Till's 2007 highs and lows

[Tillane]

2007 was a pretty damn good (not to mention expensive) year for me in terms of music, so I thought I'd put together a little list of the high (and occasional low) points as I saw them. If anyone wants to contribute their own lists, thoughts - or just wants to rant at me for being completely wrong - please feel free.

Best Album: Very difficult. On sheer number of plays...probably Maximo Park's Our Earthly Pleasures or The White Stripes' Icky Thump. For pure invention and the fact that it completely blew me away...P J Harvey's White Chalk.

Best Song: Foo Fighters - The Pretender. No contest.

Nicest Surprise: Johnny Marr joining up with Modest Mouse and the resultant album not sucking in any way, shape or form.

Biggest Disappointment (album): Interpol's Our Love To Admire. I was so looking forward to this album, and was so let down when it turned out to be basically a rehash of Antics. Still, they were good live...

Biggest Disappointment (overall): The Decemberists cancelling their gig in Newcastle. Fingers crossed that they'll decide to tour here in 2008/9.

Best New Find: Toss up between The Black Angels (yes, I know their album came out last year, but...well, I can't know everything) and Immaculate Machine, whose Fables album is just great.

Best Live Performance: In spite of the organisers' best attempts to screw things up for them, it could really only be Maximo Park at the Newcastle Arena. Which brings me neatly to...

Moment of 2007: The Park's performance of Going Missing, complete with masses and masses of confetti that I'm still finding in my clothes, flat and...well, you get the picture.

Albums bought: Er. Um. Ah...hey! Isn't that Elvis over there? Oh, all right. 72. Yeah, I know. They weren't all new new albums, of course. I've done some back catalogue filling this year, but still... *Till hangs his head in shame*

Gigs attended: 7, including Maximo Park, Kings Of Leon and Interpol - all of whom rocked. Need to get to more next year, though.

[gully_foyle]

Gully's Best Gig: The Pixies at the V Festival in Sydney, April 2007. Now I can die smiling.

[Tillane]

*Till quickly scribbles down 'see The Pixies live' onto his Things To Do Before I (Or They) Die list"

Damn, that must have been a great gig, Gully. Muchos jealous.

[Harpo]

I didn't buy any new music in 2007, apart from obscure underground stuff that nobody here will have heard of. Same goes for gigs.

[gully_foyle]

Originally Posted by Tillane

*Till quickly scribbles down 'see The Pixies live' onto his Things To Do Before I (Or They) Die list"

Damn, that must have been a great gig, Gully. Muchos jealous.

Legend has it that Branson promised Frank Black (aka Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV) a free ride on the initial Virgin Galactic launches if he did the Australian gigs. That's one hell of a payload!

Subsequent interviews suggest he's not too fond of touring with the Pixies anymore, but hey, money and space flights have a powerful allure.

[Majimaune]

I think I gotta agree with you on best song. It is an awesome one, though have you heard Wayside by Birds Of Tokyo? Its pretty good as well.

[Tillane]

Yeah, it's a decent song, Maji. I'd still have to go for the Foos, though.

[Majimaune]

Of course because they are just awesomeness

[gully_foyle]

Hi Till, I finally bought the latest Iron and Wine. Love it! Thanks.

Gav

[Tillane]

Any time, Gav. Glad you like it!