Rekkids Of The Year 2007
As I sat at work trying to work out my record of the year list, the thought of “this hasn’t been a good year for music” slowly started to slip from my mind, to be replaced by the thought of “this hasn’t been a great year for music”. When I started to compile the list below I thought I’d struggle to make a top 10. It turned out to be really easy and I had a list of 31 records that I liked. But “liked” is as far as I could go with most of them; back in 2005 I loved most of the top 10 and it was a great year for music in my opinion, yet this year I think that most of the top 10 is good but very little of it is great. For example, I think any of my top 4 from 2005 would have beaten the number 1 this year.
Saying that, I think the number 1 is really good, and the fact that it has survived so many obstacles to make number 1 kind of proves this.
Anyway, on with the show…
The 2007 Record Of The Year List
Honourable mentions…
I liked some records in 2007 that didn’t make the top 20. I obviously didn’t like them that much.
They are the latest from Animal Collective, The Manic Street Preachers, Interpol, Malajube, Super Furry Animals, Holy Fuck, Rufus Wainwright, David Ford, The Go! Team and Deerhoof.
One thing that has muddled up this list is that there are some records which only came out in the UK (officially) in 2007, but that I’m fairly sure I first heard in 2006. The Thermals, Andrew Bird, Deerhoof? When did I first hear these guys? I need a new award. Here it is…
The Inaugural (And Hopefully Last) “What Year Did You Come Out Oh Record That I Liked?” Award
Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha.
It feels like I’ve been listening to this for years but I still really like it.
Numbers 20 to 10 (and a six word synopsis)
20. Klaxons – Myths Of The Near Future
Not rave. But fun. Review here..
19. Miracle Fortress – Five Roses
Staring out of the window again.
18. The Thermals – The Body, The Blood, the Mind
What year did this come out?
17. Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position
Pixie. Liam and Dan’s dance moves.
16. !!! – Myth Takes
Groovy. Head nodding. Chk-Chk-Chk.
15. Liars – s/t
Liars have tunes, still bash skull.
14. The Apples In Stereo – New Magnetic Wonder
Joie de vivre. Big summer lollipop.
13. Battles - Mirrored
Relentless like pi. Bumph bumph bumph.
12. Mando Diao – Ode To Ochrasy
Swedish better than Libertines band.
11. LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
Still have fun in your thirties?
The Top 10…
10. The Shins – Wincing The Night Away
This summer was rubbish weather-wise. But I remember one sunny day (in July I think), when due to roadworks I was forced to drive home via the motorway. I had this album on in the stereo and I realised how strong it was. And whenever I listen to it I think of the one sunny day of 2007. And that’s probably a good enough reason to put it in the top ten. Plus, I think it’s good…which helps.
9. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
Already the winner of the inaugural “What Year Did You Come Out Oh Record That I Liked” award, it seemed wrong to leave it out of the top 10 nevertheless.
8. The National – Boxer
The relatively low placing of this album is actually my biggest disappointment of the year. For, regardless of how much I do actually like it, it’s just not Alligator. The songs are good, the lyrics are great but it just lacks that final something. Shouting, probably. It misses those moments when Matt Beringer explodes and screams his lungs out of his face. Still, it makes the top ten.
7. Mumm-Ra – These Things Move In Threes
This is the sort of record that would be littered throughout my top ten in the mid-nineties. As such, in 2007 it is some sort anomaly, a jangly guitar pop album with upbeat songs and choruses. But I can’t help myself and I’ve really enjoyed its upbeat over-polished guitar jingle-jangle. Sometimes it is all about the choonz.
6. Digitalism – Idealism
Doing the Indietron nights has kind of messed with my musical taste. I’ve always liked a bit of what I’ll call “indie dance” for want of a far better term. I’ve always enjoyed a bit of electronica and got quite into bands like Underworld back in the day. But, since I’ve been DJing and looking for upbeat tunes that people may want to hear whilst they’re boozing and laughing with mates, I’ve started to listen to – and like – more and more of it. There have been a few albums (such as Simian Mobile Disco) where I’ve thought a couple of tracks were “bazzin” but the rest were filler. And I doubt there will be a dancey album that will ever make me think “every track on here is ace!”, but there are a few (of which this is one) that contain more than enough “bazzin” tracks to make the top ten.
A really good soundtrack to a really good night out.
5. Dan Deacon – Spiderman Of The Rings
As 2007 has worn on I’ve become increasingly bored of the Indietron nights. There have been fewer of my friends there and the enjoyment of playing good records to people who might not have heard them is kind of wearing off. I could sit at home with friends and chat about Radiohead b-sides. It’d certainly be cheaper.
Anyway, in the last few months the most enjoyable part of the night is when I’ve put Dan Deacon on. There will always be one guy stood at the bar getting well into it, but mostly I’ll see the screwed up faces of people thinking “what is this shit?”. They’ll glance up at me and then try to drink their pint faster than usual.
But, I like Spiderman Of The Rings. A lot. It can occasionally give you a headache, especially early on when it’s relentless, but it’s fun, odd and intriguing. And it has those bits where it goes from a relatively slow BFM to super fast ba-da-da-da-da. I’m always a sucker for that.
4. Shy Child – Noise Won’t Stop
‘Drop The Phone’ by Shy Child is in my top three of songs I’ve ever played at Indietron nights. It’s an almost perfect electro-pop song. Although never quite matched on the album, there are still many other rather good songs, tunes that make me like them even though they are played by a guy using a keytar. Who’d have ever thought I’d love an album made by a guy playing a keyboard as a guitar. Menkel.
3. Radiohead – In Rainbows
Why aren’t you at number 1? Why aren’t you the greatest record ever made? This was always going to struggle against my unrealistic expectations, but if I struggle hard enough I can look at it objectively. It’s good (and sounds better when at full bit-rate) and with ‘Nude’ (a song that I’ve had in a different incarnation for years and even had on a minidisk compilation of Radiohead b-sides) has the one song this year that makes me want to weep into a keyboard, whilst chewing on the keys.
There are other really good songs on here though, ‘All I Need’ and ‘Reckoner’ especially.
2. Herman Dune - Giant
A review.
1. The Good, The Bad & The Queen – s/t
You know something isn’t quite right when your number 1 record of the year is the same record as chosen by Uncut magazine. You know something isn’t quite right when your number 1 record of the year came out way back in January. You know something isn’t quite right when your number 1 record of the year is essentially the umpteenth side project of a musician approaching middle age, who has decided to rope in some other middle-aged people to play in his band.
But all these factors which made me think “hmm, my favourite record of the year is hardly cool” still don’t alter the fact that this is the one album in 2007 that I have enjoyed the most.
Downbeat and melancholic, I gave it a slightly lower mark than it deserves in my review here.
Any other business. Yes, what else have I liked this year.
Film Of The Year
The Bourne Ultimatum – Frankly fucking exciting, it made me say “fuck yeah!” out loud in the cinema like a mental.
Live Music Experience Of The Year
Oneida at ATP Nightmare Before Christmas. Relentless, loud and exhilarating. It almost gave me a boner. Narrowly beat A Silver Mt. Zion at the April ATP who made me want to cry at 4pm on a Sunday whilst surrounded by grabbing machines and a child’s castle.
TV Programme Of the Year
I’d love to say it was the This Life special on the 2nd of January but it wasn’t. Without a doubt my favourite show of the year was Life On Mars, which rather pathetically made me cry my eyes out at the end.
