vendredi 15 Fév 2008, 23h06m

2007 was a pretty exciting year of music for me. A scary amount of my favorite bands put out new releases, some delivering and some not as much. And with any year, there were plenty of huge surprises.

10: Arctic Monkeys- Favorite Worst Nightmare

I was an enormous supporter of the Arctic Monkey's debut, despite the crazy rollercoaster of hype and backlash it got in 06. Alot of albums are described as being enjoyable from start to finish, but it was one of the very few that really did it for me. I had my expectations dialed wayyy down for this album- with bands like this you just get used to their sophomore albums being a little underwhelming. And it was, well, about exactly as good as I expected it to be. Its definitly a different sound for the Monkeys, its smoother, funkier, better produced. Listening to it on the surface it sounds better than their first album. But it didnt grab me the way the debut did, and I didnt expect it to. Regardless, it was tight enough to round out the bottom of my top 10.
Key Track: Flourescent Adolescent
A perfect rock song. A dare I say waltzy intro? Leading into Alex Turner's clever lyrics against a sea of reverbed guitars and driving bass lines. I'll admit, there's nothing terribly special about the song- it just does everything right, which in a way sums up the Monkeys themselves.

9: Battles- Mirrored

I honestly have yet to find someone who doesn't think this album is cool. Even if you dont think (mostly) instrumental albums are your thing you should give it a try. Composed of four super musicians, the effort Battles took in making this album really shows- each song is perfectly crafted and nothing sounds out of place. Mirrored is simply a tour de force of musical talent.
Key Track: Atlas
Yes, the vocals for this song sound a bit like Mickey Mouse. Try and look past it. I can think of all kinds of nice adjetives for this song, but the reason its the centerpeice of the album is for one reason: a monstrous, consuming beat.

8: Grinderman- Self Titled

Nick Cave did two things of significance in 2007- grew an amazing moustache, and started Grinderman. This was actually my first experience with Nick Cave- he's not as much as a singer as he is a poet, in any work he does his literature takes the center stage of the song. Grinderman follows the same concept, but is well, awesomer. It's stripped down and raw. There are moments of this album where you will question your sanity. Certainly not words Id use to describe any other work I've heard from Nick Cave (as awesome as that stuff is too). I'm still not really sure what genre I'd categorize it as- it's crazy, it's dark, it's invigorating. And it's awesome.
Key Track: No Pussy Blues
Nick Cave's snarling, hilarious vocals, that brooding bass line, the pounding rythm. And a chorus that feels like aural electricution. This is what all music should be like.

7: Tegan & Sara- The Con

Is this really my seventh album of the year? Have I turned into a lesbian? Yes, and (sadly) no. There's no other way to put it: this album is pure pop bliss. Have you listened to "Back in your Head"? No? Go youtube it. I'll wait.

Back? What did you think? You dont need to tell me you loved it, because I already know. Thankfully, the album is full of those sugary, blissful moments, which is what pop music should be about. Tegan and Sara, besides being very female, and very gay, are excellent songwriters, and excellent singers. Their pop sensibilities elevate this album above any of their previous folk-y albums, and create a purely enjoyable experience.
Key Track: Hop A Plane
Wooow. This song is a pure hook from start to finish, honestly. If I wasn't completely ashamed to sing girly songs in public, I'd sing this one.

6: Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam

My previous impressions of Animal Collective were… not very good. Even on this album there are parts that are completely out there to the point where it doesn't sound musical anymore. It seems that Animal Collective finally decided to put these freaky bits of music and arrange them to real melodies (disclaimer to AC fans: Im exaggerating) and created a beautiful album. The opening song, "Peacebone", starts off sounding like the cacophony of noise Im used to from Animal Collective, and then it gains something peculiar- a steady, unshaking beat, and then Avey Tare's almost goofy sounding vocals, accompanied with most certainly goofy lyrics. Its oddly melodic, and it hooked me from my first listen. Sometimes this "goofiness" is just grating, on songs like "Winter Wonder Land" for instance, but when Animal Collective mature the results are wonderful, as seen in the two centerpeices of the album, "For Reverand Green" and "Fireworks". It's these moments of maturity that combine Animal Collective's freaky, industrial sound with beautiful melody, and create something truly memorable.
Key Track: For Reverand Green
I had to argue with myself for hours to finally decide this song was better than Fireworks, but I'm sticking with my decision. The bubbly, distorted talking intro cues you in on how awesome this song is going to be. Static noise builds and finds its way into the melody of the song, and when it all comes together, its simply a sublime experience

