Top Ten Music Releases of 2007

So before I jump into the more raw elements of life like church planting and my own emotional life stuff right now, I thought I would talk a little bit about the music I’ve been listening to lately. I’ve compiled my list of the top ten releases from this past year. I find it interesting to note that I can’t even call them the top ten CD’s from 2007 because every single one of them was purchase electronically to begin with. A few of them I eventually purchased on disc as well for the simple artifact of the thing. Indeed, I DID purchase them all…well sort of…..and I’ll get into that one. Most, I purchased on iTunes, but a few of them I purchased on smaller services such as Boomkat. So without any further prologue, here’s my list of top ten music releases of 2007.

10. The Fragile Army, by The Polyphonic Spree
This third release by the joyous and inventive band from Dallas, Texas is a continual journey in the evolution of the remaining Tripping Daisies. Their second album, “Together We’re Heavy” broke major ground for them, sonically, lyrically and critically. This third effort was a gutsy follow-up that proved to be very well deserving of the meat behind the pump. More mature sound, great music. By far, one of the best releases this year.

9. Music from the Motion Picture The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
Not only does this release have the longest title in recording history, it is also one of the most beautifully crafted soundtracks imaginable. For those who love Nick Cave, forget everything you think you know about it…almost. Everything except his dedication to excellent art and fabulous melody. Completely instrumental and sonically one of the most organic releases I have in heavy rotation, this collection of works represents some of the most understated music from a modern genius of songwriting.

8. Into the Wild, by Eddie Vedder
Okay, confession time. Lifelong Pearl Jam devotee and a total hetero-man-crush on Ed. This is another one of those quiet organic pieces of beauty in 1′s and 0′s. Ed’s voice is stronger than it’s been in years and his thoughtful lyrics are as powerful as Black ever thought of being. Clocking in at just a bit over 30 minutes, it was a tad short for my taste…but a short Eddie Vedder CD is better than NO Eddie Vedder CD, right?

7. The Missing Link, by Jeremy Enigk
Having blogged about this release on The REFINERY site, I don’t need to say much more about it other than the fact that it, too, is a stunning example of beauty and excellence in art. Jeremy’s music has always been extremely powerful since his days with Sunny Day Real Estate. This latest release is definitely deserving of a spot in the top ten of 2007. I originally downloaded it the day it was released on iTunes and soon after bought it on Amazon for the artwork. I would highly suggest purchasing the whole product.

6. Eat Me, Drink Me, by Marilyn Manson
Don’t worry. I’m not going to talk about the beauty and serenity this release. No, this release stood out to me for other reasons. Watching the Henry Rollins Show on IFC, I saw an interview with Manson who spoke of the tremendous transformation in his life that preceded this recording; his depression, his giving up on music altogether, his delving into painting and other artistic expression, then followed with a cathartic season of writing his first collection of songs that were truly introspective and proudly coming from a place of vulnerability. Of course, he still uses much of the same dark imagery and his schtick is fully intact, but these songs are full of hurt and honesty. Musically speaking, this recording is very much a throw back to a seventies David Bowie style basic rock. Drums, bass, and guitars primarily make up the musical landscape. It’s a rich project full of insight and depth. If the idea of hearing a Manson album doesn’t scare you or make you doubt your faith, try it out. I think you’ll be richly rewarded.

5. V is for Vagina, by Puscifer
This one will also throw you for a loop, but this recording was very important for several reasons. The complete brainchild of Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle, this release was long anticipated by MJK fans for years. It was a total departure from his normal fare of music and was a complete prodigy of his sense of sarcasm and cynicism. Yes, it has some vulgar material, so be warned. This is not one of those I think everyone should run out and purchase. However, it was an important release this year not only for artistic reasons, but because it was actually second in line of LARGE, global, mainstream artists doing their thing completely outside of the major label world. Keenan was one of those major label artists who decided to jump ship and go on his own and did it with startling success. This year marked a turn in the music industry. A turn that was long overdue.

4. Stateless, by Stateless
This is a new band I cannot say enough good about. I recently found them as I was wondering through Boomkat and was stunned within the first 30 seconds of the first song. I immediately purchased the release and have been quite pleased with it. This band’s hybrid of the piano driven, lilting vocal combination that is so characteristic of bands such as Radiohead, Coldplay and Keane, yet thrown in with trip-hop has an infectious quality to it that weaves you into their music and will not relent until the songs are finished. Go ye therefore and purchase this project. Do yourself and the world of terrible music a gigantic favor.

3. Year Zero, by Nine Inch Nails (Both the commercial release and the free, downloadable instrumental version which can be obtained through Trent Reznor’s new remix site.
This is another CD I reviewed earlier this year. It is also another one I originally purchased digitally, only to run out and by the physical copy as well. I won’t say much about it, since I already went on ad nauseum on The REFINERY review, but I will talk again about the tremendous boost this was to the newly reforming music industry. Shortly after Reznor announced that his contractual obligations were up, he went live with a community of independent artists who have been issuing remixes of his own music. This is not new to the music industry. What IS new is that Reznor also uploaded a TON of his OWN remixes (halo remixes as well) all for FREE download. Free. Among those were the entire Year Zero album with the vocals removed. So for free you could own the whole Year Zero CD as an instrumental. Hmmm…..I love this season in the music business.

2. In Rainbows, by Radiohead
This is the one that started it all. First, Radiohead are the masters at creating fabulous soundscapes and luscious aural plates of rhythm and harmony that just simply melt your mind and your soul. Their new, hotly anticipated release was everything I had been waiting on. The best part? The purchase price. FREE. Yep. You read that right. Radiohead were also finished with their contractual obligations to the money-grubbing big dogs and decided to go at it on their own. They released their album online with a nice little bonus. You get to pick the price. You pay what it’s worth to you. You click on the purchase icon and wait….the shopping cart generates an invoice with the price blank. When you click on it to fill it in, a pop-up appears that tells you to decide what you want to pay for it. That’s it. As an experiment, I filled it in with zeros. I wanted to pay nothing for it. Soon after, I got my confirmation email with directions on where to download it! For FREE! So I went back and redid the order and paid them $20 for the thing….just to thank them for giving it to me for free. Seek this out and purchase it if you can.

1. Dirt Farmer, by Levon Helm
This year marked the return of one of America’s most respected and acclaimed voices after a stunning 25 year silence. Levon Helm, the vocalist for Americana legends, The Band, came back to the forefront after a long battle with throat cancer, including 28 radiation treatments. CNN ran a very good piece on Helm and his return, and I would suggest anyone who loves music to go read this piece. Dirt Farmer first caught my ears because it also had the touch of two musicians I respect highly – Buddy and Julie Miller. I really can’t say much about this release other than the fact that this is one of the most honest, touching and gutsiest recordings I have to date. Check it out soon.

OTHER RELEASES THAT NEED TO BE MENTIONED:
Here’s a list of other releases I thought were important for one reason or another:
-Easy Tiger, by Ryan Adams
-Hvarf-Heim, by Sigur Ros
-Theology, by Sinead O’Connor
-The Ringing Bell, by Derek Webb