michaelpop: My year in music.

Canadian Tuxedo Optional (

michaelpop) wrote,
@ 2007-12-26 09:16:00

My year in music.
Since I don't listen to music on my computer, I don't have a fancy system in place to log what I listen to the most; my lo-fi method involves keeping tabs on which records live in my car the longest, and of those, which ones I continued to reach for time and time again. There were a few records released this year that I know I would've enjoyed but for whatever reason I just never got around to hearing (such as In Rainbows, because I lack the technical prowess to obtain music online, unless it involves eventually receiving a disc in the mail. But hey, this means that it'll possibly make it on next year's list.) and other records that I enjoyed to some degree but started listening to too late to really absorb (like the Jens Lekman and Les Savy Fav records). Anyway, enough exposition. Here's the list. My tastes are still as middle-of-the-road as ever!

My Favorite Records of 2007:

20 - The Veils, Nux Vomica
19 - Electrelane, No Shouts No Calls
18 - Black Lips, Good Bad Not Evil
17 - Arcade Fire, Neon Bible

16 - The New Pornographers, Challengers
15 - Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
14 - Grant-Lee Phillips, Strangelet
13 - Kanye West, Graduation

12 - Pop Levi, The Return to Form Black Magick Party
11 - The Rosebuds, Night of the Furies
10 - !!!, Myth Takes
09 - Klaxons, Myths of the Near Future

08 - The Long Blondes, Someone to Drive You Home
07 - LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver
06 - Arctic Monkeys, Favourite Worst Nightmare
05 - Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

04 - Lily Allen, Alright, Still
03 - Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
02 - The National, Boxer
01 - The Avett Brothers, Emotionalism

(Post a new comment)

	beckon_you_on 2007-12-26 06:21 pm UTC (link)
	Re: in rainbows... click, download zip file, save to computer? or will the mafia fire you? :P hahaha (Reply to this)(Thread)

	michaelpop 2007-12-26 06:32 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, I know, how easy. But I can't "rip" it to a CD. So whatever, it comes out next week anyway. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	businesscasual 2007-12-26 06:55 pm UTC (link)
	Man, I didn't like that Spoon record as much as I thought I was going to. And you know I LOVE them hoes. Also, nice to see that Black Lips record on your list. It was my favorite record of the year! (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-26 08:47 pm UTC (link)

Really? I thought that Spoon record was a real Spoon fan's Spoon record. I never warmed to Gimme Fiction so this one was like a return to their funky roots.

I had no idea what Black Lips sounded like before getting the record. I thought that since they're on Dim Mak that they'd be hardcore or something, but they were all psych-garage-rock which was a very pleasant surprise. And I think they put out two records this year!

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	so_gracefully 2007-12-26 07:43 pm UTC (link)
	it is actually miraculous that i have listened to three new releases this year. i still listen to mostly "the classics". and by that i pretty much mean the records released 5 years ago by the same bands i liked 5 years ago and haven't gotten sick of. 3. spoon, ga ga ga ga ga 2. maritime, heresy & the hotel choir 1. OMG THE SHINS WHAT ELSE, WINCING THE FREAKING NIGHT AWAY (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-26 08:41 pm UTC (link)

If I could make Wincing the Night Away half an album it would be in my top-10. I listened to the first five songs on that record A LOT but the rest disappointed. I definitely liked those songs more the more I listened to them, but not enough. But those first five songs are fantastic!

I think every year makes me pine harder for "the classics". Seriously, I still rock Regretfully Yours at least once every couple of weeks. The stuff I listened to when I was 17-22 will always have a very special place in my heart.

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	ghostwaltz 2007-12-26 08:17 pm UTC (link)
	your top 3 is similar to my top 5. also, i didn't even know the rosebuds had a new one!!! that's exciting, i'll have to check it out. ALSO, where is the andrew bird? c'mon, michael. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	michaelpop 2007-12-26 08:44 pm UTC (link)
	Yeah, the Rosebuds! They went for a synth-heavy 80s sound, with danceable and moody results. Uh, I actually never got around to that Andrew Bird record! All year I meant to pick it up but never did. Same with Iron & Wine. OOPS. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	lilypads 2007-12-26 08:59 pm UTC (link)
	I really adore Sky Blue Sky. I got to see Wilco live for the first time at the Santa Barbara Bowl this year and it was really a fun show with the combination of those songs and the old stuff. also, I love that you'll admit your love for Lily Allen. ;] (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-27 06:41 pm UTC (link)

The only time I got to see Wilco was at Coachella a couple of years ago. I'd love to see them in a slightly more intimate venue, though. They're definitely one of my all-time favorite bands. I love how laid-back and pretty the new record is. I listened to it a lot when I needed soothing.

