Marisa Brown
I heard “Where My Girls At?” on the radio a couple of weeks ago and I still remembered every single word. If that’s not a testament to powerful songwriting (or um, limited radio playlists), I don’t know what is.

Blackalicious - A2G
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Aesop Rock - Float
Beth Orton - Central Reservation
Goldie - INCredible Sound of Drum’n'Bass
Rob Swift - The Ablist
Quannum - Quannum Spectrum

702 - “Where My Girls At?”

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
There was a bunch of great music in 1999 — I can’t think of another year in the past decade with so many great singles from all genres of music — so I decided to whittle my list to the albums and singles I still actively play (although I do admit that the singles are in heavier rotation than the full albums).

Fiona Apple - When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts…
Pavement - Terror Twilight
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Paul McCartney - Run Devil Run
XTC - Apple Venus, Pt. 1
Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla
The White Stripes - The White Stripes
Alan Jackson - Under the Influence

LEN - “Steal My Sunshine”
Madonna - “Beautiful Stranger”
Sugar Ray - “Every Morning”
Supergrass - “Pumping on Your Stereo”
Kid Rock - “Cowboy”
Super Furry Animals - “Northern Lights”
Backstreet Boys - “I Want It That Way”
Christina Aguilera - “Genie in a Bottle”
Suede - “Electricity”
Eminem - “Guilty Conscience”

David Jeffries
At the end of the year, Billy Joel promised to never play pop music again. Had he kept this promise, it would have been the best year ever. I also wish I could have fit Eiffel 65 or the Vengaboys on the list but the boss told me to keep it to ten.

Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow - Brainfreeze
Underworld - Beaucoup Fish
Beanie Sigel - The Truth
Tom Jones - Reload
Pharoahe Monch - Internal Affairs
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
The Fall - The Marshall Suite
The Chemical Brothers - Surrender
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
Basement Jaxx - Remedy

Mr. Vegas - “Heads High (Kill Dem Wid It)”
Ol’ Dirty Bastard - “Got Your Money”
Q-Tip - “Vivrant Thing”
Mr. Oizo - “Flat Beat”
Buccaneer - “Bruk Out”
Armand Van Helden - “U Don’t Know Me”
Groove Armada - “At the River”
Foxy Brown - “Hot Spot”
Capleton - “Jah Jah City”
Terrance & Phillip - “Uncle F**ka”

Andy Kellman
Basement Jaxx - Remedy
Mary J. Blige - Mary
Aril Brikha - Deeparture in Time
Dettinger - Intershop
Drexciya - Neptune’s Lair
Gas - Königsforst
Innerzone Orchestra - Programmed
Kelis - Kaleidoscope
Mos Def - Black on Both Sides
Stewart Walker - Stabiles

Basement Jaxx - “Red Alert”
Bows - “Girls Lips Glitter”
Pépé Bradock - “Deep Burnt”
Foxy Brown - “Hot Spot”
Vladislav Delay - “Huone”
Farben - “Live at the Sahara Tahoe, 1973″
Donell Jones - “U Know What’s Up”
Moodymann - “Shades of Jae”
Theo Parrish - “Summertime Is Here”
Slum Village - “Get Dis Money”

Andrew Leahey
Wilco - Summerteeth
The Waking Hours - The Waking Hours
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - Honky Tonk Union
Kate Rusby - Sleepless
Jimmy Eat World - Clarity
Fountains of Wayne - Utopia Parkway
Drive-By Truckers - Alabama Ass Whuppin’
Beck - Midnite Vultures

Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers - “Green & Dumb”
The Waking Hours - “Dolores”
Jimmy Eat World - “Lucky Denver Mint”
Madonna - “Beautiful Stranger”
Kate Rusby - “The Unquiet Grave”
Fountains of Wayne - “The Valley of Malls”

Jason Lymangrover
Mr. Bungle - California
Sigur Rós - Ágætis Byrjun
Handsome Boy Modeling School - So…How’s Your Girl?
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
The Roots - Things Fall Apart
Beulah - When Your Heartstrings Break
Built to Spill - Keep It Like a Secret
The Dismemberment Plan - Emegency & I
Fantastic Plastic Machine - Luxury
Pavement - Terror Twilight

James Christopher Monger
The Negro Problem - Joys & Concerns
XTC - Apple Venus, Pt. 1
Agalloch - Pale Folklore
The Gourds - Ghosts of Hallelujah
Waterson:Carthy - Broken Ground
Tom Waits - Mule Variations
Nightmares on Wax - Carboot Soul
Dolly Parton - The Grass Is Blue
The Auteurs - How I Learned to Love the Bootboys
The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin

Heather Phares
Add N to (X) - Avant Hard
Basement Jaxx - Remedy
The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci - Spanish Dance Troupe
Jim O’Rourke - Eureka
Royal Trux - Veterans of Disorder
Smog - Knock Knock
Stereo Total - My Melody
Super Furry Animals - Guerrilla
The White Stripes - The White Stripes

Tim Sendra
These poptastic songs are guaranteed to rub you the right way, get your game on, and be friends forever. These songs are strong enough, as high as Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and Aphrodite, and if you’re lucky, they might just kiss you beneath the milky twilight. None of these songs are also known as a buster, none will hang out the passenger side of their best friend’s ride, and they will never, not ever, steal your sunshine. And yes, we like butter tarts!

