Disclaimer:
We obviously did not get a chance to listen to every single album that was released last year, so there may be some records out there that slipped through the cracks, and we apologize in advance for not giving you a nod in praise. Collectively we have scoured pretty hard for what is out there both throughout the year and with researching other ‘best of ‘ resources to confidently conclude that these are bar none the cream of the crop. Our focus is to reach outside of hype and all of the other nonsense that goes along with the music industry and critic-fluffing snobbery as a whole.
01) Joel Plaskett Emergency – Ashtray Rock (Maple Music)
02) Baby Shambles – Shotter’s Nation (EMI / Parlophone / Astralwerks)
03) Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Rough Trade / Merge)
04) Criminal Damage – No Solution (Feral Ward)
05) Double Negative – The Wonderful World Of Double Negative (No Way)
06) New Pornographers – Challengers (Matador)
07) Attack In Black – The Curve Of The Earth (Dine Alone)
08) King Khan & His Shrines – What is?! (Hazelwood)
09) Feist – The Reminder (Arts & Crafts / Interscope)
10) Grinderman – Self Titled (Anti / Mute)
11) Jay Z – American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam)
12) Mark Sultan – Sultanic Verses (In The Red)
13) Sadies – New Season (Outside)
14) Violent Minds – Eyes Of Death (Parts Unknown)
[I realize that this was shelved for many years, but it still came out in '07]
15) CPC Gangbangs – Mutilation Nation (Swami)
16) Saigon – The Moral Of The Story (Fort Knox / Atlantic)
17) Mayhem – Ordo Ad Chao (Seasons Of Mist)
18) Walls – Self Titled LP (Painkiller)
19) Stars Of The Lid – And Their Refinement Of The Decline (Kranky)
20) Lil’ Wayne – Da Drought 3 (Young Money)
21) Amon Tobin – Foley Room (Ninja Tune)
22) UGK – Underground Kingz (Jive)
23) American Steel – Destroy Their Future (Fat Wreck)
24) Clorox Girls – J’Aime Les Filles (BYO)
25) Beirut – The Flying Club Up (Ba Da Bing!)
26) Ghostface Killah – The Big Doe Rehab (Def Jam)
27) Tranzmitors – S/T (Deranged)
28) Ken Reaume – Four Horses (Pariah Sounds)
29) Sunn0))) – Oracle (Southern Lord)
30) Homostupids – The Intern (Parts Unknown)
31) Deerhunter – Cryptograms (Kranky)
32) Interpol – Our Love To Admire (Capitol / Parlophone)
33) John Fogerty – Revival (Fantasy)
34) Freeway – Free At Last (Island Def Jam / G-Unit)
35) The Dilettantes – 101 Tambourines (Stranger Touch / Happy Parts)
36) Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters (Fat Cat)
37) Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)
38) Goodnight Loving – Crooked Lake (Dusty Medical)
39) Grizzly Bear – Friend (Warp)
40) Carbonas – Self Titled (Goner)
We obviously did not get a chance to listen to every single album that was released last year, so there may be some records out there that slipped through the cracks, and we apologize in advance for not giving you a nod in praise. Collectively we have scoured pretty hard for what is out there both throughout the year and with researching other ‘best of ‘ resources to confidently conclude that these are bar none the cream of the crop. Our focus is to reach outside of hype and all of the other nonsense that goes along with the music industry and critic-fluffing snobbery as a whole.
The Editor and General:
“Remember Skinhead Britney Spears in 2007? aka diverse list genre-wise”
01) Joel Plaskett Emergency – Ashtray Rock (Maple Music)
02) Baby Shambles – Shotter’s Nation (EMI / Parlophone / Astralwerks)
03) Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Rough Trade / Merge)
04) Criminal Damage – No Solution (Feral Ward)
05) Double Negative – The Wonderful World Of Double Negative (No Way)
06) New Pornographers – Challengers (Matador)
07) Attack In Black – The Curve Of The Earth (Dine Alone)
08) King Khan & His Shrines – What is?! (Hazelwood)
09) Feist – The Reminder (Arts & Crafts / Interscope)
10) Grinderman – Self Titled (Anti / Mute)
11) Jay Z – American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam)
12) Mark Sultan – Sultanic Verses (In The Red)
13) Sadies – New Season (Outside)
14) Violent Minds – Eyes Of Death (Parts Unknown)
[I realize that this was shelved for many years, but it still came out in '07]
15) CPC Gangbangs – Mutilation Nation (Swami)
16) Saigon – The Moral Of The Story (Fort Knox / Atlantic)
17) Mayhem – Ordo Ad Chao (Seasons Of Mist)
18) Walls – Self Titled LP (Painkiller)
19) Stars Of The Lid – And Their Refinement Of The Decline (Kranky)
20) Lil’ Wayne – Da Drought 3 (Young Money)
21) Amon Tobin – Foley Room (Ninja Tune)
22) UGK – Underground Kingz (Jive)
23) American Steel – Destroy Their Future (Fat Wreck)
24) Clorox Girls – J’Aime Les Filles (BYO)
25) Beirut – The Flying Club Up (Ba Da Bing!)
