The Pelican’s Perch

Well, it’s finally time for my year end lists. I’m usually more on the ball getting them done the last week of the year, but better late than never. This whole week I’ll be writing all kinds of posts wrapping up the year in music as I heard it. This year in particular was somewhat different than usual for me. Usually for me to get the bigger promos sent my way, I have to basically beg for them. This year I was so busy with the label and work and all that I never really bothered asking for any of the year’s biggest releases. So, the result was a year full of new bands and a severe lack of major indie releases in my 2007 collection. I’d say that’s a bad thing, but honestly the only downside I can think from that is that my list will lack a lot of the big releases this year, get a lot of flack from my readers and a lot of “how is band X not on the list?! That’s laughable!!” Well, chances are a lot of you will be surprised by some of my picks, will be confused by some, really like some, and some of you won’t care because it’s a lot of new music for you to look into. And that’s what it’s about for me in the end. Not to impress anyone with my list, but to provide a list of a whole bunch of albums I think you all should listen to. Simple as that. So, I’ll start off with my honorable mentions. These are all albums I listened to throughout the year, but either grew less fond of as the year went by, didn’t get the hype that was given it, or simply just started listening to it too late to warrant placing it on my list. Hopefully, you find something you enjoy, and maybe you’ll see an album on here that just baffles you it didn’t make the list. But hey, some albums I just didn’t get around to and some I just didn’t like as much as Pitchfork or the big bloggers. Let’s get started shall we?

(list after the jump!)

Kevin’s 2007 Honorable Mentions

Panda Bear
Person Pitch

I’m starting with the big one to get it out of the way. This was Pitchfork’s #1 album of the year, and last I checked, Reid’s #1 as well. I could be wrong about Reid’s pick, but a comment he left on a post back in September had him praising it. Everyone likes something different when it comes to music, but there’s no way in my mind that this one tops Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam. I say that sounding unintentionally smug possibly, but where the new AC album feels like them finally making a whole album of at least somewhat accessible, weird pop gems, Panda Bear’s latest solo effort feels like AC to the ambient extreme. Too much like he added the “sound like it’s in a tin can” filter to all the songs, and while songs like “Comfy in Nautica” and “Bros.” are great and I really like them, I just couldn’t get through the whole album. I even gave it a good 10 or so tries but was never in that “mood” I knew was required to truly enjoy this album. I talk a lot of negatives about this album, but it isn’t bad, hence it being on my honorable mentions list, but it’s just not the year’s best in my opinion. You may love it thought, so rock on my weird, ambient landscapes meets the Beach Boys loving friend and I’ll go out to Bill’s Bluff in the middle of the night listening to this album and see if that doesn’t finally win me over.

Comfy in Nautica

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Wild Sweet Orange
Whale EP

This was one of those great promos I received randomly and absolutely loved. It only has 5 tracks, so I didn’t think I could put it on the list. I’m excited to hear a full-length from them sometime soon and I think that release would probably make my year end list.

Tilt (acoustic)

Be Careful What You Want

10 Dead Dogs on Youtube (not on this EP but great none the less)

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Great Northern
Trading Twilight for Daylight

Another random promo (you sensing a theme yet?), this one is just chock full of strings and vocal harmonies so I took a liking to it almost immediately. The more I listen to it, the more I think it maybe should’ve made the year end list, but oh well, it’s already made. I’ve been listening to this album off and on since June, with it steadily falling to the bottom of my now listening piles of CDs on my desk, but I figured doing something like compiling these lists would spark my interest again, and I think it’s done just that. Like I said in my original post, it’s a “surpringly heartfelt, genuinely great album that is at times reserved and beautiful, while other times is simply dark and powerful.” Well said indeed.

Low is a Height

Just a Dream

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The Bees
Octopus

And finally, since it’s getting late, we have Octopus by A Band of Bees, aka The Bees here in the States. This one was kind of tough to leave off the list because I loved this album over the summer. I’ve been a big Bees fan throughout their career, and while this album didn’t disappoint, I quickly grew tired of it. Too much happy for one album, which may be weird to hear from me, but after a while I was just like, yeah, I need something not so 70’s psyche pop sounding with so many singers. Taken a song at a time it’s great, with quite a few stand out tracks, but as a whole, depending on your music taste, it may get to you. Now that I’ve had a few months away from it, I’m back to loving it again. But I don’t think it’d bump any of my top 50 off the list.

Got to Let Go

Listening Man

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More Honorable Mentions…

Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? [mp3's at media section]
(Gasp! I’m burned out on Of Montreal. This was the breaking point for me. Good, and while many think it’s their best album, I just found myself bored of Of Montreal anymore)

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger [mp3: Halloweenhead]

Inlets - Vestibule EP [mp3: Pictures of Trees]

Akron Family - Love is Simple [mp3: Ed is a Portal]

Tom Mcrae - King of Cards [mp3: Bright Lights]

Loch Lomond - Lament for Children [mp3: Tic]

And the super rest!

Aqueduct – Or Give Me Death
Azeda Booth – Mysterious Body
Battles – Mirrored
Bjork – Volta
The Bowerbirds – Hymns for a Dark Horse
The Broken West – I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On
Corwin Trails - Corwin Trails [mp3's]
Dear and the Headlights - Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
Devendra Banhart – Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Mountain
Do Make Say Think – A History in Rust
Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone
Fields – Everything Last Winter
Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Jose Gonzalez – In Our Nature
Kenna – Make Sure They See My Face
Lights.On – Please/Tape
Rosie Thomas - These Friends of Mine
Siberian – With Me

Honorable Mentions! Sure this may seem like the longest post ever, which it might be, but don’t worry about me. I was watching all the episodes of Clark and Michael the whole time I was posting it, talking to people on aim, surfing the net, and watching the rest of I Am Legend finally. So, yes it’s a giant post, but it was literally five hours in the making while I was doing other stuff. Hope you enjoy spending the next four weeks looking up all these albums, and this is only the beginning of my week of lists. Top movies. Top songs, and my top 50 list still to come! Also, my top disappointments of the year too. Those are always fun because I’m bound to make someone mad trashing albums.

Alright, I’m out! See you tomorrow.