LEN - “Steal My Sunshine”
Cher - “Believe”
Smashmouth - “All Star”
Sugar Ray - “Every Morning”
Tal Bachman - “She’s So High”
Sixpence None the Richer - “Kiss Me”
TLC - “No Scrubs”
Christina Aguilera - “Genie in a Bottle”
Vitamin C - “Graduation (Friends Forever)”

Some of the recordings listed above are technically 1998 releases, but they made more of an impact in 1999.

American Music Club - The Golden Age
Autechre - Quaristice
Autistic Daughters - Uneasy Flowers
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War
Beach House - Devotion
The Black Crowes - Warpaint
Black Milk - Caltroit
Black Mountain - In the Future
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
Cadence Weapon - Afterparty Babies
Los Campesinos - Hold on Now, Youngster…
Chessie - Manifest
Counting Crows - Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings
Sheryl Crow - Detours
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles
Ray Davies - Working Man’s Cafe
Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
Raheem DeVaughn - Love Behind the Melody
DeVotchKa - A Mad and Faithful Telling
Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
Earth - The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull
Liam Finn - I’ll Be Lightning
The Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Down in New Orleans
The Fleshtones - Take a Good Look
Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
The Gutter Twins - Saturnalia
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Howlin Rain - Magnificent Fiend
Alan Jackson - Good Time
Junior Boys - Body Language, Vol. 6
Kelley Polar - I Need You to Hold on While the Sky Is Falling
The Kills - Midnight Boom
Justus Köhncke - Safe and Sound
Charles Lloyd - Rabo de Nube
Shelby Lynne - Just a Little Lovin’
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
The Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Bob Mould - District Line
Nada Surf - Lucky
Neon Neon - Stainless Style
David “Fathead” Newman - Diamondhead
Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd
Connie Price & the Keystones - Tell Me Something
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (US Bonus Tracks)
The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion
School of Language - Sea from Shore
Sons & Daughters - This Gift
Kelley Stoltz - Circular Sounds
Otis Taylor - Recapturing the Banjo
These New Puritans - Beat Pyramid
Times New Viking - Rip It Off
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
Larry Willis - The Offering
Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers
Yip-Yip - Two Kings of the Same Kingdom (CD/DVD)

Reissues

Ashford & Simpson - The Warner Bros. Years: Hits, Remixes & Rarities
Association P.C. - Mama Kuku
Beck - Odelay (Deluxe Edition)
Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode: His Complete ’50s Chess Recordings
Big Dipper - Supercluster: The Big Dipper Anthology
The Coasters - There’s a Riot Goin’ On: The Coasters on Atco
Commander Cody - The Early Years 1967-1970
Carl Craig - Sessions
Jim Ford - Point of No Return
Dallas Frazier - The R&B Sessions: Elvira/Tell It Like It Is
Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear (Expanded Edition)
Merle Haggard - Hag: Concepts, Live & the Strangers — The Capitol Recordings 1968-1976
Jason & the Scorchers - Fervor/Lost & Found
Ernie K-Doe - Here Come the Girls!
The Lemonheads - It’s a Shame About Ray (Collector’s Edition) (CD/DVD)
Nick Lowe - Jesus of Cool (Bonus Tracks)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Street Survivors (Deluxe Edition)
Frankie Miller - Blackland Farmer: The Complete Starday Recordings
Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls and Marches: Definitive Edition
Mission of Burma - Vs.: Definitive Edition
Rick Nelson - For You: The Decca Years
The Dave Pike Set - Live at the Philharmonie
Elvis Presley - His Hand in Mine (2008 Bonus Tracks)
Squeeze - Argybargy (Deluxe Edition)
Charles Tolliver - Mosaic Select: Charles Tolliver
Various Artists - Disco Not Disco (2008)
Various Artists - Don’t Stop: Recording Tap
Various Artists - Droppin’ Science: Greatest Samples from the Blue Note Lab
Various Artists - Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story 1980-1986
Various Artists - New York City Salsa, Vol. 2
Various Artists - Rembetika 2: More of the Secret History of Greece’s Underground Music

Click here to watch Mr. Bungle - “Air Conditioned Nightmare” (Live)
 
