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762KoL.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>3) Kings of Leon ? ?Because of the Times? </strong>
In this crunchy, country barbecue of bass lines and drum fills, we find a relentless local recipe of guitar riff and lyrical myth. Lithe and lethal, my Kings of Lebanon have littered rock?s reputation with their own reckless revision of the rags to riches myth. Basically, these are some young men with a serious yearning and willingness to bypass the brutal trenches that makes permanent bar-bands of too many of their potential peers.
<strong>4) Radiohead ? ?In Rainbows? </strong>
Thom Yorke?s yummy yawp gives years to the moment, extending the instant of the download-heard-round-the-world into an eternity. The gritty weightless gravity of Greenwood?s guitar can crush the buzz about the band?s anti-business decision to basically give the album away. There?s too much good about this band and this gesture to package into a ?best of? summary?this is the business of isness: something historical, something special, and something transcendental.
<strong>5) Yeasayer ? ?All Hour Cymbals? </strong>
Let the choir sing! Too gospel to be either pop or punk, this band is gooey and gritty enough to be both. Yeasayer?s yumminess pushes the boundaries of indy-everything into tribal effervescence. We can hear echoes of TV on the Radio and Talking Heads and town square sing-a-longs. Tapping the spiritual advantages of a mixed-up and magical musical messiness, this Brooklyn brew begs new definitions of brilliance. A harrowing urban hoedown of hope and secular holiness. A band my spirit has been waiting for!!
<strong>6) The Cave Singers ? ?Invitation Songs? </strong>
We all know that folk is punk in too many ways, yet here we go again: not another ensemble of ex-rockers turned motherfolkers! But the labels and litanies don?t really matter when the mojo gets you in the guts of darker regions. From the depths of your heart?s imaginings, this collection of hypnotic campfire hymns could conjure hope or hate or any other idea or emotion?bringing beautiful songs like water from the well, like heaven from hell, like honey nectar from the root of nothingness.
<strong>7) Bright Eyes ? ?Cassadega? </strong>
Many might learn about the backlash before they dig the devout musical and lyrical brilliance in Bright Eyes. Sure, it?s sometimes hard to stomach a prolific prodigy, but make that pretender the person of Conor Oberst, dubbed the ?frog prince of emo,? recently blamed by one blogger for this year?s Omaha shootings, and we have the makings of a critical mess. Listeners would best leave behind internet inferences and fleeting reputations. Instead, just cue-up <em>Cassadega</em>, a convincing folk-rock epic that?s even more emotionally relevant when divorced from the ?emo? tag and all its baggage. Look, let?s just check the band?s references: the likes of lush-alt-country goddess Gillian Welch is willing to open for Bright Eyes at the Ryman, and from this, we might accept that all the comparisons to the freewheeling young Dylan are more than so-much hype for a post-hippy prophet in his own right.
<strong>8) The White Stripes ? ?Icky Thump? </strong>
Nothing complicated about the bullshit-skewering white-boy blues brought by Jack White as it rips back the meat to suck on the bones. Dueling doubt, this duo disses the dressed up music of every other genre, offering straight shots of Tennessee moonshine and pure injections of Motor City mojo. Friends like to tease me about how much I love this band for its red-and-black, Tennessee-to-Detroit shit-kicking axis of anti-evolution, and I don?t mind. I love to listen to the girls that love Jack and the boys that love Meg and all the old-school primary colors of genius generated by the many stripes of our fandom.
<strong>9) Iron and Wine ? ?The Shepherd's Dog? </strong>
Years ago, friends tried to turn my head to Iron and Wine, but my attention wavered and went elsewhere. With this new record reckoned ?a significant departure,? I?m joining the club of faithful without reservation. Sweetly soothing songs from Sam Beam could carouse with the dead. Just the delivery could turn anyone on to all night s?ances with everything?but then there?re the lyrics. With this collection, surrealist verses stir the heart muscles of adept students listening to their lessons from a stoned William Faulkner-meets-Shel Silverstein shaman.
