best of 2007 (Harp)

1 OKKERVIL RIVER, The Stage Names(JAGJAGUWAR)
2 BAND OF HORSES, Cease To Begin (SUB POP)
3 IRON & WINE, The Shepherd's Dog (SUB POP)
4 FUTURE CLOUDS & RADAR, Future Clouds & Radar (STAR APPLE KINGDOM)
5 FEIST, The Reminder (CHERRY TREE/INTERSCOPE)
6 SPOON, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (MERGE)
7 RADIOHEAD, In Rainbows (SELF-RELEASED)
8 ARCADE FIRE, Neon Bible (Merge)
9 NEIL YOUNG, Chrome Dreams II (REPRISE)
10 JASON ISBELL, Sirens of the Ditch (NEW WEST)
11 WHITE STRIPES, Icky Thump (THIRD MAN/WARNER BROS.)
12 DEVENDRA BANHART, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon (XL)
13 AVETT BROTHERS, Emotionalism (RAMSEUR)

Ween made their cover, but not the actual list. Ween are playing two shows at Terminal 5 this weekend. Get Ween Christmas song in my 2007 holiday mix.

Paste also has Avett Brothers high up on their list. Stylus seem to be the only ones MADLY in love with Miranda Lambert so far (Paste has her at 18) (and J likes her a lot). Nic Harcourt's list is still way different than everyone's. The rest of Harp Magazine's list is below....



SILVER SPRING, M.D.: En route is the December 2007 issue of Harp, about to enter its seventh year of publication. Set to hit newsstands December 11, the new issue will zero in on the 50 best CDs of 2007 in the magazine’s annual year-end round-up. Voted Number One album of the year by the Harp staff and writers: Okkervil River’s The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar).

Receiving the news from Harp, Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff said, “I’m very flattered and somewhat shocked. I’ve been doing this for so long and remember moments where nobody would write about us at all. It feels like people are actually appreciating us to elevate [the record] like this.”

Following close behind Okkervil River are ’07 releases from Band Of Horses, Iron and Wine, Future Clouds & Radar, Feist, Spoon, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Neil Young and Jason Isbell, occupying the 2 through 10 spots, respectively. Also dotting the Top 50 are the White Stripes, Devendra Banhart, Manu Chao, the Avett Brothers, M.I.A., Steve Earle, Robert Wyatt, Bettye LaVette, Explosions in the Sky, Mavis Staples and Tunng— all proof of Harp’s commitment to broad-reaching coverage of musical disciplines of all stripes. The complete list can be viewed below.


14 > THE SHINS
WINCING THE NIGHT AWAY (SUB POP)

15 > THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
CHALLENGERS (MATADOR)

16 > WILCO
SKY BLUE SKY (NONESUCH)

17 > THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE QUEEN (VIRGIN)

18 > GEORGIE JAMES
PLACES (SADDLE CREEK)

19 > BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
MAGIC (COLUMBIA)

20 > RILO KILEY
UNDER THE BLACKLIGHT (BRUTE/WARNER)

21 > THE NATIONAL
BOXER (Beggars)

22 > TED LEO & THE PHARMACISTS
LIVING WITH THE LIVING (TOUCH & GO)

23 > BILL CALLAHAN
WOKE ON A WHALE HEART (DRAG CITY)

24 > M.I.A.
KALA (INTERSCOPE)

25 > JESSE SYKES AND THE SWEET HEREAFTER
LIKE, LOVE, LUST AND THE OPEN HALLS OF THE SOUL (BARSUK)

26 > STEVE EARLE
WASHINGTON SQUARE SERENADE (NEW WEST)

27 > OF MONTREAL
HISSING FAUNA, ARE YOU THE DESTROYER? (POLYVINYL)

28 > GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS
THIS IS SOMEWHERE (HOLLYWOOD)

29 > KINGS OF LEON
BECAUSE OF THE TIMES (RCA)

30 > GRINDERMAN
GRINDERMAN (ANTI-)

31 > ROBERT WYATT
COMICOPERA (DOMINO)

32 > BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS: KEVIN DREW
SPIRIT IF… (ARTS & CRAFTS)

33 > ST. VINCENT
MARRY ME (BEGGARS BANQUET)

34 > RYAN ADAMS
EASY TIGER (LOST HIGHWAY)

