my top albums of 2007 #10-01

10

Menomena - Friend And Foe
Menomena has been on the rise since the release of this fantastic album. The music is fresh, the lyrics are witty, and there's lots and lots of saxophone.
TLOBF review

09

Jamie T - Panic Prevention
This was one of the first 2007 releases that I heard. And it's barely left my playlist since.

08

Babyshambles - Shotter's Nation
Ah, yes, my love affair with this album is still going strong.
My review

07

LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
Soooooooooooooooooo good. And it became even better after seeing James Murphy & co. open for The Arcade Fire at Red Rocks earlier this year.
TLOBF review

06

Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
Brilliant.
My review

05

The New Pornographers - Challengers
I know I said it before, but the first four tracks of this album are about as close to perfection as any band can get. I put off listening to this one for a while because I feared it would not be too good. Obviously that was not the case... :)
TLOBF review

04

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon, self-released For Emma, Forever Ago back in July, creating quite a buzz in certain corners of the blog-world. Luckily for me I've got a friend in one of those corners who introduced me to it. In the meantime, Justin's been signed by Jagjaguwar and the album will be re-released in February. I'm definitely thrilled that I got my hands on a self-released copy early on... them things are gonna be rare. As for the album, it just may be good enough to land on next year's list too...

03

Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Well, this should come as a surprise to NO one... ;)
My review

02

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird indeed achieved the impossible by making an album even better than The Mysterious Production Of Eggs.

01

The National - Boxer
The National and Andrew Bird were pretty much battling all year for the #1 spot. The National clinched it with a stellar performance at the Ogden back in September. Boxer is just an amazing album...
TLOBF review

So there it is. I have to say I'd be hard-pressed to find any other year where my top 50 albums are not just good, but exceptional. I hate to say it, but I'm ready for a break in 2008... :)

menomena coming back through colorado

^Boyscout'n.

Still touring behind their magnificent album Friend And Foe, Menomena has been upgraded from the Hi-Dive to the Fox Theatre! Quite a promotion. I wish we were getting Illinois too... sigh.

07-22 Portland, OR - Edgefield Amphitheater !
09-01 Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot
10-26 Boise, ID - Neurolux
10-27 Salt Lake City. UT - Kilby Court
10-28 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
10-30 St. Louis, MO - Billiken Club
10-31 Nashville, TN - Exit/In *
11-02 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder *
11-03 Orlando, FL - Social *
11-04 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbit's*
11-06 Washington, DC - Black Cat *
11-07 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church *
11-08 Hanover, NH - Dartmouth *
11-09 Boston, MA - Paradise *
11-10 New York, NY - Webster Hall *
11-12 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *
11-13 Toronto, Ontario - Mod Club *
11-14 Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig *
11-15 Chicago, IL - Metro *
11-16 Grinnell, IA - Grinnell College *
11-17 Minneapolis, MN - Varsity Theater *

! with the Decemberists
* with Illinois

revenge of the band nerds

What's that? You play the baritone sax in the marching band and think you can never be cool? Well, here's what you do - get a couple of friends: one drummer and one fellow multi-instrumentalist (preferably also a computer geek), and form a band. Name said band after a quasi-obscure Muppets reference (click that link, seriously), and there you go. Oh, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to also write great songs, have some seriously charismatic stage presence, and receive Pitchfork reviews of your first three albums = 8.7, 7.9 and 8.5, respectively. Yeah, couldn't hurt.

So I kind of crapped out on the Maria Taylor show at the Hi-Dive last night. It was flippin' cold and I was tired, and... well, I have no good excuse really. Which is not to say that it wasn't flippin' cold (and snowing!) tonight when I headed for the Hi-Dive and Menomena. But then again, Menomena has released an album this year that will almost certainly land in my top 20, and while Maria Taylor's new one (Lynn Teeter Flower) is nice, it's not nearly of the same caliber of Menomena's Friend And Foe.

As per usual, I missed the first band and got to the Hi-Dive about 10 minutes before Constellations took the stage. Upon arriving (and even moreso when I left at the end of the show) I was struck by the feeling that I was extraordinarily lucky this show didn't sell out (I neglected to take advantage of early sales...). The place was pretty packed. So I got me a PBR and made my way toward the front of the stage, where oddly there was plenty of room.

