Best of 2007

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:27 pm

cgarges wrote:Yeah, but is it loaded with Yamaha SPX90 reverbs

O-M-G! Did I just catch you saying something bad about an SPX 90!!?!??!?!?
Thats it, we are not speaking...

palinilap · Post by **palinilap** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:29 pm

Feu Therese - Ca Va Cogner (Constellation band. Former members of Fly Pan Am. The album has a really cool French vibe to it)

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Really unique album. In class of it's own)

Health - s/t (Great noise rock band in the vein of Liars)

Sunburned Hand of the Man - Fire Escape (Psychedelic heaven)

Levon Helm - Dirt Farmer (Musically, not the most interesting stuff I've ever heard, but it's pretty damned inspiring to see a guy in his 70's come back from throat cancer and his studio burning down to releasing a really solid album. He'll always be one of my favorite drummers and singers)

Antelope - Reflector (Pseudo krautrock recorded by Ian Mackaye. Love the sound of it)

bojangles · Post by **bojangles** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:47 pm

gotta give a shoutout for White Rabbits... who pretty much came out of nowhere with a pretty damn mature sound

zachary · Post by **zachary** » Tue Dec 04, 2007 11:58 pm

the shining path - s/t
robert wyatt - comic opera
pink reason - cleaning the mirror
ainotamenishis - live '418
blues control - s/t
acid mothers temple - crystal rainbow pyramid
zelienople - his / hers
andrew bird - armchair apocrypha
frog eyes - tears of the validictorian
castanets - in the vines

top 10 of 2007 in no particular order.

carlsaff · Post by **carlsaff** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 5:53 am

Recycled_Brains wrote:
carlsaff wrote:
Recycled_Brains wrote:Grails - "Burning Off Impurities"
I'm partial to this one.
great job on that one Carl. they're my favorite band right now. i was fortunate enough to see them play live in Brattleboro, VT a couple weeks ago and my girlfriend and i spoke with Emil for quite a while about music and recording. hell of nice guy.

-ryan

Thanks! And I agree -- great guys, great musicians. I'm incredibly lucky to have opportunities to work with both Grails and Emil's other project, Holy Sons. They are making some excellent music. Both should have new releases next year, by the way.

cashed checks · Post by **cashed checks** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 7:51 am

2007 I'd Recommend:

(in no particular order)
-Queens of the Stone Age "Era Vulgaris" each of their records is their 'best' in one regard or another, so this is their best.
-Andrew Bird "Armchair Apocrypha" - it was hard hearing this as a 'new' record or collection of songs as i'd heard them all live several times prior to purchase. the new version of 'Scythian Empire' is worth the price of admission.
-Qui "Love's Miracle" - uuuhhmmmm.....do you like to rock out? yes? buy it.
-Eleni Mandell 'Miracle Of Five' - great voice, hilarious lyrics (in a good way). saw her as an opener. she played a great live set and i was an instant fan.
-Japanther "Scuffed Up My Huffy" - fun fun fun punk rock. a big plus: one of their songs reminds me of the "fruity oat-y bar" jingle from the movie "Serenity."
-Menomena "Friend and Foe" - I had been on the fence about Menomena, thinking that I was more attracted to the production of the record than the songs. Just caught them live where they surpassed any expectations i may have had. i am a fan. they win for best album art of the year, hands down.
-Howe Gelb "Return To San Pedro: Upside Down Home 2007" - more Howe. you either like him or you don't. most don't.
-White Stripes "Ikcy Thump" - enjoyable listen although i haven't listened to it in months. it's more of the same but it catches me as 'fresh' on this go around for some reason.
-jesus lizard dvd - i try not to be nostalgic, but the JL will always have a spot in my heart.

2007 Records I've Bought But Am Still On The Fence About:

-Soulsavers "It's not how far you fall, it's the way you land" - not enough originals. should have been an EP.
-Goon Moon "Lickers Last Leg" / too many clunkers get in the way of the good stuff
-Deerhoof "Friend Opportunity" - just hasn't stayed in the player much
-El-P "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" - low tolerance for hip hop for the past few years. have to be in the right mood.
-Radiohead "in rainbows" - only have it because it was free. i really only like 'amnesiac' by them anyways. not a superfan.
-Battles "mirrored" - ok live band, no desire to listen to the cd anymore.

