I Hate All Your Favorite Bands: The Best Albums of 2007
Well, 2008 is finally upon us. You haven’t heard from me in a while because I’ve been racking my brain and reviewing my record collection to put together this list. Now, it’s time I prove how cool I am because of my obscure tastes in music.
This is my list of the best albums of 2007. This list can’t be whittled down to just 10 or 20 since I acquire far too many records each year to limit myself.
Granted, I didn’t hear EVERY album that came out this year, but I highly doubt the “High School Musical 2″ soundtrack, the Sean Kingston album, or any recording “featuring T-Pain” would have made my list anyway.
The first three albums listed are the three best albums of 2007, hands down. The rest of have been listed in alphabetical order because it’d be impossible to determine which record landed in which position. I will list the label on which each record was released in case you feel the need to go buy it. Please, PLEASE try to purchase these records at an independent record store.
And please, keep music evil.
TOP THREE ALBUMS OF 2007
Darkest Hour “Deliver Us” Victory Records
Les Savy Fav “Let’s Stay Friends” French Kiss Records
Smoke or Fire “The Sinking Ship” Fat Wreck Chords
THE REST OF THE BEST OF 2007 (In Alphabetical Order)
Bad Religion “New Maps of Hell” Epitaph
Band of Horses “Cease To Begin” Sub Pop
Biffy Clyro “Puzzle” Roadrunner
Dethklok “The Dethalbum” Adult Swim/Williams St
Dinosaur Jr. “Beyond” Fat Possum
Sage Francis “Human the Death Dance” Anti/Epitaph
Interpol “Our Love To Admire” Matador/Capitol
Kings of Leon “Because of the Times “RCA
Love Me Destroyer “The Things Around Us Burn” Suburban Home
Modest Mouse “We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank” Columbia Records
Pinback “Autumn of the Seraphs” Touch and Go
Scott Reynolds “Livin’ The Dream” Boss Tunage
The Shins “Wincing the Night Away” Sub Pop
Terra Diablo “Deluge Songs” Nocturnal
Trans Am “Sex Change” Thrill Jockey
Tub Ring “The Great Filter” The End
Watson “Killing Momentum” A.D.D.
Your Codename is Milo “They Came From The Sun” V2
Overall, this was an exceptional year for music. There were a few disappointments (Against Me! and Puscifer, I’m talking to you), but the good certainly outweighed the bad. I’m already super excited for a couple of records in 2008. Suburban Home Records will finally release Scott Reynolds and the Steaming Beast’s “Adventure Boy” this month, as well as Drag the River’s posthumous final record. And hopefully we’ll finally get Hinder’s sophomore effort. Keep your fingers crossed for that. Ugh. Happy New Year to all.
The Movies
“I wanna see movies of my dreams.”
- Built To Spill
As the summer winds down, so does the summer movie season. So, naturally it’s time to take a look back at the good films, the bad movies, and the ugly cinematic disasters. And, since August isn’t quite over yet, let’s go ahead and see what potential gems (or bombs) the rest of the summer has to offer.
Being a complete film snob, I’ve always had a love hate relationship with what is usually considered the season of the blockbuster. By now, I’ve come to expect more bad movies will be released between May and August than good films, but this summer I think I may have lost my faith in humanity.
I mean, come on, who had to screw whom to get crap like Bratz! The Movie, Stardust, No Reservations, and Delta Farce made? And don’t even get me started on I Know Who Killed Me - the final nail in the coffin of the career of Lindsay “Pablo Escobar” Lohan. And more importantly, who thought ANYONE would want to see these films?
I suppose that it’d be remiss of me not to mention the overabundance of sequels this summer.
Or, rather, “threequels.” Captain Jack Sparrow and his loveable band of pirates made their third trek through the multiplex, as did Jason Bourne (The Bourne Ultimatum), John McLaine (Live Free or Die Hard), Mike Myers (Shrek The Third), and every “young, hot” actor in the free world (Ocean’s Thirteen). And soon enough, Brett Ratner will take a huge theatrical dump called Rush Hour 3 (enough already, Ratner - I hate you).
But, it wasn’t all bad this summer. Some movies straight lived up to their hype and blew audiences away (Transformers, Sicko), while some were just completely twisted, if under appreciated (Eli Roth’s Hostel 2). Knocked Up was as obnoxious as 40-Year-Old Virgin and 1408 was the best Stephen King film to come out in years. And what summer is complete without a few zombies here and there. 28 Weeks Later surprised everyone simply for the fact that it was even made, but then even more so when it turned out to be really freakin’ scary. And zombie-indie (zombindie?) film Fido - about a boy and his pet zombie garnered great reviews on the independent circuit. And I’m sure I’d be castrated if I didn’t mention Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, though I’ll probably actually get killed for saying this - apparently I’m the only person in the free world who doesn’t give a squirt of pee about Potter and his wizardly ways.