<strong>10) Ryan Adams ? ?Easy Tiger? </strong>
For the last few years, I?ve finally taken the time to gently gravitate into the albums of artists whose reputations more than preceded them. Among many other new loves, this is the year I finally embraced the indy-twang of the incomparable Ryan Adams. Since my ears for music always need to keep pace with my eyes for good music criticism, I rarely arrive at an artist without expectations. With Adams, let?s just say the road I had to walk was steeper than with others. But after seeing an unforgettable live set on a rainy October night, my appetite for the albums increased infinitely. And I?m still unschooled enough to really dig <em>Easy Tiger</em> without comparing it to previous works.
<strong>
11) The National ? ?Boxer?
12) Wilco ? ?Sky Blue Sky?
13) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss ? ?Raising Sand?
14) Editors ? ?An End Has A Start?
15) Eddie Vedder ? ?Music for the Motion Picture Into The Wild?
16) Amy Winehouse ? ?Back to Black?
17) Puscifer ? ?V is for Vagina?
18) Akron/Family ? ?Love Is Simple?
19) Kanye West ? ?Graduation?
20) Rilo Kiley ? ?Under the Blacklight?</strong>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>KIM?S TOP ALBUMS</strong></span>
Like Andy, I have spent the year marveling at the sheer amount of new music being produced. My bank account was quickly screaming at me as I spent more money than I should on albums and concerts.
With the piles of new music coming at us this year, it was often easy to get lost in the mix. Which is why, in the noise, I was looking for albums that particularly stuck out and made themselves heard.
Contrasting with Andy?s list, mine features many fairly new or newly-hyped artists who produced outstanding albums which made me excited to be a music fan. From metal to funk to psychedelic rock to classic soul, this year produced an eclectic mix of music for every mood and reminded me why I do this job.
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762aliens.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>1) The Aliens ? ?Astronomy for Dogs? </strong>
You know how, when an album becomes an integral part of your life, you kind of forget the time when you didn?t listen to it? The Aliens? oddly-titled debut album did that for me this year, making it my top pick of 2007. Every song holds something different, from straight-up rockers to unexpected classical piano ballads to loveable and bouncy dance music. The band successfully delve into any musical style that will serve the music they were born to make. And this creates a delightfully eclectic mixture of sounds and themes that kept me listening from beginning to end. Hell, this album would be worth it simply for the charming tune aptly called ?The Happy Song? ? listen to it and try to resist the smile!
<em>Songs:</em> ?Robot Man? & ?She Don?t Love Me No More?
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/1676261n1I-qW0qL_SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>2) Radiohead ? ?In Rainbows? </strong>
Though variously lauded and derided for the way they chose to distribute their album, there is no denying that Radiohead made one of the best albums of the year. So good, that I was finally able to get past the daunting hype of Radiohead?s musical past to become a bonafide fan. Joe Levy from <em>Rolling Stone</em> commented that the band started playing these songs in concert and <em>then</em> recorded them in the studio. Perhaps that is why these songs stay firmly rooted in strong melody (unlike some other Radiohead outings which lose me in the ether). There is a reason why this is the only album to make both mine and Andy?s lists and why it topped most ?Best of? lists this year. So stop reading about it, stop denying it and listen to the album already!
<em>Songs:</em> ?Bodysnatchers? & ?All I Need?
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762budos.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>3) The Budos Band ? ?The Budos Band II? </strong>
Though unimaginatively titled ? this is the band?s second album ? this disc rated highly for me because of its extraordinary imagination. Take contemporary musicians and give them a love for old-school funk music. There you have the basic recipe for the Budos Band and its unique brand of retro-funk. This is music that will make you feel like watching film noir (listen to ?Budos Rising?) and boogieing at the same time. Watch out for the brass section of the band who take center stage on most of the songs and deliver killer performances. This record is one of the year?s best for its diversity and for its cohesive feel. Props go to Daptone Records (who also produce Sharon Jones, my next pick) for providing these stellar musicians an outlet for their incredible music.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Origin of Man? & ?Chicago Falcon?
