Sam’s blog

At the moment.....

So I was cleaning out my CDs the other night (of which I estimate to have about 600) and I found a batch of albums I bought when I was about 6 or 7. Two of which were by 90s power pop group Semisonic, fronted by Grammy-award winning songwriter (for the Dixie Chicks of course) Dan Wilson.

And you know what? They aren't half bad! The first falf of Feeling Strangely Fine is some of the best pop music written in recent history. Check it out...for serious.

Feeling Strangely Fine

So I downloaded two new albums today:

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

and

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Neon Bible is incredible. It really is. It is awesome in the way that Picaresque was awesome upon first listen. 11 great songs, uplifting, sentimental, etc. Not as emotional and 80s themed as Funeral, but awesome in its own right.

Person Pitch  is, as Pitchfork said, "pretty much the best thing in the world." As it stands, this is my favorite album of 2007, at the moment. And, good luck beating it. Actually, good luck writing a song half as good as "Bros," or half as beautiful as "Ponytail." And, check out this cover. Pet Sounds of the 21st century? Answer: a resounding "YES YES!"

Alright, so my list was a wee bit off. Come January 31, 2006, I probably was listening to that TV on the Radio album than anything else, so I dunno...but....forget 2006.

CUZ 2007 IS ALREADY WHIPPING ITS SORRY ASS.

Look what we've got:

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - Their best album and it beats anything that came out last year.

The Shins - Wincing The Night Away - Not the masterpiece I was expecting, but still a collection of some great songs.

Menomena - Friend and Foe - Best artwork of the decade, says Pitchfork? I say, Best artwork ever. Also...I hope it gets really big so I can write a book called The Menomena Phenomenon.

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity - Alright, a little disappointing, but it is still one good spaz-prog-rock album.

Captain Shafts - Her Versus The Sad Cold Eventually - Not heard it yet, but Lou is pimping it like crazy, so it has got                         to be an awesome album.

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And that which hasn't been released:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - What comes after a Funeral? And, more importantly...what comes after a 9.7 Pitchfork                         review?!?!? I trust Win knows what to do...judging by 'Black Mirror' and 'Intervention,' expect all sorts of                     reviewers saying stuff about how they 'avoided the sophomore slump' and whatnot.

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha - Seems harder and rougher than Mysterious Production of Eggs...probably a good                                                       thing...and a little "Bird" told me that this baby is up on Oink. ( ;

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky - Ties with the new Bon Jovi for "Most Alt. Country Title of the Year" award. However, unlike                                       Bon Jovi's Lost Highways, this won't be the worst thing ever.

Sufjan - The Bird Album - Sufjan + Birds > Sufjan + Any State in America

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - Hopefully this title isn't a metaphor for how bad the album will be after "Float On" was on Kidz Bop. And just in case it is, Johnny Marr is there to save the day! I call them: Marrdest Mouse. Hehe.
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GET PUMPED!

21. Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
20. Islands - Return to Sea
19. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
18. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
17. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
16. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
15. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
14. Joanna Newsom - Ys
13. Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
12. The Knife - Silent Shout
11. Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That

10. The Killers - Sam's Town
       I tried to hate it...I really did...I tried to hate everything about it....making fun of how he kinda sounds like Meatloaf, how there is a ram on the cover, how he is a Mormon...but nothing worked, and God!!! Every time he sings that part 'Higher and higher, we're gonna take it down to the wire,' I just want to shout along and dance. My advice: listen, crank it...just don't tell anyone and try not to think too much about it.

9. Scott Walker - The Drift
       A truly, truly horrifying record. Like honestly, do NOT listen to this album alone, late at night. Seriously...he makes Sigur Ros sound like Sugar Ray. This 60+ year old man worked over 7 years writing and producing this record, and although not an easy listen, it is ultimately a rewarding and interesting one. And addicting...did I mention addicting?

8. Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
       My favorite artist of all time proves his relevance and genius by creating one of his best and most original albums of his career.

7. The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
       Many critics, myself included, found this album to be a bit dull and monotonous at first listen. This is probably why it received so many 7.something reviews. However, this album was made for repeated listens, and what once seemed dull and depressing now seems hopeful and powerful.

6. Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
       Debut album of the year. This is an impossible album to hate...I dare you...hate it....hate it now.

Hell Hath No Fury

5. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
       Great rap album. Without a doubt. Best rap album of the year. Definitely. Best rap album ever? Very possible.

Key tracks: "We Got it For Cheap," "Wamp Wamp," "Hello New World," "Keys Open Doors," "Trill"

Animal Years

4. Josh Ritter - The Animal Years
       Do you know how refreshing it is to hear an album from 2006 that had absolutely no hype, no Pitchfork review to squander my thoughts, no indie backlash, yet no mainstream hit singles to be overplayed to death...? The Animal Years came to me miraculously and from out of nowhere and I have not let it go since. The songs are stories to themselves, as epic and powerful as Springsteen, as timely and thought-provocative as Dylan, and as intimate and folksy as The Mountain Goats. Special props for containing not only my two favorite songs of the year, but quite possibly, two of my favorite songs ever: "Girl in the War" and "Thin Blue Flame."

Key tracks: "Girl in The War (SONG OF THE YEAR)," "Wolves," "Idaho," "In The Dark,"  "Thin Blue Flame (SONG OF THE YEAR)"

The Crane Wife

3. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife  
       Alright, so maybe I am a little biased...seen them live three times, own everything they have ever put out...but hey...The Crane Wife in no way is a bad album. Probably even better than last year's Picaresque which, if you can recall, topped that list.

 

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Key tracks: "The Crane Wife 3," "The Island," "Yankee Bayonet," "The Crane Wife 1 + 2,"

The Greatest

2. Cat Power - The Greatest

  Powerful, country-infused, soul-rock with folky effects and inspiring hooks. Does it get better than this?




Key tracks: "The Greatest," "Living Proof," "Lived in Bars," "Willie"

Boys and Girls in America

Look here on December 20th for my list.

Peace.

It seems as though the world's best award system, The Plug Awards are back again this year, so GET VOTING!

Also...Pitchfork seems to have reviewed a certain Decemberists concert that yours truly attended and nearly was in the picture Pitchfork took.

Finally, Joanna Newsom's Ys is the best new album to come out in record shops all year...and possibly ever. It just makes me feel good, ya know? Expect full length review sometime soon.

Ys

Joanna Newsom