I can't deny how much I loved that Lily Allen record. That was the soundtrack to the first quarter of my year.

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baltimorerain
2007-12-26 09:50 pm UTC (link)

I am feeling the Avett Brother love--I was hoping they'd make it onto someone's top ten list this year; I should've guessed it would've been yours since our aural tastes are so similar. Also, I didn't know that Grant Lee Philips came out with an album this year; I'll have to check that out.

I don't know if you've heard the Everybodyfields or not, but they're on the Avett Brothers's label, and I think you'd like them. There's a few really good songs on their latest album.

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michaelpop
2007-12-27 06:49 pm UTC (link)

I think I have most of the Avett Brothers' discography at this point, but Emotionalism is still my favorite record of theirs. The older stuff is good too, but this one hits me in all the right places. Thank you a million times over for the recommendation.

Though they've been good in their own ways, I haven't really loved the past couple of Grant-Lee Phillips records; my favorite post Grant Lee Buffalo record is still Mobilize, and this one sounds like its cousin.

I haven't heard the Everybodyfields, but I'll check 'em out.

Oh, and I just checked and the Avetts' are playing LA while I'm out in NC. They were also playing Jacksonville while I was out there recently but there was no time to see them. Argh. One of these days!

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	let_em_all_go 2007-12-26 09:56 pm UTC (link)
	I might get around to my own list soon enough, but my number one is definitely Malcolm Middleton A Brighter Beat. I fucking love that album. Your top 20 has some nice variety. I feel like all the "Top Albums Of The Year" lists I keep encountering are all the same, and so boring to boot. Good year for music? Bad? (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-27 06:55 pm UTC (link)

What if I wasn't ever a big Arab Strap fan, would I still like this record?

Hah, interesting that you say my list has variety 'cos I think it's pretty much in line with a lot of the other lists I've seen.

I don't think I listened to as many new releases this year as I have in the past. I probably heard about 40 new records? And most of them were artists that I was already familiar with. I was never that adventurous a listener to begin with, but this year especially, I don't think I paid much attention to newer artists. I'm fine sticking with the tried and true. I wonder if this is going to become a trend as I get older. Probably. At least as long as the bands I enjoy continue putting out worthy records. There's just so much music out there and so much of it is hit or miss, you know?

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	sonicsuperslide 2007-12-27 12:20 am UTC (link)
	Great list.....lily by far for me was the best. this inspired me to maybe do my won. note: new icon :) (Reply to this)(Thread)

	michaelpop 2007-12-27 06:56 pm UTC (link)
	I LOVE the icon!! It's like mine, but version 2.0, updated for the new millennium or something. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	sonicsuperslide 2007-12-27 10:57 pm UTC (link)
	see, i put it up just for you! i am glad you like it. u can take it if you like. :) (Reply to this)(Parent)

kabballer
2007-12-27 12:33 am UTC (link)

I was waiting for this list, because the M.Pop keeps me updated on newer music. There just hasn't been much time to listen to new stuff, partly because I've been looking up old post-punk bands due to reading "Rip It Up and Start Again" by Simon Reynolds.

Also, it's been harder to listen to music because I've been driving less. I might have to put a sound system on my bike! Either that or put an iPod cradle in the living room so I listen while cooking, reading, or wrenching.

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michaelpop
2007-12-27 07:07 pm UTC (link)

I haven't been able to really give much time to "discovering" new music this year either. Most of the stuff I listened to this year was old stuff I already loved (comfort music) or new records from bands I already had some history with. It seems the only way I'm getting into new bands these days is on the advice of trusted friends. You can't really trust blogs these days (though they're helpful in the sense that they build up name-awareness so at least you're able to know what's out there), so I rely on a few reliable folks to shape my tastes. And I'm okay with that. My music listening felt stagnant at times because of the limitations on time and money, but its role in my life has changed as I've gotten older. I still love music as much as ever, but I get something different out of it now. It's become more personal and less communal. Where part of the joy was once tied to sharing a new discovery with people, I'm more content now to enjoy things simply because they make me happy.

