In preparation for rolling out the 2008 lists, I noticed that I never consolidated all of the 2007 lists (which were posted in sections) in one place. I will use this post as well to point to the 2007 lists. Here are the links:
The Best of 2007, #1-5
The Best of 2007, #6-25
The Best of 2007, #26-50
The Best of 2007, #51-75
The Best of 2007, #76-100
The Best of 2007, #101-125
The top 10 EPs of 2007
The top songs of 2007
The 2008 top 125 has finally been compiled, as has the EP list. The EP list will go up first tomorrow, followed by top 125 in 5 chunks (actually 6 chunks over 5 days, as I'll give the top 5 a separate post like last year) from Friday through Tuesday.
Showing posts with label Best-of Lists 2007. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best-of Lists 2007. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Audities Best of 2007 List.
The votes are finally in, comments (mostly grousing) to follow:
1. Fountains Of Wayne -- Traffic And Weather (685 points)
2. The Red Button -- She’s About To Cross My Mind (501)
3. The Nines -- Gran Jukle’s Field (326)
4. Future Clouds & Radar --Future Clouds & Radar (269)
5. Paul McCartney -- Memory Almost Full (268)
6. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic (241)
7. Amy Winehouse -- Back To Black (231)
8. John Hoskinson -- Pancho Fantastico (225)
9. Wilco -- Sky Blue Sky (217)
10. The Broken West -- I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On (206)
11. Nick Lowe -- At My Age (205)
Robert Plant and Allison Krauss -- Raising Sand (205)
13. Crowded House -- Time On Earth (202)
14. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (198)
15. Rooney -- Calling The World (194)
16. The New Pornographers -- Challengers (192)
17. Maple Mars -- Beautiful Mess (171)
18. Lewis Taylor -- The Lost Album (168)
19. Farrah -- Cut Out And Keep (165)
20. Ken Sharp -- Sonic Crayons (156)
And the rest of the Top 50
21. The Shins -- 155
22. Frisbie -- 136
23. The Clientele -- 134
24. Jason Falkner -- 130
25. Ryan Adams -- 129
Jackdaw 4 -- 129
27. Ian Hunter -- 126
28. Silverchair -- 123
29. Band Of Horses -- 105
Jens Lekman -- 105
31. Myracle Brah -- 102
Automat -- 102
33. Ice Cream Hands -- 100
Kaiser Chiefs -- 100
35. Apples In Stereo -- 92
36. Lily Allen -- 90
37. P. Hux -- 88
38. LCD Soundsystem -- 86
39. Rilo Kiley -- 85
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists -- 85
41. Travis -- 84
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings -- 84
43. Everybody Else -- 83
44. The Weakerthans - 82
Relient K -- 82
46. Graham Parker -- 81
47. Nushu -- 78
The Well Wishers -- 78
49. Mike Viola -- 76
50. Nicole Atkins -- 74
Josh Rouse -- 74
Well the Audities #1 didn't even crack my top 125. Of course my list is more focused on power pop and some offshoots whereas the Audities lists invariably have a lot of "indie rock" on them. However, FoW is as power pop as it gets, but Traffic & Weather just didn't do anything for me. It's not that I have anything against them - their previous three proper releases would have been on my lists had I done them those years, especially 1999's Utopia Parkway. This effort sounded like FoW by the numbers, and although they've always had a "formula" (just ask Robbie Fulks), this disc was all formula and little inspiration when it came to the tunes. The short stories they're famous for in the lyrics continue to be great, but it seemed that they were concentrating on the lyrics at the expense of the music this time around. It wasn't a bad disc, just not a particularly memorable one.
Meanwhile, what seemed to me uninspired efforts from big names (McCartney, Wilco, Crowded House) took high spots, the inevitable result of democratization of a list (97 participants here) where name recognition often trumps quality. Of course it's all subjective, but that's where I come down. I thought The Red Button might take the prize, but I'm still glad to see my #1 at #2 here. The Nines won last year, so third place wasn't a surprise. Interestingly, although I prefer last year's Calling Distance Stations to Gran Jukle's Field, I had the former at #23 last year and the latter at #10 this year, mainly due to this year's top 25 being weaker from 5-25 than last year's was. I'm also glad to see The Broken West, Ken Sharp and Maple Mars get their due. Speaking of name recognition, I see Jason Falkner at #24; luckily, this was a Japan-only release or it would have likely received an unwarranted top 10 spot.
I'm not even going to discuss Amy Winehouse.
1. Fountains Of Wayne -- Traffic And Weather (685 points)
2. The Red Button -- She’s About To Cross My Mind (501)
3. The Nines -- Gran Jukle’s Field (326)
4. Future Clouds & Radar --Future Clouds & Radar (269)
5. Paul McCartney -- Memory Almost Full (268)
6. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic (241)
7. Amy Winehouse -- Back To Black (231)
8. John Hoskinson -- Pancho Fantastico (225)
9. Wilco -- Sky Blue Sky (217)
10. The Broken West -- I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On (206)
11. Nick Lowe -- At My Age (205)
Robert Plant and Allison Krauss -- Raising Sand (205)
13. Crowded House -- Time On Earth (202)
14. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (198)
15. Rooney -- Calling The World (194)
16. The New Pornographers -- Challengers (192)
17. Maple Mars -- Beautiful Mess (171)
18. Lewis Taylor -- The Lost Album (168)
19. Farrah -- Cut Out And Keep (165)
20. Ken Sharp -- Sonic Crayons (156)
And the rest of the Top 50
21. The Shins -- 155
22. Frisbie -- 136
23. The Clientele -- 134
24. Jason Falkner -- 130
25. Ryan Adams -- 129
Jackdaw 4 -- 129
27. Ian Hunter -- 126
28. Silverchair -- 123
29. Band Of Horses -- 105
Jens Lekman -- 105
31. Myracle Brah -- 102
Automat -- 102
33. Ice Cream Hands -- 100
Kaiser Chiefs -- 100
35. Apples In Stereo -- 92
36. Lily Allen -- 90
37. P. Hux -- 88
38. LCD Soundsystem -- 86
39. Rilo Kiley -- 85
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists -- 85
41. Travis -- 84
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings -- 84
43. Everybody Else -- 83
44. The Weakerthans - 82
Relient K -- 82
46. Graham Parker -- 81
47. Nushu -- 78
The Well Wishers -- 78
49. Mike Viola -- 76
50. Nicole Atkins -- 74
Josh Rouse -- 74
Well the Audities #1 didn't even crack my top 125. Of course my list is more focused on power pop and some offshoots whereas the Audities lists invariably have a lot of "indie rock" on them. However, FoW is as power pop as it gets, but Traffic & Weather just didn't do anything for me. It's not that I have anything against them - their previous three proper releases would have been on my lists had I done them those years, especially 1999's Utopia Parkway. This effort sounded like FoW by the numbers, and although they've always had a "formula" (just ask Robbie Fulks), this disc was all formula and little inspiration when it came to the tunes. The short stories they're famous for in the lyrics continue to be great, but it seemed that they were concentrating on the lyrics at the expense of the music this time around. It wasn't a bad disc, just not a particularly memorable one.
