"Curs in the Weed" (Kill Rock Stars) Frontman Justin Ringle styles his voice after Nick Drake on this new track. Despite a roster of multi-instrument-playing band members, the Oregon-based outfit finds beauty in the simple and sparse. Horse Feathers' new album House with No Name is available on Sept. 9.
I certainly don't disagree with the lukewarm reviews critics gave CSS' sophomore album Donkey. It's pretty lackluster compared to their debut album, which made the Brazilian group dancefloor regulars a couple years back. However, the CD does have one glowingly good moment. Their new single "Move" was the lone track I really thought could be a hit when I first listened to Donkey. Doused in '80s electro-pop, the song even features a brief and adorable Debbie Harry-esque rap.
"Bird" (Team Clermont) Two-man Boulder band Pattern is Movement's new album All Together was released on Tuesday. Fans know them from their high energy eclecticism. If you need proof, throw on this track. It sounds like it belongs in a Japanese pop musical.
Like many, I was a big fan of the driving, angular pop of The Futureheads' 2004 self-titled debut. But their follow-up album 2006's News and Tributes was a bit of a disappointment -- more of the same, but much less fun. Their newest single "The Beginning of the Twist" is a good sign that the English band found their mojo again and that their next album just may something to look forward to.
"Violence, Diamonds" "Puerto Rican Jukebox" (Kill Rock Stars) The former one-man Portland act Panther recently doubled in size. Charlie Salas-Humara has made a Joe Kelly (previously of 31 Knots) an official member of the multi-instrumental experimental funk rock band and they'll both appear on the upcoming release 14 Kt. God. The LP is available on Feb. 19, but you can sample these two tracks for a taste of the duo's jumbled up jam band sound.
"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" (Merge) M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel first met each other when they recorded a song for a movie soundtrack together (a Richard and Linda Thompson cover for some little known indie flick called The Go Getter). Apparently, they seemed to like each other's talents because after the collaboration the pair got together to record a full album of original songs Deschanel had been hiding at home. Deschanel's cutesy and rootsy voice complements M. Ward's sound very well. Nice to see a big time actress dip into recording music and actually impress me. She and Him's debut album Volume One is out on March 18.
"Sober Driver" (Spinner) L.A.-based Dengue Fever takes psychedelic rock and melds it with Cambodian pop music. I'm not exactly sure what Cambodian pop sounds like but the resulting sound on this track is one part mysterious and sultry lounge jazz and one part jangly, two-part-harmonied indie folk. Let's just call it eclectic then. Their latest album Venus on Earth is already available in stores.
"Private Life of a Cat" "Tandem Bikes" (Team Clemont) Just when you thought the parade of catchy Swedish pop acts might be entering its final stretch, here marches along The LK, a duo that combines delightful melodies and bouncy, slightly abstract arrangements. Their album Vs. The Snow is out on The Kora Records on March 4.
I realize these are the first couple of mp3s I've posted in months. I'll try to keep it up!
I know, I know. Who's even interested in a "best of 2007" list anymore? Everyone else revealed their album picks more than a month ago. Nonetheless, after a bit of slacking, my annual exercise in ranking the discs that most impressed me throughout the year continues.
Honestly, as I was putting together the list I was shocked by how many albums I truly loved. In an ordinary year, Arcade Fire would have easily ranked in the Top 25 but I think they're lucky to even have made the Top 50. I had to leave off decent turns by artists who have ranked in previous years (PJ Harvey, The Shins, Beirut), as well as some of the year's best breakthrough acts (The Twilight Sad, Bon Iver, No Age).
