SoundSalvationArmy

 

Hey there! You may not remember me, but I used to write some articles. Then I got a new job and got super busy and even though I tried and tried I couldn’t seem to finish anything for this awesome site. But then finally I did! And here it is, all the better because since we’re two and a half months into the new year, you’ve probably completely forgotten about last year’s music. So if you have, check out these albums and songs, because they were my favorites from 2007, and you might like them too! 
Albums

10. Wintersleep – Welcome to the Night Sky
Great Canadian rock band whose songs feature fuzzy guitar mixing with solid drumming and interesting-sounding lead vocals to create both heavy rock arrangements and catchy pop sing-alongs. Despite the presence of one instrumental track that severely interrupts the flow of the album this record is solid from start to finish.

9. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
After a couple of albums worth of experimentation they’re back to doing what they do best. Jeff Tweedy maximizes his gift for harmony and pop-rock arrangements and delivers surprisingly straightforward and direct lyrics that create a very strong emotional connection. Tweedy and guitarist Nels Cline’s dueling guitar fuzz freak outs on “Hate it Here” are a highlight. Those looking for further experimentation and musical expansion may have written this record off because of its simplicity, but they’re missing out on a great album.

8. Joe Henry - Civilians
Joe writes old-fashioned folk/blues songs, kind of like Tom Waits, but with a voice most people could actually enjoy over the length of a full album. His songs are mostly downers, with the odd one showing some reluctant hope. Relationships, God and the devil, turmoil and war; all classic themes and he addresses them wonderfully. Very moving.

7. Okkervil River – The Stage Names
The Stage Names reinforces the fact that Will Scheff is one hell of a songwriter. The album is only nine songs long, but each is a masterful example of his trademark desolation and depression, and as always he wears his emotions on his vocal chords, as his piercing howl shreds right through your soul. On this record the band seems to be trying to rock the misery out of the songs and their rock is far more forceful and dynamic than it has ever been. The Stage Names is every bit as powerful as it is sad, creating some of the most affecting songs of the year.

6. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Possibly the next band to achieve the title ‘Best Band in the World,’ Arcade Fire followed up one of the great indie rock records ever (2005’s Funeral) with another fierce effort. Neon Bible contains themes, instrumentation and sounds far bigger than anything most bands could conceive of, let alone put to tape.

5. Iron & Wine – The Shepherds Dog
Iron & Wine’s discography is one that has shown growth with each new record, and on The Shepherds Dog their sound has finally fully blossomed. Sam Beam’s acoustic guitar and hushed singing has been layered with all sorts of instrumentation, a lot of which is inspired by world music. It works wonderfully. And for the record, I love the vocal effects on “Carousel;” they’re hauntingly beautiful.

4. Feist - the Reminder
Sometimes the ridiculous overexposure musicians get is deserved. In the case of Leslie Feist, it isn’t half as ridiculous as it should be. The Reminder is a pop revelation that shifts in and out of styles effortlessly and keeps you on your toes. Several songs were recorded as live takes and it makes the songs sound organic and natural, like they’re piped through the musicians straight from a higher power.

3. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
2007 saw Of Montreal going in a new direction thematically and lyrically as Kevin Barnes focused his songwriting on autobiographical tales of heartbreak, isolation, desolation and despair as his relationship and mental stability broke down. Fortunately they retained their sunny, synth-y dance-pop musicianship which creates an odd yet appealing combination of positive and negative elements. The 12-minute centerpiece “The Past is a Grotesque Animal,” with its driving, repetitive disco beat and intense lyrics is a definite highlight, and the rest of the tracks are more than catchy enough to keep you coming back.

2. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
The addition of Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr seemed to reinvigorate Modest Mouse, as they released their best album in years in 2007. It comes in long at fourteen tracks and close to an hour run time but it never gets boring and none of the songs are throwaways. It captures the essence of the band, that ability to play loud or soft, angry or melancholy or just plain beautiful music. It has danceable rock songs a la 2004’s “Float On”, long-form burners like they used to make, and a psycho freak out now and then just to keep you on your toes.

1. the National - Boxer
Flat out the best record of the year, by a long shot. Every second is filled with crisp, clean instrumentation and gorgeous baritone vocals that drive deep into your soul and you can’t help but connect to the sad, paranoid loneliness and isolation that pours out of the speakers. The fact that all of these dark themes ultimately combine in a record that restores your faith in music and makes you press repeat again and again is really the best argument for how brilliant it really is.

