Legacy Recordings

Since Sam raked me over the coals for not doing this sooner, here are my top 10 albums for 2007, in no particular order:

Cotton Teeth
by [The Snake the Cross the Crown]
Equal Vision
(indie rock/americana of the year, as far as i’m concerned)
Listen for FREE

Beauty & Crime
by [Suzanne Vega]
Blue Note
(one of the most underrated female voices in music delivers her freshest and most cohesive work since Solitude Standing)
Listen for FREE

Re-Imagination
by [Eldar]
Masterworks Jazz
(yes i worked it, and yes i can keep listening to it. this kid is not yet 21 and can jam with ANYONE. crazy good. go to http://www.giantstep.net/artists/920 for a remix by Nicolay, too.)
Listen for FREE

Absolutes
by [Barcelona]
Self-Released
(the second Keane album was a dissapointment. This makes it all okay.)
Listen for FREE

Young Galaxy
by [Young Galaxy]
Arts & Crafts
(ok maybe i’m an arts and Crafts nut, but this one gets me every time too.)
Listen for FREE

Centuries Before Love and War
by [Stars of Track and Field]
Wind-Up Records
(the Travis album dissapointed me, but this made me feel better)
Listen for FREE

Matchless Years
by [Aarktica]
Darla Records
(certainly worth listening to if you haven’t and you enjoy lush indie pop. The default song on my myspace for months.)
Listen for FREE

Kurr
by [Amiina]
Ever Records
(delicate, fragile, gentle and lovely)
Listen for FREE

Untrue
by [Burial]
Hyperdub
Listen for FREE
(I keep going back to it. yes i know its not really dubstep. i can’t stand 99% of dub/reggae so this is actually not a bad thing. reminds me of my first impression of the first The Streets record, without the brain-numbing vocals.)

Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge
by [The Pierces]
Lizard King
(the creepy pop record that Bat For Lashes wants to be)
Listen for FREE

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
by [Spoon]
Merge
(nobody does indie guitar pop like Britt)
Listen for FREE.

Time on Earth
by [Crowded House]
ATO
(I love Neil Finn more than is right. Was looking forward to this one since the reformation announcement, it really grows on you.)
Listen for FREE on Rhapsody

A Strange Education
by [The Cinematics]
(Eat your heart out, other Joy Division cover bands.)
Listen for FREE

Other Categories:

Records everyone else liked that I did not like as much as they did:
Panda Bear
LCD Soundsystem
Radiohead
Battles
Yeasayer
Bat For Lashes (But that might just be cause I dont like bjork much)

Records i wanted to be better:
Tracey Thorn
Lou Rhodes
Underworld

Yet another reason we love the Internet. How else would we have ever seen this?

As Lisa mentioned earlier, several Legacy staffers are pretty big fans of Guitar Hero. I mean, duh, who wouldn’t love a video game that single-handedly turned on a new generation of fans to the likes of Heart, Blue Oyster Cult, and Iron Maiden.

Yesterday I witnessed a heated elevator debate between two staffers discussing their favorite Guitar Hero songs and favorite Guitar Hero videos on YouTube. Obviously, they’d spent a few days out of the office, drinking eggnogg, surfing the web and playing video games.

Here are a couple of their favorites:

South Park’s “Real Guitars Are For Old People”

Freddy on Guitar Hero

Wrapped around Your Finger    5:13    The Police    Synchronicity (Remastered)
Spanish Joint    5:44    D’Angelo    Voodoo
Worry, Worry (Regal Theatre)    6:23    B.B. King    Live at the Regal
River of Tears    7:21    Eric Clapton    Clapton Chronicles - The Best of Eric Clapton
Sleeping with the Lights On    3:40    Teitur    Poetry & Aeroplanes
Bold as Love    4:11    The Jimi Hendrix Experience    Experience Hendrix - The Best of Jimi Hendrix
White Flag    4:00    Dido    Life for Rent
A Song for You    5:28    Donny Hathaway    A Donny Hathaway Collection
Check out John’s playlist on iTunes.

Find out more about John at LegacyRecordings.com

I found a few new things over the past week or so that I want to share. Some of these are not really that new, but they are new to me.

1. Google Mobile Updater - Over the weekend, I clicked on some Google App on my BlackBerry. It prompted me to install Mobile Updater. I did and I now have new versions of Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google News, Google Sync, Google Reader, Google Docs, and Picasa. I haven’t really gotten to play around with everything just yet, but the new Search is at least 10x faster than the old Search.
2. Google Reader - The Google Mobile Updater made me curious about Google Reader, so I went online (thru my PC) and checked it out. I’ve only been using it 3-4 days, but it is great! So far I have subscribed to about 30 feeds. This morning it cut my normal blog checking routine down by 30 mins. It even recommends similar feeds!
3. Rhapsody on Facebook - Two of my favorite things on the Internet now combined. It is better than peanut butter and chocolate.

Holy Night Fever    1:18    Deerhoof    Reveille
Christmas Wrapping    5:24    The Waitresses    20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: Season’s Greetings (Box Set)
No Christmas While I’m Talking    4:25    The Walkmen    Bows + Arrows
Santa Baby    3:26    Eartha Kitt & Henri René    Bluebird’s Best - Heavenly Eartha
No Christmas for John Quays    4:39    The Fall    It’s the New Thing! - The Step Forward Years
The Little Drum Machine Boy    7:01    Beck    Sleighed - The Other Side of Christmas
Holiday    3:24    Weezer    Weezer (Deluxe Edition)
A Change at Christmas (Say It Isn’t So)    5:21    The Flaming Lips    Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell
Check out Phantom Planet’s playlist on iTunes.

Find out more about Phantom Planet at LegacyRecordings.com

well, it’s that time of year again where i get to pretend to be a world renown music maven, recommending the best 2007 has to offer.  in no particular order, below are my top 8 albums and songs, plus what i’m excited for in ‘08.  merry christmas, feliz navidad, happy holidays and a rocking new year.

albums

alicia keys - as i am
- as soon as i heard the first note to the single “no one” i was hooked.  there was just something about the steady beat of the drums, the familiar sound of the keys going up and down the scale, and the voice.  favorite track - “sure looks good to me”

kanye west - graduation
- fantastic album from beginning to end.  favorite track - “everything i am”

travis - the boy with no name
- one of the best concerts i saw this year.  favorite track - “closer”

chrisette michele - i am
- “it’s my time to find the best of me”  favorite track - “best of me”

wyclef jean - carnival vol ii…memoirs of an immigrant
- my favorite project.  favorite track - “slow down”

a fine frenzy - one cell in the sea
- ok, i jumped on the bandwagon with this one.  favorite track “almost lover”

onerepublic - dreaming out loud
- couldn’t turn on top 40 radio without hearing “apologize” every freaking 15 minutes.  i was so tired of that song and didn’t want to listen to the album.  but alas, one day i caved in and was truly caught off guard by how good this album is.  favorite track - “say (all i need)”

rihanna - good girl gone bad
-  i heard “umbrella” and thought, nelly furtado has another single out?  it was the “ella, ella, eh, eh, eh” part that reminded me of her.  if you like the song, check out the version by marie digby.  favorite track - “hate that i love you”

songs

musiq soulchild - b.u.d.d.y.
- i saw him open for paolo nutini and thought, he should have been the headliner.

joshua james - fm radio
- one of this year’s best free songs

band of horses - no one’s gonna love you
- i was flipping thru the tele one night and caught the end of ‘chuck’ on nbc. they had this song playing in the background and i couldn’t get it out of my head. i scribbled down some of the lyrics, went online and found a last minute addition to this list.  afterwards, i found their free buckies card and realized i had the song the whole time.  just didn’t get to downloading it.  sigh.

t-pain - buy u a drank (shawty snappin’)
- my favorite part “now walk it out, think about it, awww snap”

glen hansard & marketa irglova - falling slowly (from the ‘once’ soundtrack)
- they were amazing live.  beacon was completely silent when they sang this song.

peter, bjorn and john - young folks
- go on, whistle along.  it’s pretty damn catchy.

ingrid michaelson - overboard
- i remembered her from last season of grey’s anatomy.  she had the season finale track and was on good morning america the next day.  this is from her new album, which is pretty damn good too.  she would have made the list if it was top nine.

sara bareilles - gravity
- every once in a while, i hear a song and think, my god, they read my mind.  towards the end, when she sings “down” and holds on to the second half of the note…i mean, i’m not cryin’ or nuthin’ but, man, that part always hits me hard.

looking forward to in ‘08 - mariah carey!, coldplay, rachael yamagata, corinne bailey rae, aterciopelados, u2, madonna, whitney houston, janet jackson, julieta venegas.

