I relish compiling lists. So much so that I ended up with a list of 75 songs from this year on a longlist. So for the sake of your attention-span and as recommendation reminders here are my top 25 songs of 2007. I’ll talk about the track when it warrants it or if I’ve talked about it before, I’ll be lazy and quote myself. Link to the MP3, stream or video can be found on the title of the song.
25. Modeselektor – Dark Side of the Sun
My favourite track from Happy Birthday although it took a few months for me to settle on it, like a lottery ball in front of a hapless individual on Winning Streak.
24. Zach Condon – Venice
“The downtempo electronic tones may surprise you if you’ve been enjoying his Balkan ways..”. (June)
23. Caribou – Melody Day (Four Tet remix)
“It strips back the instrumentation completely and adds extra vocals from Adem, Luke LaLonde, and One Little Plane to produce a delectably sparse, acoustic-led track.”. (July 07 – Featured in July Podcast)
22. Justice – Stress
If Bernard Herrman was alive to make Blog House, it would sound like this. (Featured in May Podcast)
21. M.I.A – Paper Planes
A number of alternative versions popped up after Kala was released including the Bun B/Rich Boy and the Esau Mwamwaya all-African version.
20. Nouveau Noise – Cinnte
19. Jape – I was a Man
18. The Bees – Listening Man
The Bees: The best 60’s band of the 21st Century.
17. Dan Deacon – The Crystal Cat
My introduction to the bat-shit crazy world of Dan Deacon was this bat-shit crazy tune. (Kicked off the April Podcast)
16. TTC – Telephone
15. Prefuse 73 – Class of 73 Bells
14. Feist – 1234
13. Ida Maria – Oh my God
“Ida Maria sings with more fervour and soul than your average indie boy frontman, starting with such impetuosity that by the end she’s snarling/howling the chorus at us.” (Nov)
12. Matthew Dear – Deserter
“..moody texture-rich companion to LCD Soundsystem’s “All my Friends” with the same epic quality.” (Aug)
11. Super Extra Bonus Party – Everything Flows
An Irish indie-pop belter with electronic beats and vocals from Paul O’ Reilly (Channel One). My guitar riff of the year.
10. LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends
9. J Dilla – Nothing Like This
8. The Vinny Club – It’s not you, it’s OF
“Starting with a radio jingle of “Nineteen Eighty Threeeeeeeee”, it kicks into ultra-violent synth mode and struts around beating the shit out of anything that moves for 2 and a half minutes.” (March)
7. Neon Neon – Trick for Treat
The first single from the Boom Bip/Gruff Rhys collaboration featured a falsetto from Har Mar Superstar and a turn from Naeem from Spank Rock.
6. Amon Tobin – Esther’s
Using the technqiues of Field recording, this track features a motorbike revving up, a group of wasps buzzing in a jar and very possibly, tigers roaring pegged to immense beats.
5. Dan Deacon – Wham City
A 12 minute, three-part nursery rhyme-assisted, unabashedly nonsensical spectacular tune. Live, it’s even more incendiary.
4. LCD Soundsystem – Someone Great
3. Panda Bear – Bros
“The album’s standout, the near 13 minute “Bros” starts with an owl hoot and takes off into a jangly rhythm with beautiful echoing vocal lines. About halfway, the jangly guitar is replaced by a distorted ethereal guitar and Lennox jams out the song to it’s never dull length. It all sounds so naive and wide-eyed but every sound is calculated to precision.” (January)
2. Milanese – Caramel Cognac
The aural equivalent of a Transformer robot crushing a city landscape while being pursued by a sonic boom homing missile. The humans triumph with sweet vocals and fanfare. Everybody wins.
1. Battles – Atlas
A rock band try to ape T. Raumschmiere with their instruments and create the most original and thrilling song of the year.
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, club promoter, event curator and producer of gigs, listening parties & events in Dublin.
The list looks excellent. It’s raining outside and I can’t be arsed to go out so I think I’ll make myself a cup of tea and start clicking on some links. Cheers for going to all this trouble.
1.Music list
1.5.Music list
2.my opinion
3.music list
good 2 see u put my bees in there! mucho respect
I don’t have a problem with your list, it’s pretty good.
But
Battles’ Atlas at #1?
Maybe could have earned #1 overhyped song of the year.
Everytime somebody mentions the band, they play this song, and I swear it always strikes me as something that belonged on the B-side to Killer Clowns from Outter Space sndtrk.
Which
Might help me like them.
I’m glad you included the Melody Day fourtet cover, and the JDilla track.
I saw some others that I’m gonna look deeper into, but another one that was listed that I’ve seen ripped apart for damn near copyright infringement is the Bees.
When I initially heard The Bees, I thought hey I’ve been looking for somebody to fill the void left by the Beta Band, maybe this’ll fill it up halfway, and it did for about a week, then I noticed that they were getting slammed pretty hard for being a shallow echo of some sort of 70’s band, don’t remember the name.
Whatever
I really only have a problem with the Battles track.
The intro really gets my foot tapping, then the masked lyrics come in and assisinate any chance of it sinking into my brain as something that doesn’t feel like rehearsals from MK Ultra Labs.
I really didn’t need to write this much, but I did it for the benefit of us all.
BTW, can I count on a Radiohead track from In Rainbows qualifying for next year?
Even if it doesn’t I’m still gonna just believe it does.
Hey, the j dilla link is also going to LCD’s All of my Friends.
Hello Niall:
I opened the feed to get an idea of what’s cooking. I added this link to my del.icio.us network so I can read it more at leisure, later on today. I am taking it easy right now, but should resume my normal activities in my blogs soon. No, it’s not because of my addiction to the 80s videos on VH1 Classic. It’s stuff I have to take care of. Getting to know your blog was one of the rewarding blogosphere events this year. There is a lot for me to learn here.
Thanks for your work.
Not enough Mumblin’ Deaf Ro’ for my likin but a good list nonetheless!
That’s a great list Niall. I’d have put something from ‘In Rainbows’ in there myself but I’d imagine it’ll feature in the albums of the year. Delighted you put ‘Cinnte’ in there, that was one of the true gems you uncovered on the site this year- no need to wait for the next Four Tet record with stuff like this knocking around. And Stress is the best tune on the Justice album, it’s distillation of everything good about that record. Good work!
[quote post=”921″]I’d have put something from ‘In Rainbows’ in there myself but I’d imagine it’ll feature in the albums of the year.[/quote]
You might not be so pleased by the album list so…
[quote post=”921″]Maybe could have earned #1 overhyped song of the year.[/quote]
agreed
seriously though, has to be “someone great”, such a bloomin brilliant song.
love that vinny club tune
What, no Burial?
[quote post=”921″]What, no Burial?[/quote]
I love Archangel but no more than these songs. It may have been at number 50 or so..not sure.
Its the most wonderful time of the year when the ‘net descends into frenzied list making. Love it. My number 1 would probably be ‘fireworks’ off the animal collective record.
gwan the vinny club!!!!!!!
all hail the vinny club
Did Edgar Winters put anything out this year?
I’d have to second Fireworks by Animal Collective. Its absolutely beautiful and it includes the word “poo” in the chorus without being ridiculous.
[quote post=”921″]I’d have to second Fireworks by Animal Collective. Its absolutely beautiful and it includes the word “poo” in the chorus without being ridiculous.[/quote]
I do love that song but I prefer “Fireworks”
mike -> “seriously though, has to be ‘someone great’, such a bloomin brilliant song”
seconded
overall i don’t think LCD live up to the hype but i have to say SG really is bloody fantastic!
my track of the year
Earth Intruders by Bjork was one of my faves of the year.
guitar riff of the year?
haha,now all i need is the top hat,cigarette and crippling drug dependency.
how could u not have blood red shoes on your list man, they fuckin’ rock and they’ve had a load of singles out this year
Niall, Niall, Niall!
How did you arrive at the conclusion that In Rainbows isn’t one of the best albums of the year?! Number one with a bullet!
End of.
Fine list though, although as I’ve said, no House Of Cards, Reckoner, Nude, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, I could go on…
I take it Spiderman of the Rings is at the top of your album list? That really is quite good.
I’ve just stumbled across this post : thanks for the suggestions, and especially for providing the links as well. I’ve been compiling my own music lists here – http://musictodiefor.wordpress.com/ – the latest list being of 50 favourite songs by 50 favourite Irish artists.
It is lovely club…..