fifteen best (because shark says no one believes any more than that)

15. life without buildings: live at the annandale hotel
why did they break up? as i said in my initial pando, alternatively exhilarating and frustrating, since i never saw them play.

14. studio: yearbook 1
where my post-punk and electronic tastes collide. attempt not dancing to this.

13. working for a nuclear free city: businessmen & ghosts
partially a nod to how much i wish i did a list last year. their debut was great; the aura's a bit different here, and there's more material, but it's expertly curated. could be here for the addition of "sarah dreams of summer" alone.

12. sharon jones & the dap-kings: 100 days, 100 nights
says a lot that this band fit in seamlessly with an extended classic soul kick i had during the year. those fucking horns. see them live.

11. deerhoof: friend opportunity
as shark said, one of the top three bands in the world right now. satomi, i will marry you right now. we were neighbors till last year! so much in common!

10. sunset rubdown: random spirit lover
a giant leap forward from my one of my favorite bands from last year. probably the most dense record of 2007, both lyrically and musically. and if it wasn't clear from shut up i'm dreaming — and it should have been — it's not just spencer krug's show anymore; these kids all kill.

9. electrelane: no shouts, no calls
the most affecting album i heard this year; it just pummeled me in the soft spots.

8. the field: from here we go sublime
i heard the "over the ice" single on the sun & ice 12" early in the year and knew this guy was going to blow me away. he records these tracks in one fucking take. i mean, christ.

7. pole: steingarten
the only way i can describe this album is by calling it "three-d sound." there are sounds coming from every direction; if you close your eyes you feel like you are just floating. production of the year—and that's saying a lot (see nos. 1-4, 8, 10, 12-14). [note: check out the steingarten remixes album. how can you improve on something as unique as this approach to electronic music? well, maybe you can't, but every producer on the remixes stayed true not only to the sound, but to the approach to the sound. i can't listen to track seven standing up; it knocks me off balance, sober or otherwise.]

6. black lips: los valientes del mundo nuevo
i don't know if you can have more fun making, or listening to, an album. familiar influences skillfully synthesized into a drunken mess of rock glory.

5. dirty projectors: rise above
the biggest surprise of the year for me. i hear new things every time i put this on. his voice is just so damn desperate, the harmonies are gorgeous, the playing is scattered and weird and perfect.

4. radiohead: in rainbows
nothing like what i expected; everything i wanted. best band in the world.

3. animal collective: strawberry jam
i think we all saw this coming. they had been building towards a record like this for a while and did not disappoint. i was able to resist downloading individual tracks as they leaked out, and taking this thing in one dose is highly recommended. normally i'd be afraid an album as great as this one undoubtedly would be the pinnacle of a band's career. not with these guys.

2. panda bear: person pitch
nothing i can say about this album that hasn't been said. a true masterpiece. is it super-gay to call it life-affirming? yeah, it is. but, it is.

1. stars of the lid: and their refinement of the decline
far and away my most played album of the year; i've heard it so much that it has become a part of my life on a practical level unlike any other album, ever. studying, stoned, napping, sleeping, thinking, driving. it's like breathing; what's more, it actually is like breathing, with its swells and drones and ebbs and peaks. stunning.

best live shows of 2007 (that i can remember i was at)

10. arctic monkeys @ austin city limits
9. 65daysofstatic @ elysium (sxsw)
8. deerhoof @ emo's
7. bonde do rolê @ beauty bar (sxsw)
6. joanna newsom @ riverbend center
5. animal collective @ emo's
4. dirty projectors @ emo's
3. explosions in the sky @ emo's
2. black lips @ emo's
1. shout out out out @ beauty bar (sxsw)

mating ritual feverishly

socrates kuncham
leaked information
kuwaitibeach
tunnen
ron jeremy prescribes...
amber o. shoemakker
lawsimus
shinobur
schweig