Top Ten of 2007
Since I pretty much comandeered this blog and shit I feel it's my time to announce my coveted TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2007. In the past these lists have been more official since I used to write for my school newspaper, which is some what reputable, at least after the publicity we got this year for the Karl Rove protest, but I digress. 2007 was pretty much a fucking amazing year for music. 2006, to be completely honest kind of sucked. My top 10 last year was kind of forced as I had to struggle to find those last 4 or 5 albums I thoroughly enjoyed. There were only like 3 or 4 that I really REALLY loved. This year though was different, from start to finsih there was just an unbelievable amount of amazing music that was made. It started in January when ROADKILLOVERCOAT by Busdriver was released and went right up to the very end as bands like Yellow Swans and Black Dice just barely released their albums within 2007. This was just an amazing year and as the list gets closer to my favorite album I will have more to say. That's how it works. That's how I organized it and I guess since this is my blog, I can write however I damn well please. Anyway, yeah this is the list of the most amazing music I heard for 2007.

10.) Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam: This almost isn't fair. Everything these guys touch turns to gold. "Peacebone" is a great single and video. "Fireworks" is amazingly touching and "Rvd. Green" is just an awesome song. Great job!

9.) Roman Torment - Handmaiden: Simply fucking brutal. I know I take a lot of shit for liking harsh noise and some people "don't get it" but two guys like Roman Torment prove there really is nothing to get. If it makes you want to destroy everything, everyone and fuck shit up, it's probably an amazing record.

8.) Kevin Drew - Spirit If...: Once again, another surprise on my list. Most BSS solo records have been good but not great, with the exception of Emily Haines. But this album throws in everything you can imagine. "Pressure Kids" is a great opener. "TBTF" is the catchiest dirty song this side of Nantucket and "Frightening Lives" is one of the top 3 songs of the year. Props to Kevin Drew for proving me wrong and giving me a pleasant reach around (surprise).

7.) Grinderman - S/T: With a song like "No Pussy Blues" you know it's going to be on the list. Not only is this just a kick ass fucking album, but it's good to see Nick Cave returning to the style that originally made him so legendary: whacked out, howling punk riffs. "Honeybee" is a shot of raw power, much like "Dead Joe" was for Cave in the early 80's. And while Grinderman is a grown up and more mature Birthday Party, there is no doubt that if Nick Cave could have seen himself in the future from 1981, he would have said, "yeah I'm still kicking ass even in the future."

6.) Prurient - Adam Tied to Stone: Dominick Fernow is making it a habit of ending up in my top 10 every year. And to be completely honest I don't care because every year there is something he released that outdoes what he did before and makes your skin crawl. This album is pure repulsion at its best. True story: halfway through the first track, as I was eating a hamburger at the airport, I had to switch it to something else because I felt as if I was going to vomit. "Returning Rape" is a misogynistic take on the confines of love, while "Tied To Stone" simply makes you sick to your stomach in the sexiest of ways. What is there to be said about Prurient that I haven't said before. The man is amazing and a fucking genius. There really is nothing more to say.

5.) Kites - Hallucination Gulliotine/Final Worship: 2007 was a busy year for Chris Forgues, aka Kites. He managed to put out two records this year (Superior Moon, HG/FW), immediately after putting out "Peace Trials" in 2006, which was easily one of the best records of THAT year and a landmark in noise achievement. Well, he did it again with this record as it outdoes "Peace Trials" and "Superior Moon" and leaves most noise acts in the fucking dust. "Glitter in the Hall of Triumph" is an acid induced bad trip through Providence and from here on out the album just gets more heavy and unfortunately for the tripping listener, more psychedlic, or maybe it's psychological. I don't know. Listen to the mindfuck that is "Nice Garden/Lady Compact" and then get back to me, junkie.

4.)Health - S/T: I may be a bit biased because they are from L.A and they are awesome dudes, but Health fucking rules. This album is the culmination of three years of unbelievable performances and just a masterpiece in noise rock/punk/indie/whatever-turns-you-on baby. In addition, the drums are just fucking spectacular on this album as noted by many other critics. "Triceratops": orgasmic. "Crimewave": Christ-like. "//m\\": sextacular. These young guys are going to be around for a while so get used to it world. Note: if you don't like fucking awesome music and hate the notion of "in-your-face" attitudes coming from drums, don't listen to this record.

3.) Aaron Dilloway - Concealed: This one was tough because I keep bouncing back and forth between my number 2 and number 3. Plus I JUST found found out this album came out in April of this year which makes it elligible. How can put this simply: DILLOWAY IS A FUCKING GOD. Every so often an album comes out to change my life and for this year or at least this stretch of years, it's this album. Not since Prurient's "Black Vase" have I been so enamored with an album. The album is two tracks of loops and delays that range from beautiful and heart-breaking to scumy and destructive. Aaron Dilloway is my hero. I wish I could make music like him. This album is too amazing to be denied. I'm sorry it's not number 1 because it's such a personal album to me and as I said earlier, "Dilloway is punk rock for those hanging on by a thread." Concealed solidifies his position among noise legends and ensures that Dilloway will always be relevant. The transitions in this album occur seamlessly, and I could go on for hours but in the end, it's just simply a FUCKING MASTERPIECE. Dilloway isn't just noise, he's a fucking religion.

2.) Pissed Jeans - Hope for Men: What other reason do I have to give for this album other than it simply kicks more ass than Mike Tyson at a camp with retarded kids? "Shallow" was amazing and powerful enough, but Hope For Men if possible, outdoes it by miles. CAN YOU SAY RAW FUCKING POWER? The most kick ass album of the entire year by fire. "People Person" is a violent jaunt through the land of amazing, while "Caught Licking Leather" is a scared ramp through the bad areas of town, mainly the area where all the S&M stores are at. In addition to that, some of the songs are simply hilarious in their seedy nature. I thought nothing could outdo "Ashamed of my Cum" from "Shallow" but then "The Jogger" comes along and I remember, oh yeah IT'S PISSED FUCKING JEANS.

1.) Panda Bear - Person Pitch: Remember how I said, everything these dudes touch turns to gold? Yeah, case in point this landmark, masterpiece, seminal record from Animal Collective member Panda Bear. The reason this is number one is because I have never heard anything like this before. Brian Wilson, maybe. But if he hadn't have gotten helped by Rhonda, maybe the music would have gone to even more magical place. This is what Panda Bear did. "Comfort in Nautiva" is a great opening track with the echoes of glee in the background and "Bros" is the symphony that Panda Bear was certainly aiming for. But "Take Pills" is just an amazingly poingant and beautiful song that is gorgeous in sound and in content, which is hard to do for a "noise" album. This year was bookended by two great albums from Animal Collective associates and this one outdid "Strawberry Jam" in every aspect, which is pretty fucking amazing considering that album is also on my top 10. This album is one of the most gorgeous records I've heard in a long time, since I first heard Explosions or Mogwai. If I were Panda Bear, I might think about just taking this solo because he obviously doesn't need Avey and Geologist to be amazing. And if I were those other two, I would make damn sure Panda Bear sticks around because while these three together make amazing music, Panda Bear along proved on this album that he can craft an album worthy of praise, and tears. That's not an easy thing to do--make music pricks cry. And with this album, I am almost certain that the tears were coming down in buckets. Simply amazing.



Honorable Mentions: Black Dice - Load Blown, Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice, Do Make Say Think - You--You're History in Rust, Busdriver - Roadkillovercoat, Gowns - Dangers of Intimacy


No good hardcore records this year. Fucking shame. Not surprising.

- C