2007's
RAWK 'N' ROLL NURSE..... ......according to: Feck
.... Aardvark .... Vardy .... Flecton
.... Crockard .... McKinnon .... Whelan
.... AltaVista .... Kirkland .... McIntyre
.... Carver .... Brooks .... Hong
.... B-Roy .... Angus .... Guerrero
2006 .... 2005
.... 2004 .... 2003 ....
2002 .... 2001 .... 2000
Feck's
Favourites 2007
Acid Mothers Temple - Crystal Rainbow Pyramid (Important)
Acid Mothers Temple - Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo (Ace Fu)
Anekdoten - A Time Of Day (Virta)
Arbouretum - Rites Of Uncovering (Thrill Jockey)
Baby Woodrose - Chasing Rainbows (Bad Afro)
Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow (Drag City)
Meg Baird - Dear Companion (Drag City)
Brant Bjork & The Brothers - Somera Sol (Duna)
Circle - Katapult (No Quarter)
Julian Cope - You Gotta Problem With Me (Invada)
Double Pumpers - Old Gold (Music For Cats)
Dragontears -2000 Micrograms From Home (Bad Afro)
Dungen - Tio Bitar (Subliminal Sounds)
Feu Therese - Ca Va Cogner (Constellation)
Josephine Foster & The Supposed -All The Leaves Are Gone (Eclipse)
Four 'N' Giv'r - Second Psychle (Birdman Sound)
Grinderman - S/T (Anti)
Heads - Dead In The Water (Invada)
Daniel "belteShazzar" Higgs - Metempsychotic Melodies" (Holy
Mountain)
Josiah - No Time (Elektrohasch)
Kinski - Down Below It's Chaos (Sub Pop)
Litmus - Planetfall (Candlelight)
Lunar Dunes - From Above (Duney)
Mammatus - The Coast Explodes (Holy Mountain)
Harris Newman - Decorated (S.A.A.H.)
Oresund Space Collective - The Black Tomato (Transubstans)
Radio Moscow - S/T (Alive)
Omar Rodriguez Lopez Quintet - The Apocalypse Inside Of An Orange (Infrasonic)
Rotor - 3 (Elektrohasch)
RTX - Western Exterminator (Drag City)
Sadies - New Season (Yep Roc)
Space Ritual - Otherworld (Esoteric)
Tivol - Early Teeth (Holy Mountain)
Truckfighters - Phi (Fuzzorama)
Vietnam - S/T (Kemado)
Mike Wexler - Sunwheel (Little Lord)
Rick White - Memoreaper (Blue Fog)
Witchcraft - The Alchemist (Rise Above)
Wooden Shjips - S/T (Holy Mountain)
Various - The Essence Of Swedish Progressive Music 1967-1979 (Premium Publishing)
Various - Lovin' Fire: 20 Obscure Gems From The UK and Europe (Psychic Circle)
Re - Issues
Elias Hulk - Unchained (BGO)
Czar -S/T (Sunbeam)
Terje, Jesper & Joachim - S/T (Shadoks)
Baby Grandmothers - S/T (Subliminal Sounds)
New Tweedy Bros. - S/T (Akarma Deluxe)
Velvett Fogg -S/T (Akarma)
Zakarrias -S/T (Tapestry)
Tivol – Early Teeth (Holy Mountain)
White Flame - American Rudeness (Munster)
Bobb Trimble – Iron Curtain Innocence and Harvest of Dreams (Secretly
Canadian)
Aardvark
(in no particular order)
Starvin Hungry - Cold Burns (Signed
By Force)
Extra Golden - Hera Ma Nono (Thrill Jockey)
Deep Dark Woods - Hang Me Oh Hang Me (Black Hen)
Jesu - Conqueror (Hydra Head)
Baby Woodrose - Chasing Rainbows (Bad Afro)
The Sadies - New Seasons (Outside/Yep Roc)
Double Pumpers - Old Gold (Music For Cats)
Bionic - Black Blood (Signed By Force)
Pearlene - For Western Violence… (High And Dangerous)
Rick White Album - Memoreaper (Blue Fog)
C'Mon - Bottled Lightning... (Blown Speaker/Saved By Vinyl)
Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)
Heavy Trash - Going Way Out (Yep Roc)
The Dreadful Yawns – Rest (Exit Stencil)
Oakley Hall - I'll Follow You (Merge)
Monster Magnet - 4 Way Diablo (SPV)
Vietnam - S/T (Kemado)
The Reverb Syndicate – Sputnik A Go Go (indie)
King Louie & The Loose Diamonds - Memphis Treet (eMPty)
Harlan T. Bobo - I'm Your Man (Goner)
Bettye LaVette - The Scene Of The Crime (Anti)
Dungen - Tio Bitar (Subliminal Sounds)
The Bible All-Stars – S/T (indie)
Monster Magnet - 4 Way Diablo (SPV)
Turbonegro – (Retox (SLR)
Four 'N' Giv'r - Second Psychle (Birdman Sound)
Fabienne DelSol - Between You And Me (Damaged Goods)
The Go - Howl on the Haunted Beat You Ride (Cass)
Wooden Shjips - S/T (Holy Mountain)
Th' Legendary Shack Shakers - Swampblood (Yep Roc)
Nathaniel Mayer - Why Don't You Give It To Me (Alive)
Dragontears - 2000 Micrograms From Home Bad (Afro)
King Khan & The Shrines - What Is!? (Hazelwood)
Miss Alex White & The Red Orch. - Space & Time (In The Red)
Greg Hobbs - Thunder & Dust (Puddle Thief)
Lightning Dust - S/T (Jagjaguwar)
Brant Bjork & The Bros. - Somera Sol (Duna)
The Shovels - The Devil's Music (Music For Cats)
Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte (GSL)
Gore Gore Girls - Get The Gore (Bloodshot)
Tokyo Sex Whale - Feed The Beast (Last Drag)
The Pines - Sparrows In The Bell (Red House)
Dark Blue World - S/T (Drip Audio)
Sick Fits - S/T (Full Breach Kicks)
Mavis Staples - We'll Never Turn Back (Anti)
Grinderman - S/T (Anti/Mute)
The Flaming Sideburns - Keys To The Highway (Bitzcore)
The Detroit Cobras - Tied & True (Bloodshot)
Holly GoLightly & The Brokeoffs - You Can't Buy A Gun... (Damaged Goods)
Mary Weiss - Dangerous Game (Norton)
Demons Claws - Satans Little Pet Pig (In The Red)
Steve
Vardy Top 2007
1) Jim Bryson, Where the Bungalows
Roam 2007!!!!"
2) Steve Earle, "Washington Square Serenade"
3) Neil Young, "Massey Hall 1971"
4) Brant Bjork and The Bros, "Somera Sol and Tres Dias"
5) Kings of Leon, "Because of The Times"
6) Gogol Bordello, "Super Taranta"
7) Iron and Wine, "The Shepphard's Dog"
8) Jason Isbell, "Sirens of The Ditch"
9) Lucinda Williams, "West"
10) Deadstring Brothers, "Silver Mountain"
11) Bettye Lavette with DBT, "Scene of The Crime"
12) Sadies, "New Seasons"
13) Charlie Louvin, "Live at Shake it Records"
14) Dinosaur Jr. "Beyond"
15) New Pornographers, "Challengers"
16) Shyler Jansen, "Todays Remains"
17) Wilco, "Sky Blue Sky"
18) Detroit Cobras, "Tied and True"
19) Water Boys, "Book of Lightning"
20) Elliot Smith, "New Moon"
21) Great Lake Swimmers, "Ongaria"
Flecton
1 Not Too Late - Norah Jones
2 Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
3 Magic - Bruce Springsteen
4 Call Me Irresponsible - Michael Bublé
5 West - Lucinda Williams
6 It Won't Be Soon Before Long - Maroon
7 A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection - Alison Krauss
8 Icky Thump - The White Stripes
9 Wincing the Night Away - The Shins
10 High School Musical 2 - Robbie Nevil
Caitlin
Crockard
Here is my list of albums that rarely
left my stereo in 2007:
1. Battles - Mirrored (Warp)
2. Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm (Kill Rock Stars)
3. Tomahawk - Anonymous (Ipecac)
4. Grinderman - Grinderman (Anti)
5. Angels of Light - We Are Him (Young God)
6. Pissed Jeans - Hope for Men (Sub Pop)
7. Sharon Jones - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Dap Tone)
8. PJ Harvey - White Chalk (Island)
9. Nina Nastasia & Jim White - You Follow Me (Fat Cat)
10. Dungen - Tio Bitar (Subliminal Sounds)
My top 5 concerts too, they are:
1. The Ex at La Sala Rossa in Montreal
(June). Reaffirmed the power of polyrhythmic rock n roll.
2. ICP Orchestra at the NAC 4th Stage (June). Wonky free jazz with a sense of
humour, and one of the most adventurous and rock n roll drummers around - even
though he's well past the age of retirement.
3. The White Stripes at Ottawa Bluesfest (July). At a festival that has long
abandoned its bluesy roots, it took one of the most popular duos in rock to
point the way back in that direction.
4. Nels Cline and GE Stinson at the Guelph Jazz Festival (September). Over an
hour of dueling guitars, and not a single string was strummed.
5. Tinariwen at the Mod Club in Toronto (November). Former Tuareg rebels from
the Saharan desert decide to abandon their guns in favour of guitars, and come
up with the coolest African-Arabic-blues blend I've ever heard.
Mary
MacKinnon
2007 Favourite Things
Events
February 9, Gary Lucas’ Gods
& Monsters at Bowery Poetry Club NYC
May 17 Michael Snow, Alan Licht and
Aki Onda at FIMAV
May 19 Carla Bozulich at FIMAV
May 19 Acid Mother Gong at FIMAV
June 15 Four’n Giv’r,
Plastic Crimewave, Simply Saucer at Babylon
June 28 NO SUNSET in Yellowknife
July 14 Gutbucket w/ ‘Johnny
the Giant Killer’ cartoon (Mass MOCA)
August 1 Beastie Boys on Delaware
River Pier, Philadelphia
August 2 getting the f*** home from
the U*S*A*
October 4 John McLaughlin at Dominion
Chalmers
October 19 Bela Emerson at Sounds
Unlikely
October 23 Agent Orange at Lee’s
Palace
December 6 Thirteenth Assembly at
Casa del Popolo, Mtl.
Recordings
Loren Connors, As Roses Bow (1992-2002)
Miles Davis, Complete On the Corner
Sessions
Deepchord Presents Echospace, The
Coolest Season
John Fahey, Sea Change and Coelacanths
Faust, Live in Warsaw
Steve Hillage, Open (reissue)
Jackie O Motherfucker, America Mystica
Khan, Space Shanty (reissue)
Larkin Grimm, The Last Tree
Modern Lovers (5-6) (reissue)
Nurse With Wound, Homotopy to Marie
Nurse With Wound / Faust, Disconnected
OM Pilgrimage
Text of Light, Metal Box
Richard Thompson, Sweet Warrior
Robert Wyatt, ComicOpera
…from pre-2007, stuck on stereo
or in head...
Spires that in the Sunset Rise, This is Fire (2006)
Soft Machine, Middle Earth Masters
(2006)
Oneida, Happy New Year (2006)
NEU! (2002 rerelease)
Avarus, Jattilassrotta (2005)
Bill Bruford workshop (November 2006)
Woody
Whelan
Here are my favorite records of 2007'. Just some crap I played alot on my stereo
and in my car that I enjoyed. Don't get your panties in a knot. Go out and buy
your own damn muzak!
1) Lifetime "S/T" Fueled by Ramen Records.
1st new CD in 10 years and its like they never broke up. Awesome punk.
2) CPC Gangbangs "Mutilation Nation" Swami
Dark garage punk that gets under your skin. It rocks too!
3) Friday Morning's Regret "When Lost at Sea"
They changed their name to Wooden Sky, but this CD is amazing alt. country.
4) Against Me "New Wave" Sire
Major label debut by these anarchist folk punks.
5) Jason Isbell "Sirens of the Ditch" New West
ex-singer of Drive By Truckers solo CD. So damn beautiful.
6) Maritime "Hersey and the Hotel Choir" Foriegn Liesure
Ex-Promise Ring guys finally live up to their previous band. Gorgeous pop.
7) Spoon "Ga Ga Ga" Merge
Another batch of hits from this Austin band.
8) Son Volt "The Search" Epic
This band keeps getting better, while Wilco gets worse.
9) Dinosaur Jr. "Beyond" Fat Possum
Could have been released right after "Bug" its that good.
10) Brutal Knights "Feast of Shame" Deranged
Garage punk mixed with classic Motorhead. Another great Toronto punk band.
Other records I liked in 2007:
Pissed Jeans "Hope for Men" Sub Pop, Son Volt "On Chant and Strum"
double LP, V/A "Taking Out a Little Aggression: Trib. to Aggression"
LP, Witches With Dicks "Manuel" Kiss of Death, Gallows "Orchestra
of Wolves" Epitaph, Channel 3 "I've Got a Gun/After the Lights Go
Out" (Reissue)Ahoy, Band of Horses "Cease to Begin" Sub Pop,
Afghan Whigs "Ubreakable: Gr. Hits" Rhino, Bad Brains "Build
a Nation" Megaforce, Boo Hoo "S/T", Buffalo Tom "Three Easy
Pieces" New West, Explosions in the Sky "All of a Sudden" Temp.
Residence, Final Solutions "Songs By Solutions" Goner, Great Lake
Swimmers "Oniagra" Nettwerk, Grinderman "S/T" Anti, Magnolia
Electric Company 'Boxset' Secretly Canadian, Graig Markel "Via Novella"
Sonic Boom, Only Crime "Virulence" Fat Wrechords, Qui Love's Miracle"
Ipecac, Shellac "Excellent Italian Greyhound" T&G, Motion City
Soundtrack "Even if it Kills Me" Epitaph, Superdrag "Changing
Tires"...
Favorite shows 2007:
1) Son Volt w/Jason Isbell @ The Mod Club April 12th
2) Lifetime w/The Draft @ Kathredral April 20th
3) Friday Morning's Regret @ Tiger Bar May 11th
4) Band of Horses @ Lee's Palace Aug. 11th
5) Qui @ Lee's Palace Oct. 4th
6) Spoon @ Kool Haus Oct. 15th
7) Built to Spill @ Lee's Palace July 10th
8) Planes Mistaken for Stars @ Kathredral Nov. 21st
9) Urge Overkill @ Lee's Palace June 9th
10) Buffalo Tom @ Horseshoe June 7th
Other shows I dug in 07': Against Me @ Phoenix Mar. 9th, Boo Hoo @ The Boat
Mar. 11th, Explosions in the Sky @ Opera House March 25th, Pointed Sticks @
Horseshoe March 30th, Dinosaur Jr. @ Phoenix June 8th, Lemonheads @ Lee's July
24th, Tyvek @ Sneaky Dee's Oct. 5th, and Agent Orange @ Lee's Oct. 23rd.
Dick Altavista's Favourite Recordings of 2007
Crowded Skies-Fire Off The Hill,
(Indie)
Jack O. & The Tenessee Tearjerkers-The Flip-Side Kid, (SFTRI)
The Ettes-Shake The Dust (SFTRI)
Jim Bryson-Where The Bungalows Roam,(Kelp Records/Saved By Vinyl)
Jupiter Ray Project- Morrison Heights (indie)
Mary Weiss with The Reigning Sound-Dangerous Game, (Norton Records)
GOOD2GO -Accessorize, (indie)
The Bible All-Stars-The Bible All-Stars, (indie)
Oakley Hall-I'll Follow You (Merge records)
The Rizdales-Radio Country (indie)
The Gore Gore Girls-Get The Gore (Bloodshot Records)
John Allaire-Ghosts Of The Royal Motel (indie)
The Moaners-Blackwing Yalobusha (Yep Roc records)
Andy Swan-Andy Swan's Ottawa (Kelp)
Nick Lowe-At My Age (Yep Roc Records)
Harlan T. Bobo-I'm Your Man (Goner records)
John Doe-A Year In The Wilderness (Yep Roc records)
Michael Hall-The Song He Was listening To When He Died (Freedom records)
The Western States-The Western States (Dollartone records)
The Shovels-The Devil's Music (Music For Cats Records)
Greg Hobbs-Thunder & Dust (indie)
Steve Stacey and The Stump Splitters-Tall Tales, Fibs & Outright Lies (indie)
The Detroit Cobras-Tied & True (Bloodshot Records)
Betty Lavette-The Scene Of The Crime (ANTI Records)
FOUR'N'GIV'R-Second Psychle (Birdman Sound records)
Tokyo Sex Whale-Feed The Beast (Last Drag Records)
STEVE KIRKLAND
2007 New Releases
Arbouretum: Rites of Uncovering (Thrill Jockey)
Art Brut: It's a Bit Complicated (Downtown)
Meg Baird: Dear Companion (Drag CIty)
Battles: Mirrored (Warp)
Julian Cope: You Gotta Problem with Me (Head Heritage)
Current 93: Black Ships Ate the Sky (Southern Records)
Grinderman: Grinderman (Anti)
Ian Hunter: Shrunken Heads (Yep Roc)
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: 100 Days, 100 Nights (Dap-King)
Lightning Dust: Lightning Dust (Jagjaguwar)
Oh No: Dr.No's Oxperiment (Stone's Throw)
Papercuts: Can't Go Back (Gnomonsong)
the Ponys: Turn the Lights Out (Matador)
Schvendes: Tour ep (self-released)
Sick Fits: Sick Fits (Full Breach Kicks)
Linda Thompson: Versatile Heart (Rounder)
Tinariwen: Aman Iman: Water Is Life (World Village)
the View: Hats Off to the Buskers (1965)
the Vocokesh: All This and Hieronymous Bosch (Strange Attractors)
Mary Weiss w Reigning Sound: Dangerous Game (Norton)
Robert Wyatt: Comicopera (Domino)
