Top 10 Albums of the Week (2007)
Submitted by AfterHours on Wed, 10/31/2007 - 10:03
Tags:
- TOP 25 ALBUMS OF THE YEAR (2007)
- 1. Trout Mask Replica-Captain Beefheart (1969)
- 2. The Black Saint & the Sinner Lady-Charles Mingus (1963)
- 3. Faust-Faust (1971)
- 4. Rock Bottom-Robert Wyatt (1974)
- 5. The Doors-The Doors (1967)
- 6. Escalator Over the Hill-Carla Bley (1971)
- 7. A Love Supreme-John Coltrane (1964)
- 8. The Velvet Underground & Nico-The Velvet Underground (1967)
- 9. Lorca-Tim Buckley (1970)
- 10. Twin Infinitives-Royal Trux (1990)
- 11. The Jazz Composer's Orchestra (aka "Communications")-Michael Mantler (1968)
- 12. Desertshore-Nico (1970)
- 13. Hosianna Mantra-Popol Vuh (1973)
- 14. Fare Forward Voyagers-John Fahey (1973)
- 15. The Modern Dance-Pere Ubu (1978)
- 16. Y-Pop Group (1979)
- 17. For Alto-Anthony Braxton (1968)
- 18. Neu!-Neu! (1972)
- 19. Lullaby Land-Vampire Rodents (1993)
- 20. Suicide-Suicide (1977)
- 21. Unit Structures-Cecil Taylor (1966)
- 22. Ascension-John Coltrane (1965)
- 23. Parable of Arable Land-Red Crayola (1967)
- 24. The Good Son-Nick Cave (1990)
- 25. Bitches Brew-Miles Davis (1969)
- 12/24/07 - 12/30/07
- 1. Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables-Dead Kennedys (1980)
- 2. Faust-Faust (1971)
- 3. Millions Now Living Will Never Die-Tortoise (1996)
- 4. Streams-Sam Rivers (1973)
- 5. Remnants of a Deeper Purity-Black Tape For A Blue Girl (1996)
- 6. Spiritual Unity-Albert Ayler (1964)
- 7. Even the Sounds Shine-Myra Melford (1994)
- 8. Faust IV-Faust (1973)
- 9. Zen Arcade-Husker Du (1984)
- 10. Rock Bottom-Robert Wyatt (1974)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- Faust IV-Faust (1973) 8.25/10
- Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables-Dead Kennedys (1980) 8.75/10
- 12/17/07 - 12/23/07
- 1. Even the Sounds Shine-Myra Melford (1994)
- astonishing...an extraordinary, monumental achievement...
- 2. Zen Arcade-Husker Du (1984)
- 3. Faust-Faust (1971)
- 4. Irrlicht-Klaus Schulze (1972)
- 5. Improvisie-Paul Bley (1971)
- 6. The Shape of Jazz to Come-Ornette Coleman (1959)
- 7. Suicide-Suicide (1977)
- 8. Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac-Butthole Surfers (1984)
- 9. Good-Morphine (1992)
- 10. Geek the Girl-Lisa Germano (1994)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- Even the Sounds Shine-Myra Melford (1994) 9.0/10
- Dreamtime Return-Steve Roach (1988) 8.0/10
- 12/10/07 - 12/16/07
- 1. Faust-Faust (1971)
- 2. Rock Bottom-Robert Wyatt (1974)
- 3. Yerself Is Steam-Mercury Rev (1991)
- 4. The Magic City-Sun Ra (1965)
- 5. Lorca-Tim Buckley (1970)
- 6. A Genuine Tong Funeral-Gary Burton (1967)
- 7. Mu-Don Cherry (1969)
- 8. Freedom Suite-Sonny Rollins (1958)
- 9. Cobra-John Zorn (1980)
- 10. Frances the Mute-The Mars Volta (2005)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- Frances the Mute-The Mars Volta (2005) 8.25/10 [one of only 2 albums this decade I've heard that I'd rate 8.0/10+, Joanna Newsom's Ys being the other]
- A Genuine Tong Funeral-Gary Burton (1967) 8.75/10
- This Binary Universe-BT (2005) 6.0/10
- Freedom Suite-Sonny Rollins (1958) 8.5/10
- Cobra-John Zorn (1980) 8.25/10
- 12/3/07 - 12/9/07
- 1. Lorca-Tim Buckley (1970)
- BY FAR...Lorca has been one of my very favorite albums and I've had it rated at 9.25/10 level for quite a long time now, but I really didn't think it was that plausible that it would actually overtake Parable of Arable Land and Jazz Composer's Orchestra--it just didn't seem completely logical from an emotional power/profundity standpoint--that is, until this last week when it very definitely became superior. It's just amazing how much these albums are still improving hundreds of listens later...
- 2. Art & Aviation-Jane Ira Bloom (1992)
- 3. Escalator Over the Hill-Carla Bley (1971)
- 4. Double Nickels on the Dime-Minutemen (1984)
- 5. The Good Son-Nick Cave (1990)
- 6. Not Available-Residents (1974)
- 7. Astral Weeks-Van Morrison (1968)
- 8. City of Glass-Stan Kenton (1951)
- 9. Repeater-Fugazi (1990)
- 10. Irrlicht-Klaus Schulze (1972)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- Art & Aviation-Jane Ira Bloom (1992) 8.5/10
- 11/26/07 - 12/2/07
- 1. Lorca-Tim Buckley (1970)
- 2. The Modern Dance-Pere Ubu (1978)
- 3. Not Available-Residents (1974)
- 4. Unit Structures-Cecil Taylor (1966)
- 5. Well Oiled-Hash Jar Tempo (1997)
- 6. The Magic City-Sun Ra (1965)
- 7. Fare Forward Voyagers-John Fahey (1973)
- 8. Astral Weeks-Van Morrison (1968)
- 9. Loveless-My Bloody Valentine (1991)
- 10. Survivor's Suite-Keith Jarrett (1976)
- 11/19/07 - 11/25/07
- 1. The Magic City-Sun Ra (1965)
- 2. Free Jazz-Ornette Coleman (1960)
- 3. Fare Forward Voyagers-John Fahey (1973)
- 4. Happy Sad-Tim Buckley (1968)
- 5. Kick Out the Jams-MC5 (1969)
- 6. New York, New York-George Russell (1959)
- 7. Uncle Meat-Frank Zappa (1969)
- 8. Double Nickels On A Dime-Minutemen (1984)
- 9. Improvisie-Paul Bley (1971)
- 10. Well Oiled-Hash Jar Tempo (1997)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- Happy Sad-Tim Buckley (1968) 8.25/10
- 11/12/07 - 11/18/07
- 1. Fare Forward Voyagers-John Fahey (1973)
- 2. Uncle Meat-Frank Zappa (1970)
- 3. Neu!-Neu! (1972)
- 4. Black Saint & the Sinner Lady-Charles Mingus (1963)
- 5. Rock Bottom-Robert Wyatt (1974)
- 6. New York, New York-George Russell (1959)
- 7. Fire of Love-Gun Club (1984)
- 8. Slow, Deep & Hard-Type O Negative (1992)
- 9. Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)-Brian Eno (1974)
- 10. Nail-Foetus (1985)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy)-Brian Eno (1974) 7.75/10
- Music For Airports-Brian Eno (1978) 7.75/10
- New York, New York-George Russell (1959) 9.0/10
- 11/5/07 - 11/11/07
- 1. Neu!-Neu! (1972)
- 2. Desertshore-Nico (1971)
- 3. Rock Bottom-Robert Wyatt (1974)
- 4. Twin Infinitives-Royal Trux (1990)
- 5. Rain Dogs-Tom Waits (1985)
- 6. The Shape of Jazz to Come-Ornette Coleman (1959)
- 7. The Velvet Underground & Nico-The Velvet Underground (1967)
- 8. Escalator Over the Hill-Carla Bley (1971)
- 9. Lullaby Land-Vampire Rodents (1993)
- 10. Lorca-Tim Buckley (1970)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- Rain Dogs-Tom Waits (1985) 8.0/10 [re-listen]
- 10/29/07 - 11/4/07
- 1. Neu!-Neu! (1972)
- 2. Lullaby Land-Vampire Rodents (1993)
- 3. Not Available-Residents (1974)
- 4. Desertshore-Nico (1971)
- 5. Astral Weeks-Van Morrison (1968)
- 6. Suicide-Suicide (1977)
- 7. Kick Out the Jams-MC5 (1969)
- 8. Epitaph-Charles Mingus (1962)
- 9. City of Glass-Stan Kenton (1952)
- 10. The Magic City-Sun Ra (1965)
- NEW ACQUISITIONS RATED
- In Rainbows-Radiohead (2007) 5.0/10
- Fontessa-Modern Jazz Quartet (1956) 8.25/10
- Swordfishtrombones-Tom Waits (1983) 8.0/10 [re-listen]
Author Comments:
Just for kicks, I will be posting my favorite albums each week here. Feel free to comment/discuss. I love these albums so I am always interested in talking about them!
I think "Lullaby Land" may have the greatest opening lyric of any album ever.
Daniel Vahnke posted the lyrics of all the songs on the Vampire Rodents' myspace, and it's really great to read along while listening to the songs.
Daniel Vahnke is a genius. The two interviews with him circulating on the internet prove just how intelligent he is. He is a truly odd person with a very unusual mind, but he somehow has the ability to keep himself contained.
http://themindofmicrowaved.blogspot.com/2007/06/vampire-rodentsether-bun...
http://www.sonic-boom.com/interview/vampire.rodents.interview.html
Looking back on the Vampire Rodents' career, it's amazing how little known they were at the time. No promotion, no merchandising, no touring. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Daniel didn't make any money off of his music at all. We should all feel somewhat privileged to be among the thousand people who have ever listened to a Vampire Rodents album.
Lullaby Land is the only Rodents I have heard, and it really is a fantastic listen. Depending on the song, a bunch of contrasting genres (avant-noise, classical, big band, heavy metal, dance) are fused together either, both homogeneously and heterogeneously. The effect is both comedic and cryptic, both engaging and disquieting. The acerbic lyrics - shouted, not sung - carry a sense of impending doom, stretched out to unrealistic proportions, and blended harmoniously with equally impending music, made from juxtaposing fragments, ever confounding and perplexing, allows for the entire world basically to collapse upon itself in the 72-minute span of the CD. "Passage" is the ultimate post-apocalyptic piece. Really, that's what I love most about Lullaby Land: the utter dementia.
It's interesting to read interviews with Vahnke because his character reflects many of the qualities of his music: eccentric, full of internal demons and borderline lunacy, casting utter disgust upon the human race and society in all past, present, and future incarnations, focused on humanity's destruction, humorous, and erratic.
I WAS UNSATISFIED WITH MY OLD POST (too many mistakes which I couldn't edit in the 30-minute grace period), SO I WROTE A NEW ONE THAT'S A LOT BETTER:
I think "Lullaby Land" may have the greatest opening lyric of any album ever.
Daniel Vahnke posted the lyrics to all the Lullaby Land songs on the Vampire Rodents' myspace, and it's really great to be able to read along.
Daniel Vahnke is a genius. The two interviews with him circulating on the internet prove just how intelligent he is. He is a truly odd person with a very unusual mind, but he somehow has the ability to keep his schizophrenically despondent mind at bay. Maybe it's because amidst all of his existential opinions and fixations on misanthropy and downfall, he retains a strong sense of humor.
http://themindofmicrowaved.blogspot.com/2007/06/vampire-rodentsether-bun...
http://www.sonic-boom.com/interview/vampire.rodents.interview.html
Looking back on the Vampire Rodents' career, it's amazing how little known they were at the time. No promotion, no merchandising, no touring. It should come as no surprise to anyone that Daniel didn't make any money off of his music at all. We should all feel somewhat privileged to be among the thousand people who have ever listened to a Vampire Rodents album.
Lullaby Land is the only Rodents I have heard, and it really is a fantastic listen. Dementia is inextricably entwined with music. Depending on the song, a bunch of contrasting genres (avant-noise, classical, big band, heavy metal, dance) are fused together, both homogeneously and
heterogeneously. The effect is both comedic and cryptic, both engaging and disquieting. The acerbic lyrics - shouted, not sung - carry a sense of impending doom, stretched out to unrealistic proportions, and blended harmoniously with equally impending music, made from juxtaposing fragments, ever confounding and perplexing, that allow for the entire world to collapse upon itself in the 72-minute span of the CD. And at the end of it all, "Passage" is the ultimate post-apocalyptic piece.
It's really interesting to read interviews with Vahnke because his character reflects many of the qualities of his music: eccentric, full of internal demons and borderline lunacy, casting utter disgust upon the human race and society in all past, present, and future incarnations, focused on humanity's destruction, and erratic, but humorous and rousing nonetheless, and utterly enjoyable.
Thumping good album.
Lullaby Land certainly has some bloody good lyrical passages. I listened to the album twice on Halloween--seemed fitting. It never ceases to blow me away--just a pummeling, relentless assault of manic, shape-shifting emotional fits.
My favorite lyric opening may be Robert Wyatt's Sea Song or Patti Smith on the opening song to her album Horses, "Jesus died for somebody's sins but not mine".
Have you considered putting together some lists for this site? I, for one, would be quite interested in seeing and discussing your choices.
Thanks for all the great information about Lullaby Land, one of my favorite albums!
I love "Come up with something original, steal, steal descent shit if you're gonna steal" but you are on the money with Patti Smith. The song may not be as powerful as it could have been, but there is not another lyrical beginning to a song that comes close to that and I don’t think there ever will be one.
But, on another topic, I think you did rate In Rainbows way too high. That album is a solid 2.0, maybe 2.5. It, was, horrible! {cue Beethoven's 5th}
What do you think of Rain Dogs ? Swordfishtrombones has slipped a great amount in respects. And I was going to ask you in your "Greatest Songs" forum what you think of Not Available as one of the greatest songs of all-time. Why no Not Available ? It is listed as a four part song on the CD that I own, just not tracked together, and I was wondering whether or not that was the reason for its absence.
I considered giving In Rainbows a 4 or 4.5 but I held back because I only gave it one listen, and I was pretty disappointed in it so I wanted to be cautious that I didn't let my disappointment lead to an overly critical score. In any case, I thought it was garbage. Pitchfork's rating it a 9.3 (not to mention all the other high acclaims it's drawn) is either official proof that us "scaruffists" are completely nuts or music has hit an all time low in overall quality--so much so that when Radiohead releases an album critics slobber all over themselves in a feverish attempt to anoint something, anything, as a thing of greatness. Radiohead are pretty talented. It's unfortunate that they didn't take some of the ideas from Amnesiac or Kid A and really go all out--each album has spots of real genius. Now it looks like they've opted to become Colplay or U2. Shame...
I do think 2 or 2.5 is a bit harsh. Those ratings are reserved for geniuses like Nickelback.
From memory I think Rain Dogs is better than Swordfishtrombones--estimate as an 8.25/10. I just haven't heard it in about 2 years, but it's on order from the library and I should have it tomorrow. I'll listen to it then and give it an official rating.
My copy of Not Available is broken up into 5 tracks. The second track has been knocking on the door of 9.5 range for a few weeks now, so that could get on there. If the whole thing is supposed to be one track it is a high 9.0 (nearly a 9.25), just like the album is rated.
Maybe a 4, but I thought it was considerably worse than their last album, which was good the first time I heard it when I did not listen to much music. Now Hail To The Thief sounds like crap too, a 4 as well. And they definitely want to anoint anything that comes to them rather than look for it, but they do listen to most all new music, they just have really lame taste for my approval.
Agreed
thousand people who have ever listened to a Vampire Rodents album.
That is a sad thought, and yet i can do very little about it.
how would you rate Arcade Fire's albums? have you heard anything from Shit and Shine? Ladybird is their best album so far (Cherry will be released in a few weeks), but that is only because Jealous... has bogus filler, compared to the epic Practicing To Be A Doctor. i also really like Gang Gang Dance's Hillulah, and the Books....
I own and really like Funeral. I'd rate it 7.75/10. Haven't heard all of Neon Bible but it seemed 7-7.25ish. Haven't heard Shit and Shine yet but I will.
I'll be getting around to more of this decade within the next month or 2.
one of only 2 albums this decade I've heard that I'd rate 8.0/10+
Ah, but if "Cassandra Gemini" had been released as a stand-alone EP, that'd be a solid 9. At least by my standards.
I agree that the song is a masterpiece (9/10).
As an album I wouldn't rate it as such as it would seem a bit incomplete being only 13 min or so, but you're probably right that it would fill the shoes of an EP quite well.
13? I'm pretty sure the full song clocks in at around 32 minutes...
Looks like I got it confused with the 1st track. You must be talking about the last suite/medley of songs then.
Indeed!
I see you gave This Binary Universe a 6/10, and I do apologise for recommending it, as I did like it at first, but as I mentioned to Darktremor, after one or two listens it really begins to become very very irritating. Any luck with Spicelab?
What's your opinion on Bob Dylan by the way?
I thought This Binary Universe was interesting. I can see the appeal to it, but I think it is a very far cry from staggering masterpieces like Irrlicht or Faust, and others. Still, there's no need to apologize. I got it for free after all. Just because my opinion is different from those who champion it, doesn't mean it is any more correct. When I fetch an album, I am prepared for disappointment as well as agreement. It was an interesting album to discover.
I was able to find Spicelab, but I would have to pay $20 to have it for about a month. Apparently it is very rare. I haven't decided whether or not to go with it yet. Right now I am well over my ordering limit (library only lets me place 10 orders at a time). I not only have 10 filled, but additionally I have at least 10 more ready to fill those spots as I finish and return the albums.
Dylan is a genius. One of the greatest rock lyricists and vocalists of all time, he is easily among the most influential musicians & personalities in rock history. In my opinion he was the first rock musician to bring rock into the form of serious art (Blonde On Blonde, rock's 1st masterpiece and one of the most overwhelming, richly layered and emotionally fulfilling experiences in rock or jazz history). If you're not familiar with him, I highly recommend first familiarizing yourself with the main components of his biographical history, then seeing the superb new film I'm Not There, which is one of the best films of the year.