50. SHOCKING PINKS / Shocking Pinks
49. WHITE RABBITS / Fort Nightly
48. JOSH RITTER / The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
47. ARCADE FIRE / Neon Bible
46. JAY-Z / American Gangster
45. BLONDE REDHEAD / 23
44. MAGIC MARKERS / Boss
43. LUPE FIASCO / Lupe Fiasco's The Cool
42. APPLES IN STEREO / New Magnetic Wonder
41. THE FIELD / From Here We Go Sublime
40. DAN DEACON / Spiderman of the Rings
39. PATRICK WOLF / The Magic Position
38. PAGE FRANCE / Page France and the Family Telephone
37. DEERHUNTER / Cryptograms
36. JOHN VANDERSLICE / Emerald City
35. THE WHITE STRIPES / Icky Thump
34. THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS / Challengers
33. SALLY SHAPIRO / Disco Romance
32. BLITZEN TRAPPER / Wild Mountain Nation
31. SEA WOLF / Leaves in the River
30. FEIST / The Reminder
29. YEASAYER / All Hour Cymbals
28. LIARS / Liars
27. BOWERBIRDS / Hymns for a Dark Horse
26. BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW / Dandelion Gum
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25. BLACK LIPS / Good Bad Not Evil
24. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE / Strawberry Jam
23. OKKERVIL RIVER / Stage Names
22. BURIAL / Untrue
21. MENOMENA / Friend and Foe
20. FIELD MUSIC / Tones of Town
19. PETER BJORN AND JOHN / Writer's Block
18. MATTHEW DEAR / Asa Breed
17. JOSE GONZALEZ / In Our Nature
16. ST. VINCENT / Marry Me
15. JUSTICE / †
14. KANYE WEST / Graduation
13. RADIOHEAD / In Rainbows
12. CARIBOU / Andorra
11. THE BESNARD LAKES / The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse
10. ANDREW BIRD / Armchair Apocrypha
9. THE NATIONAL / Boxer
8. SUNSET RUBDOWN / Random Spirit Lover
7. IRON & WINE / The Shepherd's Dog
6. LCD SOUNDSYSTEM / Sound of Silver
5. BATTLES / Mirrored
4. JENS LEKMAN / Night Falls Over Kortedala
3. OF MONTREAL / Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
I've actually had this list worked out since just after Thanksgiving, but due to a lack of time, an intermittent internet connection and plain old laziness, I'm just posting this now. I guess it's not surprising since I've barely updated Hobby Box at all over the last few months. There really is nothing like a year-end list to get me to finally update this site.
Most of these songs were officially released as singles. A handful of the selections were so heavily blogged about that they might as well have been. I think 2007 was pretty fantastic year for music. It was a pain to narrow this list down to 50. And I am, by the way, still working on the albums list.
"Hallie" "Friends Like These" (Misra) Maybe it's a little bit unfair that almost every review I've ever seen on Mobius Band includes a comparison to Postal Service. But it is the first thing that comes to mind every time I hear these guys. The Brooklyn band's next attempt at breaking the association comes Oct. 2, when they release their new LP Heaven.
"Atom" (Spinner) British Sea Power's Krankenhaus EP will first be available digitally in early October and will then be placed in stores in November. The power poppers' long-awaited release is their first since the 2005 album Open Season.
"Winged/Wicked Things" " Up on your Leopard, Upon the End of your Feral Days" (Jagjaguwar) Montreal band Sunset Rubdown made their breakthrough last year with Shut Up I Am Dreaming. Now they're returning with a 2-disc CD called Random Spirit Lover. The band's founder Spencer Krug (who is also a member of Frog Eyes, Wolf Parade and Swan Lake) may just have one of the strongest projects of his career on the way. The album releases on Oct. 9.
"To the Dogs of Whoever" (JoshRitter.com) Josh Ritter follows up his acclaimed The Animal Years LP with today's release of The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter. Check out this particularly Dylan-esque track from the CD.
"Tbtf" (Art & Crafts) Slated for September, Spirit If... is a solo project by Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew. "Tbtf" reveals that Drew has a more accessible folkier side than the relatively experimental work he does with BSS.
The old Listening Room was kind of silly. We at The LARRY Page have concluded the kids will like this better.
To download MP3s, right-click on link and choose "Save Target As." Most MP3s are only available online for a limited time, so some links in the archives may no longer work. The LARRY Page does its best to ensure all downloads that appear in Hobby Box are legal.
