Yes, I am disappointed that it's the last day of the year and this is the first time I'm referring to this year as "The Sev." I could've been doing this all year. Oh well, atleast when I talk about the past, I'll always have it then.
Happy New Year!!!
So, to tie up loose ends and shaggy beards before this year ends, I present you, THE KING OF CARTOOOOOONS. And what does the King say?
Let the cartoons (dramatic pause) begin.
5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
What a coincidence that the same year the Spoon greats release an album with this title, that my friends and family start procreating. I may have lost two grandparents this year, but I went 4 for 4 with healthy babies, so that's awesome. I guess that's what happens when you don't meet your friends outside of Women's Health Clinics.
This album is another great one for Spoon. It starts off a bit shaky for me, and I don't like that dang "You've Got Yer Cherry Bomb" song, it drives me nuts, but once it's over, this album hits a gold streak that rivals the beginning of Fiction, and the entire Moonlight lps.
4. Feist - The Reminder
I can't bereive this album made it up to #4 on my list. What started out as my trusty Monday album, turned into one of the year's best surprises. If you're scoring at home, this means I have two Grammy nominated albums on my list (Amy Winehouse was the other). What the hell is the world coming to? Is it aging? Is that what this is?
For those that don't know, Feist was one of a birrion people that made up Broken Social Scene, and get this, she ZACTUALLY lends vocals to all of our favorite, Peaches, on The Teaches of Peaches. This right here is a good girl. "The Reminder", is simply a genius album. Sure it's a bit challenging to listen to that "1, 2, 3, 4" song which was all over the ipod commercials, but now that those commercials have waned, it's not that bad anymore. Nearly every song on this album is great, and I wouldn't be surprised if 5 years from now, the ends up being my favorite album of the Sev.
That'd be an interesting experiment, waiting 5 years before I do the list. That's kind of like assessing NFL drafts of something. Let's see, top 5 of 2002 ... let me go get my ipod ...
Sea Change - Beck
Yoshiimi - Flaming Lips
Kill the Moonlight - Spoon
Blazing Arrow - Blackalicious
YHF - Wilco
Okay, I don't have my old list anymore (lost in the great Peer Title fire of the Sev), but I know it was pretty close to that, so I did good that year.
3. M.I.A. - Kala
I may be kidding myself, or caught up in some internal OCD political battle within myself for not putting this #1 on my own freaking list. This was possibly my most listened to album of the year, and the first four songs are tits. So rather bore y'all with why I'm in love with this dance-challenged Sri Lankan, let me say why this album isn't #1.
It has some songs I'm not particularly fond of. On her last album, despite the whole thing being something I've never heard anything like before which is why I loved it so much, it didn't take too many chances from what it was. On "Kala", she takes those chances, and a couple times, hits a home run, especially "Paper Planes." The downside of taking chances, are uncomfortable songs, and there are a few of those on here. Still, I haven't deleted anything off my ipod yet, except for that terrible "extra" song she does with Timbaland. Timba needs to stick to producing other people, and not worrying about himself.
2. The White Stripes - Icky Thump
I haven't heard a song so awkwardly titled since Poison's "Unskinny Bop." (Coincidentally, I haven't heard a song ROCK this hard since the Bop either). Seriously though, I've never been a huge Stripes fan. I've heard most of their albums, and always love a few songs on each because JW kicks so much ass in a world where no guitar players kick ass anymore. The kickass guitar players are either in stupid Mountain Dew guzzling EXTREME bands, or non-existent in pretentious indie bands. The fact that the Strokes are one of the more powerful bands out there (that is if they still exist) that aren't completely crappy, just goes to show you how far rock'n roll has fallen. JW brings it back though.
This is the first Stripes album where their shtick doesn't wear off after 3 songs. There's enough "other stuff" going on on this album to keep you interested. Even Meg's song in the middle doesn't ruin this one. Nearly every song on this is a home run, and I'm not talking a steroid induced Bonds shot, I'm talking a Dave Winfield over the centerfield wall bomb shot in Yankee Stadium. That's what JW is to me, a home run hit by a slugger from the 80s. Take your pick, Winfield, Dale Murphy, Eddie Murray, Andre Dawson, Mike Schmidt, Mattingly, Paggs, Tony Armas, hell, even Rob Deer.
1. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
At first, I wasn't too down with this one because I thought it was waaaaaay to pretentious, and as you can tell by my list, I'm moving away from the hipster scene as I approach my mid 30s. I don't wanna get involved with bands that won't exist in 3 years, let alone never come to the great City of Tampa.
The more I listened to this album though, the more it grew on me. Everything is so subtle on this. I've probably never heard crescendo's like this album has in my life, and it's like you don't even know they're happening, they're just all of a sudden there.
Anyways, that's it for me this year. I want to thank anyone and everyone who's taken the time to read anything I've written all year. 2008 will be a little different for me, but now that I have a computer, there will always be emails, it's just a matter of when. So, as the quest for getting my bathroom reader published begins, I'll leave you with this before the NYE festivities begin:
I raise a toast to all of us
Who are breaking our backs every day
If wanting a good life is such a crime
Lord then put me away ... yeah!
Here's to ya
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