December 27, 2007

Best music of 2007

OK, here is my selection of what I think was the best music in 2007. It was actually a very good year in music, lots of very good stuff was released. What follows are two lists, best albums and best single songs of 2007, all in alphabetical order. (They are in alphabetical order because it's hard to compare.)

Albums

Air - Pocket Symphony

Björk - Volta

Jesu - Conqueror (actually a strong contender for the best album of 2007, but...)

Ministry - The Last Sucker

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero

Radiohead - In Rainbows (not only interesting because of its novel selling mode, but just a damn good album as well)

Robyn - Robyn

16 Volt - FullBlackHabit

Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker (I didn't understand that album in the beginning, but it's actually very cool)

Throbbing Gristle - Part Two: The Endless Not

Underworld - Oblivion with Bells

Wir sind Helden - Soundso

...and finally, out of alphabetical order, the really absolute best album of this year:

UNKLE - War Stories

Singles

Adam Sky vs. Mark Stewart - We Are All Prostitutes (Shadow Dancer Rmx) (A new Mark Stewart album is announced for 2008, and I'm really looking forward to it.)

Dave Gahan - Kingdom (I was disappointed by his album, it's very weak. But this single is excellent.)

Motor - Bleep #1 (Their new album was also a disappointment, they probably shot too fast after their very good album of last year. This single is cool, though.)

The Piney Gir Country Roadshow - Great Divide (The Age of Reason's Rear View Mirror Re-fit) (Very untypical, unexpected, but nice remix.)

UNKLE - Heaven (A brilliant track from the "Hold My Hand" EP.)

Von Südenfed - Fledermaus Can't Get It (I thought about adding their album to the best-of list above, but in comparison to the other albums, it pales a little. The single is excellent, though.)

Music that didn't make these lists

The Chemical Brothers - We Are The Night (Well, good as always, but also the same as always.)

Chloé - The Waiting Room (A too late entry in my list, but it will probably also not make it for the 2008 list. It's very good, but gets a bit boring after a while.)

Jesu - Lifeline (Everything by Jesu is brilliant, also this one. But mentioning a band more than once? Nah...)

Nine Inch Nails - Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D (A good and unusually straightforward remix album, with some cool versions of tracks from Year Zero. But you can't have an album twice in a best-of list, if you already don't mention bands more than once. ;)

Rasputina - Oh Perilous World (Actually a very nice album, like all Rasputina albums, but not 'special' enough. It's probably just because the competition was too tough.)

Recoil - subHuman (I tried, but it still doesn't click with me.)

Wire - Read & Burn 03 (Nice, but not breathtaking. Let's see what comes next.)

Gekido Playlist 8/12/2007

My (final) Gekido playlist of 8/12/2007.

Throbbing Gristle - Vow of Silence
Jesu - Conqueror
UNKLE - Heaven
Circlesquare - Untitled (For Christmas)
Underworld - Glam Bucket
16 Volt - And You Are All Alone Again
Nine Inch Nails - God Given (Stephen Morris & Gillian Gilbert Remix)
Hellbent - Rubber Girls With Knives
Skinny Pupp - Tin Omen 1
Ministry - Death & Destruction
Sielwolf - Spuck Den Dreck Aus
Underworld - To Heal (Sunshine Version)
Chloé - Be Kind To Me
The Knife - Forest Families
Juno Reactor - Zwara (Sleepwalker)
Björk - Declare Independence

Gekido Playlist 10/11/2007

My Gekido playlist of 10/11/2007.

Adam Sky vs. Mark Stewart - We Are All Prostitutes (Shadow Dancer Rmx)
Saul Williams - List of Demands (Reparations)
ohGr - Borderline
Layo & Bushwacka! - Life2Live (Unkle Surrender Sounds Session #1)
Test Icicles - What's Your Damage? (Braxe/Falke Remix)
Underworld - Boy, Boy, Boy
Dave Gahan - Kingdom (K10K Extended Remix)
UNKLE - Burn My Shadow (Dan F Remix)
Juno Reactor - Zwara (Sleepwalker)
Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds (komapop)

Gekido Playlist 13/10/2007

My Gekido playlist of 13/10/2007.

Orbital - Halcyon
New Order - The Beach
Pan Sonic - Urania
Mu - Out Of Breach
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia - Kraak (Coil Remix)
Prodigy - Voodoo People (Wonder Remix)
Autolux - Turnstile Blues (Unkle Surrender Sounds Session #4)
Underworld - Crocodile
UNKLE - Burn My Shadow (Dan F Remix)
Cut Copy - Going Nowhere (Digitalism Remix)
Motor - Night Drive
Deichkind - Beweg Dich (Extended Version)
The Faint - Agenda Suicide