26. Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This
This album came out in the same month as the latest from Okkervil River and The New Pornographers, so in spite of the fact that Architecture in Helsinki's previous album, In Case We Die, finished in my top 20 of 2005, this was only the third most anticipated release of August. I think I first listened to it while driving through Western New York on my summer road trip to Ohio. I was not blown away at first, but this one proved to fall into the infamous "rewards repeated listens" category...otherwise known as "a grower".
Call me crazy, but I hear a bit of B52's energy in a couple of songs on this album. Well, at least these Australian indie popsters share one thing in common with those Athens, GA natives...the fact that both bands are co-fronted by male and female members. There isn't necessarily one song that stands out on this album, but overall it's a solid collection of catchy indie pop you can dance to.
25. Sigur Rós - Hvarf/Heim
For long standing fans of Sigur Rós, this year's release may have been less than satisfying, but since I'm a bit of a newcomer, it filled a void that has existed since 2005 top 10 entry Takk... drifted from my regular rotation.
This is basically two EPs that, when combined, make for an hour-plus long affair. Hvarf is a collection of rarities, while Heim is a live-in-studio acoustic performance of some of their past favorites. Among the new material, the symphonic "Hljómalind" is the highlight, proving the slow build to powerful chorus as another style of song that I'm an absolute sucker for.
24. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
The second Swedish contribution to this year's list, Jens Lekman is undoubtedly one of the most clever, funny and charismatic characters on the independent music scene...kind of the straight version of Stephin Merritt. To me, he has an unrivaled knack for writing and singing beautiful and catchy indie pop that somehow tows the line between being too serious and too silly. This sounds like a difficult task, but "A Postcard to Nina" is a perfect example. A hilarious song about meeting the father of his lesbian friend and pretending to be her boyfriend, it also delivers a not overly preachy "always be true to yourself" message.
23. Son Volt - The Search
By now, it should be apparent, if not perfectly clear, that I would side with Jay Farrar in any dispute between he and his former bandmate Jeff Tweedy. Despite this, there's no questioning the fact that Tweedy has proven to be more creative and versatile and has parlayed these talents into not only critical acclaim, but marginal commercial success as well. This year, however, is the first since the late 90's that I can honestly say that I like the direction Son Volt is moving in more than the path that Wilco has chosen. Maybe that's partly because Wilco's recent offering just didn't do it for me, but more importantly, Son Volt has followed their strong comeback album, Okemah and the Melody of Riot, with an even better effort. In fact, I consider The Search to be the second best album in the band's entire catalog, and that's saying something, considering #1, Trace, is one of my all-time favorites.
22. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
I enjoyed Beirut's debut, Gulag Orkestar, but it didn't quite inspire me to want to listen to it repeatedly. Still, it was good enough for the band to still be a spot on my radar. Then, when the Lon Gisland EP, which included the brilliant "Elephant Gun", was released earlier this year, I knew I was quickly becoming a fan. Brilliant might be over-stating it...it may have just been the best Neutral Milk Hotel influenced song I'd heard in a long time, but you get the idea.
Beirut's overall sound is not as inspired by Neutral Milk Hotel as that one song, and despite my affinity for NMH, I consider that a good thing. I don't think there's enough room in this indie world for all of the artists who unashamedly wear Jeff Mangum's influence on their sleeves. While NMH is certainly an influence of theirs, Beirut's sound is distinctive enough to be considered their own. While one reviewer called the debut "a kind of Neutral Milk Hotel-meets-gypsy field recordings", The Flying Club Cup takes this sound to a new level, employing a beautiful amalgam of wind instruments, strings, accordions, keyboards and organ.
