The Look Back

I went back and forth with how long of a list I would do this year. I settled on the “Top 40” theme since it represents such a great diversity and taste in modern radio. I’ve held it to just those releases that came out in the US during 2007. I added one honorable mention since it is an album, and artist, I discovered in 2007 but didn’t put out any releases this year. Also, to make the picking somewhat easier I did not include any EPs that came out this year. (Sorry Grizzly Bear and Bonnie “Prince” Billy. I still listened to your stuff as much as anyone else on this list, if not more.) I encourage you all to purchase every album on this list and do it through the convenient Amazon.com links I’ve set up on the album covers. (This was a pain in the ass to set up so at least buy it here so I get 3 cents from Amazon.)

Lastly, my singles of the year will come out next week at some point. I know you will all be waiting up at night for that one. To save on load times the list is after the cut:

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First off, I wanted to thank Mike Panic again over at randomn3ss.com for the OiNK invite. I’ve not had a lot of time to browse yet but what I have seen it lives up to all the expectations. I also highly recommend his blog for all things random such as this. On to the music.

Patton Oswalt – Clean Filth

First off, this is DEFINITELY not safe for work if you don’t have headphones. You will know why in the first 2 seconds. This is also the first non-music track I have put up here but not the last. You will know Patton Oswalt as the star of some movie with a cooking rat that is currently out. Obviously, this kind of humor was not put into that movie. I still always think of Patton Oswalt for his random appearances in Reno 911 as the Renaissance Fair attendee who is always getting arrested, good stuff.

Clipse – Trill

The first rap track for a Friday mix. One of the best albums of 2006 and one that made me download a few old albums that I hadn’t listened to in a while. Coke rap in all its glory.

Sunset Rubdown – Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days

From the soon to be released Random Spirit Lover album. I would call this the “single” but do non-radio friendly albums really have singles? I guess it is an excuse to put out some limited edition colored vinyl and get the record dorks in a tizzy but other than that it seems like an antiquated idea. (I guess just like vinyl. OUCH!) Oh yeah, the track. I have really started to appreciate this and new album more than I ever did with “Shut Up I Am Dreaming”.

Okkervil River – A Hand to Take Hold of the Scene

This will be on every hipsters Top 10 of 2007 album list along with The National – Boxer. The stand out track which feels a lot more airy than the actual tone and theme of the track intend. An interesting take on the inevitable “we’ve been a band now for x years and we are always touring so here is our album about being touring rock stars” album. Putting the whole rock star “thing” into a different light and not coming off as sounding preachy by any means.

Lynn Anderson – Rose Garden

I’ve decided I have to put up one country track per week. You NEVER see country tracks on mp3 blogs unless it is solely dedicated to country music. (I have yet to run into one of these so if anyone has any suggestions I’m open.) I received the “Legends of Country: 50’s, 60’s and 70’s” compilation set for my birthday and this is a track from the 70’s. I grew up listening to mostly 70’s and 80’s pop country and this was always a popular song. It’s very interesting how different you can view a song when it just clicks in someday as to what it is truly about.

Mike Panic over at http://www.randomn3ss.com is currently giving away four invites to OiNK which I mentioned previously. I figure I’d be above board and go ahead and tell everyone that is what is going on rather than just posting a link and then having everyone wonder what it was all about. With any luck I’ll get one of the invites and http://www.randomn3ss.com will get a big boost through Google etc.

In other non-torrent news, I had a great weekend back home and got some nice birthday gifts from the family. Including:

Lens Baby 2.0

Canon 50mm USM 1.4mm

The Encyclopedia of Cheese

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova – Falling Slowly

This comes off of an album the two Europeans (Hansard from Scotland and Irglova from the Czech Republic) made together last year entitled “The Swell Season”. I’ve heard differing stories on how the rest of it happened but they managed to film a movie (“Once”) around this album that is fictional. It’s getting a lot of high praise from some rather respected critics and is being called the best musical of our time. It’s playing by South Coast Plaza if anyone wants to catch it with me next week.

I first heard the song on Subterranean last Sunday night. I have to admit that I usually watch this show as I am doing other things on the computer and will often skip videos of artists I’m not interested in and/or haven’t heard anything good about. I hadn’t heard anything about this song, though I had heard of the movie. The song immediately caught my ear and I was sucked in.

Rufus Wainwright & Teddy Thompson – King of the Road

I may have mentioned something about not posting any country songs this week. Sorry, had to do it. David wanted to hear some good driving music. I was originally going to go with Roger Miller’s original version but then remembered the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack had an excellent cover by Rufus Wainwright and Teddy Thompson. Like most of the soundtrack it is a very good homage to the original tune.

Phoenix – Everything is Everything

I think I first heard this during my Phoenix obsession during the summer of 2006. You know the time and place. You were out with your hipster friends and seemingly wherever you went they were playing “If I Ever Feel Better”. Everyone thinks the song just came out but in actuality it was 3+ years old. Yeah, that summer. I just got this on the Six Feet Under Soundtrack Vol. 2: Everything Ends. Definitely a great summer song like most of their stuff. France be damned!

Foo Fighters – Everlast

“Big Me” was my first favorite Foo Fighters track. I had to wait for this offering on their second album, “The Colour and the Shape”, to have a second favorite track. A song about starting out in a relationship and not really knowing how to react other than with pure enthusiasm.

Broken Social Scene – Pacific Theme

This is one of my favorite driving songs for the “dog days” of summer back home in Paso Robles. I’m going home this weekend so I’m going to be putting this song to good use. This is an instrumental track off of the wonderful “You Forgot It In People” album.

John Vanderslice – Kookaburra

One of two new songs I recently downloaded from the upcoming album Emerald City. (July 24^th) Vanderslice has been one of my favorite “indie rock guys” for a while now since I first heard his last album Pixel Revolt in 2005. He is the prime example of why I don’t want to see music go completely digital. All his CD/LPs come with full liner notes that read like crib notes for an epic novel. He gives you just enough detail in both the lyrics themselves and his added thoughts that you are compelled to go to wikipedia right away and find the meaning behind every last phrase in his songs.

The Knife – Neverland

I have a CD sleeve on the visor of my truck that just keeps expanding. I can never seem to keep an actual CD album in my truck that I use seeing as I am lazy and don’t want to take the minute before I turn on the engine to go through and find my music of choice. Instead, I have my visor sleeve that can pull down, pull out 3 CDs and decide if I want to listen to “Justin’s Rad Mix October 2003”, “Going Home Mix December 2005” or “The Knife – SILENT SHOUT”. I chose the latter. One of the better albums of 2006 that I’ve been unable to pull out of the CD deck in about a week. Keep in mind, my radio is usually tuned to mind numbing sports talk radio except when others are in my truck.

Ryan Adams – Come Pick Me Up

Kathy, Valerie and I are going to see Ryan Adam and the Cardinals in mid-July. I’ve been delving into my archives and really digging these long lost albums. This being one of the more fan favorite cuts from Heartbreaker, his best album to date.

Matthew Dear – Vine to Vine

I first got a taste of Matthew Dear’s work last summer on the eMusic Pitchfork Music Festival sampler CD. I never really paid attention again until a couple months ago when I saw a review on a random music blog (sorry for no credit, whomever you were/are) Definitely a unique feel on this album. I know this stuck out to me based on the very low baritone voice and my panache for 60s-70s country music, think Johnny Cash. The end gets a little goofy but I think it is a good transition in context.

Grizzly Bear – On a Neck, On a Spit

What more needs to be said than they have a clarinet player in the band? My childhood instrument of choice from 4^th-8^th grade. Lindsey, Valerie and I are going to see these guys with Feist play tonight at the Wiltern. While not my favorite venue in LA (the parking sucks, the shows cost $15 more than anywhere else and you have to wait 30 min after the show to get your car from the horrible valet situation) it is beautiful inside and does have great sound. Oh yeah, the song. One of my favorites off of Yellow House, another 2006 release. Woozy folk. This is one of the more memorable songs on the CD and one I keep finding myself going to when I first click on iTunes.

I know there are approximately 2 people who even know I’m doing this blog right now but if anyone has an oink invite I’d give up my first born to you.  They are virtually impossible to come by.