According to last.fm, my favorite artists of January were:

1. Burial
2. wale
3. Jazzanova
4. Rilo Kiley
5. Kanye West
6. Aaliyah
7. Björk
8. Sia
9. De La Soul
10. Justice

Burial is well covered territory. Wale is new to me. Jazzanova's Belle et Fou is one of the records I bought with my Christmas Cash. Rilo Kiley is getting some re-listens because I feel like I didn't give their 2007 release enough love when it came out. Kanye tracks dominate my workout and driving playlists these days. Björk ended up being the surprise soundtrack of my Vegas Vacation. Sia has a new album out. De La is De La and even with Cross being referred to with the yucky term "blog house", Justice gets my attention every time they come through the speakers.

The Number Ones

Week ending January 6, 2008

	Burial – Endorphin
	Burial – Untitled
	Burial – In McDonalds

Week ending January 13, 2008

Burial – Untitled

Week ending January 20, 2008

	Kev Brown – Beats and Rhymes
	Jazzanova – Theme From "Belle Et Fou" - The Bows

Week ending January 27, 2008
Rilo Kiley – Portions for Foxes

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I had grand plans to do a post a day about my favorite 2007 things starting about 2 weeks ago but life got in the way. It's hard to write when grandma's in town and a Felicia returns and you're stuffing your face all the daggone time.

So, here's what I would've gone into more depth about.

Best Albums of 2007

1. Untrue - Burial (Yeah, it creeped on up)
2. Play With The Changes - 4Hero
3. Version - Mark Ronson
4. The Reminder - Feist
5. American Gangster - Jay-Z
6. Kala - M.I.A.
7. Our Earthly Pleasures - Maximo Park
8. Koop Islands - Koop
9. Writer's Block - Peter, Bjorn & John
10. Ear Drum - Talib Kweli
11. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
12. Introducing... - Joss Stone
13. Under The Black Light - Rilo Kiley
14. The Fragile Army - The Polyphonic Spree
15. The Undisputed Truth - Brother Ali
16. Desire - Pharoahe Monch
17. The Weatherman LP - Evidence
18. Those Things - Miguel Migs
19. Proof of Youth - The Go! Team
20. Volta - Bjork

Best Record Label of 2007 - The Numero Group

Best Hip-Hop Album of 2007 that you probably don't have

Below the Heavens

Blu & Exile

Best Albums of 2007 that didn't come out in 2007

1. Bees + Things + Flowers - Incognito
2. Keep Reachin' Up - Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators
   
3. The Only Thing I Ever Wanted - Psapp
4. Set Yourself On Fire - Stars
5. Best Kept Secrets: The Best of Lam 1996-2004 - Lamb

Best Songs of 2007 (based on actual spins)

1. Innocence - Bjork
2. Black Mirror - Arcade Fire
3. Unlike Me - Kate Havnevik
4. Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) (featuring Outkast) - UGK
5. Give It To Me (f/ Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake) - Timbaland
6. The Show - Talib Kweli & Madlib
7. Don't Act (F/ Freeway) - Skillz
8. I Still Love H.E.R. - Kanye West
9. Ancient Curse - Peter, Bjorn & John
10. Lookin' At Me Sideways - Brother Ali

1. Innocence - Bjork
2. Paper Planes - M.I.A.
   
3. Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) (featuring Outkast) - UGK
4. I'm A Flirt (Remix ft. T.I & T-Pain) - R.Kelly
5. He Can Only Hold Her - Amy Winehouse
6. 1 2 3 4 - Feist
7. Champion - Kanye West
8. Young Folks - Peter, Bjorn & John
9. Look Inside - 4Hero
10. Roc Boys (And The Winner Is...) - Jay-Z
    

Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction

1. Michael Clayton
2. Ratatouille
3. No Country For Old Men
4. Superbad
5. Lars and The Real Girl

1. The Heart of the Game
2. Who Killed The Electric Car?
3. Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing
4. An Unreasonable Man

Best Read of 2007 - The Race Beat: The Press, The Civil Rights Struggle, and The Awakening of a Nation

Best Website of 2007 - Last.fm

Best Website of 2007 to hate to sorta like - Facebook

Best Blog Podcast Vlog Content Site of 2007 - Undercover Black Man

Best New (to me) Content Site of 2007 - Away with Words

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Archangel

Burial

if it's the reclusive life that Burial seeks, he might just be his own worst enemy, because his new album, Untrue, bests Burial's fans' wildest hopes for the followup. Burial was a worthy, sometimes thrilling record-- an impressive debut-- but it sometimes lost focus, particularly when it attempted to carve out something closer to "proper," clubwise dubstep. But Untrue maintains the style and the vibe of the first album and yet does it better. It's a deeper album-- richer, more complex, more enveloping. The irony is that almost nothing has changed. Burial still makes his beats (at least, so he claims) with relatively lo-fi audio editing software, eschewing the comfort of sequencers and MIDI clocks. His string sounds, which on Burial let many a critic to call his music "cinematic," sound as unabashedly canned as they did last time, and his manipulated vocals-- warped, time-stretched, pitch-corrected-- are just as unabashedly emotive.

-Pitchfork Record Review (8.4/10), 11.13.07

I've only had this album for a week so I'm not ready to call it "Album of the Year" but it just might be. It's haunted me since the day I bought it (8.99 in the Amazon mp3 store, also available on eMusic) and I find my mind constantly returning to its complicated rhythms. Right now, it falls as #3 on my 2007 album chart.

It's just that good. When listening to this track, I want to sing along. I randomly break out in dance. I head nod. I listen intently. I listen casually. I listen all the time.

I haven't sat with the album enough to form a compelling review and maybe I'll get to that later. For now, I just want you to enjoy as I am.

Ghost Hardware

Burial

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Top Artists

1		Björk	559
2		Jay-Z	509
3		Common	440
4		NPR	438
5		Madlib	365
6		Talib Kweli	350
7		Little Brother	345
8		Sufjan Stevens	312
9		Mary J. Blige	276
10		J Dilla aka jay dee	273
11		De La Soul	271
12		Incognito	264
12		Jay Dee	264
14		Zero 7	256
15		Murs	237
16		Miguel Migs	227
17		Evidence	225
18		Oh No	216
19		The Arcade Fire	211
20		Joss Stone	210
21		Justin Timberlake	209

*plus 1 because I don't really count NPR as a music spin.

Top Tracks

1		Björk – Innocence	50
2		The Arcade Fire – Black Mirror	42
2		Kate Havnevik – Unlike me	42
4		UGK – International Players Anthem (f/ Outkast)	38
5		Incognito – Always There	37
5		José González – All You Deliver	37
7		Justin Timberlake – My Love (ft TI)	34
7		DangerDoom – Vats of Urine	34
7		Bonde do Role – Melo do Tobaco (Paul Devro Sweet Mango Mix)	34
7		Timbaland – Give It To Me (f/ Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake)	34
11		Mary J. Blige – Free (Interlude)	33
12		Zero 7 – Crosses	32
12		AYA – 45 Parade Place	32
12		The Foreign Exchange – Foreign Exchange End Theme	32
12		Incognito – Raise	32
16		Dilated Peoples – Back Again	31
16		Talib Kweli & Madlib – The Show	31
16		Sleater-Kinney – Modern Girl	31
19		J-Love – Return Of The Theodore Unit (f/ Ghostface, Sean Wiggs and Trife Da God)	30
19		Björk – Aeroplane	30
19		Terry Callier – Just As Long As We're In Love	30
19		The Foreign Exchange – Be Alright	30
19		Madlib – Tape Hiss (Dirty)	30

Top Albums

1		J Dilla aka jay dee – Donuts	272
2		Incognito – Bees + Things + Flowers	198
3		Jay Dee – Ruff Draft	157
4		The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible	149
4		4hero – Play With The Changes	149
6		Robin Thicke – The Evolution of Robin Thicke	127
7		Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth	122
8		Jaylib – Champion Sound	119
9		DangerDoom – The Mouse And The Mask	118
10		The Foreign Exchange – Connected	110
10		Björk – Volta	110
12		Common – Be	104
12		Mark Ronson – Version	104
14		Sia – Colour the Small One	90
14		Sufjan Stevens – Illinois	90
16		José González – Veneer	84
17		Mary J. Blige – My Life	83
18		Common – Like Water for Chocolate	81
19		Björk – Vespertine Live	80
20		Mary J. Blige – Love & Life	79

*note - just like last year, I'm not so sure about the albums list although it looks more accurate. That said, half the albums in my critical top albums list are no where to be found on the full chart despite what I know about my listening habits the second  half of this year.

More in depth discussions begin in the morning.

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Presents

Yo Yo Yo Kids

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He-Man

Ludacris

Last.fm suggested I revisit Ludacris this week, an artist whose music I haven't listened at all in 2007 and not seriously since 2005 maybe. It was a good choice. I always forget why I like him. Excellent beat selection, distinctive voice, witty, braggadocious to an eponymous degree. Also, Mr. Bridges is just fun. He enjoys making these records.

The track that kept bubbling up on my new iPod Touch (named Luke Cage) was this track, He-Man, off the free mix-tape, "Pre-Release Therapy".

Then this morning, while going through a mountain of new music, I stumbled upon this:

Thundercats

The Milkman of One Funk Production

You can find more info here. And download it for free here if you're lucky. I was unsuccessful earlier in the day.

Now, if somebody'll do a Bionic Six/Silverhawks mash-up, my entire elementary school TV viewing habits will have been properly recognized.

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Light My Fire

Young-Holt Unlimited

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Lay Your Head Down

Keren Ann

I've noted -- probably on twitter since I rarely post things longer than 140 characters these days -- that I have way more music released this year than I have in years past. With podcasts, music blogs, my emusic subscription, amazon.com mp3 downloads and monthly amoeba runs, I'm awash in music. Hell, I even tested out urge for 6 months this year. As I do chores this morning, I'm listening to my Best of 2007 playlist in preparation for my end of the year music posts (yes, I might actually write things here in full interesting sentences that you may even care about). These two finds, Keren Ann, above, and Big Sir, below, were both random podcast finds. I'd never heard of either artist before and, in truth, I haven't sought out other music of theirs since but, today, I was reminded why I gave each 5 stars.

Blutrausch (Smooth Interlude)

Big Sir

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Top Tracks for the week ending 21 Oct 2007

1		J-Love – Return Of The Theodore Unit (f/ Ghostface, Sean Wiggs and Trife Da God)	5
1		Foals – Mathletics	5
1		Lifers Group – Short Life Of A Gangsta (Organized Konfusion Rmx)	5
1		Edwin Starr – Headline News	5
5		Laura Gibson – Hands in Pockets	4
5		D'Nell – 1st Magic Groove	4
5		DangerDoom – Mince Meat	4
5		Jaylib – The Official	4
5		DangerDoom – Crosshairs	4
5		Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek – Too Late	4

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Some bands defy description but I'll give it a go. Your lead singer wears an all white possibly linen suit, a brimmed hat, and a beard. He is revivalist preacher by way of punk rock mosh pit ethos. He stands next to a cross-dressing guitarist with pig tails, hairy legs beneath a school girl outfit and platform shoes. This guitarist has a severe drooling problem and a penchant for sticking out his/her tongue and rolling his/her eyes back into his/her head. You have one super-fan. He is nearly 60 with dyed purple curls and matching beard. He thrusts his pelvis with reckless abandon. He, as your front man noted, came a little too close to the performance area and "tried to steal your power."

In the last song we heard from you, you sang from the perspective of a 13 year old girl who has just come to understand the harsh realities of the real world and...you actually sounded like the 13 year old girl. Insanity.

And, despite the awesomeness of Dengue Fever and Under The Influence of Giants and the I & I Sound System Ice Cream Truck, you were the best band ever at the Eagle Rock Music Festival. The problem is: I don't know your name. I do know you're from Nevada and I do know you play a kind of southern rock/punk/soul concoction and blew my mind with your crazy.

Seriously.

Help me find this band.

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