21. Interpol - Our Love to Admire
I've already discussed Interpol a little here, and I may have to admit that I've rated this album higher than just about anybody else this year...but so what. This is another case of being a relative latecomer, so I don't have the same reference point as other Interpol fans who think this album is clearly a notch below their prior two efforts. Who knows? This may be analogous to all those people who never heard Being There and now think Sky Blue Sky is some kind of masterpiece. The positive side of this, for folks in the latter camp as well as myself, is we both now have the uncharted territory of the back catalog of a truly great artist to explore.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
28. Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir
Very confusing band name and album title, I must admit. In fact, it could almost be a deal-killer if the music wasn't so good. Loney, Dear is Swedish singer/songwriter Emil Svanängen, and Loney, Noir was a big hit with me in a year that many of his fellow countrymen also made an impression. Actually, only two of the four artists who come to mind landed spots in the top 40, with Shout Out Louds and The Tough Alliance falling short.
Emil's ridiculously high falsetto might not be your cup of tea, but how can you not fall for his brand of infectious and sweetly melodious pop music? Highlights here are many, but my particular favorites are "Hard Days 1,2,3,4", "Carrying a Stone", and "I Won't Cause Anything At All". Slotting in at #28, this record holds the distinction as the highest ranking album by an artist I'd never heard of prior to this year, with Handsome Furs being the only other band in the top 40 to satisfy that criterion.
27. Editors - An End Has a Start
Editors' debut album, The Back Room, instantly grabbed my attention, despite the fact that the tougher critics generally referred to them as a poor man's Interpol. In a somewhat ironic twist, I can actually credit Editors as the band that turned me on to Interpol. I'd certainly heard small doses of the latter prior to this, but it wasn't until hearing these less than favorable comparisons that I figured it was time to give Interpol a solid listen.
Editors' sophomore effort, An End Has a Start, is nearly as good as their first. It may not break any new ground, but it's another 40+ minutes of anxious, dramatic hook-laden British indie rock. This band will probably never escape the Interpol comparisons, but they could do a lot worse in terms of reference points. They may occasionally veer dangerously close to Coldplay, but they seem to reign it in just in time to keep from falling over the edge.
Very confusing band name and album title, I must admit. In fact, it could almost be a deal-killer if the music wasn't so good. Loney, Dear is Swedish singer/songwriter Emil Svanängen, and Loney, Noir was a big hit with me in a year that many of his fellow countrymen also made an impression. Actually, only two of the four artists who come to mind landed spots in the top 40, with Shout Out Louds and The Tough Alliance falling short.
Emil's ridiculously high falsetto might not be your cup of tea, but how can you not fall for his brand of infectious and sweetly melodious pop music? Highlights here are many, but my particular favorites are "Hard Days 1,2,3,4", "Carrying a Stone", and "I Won't Cause Anything At All". Slotting in at #28, this record holds the distinction as the highest ranking album by an artist I'd never heard of prior to this year, with Handsome Furs being the only other band in the top 40 to satisfy that criterion.
27. Editors - An End Has a Start
Editors' debut album, The Back Room, instantly grabbed my attention, despite the fact that the tougher critics generally referred to them as a poor man's Interpol. In a somewhat ironic twist, I can actually credit Editors as the band that turned me on to Interpol. I'd certainly heard small doses of the latter prior to this, but it wasn't until hearing these less than favorable comparisons that I figured it was time to give Interpol a solid listen.
Editors' sophomore effort, An End Has a Start, is nearly as good as their first. It may not break any new ground, but it's another 40+ minutes of anxious, dramatic hook-laden British indie rock. This band will probably never escape the Interpol comparisons, but they could do a lot worse in terms of reference points. They may occasionally veer dangerously close to Coldplay, but they seem to reign it in just in time to keep from falling over the edge.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
30. Feist - The Reminder
This being the third female artist (out of 11) on the list so far, you may think that this is the year in which females are more highly represented than ever. You probably haven't even noticed, but if you're thinking this, you're wrong. In fact, the opposite is probably true. If you've never heard me talk or write about my unintentional prejudice against women in music, start here. I'm not going to get into it further, except to say that I like a lot of music made by female artists, but I guess it's just very infrequent that I really love them.
