Before you get to the reason
you're here today I want you to know about
Found Magazine.
I attended their show at the Alamo Drafthouse the other night, and it was
one of the more interesting things I've seen in quite awhile. See,
they encourage people to find and send in crumpled up notes and such that
have been discarded or lost by whoever. I have no idea how they mange
to actually make sense of the jumbled messes that are surely sent their way,
but they make it work with wondrous results. Check it out when you get
a chance.
Now, onto the lists!
Enjoy.
#20) Fields - Everything Last Winter
This was an album that I really liked for a number of months, and then I set
it aside and sort of forgot about it until recently. This was a
mistake on my part, as it really does have a lot of great songs that are
worthy of constant attention. Count me as excited to see where they go
from here.
:Fields
- If You Fail, We All Fail:
#19) Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
I have a bad feeling that this album will not be making very many lists,
which is a shame because not only is it their most accessible record to
date, but it has some of the more whimsical numbers of the year on it.
If you missed out on the disc earlier in the year then I would certainly
recommend picking it up.
:Deerhoof
- Plus 81:
#18) Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
Well, I wasn't entirely sure that Eddie Argos and Co. would avoid the
dreaded sophomore slump, but that's exactly what they strayed away from
doing. Hell, I think they may have even managed to one-up themselves
with this overly fun record. Find it and love it if you haven't been
doing so.
:Art
Brut - Direct Hit:
#17) 65daysofstatic - The Destruction Of Small Ideas
There is a reason that this band has been opening for the Cure, they're
brilliant. So, why then isn't this album higher in the list? One
reason, it's a rather exhausting listen. Only try it if you have a
good amount of time to devote to it and/or you feel the need to get knocked
on your ass.
:65daysofstatic
- When We Were Younger And Better:
#16) Okkervil River - Stage Names
I've really been loving this on vinyl. Unfortunately, I only picked it
up about three or four weeks ago, so instead of it being a favorite for
months it's only been something that has hit home as of late.
Otherwise it would probably have been put higher in the list.
:Okkervil
River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe:
Best Compilation Of 2007 - (Tie)
Grass Roots Records Co. - Family Album/Daptone Records
Remixed
Compilations are strange for me. Most of the time they
have one or two songs that I really like, and then the rest
of it is disposable. However, the Grass Roots Records
effort was loaded with a wide range of artists and the
remixes that Daptone Records commissioned were as good as I
could ever hope for. Both of these are must-owns.
So much so in fact that I almost put them in my Top 25.
-
John Laird -
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