WWTBAM Bored

OK, so I was cruisin' the net and I was readin' about the upcoming Grammys. I'm lookin' at the nominees, and for the most part, I am not amused. So, to blow off some steam, I decided to look over my "mix discs" of tunes I liked the most over the year and see if I could come up with "Grammys" of my own..."The Boneys", if you will. Since I always seem to have a problem editing myself, I couldn't come up with just 5 nominees for each category. So I switched gears and made up a year end Top 20 cd's and Top 40 songs. These are not necessarily reflective of my opinions of their ARTISTIC merit...more like the songs and albums that pleased my ears the most in 2007.

These lists may interest some and bore most, but I would certainly like to read other folks' faves of last year, too. And, perhaps...maybe I'll interest some of you in checking out some of the unfamiliar itewms on the list.

I do loves talkin' music..


I'll do this over several posts so as not to cause unnecessary eye strain...

Sounds interesting.

My TOP 40 songs of '07:

40) Perfect-P. Hux. Jangly mid-60's type pop. This guy is one of the best practioners of the genre.
39) Walking on Water-Myracle Brah. More late-60's like pop with a riff in the chorus lifted straight outta Badfinger's "Baby Blue".
38) Miss Rejection-John Hoskinson. Somebody give this guy a Top Hat and Cane!
37) Fire in the Canyon-Fountains of Wayne. The obligatory fast paced but gently rolling entry on their"traffic and weather" cd> very nice melody>
36) Battleships-Travis. Midtempo ballad ala Coldplay. I like Travis better.
35) One Chance-America. If you were a fan of America in their heyday, you might want to check out "Here and Now", their '07 release. One disc is livee greatest hits, the other is new music. While not overwhelmingly great, there are a few tunes that stack up against their best. This is one of them.
34) You'll Be Comin' Down-Bruce Springsteen. The boss is back!
33) Midnight Coma-Tim Finn. Tim is the brother of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn. The brothers were the mainstays of the Australian group Split Enz. Tim also joined C-House for a disc or two. This is a nice gentle pop number.
32) Last Request-Paolo Nutini. The snappy "New Shoes" got him attention. I prefer this slinky little number.
31) Wake Up Call-Maroon 5. I like this little groover. So sue me.

30) Frail Grasp on the Big Picture-Eagles. Mr. Henley is pissed, and he's gonna tell us all about it.
29) What Would Jay-Z Do?-Ben Lee. From the fabulous cd "Ripe". Intelligent pop music is NOT an oxymoron.
28) Keep Your Mind Wide Open-Anna Sophia Robb. I am a 50-year old male. I should NOT like a song by a 14 year-old actress. Yet, I am charmed by this wistful, gently swaying tune from the film "Bridge to Terabithia". What can I say?
27) Closer-Travis. Another nice midtempo ballad. They do them quite well.
26) Let Me Take You There-Plain White T's. The band that had a massive hit with "Hey There Delilah". I like this one better.
25) Over You-Daughtry. I felt that Daughtry's mega-selling cd was good in small doses, but was very repetitious when listened to as a whole. This track, though, did stand out for me.
24) I Could Get Used To You-The Red Button. I will have more to say on this band when we get to the album list. They woulda been HUGE in the 60's..
23) Time is a Runaway-The Alternate Routes. Mellow Indie-Rock.
22) It's Only Time-Drake Bell. Imagine my surprise when I heard the cd by this star of the Nick 'tween tv show "Drake & Josh". "High School Musical" or Hannah Montana it's not. I mean, yeah, it's pop, but on a more mature level. A couple of tunes actually are Queen-influenced! This one has a keyboard hook reminiscent of The Cars.
21) Gone Gone Gone-Robert Plant & Alison Krause. Standout track from a cd that is better appreciated as a whole. This is an Everly Bros. cover done most excellently.

I hope that you have some Fratellis on the list.

20) Boston-Augustana. Very pretty piano-based ballad that was all over VH-1.
19) This Ain't a Scene, it's an Arms Race-Fall Out Boy. Another VH-1 hit. Not sure why I like this one, I just do. My head involuntarily nods up-n-down with this one.
18) Won't Go Home Without You-Maroon 5. Those guys again. I just think this is a pretty melody.
17) Whistle For the Choir-The Fratellis. Reminds me of an English Music Hall number. Pour another guiness and sing along!
16) You Picked Me-A Fine Frenzy. Such a pretty voice she has. A lovely, rolling ballad made to fall in love by.
15) Big Kids Wanna Rock-Myracle Brah. Crank that amp up to 11, strike those 3 chords, bash those cymbals into oblivion, and develop whiplash from the ensuing head-banging. A No frills, balls-out raveup.
14) Would It Kill Ya-Yayhoos. More no frills rock-n-roll. This is the bastard child of Stevie Ray Vaughan's "Pride & Joy" and Humble Pie's "Four Day Creep".
13) Waiting in the Weeds-Eagles. Beautiful melody enhanced by those exquisite Eagles harmonies.
12) American Television-Ben Lee. Hooks aplenty on this pop-rock gem.
11) Couldn't Be Done-Tim Finn. Snappy pop tune that is quite smile-inducing. Sounds like McCartney at his best.

