Gramma's Top Songs of 2007, Part I
Speed of Dark favorites of the year must have been released so that readers can buy them. It doesn't matter whether it's a label-release or a self-release, but songs available only as free downloads or promotional MP3s can't qualify.
I am not a professional music critic. I can't discourse on chord techniques or whether beats were dropped or misplaced. I read what others say, but I make up my own mind what I like. Sometimes my taste leads me to the same artists the pros like, and sometimes not. These are my choices for 2007.
COPYRIGHTED CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVEDThe first half:1.
Radiohead: Reckoner [
Buy]
Why: First, that impeccable voice. Second, this is the most-transformed of the In Rainbows tracks and more what I expected for the album. Dedicated to all human beings...Reckoner, Take me with you. Yes.
2.
Of Montreal: Suffer For Fashion [
Buy]
Why: I think as time goes on, this song will stand for me as the icon for dancing through the pain, whatever one's personal pain happens to be. We don't want these days to ever end/We just want to emasculate them forever.
3.
Iron and Wine: Boy With a Coin [
Buy]
Why: The theme of cycles and renewal, musically and lyrically, encouraging us to reconnect with our spiritual roots.
4.
Division Day: Colorguard [
Buy]
Why: Stirring/grandeur/organ/march. I've seen Division Day perform this live twice, and it has tremendous and uplifting impact. Lesson 1: Don't move your mouth. Lesson 2: Just spit it out.
5.
Caribou: Irene [
Buy]
Why: I often become obsessed with small, weird objects (like my Bunny-Riding-a-Trout Easter figurine). "Irene" is a musical manifestation of that obsession. Earphones are the only way you'll get the full effect of all the odd ingredients that creep in from the sides and then abruptly disappear. Just when you've given up on lyrics, they suddenly make an entrance at two minutes into the song. Is it out of tune? Is that on purpose? Why do I like something with so much hiss? The mystery keeps drawing me back again and again.
6.
Blonde Redhead: Heroine [
Buy]
Why: I never get tired of the haunting vocoder intro to this beauty. Roland takes a trip, but he goes without me.
7.
Jesca Hoop: Money [
iTunes]
Why: This strong number proves Hoop is no light-weight, combining several genres adroitly to forge her own quirky style. It's a virgin feast for all/See how gracefully they fall/Into the mirrors on the wall/Cuz if you want to belong you write a sing-a-long.
8.
July Fourth: Curtain of Stars [
iTunes]
Why: The fresh, bracing clarity of the guitar and the vocals. I love how the music frames but never overwhelms David Azizinamini's gorgeous voice. Let's go watch some bright lights.
9.
Nina Persson: Black Winged Bird [
Buy]
Why: I've been a fan of Nina Persson and the Cardigans for a long time, and this song, with its familiar aura of regret and gorgeous slide accents, is perfect for her clear soprano.
10.
Land of Talk: Street Wheels [
Buy]
Why: Lizzie Powell's edge of heartbreak vocals and the way her guitar chords cascade in a waterfall of ringing notes.
11.
Alias: What You Gave Away--Remix for The One AM Radio [
Buy]
Why: Brendon Whitney (AKA Alias) takes the One AM Radio's beautiful but rather limp song from 2005 and gives it just the right amount of dancekick in the butt to enhance it without destroying its emotional presence. I love the slurred backwards vocals.
12.
Boy In Static: Where It Ends [
Buy]
Why: This is another love at first listen. The racing beat matches racing hearts. I'm nuts about those chord changes and Alexander Chen's breathy vocals.
13.
The Battle of Land and Sea: Harden My Heart (Pat Benatar cover) [
Buy]
Why: I wish I could present this song to you the way I first heard it--without knowing what it was--so the recognition could creep over you like goosebumps. This old Pat Benatar rocker has been stripped down to bare essentials and its emotions laid bare. My vote for Best Cover Song of 2007.
7 comments:
Couldn't agree more with your #1... there were two songs that stunned me on this album and this was one of them!
Thanks! I also liked "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" a lot. Actually, my top 3 songs here fought with each other for supremacy. It was very tough to decide.
The "Harden My Heart" cover is beautiful, I love it and thanks for posting! However, the original is actually by Quarterflash, not Pat Benatar.
I dimly remember Quarterflash. I do think the most commonly-known version is Pat Benatar's.
Thanks, and I'm glad you like this one too. :)
This is really an awesome post to rad .. i really like the way you write.Its so brief and meaningful. kep it up!
Jared is right---Quarterflash did "Harden My Heart". Pat Benetar never even did the song. Nice cover, though...
The Quarterflash cover is excellent and I've never heard this version before.
I have to agree on the Radiohead..hard to pick favorites from that album.
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