Best of 2007: Music

So, time flies, and now we find ourselves at the tail end of another year. Before we say goodbye to 2007 forever, we here at Destroy All Evidence want to take a moment to look back and remember all of the things we loved in 2007. Starting today and continuing every few days till the end of the year, we'll post a new top 5 list of our favorite things from 2007. It's like Oprah's Favorite Things, except, you know, you don't get anything for free. But you also don't have to fake-fawn over Her Majesty and pee your pants in front of the entire world, so I'm giving us the advantage. Enjoy Day 1's festivities: The best music of 2007.


5. “Black Tears” by Miss Derringer


I turned 22 on my birthday this year, and at first, I really didn’t feel happy or excited about it. What I did feel was indescribably old, older than I usually feel, which, trust me, is really saying something. I was thisclose to giving up the fight, throwing on a caftan and settling in for a “Golden Girls” marathon with a steaming hot cup of chamomile tea. And then…then I heard this song.

Ah, Miss Derringer. This song totally threw me for a loop when I first heard it. I was immediately launched back in time, to a moment when I was still goofy and awkward and anxious to grow up, when I thought that I had personally discovered every awesome thing about the ‘80s – John Hughes movies, Duran Duran, “Jem,” and, of course, mismatched Converse. Because on first listen, that’s what “Black Tears” sounds like: A really great ‘80s song, the best Blondie track that Blondie never recorded. It’s totally girly and completely badass and so sad in the most ridiculously fun way possible. But keep listening, and you realize there’s a lot of the ‘50s and ‘60s American music scene in there too. That just makes me love it even more. So thanks Miss Derringer, for reminding me that sharing a smile with your younger self is a sure fire fix for the old fogey blues.



4. “1234” by Feist


I’m just going to say it: I am not cool. Like, not at all. What’s more, I’ve genuinely given up trying. At this point, I am who I am, and there’s not a whole lot that can change that. I accept it, because for the most part, I honestly like who I’ve become. I love my family, I love my friends, the future is looking bright, and I’m finally (almost completely) comfortable in own skin. Also, I can really handle my liquor, and that makes me proud.

But I digress. Back to the “me not being cool” thing: One unfortunate side effect of this is that I’m usually really behind on what’s hip in music. If I had a nickel for every time I thought to myself, What are the happening cats listening to these days?, I would have somewhere in the realm of $14. Yeah, it’s that bad. Which is why it’s so surprising that I was actually in front of the trend when I discovered Feist, all by myself, way, WAY before Apple began using it for its Nano commercials and the Grey’s Anatomy people started kicking themselves for not snagging it first. A sparkling, jangly, fantastically indie jam that I could call my own – if that’s not end of the year list worthy, I can’t say I know what is.



3. "Shampoo" by Pete Yorn


I remember when I bought my first Pete Yorn album. I had read a little article in Seventeen about him, and, I’m embarrassed to admit, I made a beeline to the record store to buy his debut, musicforthemorningafter, not because I was really inspired by the article or anything he said in it, but because I thought he was cute. Granted, I was only 15 at the time. Not that that’s an excuse, but it does help explain the motive behind it. So I bought the album, gave the liner notes a thorough ogling, popped the CD in, and…wow. Just, wow. I was transfixed. I remember laying on my bed and listening to it front to back, totally in awe of what was going on there. I loved the whole sound of it, how sad and hopeful and searching it was, how it managed to sound old and new at the same time. I was hooked from the first minute of the first track.

Cut to now, 7 years, 3 albums and a dozen completely fantastic concert experiences later, and I’m as devoted to everything Pete Yorn as I was way back then (and, in case you were wondering, time has not diminished Pete's talent - or his looks...). Some artists just stick with you like that, and PY has certainly stuck with me. He released no new albums in 2007 (his latest, the frighteningly good Nightcrawler, was released in late 2006), but that doesn’t mean there weren't fresh Pete tunes floating around the Interweb this year. My favorite is this one, “Shampoo.” It’s perfectly representative of the best of what Pete Yorn brings to the table: Winsome, contemplative lyrics set to a melody so interesting and utterly enjoyable that you can’t help but listen to it again and again.



2. “West Coast” by Coconut Records


Let’s play Six Degrees of Separation, shall we? The Godfather to Coconut Records – GO!

The Godfather was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, whose sister, Talia Shire, married movie producer Jack Schwartzman and gave birth to one Jason Schwartzman, who is - ding ding ding! – the man behind Coconut Records! Huh, that was a short one. And it didn’t even include Kevin Bacon.

Anyway.

When I was talking about “Shampoo” earlier, I described it as “winsome” and “contemplative.” These are the exact same words I would use to sum up “West Coast,” but the songs themselves are so different that it’s hard to believe they’re sprung from the same place emotionally. I think the biggest difference is that while “Shampoo” keeps a crisp, brightly somber (let’s just pretend that’s not an oxymoron, okay?) pace, things are a little more unleashed on “West Coast,” a steady, laidback crescendo from the lonesome man-and-piano beginning to the full blown sing-a-long ending. If you aren’t picturing the diminutive Schwartzman in one of those awful choir robes, conducting a mass of singing funky white boys by the end of this song, there’s something seriously wrong with you. It’s nerdy, lovelorn perfection, and a totally worthy Best of 2007 runner up.



1. “The Thanks I Get” by Wilco


Imagine this: It’s a hot summer day. You’re driving down Pacific Coast Highway with the top down. Sunglasses. Salty air. The crunch of gravel beneath your tires. No place to be, nothing to do, not a care in the world. It’s just you and the road. And on the radio plays… something mellow. Something weathered. Something that fills your soul with the roots of rock and roll. You scan the airwaves, spinning from station to station, and then you hear it. And you smile, because you know you’ve found exactly what you were looking for: The sound that warms your heart, that takes you back to an easier time, that’ll carry you wherever you want to go. The song? Wilco’s “The Thanks I Get.”

Nothing I could say about this song could do it justice. Nothing I could say about this band would do them justice. Let’s just put it like this: For a rock band that’s found a modern way to appreciate the classics that came before while establishing themselves as a vital part of the musical landscape of today, always, ALWAYS choose Wilco. Always. Not Son Volt. Not Ryan Adams. Not My Morning Jacket. They’re good, but they’re not Wilco. I’m making this song my number one most favorite of the year for precisely that reason. There you have it: Wilco’s “The Thanks I Get” – Destroy All Evidence’s Best Song of 2007. Congratulations to you, Wilco. Congratulations to you.



Honorable Mentions (The Movie Soundtrack Remix)
• “Anyone Else But You” by the Moldy Peaches: Romantic love in a most realistic way, this gem from the Juno soundtrack will melt even the hardest hearts.
• “Avril 14th” by Aphex Twin: Rent Marie Antoinette and listen for this song. So apropos for the scene in which Antoine returns to Versailles from Le Petit Trianon. You feel the full weight of the expectation and duty thrust upon her, and the song gives you a pretty good idea of how she feels about it.
• “From Where I’m Standing” by Schuyler Fisk: This is from I’m Reed Fish. That movie sucked. This song doesn’t. Fun fact: Schuyler Fisk is Sissy Spacek's daughter. Speaking of daughters...
• “Daughter” by Loudon Wainwright III: Just when you start to lose faith in Judd Apatow (like when he shows you a baby crowning – that’s just gross), he whips out a montage of sweet scenes set to this song that makes you forget you ever questioned his judgment in the first place. Wainwright’s brilliant cover of Peter Blegvad’s ode to daughters is featured in Knocked Up.
• “Where Do You Go To, My Lovely?” by Peter Sarstedt: My friend Ez and I were recently discussing our favorite movies, and we crowned Wes Anderson one of the kings of music in film (also on the short list: Cameron Crowe, the Coen Brothers, and Quentin Tarantino). This song, from Anderson’s short, Hotel Chevalier, is a prime example of his brilliance when it comes to seamlessly weaving great music into the milieu of an already great film. It’s a thing of beauty.
• “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova: Once was an unbelievably powerful movie, but that’s something we’ll get to later in our Best of 2007 retrospective. For now, I’ll just say what an amazing song this is. The line “You have suffered enough/And warred with yourself/It’s time that you won” is one of my favorites in any song ever. Plus, the harmony is absolutely gorgeous.



Next up in our Best of 2007 series: Books, premiering here on Thursday, December 17th. And be sure to check out the BFF blog, Bunker Complex, for Andrea's end of the year recap too.