[NewMusic] My favorite albums of 2007

[Matt Davignon]

I posted earlier about a sentiment of mine, regarding that it's now
2008, and I haven't felt much in the way of great "uniquely 2000's"
movements in music. Despite the lack of major movements, I heard lots
of great stuff in 2007 from individual unique artists, and I thought I
might share some of my favorite albums of the year:

Efterklang "Parades": This was one of a few groups that I discovered
simply because it was on Emusic and I had a few downloads left for the
month. Efterklang is a Danish group that involves small ensemble
instrumentation (strings, brass, etc) combined with subtle
electronics. The vocals can be male, female, or my favorite, a men's
chorus.

Radiohead "In Rainbows": This is the first time I'd call myself a
Radiohead fan, but I can't get enough of this new album. It combines
'real' and electronic instrumentation with some excellent production.
I'd put this on a level with some of my favorite Talking Heads or Pink
Floyd cd's. Can such a thing as "art rock" still exist? Now I'm
thinking I need to start exploring the band's back catalogue.

Doveman "With My Left Hand I Raise the Dead": Another random Emusic
download. I should start by saying that I'd been planning to start an
album of songs for over a year, and this disc sounds a lot like the
sorts of things I was planning to explore. Kind of lullabye-ish songs
with subtle touches in experimental production. In between are little
instrumental segueways. Well, admittedly, something by me might be a
little 'weirder', but this is undeniably, unembarrassingly lovely.

El-P "I'll Sleep When You're Dead" / Aesop Rock "None Shall Pass":
These albums are similar enough that I listed them together - two of
this decade's top rapper-producers of underground hip-hop still at the
top of their game. El-P's production and composition skills are a
little more advanced, drawing influences from such things as 70's
synthesizer rock and industrial music. He does a great job of
conveying the paranoia and confusion of a modern dystopian society.
Aesop Rock is a little more 'hip' and accessible, with more pop
culture references and humorous samples in his instrumental tracks. (I
should mention that one of the tracks samples Snakefinger.) I enjoy
Aesop's raps a little better - he has a more distinctive voice and
vocal style. Both albums are crazily creative and very different from
the rap music you'll hear on ClearChannel stations. I'd recommend
both, but probably not buying them on the same record store trip.

Einsturzende Neubauten "Alles Wieder Offen" - I thought my days of
honesly liking a new Einsturzende album were in the past, but this one
pulls it off. EN are still not as full as angst as they were in the
80's, but this new album does bring back that raw mechanical energy
that's been missing for the last 15 years or so. Some of the songs are
even fun!

MIA "Kala": I'm not sure what the appeal is about MIA. She's not a
terribly good singer, and she only self-produces a few songs on her
albums. There's definitely something to her though, and she manages to
bring that out of the people she works with. If there's a theme to
this album, it's about bringing 3rd world influences into U.K. grime
and modern MTV style music. Not all the songs are good, but the good
ones are addictive. Check out the videos for "Bird Flu", "Boyz" and
"Jimmy" on YouTube. If you like them, you'll probably like the album.

Rafter "Sex Death Cassette": I admit, Rafter's someone I used to
record during my early music days, so I'm a little biased. I think of
him as a genius of bedroom-recorded 4-track cassette music. Since I
worked with him, he's built a custom professional grade recording
studio, produced albums for bands like the Castanets and Godspeed You
Black Emperor, and is gainfully employed making music for tv
commercials. On this album he looks back on the 4-track music that I
originally fell in love with.

Agnes Szelag "No Summer or Winter": I admit I often hold cd's  by
local artists to a different standard from those by artists of
international caliber. Well, Agnes's new ep is something I'd consider
to be internationally good - as good as recent work by Tim Hecker or
stuff on the UK's Touch label - glitchy saturated instrumental tracks
for electronics, cello and voice.

Valet "Blood is Clean" - Another emusic find. Apparently Valet is the
new solo project of Honey Owens, who's a member of Jackie O
Motherfucker (who I still haven't heard yet). This new album is
another one that sounds sort of in the direction of what I wanted to
explore with my next cd. (I hate it when I have to come up with
original ideas!) This disc includes elements of psychedelia, drone,
experimental noises, and jewelled-antler style 'free folk', and
songwriting without falling too much into any direction. Quiet and
spacey - sort of reminds me of a more extreme version how Mazzy Star
used to make me feel when I was in college. It's also sonically in the
same vein as the "Muck" cd Ernesto Diaz-Infante and I did a few years
ago.

Bjork "Volta": Bjork is another artist that it seems like everyone
else has liked since the 90's, but I've just recently started
listening to. I've felt that the albums up to Vespertine were slightly
too poppy, while Medulla and Drawing Restraint were trying too hard to
be avant garde. Here I think it's just right. Definitely pop, but
definitely weird, without the need to make concessions from either
direction.


Matt Davignon
www.ribosomemusic.com