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defrogSorry, but it's tradition.
Whether 2007 was a good year for music is always a tricky question – especially when (1) you’ve got a limited budget, and (2) selections are subject to availability in yr region. Age doesn’t help matters – science tells us that as you get older, it’s harder for new music to really impress you because by the time you get to be, say, my age, you’ve heard most of the old stuff that new bands are borrowing from.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Odds are, all the bands you like from 20 years ago were doing the same thing. And the argument that you might as well listen to the “authentic” originals rather than the new wannabes is a dead end, because ultimately it leads to hipsters insisting that anything after Gregorian chants is a derivative ripoff. Which would be silly.
Anyway, that may be why I spent a good chunk of the year rediscovering artists I hadn’t heard from in ages, like Rickie Lee Jones and They Might Be Giants – both of whom never went away, but were sufficiently under the radar enough to prevent me from knowing whether their new albums were any good or not (this was in the days before MySpace and YouTube, children).
And perhaps by no coincidence, the majority of music I bought this year was from familiar faces rather than anything truly new – but even some of that was a little too familiar. I liked the new records from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ry Cooder, The Detroit Cobras and local artist The Pancakes, but I wouldn’t call them standouts either. Then there’s The Donnas, whose latest LP is a big improvement on the previous album in terms of energy, but I’m not sure a Vixen revival is what the world needs right now. One more album like that, and they’ll have to legally give Desmond Child a default songwriting credit.
It’s also telling that most of the debut CDs (or new discoveries) – Calvin Harris, The Aliens, New Young Pony Club, Jackie Leven, The Epoxies, and !!! (Chk Chk Chk) – are seriously cribbing from readily identifiable sources. And the rest are Nick Cave side projects.
Interestingly, perhaps the one band that offered something kind of different was a local indie act called PixelToy – and even they did a cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (albeit with some Chinese instruments thrown in).
So all up, nothing really revolutionary this year, but I suspect that’s going to be less likely every year anyhow. Maybe it’s all recycling from here on in. Still, consider that 2007 was the year a lot of young kids discovered Led Zeppelin for the first time. What might they do with that knowledge? And what might they do with other music they don’t know about but can find with a simple Google search string? Imitate it? Mash it? Reinterpret it? Deconstruct the blueprint?
We’ll see. Meanwhile, I’m keeping my White Stripes CDs, thanks.
DISCLAIMER: Based on music I actually bought in 2007, and therefore a useless metric for everyone else. Also, I spent enough time on this without having to get all the links for these albums, so for more information, just Google whatever interests you, cos that's what I would have done.
TFI’S DEF 20 NEW LPs/EPs OF 2007
1. Bloc Party, A Weekend In The City (Wichita)
2. Turbonegro, Retox (Cooking Vinyl/SLR)
3. Blonde Redhead, 23 (4AD)
4. Rickie Lee Jones, The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard (New West)
5. The White Stripes, Icky Thump (Third Man/Warner Bros)
6. Grinderman, Grinderman (Mute)
7. They Might Be Giants, The Else (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records)
8. Kristin Hersh, Learn To Sing Like A Star (4AD)
9. Steve Earle, Washington Square Serenade (New West)
10. The Hives, The Black And White Album (A&M/Octone)
11. New Young Pony Club, Fantastic Playroom (Modular Records)
12. The Aliens, Astronomy For Dogs (Pet Rock/EMI)
13. The Raveonettes, Lust Lust Lust (Fierce Panda)
14. PixelToy, O-oh (People Mountain People Sea)
15. Calvin Harris, I Created Disco (Fly Eye/Columbia)
16. !!!, Myth Takes (Warp)
17. Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy)
18. The Epoxies, My New World (Metropolis)
19. Neil Young, Chrome Dreams II (Reprise)
20. Love Psychedelico, Golden Grapefruit (JVC)
BEST COMPILATION
They Might Be Giants, Cast Your Pod To The Wind (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records)
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Various, Death Proof OST (A Band Apart/Maverick/Warner Bros)
BEST DOWNLOAD
Asa Bailey, “My Blog’s Bigger Than Yours”
BEST GUILTY PLEASURE
Yui, Can't Buy My Love (Sony)
Okay. Official illegal compilation coming shortly.
Shut up and play yr guitar,
This is dF
Whether 2007 was a good year for music is always a tricky question – especially when (1) you’ve got a limited budget, and (2) selections are subject to availability in yr region. Age doesn’t help matters – science tells us that as you get older, it’s harder for new music to really impress you because by the time you get to be, say, my age, you’ve heard most of the old stuff that new bands are borrowing from.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Odds are, all the bands you like from 20 years ago were doing the same thing. And the argument that you might as well listen to the “authentic” originals rather than the new wannabes is a dead end, because ultimately it leads to hipsters insisting that anything after Gregorian chants is a derivative ripoff. Which would be silly.