Meanwhile, what seemed to me uninspired efforts from big names (McCartney, Wilco, Crowded House) took high spots, the inevitable result of democratization of a list (97 participants here) where name recognition often trumps quality. Of course it's all subjective, but that's where I come down. I thought The Red Button might take the prize, but I'm still glad to see my #1 at #2 here. The Nines won last year, so third place wasn't a surprise. Interestingly, although I prefer last year's Calling Distance Stations to Gran Jukle's Field, I had the former at #23 last year and the latter at #10 this year, mainly due to this year's top 25 being weaker from 5-25 than last year's was. I'm also glad to see The Broken West, Ken Sharp and Maple Mars get their due. Speaking of name recognition, I see Jason Falkner at #24; luckily, this was a Japan-only release or it would have likely received an unwarranted top 10 spot.
I'm not even going to discuss Amy Winehouse.
Friday, January 18, 2008
David Bash's Top 125 of 2007 (and more).
Here are David "Mr. IPO" Bash's lists, including his top 125 (I seem to have started an arms race in the size of year-end lists this year), and ancillary lists (top EPs, etc.). I always discover a few keepers that passed me by on his lists and I'm sure you will too. After I've had a change to digest it, I may append some comments to this post:
I. Top 125 Albums 2007
1. Ice Cream Hands-The Good China (Dust Devil)
2. The Fast Camels-The Magic Optician (Neon Tetra)
3. Peachfuzz-Catch Your Snap (Teenacide)
4. The Nines-Gran Jukle's Field (TAS Gold)
5. The Scruffs-Pop Manifesto (Self-Released)
6. David Brookings-Obsessed (Self-Released)
7. The Resonars-Nonetheless Blue (Get Hip)
8. The Red Button-She's About To Cross My Mind (Self-Released)
9. Fountains Of Wayne-Traffic And Weather (Virgin)
10. Mark & The Spies-Mark & The Spies (Screaming Apple)
11. Nushu-Nevermind Lullaby (Self-Released)
12. The Singles-Start Again (Sound Artifacts)
13. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway (Self-Released)
14. The Tripwires-Makes You Look Around (Paisley Pop)
15. Paul Starling-Ghost Waltz (Self-Released)
16. The Procession-Music Magnifique (Retone)
17. Sparkwood-Kaleidoscopism (Excellent)
18. The Fore-Black & White (Beatnik Geek)
19. Graham Day And The Gaolers-Soundtrack To The Daily Grind (Damaged Goods)
20. Jackdaw 4-Bipolar Diversions (369)
21. Switches-Heart Turned To D.E.A.D. (Atlantic UK)
22. The Len Price 3-Rentacrowd (Wicked Cool)
23. Black Tie Revue-Code Fun (Gearhead)
24. The Peaces-Is/Are/Was/Were (Cherry Bomb)
25. Third Of Never-Moodring (Jam)
26. The Go-Howl On The Haunted Beat You Ride (Cass)
27. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico (Tallboy)
28. Myracle Brah-Can You Hear The Myracle Brah (Rainbow Quartz)
29. The Tangerines-The Tangerines (Self-Released)
30. The Gilligans-Snoring With An Accent (Maize)
31. Kelly's Heels-Neither Use Nor Ornament (Warmfuzz)
32. Fancey-Schmancey (What Are)
33. Lolas-Like The Sun (Jam)
34. The Cheeks-Raw Countryside (Cargo)
35. The Pleasure-The Pleasure (Cargo)
36. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together (Self-Released)
37. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess (Kool Kat)
