Best albums of 2007

[Ampage]

Matt Matt calling Matt......

A girl at work brought in Blackout and I gotta admit - the thing is dang catchy. Absolutely her best cd ever.

Talk to me Matt.....Matt.....Matt...............Buehler???

[Matheus]

I've tried telling people this, but no one listens... except you, apparently.

Not that I really expected anyone to.

What's your favourite track? Mine? Toy Soldier.

[Ampage]

I really do like them all but, Piece of Me, Radar and Get Naked are my faves. I love the delirious druggy drippiness of Get Naked.

[Matheus]

Yes! Get Naked is amazing!!! Second favorite. I love Break the Ice, too. That song is the best to sing to in the car, especially on snow days when I'm driving and trying not to die.

[Ampage]

I think I like Hot as Ice the best now.

Ahhh hooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Matheus]

Good tune, not my favourite, but definitely a good tune.

[Ampage]

The last one - whatever its called - is my least fave.

[Matheus]

It has grown on me, but Britney isn't known for the slow shit.

"Everytime" is an exception to that rule.

[Ampage]

Loved it! That was a great song. I guess it still is, lol.

So do you think she has multiple personalities like they are reporting now?

[Matheus]

Personally, I think she's fucking with people, but I could be wrong.

They say that all publicity is good publicity, and IMO, in a few years time if Britney came back on the scene "all better" she could sell a shitload of records.

Or she's fucking psycho. I think she has problems, but for some reason I don't think they're as severe as it is portrayed in the media. I think she has an idea of what she's doing.

[Ampage]

I think she has lost her shits. I mean, come on. Weird childhood, two births within a short time (major hormone problem, they really advise against that), and what sane mother would not want to see her kids? I think she needs major help and hope it doesn't get all Anna Nicole up in there.

[ScottsyII]

Multiple personality disorder...

I'm sure there's a dodgey shrink out there with dollar signs in his or her eyes loving this furore...

[RocDoc]

i cannot do these for shit but i dig reading other peoples' futile 'exercise' in throwing shit at the wall...

<sub>The Best Albums of 2008

By Jim DeRogatis on December 8, 2008 4:48 PM

If there is any up side to these dire, perilous and truly frightening economic times, it is this: History has shown us that music is one of the only things in life that seems to be recession- (and depression-) proof. In fact, it thrives in times of crisis.

Remember, the blues arose in part as a cathartic response to economic hardship. Jazz came into its own during the Great Depression. And some of the greatest sounds in the history of rock 'n' roll were made during bleak economic times, including the recession of the mid-'70s (which gave us punk) and the era of trickle-down economics in the mid-'80s (which gave us hip-hop and the first flourishing of indie rock).

Millions of words have been written in the new millennium about the precarious state of the music industry, and the digitally-induced seismic changes in the ways that music is distributed continued in 2008. A clear model for how the business will adapt still has not emerged. But that's the music business.

Through it all, the musicians themselves continued to create works of incredible depth, poignancy and artistry, just as they always have. And in the end, 2008 was as difficult a year to winnow it all down to a annum-closing Top 10 list as 1958, 1968, 1978 or any other "golden era" you'd care to name.

Here is my look at the 10 best albums of the last 12 months--any or all of which would make a great (and economical, even in these times) holiday present for the pop-music fan on your gift list--followed by the next 40 entries in my 2008 tally of recordings I'd grab if the house was on fire (regardless of whether or not they were still accessible in the Internet "cloud"). And remember that even if things don't get much better in 2009, we'll at least continue to find solace, inspiration or an outlet for our frustrations in music.


1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, "Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!" (Anti-)

The 14th studio album from the long-running Australian cult hero continued in the noisy, nasty mode of last year's self-titled effort by Grinderman, with just as much venom but with even funnier, smarter and more wonderfully twisted lyrics. If there was a more joyful raging against the machine in 2008, I didn't hear it. (My original review can be found here.)

2. David Byrne and Brian Eno, "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" (http://everythingthathappens.com)

More than a quarter of a century after their first collaboration on "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts," two of the most visionary artists in the history of rock came together again for an album that is stronger--a collection of instantly winning and familiar tunes in what Byrne called the "folk-gospel" mode. It's impossible not to be moved by its warm and optimistic vibes. (My original review is here.)

3. Vivian Girls, "The Vivian Girls" (In the Red)

This indie-rock trio from Brooklyn takes its name from the fantasy world created by the late Chicago outsider artist Henry Darger, and just as he captured a strange but intoxicating world of childhood innocence and burgeoning sexuality on canvas, this group brings those complex feelings to its melodic but edgy brand of rock, offering the perfect antidote to the Miley Cyrus/"Juno" bizarro world of young femininity so often seen in the media.

4. The Knux, "Remind Me in 3 Days" (Interscope)

This sibling duo relocated from New Orleans to Los Angeles in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and made one of the most inventive and playful hip-hop albums since the Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutique" or De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising," creating intoxicating and always surprising collages of gurgling analog synths, classic-rock guitar riffs, clattering percussion, lovably cheesy beat-box grooves, gleefully melodic hooks, gonzo sound effects, Valley Girl voiceovers and a thousand other ingredients (plus the kitchen sink). (My original review is here.)

