Best of 2007

What a fantastic year for music! There were so many great releases from a slew of old and new friends, but without a doubt, the album of the year was the soundtrack to the movie Once.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the "guy" and "girl" from the film, created one of the more moving, engaging collections of songs I've heard in a while. And it's hard for me to separate the way I feel about the music from the way I feel about the film itself because the two exist in beautiful symbiosis. The emotional ride I got from the movie will forever influence the way I hear the songs, and each time I see the film I enjoy the songs in a slightly different way. Who can hear "Falling Slowly" without reliving the goosebump-inducing scene at the piano in the music store? When "If You Want Me" starts, it's impossible not to see Marketa strolling the streets of Dublin at night in her slippers. And the build up in "When Your Mind's Made Up" is like a tidal wave crashing to the shore - such sweet release, with visions of Glen and the band making their record over the course of one triumphant weekend in the studio.

I could go on and on, track by track, scene by scene. The film and its soundtrack somehow managed to capture the passion, heartache, indecision, frustration and joy that goes into making music, while telling an honest, genuinely touching love story along the way. I can't recommend Once more highly to anyone who loves music.

Now that you've heard about the best of the best, here's the rest of the best, in the form of the requisite "best of" list that's every blogger's pseudo-obligation. Like last year, I've included the annual mix that I make for friends and family at the end of the post. If you like some of the music I've posted on this blog then chances are you'll find something you like on the mix. And away we go...

Sweet Oblivion's Essential Albums From 2007
(Alphabetical by artist)

Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

The prolific Adams made a concise musical statement for once, and this may be his strongest album yet. All the good stuff we love in his songs without any wasted space. (Oh, and by the way, he released an EP too. It was outstanding as well.) Buy it here.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81

BRMC put together a tour de force in Baby 81, managing to combine the sounds of their first three records into something awesome and new. A cohesive musical statement with a plethora of single-worthy tunes to boot. Buy it here.

Brandi Carlile - The Story

Last year's "little singer that could" is now a full blown star, and her sophomore effort is simply stunning. I can't get enough of her voice, and if this record is any indication of the depth of talent this young woman has, then she's in for a long, impressive career. Buy it here.

The Frames - The Cost

Irish rockers The Frames produced a fantastic album in The Cost, successfully riding the wave of singer Glen Hansard's current creative epoch. If you were taken by Once's music, this album will treat you right. Buy it here.

Matthew Good - Hospital Music

It's a challenging listen, but it's emotional darkness and brutal honesty are right up this listener's alley. Matthew Good continues to make compelling music year after year, and it still amazes me that he's not as famous on this side of the US-Candian border as he is in his home country. Buy it here.

Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Once (OST)

I've said it all above, but in case you missed the memo - go buy this album and see this film!!!

Idlewild - Make Another World

These Scottish rockers continue to do what they do, and each time they do it it gets better and better. Some of the most interesting music of the band's career. Buy it here.

Jason Isbell - Sirens Of The Ditch

Isbell was always my favorite songwriter in The Drive-By Truckers, and now he's made the DBT album I've always wanted to hear. Heartfelt, soulful southern rock. Buy it here.

Matt Nathanson - Some Mad Hope

I've been a longtime fan of Matt Nathanson's concerts, but his studio work has never been consistent enough for me to supersede his live show. With Some Mad Hope he's made a great pop rock record that begs for repeated listens. Finally! Buy it here.

Soulsavers - It's Not How Far You Fall...It's The Way You Land

Absurdly long title aside, this is an awesome album. It may be unusual, dark and moody, but Mark Lanegan sings the songs. Need I say more? It's a more fully realized "Lanegan album" than 2004's Bubblegum. Buy it here.

Stereophonics - Pull The Pin

I couldn't put together a best-of list without including at least one import-only release. I'd all but written off the Stereophonics, thinking they'd lost the plot after their third LP, 2001's stellar JEEP. With Pull The Pin it feels like they've regained the form they had back in the good ol' days. It's worth the extra coin to order this one from overseas. Buy it here.
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Noticeably absent (at least to me) from this list is Radiohead's In Rainbows. I've made an executive decision to claim that one for 2008, when it's been released to the masses on CD. However, I will say that the limited edition box set that I finally have in my grimy little hands is one of the sweetest packages a collector could hope for. Grab one now before they're sold out.

In terms of the other artists on the mix below, Turin Brakes are finally back on track with Dark On Fire, although the companion EP, Something Out Of Nothing, is a more concise and impressive piece of work. A few other old standbys like Steve Earle, Wilco, Centro-Matic, Foo Fighters and Son Volt all made good albums. Though Chris Cornell's second solo effort just doesn't sit that well with me as a whole, his live shows this year were simply unbelievable. Buffalo Tom came out of retirement to make a solid record with a few outstanding songs on it. Feist's second record is good stuff too. Eddie Vedder's music for the film Into The Wild is really compelling - his voice seems the perfect complement to the visuals in the movie. Charmparticles and Dala are my "little secret discoveries", the former from a couple years ago and the latter from this year. And I've finally come around to the Manic Street Preachers. Their new one is a solid, rocking set of tunes.
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Sweet Oblivion's Best of 2007 Mix
(in multiple parts due to Savefile's size restrictions)

Tracklist:

Volume I
Jason Isbell - "Brand New Kind Of Actress"
The Frames - "When Your Mind's Made Up"
Brandi Carlile - "The Story"
Buffalo Tom - "Bottom Of The Rain"
Ryan Adams - "Two"
Chris Cornell - "No Such Thing"
Son Volt - "Action"
Idlewild - "Finished It Remains"
Matthew Good - "The Boy Come Home"
Soulsavers - "Paper Money"
Eddie Vedder - "Hard Sun"
Matt Nathanson - "Bulletproof Weeks"
BRMC - "All You Do Is Talk"

Volume II
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - "Falling Slowly"
Manic Street Preachers - "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough"
Stereophonics - "It Means Nothing"
Turin Brakes - "Brave New World"
Feist - "1 2 3 4"
Charmparticles - "Rarest Numbers"
Ryan Adams - "My Love For You Is Real"
Dala - "Marilyn Monroe"
Wilco - "What Light"
Centro-Matic - "Operation Motorcide"
Foo Fighers - "But, Honestly"
Steve Earle - "Come Home To Me"

Bonus Tracks:
"Missed in '06"
8 songs that I didn't get into until 2006 had passed us by.

Download the mix here.

Matthew Good: Radio Performances

I mentioned briefly on Monday that I'd seen Matthew Good perform twice last weekend, and he was fantastic. I got to hear almost all of his latest record, Hospital Music, and a slew of older tunes that I never thought I'd hear him do acoustic. That's right, he played by himself with a minimal (but cool) lighting setup and only an acoustic guitar.

I'd be surprised if a lot of visitors to this blog have heard of Matthew Good, but if you like the music that I post here regularly chances are you might dig what he does.

Good's been making music in Canada for over a decade, first with the Matthew Good Band and more recently as a solo artist. His 2003 solo album, Avalanche, ranks in my top five or ten albums of all time. Here are a few live performances Good did while out on the radio circuit promoting Hospital Music. I also included an acoustic version of the Matthew Good Band tune "Suburbia", one of my favorites off 1999's Beautiful Midnight.

Matthew Good
2007 Radio Performances

Metal Airplanes (live acoustic)
Born Losers (live acoustic)
Black Helicopter (live acoustic)
I'm A Window (live acoustic)
99% Of Us Is Failure (live acoustic)
Suburbia (live acoustic)

Download the set here.

Buy Matthew Good's music here.

Cover Of The Week: Matthew Good does the Dead Kennedys

I'm a huge fan of Canadian singer/songwriter Matthew Good, and I'm totally loving his latest release, 2007's Hospital Music. On the record he covers the Dead Kennedys' 2001 tune, "Moon Over Marin", slowing it down into a folky version of its former punk rockin' self. The melancholy in the lyrics takes the forefront in Good's mellow arrangement, which I think allows the song to make an even greater emotional impact on the listener.

