Reflecting on an entire year's worth of music can be a difficult and overwhelming task. The sheer volume of music released over the span of 365 days would fill up your newest iPod more than a few times over. Last year had some superb albums, but as good as 2006 was it became harder and harder to ignore the slew of anticipated releases that were scheduled for 2007. From Radiohead and Arcade Fire to a slew of artists that seemingly knocked the socks of numerous people, 2007 had something to offer music lovers of all kinds and has personally been one of the best years of music our ears have ever laid claim to. Some artists and bands fell out of our good graces, while others hit heights we never really thought possible. We knew this year would be one for the record books (aside from indie sales figures), but we had no clue it would be this fantastic. So now is the time that we present this humble blog's entirely subjective list of albums (even though we call them the best, it's still just our opinion). Without further ado, here are The Best Albums of 2007:
Even without the dense mindf*ck that Spencer Krug has been known to bring to his bands, Wolf Parade guitarist/singer Dan Boeckner and wife Alexei Perry created one of the best rock albums of the year as Sub Pop signees Handsome Furs. Plague Park is all over the place musically, placing traditional guitars and drums around Boeckner's shattered, squeaky vocals. But what separates this release from Wolf Parade, first and foremost, is the unique blend of synth and electronic warbles that augment the music, blending and shaping and morphing to create a result just a tad shy of bliss. See "Sing! Captain" and "Dead + Rural" for shining examples. - Connor
[MP3] Handsome Furs - What We Had
Buy: Amazon | iTunes | Insound
Josh Ritter released an album this year that was, by far, his most creative and artistic endeavor of his young career. His earnest folk roots and guitar romanticism were still the backbone of Historical Conquests but they dually filled the part of role player as well. Ritter explored new frontiers of his music by implementing billowing instrumentation, vocal distortions, and rustic recording techniques that weren't used on any of his previous albums. He stated that "lyrically, musically, and in terms of production it's the most adventurous record I've made yet". With results like those found on Historical Conquests, we can only hope that this was the first of many adventures Josh Ritter will take us on. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Josh Ritter - To The Dogs Or Whoever
Buy: Amazon | iTunes | Insound
It took just one song, "Summer's Life," to pique my attention to The Shaky Hands and their own relaxed brand of indie pop. Usually that'll be that, I'll like the song but the rest of the album will be wildly subpar, but not with this debut--thirteen fantastic songs about happy things like whales, love, birds, and sunburns. The Shaky Hands have crafted a very meticulous debut, their acoustic guitars tuned to youthful, earnest splendors which seem completely in tune with today's environmentally-conscious world, and they just might have the gumption to do it again in 2008. - Connor
[MP3] The Shaky Hands - The Sleepless
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Kings Of Leon always appealed to me as an entertaining rock band with a southern feel, exuding a persona that I listened to but never really delved into. Because Of The Times takes that "great American rock band" feel and combines it with 50+ minutes of complex sounds, great lyrics, and a broader creative range than the group has ever displayed before. Lead singer Caleb said during recording that "these songs are so much bigger, the band is so much better" and his claim wasn't far from the truth. There are catchy songs that'll make you tap your foot while toying with your emotions at the same time, all while expanding upon their depth as musicians and their Bible-belt rooted sound. - Nathaniel
[WWW] Find MP3s over at The Hype Machine
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What can I say about Elliott Smith that I haven't said before? Well, for starters, I almost fell out of love with his music. I knew there'd come a day when I moved on, and that almost happened shortly after I started this music blog (the influx of hundreds of new bands to listen to made the quiet, sad tunes of our no-so-recently departed all the more subtle and despondent). Thankfully Kill Rock Stars released New Moon, a double disc of b-sides and rarities that made the flame burn a little longer and brighter in my eyes. New Moon contains some of Elliott's best, including the mournful "Going Nowhere," as well as "High Times," a song that might best represent Elliott's state during his final troubled years leading up to his death in 2003. Even in death, Elliott's trademark multi-tracked vocals have never sounded better. - Connor
[MP3] Elliott Smith - High Times
