2007 IN MUSIC PT. 1

Yeah, I know - I'm a little bit late but this is the earliest I had time to work on this.

For whatever reason, I've decided not to participate in the big consensus-making projects that I've contributed to for close to ten years now. The thing is: the only time these lists were meaningful to me was in my ability to advocate for something...if I felt like I wanted to make sure the Coup album got some shine or push up the singles I personally really liked. But instinctually, I have an aversion to list-making when it feels arbitrary or limited by nothing more than a nice, rounded number such as "10". There's a deeper issue too - namely that I've never listened to all the "major" pop albums in a single year; I can't even claim to have ever listened to all the major rap albums in a single year. Perhaps if I had ever been a full-time critic (or just incredibly obsessive), it might have happened but generally, I don't feel the obligation to have to be up on everything. There are other critics who've done that longer and better; I'm content with liking what I like.

2007, more so than probably any year before it, brought all this home because I've found myself less and less interested with contemporary pop music (hip-hop included), and much more invested in listening to music of the past. In other words, it's like I turned 35 and got reborn a baby boomer. I'm as surprised as you are.

Believe me, this is not something I'm proud of and I'd hate to think I'm (d)evolving into another one of those crotchety middle aged dudes who insist whatever music was hitting in 1989 is all the music I'll ever need. And it's not like I don't listen to new music...but it's that I don't see new releases as being inherently more interesting or compelling than older ones. It's not a great trait for a working writer to take on (though it certainly plays exceedingly well as a blogger) but that's the luxury of me not being one of my friends, like Ann Powers, or Jon Caramanica. It's their job to be up on the latest Lil Wayne + LCD Soundsystem collaboration whereas I'm still idly flipping through my box of 45s or "discovering" songs that have been out since May.

If all this reads as so much navel-gazing that's because, well, it is...but as some of my friends chide me - I tend to do a lot of my private thinking in public and my relationship to pop music - past and present - is never far from my mind.

In any case, this is all a long, long wind-up pitch to my picks for my favorite music of 2007 but this is, by no means, an attempt at anything that's definitive or comprehensive or even meaningful in any real way except that, for me, it gives me an excuse to revisit the past year and remember what the hell I've been listening to. You'll see a lot of sub-genre breakdowns because, well, I don't like lists but I like sub-genres. Here we go:

New albums I liked

• Devin the Dude: Waiting to Inhale. Not necessarily Devin's best album but a solid one nonetheless, with a nice, laid back charm that goes well with Devin's own ultra-relaxed drawl and everyman lyricism.
  Peep: "What a Job"
  
  
• Prodigy: Return of the Mac. Sure, it's a one-note album but Prodigy manages to strike that note very well. I think many people's expectations of this were low but to me, P put out a surprisingly effective effort, especially when backed by Alchemist who puts together some of his best material here.
  Peep: "Nickel and a Nail"
  
  
• Feist: The Reminder. I don't care how overexposed she is now post-iPod Nano ad: I still like this album, thin, brittle voice and all. It's not something I'd pump up prior to a fight or anything but it passes the time nicely, regardless.
  Peep: "Limit To Your Love"
  
  
• Brother Ali: The Undisputed Truth + Pharoah Monch: Desire. These two albums flew way under the mainstream radar but I thought both showed a great deal creative daring that'd be admirable just on principle but the fact that they're able to execute is all the more impressive.
  Peep: "Walking Away" + "Desire"
  
  
• Blu and Exile: Below the Heavens + Marco Polo: Port Authority. Neither of these were quite as emo-ed out but what they had were 1) strong rhymes and 2) exceptional production. Marco Polo, in particular, had what I think was a banner year in terms of putting his name out there and working with exceptional talent. Meanwhile, Blu and Exile are the latest rapper/producer duo to show that good chemistry in a partnership is something you can hear in music. Their CD really gave me flashbacks to a previous era of hip-hop in a way that many artists aspire to but few achieve.
  Peep: "Blu Collar Worker" + "Nostalgia"
  
  
• Now Again: Re:Sounds Vol. 1. One of the less splashy of Stonesthrow's many releases, this was a personal favorite, especially in making available a few songs that hadn't been on CD before, especially all the remixes involving "Blind Man" by L.A. Carnival. Add to that some great J. Rocc and Kenny Dope remixes and you have a slick little package that deserves to be re-discovered if you missed it the first time.
  Peep: "Blind World"
  
  
• UGK: Underground Kings. Obviously, with Pimp C's passing, this album takes on added weight and importance but even without that tragedy, this was still an important accomplishment and celebration of both UGK's legacy as well as continued relevance. All that plus some gorgeously soulful production, including what I think was one of the best singles I've heard in years, "Int'l Players Anthem."
  Peep: "Int'l Players Anthem"
  
  
• Ghostface Killah: Big Doe Rehab. Ghostface doesn't break new ground but his consistency is unfadable as a storyteller, as an MC who loves words for the sake of, as one of the last, dependable rappers from 15 years back whose making as good - if not better - music as he gets older.
  Peep: "Shakey Dog"

New albums I loved

• The Shins: Wincing the Night Away. My wife found this album derivative of at least half a dozen New Wave artists from the 1980s and that's probably a completely fair critique but I was so taken by its melodies and textures, I hardly cared. This album plain sounds good to me and perhaps it's because it subliminally gives me flashbacks to my '80s days, growing up in L.A. but I do find it to be the perfect soundtrack for driving through my sprawling city.
  Peep: "Sleeping Lessons"
  
  
• Amy Winehouse: Back to Black. It's fascinating how divisive a figure she is...most people either treat her as the worst thing ever or the best thing ever and it's hard to discern the logic applied to either position. I like this album, I think it sounds great (hello Dap-Kings) and I like the mix of the sardonic and the sincere. It's a pity she's self-destructing in public but hey, that's pop music. One complaint: leaving "Addicted" off the U.S. versions of this album. Weaksauce.
  Peep: "He Can Only Hold Her"
  
  
• Turf Talk: West Coast Vaccine (The Cure) + Freeway: Free At Last. These two represent the two best rap albums I heard all year and even though they're separated coast-to-coast, both share a hunger so strong that it's palatable. Maybe it's because they're younger dudes - or just their shared penchant for grunting - but Turf and Free chew up their rhymes with a visceral ferocity and passion. Both albums also benefit from superior production; Turf Talk's ranges from the Mantronix resurrection on "Sick Wid' It Is the Crew" to the smoky soul of "Back in the Day" to the crushing beats of Rick Rock on "Bring the Base Back." Likewise, Free may not have Just Blaze behind him on this one but you'd hardly miss him given how so many of the tracks have that seering soul style of JB already infused into them. It's funny that the two even collabo together on Turf's album (pity that didn't go both ways).
  Peep: "Intro" + "When They Remember" + "Minnie Minnie"
  
  
• M.I.A.: Kala. Politically uneven but sonically incredible. It'd be worth it just for that impossibly low note on "Hussel" but you have an embarrassing bounty of riches from the clapping rhythms of "World Town" to the sound-Clash of "Paper Planes."
  Peep: "Paper Planes"
  
  
• Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings: 100 Days, 100 Nights. Ha - bet you saw this coming. Much as I probably contributed to this idea that there was an Amy vs. Sharon competition, for the most part, I'm just glad both of them celebrated their best albums yet. Jones and the Dap-Kings really stepped up with this album musically; it's so much more sophisticated and diverse in sound and style. Makes one excited for what they'll cook up on their next LP.
  Peep: "When The Other Foot Drops, Uncle"

Albums I might think are better later than I think they are now

• Jay-Z: American Gangster. Two great songs ("Roc Boys" and "Success") but as far as "concept" albums go, I found this surprisingly thin. It's a better album than Kingdom Come but that's not saying much. Maybe a year or two later, I'll revisit this and think its genius but presently, I just find it to be an "ok Jay-Z album."
  Peep: "Success"
  
  
• Kanye West: Graduation. Not a bad album but not nearly as adventurous as his last and more to the point, it came off like Sunshine Anderson: I heard it all before. Then again, "Big Brother" alone makes this album completely fascinating but maybe not for the right reasons.
  Peep: "Good Life"

Still remaining...Part 2.

--O.W.