2007 Records I Have Yet To Purchase But Want To Check Out:

-grinderman
-neil young "at massey hall" cd/dvd
-big business - here come the waterworks
-dungen - sounds like more the same... do I need this record?
-elope '9 distilled dreams' (their records can be hard to track down.... usually import only... had an EP out on Man's Ruin a few years back)
-iron and wine - haven't heard it yet, liked the collaboration with Calexico
-PJ Harvey "white chalk" - would need to hear it first. loved her last.
-kinski 'down below it's chaos'
-black lips 'good bad not evil' (people have told me I'd like this, although I've never heard them)
-animal collective 'strawberry jam' (luv the song and video for Peacebone)

A Few Older Records I've Bought This Year That I'd Recommend:

-Olivia Tremor Control "Black Foliage"
-Mark Lanegan "I'll Take Care Of You" (covers record)
-Smog "Doctor Came At Dawn" + "Supper"
-Groundhogs "Who Will Save The World?"
-Chrome "Alien Soundtracks" + "Half Machine Lip Moves"

FNM · Post by **FNM** » Wed Dec 05, 2007 2:26 pm

Witchcraft - The Alchemist.

Came out not too long ago, but definitely my favorite of the year.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:18 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:it's the original mixes. i've never heard the remakes. fortunately.

I know a lot of people our age who've never heard the originals.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 11:58 am

cgarges wrote:
MoreSpaceEcho wrote:it's the original mixes. i've never heard the remakes. fortunately.
I know a lot of people our age who've never heard the originals.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Chris, are you saying that the mixes WITHOUT the spx 90 on them are actually BETTER?

Impossible. I refuse to believe it.

thieves · Post by **thieves** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 12:28 pm

i still have yet to make a list, but two albums that blew me away this year production-wise were:

spoon - ga ga ga ga ga
kevin drew - spririt if...

The Spoon record just sounds like everything Jim Eno ever wanted to do studio-wise with this band finally came together. It sounds so much cleaner and clearer than most everything else. It sounds both like a band playing in a room and a creative mixing masterpiece all at once. The Kevin Drew record just has that same blown-out sound as the last Broken Social Scene record, I was really surprised to find out that it wasn't produced by Dave Newfeld, it sounds like they learned a thing or two from him.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Thu Dec 06, 2007 9:23 pm

joel hamilton wrote:Chris, are you saying that the mixes WITHOUT the spx 90 on them are actually BETTER?

I'd like to use this opportunity to take advantage of my 5th Amendment rights.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 3:31 pm

cgarges wrote:
joel hamilton wrote:Chris, are you saying that the mixes WITHOUT the spx 90 on them are actually BETTER?
I'd like to use this opportunity to take advantage of my 5th Amendment rights.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Thats cool, I thought you had just stopped talking to me. Taking the 5th is at least the american way of not talking to me, so I guess its cooler...

i am monster face · Post by **i am monster face** » Sat Dec 08, 2007 6:43 pm

Modest Mouse
The Good Life
Britney Spears

For some reason, I went from one album to the other without listening to much else new stuff.

Say what you want about the spears stuff, but the production is awesome.

Ian

mjau · Post by **mjau** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 7:33 am

Forgot to mention Cat Power's The Greatest (can't remember if it was 07, but I got it this year, so whatever). Love the whole vibe on that album.

Also, just got Bonnie Prince Billy's Ask Forgiveness, which is great. Not the best thing I found this year, but my favorite thing right now.

liftyrfists · Post by **liftyrfists** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:09 pm

My two cents:

Panda Bear - Person Pitch (album of the year in my opinon. Unique in every manner (he made this album on two Dr. Samples, ah!) and leagues above Strawberry Jam I'd say...)

Feu Therese - Ca Va Cogner

Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History in Rust - They just seem to get better each time. I don't know how

Vic Chesnutt - North Star Deserter (Yes these last three are from Constellation records...amazing stuff!)

Akron/Family - Love is Simple

Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim - Though it's not entirely an album exactly, it does really stand on its own and has reminded me why they blew me away in the first place...the film "Heima" is amazing as well I might add.

Cloudland Canyon - Silver Tongued Sisyphus

The Field - From Here We Go Sublime - AMAZING "minimal techno", or whatever you want to call it, album off of Kompact. It's really quite a thing to take a quarter of a measure from a Lionel Richie song and turn it into this

A Hawk and a Hacksaw - A Hawk and a Hacksaw & the Hun Hungar Ensemble

Fire on Fire - S/T (From the members of Cerberus Shoal)

Jens Lekman - Kadervaagen 13.D (something like that, I don't remember the spelling exactly) - This was available for download if you purchased Jens' album "Night Falls over Kortedala", and in my opinon is much better than the proper release. Mr. Lekman is very sincerely one of my favorite artists, such intimate and up-lifting songs, but I was very disappointed with "Night Falls...". This little digital release was just Jens and a looper in his empty apartment...find it if you can!)

====================================

Also, I haven't listened to it yet, but I've just ordered Burial's new album "Untrue", which I've heard some amazing things about. Anyone have anything to say about this one?

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Best of 2007

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