 *the original note was for 8 albums and songs.  since this blog is 10, below are my additions.

albums
mark ronson - version
bruce springsteen - magic

songs
foo fighters - statues
common - drivin’ me wild w/lily allen

My favourites of the year.

Not the best year ever for music, but some notable highlights including Reading Festival, The Big Chill, and the Control movie (which everyone should see).

The good thing about sharing these lists is to find out what I haven’t yet heard. One of the best albums for me this year was Midlake, which was a purchase based on so many people’s recommendations this time last year. This year’s still to be discovered for me include the new albums from Burial, Justice, LCD Soundsystem, and Radiohead.

Happy and Peaceful Christmas, and a wonderful 2008,
Tim.

Albums

The top 5:

Bruce Springsteen “Magic”

Arcade Fire “Neon Bible”

Eagles “Long Road Out Of Eden”

Manic Street Preachers “Send Away The Tigers”

Richard Hawley “Lady’s Bridge”

Honorable mentions:

Neil Young “Chrome Dreams II”

Candie Payne “I Wish I Could Have Loved You More”

Foo Fighters “Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace”

Kings Of Leon “Because Of The Times”

Chemical Brothers “We Are The Night”

Maximo Park “Our Earthly Pleasures”
Mark Ronson “Version”

Singles

Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love”

Klaxons “Golden Skans”

Peter Bjorn & John “Young Folks”
Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse “Valerie”
Eagles “Busy Being Fabulous”

DJ Shadow “This Time”

My Chemical Romance “Teenagers”

Manic Street Preachers “Autmnsong”

Prince “Guitar”

Camera Obscura “Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken”

Compilations

Various artists

“Savage Pencil Presents Lion vs Dragon In Dub” (Trojan) - the best dub compilation I’ve ever heard

“Greasy Truckers Party” (EMI) - the complete sets from Hawkwind, Man, and Brinsley Schwarz from a magical night 35 years ago. If only I’d been a bit older….

“Riot Radio Broadcast” (Trojan) - The Dead 60’s trawl through the Trojan archives.

“Nervous Tension” (EMI) - 20 killer post-punk tracks, most of them could easily be mistaken for this year’s releases

Single artist

Sandy Denny “Live At The BBC” - arguably the finest female vocalist of all time already on her second box set of the 21st century

The Rolling Stones “Rolled Gold” - still the best ever Stones compilation, and finally on CD over 30 years after the LP release.

Van Morrison “Still On Top - The Greatest Hits”

Miles Davis “The Complete On The Corner Sessions”

Bob Dylan “Dylan” (3CD)
Donald Fagen “Nightfly Trilogy”

Reissues

Magazine expanded editions - 3 fine albums and the other one

Man expanded editions - 6 albums in 2 months, the highlight being an unreleased concert added to Rhinos, Winos, and Lunatics. Those who know me will understand

Genesis “A Trick Of The Tail” - the best remastering job ever?

Steve Hillage expanded editions - wonderful sonic upgrades and bonus tracks. It will not surprise some of you to learn I am in the audience for half the live album

Joy Division deluxe editions - sound is amazing, and I was at the bonus concert on the Still disc!

John Martyn “Grace And Danger” Deluxe edition

The Alan Parsons Project expanded editions

Prefab Sprout “Steve McQueen” Legacy edition

Though I keep hearing of things that I missed this year (MGMT, Battles), I doubt I’ll hear anything else that will make this list at the 11th hour.  So…another year passes, another list passed around.  Happy reading/listening.  Sorry in advance to go on so long about my favorite album this year.  And sorry for the length…I guess I got carried away.

A-List:
#1

Of Montreal Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
“…Nihilists with good imaginations…”

Rarely do indie rock records combine spouse separation, severe nervous breakdowns, and Nordic references; in fact, I can’t think of any.  Sure, Kevin Barnes’ voice gets shrill, and the false Brit accent gets annoying.  But the psychedelic pop harmonies are perfect.  I listened to the hell out of this record.

Be warned, this record takes some getting used to.  I had resisted this band for years; their brand of sugar-coated indie pop was never to my liking…so sweet it made my teeth hurt.  Really.  On my first listen to Hissing Fauna…, their 10th(?) release, I was still skeptical—until about the third listen, when its brilliance hit me.  As you listen closer to the lyrics, the juxtaposition of bitterness and dejection to the sunny, bright melodies might surprise you…but in a good way.  Since I never listened to them before this year, I can’t comment on how Hissing Fauna… compares.

