Sound Bites

Sound Bites Best of 2007 | Albums

Just in under the wire... my Best of 2007 Albums list. My only eligibility requirement was that it had to have originally been released in 2007, somewhere in the world, in a legally-obtainable format. Hence Amy Winehouse and Jarvis are out, that was last year; but MGMT, whose album was available on iTunes though the CD isn't out until 2008 is eligible. It was a good year for music. Album titles here are buy-it links, so if you dig any MP3s posted, please do pick up the record. See you in 2008.

Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls (Too Pure) |There is nothing you could call new or groundbreaking about Electrelane's fourth album. It's a sound echoing of the Velvets, the Pastels, and many other indie touchstones. But they just do it so well, with lyrics so sad and romantic this time, and for whatever reason No Shouts, No Calls really stuck with me. It's kind of perfect. That it's probably their last record ("indefinite hiatus") makes it all the more special.

MP3: At Sea | To the East


LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (DFA / Astralwerks) | James Murphy grapples with getting older and makes an record even better than the first. Smart, thoughtful, funny and sad... and you can dance to it. Enough has been written about Sounds of Silver in the past year that I'm not sure I can add much to the conversation apart from "I Agree."

MP3: Someone Great | All My Friends


Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future (Universal) | I read on some other blog "Let's face it, there are a thousand bands just like the Klaxons." Really? I couldn't disagree more. I think people heard "Atlantis to the Interzone," read all the "nu rave" crap (a term coined by the band as a joke in an interview, and suddenly it was a movement) and never actually bothered to listen to the brilliance that is Myths of the Near Future. The Klaxons encompass so many styles, ideas, bizarre lyrics...it's like they sound like a thousand other bands... all at the same time. Genius.

MP3: Golden Skans | It's Not Over Yet


Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills (Merge) | The second album from these Swedes ups the '80s worship, yes, but with it comes sweeping melodies, a-go-go and woodblock filled percussion, and monster hooks that burrow deep into your head and refuse to leave.

MP3: Hard Rain | Impossible


Caribou - Andorra (Merge) | Maybe someday I will learn to truly appreciate Strawberry Jam and Person Pitch, but for me this is the kind of psychedelic laptop folk pop cacauphony that I crave. An amazing transformation from Caribou's last album which did nothing for me. It's an amazing live show too.

MP3: Melody Day | Eli


Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (Polyvinyl) | One of the 2007's first records and it's held up all year long. A total mental breakdown (in Norway) has never been more pleasant to listen to. Of Montreal keeps getting better though I hope it doesn't take the same circumstances to deliver this kind of quality again.

MP3: Gronlandic Edit | DFaberge Falls for Shugie


Roisin Murphy - Overpowered (EMI UK) | I will admit to having a soft spot for sparkling Eurodisco, and Roisin Murphy makes the kind of records Sophie Ellis Bextor can only jealously dream of. It's a whole album of singles. Even at her most Pop, the former Moloko singer is just too weird turn out anything completely normal.(Maybe I could do with a few less Rock-a-pella production touches, but the songs are strong enough that it doesn't bother me much.)

MP3: Overpowered | Primitive


Sondre Lerche - The Phantom Punch (Astralwerks) | Perhaps one of the most ignored records of 2007. By blogs at least. Which are mostly written by dudes. And Sondre seems to appeal to women, mainly, thanks to his Scandanavian good looks and highly romantic songs. But anyone who's ever seen him live knows he's a total charmer. And the Phantom Punch is syrup-free and kind of rocks in a '80s indie sort of way. Listen to the frenzied guitar at the end of Phantom Punch's title track -- fierce stuff.

MP3: The Phantom Punch | Airport Taxi Reception


MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (Columbia) | If you heard MGMT's 2005 Time to Pretend EP, you can really tell how much producer David Friddman (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, etc) helped expand their sound on Oracular Spectacular, especially on the title track. What was a pretty good synthpop rock star fantasy becomes as glorious as their dreams of stardom. It's one of those rare cases when a rerecording actually betters the original. The rest of the record is nearly as good, despite being all over the place. There's bits that sound like T-Rex, "Miss You"-era Stones, CSNY folk... all with some of the more entertaining lyrics I've heard in a while. Bombast with tongue firmly in cheek.

MP3: Time to Pretend | Electric Feel


Arthur & Yu - In Camera (Hardly Art) | Just a lovely record, one that benefits from listening to it on a real stereo with real speakers -- ones that are as far apart as possible. Part of Arthur & Yu's charm comes from the space that's in the album, I'm not sure exactly how to describe it. Lovely, Everly-esque harmonies, perfect production... and lots of space, like I said. To think this was just a demo they decided to release as-is. Hopefully they won't pretty-it-up too much for Album #2.

MP3: Afterglow | There Are Too Many Birds

Albums 11 - 20 after the jump...

Sound Bites Best of 2007 | Singles + Tracks

As usual, I found 2007 to be a better year for songs than albums. It's got to be that way, always, right? This was supposed to be a Top 25 but then I kept remembering other songs I wanted to be on here. Anyway, this is now a Top 30. Most of these are actual singles, but a few are just songs I liked that were released in 2007. A few tracks here I'll admit I'm kind of sick of at this point (probably the same ones you are), and some others are admittedly silly, but I think that's what I love about singles. It is an ephemeral art form by nature and a good picture of what's going on culturally in the, uh, culture. And yes, Klaxons at Number 1. Anyway, in descending order:

   1. The Klaxons - Golden Skans (MP3)
   2. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great (MP3 )
   3. M.I.A. - Paper Planes (MP3 )
   4. Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (MP3)
   5. Roisin Murphy - Overpowered (MP3)
   6. Ida Maria - Oh My God (MP3)
   7. MGMT - Time to Pretend (MP3)
   8. Let's Wrestle - I Won't Lie to You (MP3)
   9. Calvin Harris - Merrymaking at My Place (MP3)
  10. Richard Hawley - Tonight the Streets are Ours (MP3)
  11. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends (MP3)
  12. New Young Pony Club - The Bomb (MP3)
  13. Yeasayer - 2080 (MP3)
  14. Maps - You Don't Know Her Name (MP3)
  15. Black Kids - Hurricane Jane (MP3)
  16. The Clientele - Bookshop Casanova (MP3)
  17. Switches - Stepkids in Love (MP3)
  18. Sondre Lerche - Airport Taxi Reception (MP3)
  19. Pleasure feat. Brett Anderson - Back to You (MP3)
  20. Bat for Lashes - What's a Girl to Do (MP3)
  21. Blonde Redhead - 23 (MP3)
  22. Los Campesinos! - You! Me! Dancing! (MP3)
  23. Panda Bear - Bros (MP3)
  24. Hot Chip - My Piano (MP3)
  25. Caribou - Melody Day (MP3)
  26. Mary Onettes - Void (MP3)
  27. New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour (MP3)
  28. Electrelane - To the East (MP3)
  29. Studio - Origin (MP3)
  30. The New Sins - It Doesn't Work Like That (MP3)

Sound Bites Best of 2007 | Gigs

A great year for shows and this list could've been doubled easily (LCD's Bowery Shows, Klaxons at Studio B, Amy Winehouse at Bowery, Hot Chip, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Cribs, Black Kids, etc...).  I would've even been able to make a list of Best Shows I Didn't Actually Write Up. But it's much easier just to pull quotes from posts I did do. So, in descending order, my ten favorite shows of 2007:

Jarvis Cocker + Dirty Projectors | Webster Hall | 4.22.2007
"At 43, with a solo debut that is not only mature but mostly about "maturing," some might have expected a toned-down the live show. But I'm happy to report that Jarvis Cocker remains a total sex machine -- leaping around, standing on the monitors, swinging the mike, and that elbow slide thing. Last night was his first NYC show in nearly ten years, and from the opening notes of the roaring 'Fat Children' through the final encore cover of Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid' (!!!), Jarvis had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand the entire time -- without playing a single Pulp song."

Shout Out Louds | Speigeltent | 7.16.2007
"A truly magical show, one of those times where the setting, the crowd and the performance came together to make something special."

Peter Bjorn & John | Union Hall | 1.28.2007
"'People think it's always winter in Sweden, but it's not this cold in Stockholm!' Peter Morén was actually talking about Friday's barely-double-digit temperatures. Cliche or not, it did seem fitting that the first real snowfall of the season happened on the same night as Peter Bjorn and John's stateside debut at Union Hall in Park Slope, and their reception was anything but chilly."

Ida Maria | Galapagos | 10.19.2007
"Diminutive, and dressed in a mint green school marm top, a dark teal leather skirt, purple tights and bright blue boots she looked pixie. But when she strapped on the guitar and opened her mouth, she transformed into a whirling, wailing little powerhouse that you could almost compare to early PJ Harvey though her voice definitely has a certain Bjork-esque quality that is hard to deny." She's going to be big in 2008, I think: the video I shot from this show is my most popular clip on YouTube.