<strong>4) Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings ? ?100 Days, 100 Nights? </strong>
Sharon Jones is not new to the music scene or to life, and that is perhaps the appeal of her music. Throwing back to the days of the classic girl groups, Sharon Jones and her band, the Dap-Kings, specialize in retro sounding R&B and funk perfectly packaged into brilliantly performed pop songs. Jones sings soulfully of love ? both good and bad ? in a voice that speaks of the years she has seen. After decades as a backing singer for other superstars, Jones is finally claiming the credit she deserves as an important voice of twentieth- and twenty-first century pop music.
<em>Songs:</em> ?100 Days, 100 Nights? & ?Humble Me?
<strong>5) Max?mo Park ? ?Our Earthly Pleasures? </strong>
Their debut album rocketed the band into the spotlight as a new wave of guitar-pop took over the music scene a few years ago. Singing of love for women and the world, Max?mo Park delivers another stunning album of literate pop music which houses some of the catchiest melodies of the year. It?s easy to love Paul Smith?s earnest vocal performances as the band behind him springs from note to note with unbounded energy. As an English teacher, I also have a soft spot in my heart for anyone who writes songs like ?Books from Boxes? and ?Russian Literature.?
<em>Songs:</em> ?Our Velocity? & ?Russian Literature?
<strong>6) Kaiser Chiefs ? ?Yours Truly, Angry Mob? </strong>
Like Max?mo Park, the Kaisers had stellar success with their first album and announcements of an upcoming disc left critics wondering if the band could ever hope to match it. <em>Yours Truly, Angry Mob</em> screams a resounding ?Yes!? The Kaisers manage to have just as much riotous fun as they did before, with songs that blend seamlessly into setlists. Though revisiting themes like love (?Ruby?), childhood (?Boxing Champ?), and fame (?Retirement?), the band dig a little deeper this time and offer a somewhat darker view of things. This record proves that the Kaisers do what they do best and makes my ?top? list for sheer riotous fun.
<em>Songs:</em> ?The Angry Mob? & ?Love?s Not a Competition (But I?m Winning)?
<strong>7) Bang Camaro ? ?Bang Camaro? </strong>
Speaking of riotous fun, Boston?s Bang Camaro released their debut album this year. It is a big record filled with massive tunes ripe for starting parties. This band of 20+ members, depending on the night and the town, has had an incredible year with tours of the country, features on MTV, and songs in popular video games like ?Guitar Hero? and ?Rock Band.? These guys are bringing back bangin? metal music in a big way with tongue-in-cheek nods to ego-tripping bands (listen to ?You Know I Like My Band?) and their outrageous behavior (listen to ?Pleasure Pleasure?). They even do an awesome send-up of the obligatory metal band power ballad with a song aptly titled ?The Ballad.? Turn this record up to 11, strap on the air guitar, and enjoy the juicy musical goodness oozing from its tunes.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Push Push (Lady Lightning)? & ?The Ballad?
<strong>8) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ? ?Baby 81? </strong>
God only knows what the title means, but perhaps it?s code for ?these songs will rock you.? BRMC has consistently put out great rock ?n? roll albums and <em>Baby 81</em> is no exception. The fact that they also manage to make strong political statements adds to the appeal of this album. There is dirt here: something that makes you believe these guys have done it all and are ready to tell you about it. One of the most prophetic lines on the disc comes from ?Weapon of Choice?: ?I won?t waste my love on a nation.? It?s a clarion call for the times, and it comes packaged in an awesome rock tune. BRMC deserves to be among the best again this year for not being afraid to make dirty rock music which just might make you angry enough to want to change the world.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Weapon of Choice? & ?Killing the Light?