Faith No More:
FNM was the most commercially successful band of Patton’s many groups, best remembered for their breakthrough single, “Epic,” and its accompanying video of a fish flopping around in slow motion. Patton’s raps and soulful nasal-inflected hooks on The Real Thing stuck out like a sore thumb in relation to the formulaic arena hair metal scene of the late ‘80s. Along with Anthrax and Red Hot Chili Peppers, they were one of the first long-haired groups to combine rap and metal (which would later prove to be a smelly can of worms) and defied their so-called genre, always striving to push their boundaries away from the mainstream metal stereotype. Rather than adhering to the cardinal rule of metalheads, “If it doesn’t rock, it sucks,” the band spooned out covers by the Commodores, Technotronic, and even the Bee Gees in their sets. Angel Dust confused metal fans further by adding samples and more prominent synth sounds to the mix and albums started becoming less hook-oriented as time went on and the lineup rotated.
Who: Most memorably, Mike Patton, Roddy Bottum, Mike Bordin, Bill Gould, and Jim Martin. Patton was the replacement for Chuck Mosely and a handful of other trial vocalists including Courtney Love, who played with the band for almost a year before The Real Thing was recorded. After Jim Martin’s departure, Jon Hudson, Dean Menta, and Trey Spruance each filled the guitar slinger’s role briefly.
Studio Albums: The Real Thing, Angel Dust, King for a Day… Fool for a Lifetime, Album of the Year

Click here to watch Faith No More - “Caffeine” (Live)
 
Tomahawk:
Until their most recent album Anonymous, which had a Native American tribal theme, Tomahawk felt like a pretty straight forward metal band — well, as straightforward as expected when you throw Patton in a room with the guitarist from Jesus Lizard, the bassist from Melvins, and the drummer from Helmet. While no singles were ever going to come from these guys, it didn’t stop Patton from howling, “This beat will win me a Grammy!” over a tricky time signature. On stage, the singer was at his most menacing dressed as a cop while singing through a microphone wired into a gas mask.
Who: Patton with guitarist Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard), drummer John Stanier (Helmet, Battles), bassist Kevin Rutmanis (Melvins/Cows)
Studio Albums: Tomahawk, Mit Gas, Anonymous

Click here to watch Tomahawk - “God Hates a Coward” (live)
 
Fantômas:
Specializing in fractured insanity, with heavy emphasis on concept (the first album served as a soundtrack for a comic book), Director’s Cut reworked horror themes, and Suspended Animation dissected cartoon themes and sfx. On stage, Patton takes the role of a conductor, leading the group through a hurricane of sudden starts, stops, and freak-outs punctuated by bizarre sound FX. The most amazing part about these guys is not that they can compose something utterly confounding, but that they’re technically strong enough to pull off the precise onslaught of sudden changes in their live performance, even though the records sound like they’ve been hacked to bits with cuts and pastes.
Who: Patton with Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, Melvins guitarist Buzz Osborne, and Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn.
Studio Albums: Fantômas, The Director’s Cut, Millennium Monsterwork, Delìrium Còrdia, Suspended Animation

Click here to watch Fantômas - “Suspended Animation” (Live)
 
GUEST SPOTS AND COLLABORATIONS

And here’s a playlist of some of Mike Patton’s most notable guest appearances and collaborations:

Bjork - Medulla
“Where Is the Line”

The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is a Dead Scene
“When Good Dogs Do Bad Things”

Dub Trio - New Heavy
“Not Alone”

General Patton - Vs. The Executioners
“Get Up, Punk! 0200 Hrs (Joint Special Operations Task Force)”

Handsome Boy Modeling School - White People
“Are You Down With It”

Isis - Oceanic: Remixes/Reinterpretations
“Maritime”

Kaada - Romances
“Seule”

Kid606 - Down with the Scene
“Secrets 4 Sale”

Lovage - Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By
“Book of the Month”

Melvins - The Crybaby
“GI Joe”

Sepultura - Blood Rooted
“Mine”

Sparks - Plagiarism
“This Town Ain’t Big Enough for Both of Us” (with Faith No More)

Congrats! Once you’ve played all of these tracks, you have successfully passed Mike Patton 101. Here’s your reward:

Click here to watch Mike Patton & Rahzel - Pony (live)

The Poets of Rhythm
http://www.myspace.com/thepoetsofrhythm
The Poets of Rhythm may be German, but they play as if they’re straight out of the American Midwest. Like any self-respecting funk outfit, they have a number of alternate names under which they perform (Soul-Saints Orchestra, Bus People Express, to name a few), and like any self-respecting contemporary band, they’ve collaborated with a rapper, in this case Bay-Area MC Lyrics Born on his excellent 1999 single “I Changed My Mind.” Both Quannum and Daptone have put out their material, which only serves to highlight their relevancy and, more importantly, how hard they rock.

Sound Directions
http://www.stonesthrow.com/sounddirections/
As this is one of the many, many Madlib side projects, the music here takes a more experimental, jazzy twist than the hard-edged deep funk of many of the others on this list, but that doesn’t mean it grooves any less. Live horns and guitars layer over Lib’s typically druggy keyboards while the drums glide easily along through sets of lesser-known covers. It’s L.A. smooth and hip-hop cool, but with just enough grit to grind down the burnished edges.

El Michels Affair
http://www.myspace.com/truthandsoulrecords
Leon Michels, the co-founder of another Brooklyn-based funk and soul label, Truth & Soul (who, as you might guess, has ties to the Daptone family) started El Michels Affair way back in 2001, but the band really began to take off when they started to do instrumental covers of Wu-Tang beats, which has lead to live performances with the Clan itself. Now how’s that for cred.
 
