Reviews – Albums
Beatmag’s Best Albums of 2007
1. The Klaxons
Myths Of The Near Future (Polydor)
They started the year as an NME flavour-of-the-month trio about whom many were saying, “It’s called nu-rave but it doesn’t sound anything like rave, it just sounds like some indie band.” Undoubtedly there are still some claiming the same, but extended listening revealed their album to be not only furiously energized and bespattered with countercultural lyrical flourishes, but also to have ripping tunes at the kernel of each song. By Autumn, in an unlikely turn of events, they’d won the Mercury Music Prize for their psychedelic punk racket. Beatmag is never swayed by such popularity (just check 2006 for proof!); it was likely to be The Klaxons year from the moment ‘Myths Of The Near Future’ burst from our speakers in January – and so it proved. So no, it doesn’t sound like rave but, in the most exciting way, especially as it’s also a British Top 5 album, it doesn’t sound like anything else either.
2. Pharoahe Monch
Desire (SRC/Universal)
Eight years stuck in label-related legal purgatory have not worn down Pharoahe Monch one jot. He returns with righteous irritation firing his extraordinary lyrical skills and observational powers, ducking and diving between the surreal and the straightforward. At a time when hip hop has come to be represented by the most complacent chicks’n’bling sub-Fiddy rubbish, Monch, along with producers Alchemist, Black Milk and 99 Fingaz, pull out all the stops to re-inject it with soul-song passion, wit, narrative substance, topicality and, of course, street level urgency. The result is one of the albums of the year in any genre.
3. The Aliens
Astronomy For Dogs (Pet Rock/EMI)
From the wreckage of the Beta Band clambered John Maclean and Robin Jones who quickly tied their colours to the mast of old pal and original Beta Band member Gordon Anderson. In and out of mental institutions for a decade Anderson was now ready to unleash a whirl of psychedelic rock songs. With material marinated in delicious harmonies and quirked out imagery, but running the gamut from psychedelic electro to country balladeering, ‘Astronomy For Dogs’ had a touch of ‘Screamadelica’ about it’s delicious retro-futurist pop explosion.
4. LCD Sound System
Sound Of Silver (DFA/EMI)
James Murphy, the deadpan New Yorker who looks utterly unlike a frontman, nailed the difficult second album in typical style. Leading off with the immediate punk spark of the single ‘North American Scum’, the album as a whole proved to be a subtler beast that took time to get to know but then rewarded in spades with its wry lyrics and low key disco-not-disco grooves. A New Order for our times.
5. Fulborn Teversham
Count Herbert III (Pickled Egg)
Jazz drummer (and much more) Seb Rochford receives a lot of attention for his work with Polar Bear (Mercury nominated), Acoustic Ladyland, Basquiat Strings (also Mercury nominated) and many others. His best work, however, as far as Beatmag is concerned, is with Fulborne Teversham, the electronic-jazz-punk group whose album fits no easy genre categorization but is thoroughly entertaining throughout, made all the better by occasional Poly Styrene-esque vocals from Alice Grant. Whether punching out sax-dub or cracked riffing, it’s a revelation.
6. Von Sudenfed
Tromatic Reflexxions (Domino)
7. Grinderman
Grinderman (Mute)
8. Roisin Murphy
Overpowered (EMI)
9. The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen (Parlophone)
10. Holy Fuck
LP (Young Turks)
11. Common
Finding Forever (Good Music/Geffen)
12. Malcolm Middleton
A Brighter Beat (Full Time Hobby)
13. El-P
I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (Def Jux)
14. Shantel
Disco Partizani (Essay)
15. 12 Stone Toddler
Does It Scare You? (Amazon)
16. Pepe Deluxe
Spare Time Machine (Catskills)
17. Studio
West Coast (Information)
18. Gogol Bordello
Super Taranta! (Side One Dummy)
19. Happy Mondays
Uncle Dysfunktional (Sequel)
20. Ghostface Killah
The Big Doe Rehab (Def Jam)
21. Eugene McGuinness
The Early Learnings Of (Double Six)
22. Dalek
Abandoned Language (Ipecac)
23. Keren Ann
Keren Ann (EMI)
24. Burial
Untrue (Hyperdub)
25. Robert Wyatt
Comicopera (Domino)
26. Radiohead
In Rainbows (XL)
27. Jay-Z
American Gangster (Def Jam)
28. New Young Pony Club
Fantastic Playroom (Modular/Island)
29. Patrick Cleandenim
Baby Comes Home (Broken Horse)
30. Levy
Glorious (One Little Indian)
31. Willy Mason
If The Ocean Gets Rough (Virgin)
32. Cold War Kids
Robbers And Cowards (V2)
33. Balkan Beat Box
Nu Med (Crammed Discs)
34. Simian Mobile Disco
Attack Decay Sustain Release (Wichita)
35. Shit Disco
Kingdom Of Fear (Fierce Panda)
36. Murcof
Cosmos (Leaf)
37. Paul Hartnoll
The Ideal Condition (ACP)
38. Ben Westbeech
Welcome To The Best Years Of Your Life (Brownswood)
39. Jamie T
Panic Prevention (Virgin)
40. How To Cure Dyslexia
The Tempo Of Bicycles And Boats (Dyslexic)
41. Dan Deacon
Spiderman Of The Rings (Carpark Records)
42. Beirut
The Flying Club Cup (4AD)
43. Battles
Mirrored (Warp)
44. Shining
Grindstone (Rune Grammafon)
45. Dizzy Rascal
Maths and English (XL)
46. Enter Shikari
Take To The Skies (Ambush Reality)
47. Pram
The Moving Frontier (Domino)
48. Two Lone Swordsmen
Wrong Meeting 2 (Rotters Golf Club)
49. M’Lumbo
Sacrifices To Neon Gods (Mulatta)
50. The Bees
Octopus (Virgin)
BEST ALBUM TITLE
Andreas Ka
Through Eons Of Static I Hear Them Gather (Fjaril O Trad)
COMPILATIONS
1. Skull Disco – Soundboy Punishments
(Skull Disco)
2. I Hate Music – Output Recordings 1996-2006
(Output)
3. Mute Audio Documents Box Set
(Mute)
4. Prins Thomas Presents Cosmo Galactic Prism
(Eskimo)
5. A Bugged Out Mix By The Klaxons
(New State)
6. Hi Grade Ganja Anthems
(Greensleeves)
7. Lost And Found: Rockabilly And Jump Blues – Keb Darge & Cut Chemist
(BBE)
8. Ya Basta! 10 Years After
(Ya Basta!)
9. Galactico No.2
(Gomma)
10. The Triptych Mixed By Fred Deakin
(Family)
BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT
The Stooges
The Weirdness (Virgin)
WORST ALBUMS
1. Tangerine Dream
Madcaps Flaming Duty (Eastgate)
2. The Undertones
Dig Yourself Deep (Cooking Vinyl)
3. Newton Faulkner
Handbuilt By Robots (Ugly Truth)
