The B List: 5 Albums You Need to Hear for 2007

1. LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem (2005): I bow down to the altar of James Murphy. I’m just going to get the bias right out there in the open. In the past 24 months this man has put out a fairly prolific collection of music. In addition to the debut LCD Soundsystem album, he runs his own label (DFA Records), and released 2 remix albums as half of The DFA. As if that wasn’t enough Murphy also put out 45:33, a Nike sponsored release, that is supposed to be a soundtrack to an exercise routine. On 45:33, Murphy manages to serve up 45 minutes of original music that flows like a House DJ set (but with a lot of live instrumentation), serving as the warm-up, peak and cool-down for an exercise routine. (my favorite part…the first set of vocals on the album is a female backround singer whispering in your ear, “Shame on you!”). I can’t say I’ve exercised to it yet, but it gives my (already beefcake) neck muscles a great workout.

The debut album from LCD Soundsystem takes no time at all getting you up to get down. The opening track, Daft Punk is Playing in My House, is undeniably catchy and cool. LCD Soundsystem’s arrangements can be simple, but efficient. It starts with a basic upbeat drumbeat and bassline, the catchy narration of the events unfolding are augmented by a few well placed synth notes, some hand claps, raking guitars and little else, oh and you can’t forget the cowbell solo. Pop culture name drops can suck the entire life out of a song and just leave the suck (Snow Patrol’s Sufjan Stevens name-drop last year was beyond vomitous). In the hands of LCD Soundsystem, you’re too busy dancing to the music to care if a pop culture reference sounds pretentious. Listener beware, if a song starts out with a beat and synth line, don’t assume that 5 minutes later it’s still not going to be that same beat and synth line. Conveniently for you though, the best tracks on this album don’t follow that style.

Movement is a hardcore punk song at heart, where Never As Tire as When I’m Waking Up is a tribute to The Beatles, dripping in Dear Prudence. Losing My Edge is the tale of an aging hipster, who is losing relevance in an ever changing world of having been there first. The full album has several bonus tracks and can wear out someone who’s not used to to listening to repetitive beats, but don’t let that be an obstacle. When James Murphy hits his target, he has few peers.

• Key Tracks: Daft Punk is Playing in My House, Movement, Never As Tired As When I’m Waking Up, Great Release, On Repeat, Losing My Edge (also seek out Jump Into the Fire, a B-side)

Sound of Silver, the new album from LCD Soundsystem, is due in stores March 20th

2. !!! – Louden Up Now (2004): This is the band that puts the capital letters in Dance Punk. The Afro-funk of the Talking Heads paired with the melodic/production quirkiness of Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) and an in your face attitude. The lyrics are confrontational, unabashedly anti-establishment, and occasionally abrasive (“You can tell the president to suck my fuckin’ dick. It does not sound intelligent, but I can give a fuck.” ) But that’s not the story. This band is dirty. Deep grooves, thick funk, percussive and occasionally psychedelic guitar riffs that sneak in and out of frame. This is high energy dance music; dynamic and always in control of the rhythm. You’re never supposed to stop dancing, certainly not through the 11 minute Shit Scheisse Merde suite. Part 2 sounds like updated soundscapes from Remain in Light.

The arrangements throughout the album are on point, always leaving enough space in the sound. Me and Giuliani Down By the Schoolyard is the undoubted highlight of the album. This 9 minute masterpiece is just a sprawling excursion that takes exception to Giuliani’s cleaning up of Manhattan. The music is really narrative, no verse chorus verse here. Each section slides perfectly into the next, building up tension and releasing it. The beauty is all in the songwriting and execution, and it’s really a marvel. Most albums are lucky to have a passage or 2 really get stuck in my head, and this song has 3. I think moe. would do a really good job covering this song.

• Key Tracks: Pardon My Freedom, King’s Weed > Hello? Is This Thing On?, Me and Giuliani Down By the Schoolyard

Myth Takes, the new album from !!!, is due in stores March 6th

3. The Bees – Sunshine Hit Me (2003): Not until a few weeks ago and a trip to myspace, have I ever been sure what to call this band. Due to copyright issues with an American band called The Bees, A Band of Bees is the name on the American release for The Bees’ (U.K) debut album Sunshine Hit Me. (their second album in the US, Free the Bees (2005), was released strictly as The Bees). For the sake of (un)clarity, I will be referring to them for the rest of this article as The Bees.

Sunshine Hit Me is one of the most impressive debuts of this decade. No shit. It’s an incredibly mature, well put together album of hipster soul and delicate psychedelia. It’s a tale of 2-sides: the first half is mostly upbeat rolicking material, whereas the second half drifts you into a dream-like state…fitting for anything from a rainy-day to a lazy lay on the beach.

The tunes are dripping with sexy keys, which set the mood for a large portion of the songs. The vintage keys and production give the whole album a warm feel as if it were made 30-35 years ago. The soulful vocals and harmonies are can’t miss, even on No Trophy, an early era reggae take on Beach Boys harmonies. Fans of “Debra”, Beck’s falsetto masterpiece, will immediately attach to the opening track Punchbag, which is followed by more falsetto over the shuffling funk of Angryman. Sunshine sounds like late-60’s psychedelia, and they capture the feel and the style of the era perfectly, jam fans may disappoint at the relatively short length of the instrumental sections. The closing 5 tracks of the album are the perfect prescriptions to dissolve away the stress and anxiety from a long day. Grab a glass of wine, put on This Town and sit back. Trust me it works. The closing Sky Holds the Sun you feel like you’re being hugged. I swear. Stop looking at me that way.

• Key Tracks: Punchbag, Angryman, Sunshine, Lying in the Snow

Octopus, the new album from The Bees, will be out in the early part of 2007.

4. Field Music – Field Music (2005): This is happy intellectual guitar pop. Catchy as all get out. It’s not for everybody, but I feel like it could fill a guilty pleasure for a lot of people. A comparison to The Shins is unavoidable, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. Chutes Too Narrow is still an amazing fucking album. Field Music carve out their own niche sound nicely. They’re crafty, using the occasional saxophone, cello, or harmonica lines to give each song its own character. That’s the key to bands that are limited in their genre/scope, and Field Music augment their sound with style. Tell Me Keep Me is infectious. The syncopated interplay of the verses is divine. I have so much admiration for bands that can make 5/4, 7/8, etc… sound so god damned catchy. And the playing is incredibly tight, no wasted notes.

The songs are short, only 2 tracks are longer than 4 minutes. They’re efficient in their songwriting, and accomplish a lot in a short time. It’s Not The Only Way to Be Happy is the centerpiece of the album. There is just that perfect amount of space in a song, where you just sway back and forth indefinitely. It sounds like Porno for Pyros’ Pets with less Perry Farrell and more Rivers Cuomo. Some people might find this succession of song titles – Got To Get The Nerve, Got To Write A Letter, You’re So Pretty… a little daunting to have in their collection. Just have faith that owning it will give you the chance to play your own Natalie Portman to some unsuspecting Zach Braff. Hrmmmmmm….that metaphor didn’t play out as I had hoped.

• Key Tracks: If Only the Moon Were Up, Tell Me Keep Me, It’s Not the Only Way to Feel Happy

Tones of Town, the new album from Field Music, is due in stores February 13th

5. The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen (2007): Although this is a debut album, each member of this band has already made a considerable impact in the musical world, hell even culturally. Seriously, between Blur’s Song #2, The Clash’s London Calling, and The Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony, these guys have contributed to some of the most lucrative marketing campaigns to date. I’m know I’m not the only one who finds culture reflected in the decisions of marketers. I suspect Damon Albarn would agree. He’s certainly touched on those topics before. The political and social landscape has always been a favorite subject of Albarn’s lyrics. His somber content on this album, including a few wartime narratives, help to set and define the tone for the album. Unlike his hip-hop outfit Gorillaz, an abstract creation of cartoon characters as rock stars whose ultimate solution to war was dancing and music, there’s no underlying positive message and mood offsetting the unflattering portrait of the state of the world. As such, this album is more of a mood piece.

Oh yeah, the music: an excellent production which beckons headphones to really take in all that the album offers. Danger Mouse plays a more subtle role than he did with Gorillaz, but each song bubbles and churns with layers of sound. Paul Simonon’s bass takes his reggae and dub background, and applies it to more straightforward rock beats with ease. He has not lost a step at all.

With all members able to assert their voice, Albarn’s vocals come to life. Herculean is another Danger Mouse masterpiece, while Nature Springs is a team effort, a slow reggae shuffle crossed with Britpop sensibilities, and gospel backing vocals for good measure. As the albums turns towards a close, the mood picks up an aggressive tone and the momentum picks up as well. Three Changes is the track on which Tony Allen shines the most, driving the abstract poetry, with Simonon’s pumping bassline complimenting perfectly. The album closer, The Good, The Bad & The Queen (completing the trifecta), slowly rises into a wall of sound, enhancing the most energetic playing on the album.

• Key Tracks: Northern Whale, Kingdom of Doom, Herculean, Nature Springs, Three Changes

The Good, The Bad & The Queen is in stores now.

We hope to prod McL into writing more columns and articles for HT in the future. Do you have more albums to add to the list? Fill us in by leaving a comment below