My Third "Top Ten"

So, it’s getting to be that time again.

The retailers can wring out the seasons for us earlier and earlier every year. The motion picture industry believes that the months in between September and December are the prime time to drop the big, serious films.

And, the music industry (for whatever’s left of it), follows the same marketing pattern. Yes, I’ve loved the new releases from Mark Knopfler and Joni Mitchell, but I thought it’d be a good time to take a look back to the winter and spring releases and see if any of them still held up.

And, these are the ones that have.

1 – “The Good, The Bad, And The Queen”, January 2007

The only tracks that alternative radio plays is “Herculean” (and, perhaps, “Northern Whale”), but for the first time in ages, I played the whole CD today, and it surprised me, again.

Albarn, Simonon, Allen and Tong have created their own dark London soundscape. It’s still sounds dark, haunting and amazing.

2 – “The Shins”, “Wincing The Night Away”, January 2007

Their wonderful fuzzed out single “Phantom Limb” was released about this time last year, and while James Mercer isn’t the best vocalist in the world, the nods towards the psychedelic era of the “Beach Boys” still sounds good to these ears. This CD didn’t go down well with old fans of the band, but cuts like “Red Rabbits” and “A Comet Appears” still make the CD worthwhile.

Oh, and some bonus rock trivia: “Wincing The Night Away” was named for Mercer’s ongoing battle with insomnia.

3 – “The Cat Empire”, “Two Shoes”, US Release, February 2007

There’s simply not a better cure for anything that ails you with this CD from this Australian funk/jazz/rap based band.

If you like to laugh, they truly bring it with the words to “Sly”. If you’re partial to amazing musicianship, they bring it home all of the way. You can tell they had a blast recording this.

There’s one cut on the CD that’s a bit twee (“Protons, Neutrons, Electrons”), and there’s more than enough homage to Bob Marley, but bear in mind this was recorded in the same studio in Cuba where “The Buena Vista Social Club”, and it was recorded live with some of the musicians from that project.