Anyone who knows me outside of the HTML world knows two things:

1. I am a big guy.
2. I don't know my way around HTML very well.

In order to thwart my big-guy status, I've done many things over time. First, I enjoy minimalist art a lot more than big, bombastic art. This carries to music as well: I think the Arcade Fire are gloriously over-rated (too big) and prefer the more subtle stylings from big bands like that of Broken Social Scene. Arena rock was great. But it's over. Let's move on.

In any case, given that I like minimalism and I don't know my way around HTML very well, I've opted to display my lists for 2007 WITHOUT the bombast of YouTube videos and such. You want to hear a sample of something? Ask Google. They're small guys and they know their way around HTML. I'm sure they can find you a YouTube video or free MP3.

That said, here are my lists for the TOP SEVEN best albums of Oh SEVEN (in general) and the TOP SEVEN best albums out of the Northwest:

Best of 2007

1. Radiohead—In Rainbows
2. Amon Tobin—Foley Room
3. Elliott Smith—New Moon
4. LCD Soundsystem—Sound of Silver
5. Philip Glass and Leonard Cohen—Book of Longing
6. The Blakes—The Blakes
7. Slow Six—Nor’Easter

 

Best Northwest of 2007

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Sometimes I think it takes me waaay too long to come up with my Top 20 albums of a given year. There are a lot of internal debates and arguments that really have no right answer. Really, you reach a point where all the albums are good but how to rank them gets to be quite the challenge. This year was chock full of good music (not matter what the naysayers might groan). I counted something like 175+ albums worth mentioning in 2007, and that is only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything that was released in the year. However, I did whittle it down to 20... well, 22 if you count my 2 EP exception (EP's don't count as real albums).

If you're interested in some sub-lists, like my albums "with apologizes" (albums I didn't hear but should have) or "best imports" or "most disappointing" (hint, the band who made it rhymes with Milo Biley), check it out here.

So, here we go:

#21 The EP's - Two EP's made me happy this year, and really, they would be in the top 20, but it seems unfair to me to include EP's versus albums. They're both UK pop, and they're both brilliant in their own cute way.

Los Campesinos! Sticking Fingers Into Sockets (Thanks to igLiz for this band!)

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Cujo is Amon's alterego, tending to be a little more electronic and less jazzy than usual, and "The Sighting" is a brilliant piece of sinister jungle.

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If you've read Erik's review of Amon Tobin's new album Foley Room, you've already been convinced that tonight you should head to Neumo's for the night of DJ-i-licious beat fun.

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On Foley Room, Tobin is more subdued and mature, relying more on a mixture of real sounds (collected by him and his cohorts) rather than merely layered beats to produce mood.

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AstroPOP! for March 2007 features astrologically-inclined record reviews from Amon Tobin, B for Brontosaurus, Beirut, Black Fiction, Bon Savants, Campaign for Real-Time, Lyrics Born, Now It's Overhead, Squarepusher, The Album Leaf, The Born Ruffians, and Wolf Eyes. Read, listen, and be prepared for the month ahead!