<strong>9) Jamie T ? ?Panic Prevention? </strong>
Earlier in the year I was invited to see an artist named Jamie T in a small bar in Boston. And a new obsession was born. At that point, Jamie T was beginning his first small tour of the US, despite his massive success in the UK. I must admit that I was struck at first simply by Jamie?s sometimes grating voice. But these songs, even with their thick English slang, soon became lodged in my head and wouldn?t let go. Backed up by the sparse bass guitar thump and the odd sample here and there, this record made my list because it challenged the music trends of the year and offered up a truly unique new voice.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Sheila? & ?If You Got the Money?
<strong>10) Sinead O?Connor ? ?Theology? </strong>
Sinead O?Connor has been a musical force for so many years, it?s hard to remember a soundscape without her. She has tried most musical styles ? her latest outings feature trips into traditional Irish music and classic reggae ? and has made no secret of her search for both God and music. And she finds a wealth of each on <em>Theology</em>. It?s a sensitive album Sinead says she?s been waiting to make ? a love song for God, her family, and ? she emphasizes heavily ? for her fans, all of whom she credits with giving her the gift of music. The album is also a unique look at the production of music. <em>Theology</em> is a two-disc album which features the ?Dublin sessions? and acoustic arrangements of Sinead?s songs, as well as the ?London sessions? which are the same songs recorded with full band arrangements. Both discs work equally well, making it hard to choose one version over another. In the end, though, it comes down to the fact that Sinead?s is an important voice of love and peace to balance out the hatred and disillusionment that has crept into the world and into music lately.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Something Beautiful (Dublin Sessions)? & ?Rivers of Babylon (London Sessions)?
<strong>11) Mika ? ?Life in Cartoon Motion?
12) Editors ? ?An End Has a Start?
13) Yeasayer ? ?All Hour Cymbals?
14) Wax Tailor ? ?Hope & Sorrow?
15) Patti Smith ? ?Twelve?
16) Klaxons ? ?Myths of the Near Future?
17) Justice ? ?</strong>
<strong>By Andy Smith and Kimberly Egolf, Editors
2007.12</strong>
Ah, 2007. How quickly you came and went. And how much good music you managed to deliver along the way. In the wide world, 2007 saw bands and companies employing new means to deliver music, while ways to listen to that music practically overwhelmed the marketplace. 2007 saw reunions by some of music?s biggest artists (Do we deserve Zeppelin and Verve in the same year?!) and reissues of many classic albums we?ve loved. Podcasts exposed us to an increasing number of new artists, many of whom hit the ground running with some of the year?s best discs. Yet established artists held their own and proved again why they are artists we respect and love.<!--more-->
Perhaps our new positions as Editors of InterMedia gave us more access or we were simply paying more attention, but everything in 2007 seemed to point toward a rapidly expanding musical horizon. Whatever it was, 2007 delivered more impressive albums than we could honestly cope with.
And this explains how we came up with the two very diverse lists we?ve compiled below. These are your Editors? favorite albums from a bountiful year!
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>ANDY?S TOP ALBUMS</strong></span>
When some of my friends hear me prattle on praising the best music of the year, they return kind but quizzical looks. ?I couldn?t name a single record released in 2007,? one confessed.
To the person not paying attention, the music business is just another struggling, mainstream behemoth adjusting to the chaotic forces of a millennial market ecology. To me, it?s the anti-business of amazing artists arriving at the mysterious threshold to perpetually massage my ears, head, and heart.
While I cannot name the day when I went from being a serious music fan and zinester-turned-blogger to an obsessed pop music fanatic, webzine editor, festival frequenter, and weekly radio host, my appreciation for great music in 2007 can be measured in part by how much of my free time I devoted to this third career. Of course, I remember this reckless rock and roll ache from my high school days: the unquenchable ecstasy of slipping out on weeknights to catch shows and staying up until dawn to write about them.
As I read in a recent Rolling Stone news blip, many industry insiders predict that the portable, digital jukeboxes of the online subscription services will pave the future of for the serious fans. I must confess my unequivocal concurrence. While the brand-name matters little (for me it?s Napster-to-go and a compatible Creative Zen player), the construct has changed my listening habits in seismic shudders of sheer ear-bleeding bliss.
