The best of tune-thousand-and-seven

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/12/2007 (6853 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WITH another year in the books, it’s time for the Free Press music reviewers to hit the rewind button on their favourite albums of 2007.

Rob Williams

1. Grinderman, Grinderman (Anti)

Nick Cave forgoes the melancholy murder ballads and returns to his caustic Birthday Party roots, offering up a volatile cocktail of swamp blues, distorted garage and savage rawk filled with male-angst, black humour and swirling rage.

2. Big Business, Here Come the Waterworks (Hydra Head)

A sonic deluge of mammoth drum and bass sludge and bludgeoning riffs from the duo who make up two-thirds of the Melvins’ rhythm section — Jared Warren (ex-Karp) and Coady Willis (ex-Murder City Devils) — that sounds bigger than many full bands and makes other two-piece groups sound like kid’s music by comparison.

3. Bruce Springsteen, Magic (Sony BMG)

Springsteen and the reunited E Street Band broach a wide range of subjects, from the soullessness of commercial radio to war, tackling each topic in full-on rock ‘n’ roll mode on an album that ranks with his best.

4. Ween, La Cucaracha (Rounder)

5. Black Lips, Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)

6. High on Fire, Death is This Communion (Relapse)

7. Wilco, Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)

8. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, Raising Sand (Rounder)

9. Turbonegro, Retox (Cooking Vinyl)

10. Bad Brains, Build a Nation (Megaforce)

Honourable mentions:

The Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (Merge); Arctic Monkeys, Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino); Steve Earle, Washington Square Serenade (New West); Black Francis, Bluefinger (Cooking Vinyl); Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta (Side One Dummy); The Hives, The Black and White Album (Universal); Corb Lund, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (Stony Plain); Patton Oswalt, Werewolves and Lollipops (Sub Pop); The Sadies, New Seasons (Outside); Son Volt, The Search (Sony BMG); Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge); Mavis Staples, We’ll Never Turn Back (Anti); White Stripes, Icky Thump (Warner).

Local

1. Perpetrators, Tow Truck (Independent)

The roller-coaster party frenzy of the trio’s live show is channelled on their third album with surf-rock, country-blues, fuzzed-out garage, avante-psychedelia, boogie-woogie over-top their blues-rock foundation.

Honourable mentions:

Boats!, Intercontinental Champion; Comeback Kid, Broadcasting; Consumer Goods, Happy Bidet; Dream Quest, Centralia; Christine Fellows, Nevertheless; Hide Your Daughters, The Teen Girl’s Guide to Social Success; Little Hawk, Home and Native Land; Nathan, Key Principles; Debra Lyn Neufeld, Bootleg; Andrew Neville and the Poor Choices, Let ‘R Buck; Pip Skid, The Pip Donahue Show (Independent); The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour; Western States, Western States.

Jill Wilson

1. Bishop Allen, The Broken String (Sonic Unyon)

Two unassuming dudes from New York effortlessly (or so it seems) whip up some of the smartest, sunniest, most doggone likable pop tunes of this or any other year. Clever without being arch and catchy without being inane, the album reveals a new favourite track with each fresh listen.

2. Jim Bryson, Where the Bungalows Roam (Kelp)

The raspy-voiced Ottawa songwriter really comes into his own on this accomplished collection of beautifully crafted tunes that hew to a rootsy heart without clinging to clichés.

3. Iron & Wine, The Shepherd’s Dog (Sub Pop)

Florida singer-songwriter Sam Beam fleshes out his soft, strummy guitar thing and encompasses chugging rhythms and exotic sounds for a result that’s subtly thrilling.

4. Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, Once: Music From the Motion Picture (Sony Music Canada)

5. The National, The Boxer (Beggars Banquet)

6. Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam (Domino)

7. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (Merge)

8. Loney, Dear, Loney, Noir (Sub Pop)

9. Nick Lowe, At My Age (Yep Roc)

10. The Maccabees, Colour It In (Fiction)

Jeff Monk

1. Porter Wagoner, Wagonmaster (Warner)

Authentic country and western star Wagoner produced this honky tonk gem of an album with the help of acolyte Marty Stuart and then sadly pulled up stakes and moved to the great bar room in the sky. A more than fitting final testament.

2. Shooter Jennings, The Wolf (Universal)

Following in his daddy’s footsteps may not really be part of Shooter Jennings’ plan, but as this album so thoroughly proves, blood is still thicker than whisky.

3. The Detroit Cobras, Tied & True (Bloodshot)

Straddling the line between raw Detroit soul and earthy, MC5-infused high-energy rawk, this album kicks almost everything else like it directly to the curb.

4. The Traveling Wilburys, Collection (Rhino)

5. The Gourds, Noble Creatures (Yep Roc)

6. Debbie Harry, Necessary Evil (Eleven Seven)

7. Ian Hunter, Shrunken Heads (Yep Roc)

8. Toots and the Maytals, Light Your Light (Concord)

9. The Aggrolites, Reggae Hit L.A. (Hellcat)

10. Turbonegro, Retox (Cooking Vinyl)

Bruce Leperre

1. Nathan, Key Principles (Nettwerk)

Nathan weave an enigmatic yet thoroughly engaging tapestry filled with a mix of old-time country, folk and rock with an occasional side trip to the carnival. Keri Latimer’s childlike voice is uniquely expressive as it slithers amongst the banjos, steel guitars, accordions, horns and theremin that inhabit these dark, sometimes dreamlike, aural vignettes that make Key Principles a spellbinding masterpiece.

