It’s coming up on December, which means, well, it means that its time to take a look at all the cool things that came out in the year of 2007. For fetishistic list makers like myself, this is our favorite time of year. Time to display our cool, our ingenuity, are told you so’s and ha’s. It’s what makes writing about gadgets and music and games and all that crap worthwhile. When you do it early like this, you might miss some December hits, but you don’t have to be worried about people accusing you of stealing the list or being influenced by some other jerkoffs list. This is off the cuff bitches. So to kick it off, let’s start with the ground rules, five picks in each genre, and, well, I guess that’s the only rule. 1, 2, 3, GO!Today, music. Tomorrow, books or video games, or stuff, or gadgets, or news stories, blog posts, who knows!?!
- Black Moth Super Rainbow – Dandelion Gum-This is not only the best release this year, its one of the best releases in the last decade. BMSR fuses the stoned 60s and 70s haze of groups like Silver Apples andKraftwerk into a tight sound that still breathes life from its electronic musings. This isn’t going to revolutionize electronic music, but it does humanize it. It changes beat and tempo and time, it shakes and rattles, it rolls. It clean and dirty. It’s music, solid, real music. If you ever thought to yourself that, “yeah, I can put in a bunch of filters and make electronic music, easy,” then you need to hear Dandelion Gum.
- Battles – Mirrored Who would have thought that the son of Anthony Braxtonwould be a part of one of the greatest rock bands this side of 1990? Well, okay, when you say it that way it makes sense especially when you add on members from Helmet, Don Caballero and Lynx. Mirrored is one of those records that you can put on at any time, in any setting, in any mood, with any lighting and will still sound fucking fantastic. Pure rock ‘n roll that might be able to slide into the instrumental category since Braxton’s vocals are shifted through enough effects to be classified as an instrument itself.
- Wilco – Sky Blue Sky Yeah, okay, this is going to be on everyone fromPitchfork to Time Magazine’s list, but with good reason. Wilco’s return to the basics proved to be a solid record with a great sound. I appreciate everything about Sky Blue Sky, even the Volkswagen commercials.
- Yeasayer – All Hour Cymbals This is the sort of record that opens up for you. It doesn’t’ really reveal its true intentions until a few listens. What you begin to realize as the record goes on is that All Hour Cymbals is a bizarre combination of Gabriel era Genesis, modern indie-pop and a slight nod to some weird type of electronic calypso. In the end its a great record that warrants a lot of listens to really delve into the entire idea of it.
- Dizzee Rascal – Maths and English When you invent your own music style its hard to really shine on release after release. You usually get stuck in a movement and continue on until your records begin to fizzle and die. Mr. Rascal, however, doesn’t let that happen, he straight up throws himself into your face and doesn’t leave until Maths and English ends. It straight up dubstep/grime/hip-hop/dance from start to finish with a production that should make Kanye West curl up into a ball and cry like the baby that he is.honorable mentions: Menomena – Friend and Foe, Iron and Wine – Shepherd’s Dogs, Burial – Untrue, Justice – Cross, M.I.A. – Kala,Akron/Family – Love is Simple tho
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