Top 20 of 07

THE LIST

20. Far From Finished - Living In The Fallout (Think Fast!)- Somehow this band went under my radar for a long time. They play punk rock the way I like it: influenced by the Clash and Social D. I can't get enough.

19. Neurosis - Given To The Rising (Neurot)- The most aggressive album of the year totally lived up to my expectations.

18. Pelican - City Of Echoes (Hyda Head)- Pelican are so good that even though this is their weakest record yet, it's still superb. "Dead Between The Walls" is one of their best songs.

17. Cloak/Dagger - We Are (Jade Tree)- I liked this band from the start, especially because I was a huge Count Me out fan in high school. I don't think all the songs are as strong on those from their demo or the "Pinata Breaks" 7'', but it's a great record nonetheless. "Kamikazes" and "Walk The Block" more than make up for the couple of filler tracks.

16. Torche - In Return (Robotic Empire)- I fucking love Torche. That's all that really needs to be said.

15. Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb (Relapse)- I am not a metal head. Never was and never will be. But there's something about the violence and severity of Pig Destroyer that has always drawn me in. "Heathen Temple" makes my mouth water, lusting for destruction and ruin. Is that too cheezy to say about PD?

14. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence) -They (still) do it best.

13. Modern Life Is War - Midnight In America (Equal Vision)- Nothing MLIW will ever do will be as good as "Witness". MIA is really good, though; better than most people have been giving it credit for. Standup tracks include "These Mad Dogs Of Glory," "The Motorcycle Boy Reigns" and the title track. "I drag my chains, they don't drag me."

12. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)- Neon Bible reminds me a lot of last winter. Snow days and cold apartments. Walking around Philadelphia freezing my ass off. It's a terrific collection of songs and though a little indulgent at times, it's really triumphant.

11. Ceremony - Scared People EP (Bridge 9)- Obsession.

10. Blacklisted - Peace On Earth, War On Stage EP (Deathwish)- Believe the hype! "Canonized" was the best hardcore song of the year.

9. Baroness - Red Album (Relapse)- I-can't-stop-listening-listening-to-this.

8. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works (Relapse)- Miss Machine part II. That's a really good thing. Sidenote: Gil Sharone is a maniac. Top tracks include "Nong Eye Gong," "82588" and "Milk Lizard." The closer is right on, too.

7. Grinderman - Grinderman (Mute)- Nick Cave is a fuckin role model. "No Pussy Blues" takes the award for best song title in music history.

6. Chuck Ragan - Feast Or Famine/Los Feliz (Side One Dummy)- This stuff has been on heavy rotation since it came out and was the soundtrack to my autumn. Really strong songs, namely "Do You Pray?"

5. Jesu - Conqueror (Hydra Head)- I always thought shoe gaze was really overrated. This proves me wrong.

4. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)- Q: How did a new Radiohead record come out and it's not my number 1?

3. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond (Fat Possum)- A: Because Dinosaur Jr. got back together.

2. The Good, The Bad & The Queen (Parlophone)- And because Damon Albarn made a record with Paul Simonon.

1. Pissed Jeans - Hope For Men (Sub Pop)- And because aside from Tragedy, Pissed Jeans are the best punk band on the planet.

The Daily Coyote

A woman in Wyoming took in a baby coyote and it now lives with her and her cat Eli in a log cabin. The coyote's name is Charlie and she updates this blog daily with rad pictures and an occasional note on life with a coyote. Best blog on the Web.

http://dailycoyote.blogspot.com/

Best of 2007

During each year I compile a list of new records that have come out, which I deem notable, important, or just plain good. I have been having trouble putting 2007's list in any order, and I came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter. I ranked the top 6, and the rest are all still really good.

1. Pissed Jeans - Hope For Men
2. The Good, the Bad & the Queen
3. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
4. Jesu - Conqueror
5. Radiohead - In Rainbows
6. Chuck Ragan - Feast or Famine/Los Feliz
Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
Neurosis - Given To The Rising
Modern Life is War - Midnight in America
Blacklisted - Peace on Earth, War on Stage EP
Baroness - The Red Album
Pelican - City of Echoes
Pygmy Lush - Bitter River
Grinderman - Grinderman
Pig Destroyer - Phantom Limb
Torche - In Return EP
Cloak/Dagger - We Are
Bad Brains - Build a Nation
Far From Finished - Living In The Fallout
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Some of 2007's new music that really disappointed me was:
The Stooges - The Weirdness
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Bjork - Volta

2007 was a much better year for new music than 2006. Much better. And 2008 is looking to even exceed it. For far we can look forward to:
Cursed - III
Dead Meadow - Old Growth
Disfear - Live the Storm
The Loved Ones - Build & Burn
Paint it Black - New Lexicon
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
HWM - Til the Wheels Fall Off
Blacklisted - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonlier Than God
D4 - The Civil War
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!