This album is a good reference point for the statement made in that last sentence. Similar to Regina Spektor's 2006 offering, Begin to Hope, Feist's The Reminder is front-loaded with a few songs that make me feel optimistic that this is going to be a fantastic album..."So Sorry", "I Feel it All", "The Park". But, then there's a drop-off. The difference between this and Begin to Hope (fitting title, huh?) is that the latter has a solid handful of eagles, whereas The Reminder has a bunch of really good songs and a few that drag a little. Still, it's my second favorite album of the year by an exclusively female act, which may sound patronizing, but I say that's nothing to scoff at.
29. Pelican - City of Echoes
I've certainly listened to my share of post-rock (or whatever you call it) bands, thanks to a particular rock snob friend of mine. While were on that subject, "The Rock Snob*s Dictionary" defines post-rock as follows:
"Amorphous genre born of rock-crit necessity in the nineties, mainly to explain to the skeptical public that the free-form, slo-mo noodlings of such semi-smart strivers as Tortoise and Low were not lazy, unstructured cop-out jams but the music of the twenty-first century".
Well, it's the 21st-century, and I still find that most of the stuff that falls into this "genre" just can't hold my attention for an entire album. I generally find that it's good for a 15-20 minute drive home on a cold dark night in Poughkeepsie. That's its niche. Not much potential for commercial success there.
Pelican's City of Echoes, despite its 4.4 Pitchfork rating, not only held my attention for the entire 42 minutes, but it did so again and again, and this was during the summer. Its conciseness might very well be a good reason for this. Regardless, returning to it again as I write this, I'm still digging this band's brand of heavy instrumental rock, although I'd like to suggest to them that they release their next album somewhere between November and February.
This being the third female artist (out of 11) on the list so far, you may think that this is the year in which females are more highly represented than ever. You probably haven't even noticed, but if you're thinking this, you're wrong. In fact, the opposite is probably true. If you've never heard me talk or write about my unintentional prejudice against women in music, start here. I'm not going to get into it further, except to say that I like a lot of music made by female artists, but I guess it's just very infrequent that I really love them.
This album is a good reference point for the statement made in that last sentence. Similar to Regina Spektor's 2006 offering, Begin to Hope, Feist's The Reminder is front-loaded with a few songs that make me feel optimistic that this is going to be a fantastic album..."So Sorry", "I Feel it All", "The Park". But, then there's a drop-off. The difference between this and Begin to Hope (fitting title, huh?) is that the latter has a solid handful of eagles, whereas The Reminder has a bunch of really good songs and a few that drag a little. Still, it's my second favorite album of the year by an exclusively female act, which may sound patronizing, but I say that's nothing to scoff at.
29. Pelican - City of Echoes
I've certainly listened to my share of post-rock (or whatever you call it) bands, thanks to a particular rock snob friend of mine. While were on that subject, "The Rock Snob*s Dictionary" defines post-rock as follows:
"Amorphous genre born of rock-crit necessity in the nineties, mainly to explain to the skeptical public that the free-form, slo-mo noodlings of such semi-smart strivers as Tortoise and Low were not lazy, unstructured cop-out jams but the music of the twenty-first century".
Well, it's the 21st-century, and I still find that most of the stuff that falls into this "genre" just can't hold my attention for an entire album. I generally find that it's good for a 15-20 minute drive home on a cold dark night in Poughkeepsie. That's its niche. Not much potential for commercial success there.
Pelican's City of Echoes, despite its 4.4 Pitchfork rating, not only held my attention for the entire 42 minutes, but it did so again and again, and this was during the summer. Its conciseness might very well be a good reason for this. Regardless, returning to it again as I write this, I'm still digging this band's brand of heavy instrumental rock, although I'd like to suggest to them that they release their next album somewhere between November and February.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
32. Rosie Thomas - These Friends of Mine
My co-worker and I were discussing the divergence in our respective tastes in music. We do have fairly similar taste, but she really dislikes what she considers to be pretentious sounding singers. I made a reluctant comparison that I'm more emo than she is. She agreed, but cut me some slack by re-phrasing my description to say I like sentimental music more than she does. This album, and one track in particular, perfectly embodies the feeling that I'm a sucker for sentimentality.
That track is "Songbird", Rosie Thomas' interpretation of the Fleetwood Mac original. I have to admit to not being that familiar with Christine McVie's version before I heard this one. That's probably why it really hit me. Then, to be able to listen to it back-to-back with the Fleetwood Mac version, and to realize the latter is even better, is really amazing. But, that doesn't detract from the beauty of Thomas' version. Hers is played to acoustic guitar backed by subtle strings, while the Fleetwood Mac song is a piano ballad, and Rosie's voice adds a certain down-home folky charm to the song.
But, the rest of the album, although only 33 minutes in total, is really special as well. In my regular frequent spins entry in my myspace blog, I called March the best month of 2007 to that point...which isn't really saying much, but it probably hangs onto that distinction even at year end. I ranked These Friends of Mine in a three-way tie with two other female singer-songwriter albums for 5th best album of the month. As it turns out, Rosie's effort is the only of those three to have the staying power to secure a spot in my top 40.
31. Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues
Depending on your interpretation, there may be a slight factual error in my post of December 17. I've been a fan of The Jayhawks a little longer than Dinosaur Jr. Of course, The Jayhawks didn't put out an album in 2007, but co-founder Mark Olson did.
Just as I favored Jay Farrar over Jeff Tweedy in Uncle Tupelo, and J Mascis over Lou Barlow in Dinosaur Jr., I initially was a bigger fan of Mark Olson than his co-leader in The Jayhawks, Gary Louris. This changed when Olson left the band and Louris proved to be a more talented songwriter who really stood out when fronting the band on his own. Olson clearly has his niche, and that niche is in straight-up country-rock and, sometimes old-timey, folk.
The Salvation Blues is technically his first truly solo record, after several albums with his now ex-wife Victoria Williams as The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, Mark Olson & The Creekdippers, and just the Creek Dippers. It's also the first album since their divorce. I'm not sure why, but I was more saddened to hear of their breakup than I would have thought possible.
I have no knowledge of their relationship, but for some reason I pictured them the perfect couple, living a simple life in the California desert, barely making a living from their music, and Mark taking care of Victoria when she had setbacks due to her M.S. But, I was wrong. She filed for divorce when she found out he was shacking up with an old girlfriend. Then, the old girlfriend dumped him too. It was a rough year for Mark, so I guess this is a bit of a different kind of comeback, and a good one at that.
My co-worker and I were discussing the divergence in our respective tastes in music. We do have fairly similar taste, but she really dislikes what she considers to be pretentious sounding singers. I made a reluctant comparison that I'm more emo than she is. She agreed, but cut me some slack by re-phrasing my description to say I like sentimental music more than she does. This album, and one track in particular, perfectly embodies the feeling that I'm a sucker for sentimentality.
That track is "Songbird", Rosie Thomas' interpretation of the Fleetwood Mac original. I have to admit to not being that familiar with Christine McVie's version before I heard this one. That's probably why it really hit me. Then, to be able to listen to it back-to-back with the Fleetwood Mac version, and to realize the latter is even better, is really amazing. But, that doesn't detract from the beauty of Thomas' version. Hers is played to acoustic guitar backed by subtle strings, while the Fleetwood Mac song is a piano ballad, and Rosie's voice adds a certain down-home folky charm to the song.
But, the rest of the album, although only 33 minutes in total, is really special as well. In my regular frequent spins entry in my myspace blog, I called March the best month of 2007 to that point...which isn't really saying much, but it probably hangs onto that distinction even at year end. I ranked These Friends of Mine in a three-way tie with two other female singer-songwriter albums for 5th best album of the month. As it turns out, Rosie's effort is the only of those three to have the staying power to secure a spot in my top 40.
31. Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues
Depending on your interpretation, there may be a slight factual error in my post of December 17. I've been a fan of The Jayhawks a little longer than Dinosaur Jr. Of course, The Jayhawks didn't put out an album in 2007, but co-founder Mark Olson did.
Just as I favored Jay Farrar over Jeff Tweedy in Uncle Tupelo, and J Mascis over Lou Barlow in Dinosaur Jr., I initially was a bigger fan of Mark Olson than his co-leader in The Jayhawks, Gary Louris. This changed when Olson left the band and Louris proved to be a more talented songwriter who really stood out when fronting the band on his own. Olson clearly has his niche, and that niche is in straight-up country-rock and, sometimes old-timey, folk.
The Salvation Blues is technically his first truly solo record, after several albums with his now ex-wife Victoria Williams as The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, Mark Olson & The Creekdippers, and just the Creek Dippers. It's also the first album since their divorce. I'm not sure why, but I was more saddened to hear of their breakup than I would have thought possible.
I have no knowledge of their relationship, but for some reason I pictured them the perfect couple, living a simple life in the California desert, barely making a living from their music, and Mark taking care of Victoria when she had setbacks due to her M.S. But, I was wrong. She filed for divorce when she found out he was shacking up with an old girlfriend. Then, the old girlfriend dumped him too. It was a rough year for Mark, so I guess this is a bit of a different kind of comeback, and a good one at that.
Roger Clemens
Alright, I need to take time out from the top 40 countdown to get back to the steroids issue. I was beginning to believe that it was becoming less and less likely that Roger Clemens' name would ever be cleared, and possibly even more unlikely that he was, in fact, innocent of the accusations. Andy Pettitte's admission of HGH use not only makes it seem more likely that his best friend in baseball was also using, but also gives some creedence to the word of Brian McNamee.
Then, Clemens issued the following statement yesterday:
"I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life."
There's no clever phrasing here that could be used to defend himself from being called a liar at a later date. He has stated unequivocally that he is innocent of all accusations.
So what does this mean? I don't know for sure, and I certainly am not ready to say that I believe him. I want to believe him, but I'm still skeptical. However, I hold firmly to my opinion that he needs an opportunity to present his side of the story, i.e. to refute the charges.
He also stated, "I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way." I don't have a problem with this, although some are criticizing him for it, saying he needs to defend himself publicly rather than by issuing statements. But, this is a complicated matter, and just as the defendant in a trial has a right to not talk to the press about his case, Clemens has the right to expect that he should be given the appropriate forum.
So, what is Clemens going to do? I don't know the answer to that question, but I have what I think is an ingenious idea about what he should do.
He should announce that he's not retiring, and sign a one-year contract with the Yankees for the major league minimum. He should make it clear that he plans to pitch an even smaller portion of the season than he did last year, maybe only the final two months; That he plans to stay in shape and then begin training in the Yankees' minor league system between one and two months prior to this, or however long it takes.
Of course, this contract will be a highly incentive laden contract that pays him generously should he crack the Yankees' rotation and make it back to the major leagues. He should state publicly that he is well aware that the Yankees, as constituted right now, have six capable starting pitchers competing for five spots and there is no guarantee that he will be able to unseat any of them. But, of course, that will be his goal, that and to help the team make it back to and win another World Series.
Why would he do this when it seems ever so obvious that now is the time he should retire for good? To defend and protect his legacy, that's why. By doing so, he will be forcing Bud Selig's hand to take action based on the allegations in the Mitchell Report or not.
Selig has already stated publicly that he plans to investigate each active player named in the report and decide on any possible disciplinary action on a case-by-case basis. So, should he suspend Clemens for his involvement with steroids, Roger will utilize baseball's appeal system to its fullest extent. That will be his forum, his "appropriate time and appropriate way", to attempt to clear his name, preserve his legacy and ensure his place alongside baseball's greats in Cooperstown.