 
“Da Mystery of Chessboxin’” live with Wu-Tang on XM Radio

 
NOMO
http://www.myspace.com/nomomusic
Michigan’s NOMO is certainly more directly influenced by Fela Kuti than James Brown, but that doesn’t mean the band doesn’t know how to get down. Bandleader Elliot Bergman’s saxophone leads a killer horn section, and the African-inspired rhythm section drives the group along effortlessly and cleanly. Recently exposed to the greater funk-loving world thanks to a signing to Ubiquity, NOMO have spent the past couple of years touring the world and working on their upcoming album, due for a spring or summer release.

Osaka Monaurail
http://www.myspace.com/osakamonaurail
Named after the J.B.’s “(It’s Not the Express) It’s the J.B.’s Monaurail,” Japan’s Osaka Monaurail have been around since the early ’90s, when singer and organist Nakata Ryo was still in college. Nakata doesn’t quite have the chops that Mr. Brown had, but the band is still tight and funky enough to earn the honors of backing former James Brown Revue singer Marva Whitney on her 2007 solo album I Am What I Am. Occasionally, Osaka Monaurail will break into jazzier blaxpoitation rhythms, but for the most part the band works hard to stay true to the classic sound.

The Quantic Soul Orchestra
http://www.myspace.com/quanticmusic
The vehicle for Will Holland’s (or Quantic) live music aspirations, the Quantic Soul Orchestra revisits the funk that today’s diggers look for in dusty record bins. Although as Quantic, Holland takes full advantage of the use of samplers, here he focuses on the organic and the immediate. QSO even takes the Dap-Kings route with its collaboration with soul singer Spanky Wilson on her fantastic 2006 album I’m Thankful.
 
 
The New Mastersounds
http://www.myspace.com/newmastersounds
Formed in 1999 from the ruins of the Mastersounds, this British four-piece plays music that’s equal parts deep New Orleans funk and the jazz-funk made by people like Jimmy McGriff. Their first-ever single, “One Note Brown,” was produced by famed Northern Soul DJ Keb Darge (who then also handled the group’s debut full-length), they’ve played with Osaka Monaurail, featured a then-up-and-coming Corinne Bailey Rae on their 2006 single “Your Love Is Mine,” and have been remixed by everyone from the legendary Kenny Dope to Nostalgia 77.

Breakestra
http://www.myspace.com/breakestra
As their name suggests, Breakestra is a (funk) orchestra that focuses on playing the breaks hip-hop acts sample in their own songs. The L.A.-based group was started in 1996 by Miles Tackett, a DJ and string player, and a selection of like-minded friends, including Connie Price’s Dan Ubick. Their covers (Bobby Byrd, Sly & the Family Stone) are just as funky and tight as the originals, and, as shown in their last album, Hit the Floor, their own work (which featured appearances from prominent L.A. rappers) is just as popping.

Daptone Round-Up
http://www.myspace.com/daptonerecords
Much of the funk revival craze has been thanks to Brooklyn label Daptone, which emerged after Desco Records folded in 1999. They’re most famously known for their house band, the Dap-Kings, but they’ve also release music from new bands — most of whose members overlap — and reissue old soul material as well. Here are three you should definitely know about.

The Mighty Imperials: When the Meters-indebted Mighty Imperials recorded Thunder Chicken they were still minors, but you’d never tell by the way they strut and kick their way through this set. The band no longer exists, but its members (Leon Michels, Homer Steinweiss, Nick Movshon, Sean Soloman) can still be found around the scene.

The Budos Band: Mixing blaxpoitation and Latin rhythms in with the standard Daptone funk, the Budos Band play songs that are more appropriate for late night car chases than dancing. Which isn’t a bad thing at all.

http://www.myspace.com/budosband
 
The Daktaris: Their one and only album, Soul Explosion, is actually a Desco release, but the Daktaris fit in nicely with the Daptone catalogue. Like NOMO, the band draws heavily from Afrobeat, and even gave themselves Nigerian names to help authenticate their sound. Again, pretty much everyone in the band can now be found in other top-name ensembles, including Antibalas, and of course the Dap-Kings.
http://www.myspace.com/daktaris

Honorable mention:
The Bamboos

 
 
Monotonix
http://www.myspace.com/monotonix
Monotonix are the stoner rock band to watch from Tel Aviv, that well-known global hot spot for rocking. The trio built a following with an incendiary live show featuring cornball but entertaining antics like setting the cymbals on fire. On record they deliver the rock just as convincingly. Tracks from an upcoming EP for Drag City are featured on their MySpace page and their sound is a funky, loose blend of Black Sabbath grind and Thin Lizzy swagger that puts lots of rockers from places like New York or Detroit to shame. Plus, they sure are sexy.
 