Songs

“Killing the Blues” – Robert Plant & Allison Krauss: Killer bluegrass from out of left field.

“The Sons of Cain” – Ted Leo: Another great frenetic rock song from a brilliant sweaty bastard

“A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger” – Of Montreal: So much fun, musically, so depressing lyrically. It’s crazy!

“I Feel It All” – Feist: My favourite off the new album, it’s dance-able without being too poppy or sounding too insincere

“Innocent Bones” – Iron & Wine: I love it when Sam swears. Then goes “oooooooooo” in a falsetto

“Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes” – Wintersleep: Such a fucking good song! Best song about disassociation and depression that didn’t make you want to kill yourself ever! Does that make sense? Just listen to it.

“Turn On Me” – The Shins: The amped-up instrumentation and cleaner production made this record a top ten contender, and this is the highlight track.

“Slow Show” – The National: Mid-tempo burner about building up an experience until the pressure caves in your head. Not exactly.

“Spitting Venom” – Modest Mouse: Old school MM, nine minutes long and it’s slow, fast, angry and sad.

“Unless It’s Kicks” – Okkervil River: Great rock song about how much awesomer life is with rock songs

“Hate It Here” – Wilco: Song about how much it sucks when they leave, lots of great soloing.

“Adventures In Solitude” – New Pornographers: Most beautiful song they’ve done.

“I Am John – Loney, Dear: A little bit twee, but a lot of fun too. It’s got a xylophone!

“(Antichrist Television Blues)” – Arcade Fire: I love songs without a chorus, and sound like Bruce Springsteen only cooler.

“the Underdog” – Spoon: Great song from a band really hitting its stride this year.

“the Heinrich Maneuver” – Interpol: A kick-ass evolution of their sound; it’s as though they’re channeling Queen.

It’s all good, find it!

Jeremy entries Canadian content, year in review

They say everything old is new again. For me, 2007 is a prime example of that statement being a dead-on truth. Vinyl records made a huge comeback in sales and practical use, CD sales fell for the seventh or eighth straight year, and the recording industry continued to flail its collective arms wildly, continuing to file lawsuit after lawsuit despite clear evidence that it isn’t deterring people from stealing music in any way.
As for music itself, I thought we had a pretty good year on our hands. Every genre came to the table with some amazingly terrific albums, even though you might not find every genre represented in this best-of list. As usual, melody, passion, and ingenuity most held my attention, and I think this list speaks for itself (be warned; it’s a long one). Stay tuned for similar year-end updates from the rest of the crew, whenever they get around to doing them.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2007

10. Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian

Seeing Carey Mercer and his band of merry misfits live for the first time further cemented my love of their back-catalog while totally psyching me up for their latest. “Caravan Breakers, How They Prey On The Weak and the Old” was the dramatic centerpiece of one of the most intense and singularly insane pieces of live performance I’ve witnessed. Essentially two very long songs interspersed by typically brief bursts of noise, it adds a subtlety and atmosphere to a band that isn’t terribly familiar with either. 

9. the Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
This is a last minute decision that I still don’t know if I’m comfortable with. Since this sites inception I’ve been trying to finalize a post about the latest Weakerthans album, focusing on how disappointing an album this incredible is. The disappointment comes from my initial reaction that the band is out of ideas, that they’re treading water musically. But at the eleventh hour I reminded myself that expectations can’t get in the way an amazing piece of work, and the compositions on Reunion Tour are possibly the band’s most cohesive to date, while lyrically and melodically John Samson remains without peer.

8. A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide
After being one of the most unanimously-praised punk rock bands of 2006, A Wilhelm Scream was facing some pretty high expectations. It’s somewhat fitting that this album is named after a prominent Toronto hardcore band, because they definitely amped up the aggression on Career Suicide, throwing away just a bit of the dizzying guitar work that marked their last effort in favour of straight-up shredding. Most pleasantly though is the thematic consistency and lyrical prowess on display here, a trait too-often overlooked by bands that play fast, complicated songs.

7. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Tanis has already — and will soon, I expect — say it better than I ever could. All you need to know is that Spoon are writing hooky, gorgeous, minimalist pop songs that don’t pander to the lowest common denominator. Bare bones music the way it used to be done before “pop” was a dirty word.