And summer’s not even over yet. In the coming weeks, we can expect Superbad - which is poised to be the funniest film of all time. And alumni from MTV’s sketch comedy show The State have built quite a buzz for their take on the Ten Commandments, appropriately titled The Ten (although it’s getting such a limited release, I’ll have to travel to Colorado to see it). And speaking of The State, troupe members Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (Reno 911) are the writers of the Christopher Walken ping-pong farce Balls of Fury. Rob Zombies “reimagining” of John Carpenter’s Halloween looks very promising, while the guys behind Saw seem to have a pretty intense film on their hands with Death Sentence. So, apparently all is not lost and we do have some good movies to look forward to. Of course, there’s also Daddy Day Camp, and that waste of celluloid looks worse that a Nickelback/Hinder co-headlining tour.
Something Vicious For Tomorrow
“I’m gonna be perfect from now on. I’m gonna be perfect starting now.” - Built to Spill
Relationships are difficult for most people. For me, relationships are downright impossible. For some reason, I’m just coming to this conclusion. One would think that the trail of broken lives (my own included) I’ve left in the 15 years since I had my first “real” girlfriend would have clued me in long ago, however I’m a complete and total retard, so I’m just now realizing it.
I never planned on doing a column so semiserious (in fact, this edition of “Something Vicious…” was supposed to be a commentary on the Yacht Rock phenomenon that has been gracing YouTube for several months), but I think my recent breakup and the realization that I suck may be good fodder.
I will tell you that I have had one relationship that I was particularly good at. So good, in fact, that this relationship started 20 years ago, and is still going strong today. And that relationship is my love affair with music.
It may sound silly, but really, it makes a whole lot of sense. Music loves you unconditionally (no matter what a lame ass you are). Music is never too busy for you (and never gets sick of your incessant whining). And it’s much easier breaking up with a band than it is breaking up with a girl (the ending of my love affair with Reel Big Fish was WAY less painful than my breakup with my last girlfriend). Face it, music can be your best friend –your best friend that always does what you want to, who always goes where you want to go, who never sleeps with your girlfriend, and who never drinks all your beer.
It’s funny, after my last breakup (or any breakup, come to think of it), music was what kept me relatively happy and sane. So, it would seem that music is my “rebound” from ex-girlfriends, although music is always there during the relationship too, so I guess music would be my mistress. But my girlfriends are always aware of my affair with music, so I guess music is my “friend with benefits.”
“Music - Your ‘Friend with Benefits’ For Life.” I’m going to put that on a t-shirt.
Anyways, the following are what have helped me through the last couple months of breakup hell. Now, I know this isn’t all Music, but whatever. This is my column, I can do what I want, jerkbag.
Songs
•”Pixies” by Snuff
•”Randy Described Eternity” by Built to Spill
•”Midgets and Giants” by Sage Francis
•”Finished it Remains” by Idlewild
•”Why Are You Looking Grave” by Mew
•”Common Reactor” by Silversun Pickups
•”Shining Path” by Trans Am
•”Walken” by Wilco
•”Understand” by Your Codename is Milo
Albums
•”Livin’ the Dream” by Scott Reynolds
•”The Sinking Ship” by Smoke or Fire
•”Because of the Times” by Kings of Leon
•”We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank” by Modest Mouse
•”Crimson” by Alkaline Trio
•”Beyond” by Dinosaur Jr. Books
•”Perfect From Now On” by John Sellers
•”Love is a Mix Tape” by Rob Sheffield
•”Milk, Eggs, Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found” by Bill Keaggy
DVDs
•”Dodgeball”
•”Arrested Development” seasons 2 and 3
•”Family Guy” seasons 1, 2, and 3
•”American Dad” season 1
Maybe some of these will help you through a breakup. Maybe not. Either way, I don’t care. Just remember your mistress — music — is always there for you. And that Dave Matthews Band sucks.
Something Vicious For Tomorrow #2
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you most likely are aware that The Police — one of the most influential bands of the ’80s — reunited for their first tour in over 20 years with a kickoff performance at last month’s 49th Annual Grammy Awards. This is just one example of what appears to be the latest trend in the music biz – old bands getting back together. Recently, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins, Alice in Chains, and Dinosaur Jr. have joined the ranks of Sting and Co. and decided to reunite.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to rag on these bands (well, not all of them). I’m simply here to pose a question: Are band reunions truly “for the fans,” or are they just a cheap, shabby ploy to make a buttload of cash?
Like it or not, most bands call it quits for one reason only – turbulence amongst its members. So, one would first have to wonder, why, after all these years of distention and hatred, have these musicians suddenly decided to regroup? And based on these reasons, are the reunions valid? Should we care? And most importantly, should we support them?
The Police aside (come on, everyone’s excited about this one), most band reunions just reek of capitalism. While making some scrilla doing what you love is in no way reprehensible, bands who try to play off the “we’re doing it for the fans” bit while clearly just cashing in, come off shallow.
