time- artist / song [album]
07:00 PM- jens lekman / if i could cry (it would feel like this) [night falls over kortedala] on the secretly canadian label.
06:54 PM- 180 gs, the / roy storey sports line [to the furture!] on the seeland label.*
06:51 PM- beirut / cliquot [the flying club cup] on the ba da bing label.
06:45 PM- treasure mammal / unicorn [you wish i was channeling your spirit] on the dreamy draw label.
————————————————————————————————————-
06:41 PM- metric / the twist [grow up and blow away] on the last gang label.
06:36 PM- prefuse 73 / the class of 73 bells [preparations] on the warp label.
06:33 PM- panda bear / im not [person pitch] on the paw tracks label.*
————————————————————————————————————-
06:29 PM- the executioners / i wan the rain [everything you always wanted to know about 60s mind expansive punkadelic garage rock instrumentals but were afraid to ask] on the arf! arf! label.*
06:22 PM- johann johannsson / the sun’s gone dim and the sky’s turned black [ibm 1401 a user's manual] on the 4AD label.*
06:18 PM- mckay, nellie / identity theft [obligatory villagers] on the hungry mouse records label.*
————————————————————————————————————-
06:11 PM- new pornographers / unguided [challengers] on the matador label.
06:07 PM- MIA / boyz [kala] on the interscope label.
06:04 PM- the national / guest room [boxer] on the beggars banquet label.*
05:57 PM- alice coltrane / shiva-loka [journey into satchidananda] on the impulse label.*
05:56 PM- flying lotus / vegas collie [reset ep] on the warp label.
————————————————————————————————————-
05:50 PM- the dimes / delila [s/t] on the jasper label.*
05:45 PM- million year dance / divine intervention [liberation] on the s/r label.
05:41 PM- motion turns it on / satelightning [rima] on the self-released label.*
————————————————————————————————————-
05:35 PM- fat freddy’s drop / this room [based on a true story] on the kartel label.
05:31 PM- aqueduct / just the way i are [or give me death] on the barsuk label.
05:27 PM- twink / plastic spoon [ice cream truckin] on the mulatta records label.
05:23 PM- donald byrd / jamie [ethiopian knights] on the blue note label.
————————————————————————————————————-
05:20 PM- octopus project / truck [hello avalanche] on the peek-a-boo label.*
05:17 PM- shellito / go and go [benevolent laser] on the how about rabbits records label.*
05:13 PM- tango no. 9 / libertango [here live no fish] on the spillhouse label.
————————————————————————————————————-
05:10 PM- vashti bunyan / wayward [lookaftering] on the fat cat/dicristina label.*
05:04 PM- band of horses / marry song [cease to begin] on the sub pop label.*
05:03 PM- panda band / signing off [this vital chapter] on the filter US label.
HIGHLIGHTS
180 G’s, the / roy storey sports line [to the furture!] on the seeland label. Five brothers from Detroit do a’cappella remakes of Negativeland songs. This album is hilarious and unique.
panda bear / im not [person pitch] on the paw tracks label. Noah Lennox of Animal Collective does the solo thing, with sun drenched, shimmery and echoey songs that sound at times like the Beach Boys, but waaaay more quirky.
the executioners / i want the rain [everything you always wanted to know about 60s mind expansive punkadelic garage rock instrumentals but were afraid to ask] on the arf! arf! label.
johann johannsson / the sun’s gone dim and the sky’s turned black [ibm 1401 a user's manual] on the 4AD label. Johannsson’s dad was a mainframe computer engineer at IBM when he recording the electromagnetic emissions of the IBM 1401 machine picked up by a receiver. Johannsson used these recordings as inspiration for this work. The piece is in five parts, titled
Part 1 – IBM 1401 Processing Unit
Part 2 – IBM 1403 Printer
Part 3 – IBM 1402 Card Read-Punch
Part 4 – IBM 729 II Magnetic Tape Unit
Part 5 – The Sun´s Gone Dim and the Sky´s Turned Black
Beautiful and haunting, I just love this. Links to mp3 samples are here.
mckay, nellie / identity theft [obligatory villagers] on the hungry mouse records label. Nellie McKay has an opinion, and it’s cheeky. This song is a good-natured jab at the over-educated.
the national / guest room [boxer] on the beggars banquet label. High on most best of 2007 lists for good reason.
alice coltrane / shiva-loka [journey into satchidananda] on the impulse label. John Coltrane’s wife, a talented musician in her own right, mixes strings like harps with soprano sax and it’s gorgeous.
the dimes / delila [s/t] on the jasper label. The rumor is that these guys came from Houston. Now in Oregon, they are getting a lot of good press with comparisons to U2 and the Walkmen. Poppy goodness.
motion turns it on / satelightning [rima] on the self-released label. Houston-based more-accessible-than-Tortoise electronic noodling.
octopus project / truck [hello avalanche] on the peek-a-boo label. Austin natives Octopus project experiment with electronics and acoustic instruments. This album is full of crazy frenetic electro-pop.
shellito / go and go [benevolent laser] on the how about rabbits records label.
vashti bunyan / wayward [lookaftering] on the fat cat/dicristina label. Lovely voice, collaborates with Devendra Banhardt and Animal Collective.
band of horses / marry song [cease to begin] on the sub pop label. This is my number 1 pick for 2007 depending on what day you ask me. This album is phenomenal. If you heard their first and thought “wow,these guys sound like the Shins or My Morning Jacket” then prepare yourself for deja vu. Cease To Begin isn’t as rockin’ and the band has moved towards a more southern inspired style on some tracks, but it works so well for them. Maybe it’s because founding member Mat Brooke left the group or because they transplanted themselves from the northeast to South Carolina. My favorites are the indie inspired country songs like “The General Specific” and “Marry Song”: stompin’ and hand claps mixed with quirky harmonies and reverby vocals. “No One’s Gonna Love You” and “Detlef Schrempf” are gorgeous ballads that showcase Ben Bridwell’s heartfelt vocals, although perhaps a bit slow for fans of the first album. The last track, Window Blues, has my favorite line (so far) on the album: “When it’s time to get in trouble we know just what to do”. Pretty much sums up grad school for me.