38. The Broken West-I Can't Go On, I'll Go On (Merge)
39. Farrah-Cut Out & Keep (Self-Released)
40. Zombies Of The Stratosphere-The Well-Mannered Look (Self-Released)
41. Automat-Automat (Not Lame)
42. The Makes Nice-This Time Tomorrow (Frenetic)
43. The Apples In Stereo-New Magnetic Wonder (Yep Roc)
44. Johnny Monaco-Overrated (The Wrong Crowd)
45. Grandville-Grandville (TV Eye)
46. Home-Is Where The Heart Is (Manzilla)
47. The Primordials-Fourteen Prime Numbers (Screaming Apple)
48. The Well Wishers-How I Won The War (Self-Released)
49. Frank Ciampi-Big Top Woman (Self-Released)
50. Kaiser Chiefs-Yours Truly, Angry Mob (Universal Motown)
51. Deadbeat Poets-Notes From The Underground (Pop Detective)
52. Mary Weiss-Dangerous Game (Norton)
53. Richard X. Heyman-Actual Sighs (Turn-Up)
54. Peter Berry & The Shake Set-.For Goodness Shake! (Spinout)
55. Jeff Tracy-Moments In Time (Aardvark)
56. Teaneck-Masters Of Achievement (Quince)
57. George Burton-1965 (Applebeat)
58. Vibeke Saugestad-The World Famous Hat Trick (Sprett Ball)
59. Jeff Murphy-Cantilever (Black Vinyl)
60. The Color Bars-Kairos At Infinity (Paranoiac)
61. Marmalade Souls-Marmalade Souls (Rainbow Quartz)
62. Young Sportsmen-Death To Palaces (Self-Released)
63. Jason Falkner-I'm Ok.You're Ok (Noise McCartney)
64. The Backroom-Reagan Era Rocket Ship (Remedial)
65. The Sketches-Secret Alphabets (Self-Released)
66. Tenniscourts-Tenniscourts (Pop Ulysses)
67. Hiroaki Watarai-Secret Melodies (Wattack)
68. Wonderwall-Delicate Balance (Neon Pie)
69. Martin Newell-A Summer Tamarind (Cherry Red)
70. Ken Sharp-Sonic Crayons (Jet Fighter)
71. Poplord-Poplord (Self-Released)
72. IT'S MY PARTY!-R.S.V.P. (Mister Cat)
73. Rooney-Calling The World (Geffen)
74. The Urges-Psych Ward (Off The Hip)
75. Fred Jiminez-Il Est Temps Maintenant! (Self-Released)
76. The Leftovers-On The Move (Rally)
77. The Frauds-Hiding Out Loud (Orange Rock)
78. The ACB's-The ACB's (Self-Released)
79. The Wellingtons-For Friends In Faraway Places (Popboomerang)
80. Morten Richter-Message From The Slum (Rush)
81. Office-A Night At The Ritz (New Line)
82. Ronderlin-The Great Investigation (Tomt)
83. Paul McCartney-Memory Almost Full (MPL Communications)
84. The Primary 5-Go (Re-Action)
85. Blackout 101-Blackout 101 (Self-Released)
86. The Bishops-The Bishops (1-2-3-4)
87. Junebug-Fourth (Planet Cool
88. The Good Time Charlies-Pillars Of The Community (Not On Your Radio)
89. The Krinkles-The Mordorlorff Collection (Self-Released)
90. The Breakup Society-Nobody Likes A Winner (Get Hip)
91. The Fizzies-Contest Popularity (Self-Released)
92. The Maharajas-In Pure Spite (Low Impact)
93. Bobby Sutliff-On A Ladder (Paisley Pop)
94. Kaiser George & The Hi-Risers-Transatlantic Dymanite! (Spinout)
95. The Royal Purple-Psychoacoustics (Umbrella)
96. Fooling April-In The Now (Kool Kat)
97. The Foreign Films-Distant Star (Self-Released)
98. Dee Rangers-Blue Swedes (Screaming Apple)
99. The Mercies-The Mercies (Record Babies)
100. The Cherry Bluestorms-Transit Of Venus (Roundhouse)
101. Third Floor Story-Third Floor Story (Self-Released)
102. Lucky Soul-The Great Unwanted (Ruffa Lane)
103. The Ugly Beats-Take A Stand With The Ugly Beats (Get Hip)
104. Ideal Free Distribution-Ideal Free Distribution (HHBTM)
105. The Lost 45s-What Time Do You Call This? (Biff! Bang! Pow!)
106. The High Strung-Get The Guests (Park The Van)
107. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space (P.A. Juice)
108. Rabbits On Trampolines-Rabbits On Trampolines (Self-Released)
109. The Prime Movers-Back In Line.(Self-Released)
110. Dolour-The Years In The Wilderness (Quince)
111. The Condors-Wait For It (Self-Released)
112. The Electric Soft Parade-No Need To Be Downhearted (Truck)
113. Arthur Yoria-Handshake Smiles (12)
114. The Pillbugs-Buzz For Aldrin (Self-Released)
115. Grand Atlantic-This Is Grand Atlantic (Popboomerang)
116. Rockfour-Memories Of The Never Happened (Anova)
117. The Malibus-Keep An Eye On The Malibus (Mai Tai Sun)
118. The Fratellis-Costello Music (Interscope)
119. Paul Steel-April & I (Raygun)
120. The Get Quick-See You In The Crossfire (Rainbow Quartz)
121. Ari Shine-A Force Of One (Bongo Beat)
122. Smashing Time-Make Some Noise (The Headache Machine)
123. Martin Gordon-The World Is Your Lobster (Radiant Future)
124. Feedbacks-Sunday Morning Record (Rock Indiana)
125. Jeffrey Scott-The Herald: The Printed Word Of Jeffrey Scott & His
Amazing Band (Self-Released)
II. Top Reissues Of Recent Vintage
1. Richard Snow-Richard Snow (Side B)
2. The Grip Weeds-House Of Vibes Revisited (Ground Up)
3. Favorita-Favorita (Popsicle)
III. Top 6 EPs
1. The Treasury-The Treasury (Teetering)
2. The Avenues-The Avenues (Self-Released)
3. The Waking Hours-How Does It Feel (Self-Released)
4. The Nice Outfit-Kissing Jocelyn (Self-Released)
5. Ian Axel-I'm On To You (Self-Released)
6. The Holy Fields-The Holy Fields (Self-Released)
IV. Top 5 Compilations-Single Artists
1. The Sails-Drum Roll Please (Fabtone)
2. Splitsville-Let's Go!: The Best Of Splitsville (Zip)
3. The Afternoons-Baby, You Know The Deal (Rock Indiana)
4. John Wicks And The Records-Rotate: An Anthology (Kool Kat)
5. The Pillbugs-Monclovia (Rainbow Quartz)
V. Top 5 Compilations-Various Artists
1. International Pop Overthrow Volume 10 (Not Lame)
2. Sweet Relief-Various Rock And Power Pop Artists (Jam)
3. Hook Heaven2-22 Tracks From The Pop Underground (Not Lame)
4. Shake Some Action (Not Lame)
5. Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered V 2.0: In Pop We Trust (Bullseye/Frontline)
I. Top 125 Albums 2007
1. Ice Cream Hands-The Good China (Dust Devil)
2. The Fast Camels-The Magic Optician (Neon Tetra)
3. Peachfuzz-Catch Your Snap (Teenacide)
4. The Nines-Gran Jukle's Field (TAS Gold)
5. The Scruffs-Pop Manifesto (Self-Released)
6. David Brookings-Obsessed (Self-Released)
7. The Resonars-Nonetheless Blue (Get Hip)
8. The Red Button-She's About To Cross My Mind (Self-Released)
9. Fountains Of Wayne-Traffic And Weather (Virgin)
10. Mark & The Spies-Mark & The Spies (Screaming Apple)
11. Nushu-Nevermind Lullaby (Self-Released)
12. The Singles-Start Again (Sound Artifacts)
13. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway (Self-Released)
14. The Tripwires-Makes You Look Around (Paisley Pop)
15. Paul Starling-Ghost Waltz (Self-Released)
16. The Procession-Music Magnifique (Retone)
17. Sparkwood-Kaleidoscopism (Excellent)
18. The Fore-Black & White (Beatnik Geek)
19. Graham Day And The Gaolers-Soundtrack To The Daily Grind (Damaged Goods)
