Stuck In A Pagoda With Motoko Aoyama

Picking up where I left off last time…

5. Radiohead - In Rainbows (Initially self-released; physical edition on TBA Records/RED Distribution) - In which a best-selling band tells Capitol/EMI to fuck off, tries out the validity of selling music as name-your-own-price stand-alone mp3s, and succeeds. Oh yeah, the album’s pretty fucking good, too. In a post-script, now that the physical release is out, I’m planning to get my own copy… of the vinyl edition. (http://www.inrainbows.com, available on CD, vinyl, and through iTunes)

4. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga and Four Winds EP (Saddle Creek (US)/Polydor (EU)) - Having tried everything from four-track basement recordings to simultaneous electronica and folk workouts, Conor Oberst proceeds to channel Electric Warrior-era T.Rex by way of Brian Wilson and succeeds quite nicely. The preceding Four Winds EP is included here because the five “B-sides” on it are just as strong as the album tracks and could have easily fit amongst the rest of the track sequence if Conor and company had so chosen to shoehorn them in. (http://www.saddle-creek.com and http://www.thisisbrighteyes.com, available on CD, 180-gram vinyl (Cassadaga is a 2LP set) with bonus mp3 download, and through iTunes)

3. Koharu Kusumi - Mitsuboshi (Zetima) - The first of two semi-pseudonymous solo albums from Morning Musume’s Miracle Beam in 2007 (her second, Kirarin Land, came out too late for this list and will be explored in more detail later in the week), Koharu (sometimes as herself, sometimes as her animated doppelganger Kirari Tsukashima) delivers a wildly varied set of pop songs. A solid debut effort even though technically, it’s not really supposed to be her first solo album… or is it? (http://www.helloproject.com, available on CD)

2. The Stooges - The Weirdness (Virgin/Caroline) - Negative reviews be damned: this was worth the 30-plus-year-wait. Anyone declaring this album to be “weak”, “modern”, or “sellout” didn’t really listen to this album and shouldn’t consider themselves to be punks or even music lovers. And yes, almost a year since this album dropped, I must admit that Steve Albini’s hands-off “production” isn’t all there sometimes (the bass is barely audible on “Passing Cloud”). Fortunately, the songwriting by Iggy and the Asheton Brothers, and the playing by the entire band (with new Stooge Mike Watt on bass, and punk rock’s answer to John Coltrane, Steve MacKay, returning to his Fun House sax position) is more than solid enough to make up for it. (http://www.myspace.com/iggyandthestooges, available on CD, double LP and on iTunes)

1. Morning Musume - Sexy 8 Beat (Zetima) - This time around, they get the top spot all to themselves and with good reason. Starting off both 2007 and their 10th Anniversary with a bang, they delivered a studio effort that is solid from beginning to end (featuring one of their best ever singles, “Egao YES Nude”, and one of their most underrated, the preceding “Aruiteru”), both this album and the Stooges’ album coming out early in 2007 made the rest of the year a veritable anti-climax musically. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches up with these young ladies. (http://www.helloproject.com, available on CD)

After many a delay (engagement announcement preparations, day job bullshit, inability to keep my hands off of my new USB turntable, and finally, the goddamned flu), I’ve finally gotten around to doing my top albums of 2007 list. Since trying to do individual reviews for the ten albums is a bit out of the question of the moment (I’ll be starting anew this week with a couple of slightly overdue reviews), I’ll use this as an excuse to reignite the Pagoda Five feature for 2008 as well.

10. Desoto Jones - Aurora (Deep Elm) An up-and-coming post-emo group led by three brothers deals with tragedy in the form of having to bury their father during the time they were recording the album. One can only hear this and wonder what kind of an album Hawthorne Heights will deliver as the follow-up to If Only You Were Lonely once they kick Tony Brummel to the curb and finish mourning their fallen comrade Casey Calvert. (http://www.deepelm.com - available on limited edition CD and through iTunes and eMusic.)

9. Northern Liberties - Ghost Mind Electricity (Badmaster) Third album from the Philadelphia trio that discovered the fine line between Joy Division and the Misfits. Recorded at the legendary Inner Ear Studio in Virginia (home of 98% of the Dischord catalog) with its equally revered owner/engineer Don Zientara, its’ the trio’s most accomplished recording yet. (http://www.northernlibertiesband.com - available on CD)

8. Paramore - Riot! (Fueled By Ramen) The trolls at PunkNews.org that complain about this album not being punk enough or being terrible don’t know what they’re talking about. “Misery Business” and “crushcrushcrush” are only the tip of the iceberg on this group’s second album. (http://www.fueledbyramen.com, available on CD, limited edition vinyl and limited edition CD/MVI combo)

7. Koda Kumi - Black Cherry (Avex Trax). A concept album? Looks like one to me, even if that wasn’t Kumi’s intention. The only difference between this and Dark Side Of The Moon is that Ms. Koda didn’t have to fly to Pompeii to make the companion movie. (http://www.rhythmzone.net/koda, available on CD)

6. Tommy Heavenly6 - HeavyStarryHeavenly (DefSTAR). A stronger effort from Tomoko Kawase’s darker alter-ego than her eponymous 2006 release, and her best solo work since Tommy Airline. Earth calling Amy Lee: You’ve been out-gothed; turn in your piano and quit ripping off Tori Amos and your ex-bandmates. (http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Tommy/)

The top five of this list in about an hour…

From: Reina T.
To: CJ Marsicano
Subject: Did you get snowed under?

- Ceej

minimoniotaku: *pounce*
reina_t_1111: ^___^ Hehehe. Where you been since I last talked to you?
minimoniotaku: Bleh. The day job usually saps energy out of me during the holidays (or as Jello Biafra calls it, the “holidaze”). Been saving most of my energy for the novel, plus I just finished another short story.
reina_t_1111: Did you see that clip of the band with most of the former members joining in?
minimoniotaku: Yeah, that was great. That’s how they should do it when they bring H!P to the States.
reina_t_1111: Yeah, speaking of that, why don’t you expand on all the ideas you have for your “Morning Musume In America” campaign?
minimoniotaku: Already been thinking about that in the back of my mind.
reina_t_1111: You mean like expanding on each aspect of bringing the band and H!P overseas? Which label to sign to, how to market them, all that good shit?
minimoniotaku: Precisely.
reina_t_1111: What about a Best Albums Of 2007? I presume you’re thinking of that as well?
minimoniotaku: Yeah, and it’s a pain in the ass. I had to reach back in the back of my mind and think about more than ten candidates for the list.
reina_t_1111: I remember last year’s list of candidates. That was a long list.
minimoniotaku: This year’s list is a little shorter right now.
reina_t_1111: I’m not surprised. When are you going to start these?
minimoniotaku: Best Albums on the 20th (Mike Watt’s birthday), Morning Musume In America series sometime this week.
reina_t_1111: Cool. You’re going to have a busy holiday week, Ceej.
minimoniotaku: And a busier 2008, too.
reina_t_1111: So be it.