Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Best of 2007: Music...




















Even though it says best of 07 it's really the best of 07 plus the last couple months of 06. Mostly because some albums came out that I didn't get around to buying until the end of 06 and by then I had already made my best of 06 list. Anyways it's a pretty good list that seems to be dominated by chicks. Again. Not sure if this is just a period for me where I really like chick music or if this is the in between stage from listening to cool hip young music to listening to adult contemporary (which I already listen to anyways). The thing about me and music is that I really have no discernible taste. I love everything. Including country. Especially country. That's why I think this list is always a pretty good one to go by. There's something for everyone on here no matter what your taste in music is. Unless it's jazz, which sadly I don't know enough about. I love jazz and have many jazz albums but I could go out and buy a jazz record that came out 40 years ago and it would be new to me. I'm not up on my contemporary jazz. So if you only like jazz, this is not the list for you.

Also keep in mind that, much like my movie list, there are many albums I haven't heard. These are only albums that I bought. Also, like my movie list, this is ranked in order of how much I enjoy them, not necessarily how good the album was. For example, Die Hard was my number one movie of last year but I don't think it was the best acted or the best directed, just the best to me. So I am sure there are many other worthy albums out there that are better than some of these but I haven't heard them yet. Remind me in 2010 to do a recap of all the albums I missed. Also I included a song that I think you will like and should download to see if you do.

Just barely missing the cut were Alicia Keys As I Am and Tegan and Sara The Con.

Anyways, the top 10:

10 - Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
Very solid album, not quite as good as More Adventurous but I still loved it.
Download: "15"

9 - Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Awesome album. Almost as good as Everything All The Time, which is saying something.
Download: "The General Specific"

8 - Kanye West - Graduation
Might be my favorite Kanye album to date. He was up against some tough competition but I think it might be one of the few albums that fits any mood your in. A lot of these require a certain mind set but this is just perfect for chillin to dancing.
Download: "Everything I Am"

7 - Feist - The Reminder
Just as good if not better than last year's Open Season. She's kind of killin it right now. A lot of times I fall in love with albums and then forget them but this definitely won't be one of them.
Download: "I Feel It All"

6 - Elliott Smith - New Moon
It's the light at the end of the tunnel after From a Basement On the Hill. 2 discs of Smith at his best: depressing lyrics over less depressing rhythms.
Download: "First Timer"

5 - Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
It's almost impossible to out perform Set Yourself On Fire, but this follow up album is the next best thing
Download: "The Beginning After the End"

4 - Katie Herzig - Weightless
I hadn't heard of her until this year so I can't compare it to her last album. But suffice to say that I will buy her first album, Watch Them Fall.
Download: "Sweeter Than This"















3 - Ben Folds - Supersunnyspeedgraphic, The LP
Not sure this qualifies exactly but I love him so I can do whatever I want. This LP is a collection of 3 previously recorded EPs that were released on the internet. So it counts because it's the first time it was in cd form. It's an amazing album but how could you expect less from Mr. Folds. Ben had this to say about how good his EPs made him feel, "often i would even glance at my watch as people talked to me, to show them i had more important things to do."
Download: "There's Always Someone Cooler Than You"



















2 - Mando Diao - Ode to Ochrasy
This is one of the albums that I didn't get until late last year but I had to put it on the list because it still blows me away a year later. Awesome follow up to Hurricane Bar and even better than this year's Never Seen the Light of Day.
Download: "The New Boy"




















1 - Taylor Swift - Taylor Swift
When I got this album last summer I thought it would just be a good, fun, poppy, country summer album. But then it turned into a good fall album. And it's turning into a good winter album. Short gray days are actually made sunny by this 16 year old chick. It's pretty surprising that this album is still relevant. I thought it might have been just a short lived Memorial day weekend cd which I bought specifically for our drive up to Montauk in the Hamptons (my life is cooler than yours). I knew we'd have to sit in traffic so I thought it would be nice to listen to, but it actually took me to Cali and back and it's still rocking out in my car.
Download: "Picture To Burn"

So there it is, this took me a very long time actually so that's all I'm gonna say.

Go big and stuff...

-M, p , z & shredder


oh ps - Hop on limewire or i-tunes or whatever and download the song I recommended and if you like it go support the artist and pick up the cd. Unless of course the artist is already uber rich and famous in which case ask me to burn it for you and I'll give it to you when I see you.ka

2 comments:

Lighter than Muki, but darker than Kris said...

Dude, how can you have a best of 07 list and not include "The Cool"? I love Kanye/Kanyeeze, but his graduation album isnt as nice as that new Lupe. No love for Wasalu? (not to mention that fact that his real name is Wasalu)

Swami Says said...

Indeed. Lupe was actually not overlooked but I don't have the cd so I couldn't make a judgement based on the few songs I have heard. I assume it would have easily made the top ten if the rest of the album was as good as the few songs I've heard and also judging by the greatness of his last album.