Paste Picks Boxer As Year's #1
AAA lovin', no-really-it's-up-to-you subscribin' music rag Paste doesn't offer up the year's first best-of list of the year (that honor goes to Stylus, may they R.I.P.), but they do offer the first in what may be a hott trend this list-making season: putting the National's Boxer atop the heap. And judging by the way voting's going for the Gummy Awards ... did you really think we'd give away results after that easily? Anyway, in case you haven't auto-filled your ballot yet, here's another list to help you take stock of yours, from the pages of Paste:
100. Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War
99. The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City
98. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
97. Marissa Nadler - Song III: Bird on the Water
96. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare
95. The Good, The Bad & The Queen - The Good, The Bad & The Queen
94. Suzanne Vega - Beauty & Crime
93. Lori McKenna - Unglamorous
92. Jesse Sykes – Like, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul
91. The Fratellis - Costello Music
90. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
89. Anat Cohen - Noir
88. Do Make Say Think - You, You're A History In Rust
87. White Rabbits – Fort Nightly
86. Ruthie Foster - The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster
85. Menomena - Friend and Foe
84. Liars - Liars
83. Deerhunter - Cryptograms
82. Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings
81. Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
80. Akron/Family - Love Is Simple
79. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
78. The New Pornographers - Challengers
77. Jeremy Fisher - Goodbye Blue Monday
76. Okkervil River - The Stage Names
75. Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara
74. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup
73. Warm In The Wake - American Prehistoric
72. Bettye Lavette - Scene Of The Crime
71. Josh Rouse - Country Mouse City House
70. Ween - La Cucaracha
69. Bat For Lashes - Fur & Gold
68. Office - A Night At The Ritz
67. St. Vincent - Marry Me
66. Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
65. Caribou - Andorra
64. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
63. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
62. Joseph Arthur - Let's Just Be
61. Prince - Planet Earth
60. The Broken West - I Can't Go On I'll Go On
59. Imperial Teen - The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band
58. Romantica - America
57. The Clientele - God Save The Clientele
56. Kate Nash - Made of Bricks
55. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
54. Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
53. Fionn Regan - The End Of History
52. Thurston Moore - Trees Outside the Academy
51. The Frames - The Cost
50. Battles - MirroredThe Boss, the Butlers, and Berninger going 3-2-1? Man have we got an article for those Paste editors. And, actually, a couple of restaurant recommendations, too.
49. Carolina Chocolate Drops - Dona Got A Ramblin’ Mind
48. The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
47. Linda Thompson - Versatile Heart
46. Justice - †
45. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
44. Norah Jones - Not Too Late
43. The Everybodyfields - Nothing Is Okay
42. Lifesavas - Gutterfly
41. Brandi Carlile - The Story
40. Damien Dempsey - To Hell Or Barbados
39. The Perishers - Victorious
38. Olof Arnalds - Vid Og Vid
37. Eleni Mandell - The Miracle Of Five
36. Joe Henry - Civilians
35. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
34. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
33. PJ Harvey - White Chalk
32. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
31. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
30. Björk - Volta
29. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
28. Mary Gauthier - Between Daylight and Dark
27. Derek Webb - The Ringing Bell
26. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
25. Over The Rhine - The Trumpet Child
24. Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
23. Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
22. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
21. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
20. Blonde Redhead - 23
19. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Living with the Living
18. Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
17. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
16. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
15. Kanye West - Graduation
14. Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir
13. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
12. Avett Brothers - Emotionalism
11. Radiohead - In Rainbows
10. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
09. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
08. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
07. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
06. M.I.A. - Kala
05. Feist - The Reminder
04. The White Stripes - Icky Thump
03. Bruce Springsteen - Magic
02. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
01. The National - Boxer
Posted at 6:46 PM
Tags: The National
for the most part thats terrible... i do like me some boxer though
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Beirut's the flying Club cup is all the way at 74? give me a break. It's good to see The National, Arcade Fire, Feist, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, The Shins, Spoon, Of Montreal, & Andrew Bird all in the top 40, but Beirut should be top 5, and M.I.A's annoying crap should be slammed off the list, not number 6.
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What is "Cease to Begin" doing ahead of "Wincing the Night Away"?
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I agree with kyle. Not my list, but my gummy vote was for Boxer.
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Holy crap, I want to take back my free subscription to these guys.
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So.. the boring Boxer comes in at number 1.. but Okkervil River comes in mid-70's? What the fuck?
Or better yet, WHY THE FUCK IS AMY WINEHOUSE AT 13!??
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Sorry guys, my mom actually wrote this list.
She got a little carried away after a box of wine and a good cry.. it happens.
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I wouldn't agree with that order at all.. but it does basically cover the best releases.
PB&J was not this year.