5: Between the Buried and Me- Colors

I had little knowledge of BTBAM before this album, nor did I have any kind of experience with metalcore music. Thankfully, this is about as inviting entry into the genre as it gets, simple for the fact this album covers so many genres its insane. In one song you'll hear brutal vocals, strummed acoustic guitars, a hair metal solo, and falsetto over light piano chords. Yes, it is that awesome. To quote what a friend said about this album, this band does not know what a verse or chorus is. It's simply a band uniting their love of music into something that is purely musical but does not follow any of the guidelines we've come to expect so many bands to follow these days.
Key Track: Sun of Nothing
This, folks, is the definition of an epic song. Face melting riffs breaking into acoustic harmonies, only to return to more madness. As with most of the album, the singer creates a unique blend of harsh and clean vocals, and it shines no brighter on the album than on this song. This song seamlessly transcends different moods and tones so effortlessly, something I so very rarely ever see in music.

4: Radiohead- In Rainbows

I am very sick of hearing about this album. I think most music fans are. Even if by some case you haven't heard of why this album is getting so much media attention, Ill recap it for you: Radiohead announced this album mere days before releasing it, and it was initially offered online with a price tag you set yourself. Soon every entertainment media and even fellow musicians just couldn't shut up about how this was going to change the music industry, and how brave Radiohead were, and blablabla. Forget all of that. Peel back the media attention, and listen to the album. This album is not great departure for Radiohead. It "feels" like a Radiohead album, for sure. What makes In Rainbows so different from their other works is how they approached achieving this "Radiohead sound". Gone are the layered atmospheres of Kid A, or the complex chord changes of OK Computer. In a way In Rainbows reminds me of a far superior version of the Bends, its minimilistic, tightly packaged, and very accesible. It's certainly welcome to hear upbeat songs like "15 Step" and "Jigsaw Falling into Place" after three albums of gloom. There is some truly creative songwriting here, and the rythm section really shines- Phil and Colin simply own this album. Not to discredit the other member's contributions- Thom's voice is as confident ever, and the three guitar setup of the band really works on songs like "BodySnatchers" and "Weird Fishes"
Key Track: Weird Fishes
It was tremendously hard for me to pick only one song, but this is defintily the centerpeice of the album. There is no other adjetive for this song other than "sublime". The lead guitar WILL make your soul melt. And the lyrics, my god, the lyrics, are depressing even by Radiohead standards (which is saying ALOT).

3: Queens of the Stone Age- Era Vulgaris

Queens of the Stone Age are quite simply one of the most kick ass rock bands there is, and it was this album that helped me realize that. On one hand, this album can't really compare to previous Queens albums. This does not have the pure headbanging awesomeness of Rated R, or the tight flow and feel of Songs for the Deaf. It is, however, a near perfect collection rythm, groove, and crunchy, dark guitar sounds. "Sick, Sick, Sick" is the best rock single I've ever heard- an amazingly infectious beat, dark, loud, rythmic guitar riffs. The first time I heard the song I knew Queens were a special band. Josh Homme knows how to make great rock music, and took the direction of Era Vulgaris into near ass shaking territory. It's certainly not anything I'd call "dance" music, but it's surprising how groovy this album can be at times. If you consider yourself a fan of rock music you simply have to listen to this album- its rocking, its funky, its catchy, it is the pure essence of hard rock.
Key Track: Misfit Love
The bluesy "Make it Wit Chu" nearly took my spot for best track, but everytime I go back to this song it blows my mind away. All low register guitars and demonic keyboards make up the majority of the song, and then out of nowhere everything picks up and head straight into awesomeness.