2007 Re-issues, Compilations, etc.
Karen Dalton: In My Own Time (Light in the Attic) 1971
Miles Davis: Complete On the Corner Sessions (Sony) 1973-74
the Dictators: Every Day is Saturday (Norton) 1973-present
Nathaniel Mayer: I Want Love and Affection Not the House of Correction
(Vampisoul) 1961-80
Soul Merchants: 1985-87 (Smooch)
Richard and Linda Thompson: In Concert 1975 (Universal)
Bobb Trimble: Harvest of Dreams (Secretly Canadian) 1982
Various Artists: Bearded Ladies (Finders Keepers) 1960s-present
Various Artists: Cult Cargo: Grand Bahama Goombay (Numero) 1960s/70s
Various Artists: Real Life Permanent Dreams: A Cornucopia of British Psychedelia
1965-70 (Castle)
MARK McINTYRE
2007 Top Tunes (So far):
Greg Ashley - Painted Garden (Birdman)
Baby Woodrose - Chasing Rainbows
(Bad Afro)
Meg Baird - Dear Companion (Drag
City)
Budos Band - II (Daptone)
Extra Golden - Hera Ma Nono (Thrill
Jockey
Fabienne Del Sol - Between You And
Me (Damaged Goods)
Graham Day And The Gaolers - Soundtrack
To The Daily Grind (Damaged Goods)
Holly GoLightly And The Brokeoffs
- You Can't Buy A Gun When You're Crying (Damaged Goods)
Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte/No
Buffalo (GSL)
Mark Sultan - Sultanic Verses (In
The Red)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Collections/Reissues:
Bombay Connection, Vol. 1: Funk From
Indian Action Thrillers 1977 - 1984 (Bombay Connection)
Bombay Connection, Vol. 2: Bouncin'
Nightclub Grooves From Bollywood Films 1959 - 1972 (Bombay Connection)
Colombia!: The Golden Years of Discos
Fuentes (Soundways)
East Of Underground - ST (Wax Poetics/Lettuce)
Gozalo! Bugalu Tropical, Vol. 1 (VampiSoul)
Home Schooled - The ABCs Of Kid Soul
(Numero)
Jamaica Funk (Soul Jazz)
Nathaniel Mayer - (I Want) Love And
Affection (Not The House Of Correction) (VampiSoul)
Rabbits and Carrots - Soul Latino
(VampiSoul)
Srei Sothear and Sin Sisamouth -
Cambodian Psych-Out (Eclipse/El Suprimo/Defective)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Top Live Shows:
Acid Mothers Temple/Castor/Mammatus
At Babylon
Greg Ashley At Babylon
Budos Band/Sharon Jones & The
Dap-Kings at La Tulipe (Montreal)
Plastic Crimewave/Simply Saucer at
Babylon
Hollowtip Hearts/Sarah Hallman At
Zaphods
ANDREW CARVER
Favourite Albums of 2007 in alphabetical
disorder......
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting
Paraiso UFO – Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars (Important)
The Besnard Lakes – Are The
Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar)
Boris with Merzbow – Rock Dream
(Southern Lord)
Circle – Arkades (Fourth Dimension)
Dr. Dog – We All Belong (Park
the Van)
Four’n’Giv’r –
Second Psychle (Birdman Sound)
Four-Stroke – I Was A Teenage
Suicide Bomber (Crusty)
The Fucking Machines – Sexy
Times With ... (Last Drag)
Good2Go – Accesorize (self-released)
Great Aunt Ida – Now They Fly
(Northern Electric)
Heads – Dead In the Water (Invada)
Sarah Hallman – self-titled
(Bust Flat)
Marie-Josee Houle – Our Lady
of Broken Souls
HTRK – Nostalgia (Fire)
Jason Isbell – Sirens of the
Ditch (New West)
Kill Cheerleader – All Hail
(Spinerazor)
Michio Kurihara – Sunset Notes
(20/20/20)
Michio Kurihara with Boris –
Rainbow (Baked Goods)
Bettye LaVette – Scene of the
Crime (Anti)
RTX – Western Exterminator
(Drag City)
Sapat – Mortise and Tenon (Siltbreeze)
Shearwater – Palo Santo (Matador)
Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
Sunburned Hand of The Man –
Fire Escape (Small Town Super Sound)
Monarch – Dead Men Tell No
Tales (Crucial Blast)
Mouthus – Saw A Halo (Load)
Nadja – Radiance of Suns (Alien8)
Marissa Nadler – Song III:
Bird on the Water (Peacefrog)
Oakley Hall – I’ll Follow
You (Merge)
Pleasure Forver – Bodies Need
Rest (Conspiracy)
The Psychic Paramount – Gamelan
Into the Mink Supernatural (No Quarter)
Tokyo Sex Whale – Feed the
Beast (Last Drag)
Visitations – self-titled (Time
Lag)
Voice of the Seven Woods –
self-titled (B-Music)
Watain – Sworn to the Dark
(Southern Lord)
The Rick White Album – Memoreaper
(Blue Fog)
Whitehorse – self-titled (20
Buck Spin)
White Lichens – self-titled
(Holy Mountain)
Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
(Universal)
Wolves in the Throne Room –
Diadem of 12 Stars (Vendlus)
Re-releases........