35 > ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
STRAWBERRY JAM (DOMINO)

36 > BRIGHT EYES
CASSADEGA (SADDLE CREEK)

37 > RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
RELEASE THE STARS (GEFFEN)

38 > ELENI MANDELL
MIRACLE OF FIVE (ZEDTONE)

39 > PATTY GRIFFIN
CHILDREN RUNNING THROUGH (ATO)

40 > IAN HUNTER
SHRUNKEN HEADS (YEP ROC)

41 > DR. DOG
WE ALL BELONG (PARK THE VAN)

42 > MAVIS STAPLES
WE’LL NEVER TURN BACK (ANTI-)

43 > EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY
ALL OF A SUDDEN I MISS EVERYONE (TEMPORARY RESIDENCE)

44 > BEIRUT
THE FLYING CLUB CUP (BA DA BING!)

45 > BETTYE LAVETTE
THE SCENE OF THE CRIME (ANTI-)

46 > MANU CHAO
LA RADIOLINA (NACIONAL)

47 > YEASAYER
ALL HOUR CYMBALS (WE ARE FREE)

48 > OAKLEY HALL
I’LL FOLLOW YOU (MERGE)

49 > SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS
100 DAYS, 100 NIGHTS (DAPTONE)

50 > TUNNG
GOOD ARROWS (THRILL JOCKEY)

DEBUT/NEW ARTIST:
FUTURE CLOUDS & RADAR
FUTURE CLOUDS & RADAR (STAR APPLE KINGDOM)

REISSUE:
SONIC YOUTH
DAYDREAM NATION DELUXE EDITION (GEFFEN/UME)

DVD:
YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME: A FILM ABOUT ROKY ERICKSON (PALM PICTURES)

BOOK:
THE REPLACEMENTS: ALL OVER BUT THE SHOUTING, BY JIM WALSH (VOYAGEUR PRESS)

TOUR:
THE ARCADE FIRE

I should start a site about how I hate critics.

This ass monkey from cokemachineglow.com (think wannabe pitchfork with half the taste and twice the pretention) reviewed Good Charlotte's new album just so he could slam it (20% out of 100%) and actually formed this sentence:

This cruise ship siphoning of “Lust for Life” is a gross piss take as it is, all adenoidal rapaciousness and enfeebled amp sterility.

I'll take pedantic dumbshit for 1000, Alex.

Hey buddy, thanks for letting us know that Good Charlotte blows...I needed you, and not a 12 year old girl who can recognize how bad they are, to tell me that.

Soon to be known: Foreign Born

I was sneaking through Myspace when I found this band. By the number of hits on their website, it looks like they are virtually new and unknown, but very good. "Union Hall" is has a great droning vocal melody that will run on a wheel in your head. As far as influences I hear Interpol (guitar) and The Walkmen (vocals). Tell me what you think.

Here is a link to their Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/foreignborn

Is it official this time?

Supposedly this is THE LINE-UP for Bonaroo 2007. I bolded the ones I am looking forward to (if I can make it). Thanks to livemusicblog.com for the info!

Lineup:

The Police (i'm skeptical about how good they will be)
Tool
Widespread Panic
The White Stripes
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Wilco
The Flaming Lips
Manu Chao
The String Cheese Incident
Franz Ferdinand
Bob Weir & Ratdog
Damien Rice
Ween (if I could double bold this, I would)
Gov’t Mule
Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers
The Decemberists
Kings of Leon
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Wolfmother
Regina Spektor
Galactic
The Black Keys
DJ Shadow
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
Spoon
Keller Williams (WMD’s)
Sasha & John Digweed
STS9
Old Crow Medicine Show
The Hold Steady
North Mississippi Allstars
Fountains Of Wayne
Hot Tuna
Feist
Hot Chip
Lily Allen
John Butler Trio
Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
Aesop Rock
The Richard Thompson Band
Dierks Bentley
Xavier Rudd
Gogol Bordelo (Supposedly they are AMAZING live)
Junior Brown
Tortoise
T-Bone Burnett
Mavis Staples
Clutch
Cold War Kids
Dr. Dog
Paolo Nutini
Brazilian Girls
RX Bandits (Are these guys still together?)
The Nightwatchman
The Slip
Girl Talk
Railroad Earth
Martha Wainwright
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Annuals
Tea Leaf Green
Sam Roberts Band
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Charlie Louvin
Sonya Kitchell
Mute Math
Apollo Sunshine
Uncle Earl
James Blood Ulmer
The National
The Little Ones
Ryan Shaw

