ForeverAutumn
12-21-2007, 12:20 PM
Unless I get something that really wows me for Christmas, here are my best-of-the-year picks for 2007.
Top spots for best album in the category of Prog/Metal goes to:
6. Three – The End Is Begun – This band opened for Porcupine Tree on their North American tour. Only the lead singer made it over the border to Canada and had the moxie to perform their heavy metal catalogue as a solo act with nothing but an acoustic guitar and damn if he didn’t rock the house! Hubby was so impressed he bought their newest CD and it’s damn good. They played here as a full band a couple of weeks ago but unfortunately we had to miss it.
5. Rush – Snakes and Arrows – The best material that Rush has released in many, many years. Now if they would only improve the sound quality of their CDs!
4. Ritual – The Hemulic Voluntary Band – After hearing only two CDs by this band I’ve put them on my auto-buy list. Prog at it’s finest (if you like that sort of thing).
3. Dream Theater- Systematic Chaos – I expected this disk to land at the top of my list this year. It only goes to show how great Riverside and Threshold are to knock DT out of top spot.
2. Riverside – Rapid Eye Movement – Killer, killer, killer. Say no more.
1. Threshold – Dead Reckoning – Musically, I think that the Riverside disk is probably a better disk, but there is something about Dead Reckoning that just draws me in. Great sounds, nice harmonies and lots of hooks. This stuff could easily end up on the radio if radio didn’t suck so much. This album deserves to be heard.
Top spots for best album in the category of Non-Prog/Metal goes to:
6. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha – while a great album, this one just didn’t impress me as much as it impressed some of you. I’d listen to Mysterious Production of Eggs over this one anyday.
5. Bright Eyes – Cassadega – Call me crazy but I hear a Roger Waters influence in some of these songs. I can see why some people find his voice grating, but I really like this disk full of laid back ditties. I’m a little surprised that this CD hasn’t been discussed more around here.
4. Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare – I wasn’t going to buy this disk based on how I felt about their first CD, but I’m glad that I took the plunge as it’s turned into one of my favourite disks to work out to. This band has come a long way musically from their first CD and I can’t wait to hear how their next release progresses.
3. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky – I think that this is my favourite Wilco CD. Beautiful melodies fill this CD from beginning to end. A disk full of songs that make me think, “I wish I wrote this”.
2. The Shins – Wincing the Night Away – Not quite as charming as Chutes Too Narrow but still a solid disk from a band that has become among my favourites. This CD contains one of my favourite lines from 2007, “we’ve pissed on far too many sprites and they’re all standing up for their rights”. I don’t know why but this line makes me laugh. Besides, it was the only CD that I bought this year that came with a sticker!
1. Spoon – Ga ga ga ga ga – Funny how the song that, at first listen, I liked the least on this CD has now turned into my favourite…The Ghost Of You Lingers. It was a really tough call between this and The Shins for top spot, but after listening to them both, Spoon just nudged The Shins out of top spot. Ask me again tomorrow and I could change my mind...it was that close.
My biggest disappointment of the year was Crowded House – Out of Time. It was, IMO, their worst album ever. The only good thing that came out of it was that it gave them a reason to tour. And seeing them live again was probably the musical highlight of my year.
Top spots for best album in the category of Prog/Metal goes to:
6. Three – The End Is Begun – This band opened for Porcupine Tree on their North American tour. Only the lead singer made it over the border to Canada and had the moxie to perform their heavy metal catalogue as a solo act with nothing but an acoustic guitar and damn if he didn’t rock the house! Hubby was so impressed he bought their newest CD and it’s damn good. They played here as a full band a couple of weeks ago but unfortunately we had to miss it.
5. Rush – Snakes and Arrows – The best material that Rush has released in many, many years. Now if they would only improve the sound quality of their CDs!
4. Ritual – The Hemulic Voluntary Band – After hearing only two CDs by this band I’ve put them on my auto-buy list. Prog at it’s finest (if you like that sort of thing).
3. Dream Theater- Systematic Chaos – I expected this disk to land at the top of my list this year. It only goes to show how great Riverside and Threshold are to knock DT out of top spot.
2. Riverside – Rapid Eye Movement – Killer, killer, killer. Say no more.
1. Threshold – Dead Reckoning – Musically, I think that the Riverside disk is probably a better disk, but there is something about Dead Reckoning that just draws me in. Great sounds, nice harmonies and lots of hooks. This stuff could easily end up on the radio if radio didn’t suck so much. This album deserves to be heard.
Top spots for best album in the category of Non-Prog/Metal goes to:
6. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha – while a great album, this one just didn’t impress me as much as it impressed some of you. I’d listen to Mysterious Production of Eggs over this one anyday.
5. Bright Eyes – Cassadega – Call me crazy but I hear a Roger Waters influence in some of these songs. I can see why some people find his voice grating, but I really like this disk full of laid back ditties. I’m a little surprised that this CD hasn’t been discussed more around here.
4. Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare – I wasn’t going to buy this disk based on how I felt about their first CD, but I’m glad that I took the plunge as it’s turned into one of my favourite disks to work out to. This band has come a long way musically from their first CD and I can’t wait to hear how their next release progresses.
3. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky – I think that this is my favourite Wilco CD. Beautiful melodies fill this CD from beginning to end. A disk full of songs that make me think, “I wish I wrote this”.
2. The Shins – Wincing the Night Away – Not quite as charming as Chutes Too Narrow but still a solid disk from a band that has become among my favourites. This CD contains one of my favourite lines from 2007, “we’ve pissed on far too many sprites and they’re all standing up for their rights”. I don’t know why but this line makes me laugh. Besides, it was the only CD that I bought this year that came with a sticker!
1. Spoon – Ga ga ga ga ga – Funny how the song that, at first listen, I liked the least on this CD has now turned into my favourite…The Ghost Of You Lingers. It was a really tough call between this and The Shins for top spot, but after listening to them both, Spoon just nudged The Shins out of top spot. Ask me again tomorrow and I could change my mind...it was that close.
My biggest disappointment of the year was Crowded House – Out of Time. It was, IMO, their worst album ever. The only good thing that came out of it was that it gave them a reason to tour. And seeing them live again was probably the musical highlight of my year.