 
Big Business
http://www.myspace.com/bigbigbusiness
While not handling the bass and drums chores for the Melvins, Jared Warren and Coady Willis take really sweet photos for their MySpace page and make sweet noise as Big Business. Their bass and drums (with occasional guitar and synth) attack ranges from pummeling to proggy but never fails to rock. Here’s an awesome track off their latest album 2007’s Here Come the Waterworks: “Hands Up”
 
 
 

RTX
http://www.myspace.com/rtx
After Royal Trux split, Jennifer Herrema devoted herself to sounding as fist-pumpingly metal as possible. On their three records, RTX has shown a metallic sheen and a radio ready sound that almost covers up the fantastically scuzzy heart beating within. For a few seconds of what modern rock radio could sound like, check this song from 2007’s Western Xterminator: “Balls to Pass”
 
 
 

The Sword
http://www.myspace.com/thesword
This group from Texas rocked 2006 with the seriously hard Age of Winters. They mix their stoner-friendly sound with a nice dose of propulsion and pleasingly mystical lyrics about … well, who knows really. They have an album out in 2008, but here’s something from Age of Winters: “Winter’s Wolves”
 
 
 

Fancy
http://myspace.com/welovefancy
Aw, heck. There are no words that can describe the amazingly flamboyant rock & roll machine from France known as Fancy. Really, you just have to hear it (and see it) to believe it. Even then…..

Richard Swift
The Tuss - Confederation Through EP
The Tuss - Rushup Edge EP
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Ponytail - Kamehameha
Mahar Shalal Hash Baz - L’Autre Cap
Sitar Beat! - Indian Style Heavy Funk
Madlib - Beat Konducta, Vols 3 & 4: In India
Carlton Patterson & King Tubbby - Black & White In Dub
Neil Young - Live At Massey Hall 1971
Rockwell (Rockwellian)- The Music Is Free, The Packaging Is Not
(Unless I Just Gave It to You, In Which Case Maybe You Can Buy Me a Drink Sometime

Brad Laner
Robert Wyatt – Comicopera
Miles Davis – The Complete On The Corner Sessions
Apparat – Walls
Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
Efterklang - Under Giant Trees
Caribou - Andorra
Dungen – Tio Bitar
Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
Christopher Willits & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Ocean Fire
Radiohead – In Rainbows

Vampire Weekend
Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
White Williams - Smoke
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Feist - The Reminder
MIA - Kala
Kanye West - Graduation
Sam Rosen - Get the Motion
Studio - Yearbook 1
The National - Boxer
Sekos/Yoro Diallo - s/t

Nedelle - Cryptacize
Top Ten Things of 2007
1. Movies- Stardust, Ratatouille, Lagerfeld Confidential
2. Bands- Ponytail, Half-Handed Cloud
3. New Discovery- Dark Carnival Bookstore in Berkeley, CA
4. Surprisingly Good Live Show- Dave Brubeck + Orchestra performing his “Elementals” suite at Moscone Center, SF
5. Fun Venues/Cities to play in- Gaff Gallery in Vancouver, Rhinoceropolis in Denver, Jake’s Backroom in Lubbock, TX
6. Books I read (Sorry they’re not from 2007)!- Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, Flatland by Edwin Abbott, Bright Moments (Roland Kirk bio) by John Kruth
7. Disappointments- Kanye West, Wes Anderson
8. Personal Hero- John Galliano
9. Musical Experiences- Playing in Half-Handed Cloud’s band for a few shows, singing in my on and off barbershop quartet
10. Moment- Seeing Saturn through a massive telescope at Chabot Space Center in Oakland, CA

Chief Xcel - Blackalicious
1. Lifesavas - Gutterfly
2. Sa Ra - The Hollywood Recordings
3. Jeanine Smith - “Baby, It Aint Over”
4. Rich Boy - “Throw Some D’s” remix
5. Aggregation - “Can You Feel It”
6. Ms. Josie Stingray - “Doin My Thang”
7. Patti Bligh and the Alkebulan Five - Sagala
8. El P - I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead
9. Erykah Badu - Real Thing
10. Wood Harris - Black Magic

Sam Valenti IV - Ghostly International (Founder, A+R)
1. Interpol - Our Love To Admire
2. Various Artists - After Dark (Italians Do It Better)
3. Various Artists - Cocoon Compilation 6
4. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
5. Pantha du Prince - This Bliss
6. Peter and the Wolf - The Ivori Palms
7. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedaa
8. Uuitsitalo - Karhunainen
9. New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom
10. Ghostly and Spectral releases (Someone’s gotta do it. I’m extremely proud of our releases from Audion, Cepia, Daso, Kiln, Lusine, Matthew Dear, Mobius Band, Osborne, Par Grindvik and Skeletons and The Kings Of All-Cities.)

