Top Albums of 2007, Part II
Last week, I listed my Top 10 albums of 2007. This week, I am listing the runners-up. Again, they are in no particular order.
In my humble opinion, Parker has been the greatest songwriter of the last 30 years. He has never lost it either lyrically or musically and his last couple of albums, recorded for the Chicago label Bloodshot (the same one that gave the world NEKO CASE’s astounding 2002 masterpiece Blacklisted), have been particularly strong. Whereas 2005’s Songs of No Consequence had him rocking with his long-time backing band THE FIGGS, on this one only MIKE GENT from The Figgs returns (playing drums), making this feel much more like the singer-songwriter record that it is. The eight-minute plus “The Other Side of the Reservoir” is the album’s highlight and the obvious centerpiece. However, most of this collection, ranging from the amusing opener “I Discovered America” to the scathing U.S. foreign and domestic policy critique “Stick to the Plan” is top-notch as well. Don’t miss it!
I loved 2005’s Strange Geometry and at first I was a bit disappointed with this disc. It’s not that I ever thought it was bad. The songs just didn’t sink in right away like the last album’s brilliant “Since K Got Over Me” and others like “E.M.P.T.Y.”. At this point, you know what you’re getting from The Clientele, so the few changes here are at a glacial pace. However, careful listeners will notice slightly shinier production, which really brings some of these typically hazy, lazy-sounding songs (especially the stunning “Brighton Beach to Santa Monica”) into focus. As a mood piece and after repeated listens, this really works even if the songs aren’t as memorable as on Strange Geometry. Plus, the cover art is absolutely gorgeous.
Amidst all the hoopla over this album’s pre-release leak-proof “name your own price” strategy, very few reviews have talked about the actual music on here. As it stands, it’s another great Radiohead album, expertly continuing where 2003’s underrated Hail to the Thief left off in that it combines the experimentation with electronics, early ‘70s German rock and repetition that have characterized all of their post- OK Computer albums with the more organic instrumentation of their 1st 3 albums. The end result is a gorgeous record that’s perhaps more consistent than its predecessor with the highlights including some of their best material ever like “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” and “Nude” as well as the atypically glitchy album opener “15 Step” and the atypically rockin’ “Bodysnatchers”.
After two absolutely brilliant, self-released 6 song EPs, Voxtrot released the 3 song EP “Your Biggest Fan”, their first release for the Playlouder label, in late 2006. This was a harbinger of things to come. In the quest for prettiness (adding some orchestration and piano, for instance), some of their raw energy had been compromised, though fortunately RAMESH SRIVASTAVA’s excellent songwriting wasn’t. Then came the full-length Lp, which admirably contains 11 songs not on any of the EPs or any of their 7” releases. I like it more than “Your Biggest Fan”, but not quite as much as their EPs. Again, VICTOR VAN VUGT handles the production and makes this record just a tad too slick. Nevertheless, with songs as excellent as “Firecracker,”, “Brother in Conflict” and “Kid Gloves”, it’s hard to complain. Even the slower, prettier ballads like “Real Life Version” and “Stephen” work well, too, though hopefully they can continue to find a balance between these two sides in the future.
After 2004’s Shake the Sheets saw Ted Leo going back to basics to create a forceful, short and sharp album, his new one finds him going back to the sprawling nature of 2001’s The Tyranny of Distance and 2003’s Hearts of Oak. The end result is another great album with material ranging from the incredible jangle-pop of “A Bottle of Buckie” (my favorite song on here) to material like “The Sons of Cain”, which could’ve come off his last album. In between is everything from reggae (“The Unwanted Things”) to what sounds like a stab at a mix between FUGAZI and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE on the timely “Bomb.Repeat.Bomb”. Ted has said in the past that he admires THE CLASH because they were still a punk band who explored many different musical styles during the course of their career. Twenty-five years later, it’s admirable that Ted Leo is trying to do the same thing and succeeding.
To be honest, I’d given up on Bjork after 2001’s so-so Vespertine and 2004’s brave Medulla, which despite its experimental nature left me cold. So what a shock this was! On the surface, it’s a return to the days of Debut and Post, but applied to the modern age. Producer TIMBALAND’s presence is all over the fine first single “Earth Intruders” as well as “Declare Indpendence”, perhaps the closest Bjork has ever come to topical songwriting. Even more compelling is “Wanderlust”, this album’s answer to past songs such as “Venus as a Boy” or “Pagan Poetry”.
Luzerne, on the other hand, is a completely different beast. It’s been compared to a NICK DRAKE album with NICO on vocals and that’s not too far off. It returns The Trolleyvox to the acoustic duo they started out as and really showcases how outstanding of a guitar playing Chalfen really is. It’s perfect late-night listening a fine compliment to Your Secret Safe.
Similar to my thoughts on The Clientele’s latest, I was initially a bit put off by this. I loved 2005’s outstanding Descended Like Vultures, but this one really raises the bar in terms of Rogue Wave’s ambition. Eschewing the SHINS-like jangle-pop of their first few albums (both on Sub Pop), it’s fitting that a label change would have them sounding more like a technicolor noise-pop band instead! Inspired by events ranging from the birth of ZACH ROGUE’s child to drummer PAT SPURGEON receiving a kidney transplant, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate features richer, fuller production and songs that take a bit longer to sink in, but are worth the listener’s patience. Especially gratifying is the stunning “Chicago X 12, “Christians in Black,” “Phonytown” and the beautiful closer “Cheaper than Therapy”.
Don’t call it a comeback! After years of getting mellower, slower and more somber as he’s pushed towards middle age, this blues-punk blast is a hugely unexpected treat from NICK CAVE. Yes, all of the reviews have mentioned his incredible early ‘80s band THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, though for the most part this is nowhere near as deranged, freaky and deconstructed. If anything, it resembles their final recordings (the Mutiny and Bad Seed EPs) as well as the early BAD SEEDS records more than the hellacious rage of Prayers on Fire or Junkyard. Nevertheless, this is clearly the result of a frustrated, middle-aged Cave complaining about not getting any (the terrific “No Pussy Blues”) to more musings on the opposite sex (“Go Tell the Women”), all with a bluesy swagger! One can hope for more records like this that recall his early days, but perhaps this is a one-off. Either way, it’s immensely enjoyable.