Sunset Rubdown, Beirut, Animal Collective, Of Montreal, Menomena, White Rabbits, and Caribou are all bumped way too far back...I'd put them closer to the top 10. Maybe I'm reading too much pitchfork...but Beirut at #74 hurts. I'd put LCD in top 3 for sure.
not bad for a free magazine.
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oh and Amy Winehouse? come on.
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where's person pitch???
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person pitch is in the trash can. because it sucked.
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Hey, im no big Amy Winehouse fan, but to deny that it was one of the biggest albums of the year would be flat out lieing to yourself. she is this years Gnarles Barkley, like it or not.
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no panda bear anywhere? out of 100 albums? just... what?
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Top Ten Abums Of The Year (In No Particular Order):
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs
The National - Boxer
Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drews "Spirit If"
Dinosaur Jr - Beyond
Life Without Buildings - Live At The Annandale
Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Dan Deacon - Spiderman Of The Rings
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Agreed, Winehouse is huge...and talented...but to put her ahead of some of those bands is hard to watch.
especially when an album like Person Pitch isn't even mentioned. tragedy.
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Wait, so you guys only want opinions that are the same as yours? You should run for president, that's how W picks his advisers ...
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The thing is, these lists matter so much to your personal taste. If your album isn't on here, that automatically means it sucks. Does this list match your last.fm for 2007? WTF NOT?!!
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Boxer? Maybe if I'm trying to fall asleep.
Scratch that: The National are so lame, they would make me too irate to sleep.
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The thing is, these lists matter so much to your personal taste. If your album isn't on here, that automatically means it sucks. Does this list match your last.fm for 2007? WTF NOT?! Get real: the placement of these albums is meaningless considering everyone that this shit matters to has basically the same taste in music.
No, wait, I'm sorry: this list, and others like them, is a partial formation of a new music canon! All these bands matter so much!!
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Wilco's at 7, but Spoon has the 29th spot? I'm a huge Wilco fan, but "Sky Blue Sky" shouldn't be in the top 50. And how the hell is "Icky Thump" the 4th best album of the year while Menomena comes in at 85?!
WEAK.
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http://img148.imageshack.us/my.php?image=1168882236508kz7lw5.jpg
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Seeing people piss themselves over this list is way more entertaining than the list itself.
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Regardless of ordering, all this reminds me of was that this year was so insanely great for music.
LCD Soundsystem should be higher up though.
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rubbish.
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what's the point of making a list with 100 entries. aren't they listing pretty much almost every indie album that was released this year. the point of making a list is you have to narrow it down and disregard some. this is sort of like handing everybody a trophy.
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Definitely; an excellent year in music, all around. Just reminds me how late I am on picking up the CDs for these albums.
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I need some back-up here. Am I the only one who doesn't get The Arcade Fire thing? I've tried valiantly to understand the "genius" everyone raves about and I simply do not get it. Jens Lekman, yes.
The Avett Brothers, sure. Boxer, album of the year?
No doubt about it. The Arcade Fire.....B O R I N G
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The national? more like the gay.
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i'm really surprised there was no love for grinderman this year.
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Radiohead and The Arcade Fire are always, always bad.
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Panda Bear should be on the list (I mean, it's the top 100, surely there's room). And Devendra Banhart should be higher up, for sure.
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Any list that actually includes Joe Henry is OK by me.
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I'm with joe. What we're seeing here is just all the records that'll show up on everyone else's "Best Of" lists, but each will put them in a different order.
That being said, #29 is about 28 spaces too low.
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Of Montreal should be higher... way higher.
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and The National is so not the #1 album this year.
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I agree with some previous comments:
- Spoon and Beirut are way, way too low
- Panda Bear couldn't make the top 100 when Ween, Prince, and the Carolina Chocolate Drops do? WTF?
- Boxer was no Alligator
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My one gripe: Volta is too high on that list. It wasn't that great, really.
Oh, and no Pseudosix :)
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no pharoahe monch? c'mon.
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http://img256.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sackfaceno4.jpg
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I agree with #1.
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Not to get all SFJ-and-Hopper here, but really: Paste's distaste of any hip-hop that doesn't meet a certain arbitration of irony or faux populism is, howdoyousay, lame.
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Where the shit is Panda Bear?
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"Radiohead and The Arcade Fire are always, always bad."
... are you human? CRACK IS WHACK.
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actually todd, 'the national' and 'the gay' have nothing in common. apart from regional differences, their music sounds nothing alike.
http://mintrecs.com/index.php?component=artists&action=profile&tag=the_gay
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good list. dirty projectors?
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I don't understand any list that leaves Sound of Silver out of the top ten.
I'm a big Wilco and White Stripes fan but don't think those albums should be that high.
IS the new Springsteen actually that good? Haven't heard it.
