Sunday, 11 Nov 2007
Tis the season! I’m not sure which I dislike more…pumpkin pie, Christmas commercialism, New Year’s resolutions, or Top 10 lists. Regardless of how I feel about things, I have to deal with them.
Rough Trade recently published their Top 10 list of albums. There were a few I was unfamiliar with, so I thought I’d share the list and see what recommendations followed. If you’re loving it…let me know, please. Only 2 of their Top 10 albums are on my list, so I can’t help but wonder if I’m missing out?!
#1 Panda Bear - Person Pitch: A firm favourite in both Rough Trade Shops, that crosses all musical boundaries, when asked what this record sounds like Chris replied simple. take The Beatles ‘White Album’ and The Beach boys ‘Pet Sounds’ and it would sound like this…with owls.
MP3: Panda Bear - “Comfy In Nautica”
#2 Patrick Watson - Close To Paradise: This record spans experimental noise, cabaret guitar / piano pop, stripped down gospel, new orleans jazz, walls of noise and Beatles-like melodies.with a voice that sounds like the lovechild of Jeff Buckley and Nina Simone and instrumentation like a Balkans funeral waltz through Gotham City - as played by a 36 piece chamber orchestra it heralds the arrival of a major new talent.
MP3: Patrick Watson - “The Great Escape”
#3 Alela Diane - The Pirates Gospel: Alela Diane’s ‘Pirate’s Gospel’ plays like an autobiography of everything this remarkable young woman has experienced: a place where deep woods meet winding rivers; where rural traditions are not the curiosites of bourgeois hipsters, but rather, a way of life. Enchanting and endearing in equal parts, this album will endure long after this year is done.
MP3: Alela Diane - “The Rifle”
#4 Studio - West Coast: Two Scandinavians took elements of disco, krautrock , madchester, Lindstrom and The Cure and threw them back wrapped in a huge cosmic psychedelic masterpiece of a record. No.we didn’t think it would work either.but it does. in spades.
MP3: Studio - “West Side”
#5 Miracle Fortress - Five Roses: The debut album from Miracle Fortress is an album that you will fall in love with instantly. If Arcade Fire’s Win Butler didn’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders, loved The Beach Boys, sang beautiful harmonies and let Brian Eno produce, he might be capable of something as graceful and uplifting as Miracle Fortress’s debut.
MP3: Miracle Fortress - “Have You Seen In Your Dreams”
#6 Burial - Untrue: Burial returns with ‘Untrue’, a new record of weird soul music, which lovingly processes spectral female voices into vaporised r&b. It continues with the debut’s crackle-drenched yearning and bustling syncopations, haunted by the ghosts of rave, but also reveals a new upbeat energy. Huge crossover potential here ala Portishead or Massive Attack. A record to truely immerse yourself in.
MP3: Burial - “Archangel”
#7 LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver: After the dancefloor destruction of the first LCD set, James Murphy returns with Kraftwerk, Joy Division and Carl Craig all exploding out of these NYC built grooves, features some of his finest songwriting and production yet.
MP3: LCD Soundsystem - “All My Friends”
#8 Wooden Shjips - Wooden Shjips: Weed may have had something to do with the making of this record. juggernaut riffs, magic, smoke, psychedelia, repetition, volume and warmth, with a sound that evokes suicide, Loop, Spacemen 3, Guru Guru, The Velvet Underground and The Doors. Astonishing.
MP3: Wooden Shjips - “We Ask You To Ride”
#9 M.I.A. - Kala: Who ever said ‘difficult second album’ didn’t bank on Mia’s skills. Sliced up cuts of world funk all pressed into perfect pop music. From club bangers to Bollywood disco jams it’s all here. Perfect.
MP3: M.I.A. - “Mango Pickle Down River”
#10 Battles - Mirrored: This band features ex members of Don Cab and Helmet and offer post rock electronics from the future for you to enjoy now. These guys are musical mathematicians. You have never heard anything so complicated be so soulful and so much fun.
MP3: Battles - “Atlas”
November 12th, 2007 at 3:25 am
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Patric Wolf - The Magic Position
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
M.I.A. - Kala
Bill Callahan - Woke on A Whaleheart
Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars
The National - Boxer
Richard Hawley - Lady’s Bridge
Manic Street Preachers - Send Away The Tigers
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
Blonde Redhead - 23
LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
Robert Wyatt - Comicopera
Feist - The Reminder
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Suzanne Vega - Beauty & Crime
Perry Blake - Canyon Songs
Nico: The Frozen Borderline - 1968-1970
Interpol - Our Love To Admire
Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus!
Kylie Minogue - X
Puressence - Don’t Forget To Remember
Marc Almond - Stardom Road
Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Grinderman - Grinderman
Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted
Brett Anderson - Brett Anderson
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Sarah Nixey - Sing, Memory
November 12th, 2007 at 4:25 am
whoa whoa! how big is that list?? top ten (no order):
beirut: flying club cup
animal collective: strawberry jam
liars: liars
arcade fire: neon bible
the national: boxer
spoon: ga ga ga ga
cut off your hands: on blue EP
les savy fav: lets stay friends (was it this year?)
battles: mirrored
okkervil river: the stage names
November 12th, 2007 at 8:55 am
top 10# no particular order
1#Neon Bible
2#With Me- Siberian
3#Beta Male Fairytales-Bens Brother
4#Thirst For Romance-Cherry Ghost
5#Civil war-Fever Marlene
6#Version-Mark Ronson
7#Boxer-The National
8#Sound of silver-Lcd Soundsystem
9#Magic Position-Patrick Wolf
10#Raveonettes-Lush
November 12th, 2007 at 10:49 am
It’s nice to see Neon Bible getting the love it deserves. Knowing that 2 of our contributors don’t think much of it, this gives further validation that it belongs higher on our year end list than lower.
November 12th, 2007 at 11:47 am
So, my list is no particular order
lol
November 12th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
to be honest my top ten was in order,Neon bible is the crossover album arcade fire needed to make to give them a platform to move forward.In fact i think that more tracks are stand out than funeral excepting Rebellion/lies & Wake up.It goes back to that old chesnut for me.Everyone seems to want to slate a band as soon as they make a breakthrough.The music press sometimes seems a very fickle lot to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
November 12th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I can’t say I’ve changed my mind on Neon Bible one bit, but it’s not an awful album nor would I dismiss it just because it might be popular. After all, we all know I drift into Top 40 territory from time to time!
Some of my favs:
Blonde Redhead - 23
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Patrick Wolf - Magic Position
Liars - Liars
Simian Mobile Disco- Attack Decay Sustain Release
Kate Nash - Made of Bricks
The Rosebuds - Night of the Furies
Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature
MIA - Kala
November 13th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Seems that everone loves lcd soundsystem
November 13th, 2007 at 11:15 am
I noticed that too, Mark. Then again, how could you not love that album? Solid through and through.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:49 am
i just got around to reading some of the back content on the site as i’ve been out of town. i’m still mystified as to how Neon Bible is getting so much love. i listen to Funeral less now than when it came out, but when i do listen to it i’m awed at how powerful and diverse an album it is. driving south through Maine this weekend listening to it was perfect. Everytime i listen to it again, i’m further dumbstruck at the disparity between the two releases. i know it isn’t popular opinion, but that’s how i feel.
November 13th, 2007 at 11:51 am
also, LCD Soundsystem, while intriguing, i find to be rather boring. it’s not that i don’t like it, just that i can’t find myself ever wanting to listen to it all the way through. it’s worth another go though. a far cry from how i feel about Neon Bible.
November 14th, 2007 at 6:09 am
Studio - West Coast in Rough Trade’s top 10 is a total classic that not many people outside the indie shop circuit got. Fab.
November 14th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
[...] 14, 2007 by kcneon I noticed this weekend that Rock Sellout had posted Rough Trade’s Best of 2007 album list. Still working on mine, but have several [...]
November 15th, 2007 at 3:25 pm
you know what i love the fact that music is all about opinions,good job if not we would all be listening to kiss
November 19th, 2007 at 6:01 am
[...] via rock sellout. [...]
December 8th, 2007 at 8:01 pm
Nice. Miracle Fortress is also in my “Best of ‘07″ .
January 6th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Hey!…I found your site via Yahoo! when i was searching for kylie minogue album, and this post regarding s Top 10 Albums of 2007 really sounds very interesting to me.. Thanks.