2007 in Review (Part 1)
Greetings readers and friends! It is Boxing Day, and once again I celebrate by beginning my Top 10 Albums countdown. Tonight I bring you albums 10-7. Tomorrow night brings 6-4, Friday 3-2, and Saturday (or Sunday) the big winner! This format allows me to devote more space to raving about my more favorite albums without creating huge monster text wall entries. Anyway, let's get to the music, shall we? Tonight I bring you delightful pop-rock styles from around the World! And by World I mean the US and also Canada.
#10: Tegan and Sara - The Con
Aw man Tegan and Sara, you two really did a number on me with this one. I must admit I sometimes do not take these adorable Canadian twins seriously, because they sing a lot about emotions in ways that heterosexual men are sometimes uncomfortable with. But this time either they did it so dang good that I couldn't help but get into the act and sing along like I was a weepy lesbian after a breakup, or I am just becoming a big old softie. In either case this album is full of exciting jams and riveting sadness-and-anger-coated lyrics. Sometimes they sound a little angsty or emo, but dang these girls just have a way with sincerity.
Favorite Song: Nineteen
Man the chorus in this song is just delivered with such intensity. You cannot help but twitch a little. Towards the end, man, it just lingers a little and then she says "I was NINETEEEEEEEEEN" and the guitar in the background kind of freaks out. It's intense.
#9: Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
This girl Jenny Lewis has just about the prettiest voice. Honestly this is kind of a silly album. It's just a bunch of songs about love and breakups and whorin' and such. I mean I'm sure plenty of albums have been written on the subject, but none of them have been sung as well as Jenny Lewis sings them. Just about every song has a perfect chorus, and she lets her voice do all sorts of pretty things. Rilo Kiley is a cool band, and I'm glad they're here to back up Jenny Lewis. I mean, her solo album was great, but her band really funks things up a lot, which is nice. You can dance to these songs just fine. Maybe even strip!
Favorite Song: Under the Blacklight
This is a hard choice because every song is just super. But hearing this song's chorus is just like listening to a magical diamond angel sing about unicorns. What the heck is this song about? Most of her songs are really easy to understand. But sometimes it's like, ok, what does a blacklight have to do with anything Jenny. Whatever.
#8: The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City
The Fiery Furnaces are doing things right again. This is great. They have figured out what it means to be The Fiery Furnaces. No more of this backwards-singing nonsense and old ladies. I mean I never stopped loving these guys but they had some bumps in the road. Their stuff was more weird than awesome for a while, and now it is as awesome as it is weird again. They make beautiful pop songs and screw with them just enough. That is what I want them to do. Good job, The Fiery Furnaces. Keep mashing guitars together and singing about Egypt for some reason.
Favorite Song: Clear Signal From Cairo
I don't know why I like this song so much. It has like three lyrics. But it's just so brilliant! It's like the epitome of The Fiery Furnaces magic. This could be a lullaby. But they chopped it up and stuck a bunch of jammy hard rock guitars and weird drum loops in there. And now it is a rock anthem or something. I don't know! But it's charming.
#7: Iron and Wine - The Shepard's Dog
Don't be turned away by this album's inarguably spooky cover, this is very pretty music. Though to be honest it is a bit spooky. This Sam Beam fellow has a way of making things pretty when they shouldn't be. Last time he did it with singing about dying. This time he, well, I don't know. I haven't really had the time to figure out what the heck he's singing about most of the time. But it's kind of ethereal and creepy, like a haunted bridge that goes across a small brook and you are thinking "why is there a bridge here I could just step over the brook." But there you go over the bridge and you can smell things with your eyes. And you are thinking "this shouldn't be!" But you keep walking because now you are covered in spiderwebs and they catch the raindrops. And it's pretty OK.
Favorite Song: Carousel
This song is like something you could fall asleep to or wake up to. You would be happy either way. It is just really soothing. You would be dreaming about very soft flowers and birds.
There you have it! I hope you are satisfied!
#10: Tegan and Sara - The Con
Aw man Tegan and Sara, you two really did a number on me with this one. I must admit I sometimes do not take these adorable Canadian twins seriously, because they sing a lot about emotions in ways that heterosexual men are sometimes uncomfortable with. But this time either they did it so dang good that I couldn't help but get into the act and sing along like I was a weepy lesbian after a breakup, or I am just becoming a big old softie. In either case this album is full of exciting jams and riveting sadness-and-anger-coated lyrics. Sometimes they sound a little angsty or emo, but dang these girls just have a way with sincerity.
Favorite Song: Nineteen
Man the chorus in this song is just delivered with such intensity. You cannot help but twitch a little. Towards the end, man, it just lingers a little and then she says "I was NINETEEEEEEEEEN" and the guitar in the background kind of freaks out. It's intense.
#9: Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
This girl Jenny Lewis has just about the prettiest voice. Honestly this is kind of a silly album. It's just a bunch of songs about love and breakups and whorin' and such. I mean I'm sure plenty of albums have been written on the subject, but none of them have been sung as well as Jenny Lewis sings them. Just about every song has a perfect chorus, and she lets her voice do all sorts of pretty things. Rilo Kiley is a cool band, and I'm glad they're here to back up Jenny Lewis. I mean, her solo album was great, but her band really funks things up a lot, which is nice. You can dance to these songs just fine. Maybe even strip!
Favorite Song: Under the Blacklight
This is a hard choice because every song is just super. But hearing this song's chorus is just like listening to a magical diamond angel sing about unicorns. What the heck is this song about? Most of her songs are really easy to understand. But sometimes it's like, ok, what does a blacklight have to do with anything Jenny. Whatever.
#8: The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City
The Fiery Furnaces are doing things right again. This is great. They have figured out what it means to be The Fiery Furnaces. No more of this backwards-singing nonsense and old ladies. I mean I never stopped loving these guys but they had some bumps in the road. Their stuff was more weird than awesome for a while, and now it is as awesome as it is weird again. They make beautiful pop songs and screw with them just enough. That is what I want them to do. Good job, The Fiery Furnaces. Keep mashing guitars together and singing about Egypt for some reason.
Favorite Song: Clear Signal From Cairo
I don't know why I like this song so much. It has like three lyrics. But it's just so brilliant! It's like the epitome of The Fiery Furnaces magic. This could be a lullaby. But they chopped it up and stuck a bunch of jammy hard rock guitars and weird drum loops in there. And now it is a rock anthem or something. I don't know! But it's charming.
#7: Iron and Wine - The Shepard's Dog
Don't be turned away by this album's inarguably spooky cover, this is very pretty music. Though to be honest it is a bit spooky. This Sam Beam fellow has a way of making things pretty when they shouldn't be. Last time he did it with singing about dying. This time he, well, I don't know. I haven't really had the time to figure out what the heck he's singing about most of the time. But it's kind of ethereal and creepy, like a haunted bridge that goes across a small brook and you are thinking "why is there a bridge here I could just step over the brook." But there you go over the bridge and you can smell things with your eyes. And you are thinking "this shouldn't be!" But you keep walking because now you are covered in spiderwebs and they catch the raindrops. And it's pretty OK.
Favorite Song: Carousel
This song is like something you could fall asleep to or wake up to. You would be happy either way. It is just really soothing. You would be dreaming about very soft flowers and birds.
There you have it! I hope you are satisfied!