ALBUMS>
Spencer Patterson
1. Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam Experimental songwriting harnessed in semi-poppily digestible doses, the best of which—“Peacebone,” “For Reverend Green, “Fireworks,” “Cuckoo Cuckoo”—will soothe your soul even as they unnerve your loved ones.
2. Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Who knew paranoia, depression and relationship trauma could resonate this euphorically? Kevin Barnes, apparently.
3. Björk, Volta Widely dismissed as a lesser effort for the Icelandic goddess, this one actually had plenty going for it: in-your-face rhythms (“Earth Intruders,” “Innocence,” “Declare Independence”), a spine-tingling duet with Antony Hagarty (“The Dull Flame of Desire”) and, of course, that voice. THAT VOICE!
4. Rickie Lee Jones, The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard The concept—Jesus’ words cast in contemporary context—sounds pretty weird; the results sound simply beautiful. Guaranteed to offend the religious (“You know, I see the people on TV and they close their eyes and they bow their heads and they say, ‘Let us pray’/Feels so cold and meaningless”) and disturb the nonreligious, which you’ve gotta respect since that covers, like, everyone. Peak moment: Jones’ unearthly pain as she growls, “I’m down here too, I’m down here too, I’m down here too” on “Where I Like It Best.”
5. Justice, † Big, bouncy, bassy electronic sprightliness in the tradition of fellow Parisian duo Daft Punk, highlighted by play-’em-all-night combo “Phantom” and “Phantom Pt. II.”
6. Akron/Family, Love Is Simple Unrestrained nu-hippy merriment—uncomplicated at the core, complex in composition—that will have you chanting in no time.
7. Sunset Rubdown, Random Spirit Lover Stop jonesing for that Wolf Parade follow-up and delve into the rare side project that stands up.
8. Amon Tobin, Foley Room The electronic maestro goes old-school for a new approach, forgoing traditional samples for found-sound source material.
9. Radiohead, In Rainbows A tad too safe, but really, there’s not a bad song in the bunch, and whether you paid $15 or nothing at all, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
10. Angels of Light, We Are Him An ideal late-night listen—serene, occasionally jarring—from folk-rock adventurer Michael Gira.
Julie Seabaugh
1. The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour
2. Youth Group, Casino Twilight Dogs There was just something about thin-voiced, narrative-weaving, despondent foreigners this year (Canada and Australia, respectively) that clinched these top two slots.
3. Band of Horses, Cease to Begin No sophomore slump here, as not even the departure of co-founder Mat Brooke can dampen Ben Bridwell’s sure-footed stomp and otherworldly melancholy. In a year bereft of a new My Morning Jacket release, this is the next best thing.
4. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible Win Butler & Co.’s February 24 Saturday Night Live appearance set it in stone: “Intervention” and “Keep the Car Running” are among the most impassioned, damning songs of the year. The perfect example of indie-gone-mainstream done right.
5. Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta! The exuberant band of gypsy punks have long crusaded to “Think globally, f--k locally,” and with jiggy screeds against war, tradition and fear of exploration, they’ve never been more timely.
6. Rilo Kiley, Under the Blacklight Seedy glamour, illicit sex and the paradox of modern technology making it increasingly more difficult to communicate inform this disc, a poppier specimen than previous efforts, yet undeniably more mature. Genres, points of view and levels of seriousness vary wildly, but when channeled through Las Vegas-born child star Jenny Lewis’ pipes—sugar-sweet yet sultry—it all calls to mind the sunniest LA day imaginable.
7. Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position At first it was half relentlessly upbeat and half terrifyingly demonic. Now it’s just terrifyingly contagious.
8. Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? How can something so clap-happy, synthy, glammy, power-poppy and catchy come imbued with so much angst? It’s been 11 months, and we’re still scratching our heads over it.
9. Bright Eyes, Cassadega He’s still as introverted as they come, but Conor Oberst continues to look increasingly outward on this 10th effort. And somewhere during the process, he’s become a world-class songwriter.
10. Rufus Wainwright, Release the Stars See the operatic “Tulsa,” the best song about cavorting with Brandon Flowers ever.
Annie Zaleski
1. Band of Horses, Cease to Begin Autumnal hushed beauty in the guise of jangly guitars, My Morning Jacket-esque twang and Ben Bridwell’s mournful vocals.
2. Twilight Sad, Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters Young Scots split the difference between the noise clouds of Mogwai and melodic angst of Idlewild, find emotional sweet spot.
3. The National, Boxer Velvet-lined indie rock full of the kind of melancholic humanity perfected by The Go-Betweens and Joy Division—but rooted in the brooding folk soul of Leonard Cohen.