2: Nine Inch Nails- Year Zero

Ho. Lee. Shit. Those are the three syllables that are constantly repeating in my mind everytime I listen to this album. I never, ever, ever thought Nine Inch Nails could ever outdo The Downward Spiral or the Fragile. Year Zero easily surprasses the first, and every day I question whether it's better than the second.
This has everything of what makes Nine Inch Nails great- creepy, industrial noise, countless layers of sound, melodic beauty (seen in songs like "Another Version of the Truth"), and most importantly something that I, an immense NIN fan, will admit is rare for this band: great writing. The Fragile, despite being a completely amazing experience musically, often veered into the…. cornier cliches of writing, in terms of lyrics. Year Zero, like the Downward Spiral, is a concept album, and if anything this shows that Trent Reznor needs to write much more concept albums. Like The Downward Spiral, Year Zero follows a story, about an imagined future where the government distributes deadly drugs to it's citizens, and people see giant, godlike hands in the sky. The story takes a very large investment to fully understand, but it's worth it. And even if you don't care about a cooky concept story, Year Zero is still a great album. Trent Reznor knows how to make a song that's chilling and sometime spasmic, while still mainting pop sensibilities. At 16 songs, Year Zero is almost as long as the Fragile (a double album), but its just an experience from beggining to end. I did'nt know Trent Reznor could still make albums this enthralling, and it makes me very excited for the future of Nine Inch Nails.
Key Track: Me, I'm Not
It kind of upsets me that I'm pretty much the only person who thinks this is the best song on the album. It feels tough to pick a favorite track on an album that works so much better as a sum of its parts, but Me, I'm not is such a great song I had to choose it. The creeping, steady bass notes, a tripped out beat, and a very different vocal style for Trent just makes me love this song for some reason. In my mind I keep telling myself "In this Twilight" or "Vessel" is a better song.. but my heart yearns strongest for "Me, I'm not"

I can't even believe this isn't my number one pick of the year, but there is one more album that was simply on a greater level than anything else I listened to this year.

1: Panda Bear- Person Pitch

If you ever frequent Tinymixtapes.com or the dreaded pitchforkmedia, you've probably heard the hype about Person Pitch. It deserves every ounce of praise it gets and more. The first time I listened to this album it was terrible- what are these random industrial noises? Why does he have to soak everything he sings in a thick layer of reverb? Why the hell is this song 12 minutes? All those of those questions were answered by the third or fourth time I listened to it. Person Pitch is an intimate experience- this is not music you would ever listen to with other people. I could'nt endlessly replay the songs on this album like I did for say Era Vulgaris or In Rainbows. It's an easy album to simply stick as background music- there is alot of seemingly random noises on this album, like the crackling paper in "Take Pills". And sometimes it even veers into ambient territory. But this is an album that really requires your full attention to appreciate. Panda bear, otherwise known as Noah Lennox, is the drummer for Animal Collective. He wanted to make an album that would capture the "warmth of the Portugal sun". There are few things I could say about Person Pitch that would describe it more accurately than that term. This is a warm album. It feels like the warm summer sun, and it feels like a warm fire on christmas eve, and it's warm like the spring sun shining on you on the sidewalk. All of the odd inconsisties of this album will eventually make perfect sense, and it's beauty will shine like the Portugal sun.
Key Track: Bros
It really is hard for me to describe why a song like "Bros" is so great. Clocking in at over ten minutes, it never ceases to amaze me how effortlessly the minutes melt away.

DISAPPOINTMENTS OF 07 (oh no!)

The Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
ok, this is by no stretch of means a BAD album. But it was terribly, terrible boring compared to their first album. And the only strong single that I enjoyed was "Black Mirror".

Radiohead- In Rainbows Disc 2
No, I'm not disappointed that it sucked, because it didnt. But it does contain the song "Bangers and Mash", which has absolutely no place on a B sides collection :(

No Franz Ferdinand
ok, its now slated for next summer, so I can be hyped now. But it's been too long ;-;

Interpol- Our Love to Admire
two strikes interpol.

Voodoo fest
I didnt get to go :|

White Stripes- Icky Thump
Once again, not a bad album.. but it's completely by the numbers white stripes, and is a downfall from the innovation they showed on get behind me satan.

Rage Against the Machine
Full reunion tour with no talks of a new album? come on now.

The Smashing Pumpkins- Zeitgeist
this one was actually quite close to making my top 10. But looking back it really wasnt the amazing album I thought it would be.

LOL CONNECTIONS
BattlesArctic MonkeysFavorite Worst NightmareFavourite Worst NightmareMirroredGrindermanGrindermanNo Pussy BluesTegan and SaraThe ConAnimal CollectiveAnimal CollectiveStrawberry JamStrawberry JamBetween the Buried and MeBetween The Buried And MeColorsRadioheadIn RainbowsQueens of the Stone AgeEra VulgarisNine Inch NailsYear ZeroPanda BearPerson Pitch