2007 was a good year largely because I found the Audities list and have really enjoyed it. I also want to give a nod of thanks to Bruce at Not Lame, Jay at Popbang.com, the folks at Pandora.com and others for continuing to do what they do with such dedication in getting the music out there. Here are my favorite releases of 2007: 1. Everybody Else--"Everybody Else".This is an absolute killer debut that will thrill fans of Marvelous 3, The Knack and even Squeeze. I have had this one playing in my car, iPod, PC, actually everywhere I've gone since I picked it up many months ago. It's an upbeat, melodic, hook-heavy good time without a weak tune to be found anywhere. This is no jangle rock, its punchy party rock. 2. Fountains of Wayne-"Traffic and Weather".If I only had enough cash to buy one Fountains of Wayne CD, it would be this one. Everything this band does is gold but after to listening to all of FOW's albums habitually since they began doing their thing, Traffic and Weather is the most consistently catchy and exciting of them all. This one is packed with great songs, "Someone To Love", "Yolanda Hayes", "This Better Be Good", "Strapped For Cash", "Revolving Dora", "I-95".geez, its just loaded! Smart and sing-along Power Pop gets no better than this. 3. Cartel-"Cartel".I've been as loose with the definition of "What is Power Pop?" as anyone and this album is more emo-pop if it has to be categorized. But there's something immediately gratifying about listening to this Cartel release. Naturally, there are plenty of slamming, crunchy power chords to be found but its more entertaining and enjoyable because of the presence of some mid-tempo and different songs that allow this talented group to stretch out and really separate themselves from the emo-pop crowd. 4. Bleu-"Happy Birthday".The super-talented Bleu released Happy Birthday to iTunes (maybe other outlets, too) back in July. Its an eight-song compilation of tunes that he has apparently written about friends for their birthdays. As strange of a concept as that seems to be, the proof that it works is evident in a wildly varied collection of winning numbers. My favorites are the lo-fi "Ducky" which is complete with great lines like "he's so cool/he's a Frigidaire" or how about "if I'm a Spock/He's a Captain Kirk/The opposite of suck/That's our Duck". Next up is "Alex" which is a Utopia-era Rundgren, keyboard-driven rocker. If you like Bleu, there's no way that you won't be entertained by Happy Birthday. 5. Maroon 5-"It Won't Be Soon Before Long".Sure this is all over the radio and its major-label, but its Stevie Wonder/Jamiroquai/Dag flavored funky-rock that deserves the airplay it gets. These guys really put together a solid record that easily out grooves their debut. Personal favorites include "Can't Stop", "If I Never See Your Face Again" and "Makes Me Wonder". Maroon 5 manages to satisfy their Alternative cred while continuing to expand their mainstream appeal. The number of current bands that have accomplished this are few and far between. 6. Catchpenny-"From Where You Are".Minneapolis-based Catchpenny open up their terrific debut with an all-out rocker titled "Tell Me Tomorrow" and it's a great way to set the stage for the hooky choruses and two-part harmonies to be heard all over this one. There's nothing fancy about Catchpenny. The songs here are tight and with any justice would be playing all over the airwaves. From Where You Are is a radio-ready wonder, reminiscent of All-American Rejects, Owsley and American Hi-Fi. 7. Ed James-"In The 21st Century". Thrill to the Power Pop sounds of the 21st Century courtesy of Ed James. Ed starts our journey with the effortlessly tuneful "Out Of This Town", a crunchy, chugging power-chorded beast. It's followed by the pretty, Posies-meets-PFR wonder of harmony called "She's The One". "Girl Gone Bad" is a marvel, it's as if Ed hired Andy Sturmer to front Adrian Belew and The Bears. "Miss Polly" is massively catchy with it's doot-doot backing vocals and clever, ultra-fun lyrics. Recollections of the '80s come rushing back to us when we hear the Utopia-flavored pop on display when listening to "And When She Smiles". Now...keep in mind, I've only covered the first five tracks! This is truly a must have release that solidifies Ed James' status as a major Power Pop player. 8. Dug Pinnick-"Strum Sum Up".The lead singer of the mighty rock gods King's X steps away for a solo effort here and it's a hard-hitting, funky punch to the gut. Pinnick has always had the best voice in rock (think Hendrix/Sly Stone) and its just one of the many highlights to be found on this release. Honestly, this is not Power Pop but its got harmonies, big, tuneful guitars and is so melodic it's a crime to try to cram into a genre. This is just great stuff! Why Pinnick and King's X are not one of the biggest bands on the planet continues to baffle me. 9. Class Three Overbite-"Rendezvous". Bradley Jendza and Mike Elgert (whose Days Gone By release made my "Best of 2006" list) absolutely astound here with Rendezvous, an album jam-packed with pop/rock goodness. Rendezvous is a blast to listen to as its loaded with great songs of varied styles, all wonderfully executed and expertly performed and arranged. Check out the disco-flavored title track, the Queen meets Jellyfish-like sweetness of "No Good Rotten" and the riff-heavy 70's guitar rock of "Milkshake". Prepare to be knocked out by this one! 10. Holmes-"Stop Go". Singer/Songwriter/Producer Roy Shakked is Holmes and his latest release Stop Go is a refreshing cross-section of musical genres. Holmes serves up punchy Rock, tuneful Power Pop and even smooth R&B with the help of top-notch musicians the likes of Lyle Workman and Brett Simons. It doesn't get much more fun than the title track, which delivers exactly what its title promises. The whistle-along melodic treat that is "Another Week" recalls other tune-masters like Bleu and The Argument. "Five Days A Week" is a smooth Power Pop ride right out of the Joe Jackson songbook. You've probably heard Holmes already as his music has been featured on many television shows and album compilations. Chances are you'll be hearing a lot more of him everywhere else very soon. 11. Rick Altizer-"Scripture Memories - Pop Symphonies".Maybe this is a controversial choice but it's a tuneful one. Altizer has created a very original collection of Jellyfish/Beatlesque sounding songs that's lyrics reflect Altizer's commitment to his faith. I recall reading that his goal was to put Bible verses to tunes as a way for others to remember scripture readings. This may not be everyone's cup of tea because of the decidedly Christian themes throughout, but I happen to believe its fun and beautiful music. 12. Collective Soul-"Afterwords".Collective Soul is a band of survivors. They came to the forefront during the peak of the Grunge era and have been putting out consistently riff-heavy music ever since. Their new CD Afterwords reinforces this once more. It is a tightly weaved run through moods and hooks and riffs. Ed Roland and crew are a tight, polished and talented group; in fact, they're as professional of a rock outfit as there is in the business today. Check out tracks like "Hollywood", New Vibration" and "All That I Know" for perfect demonstrations of this fact. 13. Foo Fighters-"Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace".Not much needs to be said about the Foo Fighters other than they are a great mainstream rock band that you don't have to be embarrassed to appreciate. Their new album is more top-notch, power rock with attitude and energy. Plus, most of their songs are very melodic listens. Echoes. is a fast starter, the first five tunes are as strong as anything they've written in a long time. 14. Finger Eleven-"Them vs. You vs. Me".A departure from their heavier self-titled 2003 CD, Them vs. You vs. Me is an impressive step in a new direction for this band. There are a couple of great rock tracks planted right at the start of this album. "Falling On" is a sweet rocker with a great baseline and an even better little guitar riff. The practically falsetto vocals of the chorus is catchy as hell, too. "Paralyzer" is a surprisingly bouncy dance track that my kid says is big with the kids at school. Ah, perhaps there is hope for today's youth after all. 15. Fall Out Boy-"Infinity On High". The Pop/Punk genre has evolved to the point where it's mass-market acceptance has loaded it with a lot of bands that frankly don't deserve the airplay (or sales, for that matter) that they receive. However, to my ears, Fall Out Boy is not one of these bands. Listening to Infinity On High has made me aware that they deserve to be elevated to the elite class of bands within the Pop/Punk genre. In my opinion, it's time to mention Fall Out Boy in the same breath as the genre's respected acts like My Chemical Romance, Green Day and All-American Rejects. Infinity On High signals an evolution in their music. They're often experimenting here and it's a welcome step toward maturity and well-deserved respect. 16. Spoon-"Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga".It looks like this new one by Spoon is pretty popular and I'll have to go along with that mindset. This is definitely the catchiest and poppiest Spoon release to date. Sometimes the sparseness or "space" within a Spoon tune is a wonder to behold. This is especially evident in danceable numbers like "Don't You Evah" and "Finer Feelings". "Don't Make Me A Target" and "Rhthm & Soul" are also standouts here. 17. Ken Andrews-"Secrets of the Lost Satellite".The main man behind such fine bands as Failure, On and Year of the Rabbit goes solo with this new collection of mid-tempo, mood heavy music. Andrews makes some incredible noise, not just on this new release but with everything he does. The instruments, his vocals, everything; it all really envelops the listener in so many different tones and strange harmonies. Secrets of the Lost Satellite is another fine example of this. Again, this is nowhere near Power Pop, but its interesting and rewarding music. 18. The Ditchflowers-"Carried Away". Tampa-based Ditchflowers have mixed sharp melodies, thoughtful lyrics and wonderful production into a pleasing package titled Carried Away. Ed Woltil and Brian Merrill head up this talented cast of musicians who offer songs of longing, faith and getting older into tuneful tales of intrigue. The Ditchflowers have excelled here, merging sophisticated pop not unlike Steely Dan and XTC with the straight-ahead rock of artists like The Smithereens and The Kinks. The songs "Home Away From Home" and "All The Time In The World" feature pretty pop that fit in seamlessly with country-flavored tracks like "Since I Met You" and "Walkin' Back". 19. The Alice Rose-"Phonographic Memory". Purveyors of fine Pop should be quite overwhelmed with The Alice Rose, an exciting quintet out of Austin, Texas. They have managed to assemble a collection of fresh and bright music with not a trace of filler to be found anywhere. The Alice Rose has certainly taken cues from bands like The Beatles, Jellyfish and Squeeze, but they have used these influences to create something original. Phonographic Memory sets the melodic mood from the very start with "Light Up", a guitar-based mid-tempo rocker that mixes Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins with Ed Kowalczyk (Live) sounding vocals. "Ocean" is a smooth Gin Blossoms-meets-Squeeze tune, that's jacked up by a grungy guitar solo backed by ever so tastefully slight harmonies. The album wraps up with the full-on chugging "This Night", a song that could have led off the album much less closed it. It's proof positive that Phonographic Memory is loaded. 20. Wiretree-"Bouldin". Wiretree is a great new project from singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Peroni. This full-length winner melds a variety of influences with an acoustically-based sound to form an instantly enjoyable, bright and catchy listening experience. I've heard Wiretree's sound compared to The Smithereens, Tom Petty and Brendan Benson. But I also hear Dear 23-era Posies and early (i.e. good) Goo Goo Dolls. This is really an exciting new Indie Pop release! -Whit -----Original Message----- From: audities-owner@smoe.org [mailto:audities-owner@smoe.org] On Behalf Of Brian Keane Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 8:21 PM To: audities@smoe.org Subject: My 2007 favorites This is my "top 20+" with a few extra thrown in, on the chance I accidentally included some 2006 releases. 1. Nicole Atkins - Neptune City 2. Winterpills - The Light Divides 3. Bruce Springsteen - Magic 4. Kelly Willis - Translated From Love 5. Fountains of Wayne - Traffic and Weather 6. Sarah Borges & Broken Singles - Diamonds in the Dark 7. Ian Hunter - Shrunken Heads 8. The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes 9. John Hoskinson - Pancho Fantastico 10. The Pearlfishers - Up With the larks 11. Icecream Hands - The good china 12. Ray Davies - Working Man's Cafe 13. Mitch Easter - Dynamico 14. Steve Barton - Flicker of Time 15. Ash Avenue - And Then We Ignite 16. Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder 17. Farrah - Cut Out and Keep 18. The New Pornographers - Challengers 19. Nick Lowe - At My Age 20. Future Clouds And Radar 21. Graham Parker - Don't Tell Columbus 22. Angie Heaton - The Rumor Mill 23. The Trolleyvox - Your Secret Safe/Luzerne Brian