Three Imaginary Girls - best of

My Favorite Films of 2011 That Might As Well Be Imaginary

Imaginary Rich — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:11:43 +0000

Last year I did a post about my ten favorite films of the past year that sadly hadn't seen a theatrical release in Seattle (nor a DVD release to my knowledge). While some might view that as just mean, I got enough positive feedback that I'm reprising the effort.

What follows are pictures I saw during festival travels (including all the way to Seattle) that are some of my favorite watches of the year. If you just can't get enough of these lists you're welcome to review my overall top films for 2011, or my most memorable 2011 film related moments not related watching a film.

The latter of which I'm especially pleased with - if I do say so myself. The list below isn't in any particular order. And I reserve the right to declare new favorites on a whim. Feel free to read something into the placement if you like...

A Very Imaginary "Best of" 2011 Movie List

Imaginary Amie — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:48:57 +0000

As usual, even though I've seen quite a few films this year, picking out 5-10 that really stood out was an exercise in head-desk banging insanity. BUT - I think I finally figured it out, by breaking the films into categories of films that touched me in specific ways, that made me laugh and cry, and that are examples of why I love film so damn much -- instead of trying to just list the best films made this year.

In no particular order, my favorite films that I saw in 2011 (please note that some may technically be 2010!) are:

Best Movie that Lifted My Spirits and made me long for childhood: The Muppets
I was one of those kids that perched myself in front of the TV a full 10 minutes before The Muppet Show came on, so that I wouldn't miss any second of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Rolph, Fozzie, and Scooter wrangling special guests and being ridiculously entertaining. So news of a Muppet reboot of course made me nervous, but I gotta hand it to Jason Segal and James Bobin - they totally NAILED it. This film paid tribute to all the awesome characteres we loved as kids, while also renewing them for a much younger audience. Plus, they got Chris Cooper to RAP. I mean, seriously, you guys. I left the theater smiling and haven't really stopped since. Bonus: 80s robot is like my favorite thing, ever.

Best Drama(s): Another Year, Higher Ground, and Melancholia
Another Year nailed the craziness of family, friends, relationships, and love, Higher Ground's thoughtful storytelling left me anxiously awaiting Vera Farmiga's next movie, and Melancholia was exquisitely painful and beautiful (you know, like most Von Trier films).

imaginary liz's favorite songs from the last decade that are worthy of recognition

imaginary liz — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:20:15 +0000

{stylish photo by nancyo23}

I hope I'm not getting too granular with my listage, but given the empowering nature of turning the page on the decade, I can't help myself--I wanted to make sure that that certain song gems didn't go unrewarded for their brilliance.

Thusly, I compiled the below list of songs released in the last decade that are total A+++, but who's album didn't make it on my favs of the decade list... either because the song is from an EP or single; the album is good, but not as solid as the 75 albums that made my list; a bunch of other albums by the band/artists appeared on the list; or I just was bad with tabulating and this should have been on the list based on the strength of said song alone.

Please enjoy the below a recap of the top 10 songs from the last decade that amaze me beyond belief (and didn't make my favorite albums of the decade list). What amazing splashes of song brilliance rocked your 2000-2009? I bet between all of us we could make the most amazing quad-mix cd ever!

listmania continues: keenan's top 20 favorite albums of the decade

imaginary keenan — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:27:46 +0000

{Long Winters photo by Trickshot Photography}

Because I'm some kind of masochist and a total nerd, I've been slaving over this list, keeping it brief (harder than you'd think!) at my favorite 20 albums of the decade without duplicating a band (even harder). Side note: I've probably forgotten something I really, really love, so let's just call this how I feel right this minute. These are the albums I know every note and breath of by heart and I love as complete albums with all of my soul. These are albums that in my humble opinion have no skipable track and are works of beauty in their entirety. I'd also like to point out that these are my favorite albums, as I tend to shy away from calling them "the best", as really, it's just my opinion, and who am I to tell you that you're wrong for not liking these records? (Though, if you catch me in a potentially altered state, I may completely negate that and call any number of these THE GREATEST of all time and call you wrong to your face if you disagree.) I digress. Here they are!

imaginary liz's favorite albums of the last decade

imaginary liz — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Yesterday I divulged my favorite albums of the year. Today I am ready to let go of my latest obsession: My album recap of how I spent my 00's.

