Favourites of 2007

Duane is doing a month long posting extravaganza, Lori has denounced them, I’m feeling apathetic as this year has been, as the kids say, absolutely bollocks for record buying and movie watching, I’ve really done neither. This was the year I topped up my classic collection by downloading stuff like The Beatles Anthology, the first 6 Bob Dylan albums, the best of The Eagles, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Ani DiFranco, Goo Goo Dolls, John Lennon and Carly Simon (?) And yes, I even downloaded the Spice Girls Greatest Hits, sue me!

So the pickings are slim this year, so slim that my top 2 favourite CD’s of 2007 weren’t even CD’s at all…

Favourite CD’s of 2007

1. U2 – PopMart 1997: Live From Mexico City

Yep, this was in fact a DVD audio rip. And as bad a reputation Pop had (personally I loved it), PopMart was, and still is, the best live experience a person could possibly have without the aid of hallucinogenic drugs. Sure it started off bad, but by the time I saw them at Murryfield in Edinburgh during the European leg, they were in full swing and it was downright awesome, and this is a rare U2 live DVD in that it’s a complete concert, start to finish. It kicks off with Mofo, and the full on sonic assault doesn’t let up till the very end of Wake Up Dead Man, of course it helps if you’ve seen the DVD or been to one of the concerts as you can visualise the visuals, there were lots and lots of eye candy, seriously, YouTube some videos for the greatness.

2. Radiohead – In Rainbows

The “CD” that would change the recording industry? OK, maybe not, and maybe people were clamouring for something “more”, something more like OK Computer. Overall it was a pretty polarising album, either you loved it or you hated it. I loved it, sure it was no OK Computer, nor was it another The Bends, but it stands up on it’s own., it was a real grower, and in a few years time I’m sure people will appreciate this, just give it time. My personal favourite track is Bodysnatchers which sounds like it could have been lifted from the Kid A/Amnesiac sessions, go figure.

3. Martina McBride – Waking Up Laughing

Seriously, Martina McBride has a great voice and here she does nothing wrong. This is just a wonderful album from start to finish, the stand out tracks are of course the singles, Anyway and How I Feel, but I personally like Beautiful Again, which is actually a catchy, almost jangly song about child abuse and teenage pregnancies, quite a strange mix but also uplifting at the same time. This marks the first album that she has co-written songs and produced an album solo and in the end it’s solid menu of quality songs by one of country’s best singers.

4. White Stripes – Icky Thump

Even though they’re dressed up like Pearly Kings and Queens, they still have some of the mariachi tinge from the last album left over. I like this album even though there’s no Seven Nation Army here, definitely no Blue Orchid, and certainly nothing as catchy as We Are Going to Be Friends. I’m guessing that’s actually a good thing, it shows there are not resting on their laurels in the break since Get Behind Me Satan. Instead it has the flashy Little Cream Soda, the corny Rag and Bone, the swaggering I’m Slowly Turning Into You and the Southern-fried 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues and that, my friends, is what makes this a good album.

5. Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace

This is the album In Your Honor should have been, while it falls short of the downright rocking genius of The Colour And The Shape, it’s a better effort then the last few (if you count Skin And Bones). Maybe it’s my blind faith in the Foo Fighters that keeps this as high as it is, but I genuinely think this is a pretty good album, it’s got a nice flow of fast/loud and slow songs that roll along nicely, I can sit down with this and play and rewind all day long, so it has palyability value, and to be honest, not a lof of this years albums can say that, even in my bubbling under category, I’ve only listened to Modest Mouse like once, it just got in there by default.

Bubbling Under: Saul Williams – The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, The Wreckers – Way Back Home – Live From New York City, Interpol – Our Love To Admire, Rilo Kiley – Under The Blacklight, Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

Favourite Movies of 2007

Again, didn’t see much this year, so it’s a list by default rather than merit…

1. Hot Fuzz

What do you get when you add EVERY American cop action movie and place it in a sleepy English country village? It’s The Bill on steroids… And it’s awesome, seriously, seriously awesome.

Simon Pegg is in great form as a cop from London planted into an otherwise quiet village where people mysteriously go missing and murders are brushed under the carpet, all is not as it seems and when he busts the cover open it’s all guns blazing in a showdown of epic proportions…

2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Again that was probably because I didn’t know what was about to happen, I mean I know what’s going to happen but I enjoyed sitting there taking in every twist and turn shown on screen and not nitpicking what was left out. Anyways, Year 5 for Harry is his toughest yet, discredited by the Ministry of Magic following his encounter with Lord Voldermort at the end of the Goblet of Fire, now the dark lord is out to get him. To make matters worse, the Ministry is taking over at Hogwarts leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and the rest of the children to fend for themselves in order to prepare for the upcoming battle…

3. Sicko

As I said, this is your typical Michael Moore documentary, highly controversial and padding over some elements… But hey, I come from the UK where healthcare is free (though there are private healthcare options) and knowing some of the medical bills I’ve racked up over the last 2 years I can kind of see his point. Put it this way, even though we’re on a nice Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, if I ever need any kind of major-ish surgery, I’ll be on a plane to the UK quicker than you would believe.

[..]

Anyways, back onto topic after that little aside, this is a very good movie. Everyone should watch it, even if you don’t agree with anything he’s saying and you may think Moore is a bit of a dick, but I’d much rather have a dick standing up, getting things like this noticed than no one at all.

Read my review here

4. Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa picks up years after the conclusion of Rocky V, Adrian is dead, Rocky runs a restaurant and his son has grown up and moved on to a life in big business, Paulie is still hanging around but, really, the years haven’t been good on anyone. So up pops an ESPN show about who would win in a make believe fight between Rocky in his prime and the current heavyweight champion, Mason “The Line” Dixon, a computer simulation says Rocky would win by knock out which piques his interest in local, small-time fighting again while also riling up the champ… The only logical way to find out is in the squared circle. So Rocky comes out of retirement with his usual, highly uplifting training regime and steps through the ropes for one last fight.

Now I won’t spoil the end, but if you’ve seen any Rocky film then you’re more than likely to know what’s going to happen. It’s just one of those feel good movies where you know the underdog is going to come good in the end… Very much recommended.

Read my review here

That’s it, I would put in either Transformers or Ratatouille here, but I never got round to actually reviewing them, kinda lame on my part granted, both were very good though, Transformers would have been at position 3, Ratatouille at probably 2… Overall, it’s just not been a good year.