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	lesh 2007-12-27 02:06 am UTC (link)
	Very cool. I wish I had a top 20 best albums of 2007. But I didn't even listen to 10 of them :) (Reply to this)(Thread)

	michaelpop 2007-12-27 07:10 pm UTC (link)
	Maybe you could make a best of 1987 instead? ;) (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lesh 2007-12-28 10:12 am UTC (link)
	WOW. Yes! (Reply to this)(Parent)

	elegantfaker 2007-12-27 07:57 am UTC (link)
	OMG, how could I forget The Veils?!?! Obvs, I really need to check out that new Arctic Monkeys record. Everyone's loving on it -- I kind of skipped it. Also, I feel like that Spoon record is really a dividing line, when it shouldn't be! It is like, the quintessence of Spoon!! (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-27 07:15 pm UTC (link)

I -- along with a lot of people, like Paul -- was vehemently anti-Arctic Monkeys 'round the time their debut came out. I listened to it once and was totally underwhelmed and dumbfounded as to how that band managed to accrue so many breathless accolades. To their credit, I thought that they had the ingredients in place and the potential to make a pretty good album at some point, but it wasn't the debut. And then I saw the video "Brianstorm" and was like, whoa, this is fucking awesome, and the I ran out and got the record ASAP. And it's really, really solid. My main complaint about the debut was it sounded like they were playing the same song 12 times; this one has a lot more nuance to it.

Spoon! The one thing we agreed on all year!

Edited at 2007-12-27 07:16 pm UTC

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	hipsterdad 2007-12-27 03:26 pm UTC (link)
	Good Lord. A top 20 list without Feist on it. Yours is, I think, the only one! Bravo! I'm definitely going to check out Boxer though. I've heard lotsa great stuff about it. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	michaelpop 2007-12-27 07:19 pm UTC (link)
	Hah, I just read someone calling that Feist record "a nap-and-a-half", and while I won't go quite that far, it definitely gets a little samey and snoozy on the back third. It's still good, and I enjoyed it more the more I listened to it, but I liked a whole bunch of other stuff more. I think you'd really like Boxer, Grant! (Reply to this)(Parent)

stateofemergncy
2007-12-27 07:54 pm UTC (link)

hype killed gnarls barkley's cd last year or whatever year that shit came out (i forget. all i knowz is that 'crazy' came out a good year or so BEFORE that album came out on the states), and i fear hype will do the same to kanye, so i'm gonna wait awhile like janet jackson for before getting graduation.

didn't do too much hip-hop this year. i think what killed hip-hop for me this year was waiting in vain for the fabled RZA/Dre-produced cuban linx II album that never came out. i'll probably pick up the new wu in the next few days, and maybe the new ghostface.

on a side note, i still pray for the return of gang starr.

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swth
2007-12-27 07:57 pm UTC (link)

Interesting list, my friend. Plenty of these will also be on my list whenever I get around to writing a few paragraphs on what I did and didn't like this past year.

Oh, and I am totally into that Spoon record. I disliked Gimme Fiction apart from two or three songs and was apprehensive about this new one with the horrible title, but it's clicked for me in a big way. Of course, last week I had to review it for a year-end publication and now I can't even listen to it since it was basically repeating everywhere I went for two whole days.

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	urbanaesthetic 2007-12-27 10:06 pm UTC (link)
	THE BLACK LIPS! YES YES YES (Reply to this)

doctorhemolymph
2007-12-27 10:34 pm UTC (link)

Oh whatever Mr. lo-fi with your embedded album covers. Looks like your list had quite a bit of overlap with mine. Lilly Allen narrowly missed being on my fav shows of the year. LCD Soundsystem only didn't make it because i missed most of it cuz i got there too late.

I should have put the Black Lips on my favorite shows. It was possibly my favorite show of a band that I had never heard even once before the show.