20. Jackdaw 4-Bipolar Diversions (369)
21. Switches-Heart Turned To D.E.A.D. (Atlantic UK)
22. The Len Price 3-Rentacrowd (Wicked Cool)
23. Black Tie Revue-Code Fun (Gearhead)
24. The Peaces-Is/Are/Was/Were (Cherry Bomb)
25. Third Of Never-Moodring (Jam)
26. The Go-Howl On The Haunted Beat You Ride (Cass)
27. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico (Tallboy)
28. Myracle Brah-Can You Hear The Myracle Brah (Rainbow Quartz)
29. The Tangerines-The Tangerines (Self-Released)
30. The Gilligans-Snoring With An Accent (Maize)
31. Kelly's Heels-Neither Use Nor Ornament (Warmfuzz)
32. Fancey-Schmancey (What Are)
33. Lolas-Like The Sun (Jam)
34. The Cheeks-Raw Countryside (Cargo)
35. The Pleasure-The Pleasure (Cargo)
36. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together (Self-Released)
37. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess (Kool Kat)
38. The Broken West-I Can't Go On, I'll Go On (Merge)
39. Farrah-Cut Out & Keep (Self-Released)
40. Zombies Of The Stratosphere-The Well-Mannered Look (Self-Released)
41. Automat-Automat (Not Lame)
42. The Makes Nice-This Time Tomorrow (Frenetic)
43. The Apples In Stereo-New Magnetic Wonder (Yep Roc)
44. Johnny Monaco-Overrated (The Wrong Crowd)
45. Grandville-Grandville (TV Eye)
46. Home-Is Where The Heart Is (Manzilla)
47. The Primordials-Fourteen Prime Numbers (Screaming Apple)
48. The Well Wishers-How I Won The War (Self-Released)
49. Frank Ciampi-Big Top Woman (Self-Released)
50. Kaiser Chiefs-Yours Truly, Angry Mob (Universal Motown)
51. Deadbeat Poets-Notes From The Underground (Pop Detective)
52. Mary Weiss-Dangerous Game (Norton)
53. Richard X. Heyman-Actual Sighs (Turn-Up)
54. Peter Berry & The Shake Set-.For Goodness Shake! (Spinout)
55. Jeff Tracy-Moments In Time (Aardvark)
56. Teaneck-Masters Of Achievement (Quince)
57. George Burton-1965 (Applebeat)
58. Vibeke Saugestad-The World Famous Hat Trick (Sprett Ball)
59. Jeff Murphy-Cantilever (Black Vinyl)
60. The Color Bars-Kairos At Infinity (Paranoiac)
61. Marmalade Souls-Marmalade Souls (Rainbow Quartz)
62. Young Sportsmen-Death To Palaces (Self-Released)
63. Jason Falkner-I'm Ok.You're Ok (Noise McCartney)
64. The Backroom-Reagan Era Rocket Ship (Remedial)
65. The Sketches-Secret Alphabets (Self-Released)
66. Tenniscourts-Tenniscourts (Pop Ulysses)
67. Hiroaki Watarai-Secret Melodies (Wattack)
68. Wonderwall-Delicate Balance (Neon Pie)
69. Martin Newell-A Summer Tamarind (Cherry Red)
70. Ken Sharp-Sonic Crayons (Jet Fighter)
71. Poplord-Poplord (Self-Released)
72. IT'S MY PARTY!-R.S.V.P. (Mister Cat)
73. Rooney-Calling The World (Geffen)
74. The Urges-Psych Ward (Off The Hip)
75. Fred Jiminez-Il Est Temps Maintenant! (Self-Released)
76. The Leftovers-On The Move (Rally)
77. The Frauds-Hiding Out Loud (Orange Rock)
78. The ACB's-The ACB's (Self-Released)
79. The Wellingtons-For Friends In Faraway Places (Popboomerang)
80. Morten Richter-Message From The Slum (Rush)
81. Office-A Night At The Ritz (New Line)
82. Ronderlin-The Great Investigation (Tomt)
83. Paul McCartney-Memory Almost Full (MPL Communications)
84. The Primary 5-Go (Re-Action)
85. Blackout 101-Blackout 101 (Self-Released)
86. The Bishops-The Bishops (1-2-3-4)
87. Junebug-Fourth (Planet Cool
88. The Good Time Charlies-Pillars Of The Community (Not On Your Radio)
89. The Krinkles-The Mordorlorff Collection (Self-Released)
90. The Breakup Society-Nobody Likes A Winner (Get Hip)
91. The Fizzies-Contest Popularity (Self-Released)
92. The Maharajas-In Pure Spite (Low Impact)
93. Bobby Sutliff-On A Ladder (Paisley Pop)
94. Kaiser George & The Hi-Risers-Transatlantic Dymanite! (Spinout)
95. The Royal Purple-Psychoacoustics (Umbrella)
96. Fooling April-In The Now (Kool Kat)
97. The Foreign Films-Distant Star (Self-Released)
98. Dee Rangers-Blue Swedes (Screaming Apple)
99. The Mercies-The Mercies (Record Babies)
100. The Cherry Bluestorms-Transit Of Venus (Roundhouse)
101. Third Floor Story-Third Floor Story (Self-Released)
102. Lucky Soul-The Great Unwanted (Ruffa Lane)
103. The Ugly Beats-Take A Stand With The Ugly Beats (Get Hip)
104. Ideal Free Distribution-Ideal Free Distribution (HHBTM)
105. The Lost 45s-What Time Do You Call This? (Biff! Bang! Pow!)
106. The High Strung-Get The Guests (Park The Van)
107. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space (P.A. Juice)
108. Rabbits On Trampolines-Rabbits On Trampolines (Self-Released)
109. The Prime Movers-Back In Line.(Self-Released)
110. Dolour-The Years In The Wilderness (Quince)
111. The Condors-Wait For It (Self-Released)
112. The Electric Soft Parade-No Need To Be Downhearted (Truck)
113. Arthur Yoria-Handshake Smiles (12)
114. The Pillbugs-Buzz For Aldrin (Self-Released)
115. Grand Atlantic-This Is Grand Atlantic (Popboomerang)
116. Rockfour-Memories Of The Never Happened (Anova)
117. The Malibus-Keep An Eye On The Malibus (Mai Tai Sun)
118. The Fratellis-Costello Music (Interscope)
119. Paul Steel-April & I (Raygun)
120. The Get Quick-See You In The Crossfire (Rainbow Quartz)
121. Ari Shine-A Force Of One (Bongo Beat)
122. Smashing Time-Make Some Noise (The Headache Machine)
123. Martin Gordon-The World Is Your Lobster (Radiant Future)
124. Feedbacks-Sunday Morning Record (Rock Indiana)
125. Jeffrey Scott-The Herald: The Printed Word Of Jeffrey Scott & His
Amazing Band (Self-Released)
II. Top Reissues Of Recent Vintage
1. Richard Snow-Richard Snow (Side B)
2. The Grip Weeds-House Of Vibes Revisited (Ground Up)
3. Favorita-Favorita (Popsicle)
III. Top 6 EPs
1. The Treasury-The Treasury (Teetering)
2. The Avenues-The Avenues (Self-Released)
3. The Waking Hours-How Does It Feel (Self-Released)
4. The Nice Outfit-Kissing Jocelyn (Self-Released)
5. Ian Axel-I'm On To You (Self-Released)
6. The Holy Fields-The Holy Fields (Self-Released)
IV. Top 5 Compilations-Single Artists
1. The Sails-Drum Roll Please (Fabtone)
2. Splitsville-Let's Go!: The Best Of Splitsville (Zip)
3. The Afternoons-Baby, You Know The Deal (Rock Indiana)
4. John Wicks And The Records-Rotate: An Anthology (Kool Kat)
5. The Pillbugs-Monclovia (Rainbow Quartz)
V. Top 5 Compilations-Various Artists
1. International Pop Overthrow Volume 10 (Not Lame)
2. Sweet Relief-Various Rock And Power Pop Artists (Jam)
3. Hook Heaven2-22 Tracks From The Pop Underground (Not Lame)
4. Shake Some Action (Not Lame)
5. Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered V 2.0: In Pop We Trust (Bullseye/Frontline)
Friday, December 28, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Top Songs of 2007.
