Tuesday, March 25, 2008

YEAR in REVIEW (2007)

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.

The Editor and General:
“Remember Skinhead Britney Spears in 2007? aka diverse list genre-wise”


01) Joel Plaskett EmergencyAshtray 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)





Top 5 songs of the year:

Arcade FireOcean Of Noise
FeistI Feel It All


Worst album cover of the year (a tie):


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 CentCurtis (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)

The HivesThe Black & White Album (Interscope)

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)




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]


Who CARES / STOP making MUSIC:

Dillinger Escape PlanIre 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)

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