Now, I know that ?instant gratification? gets a bad rap in some circles, but to me, music acquisition has never been so soothing and seductive an adventure, with me lovingly clicking away at the laptop to access the universe without ever unhooking the headphones. Radiohead?s visionary gesture to bypass it all and offer its injection of fuzzy confection directly to fans was the download heard round the world. I?m still trying to reckon with the In Rainbows hype and backbite and may be for some time to come.
Back in ?oh-four,? Bush-bashing was the bait on every agit-prop artist?s hook, and while anti-war anthems continue to populate many of the year?s best records, a topical shift has us treading on waters even more choppy with the waves of fear and future-shock. Eight years since we partied like it was 1999, global dread has grown into a pop commodity of delectable desperation.
As the calendar crashes toward another turn, rock?s growl and grime and synth-pop?s glam and slime are our answer to the sub-prime crisis, once again mortgaging our souls to rock and roll!
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762horses.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>1) Band of Horses ? ?Cease to Begin?</strong>
Frankly, I can?t turn this record off. It?s one to listen to every day and do to your soul like orange juice and yoga. Perhaps it?s the general darkness of the times that adds to the seductive denial of this disc?s sunny disposition. Born-again southerner Ben Bridwell brings the happy noise?a heart-swell of sing-a-long indy lushness, something to soothe the people pining for the next My Morning Jacket record.
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762arcade.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>2) The Arcade Fire ? ?Neon Bible? </strong>
All the ink spilled and inspiration testified regarding this record: it?s all true and then some. When <em>Neon Bible</em> snuck into my ears in late winter, it wrecked me. The prophetic surge of this sonic collective caressed my brain?s brawn and belligerence. Beyond protest poems, these piercing hymns of hypnotic hopelessness are too believable and beautiful to deny. When I saw this group live in early May, it was one of those moments for permanent memory and bragging rights. Months later, the mystery and magic hold.
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762KoL.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>3) Kings of Leon ? ?Because of the Times? </strong>
In this crunchy, country barbecue of bass lines and drum fills, we find a relentless local recipe of guitar riff and lyrical myth. Lithe and lethal, my Kings of Lebanon have littered rock?s reputation with their own reckless revision of the rags to riches myth. Basically, these are some young men with a serious yearning and willingness to bypass the brutal trenches that makes permanent bar-bands of too many of their potential peers.
<strong>4) Radiohead ? ?In Rainbows? </strong>
Thom Yorke?s yummy yawp gives years to the moment, extending the instant of the download-heard-round-the-world into an eternity. The gritty weightless gravity of Greenwood?s guitar can crush the buzz about the band?s anti-business decision to basically give the album away. There?s too much good about this band and this gesture to package into a ?best of? summary?this is the business of isness: something historical, something special, and something transcendental.
<strong>5) Yeasayer ? ?All Hour Cymbals? </strong>
Let the choir sing! Too gospel to be either pop or punk, this band is gooey and gritty enough to be both. Yeasayer?s yumminess pushes the boundaries of indy-everything into tribal effervescence. We can hear echoes of TV on the Radio and Talking Heads and town square sing-a-longs. Tapping the spiritual advantages of a mixed-up and magical musical messiness, this Brooklyn brew begs new definitions of brilliance. A harrowing urban hoedown of hope and secular holiness. A band my spirit has been waiting for!!
<strong>6) The Cave Singers ? ?Invitation Songs? </strong>
We all know that folk is punk in too many ways, yet here we go again: not another ensemble of ex-rockers turned motherfolkers! But the labels and litanies don?t really matter when the mojo gets you in the guts of darker regions. From the depths of your heart?s imaginings, this collection of hypnotic campfire hymns could conjure hope or hate or any other idea or emotion?bringing beautiful songs like water from the well, like heaven from hell, like honey nectar from the root of nothingness.
