2007 roundup

sprinkles

What was your favorite album of the year and what was your best "find" of the year - be them new or old bands that you were turned onto this year?

For me it was:

Album of 07: Rilo Kiley - Under the blacklight (had to check my "most played" on my ipod for this one)

Honourable mention goes to Silversun Pickups.

Find of 07: Fight Like Apes. A boring choice perhaps but they are utterly amazing.

Honourable mention goes to Cathy Davey. Never heard of her til I saw her live and I thought she was excellent.

That's probably not really in keeping with many/any top 100 list out there but then again give those people a week and ask them to compile the same list again and it'll be different....

I have to say though I picked up some great albums from bands I've never listened to/heard of from recommendations on this forum - so for that I thank ye.

Oh and Happy New Year

Jonny Arson

looking back now 2007 was actually one of the strongest years in music for a while, i discovered alot of good stuff this year

i couldn't pinpoint what exactly my favorite album was but i adored Art Brut's It's A Bit Complicated, probably the album i listened to most all year, one of those rare albums that is consistent but unique from track 1-11 and doesn't have any poor songs, ah i just loved it! i did love Rilo Kiley's latest but for me it didn't hit the great heights of their last two albums. Bloc Party, The Shins and Radiohead delivered my other major favourites of 2007 even though i did expect a something a bit stronger from Radiohead

my finds of the year were Battles and Animal Collective, hadn't heard of either of them 12 months ago and both had such great and unique albums in 07', both brilliant live too

Attractive Nun

My favourite album of the year was undoubtedly Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem. I've listened to it so much over the past months and it has not dulled in the slightest. There are 3/4 absolutely cracking songs on the album, and no duds at all IMO. The humour, energy and pleasure I get from it are brilliant, and seeing him/them live in Tripod was a highlight of my year. Such a great album.

Overall I'd agree with Jonny Arson that 2007 was a great year for albums, loads of great stuff. Honorable mentions to Person Pitch by Panda Bear, Boxer by the National, From Here We Go Sublime by the Field, New Moon by Elliott Smith (if that counts), Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective and In Rainbows by Radiohead. Most of my favourite contemporary bands (the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Arcade Fire, Beirut, the Go! Team, Sunset Rubdown) also released albums this year, though some were a little disappointing. Still I was never short of things to listen to.

As for my finds of the year, I'd also say Battles since I hadn't heard of them before and I very much love Mirrored. I'd also have to mention M.I.A., whose Kala would certainly be up there in the top 3 or 4 for my album of the year.

All in all, good work 2007.

lordgoat

I think 2007 wasn't a great year for me. I'm not sure i heard anyone new or if i have i can't remember them! Highlights album wise... i've posted them somewhere else. Cadence Weapon was prob my find of the year now that i think about it.

slickmcvic

thought 2007 was a pretty decent year music wise......as above loved the rilo kiley end cathey davey releases but found albums from the chemical brothers' and the shins to be up there with the highlights.....have to say I was a bitt dissappointed by the interpol album and neon bible didnt live up to expectations

Creamy Goodness

2007 was a great year for me music wise.

i didn't buy a lot of albums but i branched out my range a lot from the standard alt/indie which i saw myself just getting stuck in a rut and went towards some jazz/experimental/metal/electronica.

Karlusss

I thought 2007 was a great year musically, I got 20-30 really good albums at some point during the year and 10-15 of those by new bands or bands I hadn't bothered with before.

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by Of Montreal was the best of the year though. Absolute genius. In Rainbows, Neon Bible, Liars and more were all very good too though. Animal Collective, Panda Bear, etc.

Find of the year, if I'm not including Panda Bear who is kind of cheating, is probably Battles. Fight Like Apes do not have the volume or consistency of output to merit such an important internet forum award, for me.

Creamy Goodness

just a note though, the members of battles have being doing their thing for a good 15 years, whereas fight like apes have been around say what approximately 4-5 years.

John

Album of the year for me is undoubtedly Vic Chesnutt's North Star Deserter. It is unbelievably good: excellent songwriting, equally excellent music (his backing band includes members of Fugazi and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/A Silver Mt. Zion) and ****ing amazing delivery. I did a review of it for brainwashed.com with samples for anyone that is interested (and also a review of his gig at The Button Factory).

My find of the year was probably Stars of the Lid. I'm sure I have heard them in the past but it was their last album, And Their Refinement of the Decline, that got me into them. Truly beautiful album, like some sort of mix between chamber music and ambient electronica. Their gig in Whelans was fantastic too. Highly, highly recommended band.

eclectichoney

Loved The national's Boxer, Polly Harvey's White Chalk and lots of other solo artist records (Bill Callahan, M.I.A., Simone White, Tomm Brosseau, Adrian Crowley.....) more than bands tbh.

JustCoz

2007 was a great music year for me. Discovered a few different bands at electric picnic that I had heard of but didn't really know their stuff, like LCD soundsystems, Hot Chip and Final Fantasy. Went to loads of great gigs too. Best album of the year for me is Cathy Davey's Tales of Silversleeve. Saw her a few weeks back and she's brilliant

the hero game

John wrote: »

Album of the year for me is undoubtedly Vic Chesnutt's North Star Deserter.

i'm a huge fan of vic and NSD was certainly better than his previous 2 but it still fell way short of his older material imo.. i should start listening to it again though and reappraise
i think he lost his spark after about to choke/the salesman & bernadette to be honest.. my fav is west of rome
i found 2007 pretty disillusioning tbh, any finds were me were actually older stuff that i hadn't heard til then rather than new albums

Angelene

White Chalk was easily my album of the year, this was only cemented by seeing Polly Jean in a rather intimate gig in Dublin last month.

As for finds..hmmm...I think this year was the first year I really gave hip-hop a chance, and so I'll say El-P and Handsome Boy Modeling School...I still don't think I could call myself a fan of the genre, but I'm a fan of good music, and that transcends all else.

Ooooh, although another find would be Mice Parade, just wonderfully impossible to define music.

<edit : apologies to moderator, was unaware of MCD issue>

Jamey

This year I discovered Colour It In by the Maccabees. Album of the year, brilliant band, have listened to it non-stop for months now. Haven't felt this way about a debut album since Silent Alarm by Bloc Party. Their follow up this year was a big disappointment for me.

Mushy

My favourite album of the year: either Puzzle by Biffy Clyro or Era Vulgaris by QOTSA.

Off the top of my head now, I cant remember any major finds for me this year, or more precisely, stuff that first came out this year that excited me. Listened to some more jazz stuff, John Mcloughlin/Mahavishnu Orchestra though. Nothing overly major.

Giblet

John wrote: »

Album of the year for me is undoubtedly Vic Chesnutt's North Star Deserter. It is unbelievably good: excellent songwriting, equally excellent music (his backing band includes members of Fugazi and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/A Silver Mt. Zion) and ****ing amazing delivery. I did a review of it for brainwashed.com with samples for anyone that is interested (and also a review of his gig at The Button Factory).

My find of the year was probably Stars of the Lid. I'm sure I have heard them in the past but it was their last album, And Their Refinement of the Decline, that got me into them. Truly beautiful album, like some sort of mix between chamber music and ambient electronica. Their gig in Whelans was fantastic too. Highly, highly recommended band.

I have to say, I was at that gig to see Ulrich Schnauss, and hated Stars of the Lid. Didn't do it for me at all.

youreonlymassiv

pj harvey white chalk

John

Giblet wrote: »

I have to say, I was at that gig to see Ulrich Schnauss, and hated Stars of the Lid. Didn't do it for me at all.

Really? I thought they were absolutely awesome. Bad venue for them though considering you could hear the conversations and music from the main pub over their music :mad:

I didn't know Schnauss's music going in there, some of it was good but I don't know if I'd be into a whole album. Is the album more of the same?

Giblet

The albums do have some good stuff on it, he didn't play some of his more well known stuff though, and the gig was definitely a lot more busy and loud, compared to how mellow a lot of the albums are. "On my own" is a pretty decent track.

JLemmon

Boxer - The National,
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
Fabric 36 - Ricardo Villalobos
Chriome Dreams II - Neil Young

Like another poster I got into other stuff outside of alternative,
like Dub and electronica

Disappointments or not living up to expectations:
Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire

Musoabuso

I'd have to say Rilo Kiley is the most played album on my Ipod, I just keep going back to it. I hadn't heard of them before so I'm looking forward to listening to their prior albums.
If In Rainbows is the last greatalbum Radiohead will release, I'm happy. I can't see them topping it even though I'd love them too. Probably the best produced record of the year too. Beautiful.

Biggest dissapointment of the year would have to be Interpols Our love to admire. I love that band but felt the magic that was in the first 2 albums only raised it's face for a handful of songs on the new one. Hopefully it's just a "transitional" record and they'll get their mojo back for album # 4.

Jamarduexz

Albums of the year were Radiohead- In Rainbows and Avenged Sevenfold's new album. Got a ticket to see Radiohead on the 7th can't wait.
Finds of the year were Hadouken! and Alexisonfire.

sandman263

My 2007 favourite would have to be The National - Boxer.

I've had quite a few finds this year:

• Joe Purdy - singer-songwriter. Like Damian Rice. But better.
• Matthew Ryan - Leonard Cohen growlings over rock
• J. Ralph - media landscapes (check out Mi Recordo - Italian opera with guitar and accordian, over a repeating drum beat)
• William Fitzsimmons (folktronica)
• Tiger Lou (one-man-band from Sweden)

0ubliette

Got 2 of the best albums ive heard in years this year (tho both were released in 06)

Grizzly Bears 'yellow house' & Early Day Miners 'offshore'

Orizio

lordgoat wrote: »

I think 2007 wasn't a great year for me. I'm not sure i heard anyone new or if i have i can't remember them! Highlights album wise... i've posted them somewhere else. Cadence Weapon was prob my find of the year now that i think about it.

Has a new album coming in the next few months.

The National's Boxer was my album of the year. What can I say? Gorgeous music.

Load of new stuff for me this year, but I'll mention two very different artists that people on this site might have overlooked. Firstly Low and their slow haunting slowcore masterpiece Drums & Guns. And secondly, Muscles for his fun electronic/dance album Guns Babes & Lemonade.

John

Orizio wrote: »

Load of new stuff for me this year, but I'll mention two very different artists that people on this site might have overlooked. Firstly Low and their slow haunting slowcore masterpiece Drums & Guns. And secondly, Muscles for his fun electronic/dance album Guns Babes & Lemonade.

You like albums with guns in the title it seems! The Low album was great but not album of the year for me. Don't know the other.

Chong

[quote:sandman263]Joe Purdy - singer-songwriter. Like Damian Rice. But better. [/quote]

Thank you Sandman.

I got two albums today under your recommendation of Joe Purdy.

Paris in the Morning and Take my blanket & go.

Very good .

lordgoat

Orizio wrote: »

Has a new album coming in the next few months.

Tell me more, i love the weapon. Have you heard him rap with final fantasy?

Orizio

lordgoat wrote: »

Tell me more, i love the weapon. Have you heard him rap with final fantasy?

No, but his newest is coming out in March and is called Afterparty Babies.

Personally I find his vocals rather off putting, but he is interesting nonetheless and has plenty of time to improve.

sandman263

Willstev wrote: »

Thank you Sandman.

I got two albums today under your recommendation of Joe Purdy.

Paris in the Morning and Take my blanket & go.

Very good .

Welcome Willstev. I heavily recommend his debut, self-titled, as well.

Glad to spread the music love.

Rollo Tamasi

A few good albums released this year alright. Some were pure mule too though.

Here are some of my highlights. A mixture of down tempo electro (first two) and indie/singer songwriter malarky.

I added myspace / youtube links for bands which you may not have heard before.

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My Albums of 2007

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Plej - Electronic Music From the Swedish Leftcoast / myspace / youtube
Bent - Intercept / myspace / youtube
Super Furries - Hey Venus!
Feist - The Reminder
Cathy Davey - Tales of Silversleeve
Ian Brown - The World is Yours
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga / myspace / youtube
Bjork - Volta
Gruff Rhys - Candylion
Matt Pond PA - Last Light / myspace / youtube

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My Albums of 2007

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Orizio

The Spoon and Fiest albums were indeed excellent. Just brilliant pop music.

In fact, The Underdog was my track of the year.

RE*AC*TOR

Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo

http://www.amazon.com/Hey-My-Yo/dp/B000SQKYS4

Great album.

Haven't listened to a lot of the ones mentioned here so far, although some of them are from artists who I've previously thought "meh". But I'll endeavour to check out a few.

sprinkles

There's quite a list building up alright.... think I'll be hitting iTunes some night.

Bugg

Favorite album of 07 was Carnavas by Silversun Pickups.
Wasn't expecting much from The Pumpkins album Zeitgeist but ended up loving it,not as good as Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie though.

GrahamThomas

White Chalk by PJ Harvey was an exceptionally beautiful album, her performance of Silence on Jools Holland took my breath away:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfJmGpaL18k

Also, Lets Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav and Under The Blacklight from the wonderful Rilo Kiley deserve a mention, 2 cracking albums!