Matthew Good - "Moon Over Marin"

Buy Matthew Good's music here.

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Check out previous Cover Of The Week posts by clicking the "Cover Of The Week" label below or the link on the right side of the page under "Return To Oblivion".

Matthew Good: iTunes Single of the Week

Had to post this from afar - Sweet Oblivion favorite Matthew Good's new song "Born Losers" is the FREE iTunes single of the week. Please go support this amazing artist by downloading the tune for free here.

Back in a couple of weeks for regular posts.

Independence Day

From Matthew Good's blog:

The Ressurection Of Independence Day

Today is a day on which many Americans celebrate not the contents of the document that made the 4th of July an important date in US history, but rather an altogether different, and highly corrupted, view of their nation and their identity. It is one that has been inbred in them since childhood, one that is highly insular, and one that has warped the definition of what it means to be truly patriotic.

If anything, the events of the last few days should demonstrate to Americans just how little the Bush administration cares how it is viewed by most. In fact, it has been operating under that guiding principle for some time now, with little to no opposition. Looking at what it took for Richard Nixon to resign the Presidency, one only has to look at Mr. Bush’s disastrous two terms in office to see why he has little regard for public opinion. Given the lies of his administration, the scandals, and the unwillingness to heed popular opinion, were he a man of integrity that held the nation’s best interests above that of a cabal within the Republican Party, he would have resigned his office after the falsehoods that led the nation to war were revealed. Unfortunately, at the time, a largely complacent fourth estate gave Mr. Bush a free pass, and he remained.

Were I sitting in France, Germany, Italy, or the Netherlands, the transgressions of this government would be cause for massive public rallies. The streets of various cities would be filled with crowds demanding the resignation of the government, and they would most likely continue to do so until such change occurred. But that is not something that happens in North America, be it here in the US or at home in Canada. We have, for the most part, abandoned our sacred responsibilities with regards to keeping government in check, and because of it they have grown to bank on our apathy and complacency.

Prior to the invasion of Iraq we marched through the streets of Vancouver – mothers, fathers, children, people from all walks of life participating in the largest global protest of a conflict (that hadn’t even begun) in human history. Faced with such overwhelming public condemnation, the President of the United States chose to ignore the world and proceeded to illegally invade a sovereign nation, an invasion that has since taken the lives of over 3,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. A year later we marched again through the streets of Vancouver, Professor Chomsky addressed those in attendance at the conclusion of the march, and it seemed that many had not lost focus on what they felt must be stopped. But as the years have passed the marches have grown smaller, interest in them amongst those whose participation is paramount, the middle classes, has dropped off to almost nothing, and many have resigned themselves to the fact that nothing can be done to alter what the Bush administration set in motion in March of 2003. It has become, in many ways, a thing of fantasy to many, something that inhabits our television screens, reaching out only to steal the futures of those directly involved, their families, their neighbours and friends. The same can be said about Afghanistan, and we, as Canadians, should also be focusing more on the realities of our participation in that war than we do.

The war in Iraq is the high water mark of the Bush administration’s folly. It is a war that is in such disarray, that was planned with such carelessness and with such little forethought as to stupefy even the simplest among us. And yet it is allowed to continue. When the President makes speeches regarding it now he employs references to ‘al-Qaeda’ and ‘9/11’ as if they were still representations of the ‘political capital’ that he claimed he had gained in spades following his re-election. They are words meant to detract from the realities of the disaster that now exists in that country, words that still rely on falsehoods championed by his political allies as if they hadn’t been caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

Iraq is also a war about money, about the massive expansion of the private sector, and those who profit off of the misery of innocents. According to today’s Baltimore Sun, privately paid contractors in Iraq actually outnumber US forces there. There are, according to the article, more than 180,000 civilian contractors working under US contracts, be they Americans, Iraqis, or other foreign nationals. A single load of laundry costs the US government, via KBR, just shy of $100 dollars – what, in any house hold, would cost little more than a few dollars.

