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The 10 Albums I kept returning to in 2007

Posted by steviest on 12/28/2007

This is a list of the 10 albums that really cooked my crumpet in 2007. For some reason, a lot of them are oldies. I'm not sure whether I'm turning into a dinosaur or not, but a lot of the newer music I bought this year didn't move me in the same way. Sigh.

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Tracks

1. Sibylle Baier - Colour Green

While I usually view claims that an album is a 'lost classic' with an intense mistrust, 'Colour Green' is both definitely 'lost' and, for my money, is something of a minor 'classic'. It's been ages since I've had a new album on such high rotation and have started frothing at the mouth with such evangelical zeal. Sybille Baier was like a cosier, less deranged version of Nico. Well, actually, all they probably had in common was Germanness and the fact that they were clearly on speaking terms with what we existentialist hound dogs know as The Abyss or The Howling Void. Sybille Baier sings about getting home from work, cats, dogs, children, the zoo, green sweaters and how the mountain slopes gave her hope. While the lyrics border on the banal, she infuses note, phrase or inflection with an exquisite melancholy. This is the sound of someone (just) winning the fight against depression and it makes for oddly comforting listening. Favourite tracks:'I lost something in the hills' 'Give me a smile'

2. Nico - Chelsea Girl

Many have whinged about the fact that Nico's 'people' tried to turn her unique, grim charms into folk-pop whimsy on her debut album. In fact the Artiste herself was reportedly quite miffed about it all. But that's what I love about it! It's the most uncommercial 'commercial' album I can think of. Underneath the pretty,gentle strings there's Nico doing her uncompromising Nico thing, looming frighteningly like an iceberg. There's something so defiant about the way she spits out: "I can't help it BABE, if you might think that I am ..ODD!" in 'I'll keep it with mine'. Favourite tracks: It's a toss up between the rightly loved 'These days' and the juggernaut that is 'I'll keep it with mine'.

3. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country

Heartache, ennui and self-doubt never sounded so sweet. There's at least four songs here (Hey Lloyd.. , Come back Margaret, Let's get out this country, Dory Previn) that would have been top 10 hits if gentle, slightly bitter Gen-Xers in pretty dresses and cardigans ruled the world. What an all-round likeable album. And not to mention THE cd cover photo of the year. It's so perfect I could just weep. Favourite track: 'Come back, Margaret' - the excellent handclaps have almost been the cause of more than a few car accidents as I feel the need to take both hands off the wheel and clap along with gusto every time I hear it.

4. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

Ok, ok, so I realise that everyone knows this is a classic. It just took me a while to catch up. I avoided it because I thought it might be whiney in the way that mid 90's albums were whiney, or a kind of prog pastiche which is just not my bag. But 'In the aeroplane over the sea' is neither of those things. So much brains, heart and soul must have gone into this album that it's unsurprising that NMH recorded little else. It's imaginative, touching and totally nutso in an unaffected way. It is very intense and very 90's. And while Jeff Mangum's vocals are raw and shouty at times, for me, they always remain on the right side of whiney. Favourite track: 'Two headed boy'

5. John Cale - Paris 1919

There is something charmingly jaded about this album, perhaps best summed up by the bonus track 'Burned out affair' (which appears to be about the Factory funsters). The lyrics roll off John Cale's tongue so deliciously that you end up loving snippets such as 'Sebastapol Adrianapolis', 'Segovia watched gendarmerie and all that's all' or 'Columbus too, perimeters of nails' even if they are totally mystifying. It's all very European and sophisticated and I love it (even the cheesy white suit on the front cover). Favourite track: 'Child's Christmas in Wales' although 'Hanky Panky Nohow' gets an honourable mention for the line "Nothing frightens me more than religion at my door".

6. Richard and Linda Thompson - I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight

Don't be fooled by the folksiness: this is one of the BLEAKEST albums ever made. In fact, the song 'The end of the rainbow' is so grim that it makes me laugh. While Richard T is undoubtedly a superb tunesmith, what really gets me about this album is Linda T's vocals: brittle, vulnerable and kick-arse all at the same time. It's kind of comforting, in that I'd-like- her-on-my-side-in-a-brawl kinda way. There's something so 'Thatcher's bloody Britain' about this album. It was, therefore, a surprise to learn that they commenced recording in 1973. If you think that this album is a barrel of fun, just imagine what a hoot their 'break-up' album 'Shoot out the lights' was to be! With parents like Richard and Linda, it's no wonder that poor Teddy Thompson always looks so pained. Favourite tracks: ‘Down where the drunkards roll’ ‘The Great Valerio’.

7. Karen Dalton - In My Own Time

I could listen to Karen Dalton sing the phone book. This is not the phone book, but it's still very good. It's actually good to hear her rockin' out a bit more on this album. She sounds less like she is going to slide down the wall any minute than she did on 'It's so hard to tell who's going to love you best'. I don't think there's much point in comparing the two albums as they are such different beasts, created for such different purposes, and each has their merits. While 'It's so hard..' makes me want to choke on my own vomit in some two-bit flophouse, 'In my own time' makes me want to get in the car and drive to the country on a sunny day with someone who looks like Rick Danko by my side. Favourite track: 'In a station' (and it's not just a Danko thing).

8. The National - Boxer

'Boxer' proves that 'Alligator' wasn't just a fluke. While part of me thinks I should hate 'The National' for being such pretentious literary-minded tossers, I also admire the way they stay true to their F Scott Fitzgerald/Carveresque vision of the downside of the American dream, yesterday's men in argyle sweaters, fairy lights and gin. This is in many ways a warmer album than 'Alligator'. Well, as far as I can make out from those lyrics that I can understand- I could actually have it all wrong and they could be more bitter than ever. And don't let anyone tell you that they sound like the pointlessly lugubrious Interpol. I reckon Tindersticks is a more useful reference point. I hope The National are in for the long haul and look forward to the music they will be making in 10 years time. Favourite track: 'Start a war'

9. Sandy Shaw - Reviewing the Situation

Sandy Shaw wasn't the world's most distinguished singer but she seemed to have a good ear and this collection of covers suggests she had a fair bit of gumption. I'm not entirely sure why this album kept returning to my stereo this year. I just think it's a nicely executed slice of commercial sixties grooviness. And Sandy Shaw makes these songs her own, which is quiet something when you consider their ubiquity. I even have a soft spot for her version of 'Oh Gosh': possibly the twee-est song in the King of Twee (Donovan's) repertoire (it comes from an album of children's songs called 'A gift from a flower to a garden'. Enough said). Stop throwing things at me now. Favourite track: 'Lay lady lay' is almost indecently languid.

10. Joan as police woman - Real life

'Real Life' is a real grower. The songs initially seem straightforward (quite an attractive quality in itself) but reveal hidden depths the more you listen to them. It's a real muso's album - nicely played and arranged without too much studio trickery. Joan Wasser has an appealing and soulful voice which will guarantee her a longer career than Angie Dickinson (bless 'er) ever had. Favourite track: 'Anyone' especially when it teasingly seems about to turn into a George Harrison medley. But doesn't!

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