LimeWire Music Blog

The end of the present decade is only days away, so our Frank Deserto has undertaken the massive task of presenting the highs and lows of each year. He continues this series with a look back on 2007. Hit us with your memories in the comment section.

2007 feels just like yesterday, and looking back upon my favorites of the year, not much has changed. Synths dominated my taste, whether it be the disco-dollies from Italians Do It Better, the revitalized career of Trent Reznor, or the budding Wierd Records movement. In my mind, guitars were on the way out, but they wouldn’t relinquish control without a fight.

In the world around, the Iraq war continued to rage on, stem cell research came to a major breakthrough, and a particularly brutal tragedy ravaged Virgina Tech. In pop culture, the iPhone made a tremendous splash on the tech market, baseball star Barry Bonds broke a record and was subsequently indicted, and millions of devoted readers said their final farewells to the Harry Potter franchise, which concluded with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Most importantly (at least for our purposes) 2007 also marked the triumphant return of several musical heroes, including alt-rock giants, pop princesses, and new wave greats.  It was a great time to make a comeback, and one of the best years in music to date.  With that in mind, this was one of the hardest lists to make, and I was forced to cut several records from the final draft, including top-notch efforts from Burial, Einsturzende Neubauten, The Field, Section 25, Angels of Light, and many more. What did make the list, you might ask?  Click below for the details.

News

1. After years of speculation, 1980s’ hitmakers The Police reunited to tour for the band’s 30^thanniversary.  The whole world goes ga-ga.
2. The world continued to mourn the passing of James Brown, godfather of soul, who passed away on Christmas Day in 2006.
3. Bands defunct: Audioslave, Cooper Temple Clause, Jurassic 5, and Le Tigre.
4. Elton John celebrated his 60th birthday with his 60th performance at Madison Square Garden, setting the world record for most performances at a venue.
5. Groundbreaking Krautrock/Kosmische band Cluster reunited for their first shows since 1996. Same goes for the Scottish-bred Jesus and Mary Chain, who split in 1999.
6. Meanwhile, ‘90s girl-group sensation The Spice Girls announced their imminent reunion, featuring all five original members. The band began a world tour in December.
7. Live Earth, a series of concerts to rally against global warming, took place worldwide. The Police, Rhianna, The Beastie Boys, Kanye West, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Spinal Tap, Duran Duran, Madonna, and a revitalized Smashing Pumpkins were among the participating artists.
8. Deaths: Lee Hazelwood, Paul Raven (Killing Joke/Ministry), Uwe Nettlebeck (Faust), Luciano Pavarotti, Brad Delp (Boston), “Lady Jaye” Breyer (Psychic TV), Ike Turner, Kitty Carlisle, Tony Wilson (Factory Records), and influential jazz drummer Max Roach.
9. Radiohead announced plans to drop their seventh studio record via their website.  Guitarist Johnny Greenwood unveils a new marketing scheme, allowing customers to pay whatever price they wished for the record.
10. Across the Universe, a musical film directed by Julie Taymor and featuring adaptations of Beatles songs, was released to mixed reviews.

Notable Albums

1. Grinderman – Grinderman
Just when we all thought the Bad Seeds (minus prodigal guitarist Blixa Bargeld) had settled into a solid, but more subdued latter day career, the demons of Nick Cave’s past were suddenly roused once more. Collecting three members of the Bad Seeds as a more focused supergroup, Grinderman was foul-mouthed, rambunctious, and dangerous. Their debut effort sounds as rugged as the beards they wore, and though it’s not as vile and nasty as The Birthday Party, it’s far edgier than anything Cave has done since the nineties.

Standout tracks: “Get It On,” “When My Love Comes Down,” “No Pussy Blues”

2. PJ Harvey – White Chalk
Funny how these two former lovers continue to dominate the oughts. However, while Grinderman was step into somewhat familiar waters, PJ Harvey’s 2007 effort was far more radical of a departure.  Employing a series of more organic instruments (including a piano, music boxes, and church organs), White Chalk creates a far more frail, ghostly, and unstable atmosphere.  Instead of a powerful tour de force, this record is cold, distant, and maddening, and should certainly be used sparingly.

Standout tracks: “The Piano,” “White Chalk,” “When Under Ether”

3. Glass Candy - B/E/A/T/B/O/X
Disco reigned supreme in 2007, as a series of like-minded acts dropped highly anticipated records. Like their sister-act (discussed below), Glass Candy shifted from a more thrashy, post-punk inspired synth band into a glossy, Italo-disco inspired act, complete with icy, yet soulful vocals and slow, pulsing grooves.

Standout tracks: “Beatific,” “Rolling Down the Hills,” “Digital Versicolor”

4. Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
A heavy touring schedule and and a healthy spirit kept Trent Reznor eager to produce, something that seemed virtually unfathomable given his work ethic to date.  Growing restless with the current state of American politics, Reznor cast aside the emotional turmoil he’d been suckling since the beginning of his career, and instead produced a rather terrifying portrait of the not-so-distant future.  Not only was Year Zero significant for its quick production and world-wary lyrics, the album was also introduced by a series of flash drives, hidden codes, phone numbers, and various other interactive elements that added even more strength to an already landmark record.

Standout tracks: “In This Twilight,” “Vessel,” “My Violent Heart,” “The Great Destroyer”

5. Martial Canterel – Refuge Underneath
Synth pioneer Sean McBride has been at the helm of the analog revolution in the new millennium.  After a series of independent releases and compilation tracks, his first release for NYC’s Wierd Records collects a series of recordings made over the course of several years, presenting a chilling collection of minimal delights.  Though McBride is an analog purist, these tracks are anything but retro, chock full of stark, yet satisfying melodies, textures, and designs.

Standout tracks: “3 Days,” “Lips Not Listening,” “Sister Age”

6. Pamelia Kurstin – Thinking Out Loud
An impressive ambient record, made even more captivating by the use of the theremin as the main source of sound.  Complex, eerie, and layered, Thinking Out Loud is a curious, but powerful record composed on a long-since forgotten instrument.

Standout tracks: “London”

7. His Name Is Alive – Xmmer
Basking in a new wave of creativity and reinvention, His Name Is Alive release yet another record in 2007, expanding upon their sonic palate and adding in elements of dark folk, militaristic pop, and ambient dirge. Serving as the darker counterpart to 2006’s Detrola, this record still manages to maintain the band’s knack for a quirky hook.

Standout tracks: “How Dark Is Your Dark Side,” “What Color Was the Blood,” “Come to Me”

8. Chromatics – Night Drive
Here’s another disco-tinged record birthed from the murky waters of post-punk experimentation. Just as labelmates Glass Candy did, these Seattle-based darlings traded in their more experimental sound for a slicker, more sensual one, and all for the better.

Standout tracks: “Night Drive,” “Running Up That Hill” (originally by Kate Bush), “I Want Your Love”

9. Bell Hollow – Foxgloves
Summoning the muse of such atmospheric acts as The Chameleons, The Smiths, Slowdive, and For Against, this underground NYC act dropped a debut of pure dream-pop bliss in ’07. Though Foxgloves is bright and commanding on the outside, a dark undercurrent lies within the album’s ten tracks.

Standout tracks: “Jamais Vu,” “Seven Sisters,” “Lowlights”

10. Moldig - Moldig
Hailing from Italy, Moldig unveiled a record of true post-punk fury, combining powerful female vocals with visceral guitar riffs, angular bass grooves, and steady drums.  This basic formula seldom breaks over the course of the album’s ten tracks, yet the sound never wears out its welcome.

Standout tracks: “A Game,” “New World,” “Cloudless”

Unstoppable Tracks

1. Crystal Castles vs. Health – “Crimewave”
It would be another year before this Canadian synth act dropped their self-titled debut record, courting controversy for their 8-bit sampling methods. However, their signature track, complete with Health’s chaotic contributions, dropped in 2007, gaining both critical and underground acclaim for many months to follow.