5. Brazilian Girls, "New York City" (Verve)

Born in Rome, raised in Nice and Munich but so at home in the capital of American polyglot that her group has named its third album in the Big Apple's honor, singer Sabina Sciubba is both the alluring seductress and the threatening dominatrix as she navigates this Brooklyn trio's irresistible mix of space-age bachelor music, the pioneering synthesizer sounds of'70s legends Krautrock and the best of the current underground electronic dance scene. (My original review is here.)

6. Local H, "12 Angry Months" (Shout Factory)

From Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" to Marvin Gaye's "Here, My Dear," and from Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville" to... well, almost everything in the Rolling Stones' catalog, rock 'n' roll has never suffered from a shortage of great breakup records. Long-running local heroes Scott Lucas and Brian St. Clair made another that very much deserves to be named in such prestigious company--an instant classic that will speak to anyone who's ever endured gut-wrenching heartbreak. (My interview with Lucas is here.)

7. Saul Williams, "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!" (niggytardust.com/Fader)

Produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, the third album by this fiery political poet and rapper employs Reznor's minimalist industrial/electronic percussion as a wildly inventive musical backings for Wiliams' impressionistic lyrics surveying the ugly realities of life as an African-American in the new millennium. (My original review is here.)

8. Fleet Foxes, "Fleet Foxes" (Sub Pop)

The "baroque harmonic pop jams" of this Seattle quintet show a deep and abiding love of traditional British Isles folk music as well as the orchestral filigree of '60s West Coast pop a la the "Smile"-era Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The beautiful harmony vocals, killer melodies and entrancing vibe of songs such as "White Winter Hymnal," "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Your Protector" simply cannot be denied. (My original review is here.)

9. Kanye West, "808s & Heartbreak" (Roc-a-Fella/Def Jam)

Living with this album nonstop for four days as I struggled to write my review for the Sun-Times, I kept vacillating between 3 and 3.5 stars on the paper's 4-star scale; like many fans, I was thrown by how astonishingly different it is from the rest of West's work. But I just haven't been able to get it out of my head since, and with every listen, the poignancy of these personal tales of loss grows deeper, perfectly matched by the cold, lonely, robotic but nevertheless winning grooves that accompany them. Upon further reflection, it is a brave and daring 4-star effort that deserves to be heard by any fan of adventurous pop music. (My original review is here.)

10. Erykah Badu, "New AmErykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War" (Motown)

The first masterpiece of 2008, I wrote when this disc was released early this year, and the dark, soulful epic of self-reliance has lost none of its power in the months since. Think of George Clinton or Curtis Mayfield working in New Orleans with a sampler and the most diverse bands of their careers, and you'll still only be half way toward understanding the brilliance of what the queen of neo-soul has created. (My original review is here.)

And the next 40 (click on the titles to link to my original reviews):

11. TV on the Radio, "Dear Science" (DGC/Interscope)

12. Parts & Labor, "Receivers" (Jagjaguwar)

13. Jenny Lewis, "Acid Tongue" (Warner Bros.)

14. Spiritualized "Songs in A&E" (Fontana)

15. Sigur Ros, "Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust" (XL)

16. The Black Angels, "Directions to See a Ghost" (Light in the Attic)

17. Girl Talk, "Feed the Animals" (Illegal Art)

18. Gnarls Barkley, "The Odd Couple" (Atlantic)

19. Weezer, "Weezer" (Geffen)

20. Lou Reed, "Berlin: Live at St. Ann's Warehouse" (Matador)

21. Portishead, "Third" (Mercury)

22. Q-Tip, "The Renaissance" (Universal/Motown)

23. Rise Against, "Appeal to Reason" (DGC/Interscope)

24. Flight of the Conchords, "Flight of the Conchords" (Sub Pop)

25. Ladytron, "Velocifero" (Nettwerk)

26. Bob Dylan, "Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased, 1989-2006" (Columbia)

27. Moby, "Last Night" (Mute/EMI)

28. Lykke Li, "Youth Novels" (Atlantic)

29. The Gutter Twins, "Saturnalia" (Sub Pop)

30. Wire, "Object 47" (Pink Flag)

31. Randy Newman, "Harps and Angels" (Nonesuch)

32. Sons and Daughters, "This Gift" (Domino)

33. Death Cab for Cutie, "Narrow Stairs" (Atlantic)

34. Beck, "Modern Guilt" (Interscope)

35. Tim Fite, "Fair Ain't Fair" (Anti-)

36. Deerhunter, "Microcastle" (Kranky)

37. Shot Baker, "Take Control" (Riot Fest)

38. Tokyo Police Club, "Elephant Shell" (Saddle Creek)

39. Nine Inch Nails, "The Slip" (nin.com)

40. Alejandro Escovedo, "Real Animal" (Back Porch)

41. Sia, "Some People Have Real Problems" (Hear Music)

42. Joan as Police Woman, "To Survive" (Cheap Lullaby)

43. Darker My Love, "2" (Dangerbird)

44. AC/DC, "Black Ice" (Columbia)

45. King Khan and the Shrines, "The Supreme Genius of King Khan" (Vice)

46. Disfear, "Live the Storm" (Relapse)

47. Super Furry Animals, "Hey Venus!" (Rough Trade)

48. Black Mountain, "In the Future" (Jagjaguwar)

49. Amy Ray, "Didn't It Feel Kinder" (Daemon)

50. Madonna, "Hard Candy" (Warner Bros.)</sub>



...some interesting stuff to look into.

