SYP Says

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 12/24-12/31

2008 NOTE! Click here for a new year of Best Songs of the Week...2008 style! Now on to the rest of the 2007 show.

"Imitosis" by Andrew Bird 

To end the year on a more cerebral note... Here, Chicago singer/songwriter/guitarist/violinist/whistler extraordinaire Andrew Bird conjures up a mix of eccentric indie pop, folk, zydeco, and jazz. In addition to his solo work, he's collaborated with everyone from the Squirrel Nut Zippers and Bowl of Fire to Neko Case and Ani DiFranco (whose label Righteous Babe Records released a couple of his more recent albums). This song has a swing and easiness to it that I really like, plus how can you go wrong with a tune that has a main character named Professor Pynchon?

He apparently uses two Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler Stompboxes and a Boss OC3 Super Octave Shifter to give his violin a much deeper sound. Will have to check those out for myself.

Here's the "Imitosis" video...nice socks!

Best Music of 2007

These are my picks for the Top 12 Albums of 2007. My criteria was simple--I just had to love the album straight through from start to finish. The ones below made my cut. I'm prepared for you to disagree. Noticeably missing: The White Stripes' Icky Thump and Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight, as well as Arcade Fire's newest because I just cannot understand their appeal. Anyway, on to what I DID like this year...

Album links go to iTunes or equivalent. Click on the "Try" song link to hear a track preview from the CD.

1. "In Rainbows" by Radiohead:  Try "Nude"
2. "Favourite Worst Nightmare" by Arctic Monkeys:  Try "Fluorescent Adolescent"
3. "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" by Spoon:  Try "Don't You Evah"
4. "Sky Blue Sky" by Wilco:  Try "Impossible Germany"
5. "Watina" by Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective:  Try "Watina"
6. "Letters from Sinners & Strangers" by Eilen Jewell:  Try "Too Hot to Sleep"
7. "Our Love to Admire" by Interpol:  Try "Heinrich Maneuver"
8. "Beautiful Sleepyhead and the Laughing Yaks" by Emily Wells:  Try "Mt. Washington"
9. "The Good, The Bad & The Queen" by The Good, The Bad & The Queen:  Try "History Song"
10. "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse:  Try "You Know I'm No Good"
11. "Baby 81" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club:  Try "Berlin"
12. "Wincing the Night Away" by The Shins:  Try "Sea Legs"

Favorite Up & Comer: meiko

Favorite New to Me Artist : Andrew Bird

Here are my picks for the Top 12 Songs of 2007.

Plus, check out my entire archive of Best Songs of the Week for 2007.

Best Songs of 2007

Here are the Top 12 songs I just couldn't get enough of this year, whatever my mood. I kept this list to tracks released in 2007...

Click on the song link below to hear a preview. Artist links go to iTunes or equivalent.

1. "Down Boy" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs 
2. "Fluorescent Adolescent" by Arctic Monkeys 
3. "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn & John 
4. "Oh My God" by Mark Ronson and Lily Allen 
5. "Heinrich Maneuver" by Interpol 
6. "I Feel It All" by Feist 
7. "Sleep" by meiko 
8. "Lentil" by Sia 
9. "Watina" by Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective 
10. "Imitosis" by Andrew Bird 
11. "I Want to Be Your Driver" by Shivaree
12. "Nude" by Radiohead

Check out my Top 12 Album Picks of 2007.

Plus, check out my entire archive of Best Songs of the Week for 2007 which includes many of the songs I liked this year that just missed being on my Top 12 list.

Xmas Song 2007: Best Songs of 2007: Week of 12/17-12/24

"X-mas Song" by meiko

Happy Holidays! Enjoy this unconventional X-mas Song by up and coming L.A. artist, meiko.  I've been a bit of a bad girl too this year, so I'm taking a tip from her and will try to be better in 2008. :)

Visit her MySpace page to preview "X-mas Song" and other tunes.

Only on YouTube: Someone set a home video at the Santa Barbara Zoo to meiko's X-mas Song!

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 12/10-12/17

"Watina" by Andy Palacio and The Garifuna Collective 

Belizean native, Andy Palacio, is not a household name in the U.S. but with this latest release, I hope many more people hear his music. On the amazingly infectious and enjoyable album, Watina, which blends Caribbean, African and Cuban rhythms, Palacio celebrates Garifuna, a culture and language that is slowly becoming extinct.

In the 1600s, West African slaves were shipwrecked on what is now known as St. Vincent. They were captured by the British and exiled to an island off Honduras. Now there are only a few hundred thousand Garifunas left across Belize, Guatemala and Honduras, and the culture, language and traditions are in danger of dying out. In Belize, there are only a little more than 10,000 Garifunans left and the language is taught in only one village.

This album does the Garifuna justice--I loved every song!--and is the third release from Cumbancha, the new label founded by Jacob Edgar the former head of music research and product development at Putumayo World Music. Here's a making of video introduction to Watina and its inspirations.

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 12/3-12/10

"The Last Song" by Camera Obscura

Scottish indie band, Camera Obscura,  is oft compared to Belle and Sebastian. I actually like the former better. Wistful pop, I like to call it, and perfect for the last month of the year when you might be wondering just where the time went, what you actually accomplished, and whether or not you need that second single malt.

Couldn't find a video of "The Last Song," so this video for "Tears for Affairs" (another song on the EP of the same name) will have to do.

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 11/26-12/3

"I Know It's Over" by Jeff Buckley 

Jeff Buckley gorgeously covering a classic by The Smiths on the recently released (and otherwise underwhelming) compilation So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley. Buy this tune, skip the rest if you already own Grace. 'Nuff said.

Video of The Smiths performing the song live at the London Palladium.

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 11/19-11/26

"The Chills" by Peter Bjorn and John 

It's getting nippy out! Here's a song to keep you in the winter spirit brought to you by that crazy pop indie trio from Scandinavia Peter Bjorn and John. Their song "Young Folks" was ubiquitous for a while there over the summer. On a related note, I found a bizarre blog called Stop Peter Bjorn and John which is actually dedicated to stopping the spread of people listening to this band. So just to be a contrarion, I'm highlighting PBJ this week and hoping that the person who started the blog gets the medical attention he needs (not only is having a site like that a little insane to begin with, but he apparently stopped eating for 48 hours--I guess to really fight the power or some such). Anyway, this is a catchy song by a band known for catchy tunes...how can that be wrong?

Someone else's video set to "The Chills."

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 11/12-11/19

"Spilt Needles (Alternative Version)" by The Shins 

The Shins released their latest, and I think best, album at the beginning of this year. However, the version of "Spilt Needles" (and yes, it's "Spilt," not "Split") that ended up on Wincing the Night Away is lovely, but pales in comparison to the uptempo version available only on the three-song Phantom Limbs EP. It really rocks. 

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 11/5-11/12

"Threshold Apprehension" by Black Francis 

The next best thing to a Pixies reunion, Frank Black's newest album, Bluefinger, was inspired by the Dutch artist Herman Brood. It's got the raw alt rock sensibility his latest work's been missing and this tune is a real blast from the past (and, dare I say it, return to form). Hey, get this song if you know what's good for ya.

Black Francis live from Toulouse earlier this year. Last month, I missed him perform in Eugene, OR which is where he lives--only a couple of hours from Ashland, actually. He's on the road. Check out his tour dates, etc on his official site.

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 10/29-11/5

"Lentil" by Sia

Best known for being a singer for the trip hop/dance/lounge group Zero 7 and her first big solo hit "Breathe Me" which was used in the finale of HBO's series, Six Feet Under, Sia's got a new live LP available on iTunes and a new full-length studio album out next month which is preorderable from her Web site. I saw her perform at Portland's Doug Fir Lounge last weekend and she was really good. Her voice sounded amazing and she's got a fun, goofy stage presence that makes her live shows worth seeing.

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 10/22-10/29

"Human Fly" and "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Nouvelle Vague 

Two for the price of one this week! Brought to you by the same French duo that reimagined The Dead Kennedys, Joy Division, and XTC into Brazilian pop fun on their first album, Nouvelle Vague's sophomore effort remakes these two Cramps and Bauhaus classics into '60s bossa nova tunes perfect for Halloween. Bwahaha...

Halloween Songs 2007

In addition to this week's Best Song of the Week pick, here are my Top 13 spooky tunes to get you in the mood for All Hallow's Eve...

A tip: Have iTunes open when you click on the iMix below.

Own the entire songlist as an iMix!

Own the entire songlist as an iMix!

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 10/15-10/22

"Starlight" by Muse 

In honor of Harry Denton's Starlight Room in San Francisco. Quite a place that. Amazing view. Good Negronis. I know. I'm obsessed. What exactly is in Campari anyway? Oh right, back to the music. I'm a fan of the U.K. band Muse's dramatic rock sensibility and their latest album, Black Holes and Revelations. It's a bit aggressive, a little techno, a little "arena". The album is actually from last year, but whatever.

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 10/1-10/15

"Two Kinds" by Film School

It's Fall and with that comes the penchant for songs that are a little more contemplative, a little darker, a little more what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my life. San-Francisco-based Film School's got a great Cure/Interpol college band vibe perfect for those late nights after you're tired of cramming for that next big art history exam (or marketing presentation, in my case).

This is a video of another good tune of theirs called "11:11".

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 9/24-10/1

"Money" by Jesca Hoop

I've been a fan of Jesca Hoop's for the last couple of years ever since I heard her songs "Seed of Wonder" and "Life within a Life" on Nic Harcourt's Sounds Eclectic show on KCRW.

After a long wait, this former Mormon and, believe it or not, nanny of Tom Waits's kids(!), has released her first full-length album just in time for Fall TV Season. Just after I downloaded Kismet, ads with "Money" started airing for the new show DirtySexyMoney. Not sure if the show is any good, but the song is!

"Hoop is a striking, dark haired songwriter from Northern California who writes and sings twisty, sprawling, lyrically abstract songs featuring strange sonorities and offbeat rhythms. Her music sounds as is it comes from an imaginary country, and she sings in the accented English of someone from that country"
— The New York Times

Rich stuff. Here's Jesca singing "Big Fish"--couldn't find a video of her doing "Money."

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 9/17-9/24

"Mt. Washington" by Emily Wells 

Listen to the mp3 of Mt. Washington here (it's freely available on her site and on her MySpace page, along with some other tunes).

Unconventional folk artist/singer/songwriter Emily Wells pretty much did everything on her most recent album, Beautiful Sleepyhead and the Laughing Yaks, from writing the songs and playing most of the instruments to producing and mixing. I really like her voice a lot--raspy yet beautifully lyrical, strange and quirky. She performs often at the hip Hollywood music club Hotel Cafe--sort of LA's version of Joe's Pub in NYC. Check her out if you're in town. She's been getting raves lately from NPR, Flavorpill and others, so see her now before she hits it big.

Best Songs of 2007: Week of 9/10-9/17

"Sin City" by The Flying Burrito Brothers

OK--clearly this is not a song from 2007, however, this week's tune is in honor of my upcoming trip to Vegas for shop.org and at the request of my bud, Keith Pepper of Hitwise. Co-founded by The Byrds band members Gram Parsons and Chris Hillman, The Flying Burrito Brothers were a very influential early country-rock band. This is a real oldie from over 30 years ago. Wish me luck at the craps table!

Best Songs of 2007: Week 9/3-9/10

"History Song" by The Good, The Bad & The Queen 

The Good, The Bad & The Queen is a Britpop supergroup of sorts. Produced by uber-producer Danger Mouse, TGTBTQ brings together Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz, Paul Simonon, legendary bassist of The Clash, Tony Allen, the drummer of Fela Kuti's afrobeat band Africa 70, and Simon Tong of The Verve on guitar.

