Out with a bang? (vanessa) (plus top five list from Nathan Pettijohn, singer from The New Frontiers )

So I attempted this last night and went unsuccessful so I guess I’ll take another shot at it.
My list was extremely difficult to come up with, but I’ve made a few decisions on my top five.
The go from five to one (five being my least favorite, one being my all time favorite)

Feist – The Reminder
I am very much a fan of Feist’s new album. Albums in the past I felt were repetitive and almost annoying however The Reminder’s repetition was catchy and easy to listen to. I listened to every song all the way through and that is a huge step for me considering I have terrible music ADD. The down fall of this album, I’d have to say is the fact that 1234 is on every time I turn on the T.V. Favorite song of the album : Honey, Honey. Guilty pleasure : 1234

The Shins- Wincing the Night Away
This one was a definite favorite. In my opinion this album was just as amazing as any of the other albums. James Mercer’s unmistakable voice was easy to listen to. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the concert a while back and The Shins are just as good live as they are on CD. Favorite song on the album: Australia and Pam Berry (even if it is just an intro to the next song).

Tegan and Sara- The Con
Tegan and Sara, like the Shins, did it again. I enjoyed every song and listened to the album over and over again. The lyrics on the other had were a little weak, nonetheless, it was catchy and worth the twenty bucks I paid for it. Favorite song: I Was Married.

Andrew Bird- Armchair Apocrypha
It pains me to admit that I’m new to the Andrew Bird scene simply because I feel like I was so out of the loop before I listened to him. His new album is, for lack of a better word, amazing. The lyrics were stuck in my head for weeks and I caught myself humming the tune to Heretics (quite embarrassing when it happens in the middle of class). All I can say is nice work Andrew
Favorite song: Plasticities.

Eisley- Combinations
This album by far is the most compelling of the Eisley collection (mind you the "collection" is their EP and first album Room Noises). I’ve been an Eisley fan for as long as I can remember (since eight grade) and Combinations just made me love them even more. Forgive me for being dramatic but had they just stopped at Room Noises, there would have been a small part of my heart missing. This lyrics on this album said things I’ve only hoped to say but couldn’t.
Favorite song: I cant pick just one so I’ll go with least favorite. I’d probably have to agree with Ken and say that The Sea King’s Daughter was my least favorite, it didn’t seem to fit the rest of the album very well and I felt that it would have belonged better on a commercial or in a Disney short film.

Well, now that that’s over here is Nathan Pettijohn, (singer from The New Frontiers):

1. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
2. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
3. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
5. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Honorable Mention (in no particular order):

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
Blonde Redhead - 23
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Keven Drew - Spirit If...
Dolorean - You Can't Win
The Snake the Cross the Crown - Cotton Teeth
Moonbabies – Take Me To The Ballroom

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

the elite core. (keni)

my top 5 albums of 2007 along with brian little's (guitarist from vedera) top 5 at the bottom.

5. the chariot - the fiancée
my first impression of the chariot: "dear god. how can anyone listen to this?" however, after putting on the album after a pretty bad day that changed to "how can anyone not listen to this?" This music is, indeed, harder than most, but i find a better way to describe it is urgent and very calming. so suprisingly enough i fell in love with this album. favorite track: “the deaf policemen.”

4. eisley - combinations
i felt a faster, more upbeat sound was present on eisley's newest cd "combinations", but the beautiful vocals on eisley's first album, "room noises", carried over as well. only one song was out of place: "marsh king's daughter" had a peppy and (what could be described as) a disney feel to it. favorite track: “a sight to behold”.

3. brighten - king vs. queen
before i actually acquired this album it was all i could do to not listen to the four songs up on brighten's myspace over and over. along with their indie-pop music, clever lyrics such as "i am windows breaking in the airplane" kept me very interested. to sum it all up: i love the vocals, i love the sound, i love it. favorite track: “darling nicotine” or “treasure island.”

2. dead poetic - the finest
this album eased my indecision when trying to settle on only five from this year. it is a "best of" album from dp and includes tracks from all three albums. if i had a say in choosing the songs, i might have switched a few, but i feel the collection is pretty well put together and (for all you die hard dead poetic fans) an acoustic version of "in coma" and some demos are also included. favorite track: “glass in the trees.”

1. anberlin - cities
i know i'll probably get a lot of crap for putting this album as my number one, but anberlin gets a bad rep as "that band with the really old singer trying to dress like an indie kid." however, if it even means a thing, i am sticking up for them. you know the albums you buy, then play over and over until you know it completely? this was that album. i literally bought it and for days straight i played nothing else. perhaps it was just the time in my life that it came out, but i found cities to be inspiring and life changing. frontman, stephen christian, commented that this album had a self vs. self theme (and i'm paraphrasing to the best of my abilitly). it kept that familiar anberlin sound and as their third album out not only seemed more mature, but deeper as well. favorite track: “fin” or “reclusion.”

other albums i enjoyed this year (alphabetical, by band):

andrew bird - armchair apocrypha

the arctic monkeys - favourite worst nightmare
as cities burn - come now sleep
the cinematics – cinematics
dear and the headlights - small steps, heavy hooves
gregory and the hawk - in your dreams
lovedrug - everything starts where it ends
mayday parade - a lesson in romantics
maylene & the sons of disaster - II
the shins - wincing the night away
stars - in our bedroom after the war
straylight run - the needles the space
yeah yeah yeahs - is is ep

i think i got a little carried away…2007 was better than I thought.

as far as disappointments go, armor for sleep and their new album “smile for them” took the cake. “smile for the camera” was a catchy song (and the only one i really liked), but to me it wasn’t armor for sleep. maybe i should cut them some slack since “what to do when you are dead” has to be one of the hardest albums to follow up. another really disappointing album of 2007 was “santi” by the academy is… i stopped listening after “lax to o’hare.”

Brian Little's (Guitarist from Vedera) top 5 of 2007

1. Foo Fighters "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"
2. Radiohead "In Rainbows"
3. Iron & Wine "The Shepherds Dog"
4. Rogue Wave "Asleep At Heaven's Gate"
5. Stephen Marley "Mind Control"

tim thinks i'm daft

I think it's strange that Tim thinks I'm daft for NOT liking an old man prance around stage with a bandanna in his pocket singing about things that happened before we were born...

Last night I went to the Eisley/Mutemath show at Club Sound (Kendal and Vanessa were there). We all agree that Eisley were amazing and should probably headline their own tours. We disagree on Mutemath. Kendal loves them (encore and all) and Vanessa and I left early. Too much self-indulgent mass rock if you ask me. They're quite popular though and certainly hard working. At one point last year they like toured for eight straight months. And while I'm happy for their success, I guess I'm just old enough that I'm not super impressed by how crazy a live show is. Of course I'm almost 30 which means I'm no one's target market anymore.

On another note, there are simply too many great cd's out right now that i don't have money for. Maybe I can borrow money from Tim?