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The difference between Feist's Let It Die and The Reminder may best be compared to a beautiful girl who wears a fair amount of makeup but is even more dazzling without it on. Where her former release came packed with eclectic bells and whistles, her latest album was stripped down and found its strength within her fantastic vocals and original melodies. The album is so rich in perfect pop sound and various influences that it's hard to trace where Feist finds the inspiration for crafting such gems. Yet, the confidence she has in her talent is not only contagious but allows Feist to venture down a darker/deeper path for numerous tracks that contribute to the overall allure that decorates The Reminder. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Feist - 1 2 3 4
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There was a point during the first half of this decade when Ted Leo's music echoed every sentiment I felt about our faulty political system, about saucy Irish girls and disillusioned youth, and about my beloved state of Rhode Island (a place Leo too calls home). Ted's music bridged the gap between the crappy punk music I used to love to the independent music I now dedicate a good portion of my life to. He puts on just about the best rock'n'roll concert you'll find for under $15, and might be the coolest, most in-tune 30-something I've known. But his new album? It's good, but unfortunately I feel that it's his worst. Where are the gorgeous, pre-meditated songs from The Tyranny Of Distance, or the playful, passionate tracks from Hearts Of Oak. Hell, this one didn't even have a "Me And Mia." But still, Living With The Living sees Ted and his Pharmacists branching out into new territory (reggae on "The Unwanted Things" and full-force punk on "Bomb.Repeat.Bomb") and for that, as well as the fact that I just f*ckin love this dude and his music, he gets a nod on our list. - Connor
[MP3] Ted Leo/Rx - Colleen
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Arctic Monkeys came onto the scene boasting a debut littered with explosive guitars and catchy lyrics, successfully stimulating praise from critics and garnering an excited following. Much in the style of the famed Spiderman line, "With great power comes great responsibility" the Monkeys dutifully released a follow-up that not only silenced debut doubters but turned them into genuine fans. Favourite Worst Nightmare was more of a blissful dream come true; the Brit rockers came back harder, faster, shaper, and while it may not have been as revelatory as their debut it was definitely more authentic. - Nathaniel
[WWW] Find MP3s over at The Hype Machine
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There have been a few vocal gurus that have said if Jack White continues singing the way he does that he's (supposedly) doomed to lose his trademark voice. They're 10+ years in as a rock duo and, if anything, White's voice has only improved. His voice isn't going anywhere and neither is his talent as a musician. Icky Thump, in my mind, was the quintessential tetanus shot for Jack & Meg that'll keep the rust of their sound for years to come. It was odd, experimental, rooted in a 70s rock sound, riff loaded, and compelling all at the same time - a reason why The White Stripes are one of the best modern rock bands around. - Nathaniel
[WWW] Find MP3s over at The Hype Machine
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I gained more respect and appreciation for The Shins via Wincing The Night Away than I ever thought imaginable. The two previous Shins albums were loaded with great songs that were almost instantly gratifying, you could tune in and be immediately carried away by Mercer's decorative lyricism and terrific melodies. Wincing further solidifies Mercer's terrific songwriting capabilities but, more importantly, displays their efforts to sound as a cohesive unit. The beauty of this album lies within the band's ability to recognize their familiar roots established on past albums, only to expand upon it by moving their sound in a new, more layered and complex direction. - Nathaniel
[MP3] The Shins - Australia
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For a band that hails (originally) from a city close to my home and heart (Cincinnati), you'd think I'd be engulfed by them from the get-go yet it took me awhile. The National, even with their breakthrough success via last year's superb Alligator, are an acquired taste for many that takes time to develop, but once you develop said taste you feel stupid for not falling in love with them earlier. Boxer is a perfectly balanced album; the music is top notch and compliments Berninger's morose lyricism and baritone voice so well that it's chilling. It's an album that lingers in your ears and haunts your mind far after its conclusion. - Nathaniel
[MP3] The National - Fake Empire
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I have one message to anyone who can't get into this album: there's a point where being a hipster prevents you from liking great music, and you've reached it. Just because Sky Blue Sky doesn't have the crazy experimentation and strange blips n' beeps of YHF, and just because Tweedy was in the best shape of his life (rather than the victim of chronic migraines) doesn't mean you should disregard it as "just another alt-rock album." Sky Blue Sky might sound tight, it might sound perfectly produced and perfectly mixed, and it might sound like a group of guys making an album while having the time of their lives...because it is all of those things. "Either Way" is the type of opening song that should make your forget about all the f*cked up things in the world. "Side With The Seeds" has a solo that should make every pore on your body close in fear of obliterating, sonic rape. "Please Be Patient With Me" should make you recall a great lost Lennon demo written out of implacable love for his wife Yoko. This is the sound of a band at the top of their game...and while I hope they do eventually return to the mind-boggling, genre-bending psychedelia of YHF, I'll take another Sky Blue Sky any day. - Connor
[MP3] Wilco - Either Way
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2007 was the year that electronic music grabbed me by the hand and led me towards a sweet sonic salvation, like a reluctant child being dragged into a doctor's office, later receiving a lollipop for his cooperation. At first, I viewed much of the electronic revolution as 21st century elevator music--good for not much else besides background filler while hormones took to the dance floor at clubs across the world. How naive I was. Studio, a Swedish duo consisting of Dan Lissvik & Rasmus Hägg, released one of the year's finest electro albums--an eight-track romp through afro-beats and densely plucked melodies (think a modern day Eno + Byrne) that groove on and on and on. There's no music like 15 minute epic tracks that fly by at warp speed. Got some time to kill? Press play and you'll be on your way in no time. - Connor
[MP3] Studio - Self Service
Buy: Amazon | iTunes
As some of you may recall, I was first introduced to Deer Tick (real name John McCauley) by an ex-girlfriend of mine who claimed she had begun dating the blonde-haired blue-eyed singer/songwriter. This was later denied (modestly, of course) by McCauley himself, but nevertheless without that unusual bit of promotion I never would have known of the pleasures of his debut album War Elephant. Like a young Tom Waits, this rough-around-the-edges collection of songs convey a man worn down to his core by life's various ups and downs. McCauley may be the wisest-beyond-his-years 21 year old I've ever heard, and it doesn't hurt that his songs are some of the most honest and sincere--not to mention audibly pleasing--of the year. "Art Isn't Real (City Of Sin)" proves that he knows Life, while "Diamond Rings" shows us that he's had his fingers crossed the whole time. - Connor
[MP3] Deer Tick - Dirty Dishes
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Who said hair bands killed it for the rest of us? While perhaps the shit-eating grins and crotch-stuffing antics of countless over-the-top rockers soiled the legitimacy of rock 'n' roll, it was their hackish and arguably less-important-than-image music that failed to live up to the shredding of their contemporaries. Almost thirty years later, who would have thought a handful of Swedes (primarily lead singer/multi-instrumentalist Gustav Ejstes) would be digging though the rubble, piecing together an album that could more-easily-than-not find itself grouped amongst the greatest psych-rock albums of all time. Their influences are sometimes obvious (final track "En Gang I År Kom Det En Tår" sounds mysteriously like Floyd's Moon capper "Eclipse"), but it doesn't matter when no one else is making music today like these guys. The album is Tio Bitar, the band is Dungen, and if you think my words are a little more than hyperbolic, you clearly haven't listened to this CD yet. It'll melt your damn face off. - Connor
[MP3] Dungen - Så Blev Det Bestämt
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We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank was one of my most anticipated albums of the year from one of my favorite bands of all time. Everything Isaac Brock has his hand in - from creating his own music to turning Sub Pop onto The Shins and Wolf Parade - has been applaudable and his efforts on We Were Dead were no different. The roots of Modest Mouse from their earlier, independent albums still surge throughout the album; the lyrics are as sharp as ever, the addition of Johnny Marr added a pop finesse to Brock's jittery style, and the music sounds tighter than it has on previous projects. It was the unrefined sound that many still yearned for but an intent listener could still find it scattered throughout the album. What made their latest album stick out to me was the fact that were plenty of tracks that sounded like they could be taken and inserted on past albums almost seamlessly - an album that is the culmination of Brock's 10+ years of recording music and consistently reformatting his band's sound. - Nathaniel
[WWW] Find MP3s over at The Hype Machine
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If Arular showed the world that Maya's got some brass to her, Kala showed us that even the dullest brass could be polished into gold. Sri Lanka’s most verbose and colorful emcee returned with her second album, a raucous and vibrant sophomore effort with more character than 50 Cent and more style than Mr. West. Even without the gargantuan budget of a major-label release, M.I.A. managed to create some of 2007’s most inventive and memorable beats (including various bird calls on "Bird Flu," gunshots on "Paper Planes," and her ode, of sorts, to the Pixies on "20 Dollar"), something that’s becoming increasingly difficult in a world now almost entirely dominated by Billboard-topping hip-hop staples. Plus, anyone that can sample the Clash as successfully as she did on "Paper Planes" deserves the highest honors. - Connor
[MP3] M.I.A. - Hit That
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I had expectations for Armchair Apocrypha that were so incredibly high that any other artist would've undoubtedly let me down, but not Andrew Bird. With his latest endeavor Bird has almost created his own genre of off-kilter pop. He's developed his sound so well that his addictive melodies get under your skin and into your head so infectiously that the only way to get them out is by humming, singing, or whistling them out yourself. Armchair Apocrypha displays his incredible talent as a composer; he breathes life into every instrument he touches and even without something in his hand to play he'll still dazzle you with that remarkable whistling ability. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Andrew Bird - Heretics
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Every year there seems to be an album that goes terribly unnoticed, which is only made more frustrating by the immense amount of bullshit being produced and adored in today's world of music. Last year it was Arizona's debut Welcome Back Dear Children, and now it's Canon Blue. Colonies is the type of debut that should've rolled heads, especially considering it's the work of just one man (Daniel James). Each song is an electronic soundscape composed of highly layered melodies, sick beats, and last but not least Daniel's vocals which more often than not recall the force of Jeff Buckley and the range of Thom Yorke. The beauty of "Odds And Ends" is impossible to ignore, while "Pale Horse" moves like the best Zero 7 song they never created. "Sea Monsters" is gorgeous and intimate, while "Target Practice" is seizingly powerful. If you're looking for the best that the true underbelly of independent music has to offer, look no further than Canon Blue. - Connor
[MP3] Canon Blue - Odds & Ends
Buy: Amazon | iTunes
LCD Soundsytem, rather James Murphy, is so great at blending rock and dance music in perfect harmony that it would make a program like Garage Band envious of his talents. Yet something seemed different on Sound Of Silver that grabbed me by the earlobes and yanked me closer and closer to the speakers. Murphy's presence as a songwriter and vocalist were leaps and bounds more intriguing than his debut, his maturity was blatantly obvious but he retained the playful atmosphere that he thrives in. He has a Bowie-like flair in his delivery, British-like wit that decorates his verses, and a Byrne-like experimentation that appears to know no bound. Judging by the Sound Of Silver, Murphy's experimentation is what separates him from so many others and makes him the golden boy of dance-rock. - Nathaniel
[WWW] Find MP3s over at The Hype Machine
Buy: Amazon | iTunes | Insound
It's impossible to listen to Spoon's latest without being fully convinced that Britt Daniel channels John Lennon better than anyone else can. They're taking traditional rock and roll to new levels with every song, and nothing exemplifies that better than "Finer Feelings," the ninth track from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The half-minute or so between 1:30 and 2:05 might be the best bit of music Spoon has ever produced, an exploration into almost-electro than never fails to retain a sense of the classic--something Spoon is incredibly gifted at doing. Hell, it's the reason Spoon is so damn compelling in the first place. They impeccably and masterfully make us think, when we put on "Eddie's Ragga" or "Don't You Evah" (a cover, mind you), that we're uncovering something brilliant and original. Well, it is and it isn't. Their attention to aesthetics, their appreciation for classic rock, even the goofy title... it's all as much of a nod to their contemporaries as it is a 'fuck you,' one that I'll never get tired of hearing. - Connor
[WWW] Find MP3s over at The Hype Machine
Buy: Amazon | iTunes | Insound
The best thing Arcade Fire did with their sophomore release Neon Bible was not make a revolutionary duplicate Funeral, instead making an album that wasn't an apprehensive repeat or a shocking departure from their fantastic sound. The Canadian rockers returned with a bigger, bolder sound that was as epic as it was beautiful; an album that represents the intensity and grandiose noise Arcade Fire exude when performing live. Neon Bible is a darker, more emotional album that proves the brilliance behind Funeral was far from a fluke. Their debut was an anthemic masterpiece that quite possibly may never be topped by Arcade Fire or any other band anytime soon; it's equally terrifying as it is remarkable that Win Butler and his band can rock so hard and so beautifully that Neon Bible not only holds a match to their breakthrough debut but shines just as ethereally. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Arcade Fire - Black Mirror
Buy: Amazon | iTunes | Insound