Comedians:

Lewis Black & Friends
Dave Attell
David Cross

#14 Andrew Morgan (interview)

Location: Somerville, MA/Chicago
Genre: Indie/Pop
Label: Broken Horse (UK), Sonic Boom Recordings (US)
Track to hear: Morpheus Calls
Status: Working on Three Months In Cook County, no release date at this time
link: http://www.myspace.com/morganandrew

On the road to success there are always speed bumps slowing us down. Unfortunately for Andrew Morgan, he is driving through a mall parking lot. What started with an epic debut album that was grossly underappreciated led to a slew of setbacks and struggles to release a follow up, causing Morgan to be the poster child for Murphy’s Law.

A large reason why his first record, entitled Misadventures in Radiology, did not get the attention it deserved is because Morgan was unable to support it fully by playing live after his vocal chords started to swell shut. When the pain persisted, he soon realized that the problem was not his roommate’s cat; rather, it was the artificial sweetener he was adding to his coffee every morning that was causing the reaction.

“Bizarrly, Splenda was the culprit,” Morgan told me via Myspace, “(I) nearly had to have surgery on my vocal cords after losing my voice for three months.” It is a shame, too, considering that his voice is the perfect compliment to his music. You see, Morgan does not write songs. He composes them. Clearly capable of arranging lofty string arrangements and ambitious build-ups, he keeps his voice at a hush; keeping the focus on the journey his music takes you with his understated vocals as firm support. Morgan hints at his influences such as Brian Wilson and Elliott Smith (who helped him record Misadventures) without imitating them, riding a thin line of appreciation without bastardizing their works; as so many bands nowadays do. His seamless execution leaves his music comforting at moments and chilling at others.

Morgan is still in the process of working on his second album, titled Three Months In Cook County. The project has been halted twice due to lack of funds, as well as other challenges.

“I parted ways with my longtime pianist and violinist,” he added, “Making this record has been really hard.” On top of everything he has had to endure, getting his masters completed from Harvard Divinity School does not speed the record-making process up.

“It's been enlightening, but then half the time I regret (getting my masters).”

No matter how long the wait could be, I am sure I'm not the only one who is willing to be patient for this one.

#13 Mystery Jets (interview)

From: United Kingdom
Genre: Fast, energetic Brit Pop
# of members- 5
Fun fact- Members Henry and Blaine are actually father and son. He must be the coolest dad ever.
track to hear- You Can't Fool Me Dennis
Link. www.myspace.com/mysteryjets

Let’s face it; it takes more than talent to make it in music these days. The Internet Generation has the attention span of a goldfish, with more than a million bands worldwide offering free music streams at the touch of a button. This serves as both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, the possibility for exposure is limitless. A band from the Western Hemisphere could build a solid fan base with a country from the East without ever touring or even getting an album distributed there. On the other, how does a band not only gain a following but also maintain it, when the open borders of music causes a brutal mess of artists vying for your attention?
The answer seems simple enough, but few bands are willing or conscientious enough to bring it back to the good ole’ grassroots motto: win one fan at a time. Luckily for this guy (located in Iowa, mind you), the Mystery Jets have perfected this philosophy and are ready to get to know you on a more personal level.
“I’d say our attitude to fans and the non-exclusivity between us and people who are into us, is really just a form of respect for the people who’ve allowed us to get to where we are,” William Rees (lead guitarist) told me via Myspace. This is heavily apparent through their Myspace page, where they have held video and Christmas card contests, ask for people’s opinion on their favorite books and offer enough ring tones and banners to help spread the Mystery Jets gospel. With enough content to keep one interested and coming back, it is no wonder that a band without a big radio song or a top ten hit has had their profile viewed nearly 200,000 times.
However, don’t think they are just glued to their laptops. It is more of a two-pronged attack, having estimated touring the width and length of England a dozen times in the last four years. “It’s a great change, suddenly having an audience and feeling like every song you write will be listened to and considered.”
One of their more prominent fans has taken notice. Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke named the band’s debut album, Making Dens, his favorite of 2006. So, just like the engine they are using to fuel their success, the possibilities are limitless. Having already toured Japan and planning a U.S. tour for early May, I would be less than floored if they eclipsed America’s favorite exports such as Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand and became our new favorite foreign fixation.

Bonaroo list leaked??

I know it is coming out in February, but this is an alleged leaked list of the bands playing at BONAROO. If this is true, is anyone up for a road trip to tennessee?

The Police (headline)
Bob Dylan (headline)
Pearl Jam (headline)
Tom Waits
Willie Nelson
Umphrey's McGee
Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
Modest Mouse
The Black Crowes
Ryan Adams
My Morning Jacket
Arcade Fire
Keller WilliamsBand
Hot Chip
America
TV on the Radio
Fountains of Wayne
Les Claypool
The Shins
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Toots and the Maytals
The Roots
The Decemberists
Of Montreal
Cat Power
Ozomatli
Perpetual Groove
Band of Horses
John Butler Trio
Nickel Creek
Medeski Martin and Wood
Lily Allen
Neko Case
Keiren Hedben (Four Tet) & Steve Reid
The Hold Steady
Earl Scuggs
Charlie Louvin
Man Man
Grizzly Bear
Konono #1
The Slip
Rodrigo y Gabriela
Uncle Earl
Annuals
Beirut
M. Ward
Cold War Kids
Girl Talk

New Album Update: January 22

Arcade Fire




If your favorite albums from 2006 are getting a bit stale, here are a few newbies that will spice up your Ipod.


Arcade Fire- Neon Bible March 6, 2007
Sondre Lerche- Phantom Punch February 6, 2007
Piebald- Accidental Gentlemen January 23, 2007

Happy Listening!

#12 The Hold Steady

Location: Brooklyn
Genre: Rock
# of Members: 5
Label: Vagrant
Fun Fact: The Hold Steady is the first rock band in 15 years to grace the cover of The Village Voice.
Track to hear: Chillout Tent
Status: Supporting the critically-acclaimed Boys and Girls in America, released in 2006.


I interviewed Craig Finn, The Hold Steady's frontman (and Twin Cities native) in the summer of 2005. I never published the interview, and most of it is irrelevant now since they have come out with Boys and Girls in America, but I find this little bit entertaining (when I asked him this question there was absolutely no hesitation. It was as if he had actually thought about it before I asked him).

The Top 5 most annoying things about the Mall of America.

1. There used to be this cereal bar and the cool thing is you could get your picture taken and put on a Wheaties box. Les Savy Fav did one and a couple other bands I know. And they closed it down. So that was annoying; that The Hold Steady never got to get a Wheaties box.
2. There’s a radio ad for this restaurant, and they never said it is in the Mall of America, they just say its on the upper east side, not the upper east side of the Mall of America.
3. Glamour Shots. My wife had never seen it before and said “What is this place? They dress you up like a hooker and take your picture?”
4. The roller coast in Camp Snoopy is pretty weak. A kid died in Camp Snoopy in a gang fight. Thugged out Minnesotian gangsters hanging out at the Mall of America.
5. The smell of Cinnabon and those Carmel Corn places. I can smell it on me a day after I leave the mall.

#11 We Are Scientists

Location: Southern California
Genre: rock/pop
# of members: 3
Label: Virgin
Fun Fact: The Video for Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt is directed by an SNL writer and member of the comedy group The Lonely Island.
Status: Supporting For Love and Squalor, released in 2006.
link: www.wearescientists.com

Complexity, I think, is one of the most overrated aspects of music. Sure, groundbreaking and experimental sounds are important in helping music progress into a “better” direction, but many times it just falls flat. Sometimes I find myself awed by someone who is particularly proficient with his instrument, but won’t give it a second listen because it does not catch my ear and, therefore, has no staying power.

Adversely, simple music can be underrated. We seem to have become caught up with the emergence of pro-tools layering together umpteen tracks to remember how it used to be before all of that was available. In fact, I seem to recall a time when music was—dare I say—fun.

Enter We Are Scientists.

Will this 3-piece “wow” you with their musicianship? Probably not.

Can I honestly say that they don’t resemble the likes of The Strokes, Block Party and Hot Hot Heat? Again, I can’t.

