Across the Ist-a-Verse
Every weekday of December (except for December 25, that is), Phillyist will be counting down to 2008 with our highlights from the past year and our predictions for the next. If you have a list you'd like to submit, let us know!
My favorite part about about being a Phillyist writer is the late-night orgies checking out all sorts of music I never would have heard of, let alone heard, if I wasn't involved with this wacky site. About half of the albums that are below, my favorite albums of 2007, are things I never would have heard if not for Phillyist. And I should make it clear that these are my favorite albums of the year, not to be confused with the best albums of the year. There are some selections on this list (okay, one in particular) that are indefensible. But read on, and watch my credibility melt away before your very eyes...
10. Bad Religion (MySpace): New Maps of Hell: New Maps of Hell is just what you expect from Bad Religion after all these years: Fast, loud, smart, subversive, angry. They've been tapping into political discontent for decades, and in today's political climate, their music is more relevant and resonating than ever before.
9. Paper Rival (MySpace): Paper Rival [EP]: Frankly, this album would be higher on the list if it was a full-length album instead of just a five-song EP. However, the purpose of the EP was to generate buzz for an upcoming full-length release (due out in March), and given the quality of the EP and their live performance, we're really looking forward to the release of the album.
8. Fall Out Boy (MySpace): Infinity on High: I honestly cannot believe this album is on the list. I picked it up on a whim because I couldn't get the damn "Thnks fr th Mmrs" song out of my head. Turns out, the whole album is really good. Patrick Stump has a great voice, and unlike previous Fall Out Boy efforts we've heard, Infinity on High has a lot of evidence that the band actually put some time and thought into their songwriting. While my credibility is now in shambles, I must reluctantly say that I really enjoyed this album.
7. Ryan Adams (MySpace): Easy Tiger: Find something negative to say about Ryan Adams's music. I dare you. What's odd is that none of the songs on Easy Tiger are particularly catchy, but for some reason, I kept going back to it again and again. It's the kind of album you can either sit there and concentrate on while you listen to it, or it can just be in the background while you're doing other things, and it serves well either way.
6. The Frames (MySpace): The Cost: Where to even begin...The Cost runs the gamut of emotions, and Frames frontman Glen Hansard's voice conveys them all. On a few tracks, particularly the albums first song, "Song for Someone," it actually sounds like Hansard is going to burst into tears. Editor Jill is going to say this album should be higher on the list, but she's a Glen Hansard fangirl. That's not to say it's not justified. Hansard's songwriting and vocalizing are outstanding, and The Cost reflects that talent.
5. Fair to Midland (MySpace): Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True: Fables is always one of the first albums I put on my iPod when I'm at the gym. It's really good, aggressive hard rock. And vocalist Darroh Sudderth can do some simply awesome things with his voice, going from melodic singing to growling and back again at the drop of a pin. And it's not just studio tricks, because we've heard him perform live. When it comes to hard rock, there's a whole lot to love about Fair to Midland.
4. The Fratellis (MySpace): Costello Music: I debated whether to actually put this on an "Albums of 2007" list, because it came out in Britain in September 2006. However, because it didn't come out stateside until this past March, it's on the list. Costello Music is a little pop, a little punk, a little indie, and a lot of fun. The songs get stuck in your head, and you may even find yourself unconsciously bopping your head while you listen to it, which can make you (and by "you" I mean "me") look like a real idiot if you're listening at work.
3. Eric Hutchinson (MySpace): Sounds Like This: Hutchinson's catchy brand of piano pop sucked Editor Jill and me in when we saw him perform a couple months ago. And while we'd still rather see him live than merely listen to the album, Sounds Like This delivers the goods, at least as much as a studio album can. An endorsement from Perez Hilton launched Hutchinson into iTunes popularity, and there's some sentiment out there—shared by us—that Hutchinson is on the verge of being a huge star.
2. Bayside (MySpace): The Walking Wounded: Bayside is a genre-crossing band we heard for the first time at Warped Tour. There's a bit of punk, a bit of metal, and some hardcore thrown in. For a band that played to an adoring predominantly-teenage audience at Warped, Bayside is wonderfully mature, both musically and lyrically. Frontman Anthony Raneri's voice was off-putting at first, but it grows on you over time. From top to bottom, The Walking Wounded doesn't have a weak song on it.
1. The Honorary Title (MySpace): Scream & Light Up the Sky: Phillyist checked out The Honorary Title twice this year, and neither time were we really blown away, but we don't really pin that entirely on them, and we really don't understand why the audiences we saw The Honorary Title perform to weren't more responsive. Scream & Light Up the Sky is, quite simply, fan-freakin'-tastic. I've had days at work where I've listened to it two or three times and not gotten bored in the least with it. And every time I hear it, I find something new to like. It genuinely baffles me that The Honorary Title has not already become huge on the strength of Scream. But then, it was only released in August, and it could have the kind of delayed reaction and explosion in popularity in 2008 that frequently happens to relatively unknown bands. When it happens to The Honorary Title, just remember that we told you first.
Image via The Honorary Title's MySpace page.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Post a comment (Comment Policy)