There is no doubt in my mind that one day, Person Pitch will be heralded as one of the great musical accomplishments of this decade. Sure, the sample-based technology isn't exactly groundbreaking, and his melodic and vocal style have more than a few similarities to Brian Wilson. But is there anything else that was released this year, or perhaps in the past seven years, that comes close to sounding like this? Panda Bear has created an entirely unique sonic experience, a vehicle that will forever transport me to some legitimately palpable form of utopia. Nothing has stuck with me over the course of the year quite like Person Pitch has, and I'm quite certain that I'll be listening to this album for the rest of my life. There's something to be admired in art created from other art, new meaning pulled from the old. Noah's messages are remarkably positive, and the music, specifically on "Bros" and "Carrots," is possibly the most mind-numbingly, ethereally uplifting music I've heard in all my 21 years on this planet. - Connor
[MP3] Panda Bear - Comfy In Nautica
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One can typically judge a good album by how they make you feel; one can typically judge an amazing album by trying to describe those feelings to someone else. In Rainbows, an album that could have just as easily claimed the top spot on the list, stirred feelings in me that I sometimes had trouble articulating to others. Every song on this album offers something different to the listener, the perfect mixture of music and words that are both haunting and utterly mesmerizing. Emotions have names - love, hate and the like - yet every song on In Rainbows seems to assign a tangible value for an emotion that can't be found in a dictionary of any kind. They're continually reinventing themselves and remain as progressive and bold as ever, not just in their music but in their methods. The casual Radiohead fan just didn't download a few select songs this time 'round but the entire album, opening and reopening eyes to the piece of work that many thought Radiohead might never make again: a masterpiece. - Nathaniel
[MP3] Radiohead - 4 Minute Warning
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Strawberry Jam may be an unlikely candidate for the best album of the year. Avey doesn't exactly have Thom's pipes, and the sheer insanity of songs like "#1" and "For Reverend Green" certainly isn't for everyone. But when it comes to musical progression--the advancement of music beyond what we know, beyond what we think we know, beyond any pre-conceived notion of what a song should be or what pop music should sound like--that's where Animal Collective stands completely, entirely, untouchably alone. Have you ever heard an electronic beat as complex as the one that marches into "Peacebone," or a soundscape as strangely intriguing as the infinitely weird "#1," or singing as manic as Avey's on "For Reverend Green?" Strawberry Jam is without a doubt the most "western-sounding" album Animal Collective has made, but does any of it at all sound influenced by, well, any other band past or present? Animal Collective have created an album that stands at the forefront of [pop] musical evolution, and I can almost guarantee that they're going to do it again with their next. - Connor
[MP3] Animal Collective - Derek
Buy: Amazon | iTunes | Insound
ALBUMS WE OVERLOOKED (intentionally or otherwise):
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Justice - †
Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin
Battles - Mirrored
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Interpol - Our Love To Admire
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
José González - In Our Nature
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
CYHSY - Some Loud Thunder
43 comments:
Very good list Connor. I wanted to invite your readers over to my Blog. Where YOU will be one of my guests in tonight - I am running "The Best of 2007 as Selected By You." There's already a Top 40 Records of 2007 up!
Ryan - in Boston
Portugal. The Man?
Egggcelllent smithers eggggceellent.
great list!
Why would you overlook the Flying Club Cup?!
Sutton said...
great list Connor. I am much in agreement. There are few I havent heard and will get on that. Great posts all year, btw.
my list is here...
http://www.melodytrip.com/Community/blogs/sutton/archive/2007/12/17/the-50-best-albums-of-2007-an-exercise-in-opinion-and-list-making.aspx
Great list man. There are a few a will have to check out more closely.
awesome list! i'll have to check up on canon blue...
Great list, I agree that Strawberry Jam is an amazing piece of music. And great to see Plague Park there. My only change would be to throw out In Rainbows and replace it with Random Spirit Lover.
great list.
check out mine.
http://makenoise2u.blogspot.com/2008/01/2007.php
Out of all the "top albums of 2007" lists I've read over the past month, I think yours is the first to have the same #1 album as mine....great call! (Check it out at www.cuttingandwitty.com)
I agree entirely with Wayne! But if you took all of our suggestions, this would be our blog and not yours. Isn't it great that there is so much good and respectable music that came out this year? Good year guys. Keep it up.
Well, at least Patrick Wolf got mentioned
Excellent list. Much in common with mine. The only thing I would change is dump the Shins and add Brother Ali.
You got no hip hop man!
because there was a best hip hop album list 5 posts before this one, jackass.
You got to check out Justice, CHYSY, and Of Montreal. Please.
Sweet list.
Why would you pick Black Mirror as the song for Neon Bible? IMHO, Windowsill and Black Mirror are the two weakest tracks. (Windowsill much, much, more though.)
Once again, sweet list.