Here we go - rather than rank them, I'm just giving the whole long list of songs that stood out above the rest this year for me. I reserve the right to make additions to this list, because I know I probably left one or two out. In alphabetical order by artist:
Adam Bernstein-"The Poets of Avarice"
Adam Miner-"Fool"
Additional Moog-"El Guiro"
America-"Work to Do"
Arch Stanton-"Steady by Your Side"
Ben Forrest Davis-"This Is Home"
Bruce Springsteen-"Living In The Future"
Collective Soul-"Hollywood"
Crowded House-"She Called Up"
Dave Derby-"Come On Come On"
Deadstring Brothers-"Heavy Load"
Dean Owens-"Miss You CA"
Derby-"Streetlight"
Duane Dolieslager-"Carousel"
Early Edison-"White Socks"
Endrick Brothers-"Beautiful Rejection"
Everybody Else-"In Memoriam"
Future Clouds and Radar-"Build Havana"
Georgie James-"Need Your Needs"
Grand Atlantic-"Burning Brighter"
Green Peppers-"Honest Injun"
Hundred Air-"Makeout City"
Icecream Hands-"Anyway"
Jackdaw4-"Illuminati"
Jake Stigers & The Velvet Roots-"Girl"
Jason Isbell-"Dress Blues"
John Krueger-"Can't Take That Away"
Josh Fields-"Steal The Air", "Clock Keeps Ticking", "Photograph"
Keith LuBrant-"Too Late"
Kevin Kane-"Last to Know"
Ken Sharp-"Why Girls Cry"
Knit Delicate-"Bright Summer Sun"
Michael Harrell-"The End"
Mika-"Grace Kelly", "Stuck In The Middle"
Mitch Easter-"Sudden Crown Drop"
Morten Richter-"Pop-Up Window"
Myracle Brah-"Hurry Now"
OK Jones-"Electric Bed"
Pat DiNizio-"Any Other Way"
Pinto-"Here Comes The Love"
Romantica-"The National Side"
Rooney-"Don't Come Around Again"
Shake Some Action-"Someone Else's Friend"
ShyAway-"Sleepyhead"
Signal Hill Transmission-"Cherry is a Girl"
Smith & Hayes-"Nothing But Love", "Kaleidoscope"
Sono Oto-"Granny Smith"
Sparkwood-"Bop Bop Song"
Stepsonday-"1234"
Steve Robinson-"Wooden Hill"
Stockton-"Dreamworld"
The ACB's-"Windows Up"
The Amprays-"Levitate"
The Backroom-"Lost Without You", "'Loads of Love'"
The Color Wheels-"Green Means Go"
The Dirty Royals-"Cover Up The Sun"
The Fizzies-"In a House"
The Foreign Films-"Remember to Forget", "Polar Opposites"
The Holy Fields-"11th Floor"
The Hope Trust-"Mountain I Can't Climb"
The Incurables-"Lucky 7's", "Anytime Soon", "The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life"
The Lovetones-"Alone"
The Nines-"I Am Lost"
The Nobility-"Hallelujah Chorus"
The Orchid Highway-"Sofa Surfer Girl"
The Pearlfishers-"London's In Love", "Womack and Womack"
The Red Button-"Can't Stop Thinking About Her", "Floating By", "It's No Secret", "Ooh Girl"
The Silver Seas-"The Country Life"
The Stereotypes-"Butterflies"
The Storyboards-"Not a Love Song"
The Sunday Drivers-"She"
The Treasury-"Don't Look Now"
The Twilight-"Apple Pie Suburbia"
The Well Wishers-"Seashells"
Third of Never-"DJ"
Tor Guides-"You (and Everything You Do)"
Zombies of the Stratosphere-"Another Day"
UPDATE: Two omissions I had no business leaving off (thanks to the commenter for the first):
Wiretree-"Whirl", "Big Coat"
Jeremy Nail-"Paper Doll"
Adam Bernstein-"The Poets of Avarice"
Adam Miner-"Fool"
Additional Moog-"El Guiro"
America-"Work to Do"
Arch Stanton-"Steady by Your Side"
Ben Forrest Davis-"This Is Home"
Bruce Springsteen-"Living In The Future"
Collective Soul-"Hollywood"
Crowded House-"She Called Up"
Dave Derby-"Come On Come On"
Deadstring Brothers-"Heavy Load"
Dean Owens-"Miss You CA"
Derby-"Streetlight"
Duane Dolieslager-"Carousel"
Early Edison-"White Socks"
Endrick Brothers-"Beautiful Rejection"
Everybody Else-"In Memoriam"
Future Clouds and Radar-"Build Havana"
Georgie James-"Need Your Needs"
Grand Atlantic-"Burning Brighter"
Green Peppers-"Honest Injun"
Hundred Air-"Makeout City"
Icecream Hands-"Anyway"
Jackdaw4-"Illuminati"
Jake Stigers & The Velvet Roots-"Girl"
Jason Isbell-"Dress Blues"
John Krueger-"Can't Take That Away"
Josh Fields-"Steal The Air", "Clock Keeps Ticking", "Photograph"
Keith LuBrant-"Too Late"
Kevin Kane-"Last to Know"
Ken Sharp-"Why Girls Cry"
Knit Delicate-"Bright Summer Sun"
Michael Harrell-"The End"
Mika-"Grace Kelly", "Stuck In The Middle"
Mitch Easter-"Sudden Crown Drop"
Morten Richter-"Pop-Up Window"
Myracle Brah-"Hurry Now"
OK Jones-"Electric Bed"
Pat DiNizio-"Any Other Way"
Pinto-"Here Comes The Love"
Romantica-"The National Side"
Rooney-"Don't Come Around Again"
Shake Some Action-"Someone Else's Friend"
ShyAway-"Sleepyhead"
Signal Hill Transmission-"Cherry is a Girl"
Smith & Hayes-"Nothing But Love", "Kaleidoscope"
Sono Oto-"Granny Smith"
Sparkwood-"Bop Bop Song"
Stepsonday-"1234"
Steve Robinson-"Wooden Hill"
Stockton-"Dreamworld"
The ACB's-"Windows Up"
The Amprays-"Levitate"
The Backroom-"Lost Without You", "'Loads of Love'"
The Color Wheels-"Green Means Go"
The Dirty Royals-"Cover Up The Sun"
The Fizzies-"In a House"
The Foreign Films-"Remember to Forget", "Polar Opposites"
The Holy Fields-"11th Floor"
The Hope Trust-"Mountain I Can't Climb"
The Incurables-"Lucky 7's", "Anytime Soon", "The Last Day of the Rest of Your Life"
The Lovetones-"Alone"
The Nines-"I Am Lost"
The Nobility-"Hallelujah Chorus"
The Orchid Highway-"Sofa Surfer Girl"
The Pearlfishers-"London's In Love", "Womack and Womack"
The Red Button-"Can't Stop Thinking About Her", "Floating By", "It's No Secret", "Ooh Girl"
The Silver Seas-"The Country Life"
The Stereotypes-"Butterflies"
The Storyboards-"Not a Love Song"
The Sunday Drivers-"She"
The Treasury-"Don't Look Now"
The Twilight-"Apple Pie Suburbia"
The Well Wishers-"Seashells"
Third of Never-"DJ"
Tor Guides-"You (and Everything You Do)"
Zombies of the Stratosphere-"Another Day"
UPDATE: Two omissions I had no business leaving off (thanks to the commenter for the first):
Wiretree-"Whirl", "Big Coat"
Jeremy Nail-"Paper Doll"
Saturday, December 22, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Reader Top 10 of 2007.
As promised, here's the result of the reader poll, and there's agreement at the top (first place votes in parentheses):
1. The Red Button-She's About to Cross my Mind 35 (1)
2. Jackdaw4-Bipolar Diversions 31 (1.5)
3. The Shins-Wincing The Night Away 30 (2)
4. The Nines-Gran Jukle's Field 28
5. Everybody Else-Everybody Else 23
6. John Davis-Arigato! 22 (1)
7. The Broken West-I Can't Go On I'll Go On 19 (1)
tie. Fountains of Wayne-Traffic and Weather 19
9. The Foreign Films-Distant Star 17
tie. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Higway 17
Also receiving first place votes: Admiral Twin, Andrew Bird, Dinosaur Jr, David Celia, Endrick Brothers, Lewis Taylor, The Wellingtons.
1. The Red Button-She's About to Cross my Mind 35 (1)
2. Jackdaw4-Bipolar Diversions 31 (1.5)
3. The Shins-Wincing The Night Away 30 (2)
4. The Nines-Gran Jukle's Field 28
5. Everybody Else-Everybody Else 23
6. John Davis-Arigato! 22 (1)
7. The Broken West-I Can't Go On I'll Go On 19 (1)
tie. Fountains of Wayne-Traffic and Weather 19
9. The Foreign Films-Distant Star 17
tie. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Higway 17
Also receiving first place votes: Admiral Twin, Andrew Bird, Dinosaur Jr, David Celia, Endrick Brothers, Lewis Taylor, The Wellingtons.
