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 Chances."
I'm so angry, I'm going to stop reading the articles in Paper. I will, however, continue to drool over the Party Pictures.
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#1 ghostface killah - the big dough rehab???
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Two points:
1) Forget everything else for a moment. As far as the BSS family goes, who actually thinks the Feist album is better than Kevin Drew's Spirit if???? Drew put out an amazing record!
2) MIA over Radiohead? I like really her, but COME ON!!! Maya should cringe in embarassment thanks to the folks at Paste.
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To answer a previous post, Fratellis was released in 2006 in the UK. It was released in July 2007 in the US. So I guess it can strattle both lists?
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This list reminds me that 2007 was full of lackluster albums by otherwise great bands.
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I appear to be the only one who thinks the Polyphonic Spree should have been SOMEWHERE on this list. The Fragile Army is fucking phenomenal...
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We're with Joe, too. This is basically a "Quick, name 100 albums list." 100. Yeesh. We'll admit it, though: "Boxer" was pretty dope. Almost as good as the Cribs record.
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The Polyphonic Spree? Are you kidding me? Danielson released the blueprint for their new album, uniforms, and look and last year? Oh yeah, They borrowed the Flaming Lips live show too.
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Panda Bear and Battles should both be in the top 5.
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I gotta say, Boxer really is my favorite record this year. But of course, that's just me. The other choices and placement seem suspect, especially the Beirut/Animal Collective low show and the M.I.A./Wilco slob job (and I really like Sky Blue Sky, but that above Ga?) I dunno.
But I do look forward to the Gummies! I'm sure they'll be critically flawless;-p
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no stuntditch?
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Well I guess it's nice to see that people with Downs can put together a concrete list; and that's the only nice to thing I have to say about it.
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Do any of you guys actually read Paste Magazine or know what it's about? I keep seeing a lot of people talk about "indie" and even remember someone calling the magazine unprofessional for rewarding The National with a higher spot than Radiohead. Just an fyi, Paste magazine is nothing like Stereogum/Pitchfork, even if they do share some of the same writers. They're aim isn't to the scenestars as much as it is for people interested in good music without the pretension. Go back and read any of the Editor's Letters, the E-I-C Josh Jackson talks about it all the time. Save your "where is Panda Bear" critiques for the Pitchfork list. This list is predictable (in a good way) for those of us who read and enjoy Paste. Don't worry angry gummers, you'll find a list you can somewhat agree with soon
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Dan Deacon is a creep!
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This reminds me of those Onion T-shirts that say "My hometown sports team is better than your hometown sports team."
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Touche! Deacon is the reason that jocks pick on indie kids. Even I want to push him into a locker! I hope he goes back to B-More and is forgotten about within the next 2 months.
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The National is one of my most favorite bands, and after a year of listening i still think Boxer is their weakest album to date. Rating it number 1 just to make up for the lack of attention people gave their first 3 doesn't make any sense.
I'd like to congratulate them for putting modest mouse in the top ten, but then they appear to just be suffering from a Rolling Stone complex of rating the oldest bands with the most albums and fan base at the top of the list.
Of montreal still seems like the clear no. 1 to me.
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I don't know why, but I have just not been able to get into the National. I keep hearing great things and go back and give 'em another shot...but they're just not that interesting. Maybe I have ADD or something.
My personal pick for number 1 is strawberry jam. Followed closely by GaGaGaGaGa, Kortadela, Sound of Silver, and person pitch. I know those are kind of the standards, but I haven't lost interest in them at all.
I would also put Sharon Jones, Okkerville River, Battles, and Of Montreal much higher.
Overrated - Icky Thump, Sky Blue Sky, and Neon Bible.
Paste Lost my interest when their sample CDs became almost exclusively americana. It's a shame because they're usually a pretty interesting read...
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Dear everybody everywhere,
All lists everywhere need to follow the following rules:
The top five must include:
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Spoon – Ga’s
The National – Boxer
The top ten must include:
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Token Rap Album #1
The top fifteen must include:
MIA – Kala
Battles – Mirrored
Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
Token Rap Album #2
Token Rap Album #3
Deerhunter – Cryptograms
The top twenty needs to be rounded out with:
Fiest, Beirut, Token Rap Group #4, Dirty Projectors, Token Avant Garde Album, Token Dance Album, Jens Lekman, the hot shit buzz band of December 3rd-17th.
Following these simple rules will eliminate the need for discussions, arguments, disagreements, and petty usage of derogatory slang. In other words, your list will be loved by all (and isn't that the real reason for music publications and/or the internet in general?).
With love,
The Management
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My favourite 20 albums, roughly from the top,
The New Pornographers - Challengers
Rachel Unthank & The Winterset - The Bairns
The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Frames - The Cost
Tegan and Sara - The Con
Joan as Police Woman - Real Life
Patty Griffin - Children Running Through
Po' Girl - Home To You
Mary Gauthier - Between Daylight and Dark
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
M.I.A. - Kala
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Rilo Kiley - Under the Blacklight
Bat for Lashes - Fur & Gold
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
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battles is number 1. look at the list again. then of course this is 2-99. http://youtube.com/watch?v=cnUU4YVd7ro
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Lists list this are useful to me, even if I disagree with the order, because they allow me to check out what I missed. Most people though don't listen to entire albums these days - they listen to a cut or two of a band for the most part and and move on to something else.
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Sooooo........no one liked Year Zero enough to put it on this list.......
Sad, Sad, Sad.
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Harsh to see battles, beirut and sunset rubdown so far down the list. cant believe handsome furs didnt even make the list.
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ughh, why bother but can't resist commenting on list. some artists I find outright annoying - devendra banhart, art brut, feist, lcd soundsystem, white stripes, kanye west, amy winehouse, prince (who has, let's all face it, lost his mind). all talented, sure (except for art brut), but they all annoy the hell out of me. oh yeah, ryan adams too. annoying. there are a ton of albums/artists here i've never heard of so no comment on any of them, which is like 30% of the list or so. too many bands these days have way overly-precious, cutesy names. and, i find it hard to even try to get into bands that call themselves shit like "hot heat" or "fiery furnaces". seriously, name your band better or I won't listen. i haven't even listened to 'boxer' in its entirety, but i saw the national open for the arcade fire and was very impressed. great band. i really, really do not understand the appeal of lcd soundsystem. i just do not get it. their music sounds, well, crappy. terrible vocals, retarded lyrics and concepts, electro shit which would have sounded beyond dated a decade ago, now i guess its 'retro' or something? blech. i actually wanted to like them and tried, but...then i heard their music and couldn't. hm, what else? people complaining about the lack of rap albums on here should get a grip and stop reading SF-J dammitall. there is no reason that reviews of the year in indie rock should force themselves to include token rap albums as some kind of attempt to alleviate some people's sense of white guilt. you wouldn't just throw some indie rock albums into a countdown of the year's best in hip-hop, so why bother to do the opposite? sometimes people trying to prevent racism accidentally reinforce the very thing they're working against though. but you all knew that. blah di blah...
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This list isn't bad overall but how does Interpol not make this list. Their third album might be better than their debut album which every critic likes. Why is Amy Winehouse and Prince on this list?
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Paste sucks.....nothing more to say.
Why does anyone care about their top 100 list? Booooorrrrring......
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Indeed, this list needs Interpol, Panda Bear, Anberlin, and a lot less National. I was between two people who slept during their show, so that should say something.
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what about New Young Pony Club?
when did people forget to party?
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You know how I know they are complete idiots? They put Okkervil River at #76. Should be in the top 20 at least!
Uninspired list from an uninspired mag.
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Paste is the lamest, whitest music mag out there. Give me Harp anyday...
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Hey benj, I hear you--it does get ridiculous when genre-guilt compromises these sort of things. And you're right that if the list was "best of _indie_ rock" that it might smack of tokenism. But it's "Best Music." Period. that kind of universalism is always problematic, and I think the fault partly lies with Paste on this one.
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i can't believe that kings of leon wasn't anywhere to be seen on this list. f-ing paste douche bags.
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Dan Deacon IS a creep!!!
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HELLO - Sondre Lerche 'Phantom Punch?'
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I agree. Paste is boring and Harp does kick Paste's ass. It's a much much better read. Looking forward to their list...
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several of the commenters here (and Paste contributors) are looking to be the future adult contemporary / easy listening radio programmers of the future.
yawn
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Um, excuse me, Mr. Paste editor?
Hi there. Sorry to bother you, I know you're real busy working on your Best of 07 list. Don't mean to interrupt, but I saw that big stack of CDs you've got going there, and I think you may have dropped one...I found it right over here...let's see, here it is...
KINGS OF LEON.
There ya go. Yeah, I know! I'd hate for you to do all that work and then wind up with an incomplete list! Sure, no problem...
