(no subject)
Only one post the entire month of December.
I guess this does lend some credence to the claim of 'emojournal,' since I do only tend to write in here when things are going badly.
Things certainly have been going anything but badly for the month of December, between finals going well, getting to come home for Christmas, getting to spend time with Michigan friends in Orlando during the break, and having the usual great time at Manor Simpson for New Year's.
There are always little things to complain about (the amount of flying I'm doing this break, losing the bowl game, etc.) but in perspective the good has been far outweighing the bad for the last month and a half.
Here's to keeping that streak going through 2008.
And now, I attempt to sort through all the music I listened to in 2007 and come up with a top-ten list. If you don't want to read me foaming at the mouth about music, avert your eyes. Or just don't click on the cut, either way.
10. Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
I never seem to be excited about QOTSA until just before one of their releases, and this one was no different. Lullabies to Paralyze was clearly a transition album (since Josh Homme had just fired his bassist, Nick Oliveri), so I expected a new, fresh Queens sound to appear, albeit something that probably wouldn't measure up to Songs For The Deaf. I wasn't disappointed. Stamped by a fuzzed-out production (the drums are particularly thuddy) and Homme's best guitar playing on record, this one even rivals SFTD in pure hard-rock fist pumping.
Track picks: Turnin' On The Screw, I'm Designer, Run Pig Run
9. The National - Boxer
I had seen Alligator on quite a few top-ten lists in 2005, but not enough to check out the National. Upon hearing Fake Empire, I resolved to check this one out ASAP. What really ties this one together is the rainy-day vibe of all the songs, underscored powerfully by Matt Berninger's distinctively drab voice. It's the lyrics and the tightness of the band behind the singer that rewards repeated listenings, though. It's a bit of a downer, no doubt, but definitely a strong statement by a band on the cusp of mainstream success.
Track Picks: Fake Empire, Start A War, Ada
8. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
James Murphy's decision to release his previous singles along with his first album kind of backfired on him, as the singles outshone the album by a considerable margin. This, though, answers any questions about Murphy's potential for albums. The pacing is immaculate, ranging from the typical LCD bangers to the more surprisingly subtle tunes, and the back-to-back of Someone Great and All My Friends are contenders for the strongest 15 minutes of the year. Blending rock and dance has never sounded this effortless for Murphy, and his improvement as a songwriter only raises hopes higher for the future.
Track picks: North American Scum, Someone Great, All My Friends
7. Kanye West - Graduation
This is a little disappointing for Kanye, for whom great music comes as easily as breathing, it seems. Let it never be said, however, that he is musically stagnant; after the soul-filled College Dropout and the heavily orchestrated Late Registration, the synth overdrive of this record is surprising, but Kanye still brings his trademarks; slightly awkward rapping (although this is the best he's ever been as a rapper), layered production, and the left-field touches (is that a Can sample? Does he really have the nerve to quote 50 Cent word for word?) that make me chuckle at first and hook my ears for many more listens. Even as his worst album, Graduation stands tall as the best hip-hop release of the year.
Track Picks: Can't Tell Me Nothing, Flashing Lights, Everything I Am
6. The New Pornographers - Challengers
Fine, that may be the ugliest album art you've ever seen. Behind it, though, is the most personal and heartfelt NP album to date. Whereas their first 3 blasted you in the face with pop hooks until you were practically begging for mercy (in the best way possible), Challengers is more patient, drawing you in with gentle instrumental flourishes until you've found the songs stuck in your head just as reliably as ever. It says something when even Dan Bejar's off-the-wall weirdness is overshadowed by the other 3 (!!) vocalists' best moments. One of my favorite bands going, and this is among their strongest work.
Track Picks: My Rights Versus Yours, Challengers, Adventures In Solitude
5. M.I.A. - Kala
Another eyesore. Anyways, I was a bit puzzled when most people went nuts for Arular a couple years ago...the potential was there, obviously, but other than Galang, most of it seemed clattery and tuneless to me. Here, though, the production behind M.I.A. has advanced by leaps and bounds, constantly morphing into something a little more off-kilter and interesting. Maya herself has controlled her spastic delivery into something more energetic than schizophrenic, and her messages come across loud and clear as a result. The control behind this album has led to a much more engrossing and uncategorizable stew of styles. Nothing sounds like this album, and it's exciting stuff.
Track picks: Bamboo Banga, Boyz, Paper Planes
4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Every Spoon record whittles away at their sound a little bit more, and yet each one is more impactful than the one before it. How does this work? The core is as good as ever, and Britt Daniel continues to write enigmatic, forceful tunes. Nothing new may happen on this album, but it doesn't matter. They accomplish more over 36 minutes than most bands did over an hour. I'm finding it difficult to talk about it without resorting to platitudes. It's my favorite rock record of the year. The end.
Track Picks: The Ghost of You Lingers, You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb, The Underdog
3. Daft Punk - Alive 2007
I had to wonder about my critieria here. Can I put a live album in my top 10 for the year? I even considered placing it at 1. This seemed right in the end, though. After the huge misstep of Human After All, the robots go and TOTALLY REDEEM THEMSELVES. For those familiar with Daft Punk's catalog, this is the biggest treat of the year, as they go through their own catalog and mash up the best parts of it. Nothing quite beats the rush I get every time huge treble of one track is mated to the crushing bass of another, and there are so many moments like that through this album. Homework and Discovery are required listening before this, but you'll be glad you did.
Track Picks: Television Rules The Nation/Crescendolls, One More Time/Aerodynamic, Human After All/Together/One More Time/Music Sounds Better With You
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
No band in the world had more press directed their way this year than Radiohead, and rightly so. Announcing a record 10 days before its release? Unheard of. Giving it away for name-your-own-price? Inconceivable! Unless you're Radiohead. And it turned out that the album, as usual, was worth all the buzz. They haven't written songs this personal since The Bends, and the production still sparkles and brings out all the right textures to pull at your heartstrings at just the right time. They're clearly perfectionists about this stuff, and the result is their most consistent album since OK Computer.
Track Picks: 15 Step, Nude, House Of Cards
1. of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
I don't quite understand how this album works. It's incredibly depressing, yet it has the best pop melodies of the year (sorry, New Pornographers). It deals with Kevin Barnes' marriage breaking apart and his own spiral into depression and schizophrenia, but the textures are bright and disco-flavored. This constant war between extremes drives the album, and makes it fascinating. With two distinct halves, divided by a 12-minute rant about his troubles (the "transformation" from one identity to the other), it's a journey. It's Barnes' most ambitious album to date, and my favorite record of the year.
Track Picks: Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse, Gronlandic Edit, A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger
I guess this does lend some credence to the claim of 'emojournal,' since I do only tend to write in here when things are going badly.
Things certainly have been going anything but badly for the month of December, between finals going well, getting to come home for Christmas, getting to spend time with Michigan friends in Orlando during the break, and having the usual great time at Manor Simpson for New Year's.
There are always little things to complain about (the amount of flying I'm doing this break, losing the bowl game, etc.) but in perspective the good has been far outweighing the bad for the last month and a half.
Here's to keeping that streak going through 2008.
And now, I attempt to sort through all the music I listened to in 2007 and come up with a top-ten list. If you don't want to read me foaming at the mouth about music, avert your eyes. Or just don't click on the cut, either way.
10. Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
I never seem to be excited about QOTSA until just before one of their releases, and this one was no different. Lullabies to Paralyze was clearly a transition album (since Josh Homme had just fired his bassist, Nick Oliveri), so I expected a new, fresh Queens sound to appear, albeit something that probably wouldn't measure up to Songs For The Deaf. I wasn't disappointed. Stamped by a fuzzed-out production (the drums are particularly thuddy) and Homme's best guitar playing on record, this one even rivals SFTD in pure hard-rock fist pumping.
Track picks: Turnin' On The Screw, I'm Designer, Run Pig Run
9. The National - Boxer
I had seen Alligator on quite a few top-ten lists in 2005, but not enough to check out the National. Upon hearing Fake Empire, I resolved to check this one out ASAP. What really ties this one together is the rainy-day vibe of all the songs, underscored powerfully by Matt Berninger's distinctively drab voice. It's the lyrics and the tightness of the band behind the singer that rewards repeated listenings, though. It's a bit of a downer, no doubt, but definitely a strong statement by a band on the cusp of mainstream success.
Track Picks: Fake Empire, Start A War, Ada
8. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
James Murphy's decision to release his previous singles along with his first album kind of backfired on him, as the singles outshone the album by a considerable margin. This, though, answers any questions about Murphy's potential for albums. The pacing is immaculate, ranging from the typical LCD bangers to the more surprisingly subtle tunes, and the back-to-back of Someone Great and All My Friends are contenders for the strongest 15 minutes of the year. Blending rock and dance has never sounded this effortless for Murphy, and his improvement as a songwriter only raises hopes higher for the future.
Track picks: North American Scum, Someone Great, All My Friends
7. Kanye West - Graduation
This is a little disappointing for Kanye, for whom great music comes as easily as breathing, it seems. Let it never be said, however, that he is musically stagnant; after the soul-filled College Dropout and the heavily orchestrated Late Registration, the synth overdrive of this record is surprising, but Kanye still brings his trademarks; slightly awkward rapping (although this is the best he's ever been as a rapper), layered production, and the left-field touches (is that a Can sample? Does he really have the nerve to quote 50 Cent word for word?) that make me chuckle at first and hook my ears for many more listens. Even as his worst album, Graduation stands tall as the best hip-hop release of the year.
Track Picks: Can't Tell Me Nothing, Flashing Lights, Everything I Am
6. The New Pornographers - Challengers
Fine, that may be the ugliest album art you've ever seen. Behind it, though, is the most personal and heartfelt NP album to date. Whereas their first 3 blasted you in the face with pop hooks until you were practically begging for mercy (in the best way possible), Challengers is more patient, drawing you in with gentle instrumental flourishes until you've found the songs stuck in your head just as reliably as ever. It says something when even Dan Bejar's off-the-wall weirdness is overshadowed by the other 3 (!!) vocalists' best moments. One of my favorite bands going, and this is among their strongest work.
Track Picks: My Rights Versus Yours, Challengers, Adventures In Solitude
5. M.I.A. - Kala
Another eyesore. Anyways, I was a bit puzzled when most people went nuts for Arular a couple years ago...the potential was there, obviously, but other than Galang, most of it seemed clattery and tuneless to me. Here, though, the production behind M.I.A. has advanced by leaps and bounds, constantly morphing into something a little more off-kilter and interesting. Maya herself has controlled her spastic delivery into something more energetic than schizophrenic, and her messages come across loud and clear as a result. The control behind this album has led to a much more engrossing and uncategorizable stew of styles. Nothing sounds like this album, and it's exciting stuff.
Track picks: Bamboo Banga, Boyz, Paper Planes
4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Every Spoon record whittles away at their sound a little bit more, and yet each one is more impactful than the one before it. How does this work? The core is as good as ever, and Britt Daniel continues to write enigmatic, forceful tunes. Nothing new may happen on this album, but it doesn't matter. They accomplish more over 36 minutes than most bands did over an hour. I'm finding it difficult to talk about it without resorting to platitudes. It's my favorite rock record of the year. The end.
Track Picks: The Ghost of You Lingers, You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb, The Underdog
3. Daft Punk - Alive 2007
I had to wonder about my critieria here. Can I put a live album in my top 10 for the year? I even considered placing it at 1. This seemed right in the end, though. After the huge misstep of Human After All, the robots go and TOTALLY REDEEM THEMSELVES. For those familiar with Daft Punk's catalog, this is the biggest treat of the year, as they go through their own catalog and mash up the best parts of it. Nothing quite beats the rush I get every time huge treble of one track is mated to the crushing bass of another, and there are so many moments like that through this album. Homework and Discovery are required listening before this, but you'll be glad you did.
Track Picks: Television Rules The Nation/Crescendolls, One More Time/Aerodynamic, Human After All/Together/One More Time/Music Sounds Better With You
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
No band in the world had more press directed their way this year than Radiohead, and rightly so. Announcing a record 10 days before its release? Unheard of. Giving it away for name-your-own-price? Inconceivable! Unless you're Radiohead. And it turned out that the album, as usual, was worth all the buzz. They haven't written songs this personal since The Bends, and the production still sparkles and brings out all the right textures to pull at your heartstrings at just the right time. They're clearly perfectionists about this stuff, and the result is their most consistent album since OK Computer.
Track Picks: 15 Step, Nude, House Of Cards
1. of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
I don't quite understand how this album works. It's incredibly depressing, yet it has the best pop melodies of the year (sorry, New Pornographers). It deals with Kevin Barnes' marriage breaking apart and his own spiral into depression and schizophrenia, but the textures are bright and disco-flavored. This constant war between extremes drives the album, and makes it fascinating. With two distinct halves, divided by a 12-minute rant about his troubles (the "transformation" from one identity to the other), it's a journey. It's Barnes' most ambitious album to date, and my favorite record of the year.
Track Picks: Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse, Gronlandic Edit, A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger