2007 Year-End Report Card

[en480c4]

I decided to expand on my mid-year report card for my end-of-year ranking. Any one of the albums receiving an A could be considered my Album of the Year, but if forced to choose one it would have to be Rasputina's Oh Perilous World. The rest of my ramblings are as follows...

• 
  A | Catherine Anne Davies - The Piano EP
  Another haunting collection of songs from Ms. Davies. Nothing groundbreaking here, but the simple and straight-forward songs and her voice create a haunting atmosphere that's difficult to describe but not easily forgotten. Samples available here.
  
• 
  A | Epica - The Divine Conspiracy
  Since picking this up, I've explored their back catalog and came away unimpressed. But wow, this is one hell of an album. Stunning female vocals, great varied songwriting and interesting instrumentation and arrangements keep me coming back for more.
  
• 
  A | Joanna Newsom - Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band EP
  I love "Colleen," and her touring bands contributions to the reworks of "Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie" and "Cosmia" are welcome additions to her catalog. After listening to the bootleg "Live at Bottletree" so much, I've really grown to love what her band brings to the table.
  
• 
  A | Nellie McKay - Obgliagtory Villagers
  Such a short album comes as a bit of a shock after she split with Columbia over the length of Pretty Little Head, but it's filled with some great songs. You can really hear the joy she has in making music, and it's a top-notch group of musicians she has recorded with. Another great album from her that blend all sorts of musical styles seamlessly.
  
• 
  A | Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
  I can understand the issues people have taken with this album... Short on hooks, high on repetition. But to me it's probably strikes the best balance of angst and accessibility of all of the NIN albums. I find it very listenable, with a number of memorable songs. The mood and tone are just right, and as always, the layering of textures and sounds always keeps things interesting.
  
• 
  A | Rasputina - Oh Perilous World
  I'm a huge fan of Melora Crager's Neo-Victorian Chamber Rock, and have loved pretty much everything she's put together. But losing Zoe Keating and the prospect of a concept album had me a little worried. And I have to admit, after the first listen, I was less than impressed. But a few more listens has revealed an album that while less accessible, is just as enjoyable as the rest of their albums.
  
  
  
• 
  A- | Feist - The Reminder
  I was a little late to the game on this album. After reading so much praise in so many places, I was hesitant to buy in. But I'm sure glad I did, because this is a great collections of songs. I've since picked up Let It Die, and this has been one of my favorite finds of '07 thus far.
  
• 
  A- | Moonsorrow - V-Havitetty
  A full-length album with 2 tracks usually screams of pretentious, self-absorbed musicians whose ambition exceeds their abilities. This is not the case on this album... Not at all. The 2 tracks actually feel like 4, and the balance of folk metal, viking metal and black metal make for an amazing musical journey. I think I still prefer Verisakeet, if only for "Jotunheim," but V-Havitetty is stunning.
  
• 
  A- | Nina Nastasia & Jim White - You Follow Me
  An excellent follow-up to last year's On Leavnig, with the blending of her voice and guitar and his drums is much better than I could've ever imagined. The only reason it's not ranked higher is there are a few times where I wish the drums weren't quite so prominant. But otherwise they struck a great balance, and her voice is always amazing.
  
• 
  A- | The New Pornographers - Challengers
  I'm admittedly a late-comer to TNP, and only checked them out because I knew Neko Case (who can do no wrong in my eyes) contributes vocals on a number of tracks. And while "Challengers" and "Go Places," the two tracks she sings on are my favorites, the rest of the album is pretty spectacular from start to finish. I'm not familiar with their discography enough to rank it, but from what I've heard, it's another near-flawless release.
  
• 
  A- | Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes
  One of the best live recordings I've hear, this set has some of my favorite tracks as well as some that were pleasant surprises live. The only thing that could've made it better was if Martin Mendez had managed to stick around on drums, but otherwise a great release with excellent SQ.
  
• 
  A- | Tristania - Illumination
  To my ears, this is their best album since Widow's Weeds. I know World of Glass is often referred to as their best, but it never did much for me. Illumination is pretty straight forward, but they have the best post-Morten male vocals and it's probably the best Vibke has ever sounded... Which will only make me miss her more.
  
• 
  A- | Virgin Black - Requiem - Mezzo Forte
  While I've enjoyed parts of their previous albums, this is their first release that really works for me as a whole. The male vocals are much improved, the addition of classical female vocals really fleshes out the sound, and the guitar sound is still to die for. I'm really looking forward to the other two parts of the Requiem project.
  
  
  
• 
  B+ | Dean & Britta - Back Numbers
  I don't know how else to describe this album other than just striking me as cool, hip and fun. The lush arrangements and Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham's detached vocals really work well to create an atmosphere I enjoy.
  
• 
  B+ | Norah Jones - Not Too Late
  I'm glad she decided to take a chance and contribute more to songwriting. The mood is definitely darker here, and the album is better for it. Not as immediately accessible as her first two albums, but I think it's the strongest of the three.
  