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How come Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club's "Baby 81" is not on that list??? The Shins should be higher. But I defintely agree with Arcade Fire and Springsteen being in the top 3. Also missing is Patti Scialfa's "Play it as it lays", yes, Mrs Boss is talented in her own right.
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Rogue Wave anyone?
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boxer still gives me chills when i listen to it.
'you know i've dreamed about you...for 29 years...before i saw you'
other than that, the list is an overall weak ranking of the year's best.
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I have the new Nine Inch Nails cd, "Year Zero" in my top 10. I've always liked NIN, but I think "Year Zero" is one of his best works.
Also, I'm surprised no one has mentioned "From Here We Go Sublime" by The Field.
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my problem with the list is that it seems to give too much credit to weaker albums by established artists, now i am a fan of modest mouse, band of horses, the white stripes, and on the odd day i can even go for some ryan adams... but i think their respective releases this year were not up to their usual standards, plus sound of silver and the stage names are way too low, but i can't hammer the list too much because i agree with a lot of it
my top ten of the moment:
1. In Rainbows
2. Neon Bible
3. Sound of Silver
4. Boxer
5. The Stage Names
6. Magic
7. Ga Ga Ga Ga
8. Sky Blue Sky
9. The Shepherd's Dog
10. Night Falls Over Kortedala
10a. Graduation
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No Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Isis" EP? No room for non-LP sized discs on these sorts of lists I guess.
This is a nice list with a lot of artists and records that I own and enjoy. You can re-arrange it a bit and it will still contain what pretty much every other year-end list will contain. We listeners who like this (mostly rock) music, whether we call it alternative, or indie, or new, are hardly an adventurous lot, are we?
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stupid question -is this a list of indie albums?
doesn't seem to be at all.
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no tegan and sara but fucking imperial teen makes the list...what the fuck? and the fratellis? apples in stereo? i didn't know ONE good single equals a good album. bat for lashes should be way higher than 69! and fucking Icky Thump? that noisy, written in 2.2 days, piece of crap...whatever...
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Finally! Some much-deserved praise for the Avett Brothers and their wonderful Emotionalism album. Even if you don't care for Americana/roots music, you owe it to yourself to give this one a try.
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I feel like I'm the only one who really enjoyed Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's "Some Loud Thunder"
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Ok I read all the way down to Tay Tay at November 27, 2007 9:38 AM and didn't see ANYONE stand up for the new Wilco. Sky Blue Sky is a complete grower and is actually completely awesome. The more you hear it the better it is; all the intricacies just come out. It's position is entirely appropriate, but it might be like 1 spot too high. Just put it on again it's good. Better than A Ghost Is Born.
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I would have liked to see Grails' "Burning Off the Impurities" album on there somewhere. It is a fantastic album.
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Band of Horses at #9? What a joke. Generic "indie" is just as bad as generic everything else. Band of Horses just happens to be generic in a genre that carries more credibility among critics.
Andy...Some Loud Thunder is my album of the year. It puts most of this stuff, along with the band's critically acclaimed debut, to shame.
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i'll second the sentiment on sky blue sky, yeah it's not yhf but it's still fantastic. it is one of the few records of the year that i know i'll be listening to thirty years from now, so who cares if it's dad rock, it is brilliant
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Would have loved to see Underworld's Oblivion with Bells on here, or the rerelease of the Alternate Routes' Good and Reckless and True, but you can't have everything, I guess. It would have been a real coup for indie artists if Fono's Too Broken to Break and Ingrid Michaelson's Girls and Boys had made this list as well.
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seriously.. not one person has mentioned bon iver?
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is "I'm Not There"'s OST not eligible, i think it is worthy
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Aqueduct's Or Give Me Death was the most fun I had with any album released in 2007. Menomena and Animal Collective are close though...
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Aqueduct's Or Give Me Death was the most fun I had with any album released in 2007. Menomena and Animal Collective are close though...
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no jv-emerald city love?
t-
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Damn, I wish I'd voted Loney, Dear as my number one in the Gummies. I forgot subpop re-released it in 2007. Amazing album.
Oh well, my number one came number 66 in Paste's list.
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bon iver is getting "proper release" in 2008 on jagjaguwar... maybe there is hope for next year?
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you guys all suck, sufjan has by far the best best album
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where's the "SHIT LIST" tag on this story?
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I agree that the Spree should be on all of these lists, cos The Fragile Army is definitely MY favourite album of the year. Unfortunately, it seems that people either look-down upon them or overlook them.
And yes, of course option 3 is "they're shit", but they aren't!
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The Foo Fighters released an album that urinates high-octane arena rock. And what about the new, balls-to-the-wall, Bush-bashing Ministry record???
And did nobody release a good blues record in 2007? Oh wait, John Hammond did, Push Comes to Shove. Average customer rating on Amazon? 5 stars.
And Sharon Jones somehow takes a back seat to Norah Jones?? On what planet?
Take some chances PASTE.
I often enjoy and admire the diversity your magazine. But this list is little more than a one-dimensional indie rock list.
Put another way, I love chocolate ice cream. But 100 scoops of chocolate ice cream will make anyone ill.
In 2008 I hope you will explore more, take more chances. Re-read your mission statement. Go outside your comfort zone. Put Sharon Jones on the cover. Put Buddy Guy on the cover. And when you do put an artist like Kanye on the cover--don't feel as though you need to include an editorial justifying the decision. Your whole mission was to cover quality music from ALL corners, wasn't it?
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And representing Ireland, I must take issue with the 3 Irish albums there...
The Frames: awful, and it came out in 2006.
Damien Dempsey: just awful, seriously seriously bad.
Fionn Regan: great album, but it came out in 2006.
Dig deeper, Paste, or don't dig at all. You might find a pot o' gold!
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Harp's list is up at BV.
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Clearly not having the King of Leon's record in the top 100 is a joke. And while I like the National's record, it feels a little forced as the #1 pick. I think Paste is trying to get indie cred or something. There are a few flagrant ommissions, namely KOL and Panda Bear...
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The latest album by Happy Rhodes could have been on that list. It's her 11th album and just as brilliant as all the others she's released. To hear 5 songs as well as snippets from the rest, people can go to:
http://www.myspace.com/happyrhodesfindme
Noe Venable's 6th album, The Summer Storm Journals should be on any Best of 2007 too.
Their not being on the list doesn't mean they suck, because they don't. Maybe copies weren't sent to Paste, I don't know. It is frustrating when you know about really great albums that are ignored.
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I have nothing new to add to this except to reiterate that Spoon at #29 is a fucking joke. Anything lower than the top ten for Ga X 5 is just absurd.
About the only thing they got right is #12 through #10. Also, am I the only one who suspects that the editors might not have even actually listened to Kala? M.I.A. looks like a token brown person sitting there at #6, especially since her record kicks the shit out of Paste's top 4 easy. Saying.
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Battles' Mirrored is a cool album, but I seriously doubt anyone at Paste magazine has even listened to it.
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my two cents in favorite albums, many not mentioned...
panda bear- person pitch
the bastard fairies- momento mori
battles- mirrored
just jack- overtones
jamie t- panic prevention
wilco- sky blue sky
new young pony club- fantastic playroom
lcd soundsystem- sound of silver
the arcade fire- neon bible
the little ones- sing song
au revoir simone- the bird of music
calvin harris- i created disco
of montreal- hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?
the chemical brothers- we are the night
digitalism
radiohead- in rainbows (prob coming in last place if i were to put this list in order)
feist- the reminder
the fratellis- costello music
yep.
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Modest mouse, that album is how you say....shit. Mianda Lambert i' ve had to put with as per my girlfriend, but the name should not be on the same list as arcade fire, spoon, radiohead, come on now. Also my girl friend is lame.
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Can't believe there has not been one mention of Field Music's "Tones of Town." Definitely my #1 of the year.
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Crappy, boring list from a crappy boring magazine. What do you expect? Paste sucks.
I agree that Okkervil at #76 is rediculous. Harp put them at #1. Much better...in fact the whole list is a whole lot better.
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Where is McCartney's Memory Almost Full? That should be in the top 10.
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Battles? Sux. Animal Collective? Sux. Okkervil? Sux. Low's 'Drums and Guns' not even on the list while a dull PJ Harvey album was? That fact sux, too.
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Paste is one of the most boring music mags i've ever picked up, however, this list isn't that bad. Yeah I agree Miranda Lambert is one name that shouldn't be associated with any "best-of" but it could be worse. You people whine too much. My only complaint? Sunset Rubdown should be in the top 30. Besides that, all I can say is i would prefer to see Bat for Lashes with a higher rating, but I can also understand why other people wouldn't agree.