Will this disc, upon playing, probably make you tap your foot after the shittiest day and not force you, when asked to describe it, with mundane words like “challenging” and “heartfelt”? Your damn right.

The first two tracks, “Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt” and “The Scene is Dead” are probably the catchiest back to back opening songs on any album I have ever heard since Weezer’s “My Name is Jonas” and “No One Else”. Every song is full of catchy hooks, angular guitars, and a stop/go style to keep you interested until the forty-odd minutes are done. “Textbook” allows the album to wind down into a smooth lament about a relationship gone awry; a hint of seriousness for an otherwise tongue-in-cheek album.

So, just this once, let’s replace our obsession with over-analyzing every note and lyric a band creates with an appreciation for a band writing songs for the sake of a good time. Then, if we are lucky, we won’t fall victim to the never-ending plague of pretentious and elitist criticisms.

#10 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Hurry! Clap Your Hands Say Yeah are streaming their entire new album, Some Loud Thunder, on their myspace page! Go to www.myspace.com/clapyourhandssayyeah

If that doesn't excite you, I don't know what will.

Coming up next week:

Interviews with Mystery Jets, The Sterns and Andrew Morgan.

Stay tuned...

#9 French Kicks

Location: NY,NY
Genre: Indie
Label: Starlight International
Fun Fact: This video features Olivia Wilde, of The Girl Next Door and Alpha Dog fame.
Track to hear: So Far We Are
Status: Supporting Two Thousand, released in 2006
link: www.frenchkicks.com

#8 Nada Surf

Location: NY, NY
Genre: Indie Pop
# of members: 3
Fun Fact: Reached moderate MTV fame in the mid 1990's with "Popular"
Track to hear: Blonde on Blonde
Status: Supporting This Weight is a Gift, released in 2005.
link: www.myspace.com/nadasurf

#7 Sondre Lerche

Location: Norway
Genre: Singer/Songwriter
Sound: Ranging from radio friendly to lounge and jazzy
# of members: 1
Fun Fact: He finished his first oustanding LP, Faces Down, before he was legally able to drink in America.
Track To Hear: On the Tower
Status: New Album, Phantom Punch, expected February 2007
Link: www.myspace.com/sondrelerche

#6 Maps and Atlases

Location: Chicago, Illinois
Genre:Math Rock
Sound: Extremely intricate and chaotic in a very organizational way
# of members: 4
Label: Unsigned
Fun Fact:The band was featured in a PBR advertisement in The Onion.
Track to Hear: Every Place is a House
Link:www.mapsandatlases.org

#5 Spinto Band

Location: Delaware
genre: indie pop
# of members: 7
Fun Fact: The band started after a member found lyrics on a crackerjack box in his attic written by his relative, Roy Spinto.
Track to Hear: Oh Mandy
Status: Supporting Nice and Nicely Done, released in 2005.
Link: www.myspace.com/thespintoband

#4 Final Fantasy

Location: Canada
Genre: Classical Indie?
Label: Tomlab
# of members: 1 (Owen Pallett)
Fun Fact: Owen co-wrote the strings parts on Arcade Fire's Funeral
Track to Hear: Arctic Circle
Status: He is supporting He Poos Clouds, released in 2006.
link: http://www.reidtaheny.com/ff/read.html

#3 Death From Above 1979

location: Toronto
genre: rock/punk
label: Vice
# of members: 2
Fun fact: Although a good band, these guys are pricks and I wish them no luck in their future endeavors.
Track to Hear: Romantic Rights
Status: Deceased
Link: www.myspace.com/deathfromabove1979

#2 Mobius Band

Location: Brooklyn
Genre: Electro
Label: Ghostly International
# of members: 3
Fun Fact:
Track to Hear: I Had A Good Year
Status: Supporting their latest album, The Loving Sounds Of Static, released in 2005.
Link: www.mobiusband.com

#1 Girl Talk

Location: Pittsburgh
Genre: Top 40 mash-up
Label: Illegal Art
# of members: 1
Fun Fact: Gregg Gillis leads a double life as a DJ and as a biomedical engineer.
Track to Hear: Bounce That
Status: Supporting his latest album, Night Ripper, released in 2006.
Link: www.myspace.com/girltalkmusic