Killing – The Apples - this was great live – they’re an Israeli funk band (?!) who cover classic indie disco track Killing in the Name Of; I first heard the track on Craig Charles’ show on 6 Music.*
All My Friends – LCD Soundsystem - a soaring, extraordinary Krautrock-y tune based on one piano note repeated the whole way through. The lyrics too are superb and evocative – So here we go, like a salesforce into the night
It’s from my favourite album of the year - Sound of Silver – and was one of several of my favourite tunes of 07 that was excellent live at the ‘dance’ day of the Leeds Wireless Festival (see also Mark Ronson and Daft Punk below).
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all my friends
*
No Cars Go – The Arcade Fire - although their 2007 Neon Bible album wasn’t quite as good as Funeral, No Cars Go is pretty amazing – especially the enormous orchestral ending, which makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up every time I hear it. Live it was good too, with weird visuals behind the band (of 1920s swimmers doing breathing exercises?) during the track.no cars go
*
Going to a Town – Rufus Wainwright - if you’d told me at the start of the year that I’d be big on Rufus, I’d have laughed my head off. But this is just one of many wonderful songs from Release The Stars. I’m not sure whether I’ll get around to buying Rufus Does Judy Live At Carnegie Hall (Live) though I do hear good things about it. However, if my mum gets any keener on his stuff, I’ll have to change my mind again about the man. *
Stop Me – Mark Ronson - another great track from the Wireless Festival, in amongst a great live set. Although I found the album a bit iffy, live him and his band were great – getting the females in the audience dancing (which in turn of course gets all the males dancing), and playing a “block party” classic like Apache. I might also have been the only sad-act in the pre-show audience to notice the vocalist Daniel Merriweather walking past us. It amuses me a bit that the song can sound so funky, and yet so serious, when it contains classic comical Morrissey lyrics like:I crashed down on the crossbar
And the pain was enough to make
A shy, bald, Buddhist reflect
And plan a mass murder
*
It Will Find You – Maps – I always thought I’d like Maps judging on what I’d heard about them – that they incorporated elements of Spacemen 3 and shoegazing. I’m still not sure they’re entirely my cup of tea but this track is rather excellent.it will find you
*
Dead Sound – The Raveonettes – after just one listen on the radio I was hooked on this. The band’s been around for a while, they look terrible, but the track and new album is fantastic in terms of their influences (again Spacemen 3… but also Suicide and The Jesus and Mary Chain).dead sound
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Ready For The Floor (Soulwax Dub) – Hot Chip – this mix sounds even better than the single version due next month, with the album to follow in February (when I’m seeing them live – can’t wait).*
Battle Scars – The Chemical Brothers - who’d have thought the Chemical Brothers had another decent album in them? It’s their best one for ages, and I love this impending-doomy-sounding tune in particular, sung by Willy Mason.*
Burning – The Whitest Boy Alive – this track is similar, and makes a nice alternative, to Young Folks (which was OK in itself but didn’t blow me away). The singer in the band is [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlend_Oye] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erlend_Oye]Erlend Øye, who for a while has been involved in a few musical things I’ve been interested in.burning
*
Jigsaw Falling Into Place – Radiohead – from probably their finest album In Rainbows – with a great video by Adam Buxton. I’ve never been that much of a fan of the band but I’m more than getting there.* Human After All / Together / One More Time(Reprise) / Music Sounds Better With You - Daft Punk – again from the Wireless Festival, the Daft Punk set was unquestionably my gig of the year. This track, recorded live a few days before we saw them, was the encore to a mad set - where we watched Daft Punk, in groovy robot suits and standing on top of a pyramid, churn out a superb megamix (since when were megamixes cool?!) of all their finest tunes. The cheer at the end is when the lights go out, and their suits glow bright orange in the dark.
* Atlas – Battles – this sounds like nothing else on the planet – like a glam rock band with malevolent Ewok singers. I’m slowly getting into the album, though it’s tough going.
atlas
* (Antichrist Television Blues) – Arcade Fire – my 14 tracks have to conclude with the screeching halt at the end of this track, which sounds (probably on purpose) like the end of the world. I’m not much of a Bruce Springsteen fan but, judging how influenced this is by him, maybe I should be.
During the year the other gig highlights I’ve so far not mentioned included: Ian Brown (worth it merely for
I Am the Resurrection and I Wanna Be Adored), Prince (a favour for my wife; Prince was good though – unquestionably the new James Brown - despite us being seated several miles away from the stage at the Dome), Janek Schaefer, The Sunshine Underground (the 3rd time I’ve seen them live, and they’re playing bigger venues each time), Justin Timberlake (another favour for my wife), and The Wedding Present (where they played George Best in its entirety – the 1st time I’ve been to one of these type of gigs – and I felt like the youngest person there).Producing poor follow ups were: Air, Björk (though I might change my mind), Bloc Party (though
Flux was OK), British Sea Power (though I’m looking forward to the new album, ditto The Young Knives), Editors, The Killers, and Klaxons.Also during the year I had brief flirtations (until I came to my senses) with The Bees, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, The Cribs, The Enemy, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, The Gossip, Calvin Harris, Mika, Kate Nash, The Pigeon Detectives, The Rakes, Reverend and The Makers, and The Wombats.
And finally, tracks I wish had been released in 07, which I’ve only this year gotten into, mostly included tunes I heard on a rather pleasant boys weekend in Ibiza, including:
Mouth To Mouth, Intergalactic (Body in the Thames July 4th Tivoli Edit), Banquet (Boys Noize Vox Mix), In white rooms, Just Can't Get Enough (Dirty South Mix), and Martyr (Booka Shade Full Vocal Mix Edit).So 2007 wasn’t too bad a year, music-wise. Let me know what you think of my list. Here’s to 2008!