<strong>7) Bright Eyes ? ?Cassadega? </strong>
Many might learn about the backlash before they dig the devout musical and lyrical brilliance in Bright Eyes. Sure, it?s sometimes hard to stomach a prolific prodigy, but make that pretender the person of Conor Oberst, dubbed the ?frog prince of emo,? recently blamed by one blogger for this year?s Omaha shootings, and we have the makings of a critical mess. Listeners would best leave behind internet inferences and fleeting reputations. Instead, just cue-up <em>Cassadega</em>, a convincing folk-rock epic that?s even more emotionally relevant when divorced from the ?emo? tag and all its baggage. Look, let?s just check the band?s references: the likes of lush-alt-country goddess Gillian Welch is willing to open for Bright Eyes at the Ryman, and from this, we might accept that all the comparisons to the freewheeling young Dylan are more than so-much hype for a post-hippy prophet in his own right.
<strong>8) The White Stripes ? ?Icky Thump? </strong>
Nothing complicated about the bullshit-skewering white-boy blues brought by Jack White as it rips back the meat to suck on the bones. Dueling doubt, this duo disses the dressed up music of every other genre, offering straight shots of Tennessee moonshine and pure injections of Motor City mojo. Friends like to tease me about how much I love this band for its red-and-black, Tennessee-to-Detroit shit-kicking axis of anti-evolution, and I don?t mind. I love to listen to the girls that love Jack and the boys that love Meg and all the old-school primary colors of genius generated by the many stripes of our fandom.
<strong>9) Iron and Wine ? ?The Shepherd's Dog? </strong>
Years ago, friends tried to turn my head to Iron and Wine, but my attention wavered and went elsewhere. With this new record reckoned ?a significant departure,? I?m joining the club of faithful without reservation. Sweetly soothing songs from Sam Beam could carouse with the dead. Just the delivery could turn anyone on to all night s?ances with everything?but then there?re the lyrics. With this collection, surrealist verses stir the heart muscles of adept students listening to their lessons from a stoned William Faulkner-meets-Shel Silverstein shaman.
<strong>10) Ryan Adams ? ?Easy Tiger? </strong>
For the last few years, I?ve finally taken the time to gently gravitate into the albums of artists whose reputations more than preceded them. Among many other new loves, this is the year I finally embraced the indy-twang of the incomparable Ryan Adams. Since my ears for music always need to keep pace with my eyes for good music criticism, I rarely arrive at an artist without expectations. With Adams, let?s just say the road I had to walk was steeper than with others. But after seeing an unforgettable live set on a rainy October night, my appetite for the albums increased infinitely. And I?m still unschooled enough to really dig <em>Easy Tiger</em> without comparing it to previous works.
<strong>
11) The National ? ?Boxer?
12) Wilco ? ?Sky Blue Sky?
13) Robert Plant & Alison Krauss ? ?Raising Sand?
14) Editors ? ?An End Has A Start?
15) Eddie Vedder ? ?Music for the Motion Picture Into The Wild?
16) Amy Winehouse ? ?Back to Black?
17) Puscifer ? ?V is for Vagina?
18) Akron/Family ? ?Love Is Simple?
19) Kanye West ? ?Graduation?
20) Rilo Kiley ? ?Under the Blacklight?</strong>
<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>KIM?S TOP ALBUMS</strong></span>
Like Andy, I have spent the year marveling at the sheer amount of new music being produced. My bank account was quickly screaming at me as I spent more money than I should on albums and concerts.
With the piles of new music coming at us this year, it was often easy to get lost in the mix. Which is why, in the noise, I was looking for albums that particularly stuck out and made themselves heard.
Contrasting with Andy?s list, mine features many fairly new or newly-hyped artists who produced outstanding albums which made me excited to be a music fan. From metal to funk to psychedelic rock to classic soul, this year produced an eclectic mix of music for every mood and reminded me why I do this job.