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:I hope that you have some Fratellis on the list.

Funny you should mention them..see #17.
Chelsea Dagger just missed the cut.

Wasn't one of my favorite cd's of the year, but I quite liked several of the songs on it.

T_Bone0806 wrote:These lists may interest some and bore most, but I would certainly like to read other folks' faves of last year, too. And, perhaps...maybe I'll interest some of you in checking out some of the unfamiliar itewms on the list.

Sorry, but as I frequently say, my musical tastes fossilized in the mid-'70s. Looking over your lists, I'm completely unfamiliar with any of them.

T_Bone0806 wrote:

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote:I hope that you have some Fratellis on the list.

Funny you should mention them..see #17.
Chelsea Dagger just missed the cut.

Wasn't one of my favorite cd's of the year, but I quite liked several of the songs on it.

Chelsea Dagger is the best song. When I drive Maddie to Quiz Bowl matches, we always put in on the car stereo, crank it up, and sing loudly to get her ready to be fierce.

I also like Flathead, Ole' Black and Blue Eyes and Creeping up the Backstairs. (If you join their fan club, you can get free copies of their acoustic songs, which are, in some cases, better than the album copies.)

I have heard some of their new songs and I am please about the direction the group is taking. It's sounds like the Who, the early years.

THE TOP 10!!

10) Kiss Me Again-Ben's Brother. Catchy little number that you may recognize, as it's being used to hawk Dentine Ice gum.
9) Creedence Song-John Fogerty. Ranks right there with his work with CCR. That trademarked guitar sound is straight outta '69-'71.
Someone to Love-Fountains of Wayne. Another power pop gem from the band that fashions killer hooks in their sleep. The lyrics, especially in the payoff on the final verse, are beyond clever.
7) Ever Present Past-Paul McCartney. The critics loved his "Memory Almost Full" cd. I was less impressed. This one, however, shows that his uncanny pop instincts haven't completely left him.
6) Little Wonders-Rob Thomas. The Disney film "Meet the Robinsons" didn't exactly wow the critics or the public. I actually loved it. The whole movie is sheer lunacy right up until the last few minutes, when you're suddenly blindsided by a very emotional (well, at least it was for ME) ending. This song plays over that ending. Made me fall in love with the song and I get a little choked up any time I hear it. I'm such a softie.
5) Radio Nowhere-Bruce Springsteen. Bruce cranks up the guitars and I crank up the volume. Who cares if it sounds like Tommy Tutone? Roll down the windows and let's drive nowhere special! Well, not TOO far..gas is expensive these days.
4) Cruel Girl-The Red Button. This is the best John Lennon channeling since the Knickerbockers released "Lies". I don't think it's possible that the singer on this one recorded his vocals in any other stance than spread-legged, neck out, and strumming. Pure Lennon circa '65.
3) Know-Half Past Forever. This is the band fronted by Chris Sligh, who placed in the top 10 on last year's "American Idol" (he was the chubby, curly-haired guy in the glasses). Some will call this Daughtry-lite. I say the hook in the chorus here blows away anything Daughtry came up with on his gazillion-selling cd.
2) Girls in Their Summer Clothes-Bruce Springsteen. The E-Street Band as they would sound under Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. Achingly bittersweet melody, a very different sounding Bruce, and lyrics about a guy who has grown too old to attract the attention of the pretty young things in town. I just love this song.

and my favorite song of 2007:

1) 1234-Feist. I can't believe it either, but this charming little piece of fluff made me hit the "repeat" button more than any other tune last year. I like the instrumentation, and the melody is instantly embedded in the brain...which I actually didn't mind in this case. The only thing it didn't do was make me go out and buyan ipod (it was used in a commercial for it).

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote: I have heard some of their new songs and I am please about the direction the group is taking. It's sounds like the Who, the early years.

That's CERTAINLY not a bad thing!