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I don't even bother reading these lists anymore. Far too much fun to read the posters getting their knickers in a knot.
"This list blows! Why was [INSERT ALBUM TITLE] placed ahead of [INSERT ALBUM TITLE]??? And where the hell is [INSERT ALBUM TITLE]?? The fact that they [INSERT ALBUM TITLE] made the top 10, let alone the top 50 shows that [INSERT MAGAZINE/BLOG NAME] are completely irrelevant!"
..and so on.
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where's the love for deerhoof, people?!
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that was pretty much the safest top 10 possible. i have "boxer" and "kala" in my top 10, but the rest of that is just...boring. predictable. mushy.
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Even a diehard, life-long Prince fan (which I am) must take exception to "Planet Earth" making anyone's Top 100 list for the year. It's like giving points for filling in one's name, or giving a ribbon for participation. Nice try kid, now hit the showers...
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this is why no one subscribes to paste in the first place. it's a boring magazine with boring taste in music.
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Modest Mouse at #8, cool...real cool...
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Top Ten not on the list?:
Panda Bear
Jose Gonzalez
Matthew Dear
Black Moth Super Rainbow
Dirty Projectors
Dungen
VietNam
Yeasayer
Octopus Project
PHosphorescent
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okay, everyone likes Ted Leo, but his latest album was basically more of the same old Ted. It's solid, but who actually thinks it should be #19 for the year, especially ahead of amazing albums they listed lower, like Beirut's, Andrew Bird's, Animal Collective's, and Jens Lekman.
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i feel in 'indie' music, there are far too many genres encompassed to pick favorites.
honorable mentions:
owen - at home with owen
maritime - heresay and the hotel choir
lewis and clarke - blasts of holy
birth (that might be 2006)
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does everyone hate pinback that much?
radiohead too low, spoon too low, lcd too low.
wilco too high, white stripes too high, fire too high.
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Do Amy Crackhouse, "Cease To Begin", and The FRATellis really deserve to be on these types of list? I mean, there are a lot of crappy (overrated) albums on that list besides those three (coughlcdsoundofshitcoughcassadagacough), but seriously?! And the new Band of Horses has got to be one of the biggest disappointments of this year.
And a journalist/webzine/weblog/magazine's list looks brutally unprofessional if they have any album by Arcade Fire (and The White Stripes and M.I.A. for that matter) ahead of Radiohead (or as high as at number 2, in Arcade Fire's case). At least props to Paste for having The National at number one.
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where's JASON ISBELL'S SIREN OF THE DITCH?
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It's pretty sad that Patrick Wolf didn't even break the top 100, and even worse that I'm the first one mentioning it. The National got my vote for "most overhyped", mainly because Boxer really isn't any good. At all.
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again as often as I can to anyone who will listen: "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" is a fucking awful album, and a little part of me dies every time I remember it exists. It is, for Mouse fans, what "Maladroit" is to those who loved Pinkerton.
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Patrick Wolf is gayer than Christmas morning. You might as well just put a penis in your mouth if you're going to listen to that guy.
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for the most part...
100 albums for/by yuppie whities
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i love ted leo, but living with the living is not coming anywhere near my top 20. fairly disappointing.
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oh i forgot to mention -
the acorn - glory hope mountain
and
wheat - everyday i said a prayer for kathy...
stellar albums. i know these lists are based upon what everyone was digging for the previous year. but i think the escence of indie music is in the stuff you may not have heard. thats the real challenge for me; finding albums that were worthy of the list but didnt make it.
im glad the stars album (remixes) only came in at 100. i love that band, but what a poor performance.
to the guy who asked why everyone hates pinback ?
a - i believe they hit their peak with the loro 7 inch - that was beautifully layered minimalism (if that even exists lol).
i can also apply that to a broader scope. a lot of bands on this list released their second, third, bazzillionith albums - and most of them to me were not groundbreaking or anything to write home about. i think the notoriety of the artists, and (blog)hype behind the albums made them that more omnious.
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My two cents (like anyone cares)?
Are Deerhunter and Liars really only one "point" different or did they just put Liars first so they could show that Deerhunter is the next step or something? That being said, the new Liars blows, Deerhunter is great, Bjork-Volta sucks and where the hell is Panda Bear? That's all I'll say.
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I'm a little confused by The Flying Club Cup, The Stage Names and Marry Me not breaking the top 50 and a little sad that Hissing Fauna and Armchair Apocrypha didn't break the top 30. But thank goodness Spoon got better treatment on this list than they got in their full length review earlier this year. Isn't that like music journalistic canon? Thou Shalt Not Give Spoon a Bad Album Review?
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Someone did bring up a great point earlier on about why have a list of 100 when quite frankly you'd be hard-pressed to pick out 25-50 albums worthy of making a "best of year" list.
All these lists prove, is how much of a stranglehold Stereogum & Pitchfork (and their self-absorbed brethren/clones/bastard children) have on the opinions of the (seemingly) largely scenester-comprised readership.
So when are you going to show us around the National's crib dudes? I'm bored with these popularity contests and annual publicity wank-a-thons.
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maybe it's just me, but who the eff are #43-36? that's a good stretch of 8 artists and albums i've never even heard of.
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Yeah 100 albums is waaaay too much to be meaningful.
That said, the list would be a lot better if Boxer and The Stage Names swapped places. And then Boxer was knocked back 25 spots or more.
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I AM TIRED OF BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN!
ok, so now hes got politically motivated songs and has moved away from his glory days into a world of folk. BIG EFFING DEAL. there is better talent around. Animal Collective or of Montreal, and for God sakes PJ Harvey who have done something creative, should all be WAY higher on that list.
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Now, I am probably the biggest Modest Mouse fanboy to have ever lived... and in all truth they could be tin-foil-wrapped-poop and I would be still delusional enough to love them to death...(they aren't tin-foil-wrapped-poop right now though btw)... But I dont know how you could get more out of "We were dead..." album then Radiohead let alone Animal Collective let alone Panda Bear let alone freakin Of Montreal! Now as pleasantly surprised as I am that some people finnaly are giving credit where its due and overcoming the sell out stigma i think this isnt modest mouse's best and it was definetly a better year for said bands.
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Excited to see Do Make Say Think's new one get some lovin'. That's one of my faves from this year.
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there's no kings of leon, this list means nothing to me!!!
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really?
they got 2 out of the first 10 right...i stopped readin at that point...
lcd at 22, seriously?
how many times did you guys really listen to that album?
tonyc at November 26, 2007 11:22 PM , i couldn't agree with you more...the boss was great and all, but i think his day has passed...
all of a sudden the free subscription doesn't seem like a deal anymore....i want my $2....
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wilco? i dont know if i like that choice...probably should have been way up closer to 100.
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C'mon, where's the hip-hop? (Kanye does not count and despite what he may want you to believe, he is NOT indie either
Also, where is Myth Takes?
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damn... when did the national get big enough to warrant the backlash? i'd definitely put 'boxer' in my top 5 on the year. great, great record.
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i agree about wilco, good album but not that good
also icky thump and springsteen i was frankly unimpressed by both of those records
whatever to each his own i guess
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Hmmm....pretty crappy list. I'll give my vote to "Under The Influence of Giants" or HIM "Venus Doom".
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Are the AF so popular already that the backlash has begun? It's all a matter of taste, I know, but c'mon. Arcade Fire=boring? Not even a chance! Go see them live. If you don't change your mind, I'd have your pulse checked. (justkiddin, don't berate me)
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How boring, predictable, smug and sexist - and that's just the respondents. No, Panda Bear does not deserve to be there. Yes, Amy Winehouse does. Iron and Wine's latest album is mediocre drivel. The only strong point about this list is that M.I.A. is highly placed. Tegan and Sara should be in the top 20. Patrick Wolf should be on the list, and so should Po' Girl. Bat for Lashes should not be buried at 69. Etc etc etc...
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I'll allow for the possibility that to someone, somewhere, on some level of drugs, Of Montreal, Apples, Springsteen, Modest Mouse, and Blonde Redhead might not have been the crapfests that I thought they were. Your mileage may vary, after all.
But no Editors, no Good Shoes, no Cribs, and Art Brut at #81? No sale for me.
Also, weren't Fratellis and PBJ on some people's Best of 2006?
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What the fuck is wrong with that list?
Very little. There's no way Arcade Fire should be up so high in my opinion. Beirut's second one is about as good as their live performances (*shit*). Boxer is a fine album, as good as any I've heard all year. I'm not so sure about Okkervil River being stuck in the nether regions of the list, but by any chance is the list in no particular order? That's my plea for democracy anyway.
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Hey guys, what's with all the comments? Did someone diss Coldplay again?
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for no good reason, i'm just gonna throw my two cents in here:
my fave of the year is Caspian - The Four Trees.
take a listen if you haven't. those guys deserve more fans.
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where is LOW's 'drums and guns'?
what about menomena?
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let's put all the indie albums that came out this year + a couple of big artists so that we can get it to a 100 and make it a list!
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yeah this is sad sack! Icky Thump and Magic in the top 5? gagagagaga
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What?! How could MY album not be on that list! "P.S. I Love You Sings the Songs that Sank 1,000 Careers" is NOT one of the best of 2007? Well, I'll have you know that on P.S. I Love You's top 100 albums of 2007, we're #1. And on my Mom's top 100 of 2007 we're #2, right behind "Taking