Johnossi
Some Albums:
MIA – Kala
Beirut – The Flying Club Cup
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
The Shins – Wincing the Night Away
Queens of the Stone Age – Era Vulgaris
Tegan and Sara - The Con
Mark Knopfler - Kill to Get Crimson
Electrelane - No Shouts No Calls

And Some Songs:
Laakso - “The Death of Us”
Maskinen - “Alla Som Inte Dansar är Våldtäksmän”
Rihanna - “Umbrella”
Mando Diao - “If I Don’t Live Today, Then I Might Be Here Tomorrow”

Cameron Fraser - Bella
1. Travis - The Boy With No Name
This record wins hands down as my most listened-to record released in 2007. After a minor misstep with 2003’s “12 Memories”, Travis returned triumphant after a four year hiatus (excluding their “Singles” release in 2004). This is quite possibly my favorite Travis record, and an indication of what Coldplay could have aspired to had they not become as universally renowned.

2. Apartment - The Dreamer Evasive
These guys win two awards from me, the first being “Best Artist Discovered From a Canadian Phone Company Commerical”, the second “Guitar Tone of the Year”. This disc is just a lot of fun, with catchy melodies and the aforementioned killer guitar tone. I just wish I could figure out what the guitarist was playing through. Oh, and the fact that they’re British adds a lot of credibility.

3. The National - Boxer
Another outstanding release from New York’s “The National”, “Boxer” couples gorgeous musicianship with thoughtful lyrics for an entirely affecting result. I’ve only recently started listening to them, and feel blessed to get to hear such beautiful music with fresh ears.

4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I think what first got me about this album was Spoon’s idiosyncratic production values. This album deserves an award for “Best Use of Reverb”, and, as with every Spoon release, “Best Sounding Hand Claps”. Their incorporation of a brass section also knocked my favorite tracks, “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” and “The Underdog”, right out of the stratosphere.

5. The Brothers Martin - The Brothers Martin
I had been waiting for this album to come out ever since I learned that the guy from Joy Electric was the brother of the guy from Starflyer 59. Jason and Ronnie Martin are my two favorite musicians in the world, and to finally have them record an album together ensured I could die a happy man.

6. Starflyer 59 - Ghosts of the Future 7″ Box Set
While my subscription to this mail order series of 10 7″ vinyls is yet to be fulfilled, what I’ve received so far is enough to place indie rock’s greatest unknowns on my “Top 10 of 2007″ list. Consistently progressive and innovative, each new release from Starflyer keeps me begging for more, so what could be better than having them delivered in rapid succession, right to my door? (that last bit was a poem).

7. Joy Electric - The Otherly Opus/Memory of Alpha
I personally consider Ronnie Martin, the genius behind Joy Electric, to be one of the most fearlessly unwavering (not to mention brilliant) fixtures in modern pop music, and nobody seems to know who he is. I can think of no other modern musician that could demand of himself such rigid methods and techniques of recording, and still manage an average of two or three release a year, all of which are worth owning. Astounding.

8. Josh Rouse - Country Mouse City House
I will always remember 2007 as the year I solidified my love for Josh Rouse. After finding a used copy of his 2005 release, “Nashville”, at the Amoeba in San Francisco while on tour, I was hooked. I’m just glad that he’s managed to bang out as much new material since then as he has, “Country Mouse City House” being this year’s offering. “Hollywood Bass Player” is my mixtape single of the year.

9. The Foxglove Hunt - Demo
While perhaps not necessarily an official 2007 release, this two song demo from the ex-headman of the now sadly defunct “Fine China”, and “Joy Electric”’s Ronnie Martin, packs enough catchy pop perfection in two songs to rival the best 12 song effort of most other bands. Their full length is easily my most anticipated album of 2008.

10. She’s Spanish, I’m American - She’s Spanish, I’m American
This collaborative effort between Josh Rouse and his Spanish girlfriend, Paz Suay, only served to further cement 2007 firmly in my memory as “The Year of the Rouse”.

Miguel Castillo - Catfish Haven
1. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
2. A Place to Bury Strangers - A Place to Bury Strangers
3. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
5. Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings
6. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
7. St. Vincent - Marry Me
8. Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse
9. Liars - Liars
10. Dirty Projectors - Rise Above

Michael Tapscott - Odawas
1. Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline
2. Louis Phillippe - An Unknown Spring
3. Phospherescent - Pride
4. Noah Georgeson - Find Shelter
5. CocoRosie - The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn
6. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
7. Zelienople - His/Hers
8. The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
9. Air - Pocket Symphony
10. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

Megan Johnson - Vancougar
1. The Goodnight Loving – Crooked Lake (Dusty Medical Records)
2. The Duchess and the Duke – “Reservoir Park” 7” single (Boom Boom Party Records)
3. Cheater Slicks – Walk into the Sea (self-released; CD on Dead Canary Records)
4. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights (Dap-Tone)
5. So Cow – Moon Geun Young 7” single (Almost Ready Records/Myoclopic Records co-release)
6. Modern Creatures – “Thick Thick Black” 7” EP (Grotesque Modern)
7. Gentleman Jesse and his Men – “I Don’t Wanna Know” 7” single (Douchemaster Records)
8. Human Eye – “Spiders and their Kin” 7” EP (Cass Records)
9. A Frames live, and the reissues of their previously out-of-print A Frames I and A Frames II LPs (Born Bad Records)
10. Hubble Bubble - Hubble Bubble (Reissue - Radio Hearbeat/Daggerman Records)