2. Dave Gahan – “Deeper and Deeper”
After contributing a few killer tracks to Depeche Mode’s Playing the Angel (a first over the course of the band’s 25 year history), the band’s principle frontman grew far more confident as a songwriter.  His second solo effort easily eclipsed the first, lead primarily by this particular track.  This single is just as gritty, dark, and seductive as its title implies.

3. The National – “Mistaken For Strangers”
The National has always eluded mainstream attention, circling around the independent scene with a series of solid, yet somewhat boring records. Cashing in their chips for some slick production, the band finally earned the credit they deserved for 2007’s Boxer, an epic record combining the band’s post-punk background with anthemic musical chops. While Boxer serves as a solid listen from start to finish, “Mistaken For Strangers” is easily the best track on the record, brimming with romantic angst and shimmering atmosphere. 

4. Saul Williams – “Banged and Blown Through”
After establishing himself as a influential poet and screenwriter, Saul Williams took to the mic by storm. His third record, aided heavily by a reenergized Trent Reznor, manages to transcend rap, adding elements of funk, soul, rock, glam, and naturally, industrial rock. As untraditional as this record is (complete with Willaims’ spitting, spoken-word style delivery), it’s all the more refreshing. It’s hard to choose a favorite from an otherwise solid record, but this track gets me every time. Curiously, its success lies in an intense verse and otherwise light and airy chorus, a complete contrast to decades worth of repetitive song structures.

5. Throbbing Gristle – “Almost a Kiss”
After a highly publicized (and very much unexpected) reunion, industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle unveiled their first record in over 20 years.  Though Part Two: The Endless Not failed to live up to the band’s confrontational and trailblazing legacy, this ten minute dirge manages to creep right under your skin and linger for hours. Though it may not be as sonically terrifying or groundbreaking as their previous work, this track makes up for it with a unsettling and heartbreaking melody, primarily driven by Genesis P. Orridge’s throaty drawl. Given the loss of partner and wife “Lady Jaye” Breyer the same year, this song is all the more intense.

6. New Young Pony Club – “Ice Cream”
This track made a splash in the underground scene in the summer of ’07, complete with thinly veiled sexual references and unabashed pop sensibilities. Though a seemingly forgettable track, “Ice Cream” is just pure, mindless fun, something seemingly absent from the overblown indie-market.

7. Kylie Minogue – “Like a Drug”
My personal favorite pop-sensation released yet another solid collection of dance-infused tracks in ’07, and though it may seem outdated to some, it kept in tradition with the singer’s knack for a great hook and killer dance grooves.  This particular track may not be the dance floor destroyer that “Love at First Sight” is, but its heavy beat is both engaging and irresistible.

8. Mgmt-  “Kids”
I’ve always found these particular indie darlings to be a bit overhyped, but it’s hard to ignore this infectious gem, serving as the centerpiece of an otherwise unfocused dance record. This song would be everywhere in 2008, and rightfully so, with an infectious chorus and shameless verse hook.

9. New Model Army – “One of the Chosen”
Over their 25-year career, New Model Army has yet to deviate from their political post-punk rhetoric.  However, if after all these years, the band can still churn out such vital and powerful tracks such as this one, I fail to see any problem.

10. M.I.A. – “Paper Planes”
It took the majority of the decade for this English/Sri-Lankan singer to earn both mainstream and underground success, but her popularity exploded with the release of 2007’s Kala, chiefly led by this contagious, yet politically charged single. Sure, the main appeal of the track may stem from The Clash’s “Straight to Hell” (arguably the band’s finest moment), but the singer’s agenda and vocal delivery adds new life to an already stellar track.

Previous Decade in Review Posts

• 2000
• 2001
• 2002
• 2003
• 2004
• 2005
• 2006