As expected, when the Sex Pistols first reunited in 1996, a cry of “SELLOUT” was heard ’round the world. But was this accusation justified? Absolutely not. Front man Johnny Rotten made it disturbingly clear that the Sex Pistols reunion was strictly for the cash.
They didn’t care, or pretend to care about the fans, they just needed some money.
On the extreme opposite end of the spectrum, however, we have the Dead Kennedys. The band claims that the reunion was purely for artistic reasons, though anyone with just two semifunctioning brain cells can see otherwise. In 1998, DK members DH Peligro, East Bay Ray, and Klaus Flouride sued founding member Jello Biafra for back royalties and for use of the Dead Kennedy’s name and song rights. Eventually, the court sided with the band, and they immediately reformed (sans Biafra, naturally), began touring, and selling their songs to various companies for use in commercials?!?!?! Naturally, this was all for the fans. Having Dead Kennedys without Jello Biafra is like having the Dave Matthews Band without Dave Matthews. It’s just incomprehensible.
So, what then, is to be made of the recent resurrection of bands like Iggy and the Stooges, New York Dolls, The Cars, Alice in Chains - bands that are back, but for one reason or another, without key original members? The thought of the Stooges without Dave Alexander’s thudding bass may seem despicable, but his replacement – Minutemen and Firehose bass god Mike Watt – breathed new life into a band that didn’t quite receive the recognition it deserved the first time out. Sadly the same can’t be said for a Johnny Thunders/Arthur Kane-less New York Dolls. And Alice in Chains without Layne Staley, and The Cars without Ric Ocasek?? It is just plain blasphemy.
As both consumers and music fans, should we support these reunions? The answer, it appears, is simple: Who cares if we should or shouldn’t, we’re going to support them anyways.
There are always going to be those of us who long for nostalgia. There are always going to be those of us that love when one of our favorite bands reunites. There are always going to be those out there who just can’t get out of the ’80s or ’90s, making reunion concerts by some of those eras’ most popular bands always be in vogue.
The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Stooges and Descendents were all enormously talented bands who are still capable of sounding as good these days as they did back in their heydays.
I suppose bands are going to continue to reunite, no matter what I think, though my “music morals” may keep my level of skepticism high. Part of me wants to flip the bird to money hungry bands that reunite, but another part of me really wants to be in the front row when the Police come to my town. It’s a moral dilemma that will no doubt continue to rage on. There are those of us who will always yearn for the unattainable – reunions by Dead Milkmen, Husker Du, or The Clash.
And while we know that those will never happen, we always hold out hope. Of course, there are also those out there wishing for that everelusive Creed reunion, to which I say: Be careful what you wish for, retard.
Something Vicious For Tomorrow
Episode 1: “Choked up at school. And I blew it at the job. And I’m f-ing up everybody else’s lives with Something Vicious For Tomorrow.”
The events portrayed in this column are true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
And to prevent embarrassment.
Greetings and salutations. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ryan, and I’ve been hired by the good folks at The Fringe to write a monthly column on music, culture, and lifestyle, and or a combination of all three.
Now, you may be asking yourself just what qualifies someone like me to write such a column.
My editor asked me the same thing, and here’s what I told her: I’ve worked in the music industry for nearly 15 years. I’ve worked in record stores for over half of my life. I’ve owned an independent record label since 1999. And I was co-owner of a music magazine until my partner bought me out last year. I served as Tour Manager for a nationally known punk band from 1998-1999 (Incidentally, they were the first band to release an album on my label). I was Music Director and a DJ at an award-winning college radio station. I’ve booked and managed bands from all over the world. I was a founding member of pioneering hardcore band In The Shadow of Blood. And one might even say I helped The Killers get signed to Island/Def Jam (although that “one” might be exaggerating a bit, I did book them a few label showcase gigs, and I managed drummer Ronnie Vanucci’s pre-Killers ska band). Plus, I’ve been to rehab for a Cobainsized Heroin addiction, and lived to tell about it.
And if all that isn’t enough to qualify me for this gig, then check this one important fact – I’m a self-proclaimed music snob. I have no problem making fun of bands like Hinder and Nickelback, and artists like Dave Matthews and Gwen Stefani.
I think their music is utter garbage, and I’m insulted that these purveyors of crap sell truckloads of records.
Now that you know a little bit about me, here’s a brief overview of what Something Vicious For Tomorrow will be all about. I plan on using this column to discuss music, and the fashion, trends and rumors associated with it. And when I say “discuss,” I basically mean rant. I’ve very passionate about my love of good music, and even more so about my hatred of bad music. I can’t guarantee you’ll agree with everything I have to say, but hey, this is my column. Occasionally I’ll throw in a CD, DVD, or concert review, or an interview with a band that deserves the exposure.
I invite reader feedback – positive or negative.
Complaints, compliments, and concerns are all welcome via e-mail or snail mail. I’ll do my best to address those which need addressing, however, I won’t waste time responding to “screw you, I like Hinder” e-mails because, come on, no one really likes Hinder, do they?