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	michaelpop 2007-12-28 01:22 am UTC (link)
	Man, I would've loved to have seen Lily Allen and the Black Lips. Well, at least I caught LCD Soundsystem. That might've been the sweatiest show of the year (so much dancing!). (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	doctorhemolymph 2007-12-28 01:28 am UTC (link)
	They could not possibly have been sweatier than Rage Against the Machine at Coachella (drenched, from head to toe), or any of the Girl Talk shows I saw. Then again, if you are only counting YOUR OWN sweat, then maybe LCD soundsystem wins. Hey you know what, I just remembered. I SAW them at Coachella last year, right? (Reply to this)(Parent)

	hektik 2007-12-28 04:17 pm UTC (link)
	that rosebuds records is SO F'N BRILLIANT. so are the long blondes + national albums. nice list! (Reply to this)

	chillbot75 2007-12-28 09:21 pm UTC (link)
	Wait until you hear Signature Poses : Best of the Worst (currently unreleased). (Reply to this)

	hellakitty 2007-12-29 02:15 am UTC (link)
	Did you like RA's "Easy Tiger?!!!!!" (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-29 10:34 pm UTC (link)

Not really. I wanted to, of course, but the whole record sounds calculated to me. Like Ryan went into a studio and decided that he was going to make an album that'll get sold at Starbucks and loved by soccer moms. It's such a deliberate attempt at mainstream success, which is fine, but he sounds so half-hearted about it, like he's just going through the motions. They're no real grit to any of it. It's like he's saying, "Here's a Heartbreaker song, here's a Rock N' Roll song, here's a Love Is Hell song", etc., trying to appeal to as many people as possible. There were a few good songs, but overall I was so disappointed.

BUT! The EP he just put out is really great.

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	pastahero 2007-12-29 04:50 pm UTC (link)
	I'd never heard of your #1 pick (not that I'm hip). Bravo? (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-29 10:25 pm UTC (link)

baltimorerain, being from North Carolina where they're huge, tipped me off to them and so I bought the record and pretty much fell in love with it immediately. They're Americana, alt. country... whatever it is it's exactly the kind of stuff I love. Lots of acoustic instruments and beautiful harmonies and excellent storytelling. A good review here.

Popmatters called it the 17th best record of the year. Magnet ranked it 12th.

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	pastahero 2007-12-29 10:26 pm UTC (link)
	I <3 all things North Carolina. I'll check them out. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	michaelpop 2007-12-29 10:35 pm UTC (link)
	Be careful: treacly content awaits. I love sappy sentimentalism; your results may vary. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	insular_tahiti 2007-12-30 01:07 am UTC (link)
	i put the long blondes in my top ten of 2006, but i haven't heard either the veils record or the avett brothers. i should listen to that soon, probably; your judgment about records is pretty good, so i'll download it or something. i really don't understand the black lips record, though; i mean, i think it sounds like a poor man's white stripes. (Reply to this)(Thread)

michaelpop
2007-12-30 01:43 am UTC (link)

Yeah, I didn't feel like paying import prices on the Long Blondes and Lily Allen records; the domestic versions were released this year.

I really liked the first Veils record, and this one was more of the same, really, even though the dude fired his whole band and started over with new people. His voice can be a real turn-off depending on your tolerance for nasally melodramatic wailing. Musically they're not all that different than Starsailor or a dozen other post-Coldplay UK pop-rock bands, but the dude's intensity kind of nudges them ahead of the pack a little.

The Avett Brothers record is one of those where your enjoyment is going to depend on how sentimental and earnest you like your music. 3 dudes playing acoustic guitars and banjos and singing songs about love and other sappy stuff might not be everyone's good time. It's simple, heartfelt stuff that more often than not was exactly what I wanted to listen to. It soundtracked a lot of my year.

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	a_comet_by_far 2007-12-30 08:51 am UTC (link)
	you just scored major points in my book for listing emotionalism, as i'm always trying to convert my friends into avett brothers fans. they're from round these parts and play here often. happy new year. (Reply to this)

	i just give em drugs n watch em fuck each otha tigermilking 2008-01-01 04:56 am UTC (link)
	you must not have heard the panda bear album. it is my number 1. and every single lil' wayne mix tape he put out this year. was it three or four? they are all great. (Reply to this)

	nowaitbutlisten 2008-01-09 07:55 pm UTC (link)
	dude, i rule! i have officially stopped listening to music because i have only heard ONE of those albums all the way through! (Reply to this)(Thread)

	michaelpop 2008-01-09 10:46 pm UTC (link)
	Let me guess, it was the Arcade Fire album, right? Speaking of music! Did I ever loan this cd to you?: (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	nowaitbutlisten 2008-01-11 09:25 pm UTC (link)
	Nope! (Reply to this)(Parent)

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