One For The Underdogs (Here We Go!)

(Yes, that title was a Ducky Boys reference.)




One of my favorite Oi! bands of all time is Germany's Oxymoron. I don't hear many people talk about them but those who do, love this band. They came out of nowhere and released one of the best street punk records of all time with 1995's "Fuck the 90's, Here's Our Noize!" on GMM Records. (Sidenote: Whatever happened to both Atlanta's GMM Records and New Hampshire's Cyclone Records?; they put out some amazing 90's punk records. I used to mailorder from both of them on a regular basis. Cyclone actually put out the Dropkick Murphy's first EP: "Boys on the Docks EP".) But anyways, I put on "Fuck the 90's" yesterday afternoon while I was shoveling and I fell in love with it all over again. It's dangerous, violent, and passionate in such an unconventional way. I think that can be credited to both the production and Sucker's voice. Oxymoron also released a second full-length, "The Pack Is Back" in 1997, a split 7'' with the Dropkicks in 1998 called "Irish Stout vs. German Lager," and a terrific EP, "Westworld" in 1999. They also put out a record in 2001 called "Feed the Breed", but I never got that one. If you're a fan of bands like Cock Sparrer, Sham 69, 4 Skins, Condemned 84, or old Dropkicks, get any of these if you ever come across them. I'm pretty sure they're all out of print (the split 7'' has been out of print since '98) so you might be able to find some used. Amazon has a few copies left too. Oxymoron's Web site seems to hint that they're on hiatus, as various members have side-projects going. (http://www.oxys.de/)

Speaking of underrated bands, one drastically different than Oxymoron is Denver Co's "Planes Mistaken For Stars." They've broken up but No Idea Records just put out a 24 song retrospective called "We Ride to Fight." It includes their first record, 3 EP's, a split, and some sweet Flag covers. I already had most of these songs but I ordered it anyway and it just came in the mail. It's $7 from No Idea and it's impossible to be disappointed with. This band was really special. Just do it. (http://www.noidearecords.com/)

Out On An Island

"Shock Troops," Cock Sparrer's 1982 Oi! milestone, has always been one of my favorites. There was always one song on it though, that irked me, as it never fit in with the rest of the record. "Out On An Island", is a 4+ minute unhurried personal statement that I always saw as boring and expendable. That was until yesterday afternoon when I was listening to a punk show on URI radio, and I forced myself to listen to it. It's now one of my favorite Cock Sparrer tracks, and I don't know how I ever slept on or skipped over it. I'm into this Oi! sensitivity; where can I find more!?

"Everybody's got a number tattooed on their soul
And the time's gonna come boy, when your number's called
Everybody gets a uniform and a hut to live in
They give you your rank, you tell 'em your next of kin."

"But I'm gonna be out on an island
In the middle of the bright blue sea
Out on an island
Where nobody's gonna bother looking for me."

Damned Dickies

Two of my most recent music buys have been two punk classics. I found "Machine Gun Etiquette", the Damned's 1979 album, along with "The Incredible Shrinking" by the Dickies on sale. MGE is 16 flawless tracks of their "Damned Damned Damned" sound, slowed down and more powerful. I'm really digging the song, "These Hands", a first-hand account of a killer klown and his exploits. This special edition also has an absurd cover of "White Rabbit". It works just as well as Slapshot's version, only it lacks the humor of a straight edge band covering a drug-classic.

The Dickies are what Green Day have long strived to sound like. L.G. Phillips' singing is the blueprint for the inflections and tones that Blowjob Armstrong has always gone for. This silly record is such a treat, and its humor ranks it along the Ramones and Descendents. One of their first singles was actually a hypersonic cover of "Paranoid" in 1979 (which isn't very worthy of the original), and this record contains other covers such as "Silent Night" and S&G's "Sounds of Silence." So much keyboard/organ between this and MGE!

Also, the new Paint it Black record, "New Lexicon" is unreal. With each record this band evolves more and more, and they exemplify the originality that is still possible in music as claustrophobic as hardcore. Dr. Dan's diction and rhyme are perfectly suited for Dalek's interludes and flawless production.
Key Tracks: We Will Not, Gravity Wins, The Beekeeper, Check Yr Math