4. New Young Pony Club, Fantastic Playroom In a year where pure dance music suddenly found its footing again, New Young Pony Club was the hyperactive kid sister to Justice and Simian Mobile Disco. Playroom is full of day-glo keyboard melodies, sassy dance-floor chants and vibrant percussion. Best is the midnight-electro seduction “The Get Go,” the limb-loosening ’80s homage “Get Lucky” and the tarted-up robotic punk-funk of “Ice Cream.”
5. Airiel, The Battle of Sealand Dusted with shoegazing sugar and Brit-pop gloom—as well as occasional electronica skittering—Airiel’s songs feel retro, but not dated or stale.
6. LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver James Murphy reined in his fondness for genre-mashing and hipster-baiting on Silver without losing his originality—which meant that his percussive electro, New Order-inspired rock and glittering dance jams seduced the heart, brain and feet.
7. Idlewild, Make Another World After stumbling with 2005’s Warnings/Promises, Scot-rockers Idlewild remembered what made them great: poetic lyrics, indelible melodies and the occasional rush of glorious noise.
8. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Ex-Smiths axeman Johnny Marr and Shins vocalist James Mercer focus the songwriting of the shambling indie rockers.
9. Bat for Lashes, Fur and Gold Bat for Lashes siren Natasha Khan is the ghostly spawn of mid-’90s PJ Harvey, Tori Amos and Björk.
10. Pinback, Autumn of the Seraphs If The Police had grown up in the Midwest, in the halcyon days of emo, they might approximate Pinback’s math-rock smooth jams and indie sweetness.
THE WEEKLY JUKEBOX>
Spencer Patterson
The White Stripes, “Icky Thump” (Icky Thump) I’ve got a fever and the only prescription is ... more pig organ?!
Deer Tick, “Baltimore Blues” (War Elephant) You’ll swear you’ve heard this swinging folk number from Rhode Islander John McCauley somewhere before. You probably haven’t.
Yoko Ono/Jason Pierce, “Walking on Thin Ice” [remix] (Yes, I’m a Witch) A ghostly Spiritualized reimagining of the final song John Lennon worked on.
Modest Mouse, “Spitting Venom” (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank) We were hooked on this one before the electric guitars even kicked in.
Explosions in the Sky, “Catastrophe and the Cure” [Four Tet mix] (All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone) Kieran Hebdan’s IDM shimmer and the band’s post-rock drama meet halfway, with explosive results.
Julie Seabaugh
Lucinda Williams, “Unsuffer Me” (West) One of her most raw, yearning, best songs ever (and from the gal who brought you “Essence,” “Righteously” and “I Envy the Wind,” that’s saying a lot).
Modest Mouse, “Dashboard” (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank) A bouncing, furious, shitty-car-as-relationship metaphor best experienced live, particularly with the Joint a-rockin’ and Johnny Marr actually smiling.
Ryan Adams, “Halloweenhead” (Easy Tiger) Sobered up and focusing on releasing one album a year (as opposed to, say, 27), Adams delivers a flash of Heartbreaker/Gold-era, self-deprecating brilliance.
A Crowd of Small Adventures, “Bang Bang” (The Evil Archipelago) If I’m being honest about what I listened to most this year, this local, clap-happy, toe-tappy, postapocalyptic shapeshifter’d be it.
Say Anything, “That Is Why” (In Defense of the Genre) This deceptively swinging kiss-off ditty deserves a full-blown Broadway-ization.
Josh Bell
Miranda Lambert, “Gunpowder & Lead” (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) It’s time country got mean and dirty again.
Avril Lavigne, “Girlfriend” (The Best Damn Thing) What can I say? It brings out my inner cheerleader.
The Weakerthans, “Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure” (Reunion Tour) The most beautiful, heartbreaking song from a feline perspective ever, or at least since “Plea From a Cat Named Virtute,” on the band’s last album.
Shadows Fall, “Another Hero Lost” (Threads of Life) Is it cool to love power ballads again? Totally.
Trisha Yearwood, “Cowboys Are My Weakness” (Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love) Then again, old-fashioned niceness suits country pretty well, too.
Andy Wang
Dinosaur Jr., “We’re Not Alone” (Beyond) With the best J Mascis songs, beyond the chunky guitars and the ferocious moping, it’s the melodies that endure.
Plain White T’s, “Hey There Delilah” (Every Second Counts) When I visited Vegas this summer, it seemed to come on the radio no fewer than 17 times a day. And I never changed the dial.
Akon, “Don’t Matter” (Konvicted) Seriously, has R. Kelly gotten his royalties yet?
Feist, “1234” (The Reminder) When your collective becomes an empire and you somehow rise above even that, well, that’s pretty badass.
Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, “Umbrella” (Good Girl Gone Bad) Presented by Covergirl/now in conjunction with Totes. Bet even Jay-Z’s impressed.
Kristyn Pomranz
Nellie McKay, “Testify” (Obligatory Villagers) This lush, rousing gospel satire could immaculately conceive its own genre.
Care Bears on Fire, “Everybody Else” (I Stole Your Animal) I just love the sound of kidcore renegades damning the man in the morning.
Hyperbubble, “Supermarket Casanova” (Baby Pink Vinyl) Unrequited love in the checkout line has never been more electro-catchy.
Patty Griffin, “Trapeze” (Children Running Through) This wonderfully heart-wrenching carnival-themed folk track might result in suicide watch.
That 1 Guy, “Guava” (The Moon Is Disgusting) The pulsing funk of The Magic Pipe will tenderize any playlist into slurpable pulp.
Patrick Donnelly
Rilo Kiley, “15” (Under the Blacklight) Heed this warning or risk a visit from Dateline NBC’s Chris Hansen.
Jason Isbell, “Dress Blues” (Sirens of the Ditch) This is how you support our troops: by writing a stomach-punch-powerful song about the death of a Marine.
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, “Let Them Knock” (100 Days, 100 Nights) Motown never sounded sexier than this ode to ... uhh ... concentration.
Okkervil River, “Unless It’s Kicks” (The Stage Names) Catchiest guitar riff this side of The Fratellis.
Andrew Bird, “Fiery Crash” (Armchair Apocrypha) Fear of terrorism, immigrants and vinyl settees are tackled head-on, with cool harmonies!
MOMENTS >
February 3, Lauryn Hill’s no-show: The reclusive singer leaves a revved-up 3121 crowd waiting in vain for her to perform until the wee hours of the morning, never appearing—despite having soundchecked on property earlier in the day—or issuing a statement on the matter.
February 13, Kevin Barnes drops trou: Of Montreal plays Art Bar, projects both gay and straight porn on a stage-rear screen during a set favoring songs from The Sunlandic Twins and Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Oh yeah, and frontman Kevin Barnes gets naked for at least a half-dozen songs (save sparkly red cummerbund and black fishnets).
March 17, A shiny new Pearl: The Palms’ state-of-the-art music theater opens its doors to the public for Evanescence, the first of more than 40 concerts hosted by the venue in 2007. Before year’s end, Gwen Stefani, Tool, Morrissey, Smashing Pumpkins, Björk, Jay-Z, Kanye West and the MTV Video Music Awards will be booked into the 2,400-capacity, auditory and visual spectacle.
March 31, Prince signs off: The Purple One’s strange five-month Vegas experiment—which saw Prince perform a string of late-night Friday and Saturday shows inside the Rio—comes to an end. Accounts of the intimate gigs are generally favorable, but tickets only become super-scarce as the end draws near.
June 2, RIP University Theatre: Born January 2007. Mourned by all-ages crowds, local and touring bands and booker Brian Saliba. Fortunately, June 7 sees the new owners of Downtown venue Jillian’s not only stepping in to save a handful of displaced shows, but also lining up an open-ended slate of under-21 options, as well.
June 15-16, The Police, Roger Waters share a stage: Not on the same night, but on the same weekend, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Though The Police’s first tour in 23 years draws bigger headlines, Waters’ easily outclasses his three countrymen, treating fans to one stellar Floyd-heavy set of favorites, then another called, uh, The Dark Side of the Moon.
September 9, Flying fisticuffs and a Britney bombing: Las Vegas’ first stint as host city for the Video Music Awards has its share of impressive moments—Alicia Keys belting out “No One,” Chris Brown leapfrogging from table to table—but the night will mostly be remembered for Britney Spears’ shaky opener and a brief dust-up between Pam Anderson exes Kid Rock and Tommy Lee.
October 27-28, Vegoose, Take 3: The third annual Vegoose music festival brings the super-popular, reunited Rage Against the Machine to town, along with also-popular electronic duo Daft Punk, both of whom contribute dazzling headlining sets. Muse, Iggy & the Stooges, M.I.A., Gogol Bordello, STS9, The Shins and Queens of the Stone Age also shine, but after barely eclipsing 2006’s disappointing attendance mark, it’s unclear whether the event will return for a fourth go-round.
November 19, A metal icon succumbs: Kevin DuBrow, frontman for Quiet Riot—best known for ’80s hits “Metal Health” and “Cum on Feel the Noize”—is found dead in his Las Vegas home. Autopsy reports later determine the 52-year-old suffered an accidental cocaine overdose.
December 15, Celine bows out: Few entertainers have rivaled Celine Dion’s five-year, 700-show residency at the Colosseum at Caesars, the 4,000-seat showroom built specifically for her. Dion’s influence can be quantified—reportedly, each person who attended Dion’s show spent an average of $280 at the hotel. With Dion taking a break to rest up for an upcoming tour, Elton John and Bette Midler will be the chief occupants of the house that Dion built.
(Compiled by Spencer Patterson, Julie Seabaugh, John Katsilometes and Aaron Thompson)