Anyway, that may be why I spent a good chunk of the year rediscovering artists I hadn’t heard from in ages, like Rickie Lee Jones and They Might Be Giants – both of whom never went away, but were sufficiently under the radar enough to prevent me from knowing whether their new albums were any good or not (this was in the days before MySpace and YouTube, children).
And perhaps by no coincidence, the majority of music I bought this year was from familiar faces rather than anything truly new – but even some of that was a little too familiar. I liked the new records from Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ry Cooder, The Detroit Cobras and local artist The Pancakes, but I wouldn’t call them standouts either. Then there’s The Donnas, whose latest LP is a big improvement on the previous album in terms of energy, but I’m not sure a Vixen revival is what the world needs right now. One more album like that, and they’ll have to legally give Desmond Child a default songwriting credit.
It’s also telling that most of the debut CDs (or new discoveries) – Calvin Harris, The Aliens, New Young Pony Club, Jackie Leven, The Epoxies, and !!! (Chk Chk Chk) – are seriously cribbing from readily identifiable sources. And the rest are Nick Cave side projects.
Interestingly, perhaps the one band that offered something kind of different was a local indie act called PixelToy – and even they did a cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (albeit with some Chinese instruments thrown in).
So all up, nothing really revolutionary this year, but I suspect that’s going to be less likely every year anyhow. Maybe it’s all recycling from here on in. Still, consider that 2007 was the year a lot of young kids discovered Led Zeppelin for the first time. What might they do with that knowledge? And what might they do with other music they don’t know about but can find with a simple Google search string? Imitate it? Mash it? Reinterpret it? Deconstruct the blueprint?
We’ll see. Meanwhile, I’m keeping my White Stripes CDs, thanks.
DISCLAIMER: Based on music I actually bought in 2007, and therefore a useless metric for everyone else. Also, I spent enough time on this without having to get all the links for these albums, so for more information, just Google whatever interests you, cos that's what I would have done.
TFI’S DEF 20 NEW LPs/EPs OF 2007
1. Bloc Party, A Weekend In The City (Wichita)
2. Turbonegro, Retox (Cooking Vinyl/SLR)
3. Blonde Redhead, 23 (4AD)
4. Rickie Lee Jones, The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard (New West)
5. The White Stripes, Icky Thump (Third Man/Warner Bros)
6. Grinderman, Grinderman (Mute)
7. They Might Be Giants, The Else (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records)
8. Kristin Hersh, Learn To Sing Like A Star (4AD)
9. Steve Earle, Washington Square Serenade (New West)
10. The Hives, The Black And White Album (A&M/Octone)
11. New Young Pony Club, Fantastic Playroom (Modular Records)
12. The Aliens, Astronomy For Dogs (Pet Rock/EMI)
13. The Raveonettes, Lust Lust Lust (Fierce Panda)
14. PixelToy, O-oh (People Mountain People Sea)
15. Calvin Harris, I Created Disco (Fly Eye/Columbia)
16. !!!, Myth Takes (Warp)
17. Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy)
18. The Epoxies, My New World (Metropolis)
19. Neil Young, Chrome Dreams II (Reprise)
20. Love Psychedelico, Golden Grapefruit (JVC)
BEST COMPILATION
They Might Be Giants, Cast Your Pod To The Wind (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records)
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Various, Death Proof OST (A Band Apart/Maverick/Warner Bros)
BEST DOWNLOAD
Asa Bailey, “My Blog’s Bigger Than Yours”
BEST GUILTY PLEASURE
Yui, Can't Buy My Love (Sony)
TFI’S DEF 20 NEW LPs/EPs OF 2007 [EXTENDED MIX]
1. Bloc Party
A Weekend In The City (Wichita) A lot of people who liked Bloc Party’s first record seemed unimpressed by the followup. Not me – I think it’s an improvement on the formula, ranging from kinetic fury to introspective, haunting guitars. Lovely.
2. Turbonegro
Retox (Cooking Vinyl/SLR) Eighth album from Norwegian “death punk” band who really are the 21st Century Alice Cooper – hard rock with provocative theatrics and a sense of humor. If you believe the liner notes, one of the working titles for the album was “In Addition, We’re Mexican”. Wonderful.
3. Blonde Redhead
23 (4AD) In which Blonde Redhead continue to sound more like a 4AD band – in this case, sounding surprisingly like Lush in places. More upbeat than their last LP, Misery Is A Butterfly, but no less hypnotizing.
4. Rickie Lee Jones
The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard (New West) A collection of improvisations ruminating on Christianity, which sounds iffy on paper, but it’s one of the most intimate and best things she’s ever done.
5. The White Stripes
Icky Thump (Third Man/Warner Bros) Probably the only album here that made everyone else’s Top 10 list. And why not? The White Stripes may be recycling the past, but they do it better than anyone else, and the Jack/Meg chemistry just makes it work.
6. Grinderman
Grinderman (Mute) Proof that even Nick Cave’s throwaway side projects are better than most records coming out these days. Musically, Grinderman is a bit on the noisy side, so it may not be for everyone, but Cave’s oratory skills are sharp as ever. Who else could get away with a song like “No Pussy Blues”?
7. They Might Be Giants
The Else (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records) People differ as to whether TMBG lost their mojo after becoming a “proper” band. Let’s agree that Flood will probably always be TMBG’s high watermark, but that even their “mature” songs are still catchy and clever. Which is the case here, for my $$$.
8. Kristin Hersh
Learn To Sing Like A Star (4AD) Whether she’s fronting Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave or going solo, I have a soft spot for Hersh, who’s lyrically too obscure for the mainstream, but otherwise a criminally underrated singer/songwriter. This is probably the loudest acoustic solo project she’s done since the 90s, and it really is the business.
9. Steve Earle
Washington Square Serenade (New West) Earle’s previous album seemed too rushed in its eagerness to prevent Bush’s re-election (and we saw how that went). Three years later, and with a Dust Brother producing, Earle’s new LP is a bit more satisfying, and less concerned with politics, though Earle still has the fire in him with songs like “Satellite Radio”, “City Of Immigrants” and “Oxycontin Blues”.
10. The Hives
The Black And White Album (A&M/Octone) More garage rock from Sweden’s The Hives, who don’t vary the formula (or the matching uniforms) very much, but then they wouldn’t be The Hives if they did. Not quite as dynamite as Tyrannosaurus Hives, but Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist still knows how to show you a good time.
11. New Young Pony Club
Fantastic Playroom (Modular Records) Debut from New York band assisting in the disco-rock revival. Sometimes a little too lush and clever for their own good, but if all you wanna do is dance, they have what you want.
12. The Aliens
Astronomy For Dogs (Pet Rock/EMI) Debut from former members of the Beta Band, a band I had mixed feelings about. This album owes more to 60s California rock, with sunshine harmonies and psychedelic tendencies – and maybe a bit of mental illness. And single “Setting Sun” was one of the best songs I heard all year.
13. The Raveonettes
Lust Lust Lust (Fierce Panda) Fourth album from Danish duo who get back in touch with their inner Jesus & Mary Chain again after ditching the feedback last time round. A bit samey after a bit, but they still like Joe Meek is tuning them in from another planet. Which is good.
14. PixelToy
O-oh (People Mountain People Sea) Second LP from local guy/girl duo, who are signed to Anthony Wong’s imprint label. I felt their first record seemed a bit too geared for mainstream acceptance, but this one takes more chances musically. Sounds like they had more fun making this one, too.
15.Calvin Harris
I Created Disco (Fly Eye/Columbia) Debut from 23-year-old Scottish producer completely in thrall to dancy 80s synthpop. Catchy electroclash tunes you can dance to, but it’s the tongue-in-cheek approach that makes it stand out for me.
16. !!!
Myth Takes (Warp) Another NYC dance-rock band, but one owing more to Big Audio Dynamite. To be honest, a lot of the tracks seem more like half-finished ideas that don’t really evolve into full-fledged songs, but they still manage to keep me interested somehow.
17. Gogol Bordello
Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy)bedsitter23 hipped me to Gogol Bordello last year, and now they’re big enough to share a stage with Madonna. The whole Ukrainian Gypsy Punk think alone isn’t enough to totally bowl me over, but their enthusiasm is catching, and they’re the one band you’d want to play at birthday parties and weddings.
18. The Epoxies
My New World (Metropolis) Mr Cat Taylor turned me on to this Portland, OR band a few years ago, but none of their records have ever made it out here to HK until this EP came along. It’s basically new-wave punk with Devo keyboards and sci-fi themes. I was a bit underwhelmed at first, but it’s grown on me since.
19. Neil Young
Chrome Dreams II (Reprise) Just as Steve Earle redeemed his rushed anti-Bush album with Washington Square Serenade, Neil Young does likewise, even if Chrome Dreams II is partly made up of songs Young wrote over 20 years ago for other albums but never made the final cut. So it’s a bit patchy, but with some good songs to show for it. Plus, you have to give Young credit for making a sequel to an album he recorded but never released.
20. Love Psychedelico
Golden Grapefruit (JVC) Fourth LP from Japanese duo who love the 70s. Better than the third, still not as good as the first two. It’s possible I’m allowing for the fact that I saw them live since the last record and they were really good.
BEST COMPILATION
They Might Be Giants
Cast Your Pod To The Wind (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records) Actually, the best comp I got was the Compleat Stax/Volt Singles box set, but that’s not a 2007 release, so I can’t count it. But this TMBG collection – a bonus disc included with The Else that collects a lot of stray tracks they’ve done for comps, podcasts and other projects in recent years – is also a nice find. If it’s the oddball TMBG you prefer, this is what you need.
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Various, Death Proof OST (A Band Apart/Maverick/Warner Bros) This is by default, since I didn’t buy any other soundtracks in 2007, but it’s hard to beat Quentin Tarantino’s 45 collection for a comp idea – especially when he uses songs to suit the film, not to sell soundtrack CDs.
BEST DOWNLOAD
Asa Bailey, “My Blog’s Bigger Than Yours” – Found, of all places, on an advertising blog. Two minutes and 45 seconds of glorious British vitriol aimed straight at the heart of people who look at Web 2.0. and see dollar signs. Ironically, Bailey runs an online viral advertising agency. Not sure if the MP3 is still available, but the official NSFW video is here if you want to hear it. And trust me, you do.
BEST GUILTY PLEASURE
Yui
Can't Buy My Love (Sony) Japanese singer-songwriter guitar babe whose songs are just too polished and professional to be really convincing. Still, I’m a sucker for J-Pop that at least tries to appeal to my indie-rock sensibilities.
1. Bloc Party
A Weekend In The City (Wichita) A lot of people who liked Bloc Party’s first record seemed unimpressed by the followup. Not me – I think it’s an improvement on the formula, ranging from kinetic fury to introspective, haunting guitars. Lovely.
2. Turbonegro
Retox (Cooking Vinyl/SLR) Eighth album from Norwegian “death punk” band who really are the 21st Century Alice Cooper – hard rock with provocative theatrics and a sense of humor. If you believe the liner notes, one of the working titles for the album was “In Addition, We’re Mexican”. Wonderful.
3. Blonde Redhead
23 (4AD) In which Blonde Redhead continue to sound more like a 4AD band – in this case, sounding surprisingly like Lush in places. More upbeat than their last LP, Misery Is A Butterfly, but no less hypnotizing.
4. Rickie Lee Jones
The Sermon On Exposition Boulevard (New West) A collection of improvisations ruminating on Christianity, which sounds iffy on paper, but it’s one of the most intimate and best things she’s ever done.
5. The White Stripes
Icky Thump (Third Man/Warner Bros) Probably the only album here that made everyone else’s Top 10 list. And why not? The White Stripes may be recycling the past, but they do it better than anyone else, and the Jack/Meg chemistry just makes it work.
6. Grinderman
Grinderman (Mute) Proof that even Nick Cave’s throwaway side projects are better than most records coming out these days. Musically, Grinderman is a bit on the noisy side, so it may not be for everyone, but Cave’s oratory skills are sharp as ever. Who else could get away with a song like “No Pussy Blues”?
7. They Might Be Giants
The Else (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records) People differ as to whether TMBG lost their mojo after becoming a “proper” band. Let’s agree that Flood will probably always be TMBG’s high watermark, but that even their “mature” songs are still catchy and clever. Which is the case here, for my $$$.
8. Kristin Hersh
Learn To Sing Like A Star (4AD) Whether she’s fronting Throwing Muses, 50 Foot Wave or going solo, I have a soft spot for Hersh, who’s lyrically too obscure for the mainstream, but otherwise a criminally underrated singer/songwriter. This is probably the loudest acoustic solo project she’s done since the 90s, and it really is the business.
9. Steve Earle
Washington Square Serenade (New West) Earle’s previous album seemed too rushed in its eagerness to prevent Bush’s re-election (and we saw how that went). Three years later, and with a Dust Brother producing, Earle’s new LP is a bit more satisfying, and less concerned with politics, though Earle still has the fire in him with songs like “Satellite Radio”, “City Of Immigrants” and “Oxycontin Blues”.
10. The Hives
The Black And White Album (A&M/Octone) More garage rock from Sweden’s The Hives, who don’t vary the formula (or the matching uniforms) very much, but then they wouldn’t be The Hives if they did. Not quite as dynamite as Tyrannosaurus Hives, but Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist still knows how to show you a good time.
