The Music of 2007: A Year in Review

This will be my reflective, end of year material. it will also be about all the great music that came out this year. here are the first ten albums, 30 through 26. Keep in mind that they're great, they're just not my absolute faves for the year. Keep tuning in for the other updates with more musics! oh, and if any of this music is unknown to you and you want in on it, let me know. i'm a pretty sharing guy with my treasures!! 25 through 21 should be posted tomorrow. or later today. let's be real.

PART ONE:

30. Joy Electric- The Otherly Opus (Tooth & Nail) March 20 “Years Later, Still Weird”

Joy Electric (AKA Ronnie Martin) has been putting out goofy and eccentric synth-techno whatevery tunes for a LONG LONG time. His first album as a solo band came out in 1994, after three albums with his brother Jason in Dance House Children. Anyway, I haven’t been big on Joy Electric for several years because the music’s kind of hard to get in to, and it’s VERY weird even then. The Otherly Opus is no exception on the weird-factor, but I definitely find it easier to listen to, and it’s a lot catchier than the past… oh, I don’t know, three or four LPs. Why it’s up here: It’s a solid album from a solid artist, but better (in my personal tastes) than usual. Why it’s down here: Even with the more accessible album, it’s still not the most common listen. It’s wacky electro-synth-pop stuff for sure. Jam This Song: “The Memory of Alpha”

29. Skindred- Roots Rock Riot (Bieler Bros.) October 23 “The Long Wait”

Skindred is a Welsh-British band that, to be classified, would probably be “reggae-punk-metal”. It’s a wild mix to be certain, but their first album Babylon which came out (as a re-release) in 2004 was SICK. Since it was a re-release, however, one would have expected a follow-up much sooner than in late 2007. Roots Rock Riot delivers lots of fun and good heaviness that Skindred’s good at while including the reggae-rap-ish feel that makes them unique. Why it’s up here: Skindred was one of my bands I jammed non-stop in high school. The new album captures lots of the fun that was present there and brings it back. Why it’s down here: It took FOREVER to come out. And with such a long wait, it wasn’t really worth three years (or five if you’d heard it before the re-release like me) of waiting. Jam This Song: “Rat Race”

28. MxPx- Secret Weapon (Tooth & Nail) July 17 “Return to Greatness”

Waiiiiiiiiiiit a minute. MxPx??? Tooth and Nail??? I’m pretty sure the last T&N MXPX album (the amazing Life In General) came out eleven years ago. Wait… yep! It sure did. How then, you may ask, is this little release here on my 2007 TOP 30 list?? Well, the boys from Bremerton are back on T&N, don’t ask me why, but it’s a return to greatness over several of their past albums. Now, they weren’t all bad, certainly Slowly Going the Way of the Buffalo was amazing, but someone should be held accountable for the crap-storm that was Before Everything and After. Why it’s up here: This album reminds me exactly of why I’ve loved this band! It captures the classic fun feel of MXPX but it doesn’t feel dated. Why it’s down here: While there are tons of solid tracks (sixteen in all!) to enjoy on the album, only four or five are songs I NEED to listen to whenever I’m giving the album a listen. Jam This Song: “Secret Weapon”, “Bass So Low”

27. Every Time I Die- The Big Dirty (Ferret) September 4 “Bitten by the Party Animal”

Every Time I Die is a raucous hardcore band claiming some “southern” influences but in short form, they’re just good and unique. One of the “healthiest and most effective singing/screaming styles” can be attributed to vocalist Keith Buckley, who ranges from harsh and ravaging yells to an almost apathetic slurring of the words in places. The new album brings forth what people love about ETID- from mashed-together song titles( such as “rendez-voodoo”) and a fun attitude to hardcore that keeps these guys from being like anybody else. Why it’s up here: Honestly, for the song (and video for) “We’rewolf”. The album as a whole is great and packed with fun songs, but that one song definitely takes the cake for me personally. Oh, and when someone yells “Hang ‘em high!” loud enough, it’s hard not to get excited. Why it’s down here: Not the highest catchy-factor with this here album, though it’s great. It will be hard for any ETID album to capture the fun and ferocity of 2003’s Hot Damn! Jam This Song: “We’rewolf”

26. Poison the Well- Versions (Ferret) April 3

Poison the Well is an excellent example of what I refer to as “screamo”, blending hardcore elements with rock and lighter singing and chill slowdowns and what-not that might be referred to as “emo” or whatever. Now don’t get it twisted in your heads that this is your form of “screamo” because the singing here, while pretty, isn’t girly at all. Anyway, Versions takes PTW’s recent style and adds in boatloads of guitar movement, fleshing out the overall feel from the last album, my personal fave, You Come Before You. Why it’s up here: This album is lots of fun and easy to listen through. The songs don’t sound the same, and it’s an easy “put it in and enjoy” album. Also, it rocks real hard when it has to. Don’t underestimate. Why it’s down here: Some of the tracks are less than exceptional (but all quite acceptable) and can sometimes slow down the pace of the album, which very well may have been intentional. Jam This Song: “Nagaina”

more to come soon!!