Afflicted Man – The Complete
Recordings (Senseless Whale)
George Bridgman – Jungle Rot
(Bona Fide/Solid)
Culture – Two Sevens Clash
(Shanachie)
Harvey Milk – My Love Is Higher
Than Your Assessment of What My Love Could Be (Relapse)
Nico – The Frozen Borderline
(Rhino)
Tivol – Early Teeth (Holy Mountain)
Bobb Trimble – Iron Curtain
Innocence and Harvest of Dreams (Secretly Canadian)
John Uzonyi – Peacepipe (Shadoks)
Various Artists – All Your
Ears Can Hear (AYECH International)
Various Artists – Thai Pop
Spectacular 1960s-1980s (Sublime Frequencies)
Velvet Cacoon – Genevive and
Northsuite (Southern Lord)
Scott Brooks
2007 releases
Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound - Ekranoplan (Tee Pee)
Circle - Katapult (No Quarter)
Earthless - Rhythms from a Cosmic Sky (Tee Pee)
Four’N’Giv’r - Second Psychle (Birdman Sound)
The Hidden Hand - Resurrection of Whiskey Foote (Southern Lord)
High on Fire - Death is this Communion (Relapse)
Mammatus - The Coast Explodes (Holy Mountain)
Om - Pilgrimage (Southern Lord)
Six Organs of Admittance - Shelter from the Ash (Drag City)
Titan - A Raining of Light & Love, For You & You & You (Tee Pee)
Witchcraft - The Alchemist (Candlelight)
Wooden Shjips - S/T (Holy Mountain)
Other records that kicked my arse
in 2007
Amon Düül II - Vive la Trance (United Artists)
Blodwyn Pig - A Head Rings Out (A&M)
Circle - Sunrise (No Quarter)
Bodkin - S/T (Akarma)
Castor - Water is the Source of All Life (Lodge Facility Productions)
Entrance - Prayer of Death (Tee Pee)
High on Fire - The Art of Self Defense
Steve Hillage - Fish Rising (Virgin)
Kin Ping Meh - S/T (SPV)
Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes – Survival of the Fittest: Live (Polydor)
Scorpions - Lonesome Crow (SPV)
Sperrmüll - S/T (SPV)
Zombi - S/T (Wabana)
Zombi - Cosmos (Relapse)
Zombi - Surface to Air (Relapse)
Records I found on my street in a
box with a sign that said “FREE” scrawled in lipstick that kicked
my arse in 2007
Stanley Clarke - Journey to Love (Nemperor)
Gong - Magick Brother (Affinity)
Gong - Expresso II (Virgin)
Freddie King - Burglar (RSO)
Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! - Live! (Columbia)
Spooky Tooth - The Last Puff (Island)
RON
HONG’S ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2007:
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting
Parasei U.F.O – Crystal Rainbow Period Under The Stars (Important)
Anekdoten – A Time Of Day (Virta)
Boris With Michio Kurihara – Rainbow (Drag City)
Brant Bjork & The Bros – Somera Sol (Duna)
Meg Baird – Dear Companion (Drag City)
The Bongolian – Outer Bongolia (Blow Up)
The Budos Band – II (Daptone)
The Beast Of Bourbon – Little Animals (Albert)
The Bloody Hollies – Who To Trust, Who To Kill, Who To Love (Alive)
BabyWoodrose – Chasing Rainbows (Bad Afro)
Come’N’Go – II (Voodoo Rhythm)
Dragontears – 200 Micrograms From Home (Bad Afro)
Dungen – Tio Bitar (Kemado)
Dexateens – Hardwire Healing (Skybucket Records)
Extra Golden – Hera Ma Nono (Thrill Jockey)
Entrance – Prayer Of Death (Tee Pee)
Electric Orange – Morbus (Sulatron)
Flaming Sideburns – Keys To The Highway (Bitzcore)
Gorilla – Rock Our Souls (Go Down Records)
Grinderman – S/T (Anti)
Graham Day & The Gaolers – Soundtrack To The Daily Grind (Damaged
Goods)
Ghost – In Stormy Nights (Drag City)
The Hydromatics – Earth Is Shaking (Suburban)
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – 100 Days 100 Nights (Daptone)
King Louie & The Loose Diamonds – Memphis Treet (Empty)
Litmus – Planetfall (Rise Above)
Lunar Dunes – From Above (Dune)
Betty Lavette – The Scene Of The Crime (Anti)
Randall Of Nazareth – S/T (Drag City)
Mosnter Magnet – 4 Way Diablo (SPV)
Marissa Nadler – Songs III Birds On The Water (Kemado)
Oakley Hall – I’ll Follow You (Merge)
Sweatmaster – Animal (Fullsteam Records)
Six Organ Of Admittance – Shelter From The Ash (Drag City)
Space Ritual – Other World (Esoteric)
Salmon – Rock Formation (Bang!)
Sgt Sunshine – Black Hole (Elektrohasch)
Two Gallants – S/T (Saddle Creek)
Titan – S/T (Tee Pee)
Thunder Express – Republic Disgrace (Razzia)
Wichcraft – The Alchemist (Rise Above)
Wooden Shjips – S/T (Holy Mountain)
Wooden Wand – James & The Quiet (Ecstatic Peace)
BIJON
ROY
Some of the great
new music coming to my attention in 2007:
- Acid Mothers Temple -- Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Tour [Important]
- Alasehir -- The Philosophy Of Living Fire [Siltbreeze]
- Boris with Michio Kurihara -- Rainbow [Inoxia]
- Loren Connors -- The Hymn Of The North Star [Family Vinyard]
- Julian Cope -- Yougottaproblemwithme [Invada]
- Do Make Say Think -- You, You're A History In Rust [Constellation]
- Earthless -- Rhythms From A Cosmic Sky [Tee Pee]
- Giant Brain -- Plume [Small Stone]
- Growing -- Vision Swim [Troubleman]
- Heads -- Dead In The Water [Invada]
- Daniel Higgs -- Metempsychotic Melodies [Holy Mountain]
- Hrsta - Ghosts Will Come And Kiss Our Eyes [Constellation]
- Jackie-O Motherfucker -- Freaker Pipe [Usound]
- Kinski -- Down Below Its Chaos [Sub Pop]
- Major Stars -- Mirror/Messenger [Drag City]
- Mammatus -- The Coast Explodes [Holy Mountain]
- Harris Newman -- Decorated [Strange Attractors]
- Oakley Hall -- I'll Follow You [Merge]
- Pharoah Overlord -- Live In Suomi Finland [Vivo]
- Radiohead -- In Rainbows [Radiohead]
- Terry Riley -- Reed Streams [Organ Of Corti]
- Shining Path -- Shining Path [Holy Mountain]
- Six Organs of Admittance -- Shelter From The Ash [Drag City]
- Space Ritual -- Otherworld [Esoteric]
- Spacious Mind -- Gentle Path Highway [Goddamn I'm A Countryman]
- Valet -- Blood Is Clean [Kranky]
- Rick White - Memoreaper [Blue Fog]
- Wooden Shjips -- Wooden Shjips [Holy Mountain]
- Wooden Wand -- James & The Quiet [Ecstatic Peace]
- Robert Wyatt -- Comicopera [Domino]
Some of the great pre-2007 music first coming to my attention this year
(missed until
now, for whatever reason):
- Kevin Ayers -- Whatevershebringswesing [EMI/Harvest]
- Donald Byrd -- Free Form [Blue Note]
- Charalambides -- Our Bed Is Green [Timelag]
- Circle -- Andexelt [Tumult]
- John Coltrane -- Ascension [Impulse!]
- Roky Erickson & The Explosives -- Casting The Runes [5 Hours Back]
- Espers -- The Weed Tree [Locust]
- Josephine Foster -- All The Leaves Are Gone [Galactic Zoo Disc/Eclipse]
- Joy Division -- Unknown Pleasures [Factory]
- Koenji Hyakkei -- II - Viva Koenji!! [God Mountain/Skin Graft]
- György Ligeti -- Requiem, Streichquartetts, Continuum etc. (Boxed Set)
[Wergo]
- Residual Echoes -- Residual Echoes [Holy Mountain]
- Terry Riley -- Persian Surgery Dervishes [Shanti]
- Pharoah Sanders -- Jewels Of Thought [Impulse!]
- Serpent Power -- Serpent Power [Locust]
- Sleep -- Jerusalem [Music Cartel]
- Julie Tippetts -- Sunset Glow [Utopia]
- Tyrannosaurus Rex -- T. Rex [Pye/Cube]
- Witchcraft -- Witchcraft [Rise Above]
- Robert Wyatt -- The End Of An Ear [CBS]
Best re-discoveries in 2007:
- Grateful Dead - American Beauty [Warner]
- Sam Rivers - Crystals [Impulse!]