Oh, and I still haven't figured out the appeal of LCD Soundsystem.
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Calla- Strength in Numbers and BRMC- Baby 81should be on there.
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Panda Bear???
The Concretes???
The 1900s????
Black Moth Super Rainbow???
Field Music??
Shout Out Louds????????????????
Beginning to regret my $1 subscription
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Low = shite
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Those were my 3 choices for the Gummy awards, but not in that order. Although, The Good, The Bad, and The Queen was rubbish and didn't deserve to be in the top 50.
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Radiohead = runny jalapeno shite.
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Panda Bear should be in the top ten
no arguments
I agree with 90% of the list in a very different order though
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1. Anyone who so much as mentions Tegan and Sarah as legit enough to make this list deserves to be stoned.
2. For all of you Arcade Fire haters....go see them live. You will change your mind, guaranteed.
3. Amy Winehouse??? Really? Give me a break.
4. Am I the only one that thinks Wilco sucks balls?????
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this list sucks dick cheney's moist ass.
i can't wait for a proper list (read : pitchfork) to come out.
good lord.
go and have a look at the stylus (RIP) list, about 14 times more credible.
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No dirty projectors? no field? And Im a huge modest mouse fan but we were dead is far from their greatest. Animal collective, lcd, okkervil river, beirut, deerhunter, and liars need to be way higher.
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@mdane cook: I'm sure you got that information from Fox News. Therefore, your statement is invalid.
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Seriously no Friend and For by Menomena, come on. That album is fantastic and deserves to be in the top 20 of any best of 2007 list this year.
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85 Punkt.
I didn't look that low either. I searched for them because i didn't see it in the top 50.
No tegan and sarah. No Eluvium. No Field (which granted I got hooked on because it was critically acclaimed.
Battles 50?
Arctic at 96?
I feel like they took cd's and put them behind their backs and had a guess what spot game.
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If they're counting Writer's Block as having been released this year, it should be higher than 35. That's just fair.
Neon Bible at #2 is absurd...that album is weak from beginning to end: pretentious hipsters aping Bruce Springsteen? No thanks.
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Mirrored and In Rainbows are pretty easy 1-2 choices for me, and I don't care which goes where. Battles basically created a new gennre of music (watch what happens int he next 3 or 4 years-- Battles will be gods). And Radiohead just kills.
After that? Menomena, AF, Panda Bear, Andrew Bird, . . . and what about the new Burial record?? That kills as well.
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Definately a list i can stomach,especially after the other ones. But the new pornos at 78? Challengers is a great album and should definately be aove some of the others.
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Why is everyone being so mean? I'm happy to see Boxer get the attention it deserves.
From the fine film "High Fidelity," "How can it be bullshit to state a preference?"
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Hopefully this has already been said, but Beirut is very bland. Their debut album was way over-rated and I'm glad they're not getting too much attention this year - they just make the same song over and over again and ocasionally end up with a good version of it.
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Loud noises!
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Where's Elliott, man?
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Christ, what a grotesque collection of pompous postulations. Are you really this upset that some album didn't make the list or is placed at what you believe to be the wrong number? It's so selfish and arrogant.
We should all be happy that some people are willing to get up every day and go to work to put out a magazine that champions independent thinking and doesn't degrade their readers by talking down to them. Running a successful business while sticking to an ethos and maintaining your integrity is a near-impossible thing these days, so let's not inflate ourselves with trivial banter, let's applaud them instead.
It's one thing to disagree with the list, but it's another to belittle. Learn some manners.
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I agree with Boxer being #1. The editors at Music Emissions have weighed in with their favorites of the year:
http://www.musicemissions.com/users/dscanland/blog/Music+Emissions+Reviewers+and+Users+complete+top+10+albums+of+2007
My personal favorites:
1. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
2. Jesu - Conqueror (Hydra Head)
3. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence)
4. Ash - Twilight Of The Innocents (Warner Bros.)
5. Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog (Sub Pop)
6. Spoon - Ga ga ga ga ga (Merge)
7. The Forms - The Forms (Threespheres)
8. Habib Koite - Afriki w/ Bambada (Cumbancha)
9. Sage Francis - Human The Death Dance (Epitaph)
10. Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs (Touch And Go)
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The National totally deserve the top spot...great music that keeps on getting better with each listen. Radiohead's inRainbow, overrated and somewhat dull. Expected more...but this list has some great artists (yeah for Patty Griffin and PJ!)
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