<img src="http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/16762aliens.JPG" border="0" alt="" />
<strong>1) The Aliens ? ?Astronomy for Dogs? </strong>
You know how, when an album becomes an integral part of your life, you kind of forget the time when you didn?t listen to it? The Aliens? oddly-titled debut album did that for me this year, making it my top pick of 2007. Every song holds something different, from straight-up rockers to unexpected classical piano ballads to loveable and bouncy dance music. The band successfully delve into any musical style that will serve the music they were born to make. And this creates a delightfully eclectic mixture of sounds and themes that kept me listening from beginning to end. Hell, this album would be worth it simply for the charming tune aptly called ?The Happy Song? ? listen to it and try to resist the smile!
<em>Songs:</em> ?Robot Man? & ?She Don?t Love Me No More?
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<strong>2) Radiohead ? ?In Rainbows? </strong>
Though variously lauded and derided for the way they chose to distribute their album, there is no denying that Radiohead made one of the best albums of the year. So good, that I was finally able to get past the daunting hype of Radiohead?s musical past to become a bonafide fan. Joe Levy from <em>Rolling Stone</em> commented that the band started playing these songs in concert and <em>then</em> recorded them in the studio. Perhaps that is why these songs stay firmly rooted in strong melody (unlike some other Radiohead outings which lose me in the ether). There is a reason why this is the only album to make both mine and Andy?s lists and why it topped most ?Best of? lists this year. So stop reading about it, stop denying it and listen to the album already!
<em>Songs:</em> ?Bodysnatchers? & ?All I Need?
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<strong>3) The Budos Band ? ?The Budos Band II? </strong>
Though unimaginatively titled ? this is the band?s second album ? this disc rated highly for me because of its extraordinary imagination. Take contemporary musicians and give them a love for old-school funk music. There you have the basic recipe for the Budos Band and its unique brand of retro-funk. This is music that will make you feel like watching film noir (listen to ?Budos Rising?) and boogieing at the same time. Watch out for the brass section of the band who take center stage on most of the songs and deliver killer performances. This record is one of the year?s best for its diversity and for its cohesive feel. Props go to Daptone Records (who also produce Sharon Jones, my next pick) for providing these stellar musicians an outlet for their incredible music.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Origin of Man? & ?Chicago Falcon?
<strong>4) Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings ? ?100 Days, 100 Nights? </strong>
Sharon Jones is not new to the music scene or to life, and that is perhaps the appeal of her music. Throwing back to the days of the classic girl groups, Sharon Jones and her band, the Dap-Kings, specialize in retro sounding R&B and funk perfectly packaged into brilliantly performed pop songs. Jones sings soulfully of love ? both good and bad ? in a voice that speaks of the years she has seen. After decades as a backing singer for other superstars, Jones is finally claiming the credit she deserves as an important voice of twentieth- and twenty-first century pop music.
<em>Songs:</em> ?100 Days, 100 Nights? & ?Humble Me?
<strong>5) Max?mo Park ? ?Our Earthly Pleasures? </strong>
Their debut album rocketed the band into the spotlight as a new wave of guitar-pop took over the music scene a few years ago. Singing of love for women and the world, Max?mo Park delivers another stunning album of literate pop music which houses some of the catchiest melodies of the year. It?s easy to love Paul Smith?s earnest vocal performances as the band behind him springs from note to note with unbounded energy. As an English teacher, I also have a soft spot in my heart for anyone who writes songs like ?Books from Boxes? and ?Russian Literature.?
<em>Songs:</em> ?Our Velocity? & ?Russian Literature?
<strong>6) Kaiser Chiefs ? ?Yours Truly, Angry Mob? </strong>
Like Max?mo Park, the Kaisers had stellar success with their first album and announcements of an upcoming disc left critics wondering if the band could ever hope to match it. <em>Yours Truly, Angry Mob</em> screams a resounding ?Yes!? The Kaisers manage to have just as much riotous fun as they did before, with songs that blend seamlessly into setlists. Though revisiting themes like love (?Ruby?), childhood (?Boxing Champ?), and fame (?Retirement?), the band dig a little deeper this time and offer a somewhat darker view of things. This record proves that the Kaisers do what they do best and makes my ?top? list for sheer riotous fun.
<em>Songs:</em> ?The Angry Mob? & ?Love?s Not a Competition (But I?m Winning)?
<strong>7) Bang Camaro ? ?Bang Camaro? </strong>
Speaking of riotous fun, Boston?s Bang Camaro released their debut album this year. It is a big record filled with massive tunes ripe for starting parties. This band of 20+ members, depending on the night and the town, has had an incredible year with tours of the country, features on MTV, and songs in popular video games like ?Guitar Hero? and ?Rock Band.? These guys are bringing back bangin? metal music in a big way with tongue-in-cheek nods to ego-tripping bands (listen to ?You Know I Like My Band?) and their outrageous behavior (listen to ?Pleasure Pleasure?). They even do an awesome send-up of the obligatory metal band power ballad with a song aptly titled ?The Ballad.? Turn this record up to 11, strap on the air guitar, and enjoy the juicy musical goodness oozing from its tunes.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Push Push (Lady Lightning)? & ?The Ballad?
<strong>8) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club ? ?Baby 81? </strong>
God only knows what the title means, but perhaps it?s code for ?these songs will rock you.? BRMC has consistently put out great rock ?n? roll albums and <em>Baby 81</em> is no exception. The fact that they also manage to make strong political statements adds to the appeal of this album. There is dirt here: something that makes you believe these guys have done it all and are ready to tell you about it. One of the most prophetic lines on the disc comes from ?Weapon of Choice?: ?I won?t waste my love on a nation.? It?s a clarion call for the times, and it comes packaged in an awesome rock tune. BRMC deserves to be among the best again this year for not being afraid to make dirty rock music which just might make you angry enough to want to change the world.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Weapon of Choice? & ?Killing the Light?
<strong>9) Jamie T ? ?Panic Prevention? </strong>
Earlier in the year I was invited to see an artist named Jamie T in a small bar in Boston. And a new obsession was born. At that point, Jamie T was beginning his first small tour of the US, despite his massive success in the UK. I must admit that I was struck at first simply by Jamie?s sometimes grating voice. But these songs, even with their thick English slang, soon became lodged in my head and wouldn?t let go. Backed up by the sparse bass guitar thump and the odd sample here and there, this record made my list because it challenged the music trends of the year and offered up a truly unique new voice.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Sheila? & ?If You Got the Money?
<strong>10) Sinead O?Connor ? ?Theology? </strong>
Sinead O?Connor has been a musical force for so many years, it?s hard to remember a soundscape without her. She has tried most musical styles ? her latest outings feature trips into traditional Irish music and classic reggae ? and has made no secret of her search for both God and music. And she finds a wealth of each on <em>Theology</em>. It?s a sensitive album Sinead says she?s been waiting to make ? a love song for God, her family, and ? she emphasizes heavily ? for her fans, all of whom she credits with giving her the gift of music. The album is also a unique look at the production of music. <em>Theology</em> is a two-disc album which features the ?Dublin sessions? and acoustic arrangements of Sinead?s songs, as well as the ?London sessions? which are the same songs recorded with full band arrangements. Both discs work equally well, making it hard to choose one version over another. In the end, though, it comes down to the fact that Sinead?s is an important voice of love and peace to balance out the hatred and disillusionment that has crept into the world and into music lately.
<em>Songs:</em> ?Something Beautiful (Dublin Sessions)? & ?Rivers of Babylon (London Sessions)?
<strong>11) Mika ? ?Life in Cartoon Motion?
12) Editors ? ?An End Has a Start?
13) Yeasayer ? ?All Hour Cymbals?
14) Wax Tailor ? ?Hope & Sorrow?
15) Patti Smith ? ?Twelve?
16) Klaxons ? ?Myths of the Near Future?
17) Justice ? ?</strong>
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I really have to check out the Band of Horses and Patti Smith records. 
