Dead Flowers: 10 Tracks from 2007

[Artwork by Marcel Dzama]

Putting together a year-end 'Best Of' list is always a tricky proposition. An album might have been on constant rotation at the beginning of the year, only to fall off one's musical map by the time December rolls around. With that in mind, here was the music that most impressed me during the year, and the music that got the most plays.

The Mix:

[Download it Here]
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Radiohead: "In Rainbows" (Album)
Was this the album that launched a thousand downloads,
And burnt the topless tower of Hollywood and Vine?

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
"Bodysnatchers" from the "Thumbs Down" Webcast:

Babyshambles: "Shotters Nation" (Album)
Finally, the people who only got interested because of Kate Moss had some evidence of what it was all about in the first place. This wasn't a perfect record, but when it worked it was laugh-out-loud funny and undeniably catchy. Maybe the handful of rubbish choruses ("You Talk", "French Dog Blues") wouldn't have been so bad with Carl Barat singing them? One will never know...

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]

The Good The Bad and The Queen (Album)

In the end, many listeners seemed surprised by how subdued this record was. Live performances (where the band usually played the album in its entirety) are worth looking into, because they display the sort of raw energy that was a bit smothered by Danger Mouse's muted production. Still, it's hard to deny that Damon has a way with melody and a gift for evoking a certain time and place--the record sounds like 2007 felt: weary, melancholy, yet, if only in the slightest way, ultimately hopeful.

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
"Green Fields" Live:

The Veils: "Nux Vomica" (Album)

Sure, no self-respecting Anglophile would put a 2006 UK release on his best of 2007 list, but come on, it wasn't exactly a banner year for music. Finn Andrews and Co. dramatically upped their game on this release, which showed a sharpening of focus after their at-times uninspired debut. As far as up-and-coming groups go, this listener would bet on The Veils to make the first truly great record of the decade.

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
"Not Yet" Acoustic:

Tunng: "Take" (Song)

Sounding like The Beta Band gone off their meds, this had all the makings of a campfire sing-a-long (if said campfire was a burning car).

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
BBC Collective Version:

Foreign Born: "In the Shape" (Song)
Probably this reviewer's single most-played track this year. This definitely had something to do with the song's phenomenal second-half, which is brimming with percussion, acoustic guitar, and well-timed squawks from singer Matt P. Absolutely infectious and a sign of great things to come from this young LA group.

Listen:

[Download the MP3 Here]
[Band Website]

Tokyo Police Club: "Your English is Good" (Song)

Maybe it's nostalgia for the rural Ontario of my youth, but this song evokes lazy summer days and youthful ignorance/stupidity. This band's first two singles have been rather brilliant; it remains to be seen, however, if they can maintain such incredible momentum over the course of an album.

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
Promo:

The Raveonettes: "Lust Lust Lust" (Album)
The Raveonettes pretty much do one thing, but they do it very well. This was their strongest album yet. Maybe they could give their Danish compatriots Mew lessons on how not to become shit.

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]

Vessels: "Yuki" (Song)
Crafting a mood of icy desolation, this post-rock act from Leeds raised expectations for their first full-length album. If it follows this blueprint: scattershot percussion, delayed keyboard, and subtle mastery of dynamics, it will be one of the best things in 2008.

[Band Website]

Mystery Jets: "Flakes" (Song)
On this track, this unruly band of misfits (and the singer's dad) traded gimmicky for maturity, reclaiming the Buckley legacy from a million hapless bedwetters. While it was a late entry, this was a serious candidate for song of the year.

[Band Website]
[Band Wiki]
Promo:

Thanks for visiting Dead Flowers in 2007. See you in 2008!