Pretty sure that I'm not going to scroll through 85 pages of posts about a band that I've lost interest in!

Vurt, Badger, and Madrox, fuck yeah. you've made me happy with some of your choices. I hope the Burial album will have a surprise spot high up on the ultimate list.

how did you do that / Black Moth Super Rainbow is awesome

Yeah, Black Moth Super Rainbow is an essential before anyone makes their lists. Seriously.

If Caribou was too pretty for you, Dandelion Gum is the album for you.

who are you?

This year is definitely a return to my rockist/sad-bastard/prettymusic roots. I dunno man. Electronica and metal have actually given me some great moments this year (I wish to god we were doing a best tracks of the year list, as opposed to singles), but for the most part, I feel really traditional with my taste this year.

Is anyone else facing this "problem"? Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky.

Fantastic album. Only thing I don't like about it is the crappy packaging.

This year lacks a Junior Boys, for sure.

edit. I was being a grumpy dick in this post.

Most people think ambient electronica is lame. Get over it.

Glad to see this getting some love. Leaked over a year ago - still a great listen.

Not sure where it'll end up on my list, but it'll definitely be there somewhere...

"Most people". Awesome. Thank you.

Whoa. What's with all the hostility, Helmet? You and I like very similar music. And Slackmo has been consistent in his statements about how he doesn't understand this record's popularity. Even if he's not some ambient maven like you seem to fancy yourself being, he has Sound Opinions like any other clown on here. In fact, he's got a great ear - if you doubt it, read the Singles breakdown thread.

For the record, I championed Stars of the Lid for about a day (my "bandwagon") before listening to it about ten more times and ultimately being bored. I like lots and lots of drone-y, ambient electronic music (and have been listening for years, and have a very informed opinion about the genre and my likes and dislikes within it), so don't tell me to "shut the fuck up." This album's probably going to place, because a lot of people like it. I just don't happen to be one of their number. To each their own. And to clarify, I posted a separate threat about High on Fire because I like it a lot, not beacuse I thought it needed a push for EOY purposes.

Man, some stockbroker had piss in his Wheaties or something... ...as if me not liking your favorite record of the year is some personal affront...why you gotta hate?

I don't think ambient electronica is lame. I don't even think Stars of the Lid is "lame." It's obviously very moving and impression-making music for a lot of people. Just not me. Sheesh...when did Helmet become such a tetchy curmudgeon?

40. In Advance of the Broken Arm - Marnie Stern
39. Green Blues - MM and EE With the Bummer Road
38. Sounds of the SOMB Volume 2
37. Prism of Eternal Now - White Rainbow
36. None Shall Pass - Aesop Rock
35. Ongiara - Great Lakes Swimmers
34. Let's Stay Friends - Les Savy Fav
33. Scene of the Crime - Bettye Lavette with the Drive By Truckers
32. The Con - Tegan and Sarah
31. Live From Austin Texas - Neko Case




30. Tones of Town - Field Music
29. Widow City - The Fiery Furnaces
28. What Is? - King Khan and the Shrines
27. No One Will Know Where You've Been - Roadside Graves
26. Elect the Dead - Serj Tankian
25. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
24. The Long Road out of Eden - The Eagles
23. Sirens of the Ditch - Jason Isbell
22. Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars - Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO
21. Made in Dakar - Orchestra Baob



20. The Art of Partying - Municipal Waste
19. La Cucaracha - Ween
18. Friend and Foe - Menomena
17. Andorra - Caribou
16. Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos - Susanna
15. Go Go Smear the Posion IVy - Mum
14. Cryptograms - Deerhunter
13. The Pirate's Gospel - Alela Diane
12. And Their Refinement of the Decline - Stars of the Lid
11. Love is Simple - Akron Family



10. Person Pitch - Panda Bear
9. All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone - Explosions In The Sky
8. A Love of Shared Disasters - Crippled Black Pheonix
7. The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter - Josh Ritter
6. Mirrored - Battles
5. Gone - Mono
4. Songs III Bird On the Water - Marissa Nadler
3. The Search - Son Volt
2. Digital Shades - M83
1. The Salvation Blues - Mark Olson



"I would walk around the parks of Europe playing guitar, playing my songs and one time these guys playing football asked me to leave, so I did"

- Mark Olson

And Olson leaves us with perhaps the most shockingly sincere and real musical moment of 2007 , "My One Book Philosophy" , the closer from Salvation Blues. The stark, minimalistic track has Olson pulling up to an electric piano, and singing about his loss of home and wife:

you don't need my book no more
and I've become a hobo in a hobo camp
burnt beams by the fireside
oh my baby's been crying
oh my baby's been crying
you don't need my book no more
and I've become a hobo


When you contrast this song and Olson's work on Salvation Blues with several of his more popular peers, the disparity levels begin to emerge quite clearly. This isn't someone whining about depression and drug use while getting $400 Manhattan haircuts and talking with fashion consultants for the latest magazine shoot. This is not music for the trendies and Metacritic obessives. This is much more than that. This is art for the sake of art, nothing more. There are no grand plans. This is the guy playing in the park just to play.

As Olson wandered Europe, several writer friends took him in and began getting him to write again, and the result was Salvation Blues. This is not an album of hopelessness, but rather of hope and redemption as Olson signs proudly on "Clifton Bridge:

Some people come here to die, we came here to live

On the striking "Keith" Olson pines about his father, and possibly his death, which is rumored to be a suicide:

You are Keith, you are Keith
See how much this tree has grown, this tree has grown

The remarks about the growth of a tree since his father has passed provides bright imagery for the passage of time in Olson's world, and ours. We've all lost something we cared about, and we have all gone back to that place where those people were, and looked at the surroundings - the trees, the houses, the old malls. It's moments like these that create a vivid tapestry of back alleys, crumbly sidewalks in old subdivisions, lost loves, growing trees in old haunts and fathers gone by - but at the same time persevering and moving forward while we pay tribute to this past.

Another of the standout tracks from Salvation Blues is the quickly paced "Poor Michael's Boat", an old Jayhawks demo from the Hollywood Town Hall era. Olson's former songwriting partner Gary Louris joins him on vocals, recreating the classic Jayhawks harmony.

There is no question this is the finest, most complete work since last years "Ys" by Joanna Newsom. The imagery, sincerity and musical quality of these two releases are what's currently missing form a music scene obsessed with tired talk of album downloading and "the next big thing". The truth is there will probably never be "another big thing" no matter how much people wish for it to happen, or try to create it when it doesn't really exist. But there will be great small things, which Newsom and Olson prove so eloquently these last two years.

Olson has always been his own voice, choosing roots music in the mid eighties and sticking with it even through the grunge phase, which had everyone jumping ship and the music industry turned inside out. His band the Jayhawks ushered in the alt.country era, and twenty one years later, Olson still follows this unique voice. The following line from "Look Into the Night" perhaps sums up Olson's career best, as well as the music industry in the new millennium:

look into the night
see if we can find
a place to be
across the highway
with no lights




-------------------------------


Biggest disappointments of 2007:


1. Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
2. In Rainbows - Radiohead
3. Before the Ship Even Sank - Modest Mouse


Worst albums of 2007:

1. Stage Names - Okervill River
2. The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf
3. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - Of Montreal


Worst lyrics of 2007:

"It's just a life story, so there's no climax.
No more new territory, so pull away the imax." - Okervill River

"I'm an animal trapped in your hot car" - Radiohead

"I trust no emotion
I believe in locomotion" - Wilco

Terrible posts all around, guys.

When I wasn't listening to Unwound or Serge Gainsbourg, it was:

01. King Kahn and The Shrines - What Is?
02. Battles - Mirrored
03. Dungen - Tio Bitar (winner: Best Album Art)
04. Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum
05. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
06. Caribou - Andorra
07. Spoon - Ga ...
08. Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs
09. Ha Ha Tonka - Buckle in the Bible Belt
10. The Jai-Alai Savant - Flight of the Bass Delegate
11. Holy Fuck - LP

Really happy to see all of these place, good job montana. "Salvation Blues" is a great singer/writer album, Ritter's gonna trump it on mine though, but still...both of those albums I have a feeling will stick with me for a long time. We may be the only two to have Susanna on our lists, it's a shame. It's a pretty powerful album, under all of it's simplicity.

Yeah, I know Viv has love for the genre, I'll stay out of the slinging. The genre's not for everyone and it is easy to poke fun of because it's so 'different' from the straightahead rock norm. Really I don't give a shit. Chrono's partly right in his post.

I'll rate the record high with my tongue sticking out. It's a classy, clean record. Beautiful. I reckon it'll place higher than that Maritime record, Slackmo

Yeah, after all the incendiary posts and endless baiting, there's a lot of great stuff in that list.

The Susanna album is very good in it's simplicity. It has some real standout moments. Shame it will probably place twice, just as Olson most likely will.
The Ritter album is very good as well. Both the Ritter and Olson seem to have that kind of timeless vibe to them that should hold up over the years (atleast I hope so).When you bought the Ritter album did you get the bonus disc?


If you get a shot, be sure to listen to that Mono disc as well. Some outstanding stuff on there, especially "Little Boy" , "Rainbow" and "Gone".