Constellations were good. Danceable, engaging, they made the time pass. Of course, after Menomena's set, it's a bit difficult to even recall the opener. Oh yeah, they were that good. I'd like to say that I'm at a loss for words about how fabulous the show was, but I'm really never at a loss for words. Menomena were phenomenal (hee hee); on top of what was a great show anyway, the fans were... well... just so fucking nice. If I could carry tonight's Menomena crowd with me to every show I ever attend, I'd be in heaven. I had a really sweet spot in the second row, between stage left and center. And still the guy in front of me asked me mid-show if I wanted to stand in front of him. I was floored, but as I was really happy with my view, I turned him down. The only thing that could have been mildly annoying were the repeated shouts for Justin to "take his pants off". Late in the set the woman right next to me mixed things up and yelled for him to take his shirt off. Without missing a beat, he retorted with "you take YOUR shirt off!". Touche. Awesome.

I was bummed to learn that this was Menomena's third time playing Denver... I only heard about them this year with their release of Friend And Foe. Though I'm not the only one it would seem - Justin made a point of mentioning that tonight wasn't at all like their previous visits and that they played to about a dozen people at Larimer Lounge last year.. Apparently I'm not the only Pitchfork whore in town... :)

Here's the set:

The Pelican
Weird
Wet And Rusting
Twenty Cell Revolt
Muscle'n Flo
Strongest Man In The World
My My
Boyscout'n
Cough Coughing
The Late Great Libido
Ghostship
Evil Bee
Rotten Hell
"this officially marks the most awkward "encore" performance in history"
Trigga Hiccups
The Monkey's Back

It's true, they played an encore. As encore as it can get at the Hi-Dive anyway (the only escape from the stage is directly into the audience). Tonight marks the first time EVER that I've seen someone play an encore at this club. Maybe because it's Saturday, maybe because the show was 21+, maybe because tomorrow (errrr, today I guess) is Easter and Jesus would have wanted Menomena to play an encore... Whatever the reason, it was really really great to get a couple extra songs out of these guys.

the best of 2007... part 1

I can't believe we're 3 months into the "new" year already. And even more, I can't believe the abundance of amazing stuff that the music gods have bestowed upon us in those 3 months. I thought I'd put together a little tracklist of some of the best new music that 2007 has given us so far... well, OK, maybe not so "little". It's about 90 minutes of pure awesomeness that goes something like this:

01 - The Apples In Stereo - Can You Feel It?
02 - Deerhoof - +81
03 - LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
04 - The Broken West - Down In The Valley
05 - Apostle Of Hustle - Chances Are
06 - Of Montreal - A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger
07 - Menomena - Air Aid
08 - CYHSY - Mama, Won't You Keep Them Castles In The Air...
09 - Illinois - Nosebleed
10 - Modest Mouse - Spitting Venom
11 - The Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
12 - The Besnard Lakes - Devastation
13 - Panda Bear - Take Pills
14 - Beirut - Scenic World (Version)
15 - Andrew Bird - Dark Matter
16 - Jamie T - Calm Down Dearest
17 - Dr. Dog - Worst Trip
18 - The Shins - Girl Sailor
19 - Papercuts - Take The 227th Exit
20 - A Sunny Day In Glasgow - 5:15 Train
21 - Do Make Say Think - A Tender History In Rust

download it! (download will only be good for a couple of weeks... if you have trouble let me know).

And because I like lists (who doesn't?!?) here are the top 10 albums of my year so far... based almost solely on the amount of times I've listened to them (no ranking order here, rather alphabetical by album title):

The Besnard Lakes - Are The Dark Horse:
Canadian indie rock, I love you. Seeing these guys (and gal) live recently cemented this one in the first quarter's Top Ten.

Favorite tracks: Disaster; Devastation; Cedric's War











Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha:
Andrew has achieved the impossible and topped The Mysterious Production Of Eggs. Beautiful album.

Favorite tracks: Fiery Crash; Plasticities; Dark Matter












Menomena - Friend And Foe:
Very original, very fresh sound from these crazy guys. Buy the CD, the artwork is insane.

Favorite tracks: Muscle'n Flo; Air Aid; Boyscoutin'












Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?:
If, or rather, when you buy this one, I highly recommend getting the vinyl version, as it includes 4 incredible bonus songs. Insound has it. You need it.

