The "favorite albums/singles/songs of 2007" thread

[Ayabie]

Another great year filled with releases is coming to an end, and like last year it's time to rank our personal favorites. I'd limit the picks, but that isn't necessarily fun so I'll leave that decision to you guys. Do a top 15, 27, 50 or whatever sounds rational to you. Anyone up for a top 100 songs? lol.

If you're still pondering, securing a post for now is fine.

[Stryfe]

Okays, here's my current list for releases. I might hafta change this some later, since I'm sure I'll change my mind, forgot some releases and whatnot. And since I just can't help pimping, I've shared most of the stuff, knock yourselves out.

Top 10 Japanese releases of 2007

• (1)  World's End Girlfriend - Hurtbreak Wonderland download
  While I was torn between #1 and #2, a couple of listens reminded me how strong this album is. By the time 100 years of choke started, I knew. Just beautiful. Nothing quite like it. I didn't think he could top The Lie Lay Land, but here it is.
  
  
• (2)  Kamomekamome - Luger Seagull download
  Kamomekamome's second album grabs place #2 on this list with a combination of furious hardcore/metal and softer moments, intricate guitar work, melodies and originality both in vocals and composition.
  
  
• (3)  te' - それは、鳴り響く世界から現実的な音を『歌』おうとする思考。 download
  te's debut showed that raw emotion, great songwriting and an excessively long title can make for a brilliant album. The sophomore album, while not quite as moving as the first, is still easily one of the better releases of the year.
  
  
• (4)  凛として時雨 (Rin Toshite Shigure) - Inspiration Is Dead download
  If you ask me, topping their insanely good debut album #4 proved to be too tough a task. Nice try in any case, and a kickass record. The impact for me was probably lessened by the simultaneous release of BTBAM's Colors.
  
  
• (5)  Naan - Dokusa download
  Highest ranking newcomers Naan are an experimental/post-rock duo. Dokusa uses this formula enhanced by new ideas, haunting melodies and vocals, and some more exotic instruments. Brilliant debut.
  
  
• (6)  Mirror - On, Then, In download
  Sounding a bit like a slightly more aggressive toe, Mirror's debut album is energetic instrumental math/post-rock.
  
  
• (7)  Envy - Abyssal download
  Following the direction set by their previous album Insomniac Doze, Envy continue to add variation and soft/loud dynamics into the pummeling hardcore, which makes their music much more enjoyable at least to me.
  
  
• (8)  Naht - In The Beta City download
  Just when I thought Naht was long gone, they returned with a marvelous comeback album that made their music a tad more accessible and just as good. Only problem now is telling them apart from Bandwagon. xD
  
  
• (9)  Balloons - 451 deg F download
  Next on the list of "bands that sort of remind Stryfe of toe" is Balloons. Just with vocals this time. It really feels a bit like a mellow instrumental math rock band with a singer thrown in for variety's sake (if that makes any sense xD).
  
  
• (10)  Lostage - Drama download
  Lostage's debut album was one of my favourite releases of 2006. While this second album doesn't have quite as many memorable tunes, it's still a fine effort.
  
  

Some stuff lingering behind in consideration:

• who the bitch - self-titled download
• euphoria - white pattern
• sequence pulse - play both ends against the middle
• urthona - ranting teeth in spacious non
• zazen boys - i don't wanna be with you
• school food punishment - air feel color swim
• lite/funanori - a tiny twofer

Oh right, top song list... maybe later... :|

[boykun]

Harrr we gooo. Well, here's my list. Not in any particular order. I'll post my favorite singles after the basugasu podcast gets put up. Check it at the radio thread.
Since Stryfe did the listing thingy, I'll do it too, whee.


Top albums of 2007

• 1.  GO!GO!7188 - 569
  They were on my list last year too. Better overall than their last one. I think coming to the US gave them some pretty good inspiration. Yuu once again crunching out some catchy tunes, sounding pretty varied in style. They renewed themselves quite well with this album.
  
  
• 2.  椎名林檎 × 斎藤ネコ - 平成風俗
  To be honest, I was disappointed when I heard it wasn't all new tracks, but the songs are beautifully remade. And a great selection of songs, especially a rare one like Gamble.
  
  
• 3.  ミドリ -  セカンド
  My favorite discovery of the year. Midori's second album is just more solid and well rounded, maybe even more crazy. The piano is just as edgy and it's just the way I like it.
  
  
• 4.  凛として時雨 - Inspiration is DEAD
  I didn't think it was as memorable as #4, but it's still damn awesome. Really big, epic sound from a small three-piece. 345 doing more vocal work was a plus.
  
  
• 5.  マキシマム ザ ホルモン - ぶっ生き返す
  Seems like they've found their sound here, weaving through pop, some ska, a bit of blues, and back to their traditional thrashy metal. Filled with catchy hooks and stupid shouts, just really fun to listen to.
  
  
• 6.  チャットモンチー - 生命力
  chatmonchy's follow up album is softer with some good variety, balanced with characteristics of their earlier works. I still prefer Miminari a little bit more, but they're still adjusting to a more mainstream crowd, and will probably have it down by their next record.
  
  
• 7.  HALCALI - サイボーグ俺達
  They worked with really great artists on this album, and ended up with a really diverse sound. No two songs sound similar to each other. It shows how they've matured since they debuted. Probably my favorite HALCALI album now.
  
  
• 8.  FREENOTE - オトノハトライアングル
  This was kind of a last minute add. FREENOTE came back with a cleaner, kick back and relax pop album after 2 years of absence. Finally settled into the more modest sound they've been leaning towards with the past few singles.
  
  
• 9.  school food punishment - air feel, color swim
  school food punishment totally caught me by surprise with this album. It's got the electronic elements, the ambiance, and the good pop blended together. It felt like a breath of fresh air.
  
  
• 10.  capsule - Sugarless GiRL
  Sugarless GiRL won out between the two albums they released this year (the other one being FLASH BACK). It flowed very smoothly between the electro pop and the more house oriented tracks.
  
  
• 11.  Justice - † (Cross)
  I know it's not Japanese, but these over hyped Frenchies put out a damn good record. Justice's debut album is French house riddled with buzzing distortion and filtering up the butt, and bass lines so funky it makes your head bop involuntarily. Dance music you head bang and pump your fists to.
  
  
• Could have made it but didn't really
  浅草ジンタ - ゼロの空
  東京事変 - 娯楽（バラエティ）
  euphoria - white pattern
  Swinging Popsicle - Go On
  ストレイテナー - リニア
  te' - それは、鳴り響く世界から現実的な音を『歌』おうとする思考。
  9mm Parabellum Bullet - Termination
  
  
  

Other lists I will post later.

[tenkei]

also will steal stryfe's list idea. no particular order.

favorite albums of 2007

• 1. MAXIMUM THE HORMONE - Buiikikaesu
  nice blend of their original thrash with many different genres creates memorable songs with addicting choruses. fun to play "wtf is he saying?" to.
  
  
• 2. capsule - Sugarless GiRL
  my favorite capsule album, a strong departure from their original sound, but a definite build on the addictive synth fueled dancetronic base from their previous album.
  
  
• 3. school food punishment - air feel, color swim
  total surprise. i believe i described it before as start of the day meets rin toshite... if that makes sense... couldn't stop listening to it
  
  
• 4. RIP SLYME - Funfair
  RS5's new album is a nice aside from their usual fare. a lot more mellow work, some interesting collaborations.
  
  
• 5. m-flo - COSMIColor
  the last hurrah of m-flo's loves career, possible their best work with some of the biggest names.
  
  
• 6. HALCALI - Cyborg Oretachi
  long awaited third album sees the girls working with some great producers and making some great songs. each song is as catchy as the next and will keep you bopping along.
  
  
• 7. chatmonchy - seimeiryoku
  the girls stick with their established pop-rock sound, but venture out and experiment here and there making a nicely rounded album
  
  
• 8. GO!GO!7188 - 569!
  the best GO!GO! album since their first (imo). plenty of rocking guitar and yuu's unique vocals. just a fucking good album.
  
  
• 9. kannivalism - Nu age
  one of my favorite musical finds of the year, kannivalism has an interesting blend of synth electronics and hard rock, but doesn't sound like most bands splicing the two genres together.
  
  
• 10. LUNA SEA MEMORIAL TRIBUTE -Re:birth-
  an awesome tribute to one of the most awesome bands. every song on this record just fucking rocks, great job all around
  
  
• ** Coheed and Cambria - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume II: No World For Tomorrow
  not a japanese release, but my ABSOLUTE favorite album of the year. every track just catches me and keeps me wanting more. Driving guitars, awesome lyrics, and plenty of new experimentation keep this sci-fi story set to music running through my brain long after i turn it off.  (yeah, i know a lot of people don't like co&ca, but I fucking love them, and thats all that matters~~~~)

almost, but not quite:
POLYSICS - Karate House
Kimura Kaela - Scratch
rin toshite shigure - Inspiration is dead
Tokyo Jihen - Goraku
BUMP OF CHICKEN - Orbital Period


more lists to come later: singles, songs.[/list]

[soveryshiny]

Not numbered or structured in any way, but my own list of notables after looking over most of the stuff I got this year.

