Friday, December 7, 2007

Come On Boys, Let's Make Some Noise.

So here they are, my favourite CDs of '07 in a dependant clause or less (don't act like you're not impressed...)



1. The Films - Don't Dance Rattlesnake
Winning Track: “Call It Off”
Upbeat dancey rock for fans of the Strokes.



2. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
Winning Track: “The Bad Thing”
For people who got pleasantly stressed out listening to the brilliant chaos that was “Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not...”



3. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Winning Track: “My Party”
Not a match for “Aha Shake Heartbreak” or “Youth and Young Manhood,” but a different and exciting [cough, more stadium] Kings sound.



4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Winning Track: “Intervention”
Innovative, fun and thoughtful, as expected.



5. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Winning Track: “Cigarettes, Wedding Bells”
Chill and pretty, perfect for relaxing and driving at night.



6. The Virgins - The Virgins EP 07
Winning Track: “One Week of Danger”
If you’ve ever wished that the Strokes would take Andy Gibb in, the Virgins are the band for you.



7. Rilo Kiley - Under the Black Light
Winning Track: “Close Call”
Much less eccentric than previous Rilo albums, but elegant and original.



8. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Winning Track: “Turn On Me”
You expected clever lyrics, dreamlike dancey music and a dash of self pity; the Shins delivered.



9. Interpol - Our Love To Admire
Winning Track: “No I In Threesome”
The most refined Interpol album yet.



10. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Winning Track: “Lover”
For those freak folk loving modern day hippies.

And this year was definitely my best EVER for concerts. Check out all these that I went to:
- Justin Timberlake + Pink

- John Mayer + Matt Kearney

- Pete Yorn

- High School Musical the Concert (shush, i've got a kid sister)

- Peter Bjorn and John + Au Revoir Simone

- Bright Eyes

- Kings of Leon!!

- Interpol

- The Fratellis + Switches

- Mickey Avalon, Dirt Nasty and Andre Legacy

- Arctic Monkeys + Voxtrot

- Arcade Fire + LCD Soundsystem

ahh i hope next year is as good as this year was!

Also, i've been tagged by the lovely Modern Marie to share seven facts about myself, so here they are in case you're interested.

1. If you coudn't already tell, I am ridiculously obsessed with music. I have enough songs on my iTunes library to listen to for ten days straight, sans repeats. I've probably got at least 100 cds, not including what I've bought and downloaded. I lovelovelove going to shows, it doesn't even really matter if i like the band that much, I just love the atmosphere. And yes, I'm one of those that knows everything about every band I like, or at least I try to :]

2. I really like to write. Well, I guess this is also semi-obvious because I've got a blog and whatnot. But I also write for my school magazine, the Verve. I've written some pretty cool stuff, I guess you could say. And I've interviewed some awesome bands, like House of Heroes and the Slide Machine. I'm not really that big into creative writing, I do like some realistic fiction though when I can get a good plot created in my head. Usually that takes a lot of work, haha.

3. I have an unhealthy addiction to Urban Outfitters. At least 75% of all of my paychecks go there, I should really just ask them if they'd consider a direct deposit system for me... I try to make a trip at least twice a month, which is both good and bad. Good because I see the new stuff right when they put it out, bad because eventually I run out of money, and sometimes I buy stuff I don't like just because I feel like maybe it would look cool on somebody sometime.

4. I LOVE to read. Seriously. My favorite ones are the classics that we end up reading in english class... My very favorite is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, but we're currently reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Brönte, which I'm also quite fond of already. I also adore The Scarlet Letter, and The Catcher in the Rye. On my list of more modern junk are Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn, Audrey, Wait! (which comes out in April, look for it!), Gossip Girl, Harry Potter, and High Fidelity.

5.
The only place I spend enough time in to even be considered my second home is Starbucks. I go there at least twice a week and just sit and hang out with people for like hours at a time. My favorite thing in the world is the simple non-fat, no-whip Mocha, but this christmas i'm a big fan of the peppermint Hot Chocolate, and Vanilla Lattes and Caramel Macchiatos are a good time as well. Plus, I always leave smelling like good coffee :]

6. I'm kind of obsessed with that whole L.A. Pop Culture thing, like The Cobra Snake and Cory Kennedy and Sarah Morrison (despite the fact that she moved to Philly, oh well.) and the club scene and MICKEY AVALON... you get the picture. I read Nylon and check the Cobra Snake obsessively to keep up on that junk, and I wear my Mickey Ave tshirt weekly... well... triweekly perhaps, but I met him once, and I'm sure when I look back on my life 90 years from now that will be one of the highlights.