Should Selig decide not to take action, this will not allow Clemens the opportunity to make as strong a statement as if he does, but his defense will be that Major League Baseball didn't even seek to punish him for what the report claimed he was guilty of. Therefore, they determined that the case against him was weak. Why was the case against him so weak?...Clemens will ask rhetorically. Because the allegations are false, will be his answer.
Will this erase the doubts in everyone's minds, in the so-called "court of public opinion"? No, but he will have done what he said he would do, "...publicly answer all of the questions...", and it will be a much stronger statement than anyone has made in response to the steroid allegations. More importantly, it will eliminate any clearcut case against electing him to the Hall of Fame, and ensure his place in baseball history...on the basis of his performance rather than his enhancing.
Then, Clemens issued the following statement yesterday:
"I want to state clearly and without qualification: I did not take steroids, human growth hormone or any other banned substances at any time in my baseball career or, in fact, my entire life."
There's no clever phrasing here that could be used to defend himself from being called a liar at a later date. He has stated unequivocally that he is innocent of all accusations.
So what does this mean? I don't know for sure, and I certainly am not ready to say that I believe him. I want to believe him, but I'm still skeptical. However, I hold firmly to my opinion that he needs an opportunity to present his side of the story, i.e. to refute the charges.
He also stated, "I plan to publicly answer all of those questions at the appropriate time in the appropriate way." I don't have a problem with this, although some are criticizing him for it, saying he needs to defend himself publicly rather than by issuing statements. But, this is a complicated matter, and just as the defendant in a trial has a right to not talk to the press about his case, Clemens has the right to expect that he should be given the appropriate forum.
So, what is Clemens going to do? I don't know the answer to that question, but I have what I think is an ingenious idea about what he should do.
He should announce that he's not retiring, and sign a one-year contract with the Yankees for the major league minimum. He should make it clear that he plans to pitch an even smaller portion of the season than he did last year, maybe only the final two months; That he plans to stay in shape and then begin training in the Yankees' minor league system between one and two months prior to this, or however long it takes.
Of course, this contract will be a highly incentive laden contract that pays him generously should he crack the Yankees' rotation and make it back to the major leagues. He should state publicly that he is well aware that the Yankees, as constituted right now, have six capable starting pitchers competing for five spots and there is no guarantee that he will be able to unseat any of them. But, of course, that will be his goal, that and to help the team make it back to and win another World Series.
Why would he do this when it seems ever so obvious that now is the time he should retire for good? To defend and protect his legacy, that's why. By doing so, he will be forcing Bud Selig's hand to take action based on the allegations in the Mitchell Report or not.
Selig has already stated publicly that he plans to investigate each active player named in the report and decide on any possible disciplinary action on a case-by-case basis. So, should he suspend Clemens for his involvement with steroids, Roger will utilize baseball's appeal system to its fullest extent. That will be his forum, his "appropriate time and appropriate way", to attempt to clear his name, preserve his legacy and ensure his place alongside baseball's greats in Cooperstown.
Should Selig decide not to take action, this will not allow Clemens the opportunity to make as strong a statement as if he does, but his defense will be that Major League Baseball didn't even seek to punish him for what the report claimed he was guilty of. Therefore, they determined that the case against him was weak. Why was the case against him so weak?...Clemens will ask rhetorically. Because the allegations are false, will be his answer.
Will this erase the doubts in everyone's minds, in the so-called "court of public opinion"? No, but he will have done what he said he would do, "...publicly answer all of the questions...", and it will be a much stronger statement than anyone has made in response to the steroid allegations. More importantly, it will eliminate any clearcut case against electing him to the Hall of Fame, and ensure his place in baseball history...on the basis of his performance rather than his enhancing.
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