6. Chuck Ragan - Feast or Famine
As I stated in my previous review, this is passionate unplugged music for punks that are getting older. Ragan celebrates the things that make his life worth living: nature, family, love, hope, and a higher power. It’s a heady cocktail that even loner athiests can get swept up in.

5. Tegan & Sara - the Con
I’m glad to see that four albums in a more widespread audience is starting to catch on to these “indie-rock” beauties. They’ve definitely picked up the “rawk” on this one, assisted by some interesting guest players (Death Cab For Cutie’s drummer and guitarist, AFI’s bassist, and the Rentals’ Matt Sharp), but the genesis of the twosome remains their lovelorn, conflicted lyrics and the quirky pop that goes along with them. No amount of bad indie-mullets can hold them back.

4. Attack In Black - Marriage
After dabbling in more generic fare on their first couple ep’s, this band has really come into their own. More Weakerthans than Propagandhi, these Canadian youngsters meld all the right bits of propulsive punk, folk, and 60’s AOR. The musical style alternates as frequently as the vocals, which are in turns reminiscent of the Get Up Kids, Smoke or Fire, and others (all four members sing). Not perfect, but the energy, enthusiasm, and promise shown on this record (and the vinyl-only follow up full-length just five months later) are truly daunting.

3. the Gaslight Anthem - Sink or Swim
As an aging punk, there seems to be a subset of music coming out that is aimed at me: the punk whose tastes have expanded well beyond the label rosters that make up the genre’s mainstays. To satisfy our tastes, the Gaslight Anthem decided to make a record that kind of sounds like Bruce Springsteen writing a love letter to Joe Strummer. Actually, that’s exactly what one song is (”I’da Called You Woody, Joe”). Some say this sounds like one song repeated over and over…but like the Latterman before them, it’s just way too fucking good a song.

2. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Yeah, they only let us know it was coming out a week in advance. Yes, the “pay what you want thing” was kind of a scam (and likely won’t really “revolutionize” the music business. Yes, they let everyone down when they eventually did find a label to put it out. But I’ll be damned if this isn’t one of the most beautiful albums released this decade, let alone this year. The fact that this comes out ten years after OK Computer should’ve changed everything is surely no accident (”Naked” is a hold-over from that era); the two are not-so-distant cousins in spirit and execution, if not precisely in sound. And the genius move of printing up a discbox with bonus material, incredible packaging, and audiophile vinyl supports a flawless record in ways few bands are smart or brave enough to follow through with. I’m admittedly a huge Radiohead fanboy, but you really only need to listen to the first track to see how good this really is.  

1. the National – Boxer
Driving through the Crow’s Nest Pass on a recent vacation to the West Coast, I found myself ensconced in a darkness that simultaneously felt dangerous and terrifying…but also comforting and familiar in a way. Dipping and curving in between and around mountains often cuts off the light of the moon, leaving only the swath of your headlights to remind you that you might not be alone in this world — even if you are completely and utterly alone on the road. The mind tends to wander when your brain is tired and there’s little visual stimuli present in your environment, and when one escapes into a record to keep the brain focused and on point, it had damn well better be a record appropriate for such a desolate situation. The National’s Boxer reflects a musical and lyrical tone of complete solitude and is the perfect accompaniment to a car ride that could turn deadly at a moment’s notice.

Like the very mountains that line the highways in the Kootenays and the Rockies of Canada, Boxer has dizzying peaks and devastating valleys, but it’s the lost and lonely middles that make up most of the disc. The vocals are delivered in a frequently laconic baritone, brought way up front in the mix, which makes it feel like it’s just you and lead singer Matt Berninger locked in a supply closet somewhere and he’s whispering his deepest secrets and fears across the floor to you.

They don’t muck about with excessive harmonies to get the beauty of the songs across. The drums lock into sharp, quick patterns that at times seem almost robotic. The music is a complementary wash of guitars, pianos, and synthesizers that occasionally blend in such a way that one element is not clearly distinguished above the others. Lyrically, Berninger expresses a strong me/us against the world feeling. “Fake Empire” recognizes the difficulties that exist outside of a couple’s relationships, finding a way to deal with another person in the midst of a world that makes no sense. “Brainy” could be interpreted as the story of a lone wolf stalking a woman in the night, trying his best to convince his prey that she “might need him more than she thinks she will.” “Slow Show” is a deeply affecting track, a man fed up with his life and looking to start over by proposing/propositioning a woman he’s “dreamed about…for 29 years…before I first saw you.” “Apartment Story” is a rare up-tempo number featuring two characters rebelling from the conventions of modern life and social obligation in favour of locking themselves in their home for several days until someone comes to find them. “Guest Room” reflects the desperation of a couple whose relationship has become cold and stale. And one of the last tracks when Berninger sings, “Ada, I can hear the sound of your laugh through the wall,” he makes it sound like the sourest, most joyless experience in life’s rich pageantry.

After “Ada”’s lonesome bottom, the piano chords that open “Gospel” let you know that everything is going to be okay. “Gospel” is a reconnection, a holiday reunion that uses subtle horns and insistent acoustic guitar chords to lift you back up to a place where you can breathe again.

I urge you to find your own lonesome, quiet, dark place to experience Boxer. Don’t even try to be the same afterwards.

Honourable Mentions

1. Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice

Another late addition, the majesty of this record is actually a little hard to grasp. Like the title suggests, Planet of Ice runs the risk of coming off as cold and detached. That’s thanks in part to the other-worldly guitar histrionics and ethereal keyboards, but mostly due to the occasionally disinterested-sounding vocals. As great as the music is, lyrically it’s too sexy and not as interesting as their previous LPs.

2. Dillinger Escape Plan – Ire Works
I raved about this album on the site and I stand by every word of that post. However, the ambient parts turned out to be a bit too ambient and you can kind of lose track of what you’re listening to at times. That’s probably about the only thing holding it back.

3. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
Yes, I’m consistently late to everything Spencer Krug does, but man this album is weird and catchy.

4. Witches With Dicks – Manual
Like Dillinger Four, Witches With Dicks proves you can do pop punk without being sugary, vacuous, and inane. Sure they probably named the band after losing a bet, but sometimes intentional provocation is a sign of better things.

5. Feist - the Reminder
Yeah, we all know it’s a great record. But if the last two or three songs didn’t put me to sleep it would be amazing.

6. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Living With The Living
Trim the fat Ted. Seriously, you’re pretty much one of the best living songwriters. Just trim the fat and this would be perfection.

7. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog
Again, we all know this is an impressive stylistic and artistic change for Sam Beam. That’s cool, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t occasionally bore me. I’ll be the first to admit some of these songs are my new instant favourite Iron & Wine tracks (”Flightless Bird, American Mouth,” “Boy With A Coin,” “Resurrection Fern”), but what’s with the weird affect on the vocals? What’s with every instrument sounding kind of hollow? Why is the acoustic guitar buried?

8. Do Make Say Think - You, You’re A History In Rust
There is nothing about this record that I don’t like, but I find myself listening to purely instrumental albums very rarely. If my appreciation of music didn’t hinge so heavily on lyrics then it’d be top 10 for sure.

9. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds Of Silver
Again, a really good album that I have no real complaints about. But not something I feel compelled to put on every time I’m looking for something to listen to.

10. Against Me! - New Wave
They could’ve made this one of the best ep’s of the last five years, but they wrote two bad songs, put a new song from their live record on it, and it lowered the bar. But tracks two through seven and ten are awesome. I’m not sure if anyone shares this feeling, but I both hate and love that they made this album. Love because it’s very good, hate because it makes a phenomenal and unique band far less so.

Singles/EPs of the Year

1. Fucked Up - Year Of The Pig

Song of the year, EP/single of the year, songwriting of the year. This is amazing. 

 

2. Mike Hale/Chris Wollard split 7″
Acoustic-based solo material from two dudes who used to be in very similar sounding bands. These songs don’t sound the same though, and while Wollard’s side is weighed down by lackluster production, Hale’s has me salivating for Asian Man’s full-length release in a couple of months.

3. Papermoons 7″
These guys are so good I thought they were Canadian. Gorgeous acoustic/folk numbers from an unexpected source and one of the downright prettiest pieces of wax this year. 

4. Short Attention - Clever, Maddening, Annoying 7″
Remember when Ben Weasel didn’t record with All-American Rejects members? When songs about girls and being bored were almost all there was? When a song didn’t have to be more than 30 seconds or have verses to be awesome? That’s because you haven’t heard these 30 tracks yet.  