26) Ghostface Killah – The Big Doe Rehab (Def Jam)
27) Tranzmitors – S/T (Deranged)
28) Ken Reaume – Four Horses (Pariah Sounds)
29) Sunn0))) – Oracle (Southern Lord)
30) Homostupids – The Intern (Parts Unknown)
31) Deerhunter – Cryptograms (Kranky)
32) Interpol – Our Love To Admire (Capitol / Parlophone)
33) John Fogerty – Revival (Fantasy)
34) Freeway – Free At Last (Island Def Jam / G-Unit)
35) The Dilettantes – 101 Tambourines (Stranger Touch / Happy Parts)
36) Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters (Fat Cat)
37) Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)
38) Goodnight Loving – Crooked Lake (Dusty Medical)
39) Grizzly Bear – Friend (Warp)
40) Carbonas – Self Titled (Goner)
DISSAPPOINTMENTS:
There are a number of artists in this list that I really enjoy and personally think are brilliant as a whole – however most of these records are just weak for what they’re capable of, completely forgettable, or just plain shit. This category represents a bar that has been set by the artist in the past (usually) and or the anticipation of these records, and them failing to deliver the goods.
50 Cent – Curtis (Aftermath / G-Unit / Interscope)
[I Get Money is amazing, but the rest is garbage at best]
Baroness – Red Album (Relapse)
Bloc Party – A Weekend In The City (Vice)
Coliseum – No Salvation (Relapse / Level Plane)
High On Fire – Death Is This Communion (Relapse)
Ladyhawk – Fight For Anarchy (Jagjaguwar / Storyboard)
Pelican – City Of Echos (HydraHead)Pharoah Monch – Desire (Street / Universal MoTown)
[when you’re a real deal MC what’s the need to get fancy? far too ambitious – more rapping needed]
Saul Williams – The Inevitable Rise & Liberation of NiggyTardust! (internet only)[Neat idea but this album sucks.]
The Stooges – The Weirdness (Virgin) [Not much of a surprise, but this blows]
Turbonegro – Retox (Cooking Vinyl)
Most slept-on records of the year:
Raising The Fawn – Sleight Of Hand (Sonic Unyon)
Throbbing Gristle – Part Two: The Endless Not (Mute/Industrial)
Low - Drums And Guns (Sub Pop)
Do Make Say Think – You, You’re A History In Rust (Constellation)
Neurosis – Given To The Rising (Neurot)
C'mon - Bottled Lightning (of an All Time High) - (Saved By Vinyl)
Unsane – Visqueen (Ipepac)
Download – Fixer (Subconscious)
Life Without Buildings – Live at Annandale Hotel (Gargleblast/Absolutely Kosher)
Raising The Fawn – Sleight Of Hand (Sonic Unyon)Throbbing Gristle – Part Two: The Endless Not (Mute/Industrial)
Low - Drums And Guns (Sub Pop)
Do Make Say Think – You, You’re A History In Rust (Constellation)
Neurosis – Given To The Rising (Neurot)
C'mon - Bottled Lightning (of an All Time High) - (Saved By Vinyl)
Unsane – Visqueen (Ipepac)
Download – Fixer (Subconscious)
Life Without Buildings – Live at Annandale Hotel (Gargleblast/Absolutely Kosher)
TOP 10: Not worth the HYPE [STILL don’t GET IT]
[Why are critics so hard on the ‘dick’ of these records?]
Klaxons – Mysths Of The Near Future (Polydor)
[most undeserving hype of the year, certainly some label $$ influencing opinions]
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam (Domino)
[not near worth the praise – 6 out of 10 at best]
Battles – Mirrored (Warp)
[the newest Trans Am record was WAY better than this and no one was talking about it]
Burial – Untrue (Hyperdub)
[5 out of 10 at best]
Dirty Projectors – Rise Above (Dead Oceans)
[hipsters pretending to be punk rock and failing hard]
Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala (Service / Secretly Canadian)
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver (DFA / EMI)
Liars – Liars (Mute)
Magik Markers – Boss (Ecstatic Peace)
[I don’t care if this is on Ecstatic Peace, it blows]
MIA – Kala (XL / Interscope)
[the first album sucked, this is even worse]
[Why are critics so hard on the ‘dick’ of these records?]
Klaxons – Mysths Of The Near Future (Polydor)[most undeserving hype of the year, certainly some label $$ influencing opinions]
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam (Domino)
[not near worth the praise – 6 out of 10 at best]
Battles – Mirrored (Warp)
[the newest Trans Am record was WAY better than this and no one was talking about it]
Burial – Untrue (Hyperdub)
[5 out of 10 at best]
Dirty Projectors – Rise Above (Dead Oceans)
[hipsters pretending to be punk rock and failing hard]
Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala (Service / Secretly Canadian)
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver (DFA / EMI)
Liars – Liars (Mute)
Magik Markers – Boss (Ecstatic Peace)
[I don’t care if this is on Ecstatic Peace, it blows]
MIA – Kala (XL / Interscope)
[the first album sucked, this is even worse]
Who CARES / STOP making MUSIC:
Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works (Relapse)
Dropkick Murphys – The Meanest Of Times (Born & Bred)
Buck 65 – Situation (Strange Famous)
Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero (Interscope)
Radiohead – In Rainbows (internet release / XL)
Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist (Warner Bros)
