Blogs

This is the last year-in-review type thing this blog is running. And it's a good one. Thanks to all who submitted, and best of luck in 2008. Over to you, Tec.

Tiny Tim (aka Tec)’s Highly Biased* List of 10 Most Favorite and Least Favorite Local Music Related Stuff of 2007

Best Song That Has Never Been (and Almost Assuredly Never Will Be) Recorded: Whiskey Boots’ “Snake Eyes”
Holy fuck I love that song. Excuse me while I pout.

Best Reunion Show: Sister Mary Rotten Crotch at the Record Bar
Even if you were never into the punk thing, when Liz Nord grabs her crotch, you can’t help but feel it.

Most Overrated Band: The Republic Tigers
I’m not saying I hate them or anything, but I feel a bit as though they have been shoved down my throat and up my ass at the same time, which (contrary to what the bathroom stall at Davey’s says) I do not enjoy.

Most Improved Band (Possibly in History): It’s Over
The first year they played together was bad. Really bad. Deserving-of-only-playing-shows-at-Benders bad. Then they magically became awesome. Super-awesome, even. Did they sell their souls to the devil? If so… good move, boys.

Best Show No One Saw: Experimental Instrument Orchestra with D.W. Box and Aaron Martin at the Pistol
The first of what will hopefully be many “Pistol Sessions.” The entire show was recorded with all the fantastic acoustics and environmental noise of the Pistol.

Best Awesome Moment at a Show No One Saw: e.i.o., at the above mentioned show
They invited the audience to come up and play their homemade instruments. All but a dude that was passed out cold and one couple that was having trouble getting the sticks out of their asses obliged. At one amazing point, they were playing a pretty great jam while the actual members of e.i.o. sipped their beers and watched the show. It was beautiful, I swear.

Best Criminally Ill-Attended Festival: Crossroads Music Festival
Incredible line-up, awesome venue, reasonable price… where the hell were you people?

Best Fusion of Music and Art: American Catastrophe and Hector Casanova at the Record Bar
AmCat performed their always dark and stunning set while the brilliant Hector painted a huge backlit sheet behind the band. It was creepy and beautiful and awesome.

Live Mural for American Catastrophe

Best Benefit: The “Glenefit” at Davey’s
The show to help pay for Gaslights’ drummer Glen Hockemeier’s wrist surgery was so much fun, and the tasty treats sold by the Kansas City Music Ladies Auxilliary Commission were so good, I forgot I was helping somebody and reveled in my selfish hedonism. Yay hedonism! And oh, yeah – Yay Glen’s fully functional wrist!

Best Moment In Music Writing: Jason Harper Eating A Cat Treat… and Writing About It.
Mmm, salmon. Sucker!

---
*Because I'm dating a hot chick who's in American Catastrophe, Whiskey Boots, E.I.O. and Sister Mary Rotten Crotch, to name a few.

After helping promote Bowie by Keenan Duffty, Kansas Citian Harley Sears became manager for St. Louis musician Kristeen Young, who toured with Morrissey earlier this year. Here's what homeboy dug in '07, which is ABOUT TO BE OVER WOOO!!!.

Harley (center) with Kristeen Young (right) and Baby Jeff White.

Nicholas Megalis, The Holder
Semi Precious Weapons, Time Zones
Mary Cigarettes, Keep Your Powder Dry
Morrissey, "All You Need Is Me"
Glasvegas, Daddy's Gone
Slinky Vagabond, Glitterbug
Jonny Chan, All About Me
Kristeen Young, Kill The Father
The Eons, Kosmonot
The Charlatans, You Cross My Path

Annie Zaleski, music critic at the Riverfront Times in St. Louis, had this to contribute to our year-end discussions.