Will Schwartz - Hey Willpower!
1. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
2. Juvelen – Juvelen
Sexy Swedish pop singer we toured with in Europe
3. M.I.A – Kala
4. “No Country for Old Men”
5. “I Love New York” Season 2
6. Electrelane - No Shouts No Calls
7. Keyshia Cole feat. Missy Elliot & Lil’ Kim - “Let It Go”
8. Melt festival in Berlin
Seeing Kelis with Erase Errata and hearing Hot Chip.
9. “Just for Laughs”
Funny British hi-jinks and pranks on YouTube.
10. Lily Allen - Alright, Still

Cameron Bird - Architecture in Helsinki
Top Ten Songs of 2007:
1. Glass Candy - “Rolling Down The Hills”
2. Late of the Pier - “The Bears Are Coming”
3. Santogold - “Shove it”
4. Mr Oizo - “Patrick 122″
5. Qua - “Lapsang Souchong”
6. Animal Collective - “Winter Wonderland”
7. LCD Soundsystem - “Time To Get Away”
8. Soft Tigers – “Mr. Icecream”
9. Tough Alliance - “1981″
10. Panda Bear - “Comfy in Nautica”

Nicole Atkins
1. Richard Hawley - Lady’s Bridge
2. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
3. Bat for Lashes - Fur and Gold
4. Soulsavers feat. Mark Lanegan - Its Not How Far You Fall, It’s How You Land
5. Arcade fire - Neon Bible
6. Radiohead - In Rainbows
7. The White Stripes - Icky Thump
8. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
9. The Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
10. Dax Riggs - We Sing of Only Blood or Love

top 10 songs:
1. Radiohead - “Bodysnatchers”
2. Dax Riggs - “Dethbryte”
3. Bruce Springsteen - “Girls in Their Summerclothes”
4. Soulsavers - “Revival”
5. Scott Liss - “Sweetheart Spin”
6. The Doo Doo Stains - “Global Swerve”
7. The Avett Brothers - “The Ballad of Love and Hate”
8. PJ Harvey - “When Under Ether”
9. Richard Hawley - “Roll River Roll”
10. Devendra Banhart - “Shabop Shalom”

Daedelus’ 2007 best of the (so called) worst places to play…
10. Athens, Georgia
Indie rock has a home in Athens, natives won’t let you forget, but a habitat for electronics? for HipHop? But it will be a theme on this list on changed expectations, and wide open minds. People who weren’t then were and why surprises lurk everywhere…

9. Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Again with the rock band history, but after a brief gig there with Busdriver, Antimc and Desert Eagles I must admit even if they weren’t prepared it still was a wonderful night full of every dancing, silly, wonderful reaction, including (happy) crying, and Ms. Pac-Man high scores.

8. Salt Lake City, Utah
People are sleeping on SLC.

7. SXSW, Austin, Texas
Critics said it wouldn’t be a good idea to play this festival when among a thousand other bands you can count the number of electronic acts playing on two hands, and it’s no accident. But no one told the fantastic Austin people, or perhaps it was total import out-of-towners, but this was sold-out surprises galore!

6. Nagano, Japan
Olympics, Yes. Music, perhaps? Who knew people travel from the major cities to the countryside, practice questionable activities, and rave like no other city the world? I played a sunrise set after 18 hours of previous entertainment and kids didn’t quit. I was amazed.

5. Glasgow, Scotland
The city doesn’t seem so bad, even charming in many ways, however I was warned about being teased for my Dandy attire and being punched in the face. Nonsuch occurred, and some of Scotland’s finest didn’t disappoint.

4. Stavanger, Norway
A place most famous for it’s now dead fish canning industry, with museums on the subject to boot. But look closer and see beyond the fish byproducts for a place unspoiled by Eurotrash and preconceptions.

3. Bestival, Isle of Wight, UK
I worried myself into a hole; a line-up as long as your arm full of amazing talent, electronic and otherwise, all practically at the same time (festival style), on an island south of nowhere. But no fear at all, when something is so closely curated chaos, and at every turn was wonderful this and that. Trust the UK to get the festival right as rain.

2. New York, New York
Given a bad rep for all around all over prints, a perpetually
(better?) party somewhere else, and center-of-the-world delusions. The hard truth is no matter, kids here have been training for the best parties ever. First in the role as small towns celebrity, then graduating thru magazines and trendy hard habits to it’s big city parties that never want to stop. They have practiced for a good time all their lives. They practically can have one without you even being there (this is usually true and a difficult pill to swallow at times but it is gratifying just to know America can be a kind of Berlin as
necessary)

1. Los Angeles, California
The city everyone loves to dismiss; they’ll tell you kids will be bored, cops will be cruel, promoters will be shady, celebrities will be there, and all the venues are too cool for school. Couldn’t be further from my heavily biased truth. Los Angeles takes the cake for its diverse amazing highlight nights! Of course low expectations mean high outcomes…