I love the undercurrent of groovy moodiness on this debut and I particularly love the guitar and bass lines on this album's starter song. I can listen to it over and over.

TGTBTQ live at York Hall, Bethnal Green. The song starts about a minute in.

Best Songs of 2007: Week 8/27-9/3

"Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley 

I must say I'm a bit disappointed in Rilo Kiley's just-released CD, Under the Blacklight. It's not because I'm one of those traditionalists who thinks RK should still be doing the same alt-folk tunes from 10 years ago; I just don't think the music on this endeavor is as good as the music on earlier albums, especially 2004's More Adventurous, which I love. That said, it's growing on me and there are some songs I do like from their latest. This is one of them. Jenny Lewis still has a fantastic voice!

Best Songs of 2007: Week 8/20-8/27

"If You Want Me" from the movie soundtrack to Once

The 2007 Sundance Film winner, Once, shot for only $160,000, has become a bit of a phenomenon. The recently released romance is an indie Irish musical in which the two leads are musicians (Czech Republic–born Markéta Irglová and The Frames frontman Glen Hansard) and the songs are smoothly woven into the storyline. The soundtrack is beautiful and haunting--this from someone who hates 99% of all musicals. Seriously. Can't stand them.

Marketa Irglova & Glen Hansard perform "If You Want Me" live in Tempe, AZ at the Valley Art Theater after the premiere of Once on 5/14/07.

Best Songs of 2007: Weeks 7/30-8/20

"Rest My Chemistry" by Interpol 

Interpol's latest album took 3 years to make, but was worth the wait (kind of like this post which is JUSt a bit overdue--tsk tsk). I've heard the band members aren't the best of friends but it doesn't seem to affect their post-punk tunes which are as rhythmic, yet dour as ever. This one's a particular fave of mine from Our Love to Admire.

Live from Lollapalooza. Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois. August 4th, 2007

Best Songs of 2007: Week 7/23-7/30

"Oh My God" by Mark Ronson with Lily Allen

A fab hip-hop jazz cover of a Kaiser Chiefs song from DJ Mark Ronson (and fellow Vassar alum!) who also happens to be a sought-after music producer for some breakout stars right now, including Amy Winehouse. This week's song pick is on his newest album, Version, chock full of sassy remakes of everything from Ryan Adams' "Amy" to Radiohead's "Just" to The Smiths' "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before." He's also the stepson of Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones...not a band I've ever liked all that much frankly, but, hey, even I Just Want to Know What Love Is.

Best Songs of 2007: Weeks 7/9-7/23

"Move by Yourself" by Donavon Frankenreiter 

Came down with the flu recently and then was out of town for a while, so missed a week (yikes!). This song made me feel better while I was hunkered down in bed tossing back Nyquil shots. It has a funky but laid back '70s summer beach vibe which kind of makes sense because this singer/guitarist is a pro surfer. Anyway, a big shout-out to Deb at GC for introducing me to this guy. :)

Best Songs of 2007: Week 7/2-7/9

"Brianstorm" by Arctic Monkeys 

I'm *totally addicted* to the Artic Monkeys's newest album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. I now have every song they own and I can't stop listening. I love every song. They are my new pet band. No sophomore slump for them--their catchy Brit-pop punk sounds even better here than on their much-hyped Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not which was the fastest-selling debut album in British music history. They won the prestigious Mercury Prize last year (other winners and faves of mine include Gomez, PJ Harvey, and Badly Drawn Boy), plus a slew of other awards. Here's hoping they keep on making great records.

Best Songs of 2007: Week 6/25-7/2

"You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told " by The White Stripes 

The new album from The White Stripes has an eclectic musicianship and song variety some of their prior ones--as much as I liked them--have lacked. OTOH, I'm not sure Icky Thump contains that one catchy "Seven Nation Army"-scale single that makes me want to put my iPod on and click continuous repeat. Nonetheless, I'm glad Meg & Jack's back and rocking. It's great to see