Ten Albums I Liked This Year, in No Particular Order
maximo park, our earthly pleasures
idlewild, make another world
the national, boxer
the twilight sad, fourteen autumns and fifteen winters
lcd soundsystem, sound of silver
airiel, the battle of sealand
jon hardy and the public, working in love
rilo kiley, under the black light
a sunny day in glasgow, scribble mural comic journal
band of horses, cease to begin

Six More Albums I Liked Quite a Bit
Fall Out Boy, infinity on high
Bat for Lashes, fur and gold
Modest Mouse, we were dead before the ship even sank
Pinback, Autumn of the Seraphs
Blonde Redhead, 23
New Young Pony Club, Fantastic Playroom

Five Albums Everyone Loves That I Totally Spaced On in 2007
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, 100 days, 100 nights
Feist, The Reminder
The Field, From Here We Go Sublime
MIA, Kala
Miranda Lambert, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Top Ten Songs I Liked This Year, in No Particular Order
Mew "Am I Wry? No"
silversun pickups "Lazy Eye"
queens of the stone age, "Sick Sick Sick"
the ponys, "1209 seminary"
timbaland ft. keri hilson, "The Way I Are"
justin timberlake, "Summer Love"
Fields, "Charming the Flames"
Winterkids, "Tape It"
scotland yard gospel choir, "I Never thought i could feel this way for a boy"
Battles "Atlas"

Mr. Grant Snider's list, comments ... and portrait.

I don't want my Best of 2007 list to imply that I've heard every single album and formed my own unbiased opinion about it. Therefore, I've included two categories: a list of albums I've listened to completely, thoroughly, and repeatedly, and a list of albums I've heard very promising pieces of, e.g., the songs that are on MySpace. For my second list, I've extrapolated from a handful of songs and drawn the conclusion, "Given the financial means to buy or the effort to download illegally, this album would be pretty damn good."


Best Albums of 2007, List 1

LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver - The best album of the year.

Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha - Andrew Bird's performance complemented Wilco's when he opened for them at the Crossroads. However, Armchair Apocrypha makes Sky Blue Sky look embarrassing.

Radiohead, In Rainbows - Radiohead is way overrated. I love them.

The Shout Out Louds, Our Ill Wills - Critics say this Swedish band sounds like The Cure. I'm too young to remember what The Cure sounded like - except for that song 311 covered.

Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - So clean and blue-eyed-soulful, I have to tuck in my shirt to listen to it.

Okkervil River, The Stage Names

Jens Lekman, Night Falls on Kortedala

Lewis and Clarke, Blasts of Holy Birth

Best Albums of 2007, List 2

Against Me!, New Wave - I'll forgive the fact that they played on the Warped Tour.

Fourth of July, Fourth of July on the Plains - Now no one can complain that I didn't include a local act.

Wu-Tang Clan, 8 Diagrams - Not sure if it contains a posthumous verse from ODB.

Deerhoof, Friend Opportunity - I can't listen to Deerhoof without picturing Yoko Ono.

The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour

The Bowerbirds, Hymns for a Dark Horse

The National, Boxer

Aesop Rock, None Shall Pass

Once, Original Soundtrack

Andrew Miller is the archbishop of Kansas City music critics. His cat is the duke. Here's what they liked this year.

METAL-ONLY BIN

10. Dillinger Escape Plan, Ire Works (Relapse)
9. Death Breath, Let It Stink (Relapse)
8. Pig Destroyer, Phantom Limb (Relapse)
7. Xasthur, Defective Epitaph (Hydra Head)
6. Machine Head, The Blackening (Roadrunner)
5. Baroness, Red Album (Relapse)
4. Yakuza, Transmutations (Prosthetic)
3. Wolves in the Throne Room, Two Hunters (Southern Lord)
2. Horse The Band, A Natural Death (Koch)
1. Between the Buried and Me, Colors (Victory)

FRESH FEMALE VOICES

10. Arch Enemy, Rise of the Tyrant (Century Media)
9. Feist, The Reminder (Cherry Tree)
8. Dri, Smoke Rings (Range Life)
7. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone)
6. Charlotte Gainsbourg, 5:55 (Vice)
5. Tiny Vipers, Hands Across the Void (Sub Pop)
4. Bat for Lashes, Fur and Gold (Caroline)
3. Electrelane, No Shouts, No Calls (Too Pure/Beggars)
2. Shannon Wright, Let in the Light (Quarter Stick)
1. Amy Winehouse, Back to Black (Republic)

HEAD EXPLODERS (Prog, Experimental, Noise, Instrumental, Epic, etc.)

10. Jesu, Conqueror (Hydra Head)
9. Sigur Ros, Hvarf/Heim (XL)
8. Isis, In the Absence of Truth (Ipecac)
7. Gonzales, Solo Piano (Sunny Side)
6. Grails, Burning Off Impurities (Temporary Residence)
5. Battles, Mirrored (Warp)
4. Black Dice, Load Blown (Paw Tracks)
3. Explosions in the Sky, All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence)
2. Minsk, The Ritual Fires of Abandonment (Relapse)
1. Hrsta, Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes (Constellation)

TOP 10 LOCAL SONGS

10. Carmine Red “Orchid”
9. Ghosty “A Good Customer”
8. White Flight “Deathhands” (Superargo Remix)
7. Anti-Crew “Keep Talkin’”
6. Minus Story “Come into My Arms”
5. 4th of July “Bad Dreams Are Only Dreams”
4. Republic Tigers “The Drums”
3. Mac Lethal “Rotten Apple Pie”
2. Dri “Smoke Rings”
1. Pendergast “Almighty Dollar”

Oz McGuire was one of KC's most popular eclectic-spinning DJs before moving to San Francisco last year. Tonight, Dec. 27, Oz returns with his brother Joe, aka Pleasuremaker, to drop the grooves at Nara (1617 Main St) from 10 p.m. to close as guests of DJ Kiko De Gallo. Oz and Joe are also playing tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 28, at the Eighth Street Tap Room in Lawrence. Included with Oz's lists below are some live DJ sets and exclusive Pleasuremaker cuts -- Joe's got a live afrobeat-style band that's making waves out in SF, as we knew he would.

Oz Top Ten-ish list of 2007 in no order:

Casbah 73 - Pushin' 40 (Hi Top)
DJ Bitman - Latin Biman (Nacional)
Balkan Beat Box - Nu Med ( Jdub records/Crammed Discs)
Pimps of Joytime - High Steppin (Wonderwheel)
Zeb - Stop the Earth, I Want to Get Off! (Wonderwheel)
Chico Mann - Manifest Tone (Kindred Spirits)
Gecko Turner - "AfroBeatNik (Seiji Remix)" - (Quango)
Sharon Jones - "How Long Do I Have to Wait (Ticklah Remix)" - (Scion)
Hot 8 Brass Band - Rock with the Hot 8 - (Tru Thoughts)
Pinker Tones - More Colours! Million Color Revolution Revisited (Nacional)

Reissues:

Numero Label - Everything they touch is gold, and they are including remixes on the vinyl reissues.
Fania - The Louie Vega re-edit of his uncle, Hector Lavoe's cut "Mi Gente" was a stomper.

Dancefloor Burners (Tops from my DJ sets):

Orgone - "It's What You Do," from The Killion Floor (Ubiquity) [This was the cut I played out the most and got the most response from.]
Beatfanatic - "African Rockers"
AIFF - "The Seduction"
Wunmi - "Keep it Rockin'"
Ohmega Watts - "Platypus Strut"
Pleasuremaker - "Watch Dem Die" MP3

ZShare: Oz and Pleasuremaker Live at the Elbo Room, San Fransico LINK
ZShare: Señor Oz Live at B Bar LINK

Bonus Track: Pleasuremaker, "A Dream of Peace" MP3

Resident Pitch cartoon-maker Josh Ziegler submitted his list today, with the following additional comments.

My list of music of 2007. Yeah, yeah, I know, it's popular acts. So sue me. I thought the local music this year was pretty bland. I'm still cool, right?

And I counted two for Radiohead because their B-sides that came with the deluxe discbox was separate.

Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
Radiohead, In Rainbows & In Rainbows B-Sides
Band of Horses, Cease to Begin
Bright Eyes, Cassadaga
Rilo Kiley, Under the Blacklight
The Shins, Wincing the Night Away
Feist, The Reminder
Lily Allen, Alright, Still

Our Best Online Radio Personality, Chronic the Hedgehog of Pop Free Radio, thinks you should know about the following.