The below listage rant is my own little time capsule to remind myself why 2000-2009 musically ruled. As with my other list posts, I'm certain I totally forgot to add something really important to my end-all-be-all-recap. It's up to you to remind me by posting your favs of the 00's below.

imaginary liz's favorite albums of 2009

imaginary liz — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:08:58 +0000

For some reason as stressful as it is sometimes to do, I found myself compiling a bunch of year end and decade end lists over the holiday weekend. So many so, I decided to spread out all my lists throughout the week. Today we'll start with the meat of the list -- my favorite releases of 2009.

As long as I've been making lists, it's always been apparent that I'm partial to Pacific Northwest bands... and this year it's especially so. I'm sure I've forgotten something that I love beyond belief.. but here is the list as of *right now*. What are your favorite local and non-local releases of 2009?

Best of 2009 {so far}

imaginary liz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:57:51 +0000

I don't know how it happened, but half the year officially is over! That means that we're half way to end of the year list time! I know that for a bunch of us, there are few things we love more than lists and mix tapes (I usually make a mix for friends of my year-end list favorites) -- so it makes sense we should do a mid-year check in and see what's topping our Best of 2009 list. Here's my off-the-cuff list of what albums would vying for Top 10 of 2009 in my book:

Best of 2008: Top Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll Winners

three imaginary girls — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 21:08:31 +0000

Upset. The word of the our 2008 Best Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll is upset.

With the Fleet Foxes winning readers and critical polls alike, who would've thought they wouldn't get top honors in our humble little Northwest poll? But they didn't -- they placed a distant second to New Faces, another debut record from some very talented, very young Northwest fellas.

We had other surprises as well, with unsigned newcomers such as Hey Marseilles, the Kindness Kind, and Kaylee Cole cracking the top ten, beating out Northwest heavyweights such as Death Cab for Cutie. We did not expect that. And we love it when you surprise us, dear readers.

We imaginaries like to champion the up-and-comers from the Northwest, and our results indicate that you do as well. We think you all also have fabulous taste, as always. Thanks to everyone who participated in our poll. We couldn't be more proud or thrilled to present the top 50 winners on your behalf...

Winners of the TIG Top Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll:

50. Michael Vermillion - Last Night on Earth {info}
49. Jared Mees and the Grown Children - Caffeine, Alchohol, Sunshine, Money {album review}
48. Destruction Island - Destruction Island Preaches the New Wilderness
47. Boy Eats Drums Machine - Booomboxxx
46. The Apple War - Alarm Bell City {live show review}
45. The Hungry Pines - Golden You {info}
44. Hypatia Lake - Angels & Demons Space & Time {info}
43. All Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into It {live show review}
42. The Dandy Warhols - ...Earth to the Dandy Warhols... {info}
41. By Sunlight - By Sunlight
40. Blue Scholars - Butter and Guns {info}
39. Parenthetical Girls - Entanglements {album review}
38. Your Heart Breaks - Love is a Long Dark Road
37. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Sunday at Devil Dirt {info}
36. H is for Hellgate - Come for the peaks stay for the valleys {info}
35. Andrea Wittgens - In The Skyline {info}
34. Common Market - Black Patch War {album review}
33. Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live! {album review}
32. Chris Walla - Field Manual {album review}
31. Head Like a Kite - There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere {album review}
30. Lake - Oh, the Places You'll Go
29. BOAT - Topps {info}
28. 31 Knots - Worried Well {info}
27. Gutter Twins - Saturnalia {album review}
26. Moondoggies - Don't Be A Stranger {info}
25. Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands - Cody's Dream {album review}
24. Tea for Julie - The Sense in Tying Knots {album review}
23. Central Services - Central Services Presents... The Board of Education! {info}
22. These Arms Are Snakes - Tail Swallower & Dove {info}
21. Speaker Speaker - Call It Off {info}
20. Sera Cahoone - Only As the Day Is Long {album review}
19. Dutchess and the Duke - She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke {live show review}
18. The Saturday Knights - Mingle {album review}
17. Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams {album review}
16. Helms Alee - Night Terror {live show review}
15. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head - Glistening Pleasure {live show review}
14. Death Cab for Cute - Narrow Stairs {album review}
13. Voyager One - Afterhours in the Afterlife {album review}
12. Shane Tutmarc and the Traveling Mercies - Hey Lazarus {album review}
11. Black Nite Crash - Array {info}
10. Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees {album review}
9. Blitzen Trapper - Furr {album review}
8. Grand Archives - Grand Archives {album review}
7. Hey Marseilles - To Travels and Trunks {live show review}
6. Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead {album review}
5. Man Plus - Hungarian Suicide Songbook {album review}
4. The Kindness Kind - The Kindness Kind {info}
3. Kaylee Cole - We're Still Here Missing You {live show review}
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes {album review}
1. New Faces - Two Years {album review}

Bestof2008-180.jpg

Upset. The word of the our 2008 Best Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll is upset.