5. Muff Potter/Chuck Ragan split 7″

Sure it follows the split diagram to the letter: “cover the other guys song in an unexpected style for wacky results!” But there are just really spirited interpretations of very well-written songs, and that has to be appreciated.

 

 

WORST/MOST DISAPPOINTING ALBUMS

Armor For Sleep - Smile For Them

Ugh. So boring.

 

Matthew Good - Hospital Music

Just kind of passed by, didn’t make an impression.

 

Sundowner - Five One Four Three

 It’s the same reason why I didn’t like the City & Colour album: what should’ve been a great idea that complimented the performers voice just came off as under-dressed and kind of dull.

 

Say Anything - In Defense of the Genre

I had low expectations going in, but this is just one example of what’s wrong with the music business. Bloated, overly long, and crammed so full of filler I can’t imagine anyone wading through this crap.

 

Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight

Whuuuuuuuuu?

 

the Playing Favourites - I Remember When I Was Pretty

I wish Joey Cape had just written and sang every song. He’s weighed down by lesser songwriters and it’s a shame; his contributions are solid.

 

Drag the River/Dents - Found All The Parts

The usually-stellar DTR just wasn’t putting their backbone into this one. These sound like the b-sides of a band that’s breaking up.

 

YOU STOLE OUR SONG, NOW WE ROCK YOUR FACE
(best live sets of the year)

1. A Wilhelm Scream – the Distrikt

My favourite shows are the ones where the opener totally outshines the headliner. These guys murdered Strung Out on their tour together and are one of the funnest bands to watch of all time as far as I know.

2. The Weakerthans – the Distrikt

Always a pleasure, and this time they played fun new songs. Samson smiles more and more every tour, and it’s kind of fun to see that.

3. Do Make Say Think – the Exchange

So awesome they made a frigid winter’s day sweaty. I had no idea so many people were into this group, but seeing their giant, swelling compositions come to life on stage was totally mesmerizing.

4. Wolf Parade/Frog Eyes – the Exchange

I’m pretty sure it was this year. Carey Mercer is a trip to watch play guitar.

5. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - the Distrikt

He’s a writhing ball of sweaty energy, even if his band looks bored out of their minds. Seriously, the drummer was rolling his eyes hard for at least the first third of the set. I guess I can’t blame him, as they only played to about 50 people. Come on Regina, this man is an amazing songwriter and performer! Get out there!

SADDEST BREAK-UPS
Drag the River
This year was all about Drag the River for me. I started the year by mail-ordering most of their cds, then started gathering up their 7”s and LP’s. After listening to them almost exclusively for at least a quarter of the year, they broke up. Then in December they announced that their final full-length would be out in January. Then I pre-ordered the LP and got a digital download as a Festivus gift. Then, after listening to it, I discovered that it just might be their best yet. Way to make breaking up even sadder, jerks.

 

Blood Brothers
So awesome. Always noisy, always spazzy, always sassy, Blood Brothers were also consistently amazing. Listen to Burn, Piano Island, Burn and try not to have heavy music forever changed in your eyes.  

Witches With Dicks
Warlocks, we hardly knew ye. They were awesome and they liked Kurt Vonnegut (as all good young punk rockers should). What else is there?

Kurt Vonnegut and life
Seriously. What could be sadder? 

AWESOME YEAR-END MIX TAPE
(you can’t download it all, but you can get much of it)

1. the Gaslight Anthem – Angry Johnny & the Radio
2. Attack In Black – Marriage
3. A Wilhelm Scream – Pardon Me, Thanks A Lot
4. Bomb The Music Industry! – Bike Test 1-2-3
5. Fucked Up – Year of the Pig
6. Pinback – Barnes
7. Tegan & Sara – Nineteen
8. The Weakerthans – Night Windows
9. The Pipettes – Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me
10. Spoon – the Underdog
11. Spoon – You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
12. Wintersleep – Dead Letter & the Infinite Yes
13. Austin Lucas – Man Alive
14. The National – Slow Show
15. Chuck Ragan & Austin Lucas – Hold My Bed
16. The New Pornographers – Adventures In Solitude
17. Iron & Wine – Flightless Bird, American Mouth
18. Mike Hale – Easy Come, Easy Go

Please: buy buy buy!

Pat entries Canadian content, mix tapes, year in review