Top 14 Songs from Local Artists That Played On Popfreeradio.com in 2007
(even if the songs are older)

14. Change Me - Kill.Pop
13. Convict's Lullabye - Select Five
12. Liking You - Pedaljets
11. 10,000 Black Eyes - National Fire Theory
10. I Wish I Believed - Rockesh
9. Be Still, Be Cool - Abracadabras
8. One In A Million - The Belated
7. The Scramble - Shudder
6. Examples Of The Cataclysmic - Walter Alias
5. The Badge - The Architects
4. Corporate's Ladder - Tripp Algiers
3. Back Burner - Caesura 2012
2. Road To Omaha - Distance To Empty
1. Made Concrete - The Republic Tigers

Top 10 Local Bands to See Live, as Voted by Popfreeradio.com Staff

10. Caesura 2012
9. Blackpool Lights
8. New Amsterdams
7. The Architects
6. Reggie And The Full Effect
5. Action Figure
4. Last Of the V8s
3. National Fire Theory
2. Shudder
1. Select Five

Top 10 National Releases with Songs That Aired On Popfreeradio.com in 2007:

10. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
9. Silver Sun Pickups - Pikul
8. Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead
7. LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
6. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
5. !!! - Myth Takes
4. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - Living With The Living
3. Pinback - Autumn Of The Seraphs
2. The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine (2006)
1. Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8

John Hulston, owner of Anodyne Records (home to the Architects, Roman Numerals, Meat Puppets et al), sent in his list, too. Find out below how to join in on the listmania fun.

The Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar)
Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends (French Kiss)
Sunburned Hand of the Man - Fire Escape (Smalltown Supersound)
Karen Dalton - Cotton Eyed Joe (Delmore Recordings)
The Sterns - Sinners Stick Together (Omnirox)
Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover (Jagjaguwar)
Various Artists - First Blood (OxBlood)
Drakes Hotel - Tell Me Everything (Reverb)

And of course..
Meat Puppets - Rise to Your Knees (Anodyne)
The Hearers - Flowers and Flames EP (Anodyne)

GOT A LIST, HOMIE?
Send your list of favorites, least favorites, etc. of 2007 to Jason.Harper@pitch.com, Re: Peep My List. We'll be publishing lists from just about anyone -- at editor's discretion -- through the first week of January. Please include a photo of either yourself or something that illustrates your list in some way. Best of 2007 albums lists should contain at least 10 items in order to be considered for publication.

By MEGAN METZGER

13 Records I Like That Came Out in 2K7:
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings: 100 Days, 100 Nights
Various Artists: A Date with John Waters
ESG: A South Bronx Story, Vol. II
Jay Reatard: Blood Visions
The Capstan Shafts: Environ Maiden
LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver
Wire: Read and Burn EP
Field Music: Tones of Town
Les Savy Fav: Let's Stay Friends
MIA: Kala
Shout Out Louds: Our Ill Wills
Low: Drums and Guns
Republic Tigers: The Republic Tigers EP

Nine Concerts I Attended in 2K7 in the Kansas City Area That Didn't Suck Ass:
Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem at Starlight
Meatpuppets & the Hearers at the Record Bar
Battles at the Record Bar
Radio Birdman at the Record Bar
TV on the Radio at the VooDoo Lounge
Flaming Lips at the Uptown
Morrissey at the Uptown
Erasure at the Uptown

Four Trends I Hope Not to See Continue in 2008:

More

By BEN WESTHOFF

1. Worst Album: Arcade Fire, Neon Bible

This cerebral garbage entertained about 100 people, none of whom didn’t either live in Canada or work as a music critic. Speaking of critics, it’s hard to agree with Sasha Frere-Jones about anything, but he was right that Arcade Fire lacks soul. This is true in both the musical and metaphysical senses.

2. Worst Single: Bow Wow & Omarion, “Girlfriend”

Worse than Avril Lavigne’s “Girlfriend” and much worse than ‘N Sync’s “Girlfriend,” this slow, pandering drivel is the kind of thing that makes you wish Bow was still a pup and Omarion was still with B2K.

3. Worst Wu-Tang Clan Song: “Sunlight.”

Wu’s new album is amazing, and I support RZA’s production on it, but on “Sunlight” he falls off the deep end. And as you play all day like the grasshopper who work and toil like armies of ants carrying stones of soil, he chants in a series of run-on sentences, building a home for themselves and storing food. At night we praise Allah and adore the moon in sync like the flow of the Nile, the growth of a child. Cool!