Friday, December 21, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 125 Discs of 2007, #1-5
5. Smith & Hayes-Changed by a Song. This really was the McCartney/Wilbury/David Grahame-styled disc many of us have been waiting for; for the Beatleheads out there, this was the disc of the year. Somewhere out there, Jeff Lynne is wishing he wrote "Nothing But Love".
1. The Red Button-She's About to Cross My Mind.
The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 125 Discs of 2007, #6-25
A couple of notes: 1) the reader poll will follow this weekend after the top 125 is finished; I decided not to interrupt the top 125. 2) As you've probably noticed this is 6-25, not 1-25; a separate post will follow later today (early afternoon Eastern Time USA) for the top 5 that will include comments on each of them.
6. Romantica-America
7. Mika-Life In Cartoon Motion
8. The Fizzies-Contest Popularity
9. Additional Moog-Thirty Three & a Third
10. The Nines-Gran Jukle's Field
11. Adam Miner-Dangerous Eyes
12. Ben Forrest Davis-Roughs
13. Ken Sharp-Sonic Crayons
14. Deleted Waveform Gatherings-Complicated View
15. Steve Robinson-Undercurrent
16. The Pearlfishers-Up With The Larks
17. Keith LuBrant-Searching For Signal
18. The Twilight-Tempest in a Teapot
19. Steve Bertrand-Pain is a Megaphone
20. Third of Never-Moodring
21. The Broken West-I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
22. Everybody Else-Everybody Else
23. Frank Ciampi-Big Top Woman
24. Future Clouds and Radar-Future Clouds and Radar
25. The Zombies of the Stratosphere-The Well-Mannered Look
6. Romantica-America
7. Mika-Life In Cartoon Motion
8. The Fizzies-Contest Popularity
9. Additional Moog-Thirty Three & a Third
10. The Nines-Gran Jukle's Field
11. Adam Miner-Dangerous Eyes
12. Ben Forrest Davis-Roughs
13. Ken Sharp-Sonic Crayons
14. Deleted Waveform Gatherings-Complicated View
15. Steve Robinson-Undercurrent
16. The Pearlfishers-Up With The Larks
17. Keith LuBrant-Searching For Signal
18. The Twilight-Tempest in a Teapot
19. Steve Bertrand-Pain is a Megaphone
20. Third of Never-Moodring
21. The Broken West-I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
22. Everybody Else-Everybody Else
23. Frank Ciampi-Big Top Woman
24. Future Clouds and Radar-Future Clouds and Radar
25. The Zombies of the Stratosphere-The Well-Mannered Look
Thursday, December 20, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 125 Discs of 2007, #26-50
26. Icecream Hands-The Good China
27. Shake Some Action!-Shake Some Action!
28. Locksley-Don't Make Me Wait
29. Buva-All This Humming
30. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space
31. The Nobility-The Mezzanine
32. Mandrew-The Wonderful World of Mandrew
33. The Hope Trust-The Incurable Want
34. Dean Owens-Whisky Hearts
35. The Sunday Drivers-Tiny Telephone
36. Knit Delicate-Pressed
37. Jackdaw4-Bipolar Diversions
38. Sparkwood-Kaliedoscopism
39. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway
40. Georgie James-Places
41. The ACB's-The ACB's
42. Grand Atlantic-This Is Grand Atlantic
43. Jason Isbell-Sirens of the Ditch
44. The Incurables-Songs for a Blackout
45. The Well Wishers-How I Won The War
46. Class Three Overbite-Rendezvous
47. Bruce Springsteen-Magic
48. Duane Dolieslager-The Opposite of Optimist
49. Jesse Malin-Glitter In The Gutter
50. The Stereotypes-4
27. Shake Some Action!-Shake Some Action!
28. Locksley-Don't Make Me Wait
29. Buva-All This Humming
30. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space
31. The Nobility-The Mezzanine
32. Mandrew-The Wonderful World of Mandrew
33. The Hope Trust-The Incurable Want
34. Dean Owens-Whisky Hearts
35. The Sunday Drivers-Tiny Telephone
36. Knit Delicate-Pressed
37. Jackdaw4-Bipolar Diversions
38. Sparkwood-Kaliedoscopism
39. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway
40. Georgie James-Places
41. The ACB's-The ACB's
42. Grand Atlantic-This Is Grand Atlantic
43. Jason Isbell-Sirens of the Ditch
44. The Incurables-Songs for a Blackout
45. The Well Wishers-How I Won The War
46. Class Three Overbite-Rendezvous
47. Bruce Springsteen-Magic
48. Duane Dolieslager-The Opposite of Optimist
49. Jesse Malin-Glitter In The Gutter
50. The Stereotypes-4
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 125 Discs of 2007, #51-75
51. The Wheat Pool-Township
52. Stockton-Euphonia
53. The Procession-Musique Magnifique
54. Peter Baldrachi-Solid Ground
55. Two Hours Traffic-Little Jabs
56. Burning Daylight-Whiskey & Romances
57. Peabody-Peabody
58. The Drowners-Cease to Be
59. The Literary Greats-The Literary Greats
60. The Backroom-Reagan Era Rocketship
61. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together
62. The Vinyl Skyway-From Telegraph Hill
63. Scott Cooper-Tiny Increments
64. Mr. D-Wings & Wheels
65. Mitch Easter-Dynamico
66. Admiral Twin-Center of the Universe
67. Adam Bernstein-Dust Off The Timeless Night
68. Jeremy Nail-Letter
69. Daniel Palmer-Home Sweet Home
70. Limbeck-Limbeck
71. The Low Stars-The Low Stars
72. Dave Derby-Dave Derby and the Norfolk Downs
73. The Primary 5-Go!
74. The Janglemen-Tearjerker & 9 Others
75. Kevin Kane-How to Build a Lighthouse
52. Stockton-Euphonia
53. The Procession-Musique Magnifique
54. Peter Baldrachi-Solid Ground
55. Two Hours Traffic-Little Jabs
56. Burning Daylight-Whiskey & Romances
57. Peabody-Peabody
58. The Drowners-Cease to Be
59. The Literary Greats-The Literary Greats
60. The Backroom-Reagan Era Rocketship
61. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together
62. The Vinyl Skyway-From Telegraph Hill
63. Scott Cooper-Tiny Increments
64. Mr. D-Wings & Wheels
65. Mitch Easter-Dynamico
66. Admiral Twin-Center of the Universe
67. Adam Bernstein-Dust Off The Timeless Night
68. Jeremy Nail-Letter
69. Daniel Palmer-Home Sweet Home
70. Limbeck-Limbeck
71. The Low Stars-The Low Stars
72. Dave Derby-Dave Derby and the Norfolk Downs
73. The Primary 5-Go!
74. The Janglemen-Tearjerker & 9 Others
75. Kevin Kane-How to Build a Lighthouse
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 125 Discs of 2007, #76-100
76. The Ditchflowers-Carried Away
77. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess
78. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico
79. Ed James-In The 21st Century
80. David Brookings-Obsessed
81. Adam Miner-Playing House
82. Collective Soul-Afterwords
83. The Morning Line-Stay My Satellite
84. Morten Richter-Message From The Slum
85. Holmes-Stop Go
86. The Tangerines-The Tangerines
87. Storyhill-Storyhill
88. John P. Strohm-Everyday Life
89. Rich McCulley-Cerro Gordo
90. John Krueger-Later
91. Michael Slawter-An Assassination of Someone You Knew
92. Souther Still-Dizziness and Darkness
93. Devlin Murphy-My First
94. Danny Scherr-Richmond Special
95. Jeff Murphy-Cantilever
96. Okkervil River-The Stage Names
97. America-Here and Now
98. Marmalade Souls-In Stereo
99. The Silver Seas-High Society
100. Crowded House-Time on Earth
77. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess
78. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico
79. Ed James-In The 21st Century
80. David Brookings-Obsessed
81. Adam Miner-Playing House
82. Collective Soul-Afterwords
83. The Morning Line-Stay My Satellite
84. Morten Richter-Message From The Slum
85. Holmes-Stop Go
86. The Tangerines-The Tangerines
87. Storyhill-Storyhill
88. John P. Strohm-Everyday Life
89. Rich McCulley-Cerro Gordo
90. John Krueger-Later
91. Michael Slawter-An Assassination of Someone You Knew
92. Souther Still-Dizziness and Darkness
93. Devlin Murphy-My First
94. Danny Scherr-Richmond Special
95. Jeff Murphy-Cantilever
96. Okkervil River-The Stage Names
97. America-Here and Now
98. Marmalade Souls-In Stereo
99. The Silver Seas-High Society
100. Crowded House-Time on Earth
Monday, December 17, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Top 100 125 Discs of 2007, #101-125
NOTE: When the series is finished, I will consolidate all of the 25-at-a-time posts into one big post for easier future reference.
As I mentioned the other day, so many discs ended up under "honorable mention" when I compiled the preliminary list that I decided to expand the list to 125. So without further ado, here are #s 101-125:
101. Myracle Brah-Can You Hear The Myracle Brah?
102. The Autumn Defense-The Autumn Defense
103. The Amprays-Low Sun Fire
104. Warm In The Wake-American Prehistoric
105. Junebug-Fourth
106. Simon Morel-Record #2
107. AM-Soul Variations
108. Beachfield-Brighton Bothways
109. Frisbie-New Debut
110. Dead Rock West-Honey & Salt
111. The Storyboards-Stagger & Sway
112. Bobby Sutliff-On a Ladder
113. Dirk Darmstaedter-Our Favorite City
114. Matt Nathanson-Some Mad Hope
115. Ike Reilly Assassination-We Belong to the Staggering Evening
116. Bryan Scary-The Shredding Tears
117. Travis-The Boy With No Name
118. Fooling April-In The Now
119. Kurt Hagardorn-Ten Singles
120. Arthur Yoria-Handshake Smiles
121. Candidate-Oxengate
122. Backbeat-Eye Dentity
123. Stepsonday-Little Light
124. The Lovetones-Axiom
125. OK Jones-Elephantoms
As I mentioned the other day, so many discs ended up under "honorable mention" when I compiled the preliminary list that I decided to expand the list to 125. So without further ado, here are #s 101-125:
101. Myracle Brah-Can You Hear The Myracle Brah?
102. The Autumn Defense-The Autumn Defense
103. The Amprays-Low Sun Fire
104. Warm In The Wake-American Prehistoric
105. Junebug-Fourth
106. Simon Morel-Record #2
107. AM-Soul Variations
108. Beachfield-Brighton Bothways
109. Frisbie-New Debut
110. Dead Rock West-Honey & Salt
111. The Storyboards-Stagger & Sway
112. Bobby Sutliff-On a Ladder
113. Dirk Darmstaedter-Our Favorite City
114. Matt Nathanson-Some Mad Hope
115. Ike Reilly Assassination-We Belong to the Staggering Evening
116. Bryan Scary-The Shredding Tears
117. Travis-The Boy With No Name
118. Fooling April-In The Now
119. Kurt Hagardorn-Ten Singles
120. Arthur Yoria-Handshake Smiles
121. Candidate-Oxengate
122. Backbeat-Eye Dentity
123. Stepsonday-Little Light
124. The Lovetones-Axiom
125. OK Jones-Elephantoms
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Absolute Powerpop Top 10 EPs of 2007.
Let the year-end list-making commence! It was a slow year for EPs that really came on in the last few months.
Here are the top EPs of 2007:
1. The Treasury-The Treasury
2. The Holy Fields-The Holy Fields
3. Derby-Derby EP
4. The Weightlifters-Last of The Sunday Drivers
5. Satisfaction-Cougars, Sharks & Flying Sparks
6. Michael Harrell-Songs From The Village
7. Arch Stanton-Highland & Marine
8. Sono Oto-The Apple
9. Daniel Wylie-Let's Go Surfing
10. Ian Olvera Band-Some of Us Dream
Just missing:
Warm In The Wake-Gold Dust Trail
Adam Merrin-Have One
UPDATE: I may have to blow up this list and start over again as I just came across The Foxboro Hot Tubs. For those who haven't heard, the Tubs are actually Green Day in disguise, and last week they released a free-download, 6-song EP that's vintage 60s garage rock and extraordinarily well done. Their official site no longer shows the download link (it's just a moving clock, nothing else), but if you use this Google cache of the site, you'll find the mp3 link is still active (click "hear it", then on the next page, click "download mp3s").
I'd probably slot this one in at #4, but I'll leave the list intact with this addendum.
Here are the top EPs of 2007:
1. The Treasury-The Treasury
2. The Holy Fields-The Holy Fields
3. Derby-Derby EP
4. The Weightlifters-Last of The Sunday Drivers
5. Satisfaction-Cougars, Sharks & Flying Sparks
6. Michael Harrell-Songs From The Village
7. Arch Stanton-Highland & Marine
8. Sono Oto-The Apple
9. Daniel Wylie-Let's Go Surfing
10. Ian Olvera Band-Some of Us Dream
Just missing:
Warm In The Wake-Gold Dust Trail
Adam Merrin-Have One
UPDATE: I may have to blow up this list and start over again as I just came across The Foxboro Hot Tubs. For those who haven't heard, the Tubs are actually Green Day in disguise, and last week they released a free-download, 6-song EP that's vintage 60s garage rock and extraordinarily well done. Their official site no longer shows the download link (it's just a moving clock, nothing else), but if you use this Google cache of the site, you'll find the mp3 link is still active (click "hear it", then on the next page, click "download mp3s").
I'd probably slot this one in at #4, but I'll leave the list intact with this addendum.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
David Bash's Top 25 of 2007 to date.
For those who love the lists, here's the Top 25 of the first half of 2007 from David Bash, Mr. International Pop Overthrow, as posted to the Audities list:
1. The Fast Camels-The Magic Optician
2. Peachfuzz-Catch Your Snap
3. The Scruffs-Pop Manifesto
4. David Brookings-Obsessed
5. The Singles-Start Again
6. The Red Button-She's About To Cross My Mind
7. Fountains Of Wayne-Traffic And Weather
8. The Orchid Highway-The Orchid Highway
9. Paul Starling-Ghost Waltz
10. Sparkwood-Kaleidoscopism
11. Switches-Heart Tuned To D.E.A.D.
12. The Peaces-Is/Are/Was/Were
13. Third Of Never-Moodring
14. The Tangerines-The Tangerines
15. The Procession-Musique Magnifique
16. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together
17. The Len Price 3-Rentacrowd
18. Zombies Of The Stratosphere-The Well Mannered Look
19. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess
20. The Cheeks-Raw Countryside
21. Home-Is Where The Heart Is
22. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico
23. The Gilligans-Snoring With An Accent
24. Farrah-Cut Out & Keep
25. Johnny Monaco-Overrated A lot of these names will be familiar of course, but I have not heard his #1, The Fast Camels. Needless to say, I will be remedying that situation, since it's on eMusic. The other pleasant surprise on the list (of sorts) is at #10, where Sparkwood has a new album out, something else that eluded me. And it turns out with good reason, as the disc has only been released in Japan. I'm going to have to figure out a way to find it, though, as their 2005 release Jalopy Pop was my #18 disc that year (and Bash's #1).
