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| From | Mike Bennett <mrhonorama@hotmail.com> |
| Subject | My top 20 of 2007 |
| Date | Sat, 29 Dec 2007 08:29:47 -0600 |
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Hey guys and gals --
I'll begin tabulating the ballots so far. We still have just a bit less than three weeks to go. Normally, I wait until I can get my Top 20 up on Fufkin.com, but with the site on hiatus, I'm posting now (yes, I know that's so exciting for y'all).
Without further ado:
1. Wilco -- Sky Blue Sky: Jeff Tweedy whipped up a batch of plaintive, emotional songs that are more direct, as a whole, than anything he's written before. Then he and his bandmates provided whatever was necessary to serve each song. From the moment I heard the streaming audio (thanks for the tip, Bryan), this music resonated with me.
2. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists -- Living With The Living: A little time off recharged Leo's batteries. His standard mod-punk mixed with folk-Thin Lizzy thing still grooves, but his forays into reggae and true Irish music work well too. Moreover, he achieves a balance of political and personal messages that invigorates some of his strongest tunes to date.
3. Frisbie -- New Debut: Steve Frisbie and Liam Davis overcame a lot of setbacks to make this record, which builds on the strengths of their studio debut. Working with a new set of backing dudes, they manage to retain their accessibility while making their music more challenging. They still can reach crescendos like no other.
4. Dappled Cities -- Granddance: While certain aspects of this band remind me of the power of The Arcade Fire, the music reminds me of so many grand bands from the '80s: the blend of dissonance and melody of XTC, The Chills at their prettiest, the head rush of A House, and others. Two great songwriters who are distinct, yet share a singular sensibility.
5. Nicole Atkins -- Neptune City: She describes herself as girl group music meets Angelo Badalamenti. Nicole is pretty self-actualized. Her sumptuous ornate pop constructions have '60s melodic smarts, all the better for her killer voice to slay you.
6. M.I.A. -- Kala: In a fair world, Joe Strummer would still be alive to groove on and work with M.I.A. She's not much of a singer or a rapper, but she's a big personality with a real vision for mixing, matching and mashing up the sounds of all cultures. The rhythm tracks on this album consistently excite me.
7. The Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible: While they are at their best when they build up to an ecstatic climax, this album shows there is more to them than just rousing anthems. The intensity of their music is invigorating, and the songs much more traditional than most indie kids realize. They are the logical successors to Bruce Springsteen and U2 as cool arena stars.
8. Mannequin Men -- Fresh Rot: Smash together Television with truly sleazy garage rock and you get this Chicago quartet. The lead singer has a whine that makes everything seem like a come on, the dual guitar work is stellar, the rhythm section kicks, and the songs do as well.
9. Bettye Lavette -- The Scene Of The Crime: This succeeds where her last album fell short, because Patterson Hood doesn't treat her like a museum piece, like Joe Henry did. This is classic Southern soul (from a Detroit gal) that sounds timeless and here and now. Hood gets Lavette to write an autobiographical song that is loose and happy and a version of Elton John's "Talking Old Soliders" that is the blues defined.
10. LCD Soundsystem -- The Sound Of Silver: James Murphy is a great songwriter who happens to work in the medium of dance music (not that the two things are musically exclusive). Even better, he joneses for Bowie and post-punk, so between the funky, beat heavy songs, there's some prime rock mixed in, with the added bonus of witty lyrics.
11. Iron & Wine -- The Shepard's Dog: Sam Beam still writes whisper quiet folk-pop songs that send shivers of the spine. This time around, he adds overt blues moves and lots of swampy, funky percussion that add both to the mystery and allure of his magical tunes.
12. The Effigies -- Reside: Chicago post-punk legends come back and sound as slaughterhouse ready as ever. John Kezdy declaims as well as anyone in the business, whether pointing the finger at himself or corrupt governments. Meanwhile, new guitarist Robert McNaughton finds a sound between original Effigies guitarist Earl Letecq and Mission Of Burma's Roger Miller, and it defines the album.
13. Nick Lowe -- At My Age: Lowe is four for four as a crooner. This is a bit lighter than the ballady The Convincer. Which is fine. Lowe has found the style of music that best suits his voice. And that style is a blend of '50s rock, country and '60s soul that proves there's a common thread among all those genres.
14. Tammany Hall Machine -- Amateur Saw: This veteran Austin band plays a rocking piano-based pop with glam elements that simply sparkles. The Kinks, Sparks and Scissor Sisters are just some of the reference points. I don't know if this was recorded live, essentially, but it sure sounds that way, the way this crackles with life.
15. Band Of Horses -- Cease To Begin: The pure swoony romanticism of these drawled Southern pop numbers is charming beyond belief. The combination of odd lyrics with direct emotions is really cool.
16. Sloan -- Never Hear The End Of It: And the should have been hits just keep on coming. Jack Rabid noted recently how this album sounds good initially, and then some of the 30 songs that might of escaped notice initially begin to work their magic. He's right about that. I might have this too low and this might be a power pop classic. (note -- not eligible for poll, because it was last year's Audities Top 20 poll. My # 21 is Lily Allen).
17. Amy Winehouse -- Back To Black: Not just a great voice, but a great writer. Perhaps the music is merely retro, yet the production by Mark Ronson and others, makes the old new again. And Winehouse pens some great lyricis which sound all the better when she sings them.
18. Richard Hawley -- Lady's Bridge: A good classicist companion to Nick Lowe. My first exposure to the mellow romanticism of Mr. Hawley, who takes the soaring panoramic style of folks such as Roy Orbison and Scott Walker, and tones it down. So the music is big and intimate at the same time.
19. Maximo Park -- Our Earthly Pleasures: This disappointed a bit at first, because it seemed to be a step sideways. I suppose it is, musically, as they work within their punchy Brit-pop sound. But the content is there, with Paul Smith's lyrics and personality making them truly special.
20. To My Boy -- Messages: For all I know, this album was made in 1981 and was just unearthed this year. Ultra-synthy synth-pop, combining the fizz of Vince Clarke (early Depeche Mode and Yaz) with the edgier sounds of early OMD. Even better, the lyrics sound like they could have penned in '81, with the inordinate fascination with robots and computers.
Mike Bennett
Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/mrhonorama
Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com
Find out about Chicago shows: http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/chicagopopshowreport/
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