2. Steve Earle, Washington Square Serenade (New West)

Predominantly acoustic-driven folk-rock but with a subtle hip-hop feel courtesy of producer John King (Dust Brothers). In celebrating his love for his new NYC home and wife Allison Moorer, Earle has written his most accessible yet compelling material since El Corazon.

3. Jason Isbell, Sirens of the Ditch (Universal)

On his solo debut, the former Drive By Trucker offers songs that evoke thoughts of hot summer nights on the porch with a glass of lemonade, and others that inspire the air guitarist in us all, as Isbell hits the swamp and gets his Skynyrd on.

4. Lucinda Williams, West (Lost Highway)

5. The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour (Epitaph)

6. Scott Nolan, Receiver/Reflector (Transistor 66)

7. Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Let’s Frolic Again (Maple)

8. Wintersleep, Welcome to the Night Sky (EMI)

9. Shuyler Jansen, Today’s Remains (Black Hen)

10. Dust Rhinos, Second Set EP (Independent)

Anthony Augustine

1. Matthew Dear, Asa Breed (Ghostly)

With an emotionally driven sophomore album that blurs the lines between late-night techno and polished electronic pop, Texas native Matthew Dear deals with love, loss and the insecurity of life overtop a foundation of rubbery acid lines, smooth micro-melodies and stripped down digital percussion. He’s like a new millennium version of David Byrne crossed with David Bowie and Ian Curtis.

2. Interpol, Our Love To Admire (EMI)

Hipster New York rockers may not have strayed far from the moody framework of their previous albums, but that doesn’t mean their lush arrangements and angular guitars don’t sound as urgent as ever.

3. Daft Punk, Alive 2007 (EMI)

The robot-obsessed duo from France are back and have single handily reset the bar for live electronic performances with their gritty re-edits of their Homework-era hits and on-the-fly super-sized reinterpretations of their newer material, while blowing the bank on the most intense visual show this side of Pink Floyd.

4. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (Sony BMG)

5. M.I.A., Kala (Universal)

6. The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour (Epitaph)

7. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible (Merge)

8. Pip Skid, The Pip Donahue Show (Independent)

9. Klaxons, Myths of the Near Future (Universal)

10. Radiohead, In Rainbows (Independent)

Michael Wolch

1. Antonio Sanchez, Migration (Cam Jazz)

With tenor sax team Chris Potter and David Sanchez on the front lines with Scott Colley (bass) and Antonio Sanchez (drums), along with guests Chick Corea (piano) and Pat Metheny (guitar), this one is sheer energy and inspiration without being over the top.

2. Manu Katche, Playground (ECM)

Slow boiling, simmering jazz underscored by Katche’s inventive, subtle and lyrical drumming. From start to finish, this is a first rate recording by Frenchman Katche and his quartet of Polish and Norwegian musicians.

3. Jane Monheit, Surrender (Concord)

This recording features Monheit’s crystal clear, shimmering and simply beautiful vocals, wrapped in lush arrangements and romantic instrumentation.

4. Dave Douglas, Live at the Jazz Standard (Greenleaf)

5. Terence Blanchard: A Tale of God’s Will (Blue Note)

6. Abbey Lincoln, Abbey Sings Abbey (Verve)

7. Manteca, Onward (Manteca Music)

8. Bad Plus, Prog (Heads Up)

9. Brad Mehldau and Pat Metheny, Quartet (Nonesuch)

10. Deborah Cox, Destination Moon (Decca)

James Manishen

1. Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle, Haydn: Symphonies 88-92 (EMI)

Just when you think you know the wit and wisdom of Haydn, along comes Rattle to open more doors in exhilarating style with his Cadillac orchestra in tow.

2. Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and soloists, René Jacobs, Mozart: Don Giovanni (Harmonia Mundi)

No Faustian heavyweight here under Jacobs’ zesty buffa treatment, ripe with Johannes Weisser’s young roguish Don and terrific orchestral playing.

3. Kiri Te Kanawa, José Carreras, Leonard Bernstein, Bernstein/Sondheim: West Side Story (DG)

The last word from the composer’s pen and baton, with the famously testy DVD documentary an added bonus.

4. Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle, soloists, Brahms: Ein deutsches Requiem (EMI)

5. Julian Bream, My Life in Music (Avie DVD)

6. Nelson Freire; Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (Decca)

7. Nina Stemme, Royal Opera House Orchestra, Antonio Pappano, Strauss: Four Last Songs (EMI)

8. Marc-André Hamelin, Alkan, Concerto for Solo Piano (Hyperion)

9. Glenn Gould, The Radio Artist (CBC Records)

10. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly, Mahler: Complete Symphonies (Decca)