11. New Young Pony Club
Fantastic Playroom (Modular Records) Debut from New York band assisting in the disco-rock revival. Sometimes a little too lush and clever for their own good, but if all you wanna do is dance, they have what you want.
12. The Aliens
Astronomy For Dogs (Pet Rock/EMI) Debut from former members of the Beta Band, a band I had mixed feelings about. This album owes more to 60s California rock, with sunshine harmonies and psychedelic tendencies – and maybe a bit of mental illness. And single “Setting Sun” was one of the best songs I heard all year.
13. The Raveonettes
Lust Lust Lust (Fierce Panda) Fourth album from Danish duo who get back in touch with their inner Jesus & Mary Chain again after ditching the feedback last time round. A bit samey after a bit, but they still like Joe Meek is tuning them in from another planet. Which is good.
14. PixelToy
O-oh (People Mountain People Sea) Second LP from local guy/girl duo, who are signed to Anthony Wong’s imprint label. I felt their first record seemed a bit too geared for mainstream acceptance, but this one takes more chances musically. Sounds like they had more fun making this one, too.
15.Calvin Harris
I Created Disco (Fly Eye/Columbia) Debut from 23-year-old Scottish producer completely in thrall to dancy 80s synthpop. Catchy electroclash tunes you can dance to, but it’s the tongue-in-cheek approach that makes it stand out for me.
16. !!!
Myth Takes (Warp) Another NYC dance-rock band, but one owing more to Big Audio Dynamite. To be honest, a lot of the tracks seem more like half-finished ideas that don’t really evolve into full-fledged songs, but they still manage to keep me interested somehow.
17. Gogol Bordello
Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy)
bedsitter23 hipped me to Gogol Bordello last year, and now they’re big enough to share a stage with Madonna. The whole Ukrainian Gypsy Punk think alone isn’t enough to totally bowl me over, but their enthusiasm is catching, and they’re the one band you’d want to play at birthday parties and weddings. 18. The Epoxies
My New World (Metropolis) Mr Cat Taylor turned me on to this Portland, OR band a few years ago, but none of their records have ever made it out here to HK until this EP came along. It’s basically new-wave punk with Devo keyboards and sci-fi themes. I was a bit underwhelmed at first, but it’s grown on me since.
19. Neil Young
Chrome Dreams II (Reprise) Just as Steve Earle redeemed his rushed anti-Bush album with Washington Square Serenade, Neil Young does likewise, even if Chrome Dreams II is partly made up of songs Young wrote over 20 years ago for other albums but never made the final cut. So it’s a bit patchy, but with some good songs to show for it. Plus, you have to give Young credit for making a sequel to an album he recorded but never released.
20. Love Psychedelico
Golden Grapefruit (JVC) Fourth LP from Japanese duo who love the 70s. Better than the third, still not as good as the first two. It’s possible I’m allowing for the fact that I saw them live since the last record and they were really good.
BEST COMPILATION
They Might Be Giants
Cast Your Pod To The Wind (Idlewild Recordings/Zoë Records) Actually, the best comp I got was the Compleat Stax/Volt Singles box set, but that’s not a 2007 release, so I can’t count it. But this TMBG collection – a bonus disc included with The Else that collects a lot of stray tracks they’ve done for comps, podcasts and other projects in recent years – is also a nice find. If it’s the oddball TMBG you prefer, this is what you need.
BEST SOUNDTRACK
Various, Death Proof OST (A Band Apart/Maverick/Warner Bros) This is by default, since I didn’t buy any other soundtracks in 2007, but it’s hard to beat Quentin Tarantino’s 45 collection for a comp idea – especially when he uses songs to suit the film, not to sell soundtrack CDs.
BEST DOWNLOAD
Asa Bailey, “My Blog’s Bigger Than Yours” – Found, of all places, on an advertising blog. Two minutes and 45 seconds of glorious British vitriol aimed straight at the heart of people who look at Web 2.0. and see dollar signs. Ironically, Bailey runs an online viral advertising agency. Not sure if the MP3 is still available, but the official NSFW video is here if you want to hear it. And trust me, you do.
BEST GUILTY PLEASURE
Yui
Can't Buy My Love (Sony) Japanese singer-songwriter guitar babe whose songs are just too polished and professional to be really convincing. Still, I’m a sucker for J-Pop that at least tries to appeal to my indie-rock sensibilities.
Okay. Official illegal compilation coming shortly.
Shut up and play yr guitar,
This is dF