Ezra Feinberg - Citay
1. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
2. The Papercuts - Can’t Go Home
3. Concentrick - Aluminum Lake
4. The Fucking Champs - VI
5. Entrance - Prayer Of Death
6. Earthless - Rhythms From a Cosmic Sky
7. Blonde Redhead - 23
8. Deerhunter - Cryptograms
9. Arp - In Light
10. Battles - Mirrored

Editors
1. The National - Boxer
2. Apparat - Walls
3. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
4. Modest Mouse - We were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
5. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
6. The Good, The Bad and The Queen – The Good, The Bad and The Queen
7. Burial - Untrue
8. Robert Wyatt - Comicopera
9. Radiohead - In Rainbows
10. Shady Bard - From The Ground Up

Scroobius Pip - Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip
My Top 10 Acts of 2007:
1. Gideon Conn - I saw him at Glastonbury and he was my highlight of the festival season. I had never heard anything about him or anything like him before. A great songwriter, a great character and an amazing live act.

2. Peggy Sue & the Pirates - Every time I see these two gals live they just get better and better. My highlight would have to be seeing them at the Barfly supporting the Gossip. When they started the room was half empty and I can honestly say that it wasn’t until they finished that I realized the room had filled. Their vocal layering and general originality is a sight to see/hear.

3. Polar Bear (the poet not the jazz band) - Being on the spoken word scene you see an awful lot of poets so it takes a lot to stand out. Polar Bear does that without even trying. Effortlessly and humbly the best in the business right now and that fact is a great motivation for the rest of us to up our games.

4. Adele - Since I 1st found Adele on MySpace I haven’t been able to stop listening and adoring. Her songs are the type that cause the listener to spend those 3 minutes completely enraptured and in love with everything about her style and approach. In days gone by that kind of thing would be called witchcraft. Now its just…umm… ace.

5. Jack Penate - Jack has the enviable ability to write perfect, energetic pop but still inject lyricism and general credibility. I need say little more.

6. Paloma Faith - Paloma Faith can be compared to no one. Like Gideon, catching one of her live shows is a spectacle to behold. A true performer in every sense of the world. Greatness beckons.

7. Bat for Lashes - Catching her mid-Sunday set at Bestival was another highlight of the summer for me. And her Mercury worthy album is a stunning mesh of sounds and styles that just float together beautifully.

8. Kate Nash - No introduction needed here. It has been great watching Kate climb to great fame and accolade. One of the greatest young songwriters this country has. “Birds” still gets me every time.

9. Sibot & Spoek - Caught these guys at a festival in Metz and they were amazing. As a front man Spoek is unrivaled when it comes to both style and flow and Sibot backs it all up with beats to drool over.

10. I Shouted Gun - We took these guys on tour with us this year and they smashed every show. Good, balls to the wall, songwriting (whatever that means). And they added a much needed rock n roll element so that we had some good tour stories buy the end. Legends in the making.

John Bush
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Jazzanova - Computer Incarnations for World Peace
Little Brother - Get Back
M.I.A. - Kala
New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black

Heather Phares
Battles - Mirrored
Blonde Redhead - 23
Celebration - The Modern Tribe
Joan as Police Woman - Real Life
Liars - Liars
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Roisin Murphy - Overpowered
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Andy Kellman
Amerie - Because I Love It
Black Milk - Popular Demand
Donnie - The Daily News
Echospace - The Coldest Season
Freeway - Free at Last
M.I.A. - Kala
Optimo - Walkabout
Pinch - Underwater Dancehall
Sa-Ra - The Hollywood Recordings
Tobias Thomas - Please Please Please

Marisa Brown
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Battles - Mirrored
Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta!
Joan as Police Woman - Real Life
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
M.I.A. - Kala
St. Vincent - Marry Me
Super Chron Flight Brothers - Emergency Powers

Thom Jurek
David Buchbinder - Odessa/Havana
Earthless - Sonic Prayer
Grails - Burning Off Impurities
Richard Hawley - Lady’s Bridge
Joe Henry - Civilians
Rickie Lee Jones - Sermon on Exposition Boulevard
Bettye LaVette - Scene of the Crime
Rahsaan Patterson - Wine & Spirits
Gretchen Peters - Burnt Toast Offerings
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Quintet - Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo

Al Campbell
Billy Bang Quintet - Above and Beyond: An Evening in Grand Rapids
Ari Brown - Live at the Green Mill
Steve Coleman - Invisible Paths: First Scattering
Miles Davis - Complete On the Corner Sessions
Andrew Hill - Compulsion (RVG Edition)
His Name Is Alive - Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown
Branford Marsalis - Braggtown
Charles Tolliver - With Love
James Blood Ulmer - Bad Blood in the City: The Piety Street Sessions
VA - Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970

Matt Collar
Avishai Cohen - After the Big Rain
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
Dave Douglas - Live at the Jazz Standard
Dungen - Tio Bitar
Field Music - Tones of Town
Richard Hawley - Lady’s Bridge
Candie Payne - I Wish I Could Have Loved You More
Primary Five - Go
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga