| Page 1 2 3 Being There's Best of 2007 by The Being There StaffWell, it’s that time of year again. Before we kick off on a new year’s worth of content, we must first say goodbye to 2007 by presenting in list form our favorites of the year. It was a good one for both music and film, so let’s not waste too much time with the preamble. As always, however, I must stress that these lists are not in any way meant to be definitive. Every year, there are hundreds of albums to listen to and films to see. None of us have heard all there is to be heard or seen all there is to be seen, but we have come across enough to put together our own personal lists of favorites. This is what is being presented here for you to enjoy. – Adam D. Miller  Best Albums of 2007:Adam D. Miller (Editor-in-Chief) 1. Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams – From the soaring guitar intro of “Goodnight Rose” to the final fade of “I Taught Myself How To Grow Old,” Easy Tiger is an excellent candidate for Album of the Year. Adams has released a string of great albums, most recently his 2005 trio (Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29), but there’s something very polished and adult about this one. Even “Halloweenhead,” the loudest and meanest of the tracks, presents Adams as articulate and sophisticated, and the ballads (particularly “Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.”) are sublime. He may continue to get criticized and accused of having an attitude problem, but hey, so did John Lennon and Bob Dylan. 2. Sky Blue Sky, Wilco – Wilco could have followed two paths after 2004’s A Ghost Is Born. They could have continued on the same experimental path they set out on with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, or they could have returned to their folk, rock and country roots showcased on A.M. and Being There. Opting for the latter, Wilco luckily managed to keep moving forward anyway. Sky Blue Sky may be a rootsy, organic album, but one that vibrantly displays the maturity of the involved musicians. Newcomer Nels Cline adds virtuosic guitar licks to tracks like “Impossible Germany” and “Side With Seeds,” and Jeff Tweedy’s singing has never sounded better. 3. Back To Black, Amy Winehouse – With Amy Winehouse, the pop charts actually got it right for a change. Back To Black is the finest R&B release in years, drawing influence from decades of soul greatness. Credit must go to producer Mark Ronson and backing musicians The Dap-Kings (more on them later), who helped make the album such fun to listen to. Unfortunately, the hit single “Rehab” proved to be more autobiographical than some may have initially thought. Winehouse quickly spiraled downward into drug addiction and alcoholism, delivering erratic live performances and making the tabloids with all sorts of antics. Maybe it’s time to sober up and release that follow-up single, “They Finally Made Me Go To Rehab,” Amy. 4. Raising Sand, Alison Krauss & Robert Plant – Collaborations like this rarely work, but somehow bluegrass queen Alison Krauss and Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant proved to have the chemistry required to make Raising Sand one of the year’s best albums. This album sounds like a collaboration, with the two vocalists sharing vocal duties on a wide range of songs, mostly of the folk, country and blues variety. The album is at it’s best when either artist steps out of his or her comfort zone, particularly Krauss on Little Milton’s “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson.” T-Bone Burnett, a talented songwriter and performer in his own right, does a terrific job as producer, helping to select many of the songs, assembling a great group of backing musicians (including guitarist Marc Ribot) and offering his own distinctive playing on many of the tracks as well. 5. Magic, Bruce Springsteen – While 2002’s The Rising sounded like a Bruce Springsteen album that just so happened to feature the E-Street Band, Magic is a Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band album through and through. The full ensemble rocks their way through tracks like “Radio Nowhere,” “Your Own Worst Enemy” and “Livin’ In The Future,” the latter featuring the wailing saxophone of Clarence “Big Man” Clemons. 6. 100 Days, 100 Nights, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Daptone Records house band The Dap-Kings spent part of 2006 and 2007 on loan to Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse, but they’re at home with Sharon Jones, their main boss since 2002’s Dap Dippin’ with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. 100 Days, 100 Nights is about as close as you’ll get to a 1960s soul classic in 2007, following up the vintage sounds of Jones’ previous two albums with another instant classic. And yet, something is remarkably fresh about Jones’ third album, whether it be the additional dynamics provided by the female backing vocals, or simply more reference points (including some classic Motown grooves). 7. I'm Not There soundtrack – The soundtrack to Todd Haynes’ unusual Dylan film stands on its own as one of the year’s best albums, certainly as far as compilations go. Rather than an exclusive showcase of popular names singing Dylan’s biggest hits, this album features music legends and indie artists singing hits like “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” (Antony & The Johnsons) and “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (Mason Jennings) alongside lesser known (and on occasion, rare) tunes like “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (Yo La Tengo) and “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window” (The Hold Steady). 8. Revival, John Fogerty – John Fogerty finally has some new songs that would fit in nicely on that old Creedence tape you used to pop into the tape deck at all those family barbecues. “Don’t You Wish It Was True” and “Gunslinger” don’t steal those guitar lines Fogerty made famous with CCR, but they definitely come from the same place. And yet, Revival is a lot more than just a nostalgia fest, with Fogerty proving to be one of the most topical songwriters of the year. He takes the Bush administration, and just about everybody else, to task on this album. 9. Dressed Up For The Letdown, Richard Swift – Channeling Harry Nilsson, The Beatles and Tin Pan Alley, Richard Swift picks up where he left off with his mini-albums The Novelist and Walking Without Effort (released together in 2005 as The Richard Swift Collection, Vol. 1) with this year’s Dressed Up For The Letdown. Witty lyrics and catchy melodies hold up, even after repeated listening, and “Million Dollar Baby” may be the best song that you didn’t hear in 2007. 10. Country Mouse, City House, Josh Rouse – You can pretty much count on singer-songwriter Josh Rouse to release an album every year. Always short and usually sounding more or less the same, it took a while for Country Mouse, City House to set itself apart from 2005’s Nashville and 2006’s Subtitulo, but it ultimately did, thanks in large parts to the horns heard throughout the album. Honorable mention: Live At Massey Hall 1971, Neil Young – A hometown hero returns to one of Toronto’s most historic concert halls to premiere songs that would eventually end up on Harvest. Magical, and a great appetizer to this year’s release of the long-awaited first volume of Archives. Russell Bartholomee (Staff Contributor) 1. Amygdala, The Honeydogs – It was incredibly difficult to pare this list down to a mere ten titles. So much good music came out last year that I feel nearly disloyal to several artists for leaving them off my list (apologies to Wilco, Prince, The National, Kanye, and Black Francis, all of whom did brilliant work). But I had no trouble picking my favorite record from last year, this little-heard gem (which was technically released in late 2006, but late enough that in a perfect world it would still be eligible for all the upcoming Grammies it would win. Let me dream). It’s not just because the songs on Amygdala are all perfectly crafted pop masterpieces, with intelligent lyrics, gorgeous arrangements and majestic harmonies (some courtesy of Aimee Mann). It’s not just because Honeydog Adam Levy has grown from “merely” being a great alt.country songwriter into one of the best writers of pop music (in the very best sense of that much-maligned word) since Michael Penn. And it’s not just because I found myself reaching for Amygdala more than any other album this year or because when it reaches the end I immediately start it again (and again, and again). All that is true. But this was my favorite record for one abiding reason. When I listen to this record, it makes me want to write music. Plenty of records make me want to sing along. But Amygdala actually makes me want to create. It inspires, which I think only the greatest art can do. 2. Rodrigo y Gabriella, Rodrigo y Gabriella – If Amygdala made me wish I could write like Adam Levy, this killer instrumental album made me wish I could play like either of the group’s acoustic guitar wizards. I loved this record the first time I heard it—intricate, rhythmic guitar work that incorporates rock, folk, Celtic, jazz, metal, and many other styles (just don’t call it Flamenco). But what I failed to notice the first time through was that the great percussionist who accompanies the duo doesn’t exist. All of the percussion is achieved by the two guitarists while they play. At the same time. Just the two of them. With no overdubs. There’s an included DVD to prove it. Insane. And wonderful. 3. In Rainbows, Radiohead – The most remarkable thing about this follow-up to Hail to the Thief wasn’t that it was made available online or that you could pay whatever you wanted (though that was very cool). What’s remarkable is that it wasn’t a collection of throwaway B-sides and outtakes. In Rainbows is a great Radiohead record, one of their best. It still has the electronic atmospherics that have defined the last few outings, but it finally sounds like the rest of the band is having a good time, too. 4. From the Corner to the Block, Galactic – These guys have been around for a long time and have come to define a sound peculiar to New Orleans, a sort of funk/rock/jazz synthesis with hip-hop overtones. Whatever you want to call it, it has an undeniable groove. On this outing, the band has employed a series of guest vocalists, mostly hip-hop artists, many from New Orleans. It could have been a mess, but instead was my favorite hip-hop record of the year. Galactic sounds as funky as they ever have, and the collaborations sound both fresh and reminiscent of the best old-school hip-hop at the same time. The lyrical content about the plight of the city and its struggle to recover are both timely and timeless. 5. Wincing the Night Away, The Shins – This came out early in the year, and it could have been forgotten among all the great recent releases. But James Mercer and company still make beautiful music together. There’s not a song as instantly classic as “New Slang” to change your life, but as a whole, it’s a better album than either of its predecessors. 6. Magic, Bruce Springsteen – The Boss is on a roll. His output starting with The Rising has been both prolific and has happily included some of his best records. But nothing prepared me for how good Magic is. It’s the best collection of songs Bruce and the E Street Band have produced since Born in the USA. In time, I suspect I will grow to like it even more than that classic. 7. The Shepherd’s Dog, Iron & Wine – Sam Beam came back to the Iron & Wine moniker after doing some very fine work with Calexico to make a thing of great beauty. His eloquent writing and muted singing are backed up this time by a full band. The results are astounding—my favorite new-folk record since Sufjan Steven’s Illinois. 8. Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss – I was not expecting to even like this record. I love Alison Krauss, but I have to be honest and say that Led Zeppelin never did much for me. I mean, I dig “Kashmir” as much as the next rock fan, but Plant’s vocals always sounded too screechy for me and Bonham and Page are overrated. There, I said it. But Raising Sand is one of the happiest surprises of the year. T-Bone Burnett deserves a lot of credit for figuring out that these two people needed to come together to sing these great songs. I don’t care if Led Zeppelin reform or records again, but I hope Plant and Krauss find each other again soon. 9. We Were Dead before the Ship Even Sank, Modest Mouse – Fans of their earlier records may disagree, but Modest Mouse’s recent output has been astonishing. This was even better than Good News..., both in terms of material (“Dashboard” was a great single) and personnel (Johnny Marr’s guitar work is exquisite). 10. Icky Thump, White Stripes – After the experimental Get Behind Me, Satan, Jack and Meg decided to make the most straightforward rock record of their career. And the most fun. Adam M. Anklewicz (Technical Director) 1. New Magnetic Wonder, The Apples In Stereo 2. Ashtray Rock, Joel Plaskett Emergency 3. 100 Days, 100 Nights, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 4. Wall of Fire, Peter Elkas 5. The Boy With No Name, Travis 6. Sidelines of the City, Cuff The Duke 7. Salvation Blues, Mark Olson 8. New Seasons, The Sadies 9. Memoreaper, RickWhiteAlbum 10. Heavy Metal Sunset, Steve Singh Matt Conroy (Staff Contributor) 1. Marry Me, St. Vincent 2. In Rainbows, Radiohead 3. The Good, The Bad & The Queen, The Good, The Bad & The Queen 4. Wincing The Night Away, The Shins 5. Ash Wednesday, Elvis Perkins 6. Lady's Bridge, Richard Hawley 7. Armchair Apocrypha, Andrew Bird 8. Boxer, The National 9. At My Age, Nick Lowe 10. Neon Bible, The Arcade Fire Cari Crosby (Managing Editor) 1. Memory Almost Full, Paul McCartney 2. Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams 3. Revival, John Fogerty 4. Once soundtrack 5. Country Mouse, City House, Josh Rouse 6. Raising Sand, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss 7. I’m Not There soundtrack 8. 100 Days, 100 Nights, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings 9. Sky Blue Sky, Wilco 10. Back To Black, Amy Winehouse Page 1 2 3 |  |
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