Saturday, July 07, 2007
The Top 50 of 2007 (as of July 8)
OK, here's the long-promised, days-in-the-making Top 50 list of 2007. There are a few late 2006 releases on there (Baldrachi, Buva, Ed James, to name a few), which I'm counting for this year, and there are some brand new ones out that aren't on the list but which I've taken an initial shine to. I will say that it was difficult to compile the list because while there have been a number of very, very good releases, only a handful have truly jumped out at me, making, say #s 5-25 somewhat arbitrary.
Anyway, without further ado, here is the list (along with a bonus top 5 EP list at the end):
The Top 50 of 2007 (through July 8)
1. Josh Fields-Josh Fields
2. Wiretree-Bouldin (now on CD Baby)
3. Additional Moog-Thirty-Three & a Third
4. Keith LuBrant-Searching For Signal
5. Shake Some Action!-S/T
6. Mika-Life In Cartoon Motion
7. Romantica-America
8. The Red Button-She's About to Cross My Mind
9. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space
10. Steve Bertrand-Pain Is a Megaphone
11. Grand Atlantic-This Is Grand Atlantic
12. Adam Miner-Dangerous Eyes
13. The Well Wishers-How I Won The War
14. Buva-All This Humming
15. The Fizzies-Contest Popularity
16. Jason Isbell-Sirens of the Ditch
17. Locksley-Don't Make Me Wait
18. The Sunday Drivers-Tiny Telephone
19. Icecream Hands-The Good China
20. Peter Baldrachi-S/T
21. Everybody Else-S/T
22. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico
23. Mandrew-The Wonderful World of Mandrew
24. Jesse Malin-Glitter In The Gutter
25. Duane Dolieslager-The Opposite of Optimist
26. John Krueger-Later
27. Storyhill-S/T
28. Zombies of the Stratosphere-The Well-Mannered Look
29. Crowded House-Time on Earth
30. Burning Daylight-Whiskey & Romances
31. Class Three Overbite-Rendezvous
32. The Vinyl Skyway-On Telegraph Hill
33. The Broken West-I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
34. Mitch Easter-Dynamico
35. The Sheers-Goodbye World
36. Future Clouds and Radar-S/T
37. The Primary 5-Go!
38. Holmes-Stop Go
39. Travis-The Boy With No Name
40. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess
41. The Stereotypes-4
42. Arthur Yoria-Handshake Smiles
43. Ed James-In The 21st Century
44. The Tangerines-S/T
45. Limbeck-S/T
46. The Procession-Musique Magnifique
47. Simon Morel-Record #2
48. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together
49. OK Jones-Elephantoms
50. Devlin Murphy-My First
Top 5 EPs of 2007
1. The Holy Fields-S/T
2. Daniel Wylie-Let's Go Surfing
3. Adam Merrin-Have One
4. Jason Collett-Prodigals
5. The Brides of Obscurity-Extended Play
Anyway, without further ado, here is the list (along with a bonus top 5 EP list at the end):
The Top 50 of 2007 (through July 8)
1. Josh Fields-Josh Fields
2. Wiretree-Bouldin (now on CD Baby)
3. Additional Moog-Thirty-Three & a Third
4. Keith LuBrant-Searching For Signal
5. Shake Some Action!-S/T
6. Mika-Life In Cartoon Motion
7. Romantica-America
8. The Red Button-She's About to Cross My Mind
9. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space
10. Steve Bertrand-Pain Is a Megaphone
11. Grand Atlantic-This Is Grand Atlantic
12. Adam Miner-Dangerous Eyes
13. The Well Wishers-How I Won The War
14. Buva-All This Humming
15. The Fizzies-Contest Popularity
16. Jason Isbell-Sirens of the Ditch
17. Locksley-Don't Make Me Wait
18. The Sunday Drivers-Tiny Telephone
19. Icecream Hands-The Good China
20. Peter Baldrachi-S/T
21. Everybody Else-S/T
22. John Hoskinson-Pancho Fantastico
23. Mandrew-The Wonderful World of Mandrew
24. Jesse Malin-Glitter In The Gutter
25. Duane Dolieslager-The Opposite of Optimist
26. John Krueger-Later
27. Storyhill-S/T
28. Zombies of the Stratosphere-The Well-Mannered Look
29. Crowded House-Time on Earth
30. Burning Daylight-Whiskey & Romances
31. Class Three Overbite-Rendezvous
32. The Vinyl Skyway-On Telegraph Hill
33. The Broken West-I Can't Go On, I'll Go On
34. Mitch Easter-Dynamico
35. The Sheers-Goodbye World
36. Future Clouds and Radar-S/T
37. The Primary 5-Go!
38. Holmes-Stop Go
39. Travis-The Boy With No Name
40. Maple Mars-Beautiful Mess
41. The Stereotypes-4
42. Arthur Yoria-Handshake Smiles
43. Ed James-In The 21st Century
44. The Tangerines-S/T
45. Limbeck-S/T
46. The Procession-Musique Magnifique
47. Simon Morel-Record #2
48. Johnny Lloyd Rollins-Let's Be Poor Together
49. OK Jones-Elephantoms
50. Devlin Murphy-My First
Top 5 EPs of 2007
1. The Holy Fields-S/T
2. Daniel Wylie-Let's Go Surfing
3. Adam Merrin-Have One
4. Jason Collett-Prodigals
5. The Brides of Obscurity-Extended Play
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Top 10 of 2007 (as of 2/27).
OK, here we go with our first best-of list for the new year:
1. Josh Fields-S/T
2. Wiretree-Bouldin
3. Shake Some Action!-S/T
4. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space
5. Keith LuBrant-Searching For Signal
6. The Red Button-She's About to Cross My Mind
7. Buva-All This Humming
8. Peter Baldrachi-Solid Ground
9. Jesse Malin-Glitter In The Gutter
10. Locksley-Don't Make Me Wait
I've discussed all but the Malin on the blog so far, but he's a relatively known quantity; suffice it to say it's the best of his three discs to date.
1. Josh Fields-S/T
2. Wiretree-Bouldin
3. Shake Some Action!-S/T
4. Signal Hill Transmission-An Empty Space
5. Keith LuBrant-Searching For Signal
6. The Red Button-She's About to Cross My Mind
7. Buva-All This Humming
8. Peter Baldrachi-Solid Ground
9. Jesse Malin-Glitter In The Gutter
10. Locksley-Don't Make Me Wait
I've discussed all but the Malin on the blog so far, but he's a relatively known quantity; suffice it to say it's the best of his three discs to date.
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