It’s hard to capture a year of music in just twenty-five songs, so I augmented the calendar with a Rhapsody playlist for KEXP’s annual countdown of the top albums of the year as voted on by listeners. I also tried to find a YouTube link or other streaming source for each song in the KEXP countdown.
Band names are linked to their MySpace page, which is always a great place to check out some songs if YouTube isn’t cooperating and you aren’t a Rhapsody convert.
2007 KEXP Top 90.3- Radiohead* – “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” – In Rainbows
I like In Rainbows just fine, and “Bodysnatchers” almost made the calendar, but I left them off in favor of lesser-known material.
On November 9th, Radiohead did a webcast of them DJing and playing some songs. The between-song commentary by Adam Buxton is pretty hilarious. After “Bodysnatchers” at the 6:40 point, he says, “There’s Thom Yorke…Thom, of course, absolutely hates…cats…people…trucks…there’s a long list...” lol
- Arcade Fire – “No Cars Go” – Neon Bible
- The National – “Mistaken For Strangers” – Boxer
- Band Of Horses – “Ode to LRC (Album)” – Cease To Begin
- LCD Soundsystem – “North American Scum” – Sound Of Silver
- M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” – Kala
- Spoon – “Black Like Me” –
- The Shins – “Turn On Me” – Wincing The Night Away
- Feist – “My Moon My Man” – The Reminder
The iPod Effect helped “1 2 3 4” become a big hit. 6.1M YouTube views!
- Wilco – “What Light” – Sky Blue Sky
- Iron & Wine – “Boy With a Coin” – The Shepherd’s Dog
- Beirut – “Nantes” – The Flying Club Cup
- White Stripes – “Icky Thump” – Icky Thump
I was gonna go with “Rag And Bone” if the Stripes made the calendar, but you can’t deny “Icky Thump” and its 3.2M views.
- Okkervil River – “Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe” – The Stage Names
I hated leaving “Plus Ones” off the calendar. Let’s add “songs that cleverly reference other songs” to the long list of things for which I am a sucker. “Plus ones” refers to songs with numbers in their titles, but with one added (17 Candles, 100 Red Balloons, etc.).
- Modest Mouse – “Dashboard” – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
1.5M YT views.
- Pela – “Lost To The Lonesome” – Anytown Graffiti
- Amy Winehouse – “You Know I'm No Good” – Back to Black
Of course, “Rehab” was her big hit (10.5M YT views). To see why she might need it, check out her performance of “Beat It.”
- Blue Scholars – “North By Northwest” – Bayani
Fantastic local hip hop.
- New Pornographers – “Challengers” – Challengers
- Jose Gonzalez – “Down The Line” – In Our Nature
The album also has a great cover of Massive Attack’s “Teardrop.”
- Kings Of Leon – “On Call” – Because Of The Times
- Vampire Weekend* – “The Kids Don't Stand a Chance” – Vampire Weekend
Some of their other songs can be found on their myspace page, but they won’t have an official release until this year sometime.
- Andrew Bird – “Heretics” – Armchair Apocrypha
- Animal Collective – “Peacebone” – Strawberry Jam
- Menomena** – “The Pelican” – Friend & Foe
- Jens Lekman – “The Opposite of Hallelujah” – Night Falls Over Kortedala
A fuller-sounding live version but with lower sound quality.
- Panda Bear – “I'm Not” – Person Pitch
- Of Montreal – “She's A Rejecter” – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
- Interpol – “The Heinrich Maneuver” – Our Love To Admire
- Yeasayer – “Sunrise” – All Hour Cymbals
- Blonde Redhead – “Spring And By Summer Fall” – 23
- The Cave Singers – “Dancing On Our Graves” – Invitation Songs
- Tegan and Sara – “Back In Your Head” – The Con
- Cloud Cult – “Please Remain Calm” – The Meaning Of 8
Check the calendar entry, their home page, or their MySpace page for listening samples.
- The Blakes – “Don't Bother Me” (MySpace) – The Blakes
- Kanye West – “Stronger” – Graduation
Great use of Daft Punk samples, 20.4M YT views! Highest YouTube count on the list, I think.
- Maps – “So Low, So High” – We Can Create
Not the greatest sound quality, but a great song worth checking out. MySpace has some others.
- !!!* – “A New Name” – Myth Takes
- Bright Eyes – “Four Winds” – Cassadaga
This song reminds me of Lonesome-Jubilee-era Mellencamp. It’s the fiddle.
- Shane Tutmarc & The Traveling Mercies* – “Across The River” – I’m Gonna Live The Life I Sing About In My Song
- The Avett Brothers – “Will You Return” – Emotionalism
- Bishop Allen – “Click, Click, Click, Click” – The Broken String
- Battles* – “Atlas” – Mirrored
- Editors – “An End Has A Start” – An End Has A Start
- Fujiya & Miyagi – “In One Ear & Out The Other” – Transparent Things
- Justice – “D.A.N.C.E.” – Cross
- Sharon Jones And The Dap Kings – “100 Days, 100 Nights” – 100 Days, 100 Nights
- Pinback – “Walters” – Autumn Of The Seraphs
- Arctic Monkeys – “D Is For Dangerous” – Favourite Worst Nightmare
- Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Weapon Of Choice” – Baby 81
- Rogue Wave – “Like I Needed” – Asleep At Heaven’s Gate
Love this band, love “Lake Michigan.”
- Bloc Party – “The Prayer [Album Version]” – A Weekend In The City
- P.J. Harvey – “The Devil” – White Chalk
- Shout Out Louds – “Tonight I Have To Leave It” – Our Ill Wills
- Elliott Smith – “All Cleaned Out” – New Moon
- The Twilight Sad – “And She Would Darken The Memory” – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters
- Dinosaur Jr – “This Is All I Came To Do – Beyond
- Grinderman – “(I Don't Need You To) Set Me Free” – Grinderman
- Bruce Springsteen – “Gypsy Biker” – Magic
- Eddie Vedder – “Rise” – Into The Wild (Soundtrack)
- Burial – “Archangel” – Untrue
- Explosions In The Sky – “Welcome, Ghosts” – All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
- The Hold Steady – “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window? ” – I’m Not There (Soundtrack)
- Stars – “The Night Starts Here” – In Our Bedroom After The War
- Ryan Adams – “Tears Of Gold” – Easy Tiger
- The Good, The Bad And The Queen – “Herculean” – The Good, The Bad & The Queen
- Les Savy Fav – “The Equestrian” – Let's Stay Friends
- The Valley* – “Come Down” – The Valley
- Caribou – “Melody Day” –
- Devendra Banhart – “Tonada Yanomaminista” –
Here’s a vid for “Sea Horse,” also from this album.
- The Apples in Stereo – “7 Stars” – New Magnetic Wonder
“Energy” was high on my list of candidates for the calendar…
- Sunset Rubdown – “The Taming of the Hands that Came Back” – Random Spirit Lover
“Winged/Wicked Things” is up on YouTube…
- Minus the Bear – “Knights” – Planet Of Ice
- White Rabbits – “The Plot” – Fort Nightly
- Tullycraft – “The Punks Are Writing Love Songs” (MySpace) – Every Scene Needs A Center
- Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – “Satan Said Dance” – Some Loud Thunder
- Black Francis – “Threshold Apprehension” – Blue Finger
- Arthur & Yu – “The Ghost Of Old Bull Lee” – In Camera
- Elvis Perkins – “While You Were Sleeping” – Ash Wednesday
- Sigur Ros – “Hljomalind” – Hvarf/Heim
- Björk – “Innocence” – Volta
“Earth Intruders” also good!
- Grizzly Bear* – “Little Brother (Electric)” (MP3 Stream) – Friend
- Deerhoof – “+81” – Friend
- Ted Leo – “The Sons Of Cain” (MP3 Stream) – Living With The Living
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Isis” – Is Is
“Kiss Kiss” is available for listening at their MySpace page.
- Aesop Rock – “None Shall Pass” – None Shall Pass
- Blitzen Trapper – “Wild Mountain Nation” –
- Film School – “Dear Me” – Hideout
- St. Vincent – “Now Now” – Marry Me
- Kevin Drew – “Safety Bricks” – Spirit If…
“Backed Out On The…” is the most-listened-to Rhapsody track from this album.
- Nine Inch Nails – “In This Twilight” – Year Zero
“Capital G” is the most-listened-to Rhapsody track from this album.
*Album not available on Rhapsody
**Song not available on Rhapsody, alternate available song used
