Wednesday, December 5, 2007

top fizzle...with a little help from my friends (chad)

i really should have decided on a top ten list, because there were a lot of really good albums released in 2007. these are a few that i have really enjoyed. and i should note: i want to hear what your top five are in 2007 (leave some comments). this isn't one of those reviews where i tell you what you just HAVE to go out and get. these are just cds that have meant a lot to me in 2007. speaking of hearing what others have to say, attached to my list are the lists of two friends. jimmy richards (drummer for brighten) and linsday stranigan from the militia group (she seems to have a new job or at the very least, new responsibilities every month so i'm not quite sure her title).

5. iron & wine - the shepherd's dog (sub pop)
what a year for sub pop. they've had such a great year i bet emi is going to buy them out and wreck the label (i pray the emi rumors aren't true). i've enjoyed iron & wine for a while now (not as long as my wife though) and i was worried when i heard his new cd, was, well, different. and it is different, but it's quite good. real good. it's so good that i bought a ticket for his show in salt lake later this week. an expensive ticket (expensive for me is anything over $15). any fan of iron & wine need not worry, the shepherd's dog is as solid as any of his other releases. favorite song: carousel - it haunts me in all the right ways.

4. radiohead - in rainbows (independent)
there's a whole lot out about this lil' record and there honestly should be. what radiohead did with this album has already made waves through the industry and will be studied for years to come in every music business night class. not to mention they're doing what rock is all about: thumbing their noses to the industry and conventions and doing their own thing. good thing they've got the music to back it up. favorite song: jigsaw falling into place - in 15 years when my child hopefully asks me about radiohead, i can truthfully turn to this song as a classic example of what radiohead was all about.

3. surrogate - love is for the rich (tooth & nail)
full disclosure: i'm a friend of surrogate's lead singer chris keane and have a strong affinity for all of his creative endeavors. that said, love is for the rich is still deserving of being in anyone's top 5 list. i spent two weeks in africa this summer and i listened to this album up until the night my ipod died and stayed dead until arriving back on american soil (note: don't try to sync anything to a computer in west africa). what's my point: well it's december and i just spent a whole week with love is for the rich in my car's cd player. surrogate's music possesses a rare ability to remain timeless. i had most of the demos from love a full year ago and am still listening to it. and i'm a ridiculously hyperactive music listener. favorite song: stay out of the sun - if tooth & nail were smart (and they're not), they'd pitch this song to movie types and it would fit perfectly in any type of coming of age tale with an indie bend (zach braff take note).

2. andrew bird - armchair apocrypha (wegawam/fat possum)
i know i'm supposed to say that armchair isn't as good asbird's last album, the mysterious production of eggs, but i actually like armchair better. songs like fiery crash, heretics, and simple x help armchair pop in a way that eggs never did (i still love it though, don't get me wrong). the lyrics from the songs heretics ("thank God it's fatal, thank God it's fatal") may be some of 2007's best. favorite song: heretics.

1. band of horses - cease to begin (sub pop)
rather than spend time writing about cease to begin, i'll just skip that so that this post will be that much shorter, thus allowing you to get to a local cd store that much faster. if you already own it, then you know exactly why it's on the top of my list. favorite song: the general specific and islands on the coast. ben birdwell's musical charm goes far beyond satiating just southern fans with southern style: he paints a southern mythology that all of us would like to see and be involved in.

honorable mentions:

explosions in the sky - all of a sudden i miss everyone
eisley - combinations
kate nash - made of bricks or foundations (or anything that she released in 2007)
as cities burn - come now sleep - (i'm as surprised as anyone else)
brighten- king vs. queen - (this really should be in my top 5)
menomena - friend and foe - (i promise sub pop isn't paying me (but it wouldn't kill them to send a few pre-releases yeah?))

biggest let down of 2007

jimmy eat world - chase this light

watching jimmy eat world perform during halftime of the mls cup confirmed it: they're bored with making music and as a result are making boring music. if they can't even pretend to like their new album, why should i?

so there's my 2007. i'm going to likely write a follow-up next week with my favorite songs and also a look ahead for what's being released in 2008 (sneak preview: the new frontiers will be your favorite new band this time next year).

here's jimmy richard's (drummer from brighten) top 5 from 2007:

1. radiohead - in rainbows
2. copeland - eat, sleep, repeat
3. eisley - combinations
4. m.i.a. - kala
5. colbie calliat – coco

and here is lindsay's (militia group awesomeness) top 5 from 2007:

1. m.i.a - kala
2. radiohead - in rainbows
3. menomena - friend and foe
4. band of horses - cease to begin
5. feist - the reminder

honorable mentions:
lovedrug - everything starts where it ends
avett brothers - emotionalism
tegan and sara - the con
kanye west - graduation
beirut - the flying club cup

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sam "The Pop/Punk Kid" top 5:

Anberlin - Cities
This record is simply amazing. I've always enjoyed Anberlin, but this record really did it for me. It's the kind of record you love so much that it makes you enjoy everything in their back catalog so much more than you did before! It has everything; starting off with "Godspeed", which reminds of the first hard driving notes I heard from this band in "Readyfuels" off of their debut record, "Blueprints For The Black Market." After that, some straight up, dance worthy, and not to mention keyboard-driven pop songs, which make you want to get up and dance in the middle of the classroom where you are currently listening to "Cities" on your iPod. Then it has the beautiful, acoustic driven tracks ("Unwinding Cable Car" and "Inevitable") that cause you to stop everything and just listen to the amazing melodies of Stephen Christian. All in all, an amazing record that made my 2007 that much more memorable.

Saves The Day - Under The Boards
I will always and forever be a fan of what Chris Conely and the Saves The Day boys bring to the table. For if it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be where I am and doing what I am doing (which to the average view isn't saying much, but to me it is great). "Under The Boards" brings more of Conely's signature dark lyrics with amazingly poppy tunes. Some of these tracks ("Get F***** UP" and "Bye Bye Baby") are the catchiest songs I have ever heard! Not to mention one of the best ballads I have ever heard from Conely, "Stay." This album marks the second record in a trilogy Conely and STD are in the midst of putting together, and I can't wait to hear the big ending of the trilogy!

the next three records i will spare the review and simply say they all made me happy:
The Starting Line - "Direction"
Brighten - "King Vs. Queen"
Jimmy Eat World - "Chase This Light"

honorable mentions:
Deas Vail - "All The Houses Look The Same"
Between The Trees - "The Story and The Song"
Oh, Sleeper - "When I Am God"
Bastian - "Stay Queit"
The Fold - "Secrets Keep You Sick"

Biggest let downs:
The Almost - "Southern Weather"
Cartel - Self Titled
Emery - "I'm Only A Man"
Straylight Run - "The Needles, The Space"

thanks for listening to my two cents.

chad said...

sam that's about what i would have guessed. lawrence likes that saves the day a lot too. you definitely are the pop/punk kid!

lindsay anne said...

Nice Chad! Good to know we have such similar (and excellent) taste!

I totally forgot about Andrew Bird! SUCH a fantastic album. worth an honorable mention for sure.

Oh, and you can call me "Director of Marketing". At least that's what we're calling it these days. Who knows exactly what it MEANS...

:)

Anonymous said...

i didn't know you knew about kate nash! she's amazing, one of my fave albums of 2007 aswell!

chad said...

give tim all the credit on kate nash. he's either going to marry her or propose and then get served with a restraining order. go sherwood forest!

Anonymous said...

I can't just pick a top 5, but some of my most listened albums of the year are
-Menomena-Friend and Foe
-Mêlée-Devil's and Angels
-Dear & The Headlights-Small Steps Heavy Hooves
-Audrye Sessions-Braille
-Brighten-King Vs. Queen
-Stacy Clark-Apples and Oranges
-The Pledge Drive-Under The Eyes Of Eckleburg
-Alaska and Me-Actors EP
-The Summer Set-Love The Love You Have
-Zookeeper-Becoming All Things

and even though I haven't picked up a copy yet, I'll add The Lionelle Oh! The Company That We Keep! (because I love the songs I've already heard)

Anonymous said...

When are the 2008 shows coming?

Anonymous said...

radiohead - in rainbows
modest mouse - we were dead before the ship even sank
explosions in the sky - all of a sudden i miss everyone
circa survive - on letting go
minus the bear - planet of ice


-tate mcCallum-law from the lionelle........

Anonymous said...

Great list Chad! I agree with just about all the albums up here.

I personally think that Menomena - Friend and Foe should have switched with surrogate but thats just me.

I think the biggest let down from 2007 was We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Don't get me wrong the album had some good songs, Little Motel and Missed the Boat, but i was hoping it would be more like their old stuff.