Album cover dude STILL bearing the most disturbingly uncanny
resemblance to me:
- "Badui," from Carlito e Badui -- Os Reis Do Batidão [Chantecler]
Darrell
Angus - Best of '07
Jennifer Gentle-The Midnight Room-Sub Pop
The Sadies-New Seasons-Outside
Blitzen Trapper-Wild Mountain Nation-LidKerCow
The Flying Burrito Bros.-Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969-Amoeba
Magnolia Electric Co.-Sojourner Box Set-Secretly Canadian
Grinderman-S/T-Mute/Anti
Six Organs of Admittance-Shelter from the Ash-Drag City
Heavy Trash-Going Way Out With…-Yep Roc
The Bongolian-Outer Bongolia-Blow Up
Bonnie Prince Billy-Ask Forgiveness-Drag City
Vic Chesnutt-North Star Deserter-Constellation
Do Make Say Think- You, You’re A History in Rust-Constellation
The Weeds-aka The Lollipop Shoppe-Wayback
Mary Weiss-Dangerous Game-Norton
Bettye LaVette-Scene of the Crime-Anti
Vietnam-S/T-Kemado
Various Artists-Sister Funk 2-Jazzman
Andre Ethier-on Blue Fog-Blue Fog
Marissa Nadler-Songs III: Bird on the Water-Kemado
Pearlene-For Western Violence and Brief Sensuality-High Dangerous
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings-100 Days, 100 Nights-Daptone
Ryan Adams-Easy Tiger-Lost Highway
Jim Bryson-Where The Bungalows Roam-Kelp
Band of Horses-Cease to Begin-Sub Pop
Fabienne Delsol-Between You And Me-Damaged Goods
Rick White Album-Memoreaper-Blue Fog
Iron and Wine-The Shepherd’s Dog-Sub Pop
Caribou-Andorra-Merge
Four ‘N’ Giv’r-Second Psychle-Birdman
Oakley Hall-I’ll Follow You-Merge
Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac-Jumping At Shadows-Sanctuary
The Fucking Machines-Sexy Times With…-Last Drag
Asteroid #4-An Amazing Dream-Rainbow Quartz (2006)
Meg Baird-Dear Companion-Drag City
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion-Jukebox Explosion-In The Red
Wooden Shjips-S/T-Holy Mountain
The Folklords-Release The Sunshine-Pacemaker
BILL GUERRERO
With apologies to any obvious omissions, some of the good
from 2007:
Grinderman - S/T (Anti)
Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound (Touch and Go)
Josephine Foster & the Supposed - All the Leaves are Gone (Eclipse)
The Rick White Album - Memoreaper (Blue Fog)
Julie Doiron - Woke Myself Up (Jagjaguwar)
Sick Fits - S/T (Full Breach Kicks)
Nathaniel Mayer - Why Don't You Give it to Me? (Alive)
Four n Giv'r - Second Psychle (Birdman Sound Recordings)
Four Stroke - I Was a Teenage Suicide Bomber (Crusty)
Kinski - Down Below It's Chaos (Sub Pop)
Circle - Katapult (No Quarter)
Wooden Shjips - Wooden Shjips (Holy Mountain)
Rush - Snakes & Arrows (Anthem)
The Hidden Hand - The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote (Southern Lord)
Hrsta - Ghosts Will Come and Kiss Our Eyes (Constellation)
Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy (Ecstatic Peace)
Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte, No Buffalo (GSL)
Baby Woodrose - Chasing Rainbows (Bad Afro)
Tokyo Sex Whale - Feed the Beast (Last Drag)
Dragontears - 20000 Micrograms from Home (Bad Afro)
King Khan & the Shrines - What Is? (Hazlewood)
Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs - You Can't Buy a Gun When You're Crying (Damaged
Goods)
Pissed Jeans - Hope for Men (Sub Pop)
Favourite near-death experience of 2007:
You might recall back in February 2007 we had a real monster of a storm - an
arm of a hurricane or tropical storm that ended up dumping tons of snow, ice
pellets and a bunch of other crap on us over a two day period. Traffic was screwed
for a couple of days, a whole lot of cars were in the ditch, and a lot of public
servants took it as a sign to burn off some accumulated sick days.
Anyhow, that was the exact same time I had planned to go pick up Diane (you
know Diane) from New Hamburg, a small town off the highway just outside of Stratford,
where she had been visiting a friend, taking a bit of a break from the big city
to do some writing, and enjoying the various quirks of southern Ontario small
town living. And there are a lot of them. This is a town that feels so strongly
about having the largest functioning water wheel in the province (or something
like that), that the town's elders have seen fit to ensure that it is functioning
at all times when the water will allow it, in spite of the fact that it takes
more power to run the thing than it could ever actually produce as an engine.
It was during my preparation for the journey that I bought a copy of The Hidden
Hand's epic, fully rocked out CD "The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote",
which turned out to be an appropriate accompaniment to the grind that was the
first half of my journey. I passed the edge of the storm just before Kingston,
but it was during the worst of the combination of freezing rain and ice pellets
outside of Brockville when I was listening to that album, white-knuckling the
steering wheel of my rented Yaris along the 401 that the following thoughts
occurred to me: When they dig my mangled person and car out of the ditch and
start taking a look at the events surrounding the crash, will they take into
account what was playing on the stereo at the time? Will it be blamed as a cause,
thus invalidating whatever pittence would have otherwise been at the end of
any insurance claim on my life that my widow would be making? Will they even
be able to identify the album, and, in the event that the CD is salvageable,
would anyone appreciate it? I have not been able to find acceptable answers
to any of these questions.
LAST
YEARS
YEAR
B4
YEAR
B4 THAT
YEAR
B4 THAT