Media Review

Top Albums for 2007



The National- “Boxer”
With a brooding voice akin to Leonard Cohen, the acidity of Joy Division, and lush, dark orchestrations that give The Arcade Fire a run for the glockenspiels, The National’s “Boxer” fills the holes that “Neon Bible” neglected to fill; the music drifts forward like drunkards down a cobblestone street on a wine-dark night in old England.




Panda Bear- “Person Pitch”
Following the success of “Young Prayer”, Animal Collective’s own drum-man himself, carefully constructs an album of soaring heights and unlimited possibilities. It’s almost as if Brian Wilson journeyed back to the days of “SMiLE” and actually finished the album in his youth.




Beirut- “The Flying Club Cup”

You’ve heard folk-rock; you’ve heard country-rock; now, hear gypsy-rock. But 21 year-old Zach Condon isn’t just crafting little indie rock melodies with the moods of these European band of travelers, he is making a name for himself and slowly edging Conor Oberst off of his brain-child throne; think of a beautiful Ennio Morricone ballad serenading a pair of young lovers along the French Riviera, and you come only slightly close…




Elliot Smith- “New Moon”

The tragic truth is the late-great Elliot Smith will never be able to release another album with new material, so the best we can do is cherish the unreleased songs he left behind and believe me, they rival some of his best work. This collection continues the tradition of his home spun acoustic melodies, and makes us miss his genius even more.




Radiohead- “In Rainbows”

It seems like this album came out of nowhere, but never the less, it reaffirms in our minds that Radiohead is one of the greatest rock presences today. With electronic glitches and hypnotic sounds, Thom Yoke and company give us what we have salivating at the mouths for now since “Hail to the Thief”. Radiohead isn’t going anywhere fast, so get used to it.




Thurston Moore- “Trees Outside the Academy”

Sonic Youth is 26 years-old. They still have the punch they did in ’81, and lead-singer Thurston Moore goes to show that he himself does too. Its Sonic Youth’s more “stripped-down” side, but it stills roars with the ferocity of any of their albums to date.




Wilco- “Sky Blue Sky”

Wilco gets my vote for the greatest rock band around today and certainly the most important. The first albums harkened back to the days of the sweet country-rock sounds of Gram Parsons, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” made them legendary, and “A Ghost is Born” showed that they could mend experimentation and melody together into a perfect whole. “Sky Blue Sky” is their return to the roots of rock, blues, and country/folk music. The album feels as if the band was playing the music right on your living room carpet.




LCD Soundsystem- “Sound of Silver”

LCD Soundsystem is stereotypical New York electronica. They bring together the sounds of Roxy Music, CAN, Daft Punk, and Neu!, and transform from the tongue and cheek dance-rock group they were introduced as, to a group that has made an extremely important album of this day and age. LCD Soundsystem has set out to move your mind, as well your hips.




The White Stripes- “Icky Thump”

Does it also seem to you that The White Stripes are from another time, say, circa 1971? This isn’t to say that they rip off bands from that era, but their style, attitude, and song crafting skills sure send us back to a time when people like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, and The Band ruled the airwaves. “Icky Thump” is no letdown; the music is manic, unpredictable, and incredibly well crafted.




Dungen- “Tio Bitar”

“Tio Bitar” opens up with a psychedelic flurry of guitar screeches and noise; this perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the album. Dungen is the Swedish embodiment of everything that rocked during the 60’s and 70’s. It’s a psyched out folk-rock festival that burns bright holes through your mind and all your conceptions about what great music is today; along with the rest of Dungen’s albums, this is not to be missed.


Runner-Ups (Still Worthy of Picking Up)
Air- “Pocket Symphony”
Animal Collective- “Strawberry Jam”
The Arcade Fire- “Neon Bible”
Bill Callahan- “Woke on a Whaleheart”
The Clientele- “God Save the Clientele”
Devendra Banhart- “Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon”
Dr. Dog- “We All Belong”
Frog Eyes- “Tears of the Valedictorian”
Grizzly Bear- “Yellow House”
Jose Gonzalez- “In Our Nature”
Montag- “Going Places”
Oakley Hall- “I’ll Follow You”
Of Montreal- “Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?”
The Sea and Cake- “Everybody”
The Shins- “Wincing the Night Away”
The Skygreen Leopards- “Disciples of California”
Spoon- “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”

Top Films of the Year

1. No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen)
2. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
3. Margot at the Wedding (Noah Baumbach)
4. Eastern Promises (David Cronenberg)
5. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik)
6. Before the Devil Knows Your Dead (Sidney Lumet)
7. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
8. The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson)
9. I’m Not There (Todd Haynes)
10. Sweeney Todd (Tim Burton)
11. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, & 2 Days (Cristian Mungiu)
12. The Duchess of Langeais (Jacques Rivette)
13. Zodiac (David Fincher)
14. Go Go Tales (Abel Ferrara)
15. Paranoid Park (Gus van Sant)

reviewed by Dave Giumara