When war is that lucrative for your friends – what does the opinion of the American public matter?

The defense budget of the United States for the next fiscal year is in excess of $600 billion dollars, dwarfing that of the next closest country, China, which spends roughly $60 to $70 billion. The US defense budget is greater than all of the budgets of the nations that comprise NATO plus China and Russia combined, and it remains the most prolific arms manufacturer in the world. Ironically, it is also a debtor nation to Mexico, and owes the Chinese some $1 trillion dollars. In fact, one third of the US foreign debt is equal to that of the entire third world. And yet it continues to spend money as fast as it can print it on maintaining the world’s foremost military.

Look into the cost of a single B2 Stealth bomber and then equate what that money could do with regards to healthcare or education. Doing so will enlighten you to the massively imbalanced sense of priorities prevalent in America’s halls of power.

There was a dream that was a nation, a dream forged into reality on this day 231 years ago. Its intention was noble at its inception, a basis penned that would lead to the creation of a Constitution meant to protect the rights of Americans, most importantly their right to dissent against the inappropriate actions of their own government. It would be foolish to believe that the likes of Thomas Jefferson ever believed that the power of the federal government should, in any way, detract from the people’s ability to demand that those principles that they cherish not be honourably upheld by their elected representatives, and that if and when the powers entrusted the Office of the President were ever taken for granted, or abused, that they could rightly demand that the integrity of the ideals found in the Declaration Of Independence and the Constitution be vehemently protected to the last.

It is Independence Day here in the United States, and that being the case, cause not for mindless celebration, but rather a day on which to remember that independence from all forms of tyrannical behaviour, be it foreign or domestic, is the hallmark of the American dream. Not capital, nor social status, but the belief that this nation once exemplified something of promise that, over the centuries, has been lost.

It is time for the American people to take back what is rightfully theirs. And they should allow no man, nor his henchmen, nor the military infrastructure that has become so engrained in the modern American experience, to stop them. For if young men and women can be sent off to a foreign country to die in a senseless conflict, surely it is nothing to step outside of your front door and protest this administration’s abuse of the American ideal by flying the flag upside down. For in military terms, the presentation of the flag in such a manner signifies ‘distress’, and I can think of no better term to exemplify the state in which the United States now finds itself.

Matthew Good covers Josh Ritter

I found this little gem while trolling the 'internets' last night. Matthew Good, one of my favorite musicians, did a live acoustic cover of Josh Ritter's fantastic tune "Girl In The War", the lead track from last year's The Animal Years. Good is set to release a new album early this summer, and he will do an acoustic tour in Canada to support it. Guess I know what part of my summer plans will be.

Matthew Good - "Girl In The War (live acoustic)"

Buy Matthew Good's music here.

Matthew Good Treats His Fans

Matthew Good is another of those artists that I just can't get enough of. In a recent poll conducted by Philly radio station WXPN, listeners are being asked to rank the top ten best artists of all time. Matt Good is in my top ten for sure. His 2003 release, Avalanche, is a must-have masterpiece for anyone out there who likes music.

Anyway, I had to take time out of my Mark Lanegan opus to mention something amazing that Matt did for his fans last night. He was moving out of his home in Vancouver and decided to thank his fans for all of their support by putting on a show in his empty living room. About 20 lucky folks that responded to the invite on his blog were allowed to attend an unamplified performance by one of their favorite artists. How amazing is that? I can't even fathom how fun it would've been to hear Matt play his songs and chat with fans right there in his living room, with no mics or PA, just him, a guitar and his two dogs accompanying him.

The webmaster at The Acoustic Diaries was one of the lucky attendees of the show last night, and he posted a great review here. In honor of the show, I thought I'd share the tracks that Matt has made available for download on his MySpace page. The first three are from the aforementioned Avalanche, and the fourth is a b-side.

Weapon
Avalanche
While We Were Hunting Rabbits
Dusk

Thanks to Dan Lilly for the photos I used above. I'll post some more Matthew Good at a future date.