4. Worst Concert: White Williams

White Williams tries his hardest to avoid melody in his songs, and in his concerts he tries his hardest to avoid playing music. This was the case, at least, at his December 10 show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, in which Williams’ inane, hipster banter dominated the set. During long pauses between songs, we were treated to views of (what I believe was) his MySpace page.

More

Top 10 Records for 2007 by Billy Smith of Roman Numerals, Olympic Size and DJ Say10 fame.

Von Sudenfed, Tromatic Reflexxions (Domino)

LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver (DFA)

Battles, Mirrored (Warp)

Cornelius, Sensuous (Ever Loving)

Angels of Light, We Are Him (Young God)

Earth, Hibernaculum (Southern Lord)

Efterklang, Parades (Leaf)

Republic Tigers, S/T EP (Chop Shop)

Chromatics, Night Drive (Italians Do it Better)

Various Artists, Brazil 70: After Tropicalia -- New Directions in Brazilian Music in the 1970's (Soul Jazz)

More

By NADIA PFLAUM

Here, in no real order, are the ten songs of this year that make me want to cut off my face:

Gym Class Heroes, “Cupid’s Chokehold.” Their “sample” of Supertramp was actually just wholesale theft of a good chorus, plus rewritten lyrics so repugnant that I bet they actually penned them themselves.

J. Holiday, “Bed.” It’s not because of the chorus that sounds like he’s crying. It’s these lines, spoken to a girl: My angel, this is wonderful/Thanks for lettin’ me bless ya/ Come down, fly, right, drift back into heaven. The only reason a dude should ever talk like that in bed is if he digs being slapped.

Fergie, “Big Girls.” At least in this one she’s not just stealing the best part of a JJ Fad song. Here she sings, I need to be with myself and center, clarity, peace, serenity, which are sentiments she probably ripped off a poster of a waterfall hanging in a dentist’s waiting room.

Akon, “Sorry, Blame it on Me.” This song is supposed to be an apology for Akon’s famous dry-humping-of-an-underage-girl-onstage incident. But the song lyrics basically say that he’s not sorry and that it was the club’s fault for letting the girl in. Since when is pop music for weasely non-apologies? That’s what politics are for.

6. Timbaland and Nelly Furtado, , “Give it to Me.” Best misheard lyrics ever: “I’m Miss International, got bank up to my taco.” Unfortunately, according to the lyrics on hiphopdx.com, she’s really singing, Amnesty International got Bankok to Mantauk on lock. What? Anyway, the real reason this song is on this list is because the radio WORE IT OUT.

More

Robert Moore, host of Sonic Spectrum on 96.5 FM the Buzz, presents his list of the ten best albums of the year, with honorable mentions after the jump.

ROBERT MOORE'S BEST ALBUMS OF '07

Jens Lekman, Night Falls Over Kortedala
Devendra Banhart, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Field Music, Tones Of Town
Eleni Mandell, Miracle Of Five
Various Artists, David Shrigley's Worried Noodles
Deerhoof, Friend Opportunity
Shocking Pinks, Shocking Pinks
The Magik Markers, Boss
Angels of Light, We Are Him
The Len Price 3, Rent A Crowd

More

Record Bar co-owner (and Roman Numerals member) Steve Tulipana said that not only could he make a list of the 10 best shows that went down at his venue this year but also the 10 best shows that no one attended. We said OK, do it. He did.

TOP 10 BEST SHOWS AT RECORDBAR 2007

Eric Bachman
Battles
Radio Birdman
Old Time Relijun
Oliver Future
St. Vincent
Meat Puppets
Spindrift
Blowfly
Doug Stanhope

TOP 10 BEST SHOWS THAT NO ONE SAW AT RECORDBAR
Well, a few very lucky people did.

St. Vincent
Spindrift
Spectrum
The Oh Sees
Young Galaxy
West Indian Girl
Dandi Wind
Easy Action
Bob Log III
Love Like Fire

Follow the jump to see Steve's best-album list.

More