Best of 2008: Top Northwest Releases of 2008 TIG Editorial Picks

three imaginary girls — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:10:11 +0000

TIG staffers are a lot like you -- coming up with our list of faves for the year is a fun and gripping process. After comparing/contrasting/debating our individual favorites, we figured the sum of our imaginary parts would make for an interesting list.

While ChrisB and Keenan, among other things, brought in the power-pop elements, Chris Estey stood by the smartie subtle elements of this year's Northwest offerings. Imaginary liz, as usual, loved the lo-fi and indie-pop songs, while imaginary dana spent much of the year obessed with Throw the the Statue and of course, the Fleet Foxes. And nearly all of us agreed that the Saturday Knights album was a force to be reckoned with. Here's our our staff votes tallied up...

Top Northwest Releases of 2008, TIG Editorial Picks:

25. The Nextdoor Neighbors - Magic Vs The Machine {live show review}
24. The Dead Science - Villanaire {album review}
23. H is for Hellgate - Come for the peaks stay for the valleys {info}
22. Kay Kay and His Weathered Underdround - Kay Kay and His Weathered Underdround {live show review}
21. BOAT - Topps EP {live show review}
20. LoveLand - The Beautiful Truth {info}
19. Damien Jurado - Caught In The Trees {album review}
18. Common Market - Black Patch War {album review}
17. Chris Walla - Field Manual {album review}
16. Hey Marseilles - To Travels and Trunks {live show review}
15. Jared Mees and the Grown Children - Caffeine, Alchohol, Sunshine, Money {album review}
14. Grand Archives - Grand Archives {album review}
13. Man Plus - Hungarian Suicide Songbook {album review}
12. Wallpaper - On The Chewing Gum Ground
11. (TIE) Young Sportsmen - If You Want It {album review}
11. (TIE) Doll Test - Mosque Alarm Clock
10. The Pica Beats - Beating Back the Claws of the Cold {info}
9. Team Gina - Products of the 80s {album review}
8. The Kindness Kind - The Kindness Kind {info}
7. The Pharmacy - Choose Ur Own Adventure {info}
6. Throw Me The Statue - Moonbeams {album review}
5. Dutchess and the Duke - She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke {live show review}
4. The Old Haunts - Poisonous Times {live show review}
3. All Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into It {live show review}
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes {album review}
1. The Saturday Knights - Mingle {album review}

Peruse some of individual staffer favs:

Amelia Gydé
ChrisB
Chris Estey
Erik Gonzalez
keenan dowers
Kyle Johnson {his photos} {other's photos}
imaginary dana
imaginary liz
Shrie

skwinner.jpg

imaginary dana's top Northwest picks for 2008

imaginary dana — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 19:45:05 +0000

I'm a chronic procrastinator, so here it is, January 5th, and I'm finally ready to make sense of the musical chaos and wonderment that was 2008 and compile a list of favorites.

Don't even try to make me rank these releases in order, or I'll never, ever finish my list. Let's just say these were some of the very best local bands in my iTunes list this year, presented alphabetically.

Who are you voting for in the TIG Best Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll? (updatedx3)

three imaginary girls — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 18:20:57 +0000

Mere moments ago, we posted our TIG Best Northwest Releases of 2008 Readers' Poll, for your voting pleasure. We hope you cast your vote for your top five favorites. This has been yet another killer year for music from the great NW, and we recognize how hard it can be to narrow it down to just five. But please, do you best.

It can also be quite the challenge to recall every record released this year -- especially those pesky January/February releases. We plan to keep a running list here of NW bands that released at least one record in 2008, for voters to use as reference. We'll update this page with bands who receive votes, as well as suggestions that come in the comments. So please, if you know of a band, pipe in below!

