My Favorite Albums of 2007: A Post by Lord Bison (Part II)

So, yesterday I posted the first half of my “dissertation” on my favorite records of the year. Now I give you the rest:

6. Les Savy Fav – Let’s Stay Friends (Frenchkiss)

If they could package and sell the insanity and exuberance of a Les Savy Fav live show, the returns would surely be fast and great. Tim Harrington is a one-man wrecking crew, simultaneously entertaining and bamboozling any available on-looker into the sensation of a sweat-and-scream-induced hangover (read my own personal account here). For now, the recordings will have to suffice, and oh, do they ever. These Brooklyn art-punks have always been trendsetters, more willing to rebuff their own machinations than to embrace them; but here they seem—and sound—more comfortable in their shoes than ever before. The most intriguing aspect of the cheekily titled Let’s Stay Friends is the variety of chances these artists take throughout the record: Harrington’s poetic reflection over Syd Barret’s dub-inspired bass line in “Brace Yourself”; the surprisingly pleasant placement of horns during the chorus of “The Lowest Bitter”; the pop-inspired melodies of “Patty Lee” and “What Would Wolves Do?”; and the sentimental acoustics of “Comes & Goes”. The record is not without vintage Les Savy Fav, thankfully, as “The Equestrian” puts Seth Jabour’s brash guitar proudly on display, “The Year Before the Year 2000” would be right at home on 3/5, and Jabour’s swirling guitar combined with the thumping drum march of Harrison Haynes places “Slugs in the Shrubs” squarely in another category. I haven’t even mentioned “Raging in the Plague Age,” a decadent punk-disco jam fit for a king. These guys would know, after all.

5. The Cave Singers – Invitation Songs (Matador)

Seattle’s Cave Singers were essentially born out of the ashes of Pretty Girls Make Graves, and, to some degree, the Murder City Devils. The bassist in both of those bands was Derek Fudesco, and this time around, he’s plucking an acoustic guitar to help form some of the most compelling backcountry folk-rock this side of the Mississippi—or the other side for that matter. Various points of criticism have been directed towards the simplicity of the supposedly “ordinary” guitar parts he’s laying down. But to me, therein lies the beauty of the Cave Singers: he’s playing his guitar like he would his bass, and when paired with the oddly spellbinding vocals of Pete Quirk and the sparse brush-drumming (brumming?) of Marty Lund, the results are refreshingly authentic and heartfelt. After hearing songs like “Called” or “New Monuments” one might label it gothic or ghostly, but swaying in the breeze to album opener “Seeds of Night”, road-tripping to “Helen”, or hippy-jiving to crowd-pleaser “Dancing On Our Graves”, the album feels decidedly uplifting and alarmingly familiar all at the same time.

4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Baby 81 (RCA)

Named for an unidentified infant survivor of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the fourth album from California’s BRMC is probably the worst of their catalogue, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t successful. A guitar-driven (what else?), leather-clad adventure that melds the methods of all three previous albums, Baby 81 saw the musicianship of the three founding members take a step forward. Multi-instrumentalist Robert Levon Been continues to pen poignant, thought-provoking lyrics (“Window”, “Lien on Your Dreams”), while most-times guitarist Peter Hayes significantly improves on his own vocals (“Killing the Light”, “Am I Only”). The return of drummer Nick Jago signaled a restoration of their earlier, more straightforward roots, while still allowing the group to progress as a whole. Guitar aficionados can’t deny the perfectionism of tunes like “American X” and “Took Out a Loan,” while “Berlin” and “Need Some Air” are bona fide hits.

3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Is Is EP (Dress Up/Fiction)

Answer me this: is there a more underrated guitarist in the land than Nick-fucking-Zinner? It seems like whenever a conversation or list is made of first rate guitarists, this poor little guy is left out of the mix (seriously, he can’t possibly weigh more than 100 lbs.—ok maybe he can, but…). Yet album-in, album-out, he has remained the musical muscle behind the meteoric success of NYC’s Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Recorded between Fever to Tell and Show Your Bones, and amidst a modestly publicized intra-band quarrel, this brief 5-song tour de force exposes the best that the rowdy threesome have been, are now, and may become—provided they still like each other enough to keep at it. Much, of course, has been made of the stage-goddess Karen O, her unflinchingly raw live theatrics sexed up with visceral and provocative lyrics; here she channels the spit fire tactics of Fever more so than the vulnerable exposition often found on Bones. And lest we forget the underexposed middle child of the group, drummer Brian Chase is up to the musical challenge. Throughout each song, Zinner continually hurls his sonic tornadoes in the face of Chase, while the drummer is more than happy to trade blows using his own pummeling authority. No lowlights here, all 5 cuts are unquestionably staggering.

2. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver (DFA/EMI)

To be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to LCD’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut. Sure, I heard the singles, the hits; probably even danced to them a few times, as I am wont to do. But for some reason I just didn’t latch onto it. But upon hearing the even MORE critically acclaimed Sound of Silver, the sound was inescapable and I knew it was a record I had to have. The unexpectedness of James Murphy’s regular-guy look has done nothing to diminish his stronghold on the East Coast dance-punk-funk scene (nor should it), first as producer and now as the crooning raconteur band leader. Most groupies will get goopy about fashionable tracks such as “North American Scum” and “Get Innocuous!”, and rightly so—this is second on my list, after all. But the real gem for me was the second-half troika of “All My Friends”, “Us v Them”, and “Watch the Tapes.” I mean, c’mon, the cowbell on “Us” is absolutely ridiculous, “Friends” makes you want to cry while dancing, and “Tapes” is shout-out-loud brilliant. Seeing them open for Arcade Fire was a 2007 highlight, musical or otherwise.

1. Interpol – Our Love to Admire (Capitol)

My love affair (and it has been just that) with this New York quartet has always been a bit odd, particularly following a record release. Let me explain: excluding the extraordinary debut Turn on the Bright Lights, for the past two albums—the seminal Antics and its remarkable follow-up, Our Love to Admire—I’ve come away from the first few listens decidedly unimpressed. Each time, there was just something about the music that didn’t sit right, didn’t live up to the promise of its predecessor. Then, just as soon as I had finished blathering on how the future dividends of the previous record will never be realized, a switch is abruptly flipped. I’m turned on. I can’t stop listening. And the questionable record that I’d been questioning becomes one of the most beautiful, mystifying, musical encounters I’ve ever experienced. Go ahead, roll your eyes. Most music snobs refer to Interpol as Joy Division rip-offs, (which might just be the laziest criticism used this side of the BRMC/J&MC comparison), when really all they have in common is a baritone vocalist and an absurdly good bassist. I will always be partial to Antics, but opener “Pioneer to the Falls” may be one of the best songs Interpol has written to date, while the jauntier “The Heinrich Maneuver” furthers Paul Banks’ obsession with heartbreak. The driving tempos of “Mammoth” earned me a speeding ticket a few months ago, and “Rest My Chemistry”, “All Fired Up”, and “The Scale” solidified the group’s ambition to grow. Without a doubt, my favorite album of 2007.

What—you thought I was done? Who could forget the Honorable Mentions? 

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Merge)
Win Butler goes all Springsteen on our asses.
 

The Shins – Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)
Portland pop poets try on a new electric shoe. Sort of.

Panda Bear – Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
Animal Collective animal does Brian Wilson one better.

Caribou – Andorra (Merge)
Make sure you have a pipe handy for this one.

Tiny Vipers – Hands Across the Void (Sub Pop)
Local girl makes ghost-folk cool again.

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