Well rounded with a couple of nice surprises.
probably the best words i have heard on Sky Blue Sky this year. I applaud this all
yeeeessss....great post! So many great albums of 2007! I just. Wow. You really hit the nail on the head. Animal Collective--very odd runner up, but it definitely was a great album. Wow. This...just makes me happy. Makes we want to wrap myself up in toilet paper and scare the hell out of a cleaning lady. Kinda like this video: http://www.roomforyourimagination.com. (Be sure to check out room 222 and 223--they're so effing hilarious! I work with them so I have the inside scoop!) Can't wait to see what great music 2008 brings! Thanks for the list.
sweet list doot! i also list strawberry jam #1 on my best of blog!
only album missing..shugo tokumoru's exit.
yussss the first list I did not get irate at. it is pretty much the best one and totally right. is it myspace of me to give you kudos? whatever.
i agree with 90% percent of this list, but i'm gonna be snarky for a second.
modest mouse AND the shins?!?!? i can understand maybe kind of not hating one of them, but BOTH make it (and not random spirit lover?!?!?!)
also in regards to the 'have you ever heard a beat as complex as the one that marches into peacebone?' question:
yes connor. i have heard a metronomic bass drum beat.
OTHER than those gripes, a good list, and 99% well written, so nice job. just that one line is so bad.
when will the endless modest mouse dick-sucking relent?
Thanks for this - its a great list covering great music from a great year in music. A friend of mine claims that "this is the year of great bands made bad albums". I couldn't disagree more. Thanks for summing it all up so well.
I love this list. New Moon, Favourite Worst Nightmare, Wincing The Night Away, Armchair Apocrypha and In Rainbows all exceeded my expectations and blew me away.
Modest Mouse, Animal Collective and The National are amazing too.
and I understand why you overlooked Flying Cup. Beirut's first Album was perfection, so they could only go down from there.
anyhow, the only thing I would add to this list is Mika's Life in Cartoon Motion. I know it's a pop album but I think it's a milestone in music. Mika reminds me a lot of Freddie Mercury.
Great selection! Your comments on Ted Leo match my own sentiments on Living With the Living. It wasn't a disappointing album exactly, but it never grew on me like the others.
Interesting list. While I'm not in love with everything on this list or where they place, it's certainly been a pleasure reading reasons why they were picked.
Solid job.
You should have just called this "the 25 best ways to pretend to be pitchfork." yawn. predictable. yawn.
that just means that have good taste. tool.
i really liked what you said about sky blue sky, and i totally agree with strawberry jam being number 1. only problem i got is i definitely think random spirit lover should be on there.
good list, i will look up a couple that you turned me onto. a couple comments.
1. i'm glad you share my affinity for deer tick, great album that was too underrated.
2. i can't agree to put modest mouse's weakest album on here and NOT include krug's latest sunset rubdown album. that's shameful.
3. beirut on your honorable mention list makes it seem like you're trying too hard not to be on a bandwagon, because let's face it, it's one of the year's best and deep down you agree.
...ryan
oh also . . .
4. i'm not sure if it came out this year or 2007, but if it was the latter, than shame on you for not including bon iver!!!
=)
...ryan
p.s. my opinion has an asshole.
i can't go away can i?
why is noone mentioning magnolia electric co's 'sojourner' boxed set? was really amazing.
...ryan
"I have one message to anyone who can't get into this album: there's a point where being a hipster prevents you from liking great music, and you've reached it."
Boy, you really are a wonderful human being. Did you really read that one out loud before you wrote it?
I understand that you like the album, but you don't have to fucking denounce us all as hipster heathens for being bored as balls by it.
You don't see any lists where people say "To like Sky Blue Sky - You'd have to have your head crawled up so far up hype's ass that you'd have no when it took a shit."
We don't like YHF because it has bleeps and bloops, we like it because it has great songs. If you can't understand that, than you don't deserve to write about Radiohead.
three things, carlos d:
thing #1: what I wrote about wilco was mostly a response to what many critics thought was wrong with the album, including pitchfork.
thing #2: i didn't write about radiohead on this list (although I would have loved to), nathaniel did.
thing #3: you'll have to restate your fourth paragraph...there's an error in there preventing me from understanding what the hell you're getting at.
"To like Sky Blue Sky - You'd have to have your head crawled up so far up Wilco's ass that you'd have no idea when it took a shit."
restated.
It's one thing defend the album, but it's another to offend its detractors as unable to separate reviews from personal opinion.
No Margot and The Nuclear So and So's. AAAAAGGGGGHHHH
um, the dust of retreat came out a few years ago, not 2007.
where in sweet f*ck is okkervil river?
personally, i can only STAND listening to derek off of strawberry jam. i think the rest is pure crap. PERSONALLY. i mean, it's noise. and i listen to the mae shi, so that's saying a lot.
i think boxer and the historical conquests are AMAZING though and am appalled at how far back they are. but we've all got our likes and dislikes.
heh, overall good list, aside from radiohead and animal collective. oh radiohead...
Fantastic post. Thanks very much.
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