• 
  B+ | Lumsk - Det Vilde Kor
  After discovering this band last year, I was really looking forward to hearing what they came up with next. This album sounds little like their first two releases, with no metal influences at all. But what's left is a beautiful folk sound with stunning female vocals.
  
• 
  B+ | Roisin Murphy - Overpowered
  Excellent electro-pop... Her voice is great, and the album flies by. This is a fun album with surprising staying-power.
  
• 
  B+ | Swallow The Sun - Hope
  The balance of the heavy and melodic reminds me a lot of Opeth, as do the clean vocals. However the sound is a bit different, with deeper growls and a sound that's more doom than death metal. The songwriting is great, production is strong and everything sounds just as it should.
  
• 
  B+ | Ulver - Shadows of the Sun
  A quiet understated release that has quite a bit going on. Hard to believe they started out as a black metal band. This is an excellent compainion piece to their previous album, Blood Inside. Their cover of "Solitude" is the album's high-point.
  
  
  
• 
  B | Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
  I really wanted to give this a higher grade. There are some songs on here that are the most enjoyable she's written in ages. But it's a little too uneven to move it up, and after listening to A Piano a lot recently, I realize that just because it's the best she's done in a while doesn't mean it's among the best she's done. Still an enjoyable album, and it gives me hope for what's to come... Just not something I reach for very often. And quite possibly one of the worst album covers in recent years.
  
• 
  B | Emilie Autumn - Laced/Unlaced
  While she is a classically-trained violinist, her music has strayed away from that more and more. This double album is an interesting work... The first disc, Laced is a collection of recordings of straight forward violin pieces. Some are your standards you'd expect someone to record, while others are original compositions. Unlaced, however, is the collision of her classical training and the "Victoriandustrial" direction she's exploring. Electric violin, noise, distortion and no vocals makes the 2nd disc a lot to swallow, but there are some very enjoyable moments to be found here.
  
• 
  B | Callisto - Noir
  What should sound like a pale imitation of Isis really holds its own with a better sense of atmosphere than any of the Isis releases and some interesting choices in instrumentation and song structure keeps you on your toes.
  
• 
  B | Jesca Hoop - Kismet
  A very creative artist who draws from almost any style or period. I've had The Silverscreen Demos for a while and have always enjoyed it. Her growth is obvious, and the songs that carry over from the demos really benefit from the increased production budget.
  
• 
  B | Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower
  This is another album that doesn't have any real flaws, but just hasn't connected with me. I still love her voice, and there are some great tracks on here. But it's another one that's just not the kind of stuff I've been listening to lately.
  
• 
  B | Within Temptation - The Heart of Everything
  Nothing groundbreaking here, but a throughly enjoyable listen. Sharon den Adel's voice is great, and the straight-forward songwriting is quite good.
  
  
  
• B- | Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
  I really like this album when it's on... Her voice is beautiful, the songs are pleasant enough and there's nothing wrong with it. It's just that other than the chorus of the title track, I've found it kind of forgettable. It strikes me as background music... Excellent background music, but background music none the less. So the B- might be a little tough, but until something from this album really clicks with me, here is where it stays.
  
• B- | Pelican - City of Echoes
  I'd like to think of myself as a pretty big fan of Australasia and The Fire In Our Throats..., but I haven't really enjoyed this one as much as their previous efforts. It's a strong album, with some great moments. But it's another one that hasn't really left a strong impression with me.
  
• B- | Sleepytime Gorilla Musuem - In Glorious Times
  This sounds to me like a pretty big step forward. I enjoyed Grand Opening and Closing, but it's a pretty challenging listen and wasn't something I reached for often. This is much more accessible, and an album I've really been enjoying, but another that leaves little lasting impression.
  
  
  
• C | Blonde Redhead - 23
  I was really looking forward to finally checking out this band, after reading a ton about them over the years. But this was a pretty big disappointment for me... kind of an average release that I enjoy when playing but rarely seek out.
  
  
  
• C- | Nightwish - Dark Passion Play
  I was never a big Nightwish fan, so I'm not coming to this as someone who was disappointed they had a new singer. I was actually very impressed with the vocals... For me it was just too bombastic and busy.
  
  

So for me at least, it was another great year of music. And with released from Goldfrapp and Draconian coming in early 2008, next year isn't looking too bad either.

[deepak]

I'll have to think pretty hard about this one, we had a lot of great music in 2007. Thanks for the very thorough run down Ian.

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, really nice write-up, I'm going to have to figure out a way to print that out for later reading.

[JBLoudG20]

Thank you very much, Ian.

[Upstateguy]

Wow Ian.... very comprehensive man, do you listen to a lot of music......

I like Nellie McKay,

Epica is like Nightwish meets Damian,

Norah Jones: I liked the material on the first album better, but I'll give the new one another chance...

Checked out Rasputina on YouTube....... Barracuda on the cello........ don't know what to make of it yet....

Thanks for the great reviews..... very progressive stuff....

USG

[n_maher]

Somebody got a lot of "work" done yesterday!

[en480c4]

Busted!

Yeah, that's what happens when I have to work a 1/2 day the day after Christmas and I'm the only one in the office. It was something I had been looking forward to doing and finally had a chance to do it. I thought it would take about a 1/2 hour to wrap up. An hour and a half later... Of course, I will have the intraweb @ home before year's end, but I didn't want to wait that long!

[n_maher]

Busted!

It's a great list, actually would make a hell of a playlist come to think of it.

[Dusty Chalk]

Epica is like Nightwish meets Damian...

(makes a mental note to check out Damian)

[laxx]

So who else wants to write one up?

[deepak]

Thought I'd get this in before the year ends. I'll add descriptions if I can overcome laziness

A+

Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

The National - Boxer

The New Pornographers - Challengers

Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow

A

Ai Aso and Wata - Shes So Heavy

Ghost - In Stormy Nights

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Sank

The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

A-

Radiohead - In Rainbows (reviewing it as a single disc)

Porcupine Tree - Nil Recurring

Six Organs of Admittance - Shelter From the Ash

Pharaoh Overlord - Live in Suomi, Finland

Life on Earth! - Look!! There is Life on Earth!!

Jose Gonzalez - In Out Nature

Earth - Hibernaculum

Feist - The Reminder

Dungen - Tio Bitar

Nest - Trail of the Unwary

B+

John Zorn - Six Litanies for Heliogabalus

Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If

James Blackshaw - The Cloud of Unknowing

Blackfield - II

Flight of the Conchords - The Distant Future

The Bad Plus - Prog

Battles - Mirrored

B

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

The Bird and the Bee - s/t

Rush - Snakes and Arrows

Circle - Panic

The Pineapple Thief - What We Have Sown

Boris with Merzbow - Groon/Walrus

Tristania - Illumination

Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

B-

Circle - Tower

The Forms - s/t

Kanye West - Graduation

Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs

C

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris

Neal Morse - Sola Scriptura

Bjork - Volta

Circle - Katapult

D

Wu Tang - 8 Diagrams

K (need to listen to more)

The Pirate Ship Quintet - 2007 - The Pirate Ship Quintet EP

Weedeater - God Luck And Good Speed

Titan -A Raining Sun Of Light And Love For You And You And You

The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation - Doomjazz Future Corpses!

The Album Leaf - The Enchanted Hill

Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes

and album of the year for me is The National - Boxer

[hungrych]

This is a little late, and I only really have time for one album right now. I should be able to do the rest tomorrow...

Blue & Exile - Below The Heavens

Blu came out of seemingly nowhere this year with 2 great albums, although this is definitely the better of the two. On one of the best debuts in recent memory, Blu is able to be hearfelt and lyrical over great beats by Exile (in interviews he is quick to point out that it is a collaboration, not just a Blu album produced by Exile). "S(oul) Amazing" has one of my favorite beats and has quickly become one of my favorite songs. Blu is one of the best MC's out there (his "rhyme lines flow sweeter than swine"): smooth and introspective, pondering about the challenges of everyday life. But more importantly, he just sounds completely overjoyed to be making music! The proper rap cliche would be that he is hungry. It is a little long and loses it's grip in a couple of places with some quest appearances, but this doesn't detract much from the album as a hole. His euphoria is infectious, and that's why this is probably my favorite album of 2007.

Video for S(oul) Amazing:

[ame]http://youtube.com/watch?v=rurDRF6j03M[/ame]

[hungrych]

Here's a few more...

Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth

While Blu lets you into his head on Below The Heavens, Brother Ali pours his heart out to you on The Undisputed Truth. Over soulful beats by Ant, Ali talks about everything from politics, to his divorce, to his son, all from the unique perspective of an Albino Muslim. His voice is also incredibly distinctive, I can't really describe it... but he is able to convey so much emotion and personality with it, making this one of the top releases of 2007.

Video for Uncle Sam Goddamn:

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=OO18F4aKGzQ]YouTube - Brother Ali - Uncle Sam Goddamn[/ame]

El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead

This is pretty difficult to write about. El-P's insane production is the evolution of The Bomb Squad, but even more experimental. And he's no slouch as an MC with a bizzare-at-times sounding flow. I think the most descriptive thing I could say about this is that it has Trent Reznor on one track.. many other people have discussed this album better than I can. It will take a few listens, but you'll be rewarded with one of the greatest albums in any genre this decade.t

Video for Flyentology (featuring Trent Reznor):

[ame=http://youtube.com/watch?v=2dBqGINeDvg]YouTube - El-P "Flyentology"[/ame]

That's all for right now, but I have plenty more.