Best of 2008: it's half-yearly check-in time

three imaginary girls — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:45:01 +0000

As of today, we're officially in the second half of 2008. Welcome! To gear you up for another fabulous six months of local Northwest releases, we here at imaginary headquarters have brainstormed an imaginary mix for all of you, containing some of our favorite songs by Northwest artists released this year to date thus far.

No promises that each of these will make our Best of 2008 Reader's Poll final list, but at least this way you have the next six months to follow-up and listen to these releases before you have to decide. To paraphrase imaginary ChrisB, we feel like this list is pretty unfuckwithable. But that doesn't mean that we didn't inadvertently overlook something great. If you have additions for our list, please chime in with your comments below.

I'm the 388th most centric music critic...

ChrisB — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 06:16:30 +0000

...out of the 782 that submitted votes in either the 2007 Idolator Pop Critics Poll or the Village Voice's Pazz and Jop Poll.

Blogger Glenn McDonald has crunched the numbers of every ballot submitted in each poll and compiled a list of each voter and how they ranked according to how their votes landed within the final vote totals. Not only does McDonald do that, but he lists the ten closest voters that each person's ballot resembles the most.

Another Best of '07 list: Chop Suey booker Pete Greenberg's favorite albums

ChrisB — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 16:46:06 +0000

I'm a huge nerd when it comes to pouring over annual, best of lists (I'm still biting my nails in anticipation of the Idolator critic's poll that should be out soon), and I'm always intrigued by what the favorites of people who work in the business of music but aren't (necessarily) critics or reviewers. So, I asked Chop Suey's brand new booker Pete Greenberg to submit his list of favorite albums with the promise of posting them here - to which he happily complied.

Here's what made his list:

1. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)

2. Future of The Left – Curses (Too Pure)

3. Handsome Furs – Plague Park (Sub Pop)

4. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone Records)

5. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Merge)

6. Big Business – Here Come The Waterworks (Hydra Head Records)

7. Beach House – Beach House (Carpark Records)

8. Blonde Redhead – 23 (4AD)

9. Band of Horses – Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)

10. Siberian – With Me (Sonic Boom Recordings)

11. Matthew Dear – Asa Breed (Ghostly International)

12. Lavender Diamond – Imagine Our Love (Matador Records)

13. Peter Bjorn & John – Writer’s Block (Almost Gold)

Best Films of 2007

imaginary embracey — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:35:43 +0000

2007nocountry.jpg

There were about 1000 films given proper theatrical releases in 2007 -- and this total doesn't take into consideration increasingly popular methods of alternate distribution, or homegrown DIY works showcased in booming alt-cinemas across the land, or the countless films featured at major (and minor) festivals around the world that never got picked up by a distributor.

The ten films that made my yearly best-of list, plus the 76 honorable mentions that follow below, represent about a third of what I saw last year. So I still missed most of what was out there.

Given the sheer volume of films, and the amount of quality work on display last year, whittling down my favorites to a list of only ten was the most difficult it's been since I started writing for TIG in 2002. The masterful No Country for Old Men is undoubtedly the best I saw in '07, but (skipping a "razor-thin margin" pun) Sweeney Todd is a very close number two. It kills me not to be able to rank the wondrous Emma's Bliss, my favorite film of SIFF 2007. Same for the superbly written, sharply feminist boy-movie-for-girls Juno, Julien Schnabel's astounding Jean-Dominique Bauby biopic The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Ang Lee's nasty sexpionage drama Lust, Caution... oh, I could go on.

But I won't. Here's my list:

1. No Country for Old Men
The Coen brothers' best cinema outing since Fargo combines the dark humor (and, on occasion, the small-town-police-force wackiness) of that film with the fierce viciousness of earlier works Blood Simple and Miller's Crossing. The result is a masterpiece. Tommy Lee Jones is even more marvelous than usual as a soon-to-retire Texas sheriff chasing a psycho serial killer (terrifying Javier Bardem) who in turn is chasing a Macguffin possessed by (also great) Josh Brolin. The men's stories play out perfectly: the gorgeous construction of every scene makes it beautiful and awe-inspiring, and the heart-wrenching suspense (seriously, Hitchcock would be proud) makes it the best thriller in years. Pay close attention to the ending -- I'm hearing that many people dislike it -- and you're let in on what we've really witnessed during the prior two hours: a lamentation on aging, fate, chaos, and control.

2. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Another bitter nugget of misanthropy, Tim Burton's adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's slasher musical is positively giddy about its brutal gore. Amid Burton's gorgeously weird visual flourishes, and Sondheim's lovely quasi-opera, the (quite literal) bloodbath elements were as shocking the second time I saw Sweeney Todd as the first. Performances by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, and lil' Ed Sanders are pitiless, and Sacha Baron Cohen (in a, ahem, brief role as a greasy snake-oil showman) adds a delicious touch of camp trash. Handsome, savage, and unabashedly ghoulish, Sweeney Todd is a genre-defying stunner, and the best movie musical of recent years.

3. Ratatouille
A beautifully shrewd bit of Pixar pop-entertainment genius about a rat in the kitchen. In said kitchen, more goes on than meets the eye: A highly-skilled upstart supports the clueless minion of an established but fading organization after its beloved founder (and namesake) dies. The powers that be have sold out the beloved leader's image and reputation for quick profit... an error in judgment that is corrected when the upstart ends up taking over the operation. Status quo is challenged, a major reorg takes place, and the old school is forced to rethink its antiquated assumptions. A Disney allegory if I ever saw one. And it's absolutely brilliant.

4. Inland Empire
For some reason David Lynch's latest didn't open in Seattle until mid-January 2007, despite being in limited release elsewhere the month prior. But I was thrilled when I finally did see it. The always-brilliant Laura Dern appears in nearly every shot of every scene during the three-hour runtime, and her multilayered (some may argue multi-role) performance is simply astonishing. Her character, a Hollywood actress much like Dern herself, takes the lead in a new movie based on a Polish film which stopped production after the murders of the two leads... and that's the most concrete plot summary I can offer you. This is a Lynch film, so we know not to bemoan its inscrutability, but I see it as a meditation on what happens -- for better or worse -- when a text leaves its creator and assumes a life of its own. Empire is a mindfuck, a work of art, and the product of a mad genius.

5. There Will Be Blood
Speaking of mad geniuses, there's at least one in director Paul Thomas Anderson's latest, about an aspiring oil tycoon (Daniel Day-Lewis, in a mesmerizing performance) who sets up shop in a dusty, isolated, early-20th-century Western town with a citizenry captivated by an up-and-coming religious leader (Paul Dano). Loosely based on the Upton Sinclair novel Oil!, it's a beautifully-drawn (and really fucking weird) American period epic about the struggles (and conspiracies) between commercialism and religion, told with a level of eccentricity and ferocity not seen since... well, since No Country For Old Men. It's not quite right to say that Anderson is at the top of his game: with Blood, he's playing a new game entirely.

6. Eastern Promises
David Cronenberg's enthralling vision of the dark heart of the Russian mafia in London has as its centerpiece a painfully intense nude fight scene that you may have heard about. Stunning, no question, but not the only unforgettable thing about the director's second deliberately-paced, Viggo-starring crime genre flick in as many years: central performances from Mortensen (as a chauffeur who knows too much), Naomi Watts (as a midwife who ditto), Vincent Cassel (the fuckup son of the local mob boss) and Armin Mueller-Stahl (said boss) make the shocking violence of their compelling story resonate all the more.

7. The Lives of Others
Another 2006 release elsewhere that was a 2007 film for me. German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's film (ridiculously accomplished for a debut feature) takes place in mid-'80s East Berlin, where a successful playwright (Sebastian Koch) and his girlfriend (Martina Gedeck) are placed under Stasi surveillance for suspected espionage. Their investigator, a lonely ascetic by the name of Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe), is charged with entrapping them, and he's up to the task... at first. Themes of envy, terror, and paranoia are explored with magnificent tautness and clarity, and, like Inland Empire, the ending leaves you feeling exhausted, relieved, and oddly uplifted.

8. The Savages
Written and directed by Tamara Jenkins (her first feature since 1998's Slums of Beverly Hills), The Savages concerns smart, squabbling, self-absorbed siblings Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hofman (giving two of the best performances of the year) being challenged to remove their heads from their asses and care for their ailing father (Philip Bosco). So it's another dysfunctional family dramedy, to be sure, but the film is really about the endless difficulties of long-term love... and there's nary a moment of unearned sentiment to be found. Its ugly radiance makes it hilarious, and its candid wisdom makes it profound.