7. I like TV and Movies a considerable amount, obviously, who doesn't? I don't really watch that much TV, but I need my Office fix at least a few times a week (thank god for season DVDs) and Gossip Girl. Movie wise, I could watch Almost Famous on repeat for the rest of my life and not complain.... and Josie and the Pussycats, but dont tell anyone about that! haha. But my very FAVORITE television show of the moment is The Mighty Boosh, which we don't get in America, so i've gotta watch it on the internet every day, which I would highly recommend to you, too! If you're anything like me, you'll be searching for Vince Noir Love facebook groups the second the first episode is finished.

and for those of you that iiiiii am going to tag:
-PlainJayne
-Tango Pirates and Absinthe
-Fashion Smashion
-10.17
-Ashcan Rantings

cheers to you if you actually read all that, adios!

10 comments:

Unknown said...

I LOVE Under the Blacklight, I have it on nonstop repeat. Yay, I enjoy taggage!

discotheque confusion said...

I would like to say "I read it!" with my hand waving in the air like a schoolchild.

You certainly know your stuff when it comes to music. I'll be sure to find out about the Films as I love the Strokes.

Great top albums though, very to my taste.

Anonymous said...

oooo you have an awesome taste in music, i'm asking for band of horses for xmas and i love favourite worst nightmare (505!) and under the blacklight (close call is addicting) though you're right its less quirky than early rilo, but at least jenny's voice is at full blast! :) i'm am soo freakin jealous of all of the concerts you've been to! gah- the fratellis, arctic, peter borjn, who was the best? worst?

we sound identical with our 7 things- mochas are the best, i love gossip girl, gatsby and scarlet letter are brilliant, creative writing is occasionally fun haha, and urban outfitters is a problem for me haha. i've already been tagged, but hell i may just do it again!

swisslet said...

I saw the Kings of Leon last night actually, and they were very good. I'm not sure that the last album is their best album, but each of the three sounds a bit different, and they all work very well live. For some reason, it was "The Bucket" that brought the house down, but of the new stuff, I much preferred the skuzzy sound of "My Party" and you can't go far wrong with "Molly's Chambers" can you?

Interesting list of the year. I don't even know where to begin with mine. I can't even remember what I've bought or what came out this year. Most listened album for me is certainly "Our Earthly Pleasures" by Maximo Park though. Good band.

Incidentally, I was a bit disappointed with "The Great Gatsby". Not a patch on Steinbeck, I thought. Have you read any Paul Auster? I love his stuff - "The Music of Chance", "New York Trilogy" or "In the Country of the Last Things" are all excellent.

ST

swisslet said...

oh, I love live music, and I love to hear what other people have been seeing and what they think. My giglist is here if you're interested.

ST

Rebecca, A Clothes Horse said...

Great facts. I like how so many bloggers are writers and readers--ah my second family! I must concur with the rest as well, good music taste.

WendyB said...

Wuthering Heights is a great book!

swisslet said...

(in response to your comment elsewhere):

Razorlight - decent, but a bit lightweight if you ask me.

Devendra - well, he's a law unto himself, so when he was in town here, how could I not go and see him?

Editors - definitely go and see them. I like their first album a lot more than their last, but they're an interesting band for sure.

KoL - I'm with you. I think their sound has progressed with each album, but the first is still the best!

Nottingham's a good place for gigs - venues of lots of different sizes from an arena down (and actually we have a couple of stadium too, but they're not used much). How's it in Ohio? You don't seem to be doing too badly. I wouldn't be able to get Arctic Monkeys tickets here for love nor money now (so good job I saw them playing at Glastonbury really).

ST

Lauren said...

love love love under the blacklight and the reminder! awesome list!

love your 7!

molly said...

ooooh thanks for tagging me!
you saw the arctic monkeys with voxtrot??? lucky
when i saw them they had a local band that wasnt that great
STILL i shant complain, the show was fantastic