Favorite tracks: Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse; A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger; The Past Is A Grotesque Animal; Du Og Meg (lp bonus track)








The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible:
Anthemic sophomore effort from yet another amazing Canadian band. I love love love this album.

Favorite tracks: Keep The Car Running; Intervention; (Antichrist Television Blues)











Jamie T - Panic Prevention:
I just can't get enough of this young Londoner's debut album. I'm not really sure why, but every time I listen to it I'm overcome with the feeling that this is the album the Arctic Monkeys should have made... Brilliant.

Favorite tracks: Calm Down Dearest; Back In The Game; Sheila; Dry Off Your Cheeks; Alicia Quays

Yeah, I love it.







Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder:
So far SLT wins the 2007 award for most polarizing album of the year. From what I've read and heard, people either love it or hate it. Fuck those haters, this album is a masterpiece.

Favorite tracks (if I have to pick just a few...): Some Loud Thunder*; Mama, Won't You Keep Them Castles In The Air And Burning?; Yankee Go Home; Underwater (You And Me); Five Easy Pieces (and, if you can get your hands on the bonus track The Sword Song, do it - it's beautiful)

*I chose the title track as a favorite because (a) I fucking love the song but perhaps even more because (b) it seems to be the most polarizing track on this already polarizing album. If I had a nickel for every time I heard/read someone ask "is is supposed to sound like that?"... well, I'd probably have enough nickels for a mortgage payment. I firmly believe that Alec Ounsworth doesn't do anything without oodles of forethought, and I most definitely count myself among his biggest fans. I admire CYHSY for making the music they want to make, and for not giving a shit about what people think of them. CYHSY is not for everyone, I know. But they should be. Think about it.

LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver:
I've never been hugely into the whole electronica-dance-rock thing, but I love this album. A marvelous follow-up to the eponymous debut.

Favorite tracks: North American Scum; Someone Great; All My Friends; Watch The Tapes










Dr. Dog - We All Belong:
Hearing this album for the first time sent me into a Dr. Dog phase where I listened to nothing else for a few days. We All Belong is their best effort yet. Try it, you'll like it. Oh - and another amazing live band by the way.

Favorite tracks: Old News; My Old Ways; Ain't It Strange; Worst Trip










The Shins - Wincing The Night Away:
There are a couple of clunkers on here, but the indie pop brilliance of the rest of the album more than makes up for them. I don't care what anyone says, Wincing is just as good as Oh, Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow. Fantastic.

Favorite tracks: Australia; Phantom Limb; Turn On Me; Girl Sailor









Some more albums that are certainly worth a listen:

!!! - Myth Takes
A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Scribble Mural Comic Journal
Apostle Of Hustle - National Anthem Of Nowhere
The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
The Bees - Octopus
Beirut - Lon Gisland EP
The Bird And The Bee - The Bird And The Bee
Bracken - We Know About The Need
Bright Eyes - Four Winds EP
The Broken West - I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
David Vandervelde - The Moonstation House Band
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Deerhunter - Cryptograms
Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History In Rust
The Earlies - The Enemy Chorus
The Early Years - The Early Years
El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead
Explosions In Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Field Music - Tones Of Town
Foreign Islands - Restart Now!
The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
Gruff Rhys - Candylion
Illinois - What The Hell Do I Know?
Jesse Malin - Glitter In The Gutter
Jesu - Conqueror
Lifetime - Lifetime
Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir
Low - Drums And Guns
Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower
Marnie Stern - In Advance Of The Broken Arm
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
The Original Mark Edwards - The Doom Loop
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Papercuts - Can't Go Back
Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
The Ponys - Turn The Lights Out
Pop Levi - The Return To Form Black Magick Party
The Postmarks - The Postmarks
The Rakes - Ten New Messages
Richmond Fontaine - Thirteen Cities
Shining - Grindstone
Softlightes - Say No! To Being Cool; Say Yes! To Being Happy
Sophia - Technology Won't Save Us
Ted Leo + Pharmacists - Living With The Living
VietNam - VietNam
Warm In The Wake - Gold Dust Trail EP

Quite a list, eh? And those are only the albums released by 3/31/2007. There are some upcoming albums that I've been enjoying that'll probably make it on part 2's tops list (Blonde Redhead, Bright Eyes, Cloud Cult, The National, Voxtrot, Wilco - I'm looking at you!). Yay 2007!