I think some people around here are hip to the Mark Olson record.

The bonus Ritter disc is great, too albeit very short. This guy is bursting with exuberance, talent, and heavy lyrics. I urge any Summerteeth era wilco fan to check this album out. Really this album is some stuff that Tweedy wishes he could still do.
I bought one of his other releases, "starlight sailor" and it hasn't had much of an effect on me yet (only one listen in) it's alright but not as infectious or passionate, maybe.

I'll give Mono's new one a try, their older stuff never blew me out of the water though.

Some really cool lists so far.


I totally forgot about this album while making my list.

here's a couple more I left off like an idiot.

Kathy Diamond - Miss Diamond to You
Burial - Untrue (Triple sadface cause this has a shot of placing high on the main list)

01: Super Furry Animals - Hey Venus!
02: LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
03: Gruff Rhys - Candylion
04: The Go! Team - Proof Of Youth
05: Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin
06: Wild billy childish & musicians of the british empire - Punk Rock at The British Legion Hall
07: Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II
08: Grinderman - Grinderman
09: Edgar "Jones' Jones - Getting a little help from the jones's
10: Digitalism - Idealism
11: The White Stripes - Icky Thump
12: The Good, The Bad, The Queen
13: The Aliens - Astronomy For Dogs
14: Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times
15: The Twilight Sad - Fourteen autumns and fifteen winters
16: The Bee's - Octopus
17: The Coral - Roots & Echo's
18: Candie Payne - I Wish I Could Of Loved You More
19: Arctic Monkeys - Your Favourite Worst Knightmare
20: The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army
21: The Kissaway Trail - s/t
22: Public Enemy - How You Sell Soul To A Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul???
23: Thurston Moore - Trees Outside The Academy
24: The Dolly Rocker Movement - A Purple Journey Into The Mod Machine
25: Vietnam - vietnam
26: Gravenhurst - The Western Lands
27: The Loungs - We Are The Champs
28: Black Lips - Los Valientes Del Mondo Nuevo
29: Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
30: Holly Golightly & The Breakoffs - You Can't Buy A Gun When You're Crying

1. Apostle of Hustle - National Anthem of Nowhere
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
4. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
5. Field Music - Tones of Town
6. Holmes Brothers - State of Grace
7. The Go! Team - Proof of Youth
8. DJ Food & DK - Solid Steel presents Now Listen Again
9. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
10. Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective - Watina
11. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army
12. Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
13. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
14. The Good, The Bad & The Queen
15. The Sea and Cake - Everybody
16. The Hives - The Black and White Album
17. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
18. Voice Of The Seven Woods - Voice Of The Seven Woods
19. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
20. Lucinda Williams - West

Nice to see another vote for the Andy Palacio. Haven't ever heard of the Holmes Brothers, although their amg entry looks interesting... is this album a good place to start with them?

No doubt on the Maritime, brother--I don't think my #1 vote for their last one was enough to get it into the top 100.

Yeah, I should probably actually participate in this thread eventually, lol.

I listened to the Andy Palacio album nonstop for a couple of weeks and then it got a bit cold for me.

This was my first exposure to the Holmes Brothers - the person I carpooled with played it a few times and I picked it up. It was a good place to start for me.

Susanna will be on my list for sure. Right now its the biggest question mark I have about where it will place. I need to listen to it more next week.

Worst albums of 2007:

1. Stage Names - Okervill River
2. The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf
3. Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? - Of Montreal

I love the Patrick Wold and Of Montreal albums, guess I'd better get round to checking out Okervill River.

Is there any rule about leaked albums i.e official 2008 releases being included/excluded in the poll?

I believe the rule is: don't.

1 Gallows ‘Orchestra of Wolves’
2 Josh Ritter ‘Historical Conquests’
3 Miss Alex White & The Red Orchestra ‘Space & Time’
4 A Place to Bury Strangers S-T
5. The Hives ‘Black and White Album’
6 MIA ‘Kala’
7 Battles ‘Mirrored’
8 Against Me ‘New Wave’
9 Earthless ‘Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky’
10 Blonde Redhead ‘23’
11 Dinosaur Jr ‘Beyond’
12 Arcade Fire ‘Neon Bible’
13 Japancakes ‘Loveless’
14 Blitzen Trapper ‘Wild Mountain
15 Japanther ‘Skuffed Up My Huffy’
16 Akron/Family ‘Love is Simple’
17 White Williams ‘Smoke’
18 Vampire Weekend ‘Blue CDR’
19 1990s ‘Cookies’
20 Baroness ‘Red Album’
21 Stars of the Lid ‘And Their Refinement of the Decline’
22 Girls Aloud ‘Tangled Up’
23 Klaxons ‘Myths of the Near Future’
24 Porcupine Tree ‘Fear of a Blank Planet’
25 The Good Bad & Queen S-T
26 Witchcraft ‘The Alchemist’
27 Meat Puppets ‘Rise to Your Knees’
28 Jens Lekman ‘Night Falls Over Kortedala’
29 White Stripes ‘Icky Thump’
30 Burial ‘Untrue’
31 Mika “Life in Cartoon Motion’
32 The Field ‘From Here We Got to Sublime’
33 3 Inches of Blood ‘Fire Up the Blade’
34 Animal Collective ‘Strawberry Jam’
35 Yeasayer ‘All Hour Cymbals’
36 Fratellis ‘Costello Music’
37 Caribou ‘Andorra’
38 The Horrors ‘Strange House’
39 Jay-Z ‘American Gangster’
40 Babyshambles ‘Shotters Nation’
41 Fields ‘Everything Last Winter’
42 Mannequin Men ‘Fresh Rot’
43 Panda Bear ‘Person Pitch’
44 High on Fire ‘Death Is This Communion’
45 Les Savy Fav ‘Let’s Stay Friends’
46 The View ‘Hats Off to the Buskers’
47 Shocking Pinks S-T
48 Mammatus S-T
49 Twilight Sad ‘Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters’
50 Roison Murphy ‘Overpowered’

The support for Akron/Family is still too mild! If you have not heard it, go get it NOW!

I'm listening to the Susanna album right now. Listened to some of it yesterday, too.

I like it.

Dude, that train left the station two years ago.

I still haven't heard the first one. Too busy trying to catch all this '07 stuff. As soon as December 16th rolls around I'll be all over it.

except Radiohead.

edit: but please don't vote for Radiohead.

Uh, Radiohead is not an '08 release.

In case you missed it, the album was released digitally on Oct. 10, and if you think that somehow doesn't count, it's being released on CD and vinyl on Dec. 10.

and on 31st Dec in stores in most of the world.

1. Burial - Untrue
2. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
3. Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline



4. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of...
5. Akron/Family - Love is Simple
6. White Rainbow - Prism of the Eternal Now
7. Ween - La Cucaracha



8. Susanna - Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos
9. High on Fire - Death is this Communion
10. Studio - Yearbook One
11. Mark Olson - Salvation Blues



12. Jasper TX - A Darkness
13. BJ Nilsen - The Short Night
14. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
15. Valerio Cosi - And the Spiritual Committee



16. Deerhunter - Cryptograms
17. Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
18. Porn Sword Tobacco - New Exclusive Olympian Heights
19. Om - Pilgrimage



20. M83 - Digital Shades
21. Sakamoto/Fennesz - Cendre
22. Boxcutter - Glyphic
23. Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature



24. Milieu - Of the Apple
25. Eluvium - Copia
26. Valgeir Sigurdsson - Ekvilibrium
27. Andrew Pekler - Cue

Nice list Avec.



Yeah, i thought about that, but December is usually out of hand to the extent that i won't have time to make an informed judgment on anything else. Everything on my list got at least 8 full runthrus and there's twice as many didn't make the list that got the same treatment. That's about all I can process for the year once the drinking season descends.

Here's the Yeasayer album that everyone is talking about...

Man, I really disliked that Susanna record. Jesus Christ, never in my life have I been so bored.

And I don't know if it's too late to suggest to keep newbies from posting their list since they could just be multiple accounts.

14 albums i really liked from 2007:

1. jesu - conqueror
2. stars of the lid - and their refinement of the decline
3. burial - untrue
4. white rainbow - prisms of the eternal now
5. roisin murphy - overpowered
6. radiohead - in rainbows
7. feist - the reminder
8. wolves in the throne room - two hunters
9. the field - from here we go to sublime
10. radicalfashion - odori
11. caribou - andorra
12. low - drums & guns
13. jens lekman - night falls over kortedala
14. machinefabriek - weleer

Like a few others have said, if the actual release date isn't until 2008, save them for next year. If they are things being released between now and the end of the year, it is your own judgment. They're eligible, but might fare better next year.

Some great lists so far... nice to see Burial doing so well.

As far as voting this early, it's all a wash in some ways. Three weeks isn't going to make a huge amount of difference. Halfway through 2008 might see changes in my list but for now, my list is looking pretty appropriate for what turned my head this year.

Good album. It does the usual 60s pop/girl group tribute, but it does it very well. Everyone that voted for the Pipettes last year should be voting for Lucky Soul this year. Hooks galore:

Oh-six. The Coast Explodes is valid though.

Thanks for this, I'm enjoying it quite a bit.