9. Starting Out in the Evening
Andrew Wagner's second feature is about a solitary 70-something NYC novelist (Frank Langella, doing award-caliber work), ailing and mainly forgotten in literary circles; an over-eager grad student (Lauren Ambrose) writing a thesis about him; his daughter (Lili Taylor), a pushing-40 yoga instructor who yearns to have a baby; and her former boyfriend (Adrian Lester), an academic who has a son from a previous marriage and who doesn't want another kid. About an hour in, I found myself in a special kind of love with each of them, and with the wonderful New York story they inhabit.

10. Brand Upon the Brain!
It's a sin that this locally-produced silent fever-dream by the great Canadian auteur Guy Maddin wasn't part of this year's SIFF lineup, but the Cinerama's live-scored gala screening last fall (sponsored by the always-great Northwest Film Forum) made up for it. The film's central character (also called Guy Maddin) returns to the island lighthouse where he grew up, and once there recalls his miserable childhood. Most of the film, told in flashback, is about young Guy, his older sister, and mysterious events surrounding the private orphanage run by their tyrannical mother and mad-scientist father. No pricey CGI-centric summer blockbuster could hold a candle to Maddin's black-and-white, Super 8 shadow magic and old-school cinema tricks. Brain is a sublime spectacle, and a special kind of crazy.

Runners-up

Fiction: 2 Days in Paris; After the Wedding; Atonement; The Aura; Away From Her; Before the Devil Knows You're Dead; The Bet Collector; Beyond the Gates; Black Book; The Bothersome Man; The Bourne Ultimatum; Children; The Darjeeling Limited; The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; Dry Season; Eagle vs. Shark; Emma's Bliss; Glue; Grindhouse; Hairspray; The Host; I Don't Want to Sleep Alone; I'm Not There; The Italian; Juno; Killer of Sheep; Knocked Up; La Leon; Lady Chatterley; The Lookout; Lust, Caution; Michael Clayton; A Mighty Heart; Moliere; The Namesake; Once; The Orphanage; Paris Je T'Aime; The Simpsons Movie; Stardust; Sunshine; Syndromes and a Century; Tears of the Black Tiger; Ten Canoes; Things We Lost in the Fire; The TV Set; Vanaja; Waitress; Wristcutters: A Love Story; Year of the Dog; Yella

Non-fiction: Angels in the Dust; Autism: The Musical; Big Rig; Crazy Love; Czech Dream; Deep Water; The Devil Came on Horseback; The Fever of '57; Ghosts of Cite Soleil; Into Great Silence; Jonestown; King Corn; Life in Loops; Manufactured Landscapes; My Kid Could Paint That; No End in Sight; Out of Time; The Real Dirt on Farmer John; Show Business: The Road to Broadway; Sicko; Summercamp; The Trials of Darrell Hunt; You're Gonna Miss Me; Zoo

Previous years' lists: 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006

The ten films that made my yearly best-of list, plus the 76 honorable mentions that follow below, represent about a third of what I saw last year. So I still missed most of what was out there.

But I won't. Here's my list:

Best of 2007: elle's favorite shows

elle — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 16:44:17 +0000

Being a regular contributor on here on TIG takes the show going experience from something you do on the weekends to part of your regular routine. I'll never forget shoving five shows in one week, or running from set to set during Bumbershoot trying to frantically interview all the local bands. Sometimes I still can't believe I'm here.

Very few shows I regret seeing, the vast majority were really good. But there's a distinct ten still stuck in my mind, shows I talk about to this day. The bands who made this list are not just comprised of musicians who stood up there and played -- these were performers who demonstrated how their band is more than a job or hobby, it's their lives. In each case they provided a memorable experience where I left feeling I'd just witnessed the most talented artists making music today.

TIG Best Northwest Releases of 2007

three imaginary girls — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 06:50:25 +0000

2007 has been another stellar year for local music, with some Northwest artists breaking out and having significant national releases, and other local upstarts charming us with great records. We know that you, like us, had a hard time determing who to place on your end of the year mixtape -- let alone which album should be should be crowned the #1 Northwest release of 2007.

And what did all that tabulation and debate equate to? The Three Imaginary Girls Best Northwest Releases of 2007 lists! The results of our TIG Readers' Poll had some expected winners, as well as some surprises. We invite you to check it all out, and to also check out our TIG top editorial picks, as well as the lists for each of our individual writers.

Without further ado, the winners!