My Top 20 CD's of 2007:

20) Pancho Fantastico-John Hoskinson. Harmony laden pop.
19) Imaginary Kingdom-Tim Finn. discussed him in the top 40 songs countdown.
18) Take a Chance on Something Beautiful-Half Past Forever. Suffers a bit from a sameness among many songs.
17) The Boy With No Name-Travis. Not quite as good as some of their previous efforts, but still a good listen.
16) It Won't Be Soon Before Long-Maroon 5. A few songs I really like, a few songs I really don't.
15) Costello Music-Fratellis. PSM will want to hit me for this not being ranked higher, but I did like this..just not as much as she did.
14) Put The Hammer Down-Yayhoos. Barroom rock. Band features Dan Baird, former head of the Georgia ("Keep Your Hands to Yourself") Satellites.
13) Calling the World-Rooney. Power Pop band led by son of Talia Shire/cousin of Nicholas Cage/nephew of Francis Ford Coppola/brother of Jason Shwartzman, Robert Shwartzman.
12) Kiss the Monster-P. Hux. Power Pop bliss.
11) Gran Jukle's Field-The Nines. Think XTC crossed with 10cc with Eric Carmen as lead singer.

10) One Cell in the Sea-A Fine Frenzy. My favorite relax and unwind cd of the year. She has a very soothing voice.
9) Long Road Out of Eden-Eagles. If they had whittled this down to a single cd it may have contended for my fave of the year. Too much filler along side some excellent Eagles songs.
Can You Hear the Myracle Brah?-Myracle Brah. Think the Kinks at their most raucous combined with the Beatles' ear for good pop hooks. The leader/singer's voice is not polished, but he knows how to compose a good melody.
7) Traffic and Weather-Fountains of Wayne. This didn't satisfy me as much as "Welcome Interstate Managers", but it's still a damn fine piece of Power Pop.
6) Every Second Counts-Plain White T's. Pretty pop ("Let Me Take You Home"), frenetic pop-rock raveups ("Figure it Out"), and 60's influenced gems ("Gimme A Chance"). Nothing groundbreaking, but not bad at all.
5) Raising Sand-Robert Plant & Alison Krause. Moody, mysterious, and challenging. Not in either's genre, yet they make it work. Definitely not a party album, this is something to melt into when you've got some alone time. I was shocked that this didn't get some "Album of the Year" Grammy love.
4) Revival-John Fogerty. It's no "Cosmo's Factory", but it definitely would've been a worthy addition to the CCR canon. Rock-n-Roll like it used ta be.
3) She's About to Cross My Mind-The Red Button. Oh, this is so good. Mersey Beat lives again. All that was good about 1965 radio is in this cd.
2) Ripe-Ben Lee. His last cd got him a little recognition with the song "Catch My Disease". This cd is even better and should've coninued his momentum, but somehow it got lost. I like every song on this disc. A prime example of why "pop" doesn't necessarily mean "brain dead". The songs stick with you in a good way. Good, solid songwriting.
1) Magic-Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band. I know some of you love Bruce, some of you hate him. I'm not a huge fan of his accoustic cd's (Nebraska, Tom Joad, Devils & Dust), but I love when he's got the E-Street crew in tow. I played this cd more than any other and didn't tire of it. If you don't like the Boss this won't convert you. If you do, you probably already have this and I'm preaching to the choir. I was extremely surprised and disappointed that this wasn't nominated for Album of the Year (oh, they threw it a "ROCK album of the year consolation nod, but c'mon..). Well, Bruce, you'll have to settle for a "Boney".

One last thing. I was all set to put a cd on here until I saw that it was not an '07 release. I bought it last year, so I thought it was. I wanted to mention it, though, as it has given me an awful lot of listening pleasure. It's called "The High Cost of Living" by Mike Schmid. It's worth hunting down if you're a fan of piano-based singer-songwriter pop. It's especially tasty if you're a fan of Ben Folds-type music. VERY strong songwriting, and it even has a BB shoutout (a song called "Starfish").

http://www.notlame.com/Mike_Schmid/Page ... HMID1.html

This guy should be heard.

That's it. Keep your feet on the ground and keeping reaching for the stars.

Forgot to mention when I was talking about Mike Schmid that my favorite song by him is not on the cd. It's from a 6-song Christmas cd, "snow Day". The very haunting title track touches my heart...sounds like a memorial to his grandma.

http://www.notlame.com/Mike_Schmid/Page ... HMID2.html

T_Bone0806 wrote:My Top 20 CD's of 2007:

15) Costello Music-Fratellis. PSM will want to hit me for this not being ranked higher, but I did like this..just not as much as she did.

Thank you for this at least.

Music, like politics, is a personal thing. The Shins didn't change my life, but The Fratellis just spoke to me at a time when I was despairing over the state of music.

I similarly fell in love with the Juno soundtrack, but I know that KT hates it (and Jeff is sick of it.)

T_Bone0806 wrote:

PlacentiaSoccerMom wrote: I have heard some of their new songs and I am please about the direction the group is taking. It's sounds like the Who, the early years.

That's CERTAINLY not a bad thing!

I should say that I am pleased.

Yes, it's a very good thing

Here is a video of them performing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewTeSRt7yjk

looking forward to hearing the studio version...sounds like a good tune.