Year in Review 2007

As I'm sure you've all noticed, this week all the hip blogs have been posting their Year in Review articles so we here at Get Distracted decided to compile a list of 'Albums of the Year'. Here we go. . .

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
This album was technically released in 2006, but I was off on a spiritual journey in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia at the start of the year so my music was a bit behind the times. This album was one of the first times I consciously forced myself to listen to the lyrics of the songs. Alot of times I listen to music simply for the melodies and instrumentation. (Probably why I'm such a terrible lyricist) Each song on this album tells a neat little short story with an old-timey theme. Murderous butchers who kill misbehaving children and ghosts of American Civil War soldiers are among the subjects of the songs on the Crane Wife. Interesting lyrics + great melodies = good listen. Listen to O Valencia.

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
No one knew what to expect of the sophomore effort from the indie media darlings The Arcade Fire. Many drew similarities between this album and the music of the legendary Bruce Springsteen. The influence is easy to hear on a song like 'Keep the Car Running.' The hurried vocals and driving beat sounds like Springsteen in a post-apocalyptic world. Obviously the Boss heard the influence as well; in the fall he invited Win and Regine on stage to perform 'Keep the Car Running' with him at his concert in Ottawa. Check it out here.

Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
If you asked me a year ago what I thought of Muse, the only thing I would be able to say is "I think they're really big in Quebec." The statement would be true, but until this year, I had never given Muse a chance. All I knew about them was there Thom Yorke-ish vocals and their popularity with our French counterparts. On my friends advice, I downloaded their new album and their previous album Absolution. The music has a Radiohead-type feel to it, but the instrumentation showcases a technical proficiency that would make any prog aficionado proud. Their show at Arrow Hall was a multimedia extravaganza, and at the end of the show I found myself in a trance, as if I just received an alien transmission into my brain. And I wasn't even that boozed up. Check out the video for Invincible

Menomena - Friend and Foe
A pretentious band name and a unique, non-offensive sound gave these up-and-comers a leg up in the over-saturated world of indie music this year. I still don't know how the band name should be pronounced. I always thought it should be pronounced like that song from The Muppets, but I still remember that jerk at Zaphods who pronounced it "Mee-No Mee-Nah" . What an ass. Menomena - Muscle n' Flo

The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
I'm pretty sure The Thermals use the same four chords throughout this entire album, but, like a trendy hybrid car, they do more with less. If you think you might like punk music but you're sort of scared to try it out, The Thermals are a good way to ease you into it. Their unique brand of post-pop-punk-neo-grunge is perfected on this album. I like listening to this album while playing foosball or doing something active. It will get you riled. The Thermals - Here's Your Future

Broken Social Scene presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If. . .
K. Drew and his gang return to form on this album. The result is a more intimate record much like the masterful You Forgot It In People. It's not technically a BSS record, but it might as well be. In the New Year, the next album in the series 'BSS presents Brendan Canning' is set to be released. I wait for this album with trepidation. Hopefully it's better than his inane stage banter. . . . K.Drew - Lucky Ones

Well that's all I got for now. The first time I wrote my year in review the entire entry was deleted right before I was about to post, so what you're reading is actually the 'second draft' of my year in review. You'll have to trust me that it was much more interesting, witty, and generally well-written the first time through. Anyway, I'll leave you with a few Bests and Worsts of the year. Enjoy.

Best Show of the Year: Interpol, New Capital Music Hall, Ottawa, ON. Best concert of my life.

Most Drunken Concert of the Year: Kanye West, Bluesfest, Ottawa, ON. Double-fisting Carling lagers pre-show and VIP tickets (with private beer tent) both contributed to near blackout sloppiness. I got a lot of great pictures though.

Best Venue: Lee's Palace, Toronto, ON: Whether seeing Built to Spill or Fat Robot, this venue is legendary. Located in the heart of the annex, after-show shwarmas are essential.

Worst Venue: Arrow Hall, Milton (?), ON. Toronto's a great city and all, but the GTA is a terrible sprawling suburban wasteland. The only way to get out to this venue is to drive or be driven. This makes the concert experience somewhat of a headache and severely detracts from its overall enjoyment. When I went to see Muse I missed the opening band (Cold War Kids) because they went on at 6:30. Well done, Arrow Hall. Word of advice: When in Toronto, never leave the metropolitan area. Its a dark and desolate place.

Freakiest Concert: Justice at Circa, Toronto, ON. Toronto's hipster freaks came out in full force from under their hot plates, making for an unforgettable show.

Best Guest Appearance: Hayden at The National, The Phoenix, Toronto, ON: For The National's encore, Hayden came up on stage and performed a great rendition of Dynamite Walls. Hayden is a Canadian folk-grunge legend, and seeing him onstage with a contemporary indie band like The National made me have some sort of weird religious awakening, like I realized that all music was connected or something. Whatever happened, it was sick. Listen to the song Dynamite Walls and it might make sense.

Best Record Store: Sonic Boom, Bloor & Bathurst, Toronto, ON. Contemporary vinyl aplenty and an endless supply of the most recent Vice magazine make this store a great destination.

Most Pretentious Record Store: Vertigo, Rideau St., Ottawa, ON
[after inquiring whether they had the new Gorillaz D-Sides album] "The Gorillaz?"

Best TV Documentary of the Year: Planet Earth: A treasure trove of fascinating footage of unique animal behaviour and natural landscapes. As Diego would say, "Twenty-somethings getting together and watching Planet Earth is the trendy thing to do these days."

Best TV Comedy Show: Kenny vs. Spenny. Watch full episodes here.

Best Movie of the Year: Control. This biography of Joy Division's Ian Curtis is amazing. I also recommend watching 24 Hour Party People if you're into the whole Manchester post-punk thing.

Worst Movie of the Year: Transformers. You will be upset that all the humans are not destroyed at the end of this movie. In math terms, this movie would be described as 'the lowest common denominator'

Ok that's it. All in all its been a good year. Friends became enemies, enemies became friends, lessons were learned and forgotten. Money was earned and squandered. Hearing was damaged. Such is the ebb and flow of life. We have 2008 to look forward to. The Constantines are hard at work on a new album and the Hollywood writer's strike is coming to an end. What more can you ask for?.. . I guess if we have the time we could all pitch in and maybe try to stop destroying the planet. . .or is that too much to ask? Is it still cool to be environmentally conscious? Or has it all been an elaborate marketing ploy? hmm. . . Anyways have a good New Year everyone. Don't drink too much champagne and keep blogging!