TIG Best of 2007: Readers’ Poll
TIG readers never cease to amaze us with your good taste and ability to find hidden gems. Here’s what YOU think were the best Northwest releases of 2007.
TIG Best of 2007: Editors Picks
Our staff gathered together, put on boxing gloves, and figured out who we collectively think ruled the Northwest this year. Tears were shed.
TIG Best of 2007: Staff Picks
Lists lists lists, we love them! Is it no surprise that our staff members have their own lists? Check out the individual "best of" lists from many of our imaginary contributors.

Thanks to all of you for making 2007 another great year to be imaginary!

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TIG Best Northwest Releases of 2007: Editors' picks

three imaginary girls — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 05:21:26 +0000

We gathered our imaginary staff to determine our collective Northwest favorites for 2007. It was hard work. Imaginary battles were fought, alliances formed, and finally, winners emerged.

You should have seen the way that imaginary Liz can arm wrestle, and how Erik Gonzalez can duke it out for his favorite bands. It was fierce and fun, and we think our final list was well worth the effort.

Here they are: the TIG official editor picks for best Northwest releases of 2007. Enjoy!

#20 Grand Hallway Yes Is the Answer (Self-released)
{band profile} * {buy}

#19 Aqueduct Or Give Me Death (Barsuk)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#18 Night Canopy Of Honey and Country (Go Midnight)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#17 Team Gina Gina Gina Revolution (Self-released)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#16 Arthur & Yu In Camera (Hardly Art)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#15 Minus the Bear Planet of Ice (Suicide Squeeze)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#14 The Cops Free Electricity (The Control Group)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#13 Ms Led Shake Yourself Awake (Fish the Cat)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#12 The Femurs Modern Mexico (HomeSpun)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#11 Patience Please Fleeting Frequencies (Happy Happy Birthday To Me)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#10 Grand Archives Grand Archives (Self-released / Sub Pop)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#9 Shake Some Action! Shake Some Action (Satellite 451)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#8 Math & Physics Club Baby I'm Yours (Matinee)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#7 Throw Me The Statue Moonbeams (Baskerville Hill)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#6 Blue Scholars Bayani (MassLine Media, Rawkus)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#5 Siberian With Me (Sonic Boom Recordings)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#4 BOAT Let's Drag Our Feet (Magic Marker)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#3 Menomena Friend and Foe (Barsuk)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#2 Tullycraft Every Scene Needs a Center (Magic Marker)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

#1 Cave Singers Invitation Songs (Matador)
{review} * {band profile} * {buy}

Honorable mentions:

Blitzen Trapper Wild Mountain Nation (Lidkercow Ltd.)

Modest Mouse We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic)

Schoolyard Heroes Abominations (Stolen Transmission)

The Shaky Hands The Shaky Hands (Holocene Music)

The Shins Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)

Bestof07-TIG_sm.jpg

We gathered our imaginary staff to determine our collective Northwest favorites for 2007. It was hard work. Imaginary battles were fought, alliances formed, and finally, winners emerged.

Best of 2007: imaginary Liz's picks

imaginary liz — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 14:03:21 +0000

Narrowing down my favorites for this year was HARD! I’m sure I’ll find even more 2007 releases I adore in 2008... but here’s what has been in obsessively high rotation this year.

Note: I still battle with how I can rank EPs versus full albums, or collections of previously unreleased material… but using my current logrhythm, here’s what it came out to today...

Best of 2007: imaginary Dana's picks

imaginary dana — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 18:16:45 +0000

I have so many favorites for 2007 that narrowing the lists was tricky. Plus I'm preggo as a house and have NO memory at this point, so I'm sure I've inadvertently omitted some really great releases and songs. Forgive me and my wacked out hormones.

But that said, here are some Top of 2007 lists from me, to you. Feel free to leave comments both nasty and supportive. I likely deserve both for some of my erratic tastes.

The official results of the TIG Best NW Releases of 2007 Readers' Poll are coming VERY soon... stay tuned! In the meantime, some of my personal picks for a wonderful year in music past:

Favorite Releases of 2007:

Amy Winehouse Back to Black
Okkervil River The Stage Names
Tullycraft Every Scene Needs a Center
Beirut The Flying Cup Club
The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir The Scotland Yard Gospel Choir
Shake Some Action Shake Some Action
Math & Physics Club Baby I'm Yours
John Vanderslice Emerald City
The Cave Singers Invitation Songs
The Fratellis Costello Music

Favorite Northwest Releases of 2007: