Presenting for your list-reading pleasure...
I'm jumping on the "Top Albums of 2007" list-making bandwagon. Since, y'know, everyone else is doing it. Which is kind of the defintion of jumping on a bandwagon. Anyway, behold:
Cat's Top Ten Albums of 2007:
10. Radiohead, In Rainbows - Although I am by definition a Radiohead 'dabbler', I have to give these guys props for sneaking off and making an album without telling anyone, releasing it solely online for whatever people care to pay for it, and having it still end up as one of the most talked-about albums of the year. It's like that guy in the subway station with the guitar and the scarf winning a Grammy-- you have to love it.
9. Iron and Wine, The Shepherd's Dog - Speaking of sneaking off and making albums, Iron and Wine has released another album in the genre of We Have To Play Really Quietly So That We Don't Wake Mom Up. It still calls to mind cabins in the woods, light frost on the ground, and bearded woodsmen. Some people might complain that this is what Iron and Wine does with every album, but I say that if it sounds good, what's the problem?
8. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse always gives off the impression that they have something really important to tell you, but are too worked up and socially awkward to get the words out coherently. But they do it with a lot of enthusiasm, so it's hard to walk away.
7. The Polyphonic Spree, The Fragile Army - The Polyphonic Spree may actually be a cult, with their enormous band, white robes and idealistic songs, but they're an especially friendly cult, so it's hard to get worried. Like many albums on this list, I'm not sure what they're talking about, or how exactly they're emitting those noises, but it's extremely good music to listen to on the El on the way to work, because you get off of the train feeling reassured.
Bonus!
7.5 Math and Physics Club, Baby, I'm Yours - This one is included as a bonus item because it doesn't exactly count, due to it being an EP and only 4 tracks long. The 4 songs are pretty good, though, and while they don't exactly leave you feeling happy, they do leave you thinking about people that you had a crush on a long time ago, which is not a feeling you have every day. If you do have this feeling everyday, you should either seek help or join a twee band.
6. They Might Be Giants, The Else - They Might Be Giants are finally getting back to what they do best: trying to invent sentences that no one has ever said before, and setting these sentences to music. You learn about history and neurology and God only knows what else by the time the album is over, which feels like about 20 minutes but is actually longer due to science.
5. Buckman Page, Truth in Millions - Part youthful idealism, part gentle pretension, part rhythm section, Buckman Page has taken the best bits from The Search For Steve Six and made them extremely danceable. While it may not warrant getting your dancing shoes out of storage, it's ideal music for nodding your head a lot, swaying back and forth a bit, and singing along in an enthusiastic fashion. And because I am biased, here is a link to their myspace so that you can check them out for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
4. Ben Lee, Ripe - I have just started listening to Ben Lee recently, and I am extremely cross that I can't include Awake is the New Sleep on this list (it was released last year and I missed it), but Ripe is pretty darn good too. This is also good music for the El, but better suited for listening to on the way home because it tends to fill you with a melancholy that would be ill-suited for working conditions.
3. Art Brut, It's a Bit Complicated - Art Brut is back and proving once again that you don't need to be able to sing to make an album, as long as you have a lot of heart and a lot of records from early British punk. They sing songs that you can identify with, such as living in a bad apartment or trying to interrupt your make-out session so that you can turn up a good song on the radio. It would be easy to sympathise with the lead singer's plight, except that every picture of him seems to have the facial expression of someone who is imagining you in your undies, and not altogether satisfied with the results.
2. Josh Ritter, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter - I was very surprised to learn that this album was released this year, because Josh Ritter seems to give off the impression that all of his music dates from around 1921, in a small town out West. I can imagine Josh Ritter and Sufjan Stevens sitting in the dining car of a train, discussing the American Dream. The best song on the album, though, is a relative anachronism from the rest of the songs: "The Temptation of Adam," which is about two people who fall in love while working in a nuclear missile silo, and one of them is tempted to start a nuclear war in order to keep their lover from leaving. It's pretty, but incredibly creepy, as Josh Ritter sings this song as though he is trying to whisper it in your ear while you are asleep.
1. of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - I'm not 100% certain, but I think the answer to that question is "No." This album appears to be composed of patriotic songs from a robot war in the future, and I sometimes wonder what the rest of the band thought as Kevin Barnes played these songs for them the first time. Probably the same thing that the rest of us think when we listen to this album: "What is a 'controller sphere'?" I'd blather more about this album, but the actual story of what is purportedly going on is about 20 times weirder than anything I could come up with.
I've also included a Bonus List!
Cat's Top Ten Albums that She Wished She Had Gotten A Chance to Listen to in 2007:
10. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
9. Various Artists, Soundtrack to Across the Universe
8. Stars, In Our Bedroom After the War
7. Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta!
6. Joseph Arthur, Let's Just Be
5. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
4. The Bird and the Bee, The Bird and the Bee
3. Apples in Stereo, New Magnetic Wonder
2. The Shins, Wincing the Night Away (which I actually have listened to some of, but not the entire album)
1. Barenaked Ladies, Barenaked Ladies Are Men
What about you? I'd love to hear your lists.
Cat's Top Ten Albums of 2007:
10. Radiohead, In Rainbows - Although I am by definition a Radiohead 'dabbler', I have to give these guys props for sneaking off and making an album without telling anyone, releasing it solely online for whatever people care to pay for it, and having it still end up as one of the most talked-about albums of the year. It's like that guy in the subway station with the guitar and the scarf winning a Grammy-- you have to love it.
9. Iron and Wine, The Shepherd's Dog - Speaking of sneaking off and making albums, Iron and Wine has released another album in the genre of We Have To Play Really Quietly So That We Don't Wake Mom Up. It still calls to mind cabins in the woods, light frost on the ground, and bearded woodsmen. Some people might complain that this is what Iron and Wine does with every album, but I say that if it sounds good, what's the problem?
8. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse always gives off the impression that they have something really important to tell you, but are too worked up and socially awkward to get the words out coherently. But they do it with a lot of enthusiasm, so it's hard to walk away.
7. The Polyphonic Spree, The Fragile Army - The Polyphonic Spree may actually be a cult, with their enormous band, white robes and idealistic songs, but they're an especially friendly cult, so it's hard to get worried. Like many albums on this list, I'm not sure what they're talking about, or how exactly they're emitting those noises, but it's extremely good music to listen to on the El on the way to work, because you get off of the train feeling reassured.
Bonus!
7.5 Math and Physics Club, Baby, I'm Yours - This one is included as a bonus item because it doesn't exactly count, due to it being an EP and only 4 tracks long. The 4 songs are pretty good, though, and while they don't exactly leave you feeling happy, they do leave you thinking about people that you had a crush on a long time ago, which is not a feeling you have every day. If you do have this feeling everyday, you should either seek help or join a twee band.
6. They Might Be Giants, The Else - They Might Be Giants are finally getting back to what they do best: trying to invent sentences that no one has ever said before, and setting these sentences to music. You learn about history and neurology and God only knows what else by the time the album is over, which feels like about 20 minutes but is actually longer due to science.
5. Buckman Page, Truth in Millions - Part youthful idealism, part gentle pretension, part rhythm section, Buckman Page has taken the best bits from The Search For Steve Six and made them extremely danceable. While it may not warrant getting your dancing shoes out of storage, it's ideal music for nodding your head a lot, swaying back and forth a bit, and singing along in an enthusiastic fashion. And because I am biased, here is a link to their myspace so that you can check them out for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
4. Ben Lee, Ripe - I have just started listening to Ben Lee recently, and I am extremely cross that I can't include Awake is the New Sleep on this list (it was released last year and I missed it), but Ripe is pretty darn good too. This is also good music for the El, but better suited for listening to on the way home because it tends to fill you with a melancholy that would be ill-suited for working conditions.
3. Art Brut, It's a Bit Complicated - Art Brut is back and proving once again that you don't need to be able to sing to make an album, as long as you have a lot of heart and a lot of records from early British punk. They sing songs that you can identify with, such as living in a bad apartment or trying to interrupt your make-out session so that you can turn up a good song on the radio. It would be easy to sympathise with the lead singer's plight, except that every picture of him seems to have the facial expression of someone who is imagining you in your undies, and not altogether satisfied with the results.
2. Josh Ritter, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter - I was very surprised to learn that this album was released this year, because Josh Ritter seems to give off the impression that all of his music dates from around 1921, in a small town out West. I can imagine Josh Ritter and Sufjan Stevens sitting in the dining car of a train, discussing the American Dream. The best song on the album, though, is a relative anachronism from the rest of the songs: "The Temptation of Adam," which is about two people who fall in love while working in a nuclear missile silo, and one of them is tempted to start a nuclear war in order to keep their lover from leaving. It's pretty, but incredibly creepy, as Josh Ritter sings this song as though he is trying to whisper it in your ear while you are asleep.
1. of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - I'm not 100% certain, but I think the answer to that question is "No." This album appears to be composed of patriotic songs from a robot war in the future, and I sometimes wonder what the rest of the band thought as Kevin Barnes played these songs for them the first time. Probably the same thing that the rest of us think when we listen to this album: "What is a 'controller sphere'?" I'd blather more about this album, but the actual story of what is purportedly going on is about 20 times weirder than anything I could come up with.
I've also included a Bonus List!
Cat's Top Ten Albums that She Wished She Had Gotten A Chance to Listen to in 2007:
10. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
9. Various Artists, Soundtrack to Across the Universe
8. Stars, In Our Bedroom After the War
7. Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta!
6. Joseph Arthur, Let's Just Be
5. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
4. The Bird and the Bee, The Bird and the Bee
3. Apples in Stereo, New Magnetic Wonder
2. The Shins, Wincing the Night Away (which I actually have listened to some of, but not the entire album)
1. Barenaked Ladies, Barenaked Ladies Are Men
What about you? I'd love to hear your lists.