There are no subtleties in his acrimonious songwriting, presumably directed toward his separated wife, nor does he make any attempts to hide his clinical depression:  “I found myself on the verge of a nervous breakdown while living in Norway.”  He is as brutally honest as one can be about the past year, while setting the stories to infectious tunes.  Isn’t that what comprises the best songs anyway?

“Gronlandic Exit”
**If I managed this band, this song would be in a commercial by now.  A perfect bass line by which to sell Gap jeans or Toyotas.  I guess we’d have to leave out the parts that describe Barnes’ slow descent into isolation and panic attacks, while lambasting religion as a crutch.

“The Past Is a Grotesque Animal”
**A 12-minute stream of conciousness where Barnes lashes out, occasionally repeating particularly acrid and personal lyrics with emphasis:  “But at least I authored my own disaster.  At whom is this torrent of resentment?  Who is the “you?”  I suppose his ex-wife and the mother of his child.  Though, maybe his parents.  Maybe a disloyal friend.  What does it matter?

“Bunny Ain’t No Kind Of Rider”
**A story about fighting off drunk girls and gay men at a jam-band party, as best I can figure.

“We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling”
**I haven’t dissected these lyrics as much, but I really like the song.

The rest:

Datarock Datarock
**Norwegian disciples of the “new rave” indie electronica.  Technically this album was released in 2005, but it just found its way to me this year.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand
**A very pretty album.  The lovely-voiced Alison Krauss is perfectly complemented by the Golden God.

LCD Soundsystem Sound Of Silver
**Declared in 2005 as one of the “coolest people on the planet,” James Murphy’s follow-up isn’t as fun or silly, but just as smart and clever.  Includes sarcasm and a 5-minute + lament to NY’s loss of cool:  “New York I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down.”

B-List

Feist The Reminder

**I’m sorely tempted to leave this off after finding it on the Blender 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums list (WTF?).  But I did enjoy this record this year, from time to time, though I can’t imagine I’ll be listening to it next year…

Kings of Leon Because of the Times
A pretty good album, a GREAT live show.

The Brakes Give Blood
**Overall mediocre, but contains one great, 1:37 song:  “Ring A Ding Ding”

The Ponys Turn The Lights Out
**I really dug The Ponys for a while, but it just didn’t stand the test of time.

Wilco Sky Blue Sky
**The first half is a pretty decent record.  Then it loses me big time.

Best Discoveries–More Garage

The Seeds (thanks to Bob Irwin)
**Best song:  “Pushing Too Hard”

Best Shoegaze Song

The Besnard Lakes “Devastation”

Best Discoveries Carryover from last year

NRBQ
Still a very cool band.

Best album from 2003 that I still listen to all the time

Lilys Precollection
**I can’t seem to get through a week without listening to this album.  The Lilys are the coolest.  And I just found out Higgins is the new Lilys backing band?  Oh happy day.

Best Re-Discoveries

Komeda The Genius of Komeda
**Believe the title.  This album really is genius.

Slint Spiderland
See “Good Morning Captain”
**A textured, chilling, and ultimately exhaustive tribute to Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”

Best In Shows:

Black Mountain, Mercury Lounge
**A completely hypnotic show from one of my favorite 2005 bands.  Black Mountain is an unbelievable live show.

Porter Wagoner, Joe’s Pub
**R.I.P. Porter…amiable, humble, and clearly thrilled to be performing.

Spiritualized, Apollo Theatre
**A clean and redeemed J. Spaceman (does he even call himself that anymore?) with strings and gospel.

In Your Eyes    5:29    Peter Gabriel    So
If I Laugh    3:20    Cat Stevens    Teaser and the Firecat
Beautiful Day    4:08    U2    All That You Can’t Leave Behind
River    4:05    Joni Mitchell    Blue
I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love With You    3:54    Tom Waits    Closing Time
The Scientist    5:09    Coldplay    A Rush of Blood to the Head
This Woman’s Work    4:02    Maxwell    Now
One    4:36    U2    Achtung Baby
Teardrop    5:30    Massive Attack    Mezzanine
Lose Yourself    5:20    Eminem    8 Mile (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)
Hurt    3:36    Johnny Cash    American IV - The Man Comes Around
Family Snapshot    4:25    Peter Gabriel    Shaking the Tree - Sixteen Golden Greats
Check out Sarah’s playlist on iTunes.

Find out more about Sarah at LegacyRecordings.com