Battles - Mirrored
I like Animal Collective, but this shit was like if Animal Collective got together and decided to make songs that people could reasonably sit there and listen to for long periods of time without feeling embarrassed. Probably my favorite record of 2007.
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
Found on the desk of J Mascis:
Dear world,Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
You're Fucking Welcome
J.M.
I consider myself a fairly masculine guy, I think. Sure I'm comfortable with my sexuality so I'm not always proving it or whatever, but ultimately I like American beer, sports, the occasional fight, and jerking off. So how come when my friend asked the question "is it gay that whenever I listen to Jens Lekman I imagine him spooning me," I had to really think before answering, "I'm really not sure"?
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
Ok, ok, we get it. You're very good.
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Arguably the most fun record to come out this year, Kevin Barnes' latest opus combines catchy as hell dance hooks mixed with his now-typical lyrical prowess. This man is one of the most original and profound songwriters that no one cares about.
Blonde Redhead - 23
Best. Blonde Redhead album. Ever.
Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
Anyone who knows me will tell you that the Murder City Devils are my favorite band, but I don't think I ever legitimately cared about a band as much as I do this one. I used to frequent their shows so often that I ended up stalking out the lead singer and becoming his Friendster friend when I was 19. My main photo was a picture of me and him. It wasn't just that I liked the music, I generally think they're just such nice people that it really makes me happy when they put out a release like this; one that makes you laugh at the same time it completely kicks your ass. They get extra points for putting me in the liner notes! (OK, I'll stop now)
Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
Without a doubt the coolest idea for a record all year. Dave Longstreth decided to re-record and re-imagine Black Flag's 1981 masterpiece Damaged. All the lyrics are essentially the same except for some random fuck ups and added lines, but all the tracks are like 5-6 minutes long. The first day I heard this record I listened to Rise Above about 4 times in a row.
Others:
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
Radiohead - In Rainbows
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
Hey here's the movies I saw!!
Smokin Aces Laughable.
Black Snake Moan Made me a little uncomfortable.
Zodiac Awesome.
300 Mediocre adaptation of an amazing book.
TMNT Hey fuck you, I liked it.
Grindhouse Good, if not a little silly.
Spider-Man 3 Great comedy. Oh wait, it wasn't? This was arguably the worst movie ever, much less worst of the year.
Knocked Up Unbelievably funny.
The Simpsons Movie Bearable, although I did fall asleep (tired, not bored).
The Bourne Ultimatum Seriously kicked so much ass.
Superbad Best movie of the year.
The Darjeeling Limited More of the same; that isn't even an insult, I don't think.
Michael Clayton Another accidental snoozer. The parts I saw looked really awesome though.
Juno Little Miss Sunshine Has A Baby; cute, but poorly written. Jen Drake (who actually liked this movie) had it right: Too Dawson's Creek. Every line of dialogue is a fucking paragraph long.
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story Had its moments, but a bit of a disappointment.
Air Guitar Nation So good. Soooo good.
Pan's Labyrinth I technically saw it last December...
Hot Fuzz One of the most fun times I've had at a theater in a while. Runner up to SuperBad.
