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2007, as fine a year in music (both indie and mainstream) as I can remember in a good while, has finally wound down to its last days. This year we saw a lot of new artists enter the scene with innovative releases, favorite artists release albums as good or better than anything in their catalog, and we bid a fond farewell to those who crossed on to the other side. And, there was that little Radiohead thing you're probably tired of reading about by now, too.
As we drew near the end of 2007, we asked our staff to reflect on the year that was and put together a list of their ten favorite indie releases to hit the shelves (or hard drives) in '07. Without further ado... the picks!
- Chris
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Hagy
1. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone
Explosions in the Sky prove once again that vocals are overrated with their newest release All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone.
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2. Gogol Bordello – Super Taranta!
3. Example – What We Made
4. Climb Aboard The Friendship – Few Things Really Matter
5. Ligion – External Affairs
6. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
7. Municipal Waste – The Art of Partying
8. The Snake, The Cross, The Crown – Cotton Teeth
9. Crime In Stereo – Is Dead
10. Minus The Bear – Planet Of Ice
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Chris
1. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
With Hissing Fauna... and it's companion EP, Icons, Abstract Thee, Kevin Barnes and company manage to make breaking up sound like about the funkiest damn good time you've ever had.
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2. LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
3. Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust!
4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
5. Blonde Redhead - 23
6. The Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
7. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
8. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
9. Burial - Untrue
10. A Place To Bury Strangers - Self Titled
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Jarrett
1. Crime In Stereo - Is Dead
With their fantastic new album, Is Dead, Crime in Stereo (a punk/hardcore/undeniably catchy band from Long Island) merge together some of the catchy hooks that made late 90's pop punk music so popular with the attitude, lyricism, breakdowns, and general aggression that has made hardcore such an invigorating genre. There's a little bit of something for any listener of rock music in this band.
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2. Au Revoir Simone - The Bird Of Music
3. Kaki King - I have to choose her entire discography. She's that good. If you happen to check out the movie August Rush, you will see Kaki King in action. She is playing the amazingly talented hands of the main character as he plays guitar throughout the film.
4. The Riot Before - Horseshoes And Handgrenades
5. Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
6. The Most Serene Republic - Population
7. Modern Life Is War - Midnight In America
8. Feist - The Reminder
9. The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
10. Jesca Hoop - Kismet
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Savvy
1. Baroness - The Red Album
I listened to no other album for two weeks straight after this came out; it has everything you could want on one album: violent thrashy sludge, melodic doom, trippy almost-jazz, haunting acoustic, and more build than a Wagner opera. Definitely habit forming.
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2. Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta!
3. Lex Vegas - Death of a Gentleman
4. Spiral Joy Band - Wake Of The Dying Sun King
5. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone
6. Zoroaster - Dog Magic
7. Om - Pilgrimage
8. Glenn Jones - Against Which The Sea Continually Beats
9. George Fenton - Planet Earth
10. Gnarwolf - Demo
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Nathan
1. Crime In Stereo - Is Dead
I haven't heard something this creative come out of the hardcore scene in a very long time. I love everything they've ever released... it just keeps getting better.
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2. Go It Alone - Histories
3. Lifetime - Self Titled
4. Modern Life Is War - Midnight In America
5. Capital - Home Front
6. Ceremony - Scared People
7. Lex Vegas - Death Of A Gentleman
8. Permanent - Sing/Swim
9. Far From Finished - Living In The Fallout
10. Cloak/Dagger - We Are...
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Miranda
1. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I feverishly dashed to the store to buy this one the day it came out this summer, and Spoon hasn’t disappointed me with their uncanny gift for the three minute pop song. It has held up well to many repeated listenings. Good luck telling anyone the title without bursting into laughter or not saying enough “ga’s.”
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2. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
3. Tori Amos - American Doll Posse
4. Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
5. Elliott Smith - New Moon
6. Once - The Movie Soundtrack
7. Rufus Wainwright - Release the Stars
8. Feist - The Reminder
9. Radiohead - In Rainbows
10. Tegan and Sara - The Con
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