already snatched up that disfear based on greg kot's writeup...listening in the next coupla days.

and ftr i do notnotNOT get fleet foxes appeal in the least.

they're the 2008 update of the up-with-people singers.
over-homogenized brian wilson pastiches....yuck.

[RocDoc]

for the above:

blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2008/12/the_best_albums_of_2008.html

~

<sub>Originally posted: December 11, 2008

Top albums of 2008
Tens of thousands of albums are released each year. How to narrow down that avalanche to a list of a few favorites? That’s one of the most pleasurable challenges any music fan has at year’s end, including yours truly.

This year’s list could’ve easily been several times longer. But when forced to choose, I used the most time-tested method I know: These are the records that I kept returning to the most in 2008.

Top albums:

1. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Dig!!! Lazarus, Dig!!! (Anti): The poet laureate of post-punk raves on with black humor and sharper hooks than ever.

2. Torche, “Meanderthal” (Hydra Head): All the power of metal without the excess, and brimming with monster hooks.

3. Vivian Girls, “Vivian Girls” (In the Red): Homespun girl-group harmonies and plaintively sweet melodies lurk within the cathartic din.

4. TV on the Radio, “Dear Science” (DGC/Interscope): Inventively dense production lightens just enough to let the melodies breathe and the rhythms bounce.

5. Q-Tip, “The Renaissance” (Universal Motown): After nearly a decade away, his smoky tone and agile flow remain as remarkable as ever.

6. Parts & Labor, “Receivers” (Jagjaguwar): Towering anthems from one of America’s best and most underrated rock bands.

7. Portishead, “Third” (Mercury): The U.K. trip-hop pioneers return after a decade, this time surrounding the sweet despair of Beth Gibbons’ vocals with more turbulent music than ever.

8. Rhymefest, “Mark Ronson Presents Rhymefest: Man in the Mirror, The Michael Jackson Dedication Album” (rhymefest.com): Blatantly unauthorized samples make for the best album Michael Jackson never made, with lots of help from one of his biggest --- and most talented --- fans.

9. Fleet Foxes, “Fleet Foxes” (Sub Pop): You could build a cathedral inside the Seattle quintet’s lustrous harmonies.

10. David Byrne and Brian Eno, “Everything That Happens Will Happen Today” (Todomundo): A pair of old friends make a melodically rich gospel album, with disturbing undertones.

And the next 10:

11. No Age, “Nouns” (Sub Pop)

12. Kanye West, “808s and Heartbreak” (Roc-A-Fella)

13. The Knux, “Remind Me in 3 Days” (Interscope)

14. Frightened Rabbit, “The Midnight Organ Fight” (Fatcat)

15. Toumani Diabate, “The Mande Variations” (World Circuit/Nonesuch)

16. Love is All, “A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night” (What’s Your Rupture?)

17. Alejandro Escovedo, “Real Animal” (Back Porch/Manhattan)

18. Santogold, “Santogold” (Downtown)

19. Randy Newman, “Harps and Angels” (Nonesuch)

20. Jenny Lewis, “Acid Tongue” (Warner Brothers)


[e-mail]



leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/12/top-albums-of-2.html</sub>



...and looking for torche...

[maarts]

Maarts' extended plays for 2008:

1. Steven Wilson- Insurgentes
2. Sigur Ros- Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
3. Black Angels- Directions To See A Ghost
4. Toumani Diabate- The Mande Variations
5. M83- Saturdays = Youth
6. Electric President- Sleep Well
7. No-Man- Schoolyard Ghosts
8. Johann Johannson- Fordlandia
9. Opeth- Watershed
10. Goldfrapp- Seventh Tree
11. Alejandro Escovedo- Real Animal
12. Brian Eno/David Byrne- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
13. Atlas Sound- Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
14. Portishead- Third
15. Fleet Foxes- Fleet Foxes
16. Bon Iver- For Emma Long Ago
17. Black Mountain- In The Future
18. Lindsey Buckingham- The Gift Of Screws
19. Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu- Gurrumul
20. MGMT- Oracular Spectacular
21. David Bridie- Succumb
22. TV On The Radio- Dear Science
23. All India Radio- Fall
24. Fuck Buttons- Street Horrsing
25. The Tumbled Sea- Songs From the Tumbled Sea