Most remixed song:
もってけ！セーラーふく - by about the 10th remix I became fully addicted to the song without ever having heard the original.  By the 15th remix it became pretty much permanently embedded in my brian.  What is it with j-core artists and that track...

Happiest album:
DE DE MOUSE - tide of stars SPECIAL EDITION.  It's not hyper or anything, but something about the frequencies used and the contruction of it just makes me happy.

Best glitch-tech/house/hip-hop:
Tie between Modeselektor - Happy Birthday! and Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release.  Both are severely good.

Sexiest album cover:

ミドリ - 清水

Best jazz violinist that was nice enough to move out of Japan to somewhere only a couple hours away from me:
Sarina Suno.

Best fake animated DJ created to promote an A-pop compilation:
DJテラ

Best Bossa Nova album in Portuguese from a Japanese singer:
小野リサ - The music of Antonio Carlos Jobim "IPANEMA"

Best collaboration with a fat white rapper:
ARIA - NOT OVER feat. HOKT & BIG RON

Most hilariously bad attempt at foreign language singing:
Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend - 08 - Girlfriend (Mandarin Version)

Best cheesy eurobeat:
Tie between Fright Ranger - Oh Oh Oh Sexy Vampire (JUSTiNB's Video Edit) and Becky - Less Than Three (JUSTiNB's Hardcore Electrotron Remix)

Best song written by 野宮真貴 this year:
Halcali - Limited Edition - 03 - Girl! Girl! Girl!

Best hot bitches:
Tie between Hot Bitch Arsenal and HOT BITCH'S MARIE.

Best song about the Teletubbies:
Kiiiiiii - KK-LaLa

Best indie JPop street artist:
mimika.  Why hasn't she been signed yet?

Best 8bit anime cover song:
momo-i - ファミソン8BIT STAGE2 - 08 - アタックＮＯ．１のテーマ

Best weird album from an artist that used to be really generic and suddenly turned interesting:
MOON-香奈-kana- - 月の兎-tsuki no usagi-

Best Chinese indie pop album:
PixelToy - O…OH

Best band that actually released several full CDs this year with 及川リン singing vocals instead of making me have to get 1 or 2 tracks each from several different soundtracks produced by her friends to hear her voice:
Q;indivi

Best hiphop album produced by Trent Reznor and released for free on the internet:
Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!

Best mini-CD for Bemani fanboys:
teranoid - teranoid underground edition for DJ'S ONLY BLACK

I ♥ Mayu and Rina:
THE PINK☆PANDA - Wake Up - 02 - Crazy Girl Crazy Days

Album that got the most popularity because of the singer's suicide:
U;nee - Habit

Most amusingly bad cover album:
Dance Dance Revolution HOTTEST PARTY Original Soundtrack

Best Thai cover album of a Japanese group:
Flipper's Players

Happiest song title:
源屋 - Love Honey Sweet Angel (happy remix)

Shiniest Trance album:
Trance Super Shiny

Best Jazz/Enka/60s vibe:
倉橋ヨエコ - 色々

Best fairy music:
妖精帝國 - GOTHIC LOLITA PROPAGANDA

Best album that for some strange reason goes well with 久住小春's ☆☆☆
Yoko Ono - Yes, I'm a Witch

[Pinkosa]

reserved for meee 

[tenkei]

lol, thats a pretty interesting list there, shiny

[soveryshiny]

It was a pretty interesting year for music.

[aimaime]

I can't really think of too many.. But here's my so called list that's a bit tiny.. 

Album that I never got tired of listening to throughout the year.. YUI - Can't Buy My Love, m-flo - Cosmicolor

Singles of the same nature.. YUI - Love & Truth, Ayaka - Jewelry Day, Utada Hikaru - Flavor of Life

Single that made me go WOOOHOOO!!  - The Brilliant Green - Stand By Me (simply for the fact that they haven't released anything together in ages.. and the song rocks!)

That's all I can think of right now

[Stryfe]

Thread needs moar posts. :|

Anyway, finally added my current top release list to post #2. Might have to tweak that shit some later though. Also added download links for almost all of the stuff listed, I've shared most during the year anyway.

[boykun]

My list is up too, following Stryfe's format. I'll do the other lists later.

Where's your lists people come on!

[Ayabie]

Let's do this thing! Likewise, I'll probably go back and change stuff I for some reason forgot in the first place. Top songs to come.

Top 10 releases of 2007 (In no particular order!)

• 
  倉橋ヨエコ - 色々
  Beautiful album. There's something about Kurahashi's voice that just drags me in, and I don't even know how to categorize her style of genre.
• 
  susquatch - Water plant
  One of my many random purchases this year, based on a lot of praise from the posters over at the indie board @ 2ch. They did not disappoint. The lyrics are in complete incomprehensive Engrish, but somehow it all adds up to one hot mess. The upcoming mini-album is a must!
• 
  OGRE YOU ASSHOLE - アルファベータ vs. ラムダ
  Their best release yet. I mean, I love their first album, but this just smashes it to pieces.
• 
  3nd - view from here
  After NATSUMEN went on hiatus I tried to track down their side-projects, and so I managed to find the bassist Yamamoto's 3nd. Though I'm ranking these in no particular order, view from here is definitely up in the top 3. Absolutely beautiful shit right here.
• 
  te' - それは、鳴り響く世界から現実的な音を『歌』おうとする思考。
  I fully agree with what Stryfe already mentioned.
• 
  miniature tripplanet - 組曲
  I'm weak for bands with twin vocalists, and mixing that with sweet mellow guitar pop is no exception. They've surely grown since their release last year.
• 
  凛として時雨 - Inspiration is DEAD
  It's not really dead, since they did broaden their sound a bit with this album, and in a good way. Epic, but as many others, it lack something that #4 had.
• 
  BUMP OF CHICKEN - orbital period
  One of my most anticipated album of 2007. It's been what, 3 years since their last album? Though, with that said, the wait was totally worth it. This might just be their best album yet, or it's just my being overwhelmed by the fact that they just released an album again.
• 
  condor44 - Good bye 44th music
  Released back in January, and already back then did I know that this would be in my top 10.
• 
  FLEET - review
  Probably my favorite discovery of the year, and it was this month even. But really, with guests like Kashikura of toe working on the album, this couldn't exactly turn out bad. Electronica, a touch of post-rock, and some plain poppy flavors. It's all good!

• Runner-ups
  lostage - DRAMA
  LITE/funanori - a tiny twofer
  MIRROR - on, then, in
  SEQUENCE PULSE - Play both ends against the middle
  toddle - dawn praise the world
  Tribal Chair - Accept the world
  SPECIAL OTHERS - STAR

[soveryshiny]

Beautiful album. There's something about Kurahashi's voice that just drags me in, and I don't even know how to categorize her style of genre.

"Jazz/Enka/60s vibe" was the best I could come up with.  It is a pain to describe it, but the album is good to the point where I don't really care.

[Stryfe]

3nd - view from here
After NATSUMEN went on hiatus I tried to track down their side-projects, and so I managed to find the bassist Yamamoto's 3nd. Though I'm ranking these in no particular order, view from here is definitely up in the top 3. Absolutely beautiful shit right here.

Darn, I was looking for this before. Hook me up, man.

[tenkei]

ok my turn, totally posted my album list

[iacus]

I listened to a ton of music this year, but the majority of it was released a couple years back. I can't say I listened to a lot of music from this year. Though that's going to change now that Stryfe just put up all those albums. (Thanks by the way)

The albums I did listen to this year and thought were really good are as follows, in no order.

Melt Banana: Bambi's Dilemma
Midori: Second
Rin Toshite Shigure: Inspiration is Dead

Now that I look at it, these are all kind of "more of the same" type releases. Of course, "the same" in all cases was really, really good

Edit: Psf also re-released a whole bunch of old recordings of Kaoru Abe and Masayuki Takayanagi on cd this year. Not technically new but these were all pretty rare before and they're well worth mentioning.

[Ayabie]

Darn, I was looking for this before. Hook me up, man.

I had some problem finding their stuff as well, so in the end I ordered the mini-album. I know their compilation stuff is out there somewhere!

(2007.09.12) view from here

[iacus]

3nd

I have no idea how to pronounce that.

Really good though, thanks.

[Ayabie]

"Sando"

[Stryfe]

I had some problem finding their stuff as well, so in the end I ordered the mini-album. I know their compilation stuff is out there somewhere!

(2007.09.12) view from here

Man, I forgot to say: thanks! This is some really good shit. Might have some list revising to do. 

3nd

I have no idea how to pronounce that.

"Sando"

Is this just a witty case of Engrish, or have they actually explained the name?