Arthur & Yu | Sound Fix Cafe | 10.01.2007
"Arthur & Yu's sound -- twangy, kinda druggy, old school harmonies -- is perfect for Sound Fix's back room which was full but not so packed as to warrant the removal of the tables. You could sit back, drink your tea (or a PBR) and mellow out to the warm vibes and melodies, man."

The Deathset + The Trucks + MM/DD/YYYY | Don Pedros | 6.23.2007
"...the shouting continued with The Deathset, a punky duo who use laptop backing and the kind of drum machines that were probably cutting edge in 1985, making for a sound not unlike Bis, the first Pop Will Eat Itself album or (obscure reference alert) The Sicilian Vespers. It was a seamless, if anarchic, 25 minute set with hip hop snippets thrown in between the short, sharp songs. I thought they were great -- and the crowd was going absolutely bananas with even some goodhearted crowd surfing, and absolutely no water balloons."

Caribou | Bowery Ballroom | 10.06.2007
"I have stated many times before that two things that push my buttons are a) putting the drums at the front of the stage and b) two drummers. So this was my kind of show, even if all this pounding turned some of the tight, perfect songs on Andorra into longer, wilder things... with false endings. Every single song had a point where at least one person in the audience clapped before it kicked back in, usually with another three minutes of double-drums and flashing, seizure-inducing lights."

Euros Childs + David Kilgour + Peter Moren | Union Hall | 11.09.2007
"'This next song is 16 minutes long... and about every two minutes it sounds like it's ending. But it's not, so please don't clap. It kind of ruins the momentum.' That was pretty much the only thing Euros Childs said all night I understood, apart from some of his lyrics, what with his thick Welsh accent.  Actually, for all I know he was speaking in Welsh some of those times."

Franz Ferdinand | Bowery Ballroom | 6.13.2007
"Welcome to Franz Ferdinand: The Gay Disco Years. The have always been a little flamboyant -- a good thing, I think -- but they've definitely turned it up since I last saw them three years ago. Alex Kapranos, decked out in some silk/poly-blend red and white cowboy shirt that was not the most flattering thing I've ever seen him wear, was going crazy with the eyebrow arching, spinning around on stage and generally and generally camping it up. (Nick, meanwhile, was dressed in some sort of bright red polyester suit -- not a leisure suit, it was more '60s-ish looking -- that, gauging from the amount of sweat pouring off his brow, was hot.) Not that there's anything wrong with that."

Sloan | Southpaw | 5.11.2007
" I have written enough about Sloan in the past year so I will try to make this brief, but Sloan's show at Southpaw was probably the best I have seen them do for Never Hear the End of It. It was part location, part performance and mostly the setlist."

CMJ 2007 Day Four | Ida Maria | Galapagos

This year's CMJ was generally lackluster, from the variety of performers to the performances given by those I did see. But there was at least one wow-worthy show -- Norwegian-via-Sweden singer Ida Maria.

I wasn't all that familiar with her music. I knew her mainly from her duet with Pelle Carlberg on his album In a Nutshell, "I Love You, You Imbecile," which is typically poppy Swedish jangle. But my friend Toby was really high on her and sent some MP3s my way, urging me to go see her. Her new single "Oh My God" is definitely more "rock" than Pelle's stuff. So I was expecting a pleasant, if sedate show.

Diminuitive, and dressed in a mint green school marm top, a dark teal leather skirt, purple tights and bright blue boots she looked pixie. But when she strapped on the guitar and opened her mouth, she transformed into a whirling, wailing little powerhouse that you could almost compare to early PJ Harvey (more Dry than Rid of Me) though her voice definitely has a certain Bjork-esque quality that is hard to deny. There were about 15 people watching when she first started but soon everyone (maybe another 20) filtered into the back room of Galapagos to watch her.

Ida Maria is a magnetic performer, pouring every ounce of energy and emotion into her songs to the point where she seemed lost in them some of the time. Mikes were knocked over, drums stumbled into and more than once she dropped to the floor onto her back where she continued to sing and play guitar. (About halfway through the show I also noticed her boots were off but I don't remember her removing them.) And though her presence was intense, it wasn't all anguish (though there was some of that). You also have songs like "I Like You Better When You're Naked" that are downright joyous and she beamed throughout that one.

Her band was ace too, skilled players who also got into the act though it was never anyone's show but Ida's. The set was average CMJ length, maybe a little more than 30 minutes but it was the only time I really wished anyone that week had played longer.

MP3: Ida Maria - Oh My God

MP3: Ida Maria - Queen of the World

Ida said her debut album would be out in April. Saturday, was in Williamsburg shooting a video for "Oh My God" with director Andreas Nilsson, the man behind all those creepy Knife and Jose Gonzalez clips. Speaking of...I also shot some video of Ida  doing "Stella & God," though it turned out to be one of her more restrained performances. Still pretty great. Please ignore the annoying early-90s Tony Hawk skate video they insisted on showing behind them throughout.

CMJ 2007 Day Three | British Sea Power | Bowery Ballroom

British Sea Power are responsible for one of my favorite gigs of the last five years (NorthSix, August 2003) but it was not exactly their night on Thursday. It was still better than most of the shows I went to that week. Singer Noble has a mesmerizing voice that my friend Kate says "is like a cocoon." And their abbreviated set meant we only got a greatest his set (plus two new songs, one of which being the Wedding Present-esque single "Atom"), short but satisfying. So where did it all go so-so? CMJ audiences are not the most attentive -- there was a group of fratty dudes up front who would not shut up. This probably wouldn't have been a problem if BSP were playing at their normal volume but for whatever reason the amps were below the band's normal gale force. It definitely knocked the wind out of their sails.

The Cribs + White Rabbits + The Jealous Girlfriends | Mercury Lounge | 5.02.2007

Why are The Cribs so awesome? I think the key is filial. There is a bond between the Brothers Jarman that gives them their goofy charm -- a camaraderie you can only get from knowing someone your entire life. You can sense it at their shows. Of course, they're songs are good too, punctuated by "whoa-oh"s and shout-along choruses.

They are also of-the-people. I can't help but think of that Lester Bangs quote about Jim Morrison. "He's a drunken buffoon posing as a poet. Give me the Guess Who. They've got the courage to be drunken buffoons, which makes them poetic." (That's the Almost Famous version, at least.) I would not call the Cribs buffoons, but they are often drunken and do silly things onstage. Drummer Ross plays while standing on his stool. Ryan chugs a beer while "playing" and often bursts his lip open from banging it against the mike. There is no pretense with The Cribs.

I have seen The Cribs loads of times, usually to half-empty rooms. But last night. Wakefield's finest packed the room with rowdy fans (many of them screaming girls) who sang along to nearly every song. Their fanbase may be smaller than some, but it is more dedicated. (Keeping a low profile in among the crowd was Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever's producer, Alex Kapranos.) No smashed lip or beer chugging this time. Maybe tonight?

We got six new ones, all the hits from The New Fellas, a couple from the first album (but no "You Were Always the One" and b-side "You're Gonna Lose Us" which contains what may be the Cribs defining statement: "When I'm drunk I can be an asshole / That don't mean I don't got no class, though."

The new songs all sounded great, all potential singles if you ask me, especially "I'm a Realist." The crowd, the first seven rows or so, were going mental, especially for the New Fellas numbers. I will admit to loudly "whoa oh oh"ing along with "Martel," my favorite. I think the Cribs have finally arrived. Setlist (new songs are *asterisked):

Mirror Kisses
Direction
Our Bovine Public*
You're Gonna Lose Us [MP3]
I'm a Realist*
Girls Like Mystery*
Moving Pictures*
I'm Alright, Me
Women's Needs*
Martell
Men's Needs*
We Can No Longer Cheat You
Hey Scenesters!
Another Number
Wrong Way to Be

They also have one of the best t-shirts I've seen in a long time, a funny homage to their hometown but given the beach souvenir treatment. Also in attendance: Spin, I Rock I Roll and Fiddle While You Burn, whose photo of White Rabbits I swiped (Flickr). This was also the first 18+ show I've ever seen at Mercury Lounge. Was this a first?

I should also say that the whole bill tonight was great. Opening band Jealous Girlfriends had the room filled from the beginning. I am always a fan of male-female vocals (be it Fleetwood Mac, X or Viva Voce) and guitarists Josh Abbott and Holly Miranda sounded great together. Their no-nonsense style and good songwriting were all they needed to keep your interest. Apart from bass being played on a keyboard much of the time, the Jealous Girlfriends are about as straightforward as indie rock gets these days. Who needs a gimmick?

White Rabbits, meanwhile, continue to impress me. I've seen them about five times now and are among my favorite local bands. The room was packed for them too, and they certainly put on a good show. Two drummers, sometimes three, stylishly natty suits, charisma oozing from their pores along with loads of sweat. (That's what you get for wearing a sweater onstage in this weather.) I've been hearing comparisons to the National, but apart from similar vocal styles and a general swaggering way about them, they sound nothing like each other. There sound is more New Orleans with hints of island flavorings. I wish their debut, Fort Nightly, captured more of the magic that happens onstage. Maybe I just need to listen to it louder.

I continue to be disappointed with my new camera's ability to shoot flashless in dark clubs, but I fooled around with the video setting and the results turned out really good:

Jarvis Cocker | Webster Hall | 4.22.2007

One of Jarvis Cocker's many signature moves is this thing he does with his elbow while sliding closer to the audience. His chin goes up a little too, I don't think I'm really describing it well, but anyone who's seen him do it knows what I'm talking about. It's just the coolest thing you're ever seen. He's also quite adept at leaping, reaching one hand toward the sky, and various shimmies and shakes that, along with his always-on wit and distinctive vocals, make him a superstar. There is nobody else like him.

At 43, with a solo debut that is not only mature but mostly about "maturing," some might have expected a toned-down the live show. But I'm happy to report that Jarvis Cocker remains a total sex machine -- leaping around, standing on the monitors, swinging the mike, and that elbow slide thing. Last night was his first NYC show in nearly ten years, and from the opening notes of the roaring "Fat Children" through the final encore cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (!!!), Jarvis had the audience eating out of the palm of his hand the entire time -- without playing a single Pulp song. In fact, I don't think I even heard anyone shout out a request for one. People seemed to know that this wasn't Pulp and Jarvis wasn't looking back. I hemmed and hawed about paying the $30 for a ticket (especially at Webster Hall) but I am so glad I did. This will, without a doubt, be one of Concerts of the Year.

With a five-piece band that featured Pulp bassist Steve Mackey (but, disappointingly, not Richard Hawley who I thought for sure would be there), Jarvis played almost everything from his excellent solo album, plus b-sides "One Man Show" and "Big Stuff." (Equipment problems kept them from playing songs with samples, particularly "Black Magic" which employs liberal amounts of Tommy James & the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover.") Jarvis, the album, didn't grab me immediately, but it has slowly grown on me over the last six months to the point where I'm wondering how it was I didn't include it in my Top Ten of 2006. (Buy it now.)

Still, the songs came off much better live (despite Webster Hall's recurring bass-heavy sound mix), benefitting from Jarvis' funny introductions and stage banter. He was much more into it and engaged with the audience than at Pulp's last NYC show at Hammerstein Ballroom on the This is Hardcore tour. Highlight was probably the angry, anthemic "Cunts are Still Running the World" which so memorably played over the end of Children of Men. (You have seen the Best Movie of 2006, yes?) Walking home from the Bedford stop, where I'm pretty sure everyone who got off the train had been at the show, I heard two girls talking about the show, saying it was like seeing Elvis. I can only assume they meant skinny Elvis, but I know what they meant. While there are a lot of performers who have "it," there aren't many who radiate "it" the way Jarvis does.

Setlist:

Fat Children
Don't Let Him Waste Your Time
One Man Show (MP3)
I Will Kill Again
Auschwitz to Ipswitch
Tonight
Big Julie
Disney Time
Big Stuff (MP3)
Cunts are Still Running the World
----------
Heaven (Talking Heads cover)
Paranoid (Black Sabbath cover)

Sometimes acts of Jarvis' stature tend to pick openers they know won't upstage them (Morrissey and New Order come to mind) but Dirty Projectors were pretty great. The harmonies were so perfect and theatrical that you could tell at least some of them had gone to music school, yet they almost remind me of the Minutemen (or fIREHOSE)... in a Queen sort of way. Don't know if they're playing the Monday Webster Hall show or not, but worth showing up early just in case.

No Requests

This will be the fourth year I've DJ'd at  Snacky on New Year's Eve. It's always a lot of fun, though hopefully I won't blow the soundsystem like last year. So if you're in the neighborhood (or are still looking for a good option) stop by and say hi. With all the little things to eat, Snacky makes a good pre or post-party destination, not to mention a good place to ring in 2007.