Fuzzy Lion

It was very hard for me to compile a list of only 20 albums for this year’s “best of” list and there were some really strong records which didn’t make the cut. For example, Jimmy Eat World’s Chase This Light was a very solid offering, as was Elk City’s New Believers and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Some Loud Thunder. While I do like (not love) Radiohead’s In Rainbows, I do give the band a lot of props for trying to shake up the music industry with their “pay what you want” plan.

All that being said, I present to you my Top 20 Albums of 2007. As usual, if you like what you hear, buy the music and support the artists, or go see them live and buy their merch!

Fuzzy Lion’s Top 20 Albums of 2007

	20. The Snake The Cross The Crown – Cotton Teeth Best Tracks: “Gypsy Melodies” “Cake Walk” / “Behold the River”
	19. Shout Out Louds – Our Ill Wills Best Tracks: “Normandie” “Tonight I Have To Leave It” / “South America”
	18. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger Best Tracks: “Pearls On a String” “Two” / “Halloweenhead”
	17. Rilo Kiley – Under the Blacklight Best Tracks: “Silver Lining” “Under the Blacklight” / “Breakin’ Up”
	16. Minipop – A New Hope Best Tracks: “Like I Do” “Butterflies” / “Someone To Love”
	15. Mika – Life In Cartoon Motion Best Tracks: “Lollipop” “Love Today” / “Any Other World”
	14. Matt Pond PA – Last Light Best Tracks: “Sunlight” “Last Light” / “Until the East Coast Ends”
	13. Jeremy Enigk – The Missing Link Best Tracks: “Tatseo Show” “Chewing Gum” / “Oh John”
	12. Patty Grifin – Children Running Through Best Tracks: “Heavenly Day” “No Bad News” / “I’m Getting Ready”
	11. Stars – In Our Bedroom After the War Best Tracks: “Take Me to the Riot” “The Night Starts Here” / “Today Will Be Better, I Swear!”
	10. Kate Nash – Made of Bricks Best Tracks: “Birds” “Foundations” / “Pumpkin Soup”
	9. Travis – The Boy With No Name Best Tracks: “Closer” “Big Chair” / “Selfish Jean”
	8. New Pornographers – Challengers Best Tracks: “Myriad Harbour” “My Rights Versus Yours” / “Challengers”
	7. Okkervil River – The Stage Names Best Tracks: “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe” “Savannah Smiles” / “A Girl In Port”
	6. Young Galaxy – Young Galaxy Best Tracks: “Embers” “The Sun’s Coming Up and My Plane’s Going Down” / “Outside the City”
	5. Band of Horses – Cease To Begin Best Tracks: “No One’s Gonna Love You” “Is There a Ghost” / “Ode to LRC”
	4. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible Best Tracks: “Intervention” “Black Mirror” / “Keep the Car Running”
	3. The National – Boxer Best Tracks: “Apartment Story” “Fake Empire” / “Start a War”
	2. Pela – Anytown Graffiti Best Tracks: “Song Writes Itself” “Waiting On the Stairs” / “Lost to the Lonesome”
	1. The Smashing Pumpkins – Zeitgeist Best Tracks: “(Come On) Let’s Go” “Pomp and Circumstances” / “Zeitgeist”

Zeitgeist takes the #1 spot of the year for me not just because it’s a Smashing Pumpkins record, but because it’s the record I wanted the band to make for a long time. Corgan and Chamberlin went back to their rock roots and created an album that schools all mainstream wanna-be rockers how it’s done.

Pela and The National round out my #2 and #3 spots. Pela’s Anytown Graffiti is a work of art from start to finish. The National’s Boxer proved to everyone that the hype surrounding Alligator was no fluke and it’s possible for a band to experiment and grow without abandoning their roots.

Please feel free to post your best-of lists in the comments or links to your own blogs, as I always love to see what the readers opinions are.

Color me excited. On October 23rd, Ryan Adams will release an EP called Follow the Lights. The EP will include the songs “My Love For You is Reeal” and “Follow the Lights,” both of which will be “featured prominently in this fall’s season of the ABC primetime dramm ‘October Road.’” The EP also includes a cover of Alice In Chains’ “Down in a Hole.”

Full Tracklist

1. Follow The Lights (new song)

2. My Love For You Is Real (new song)

3. Blue Hotel (first official release, recorded live in studio)

4. Dear John (live in studio)

5. This Is It (Cardinals version, live in studio)

6. Down In A Hole (Alice In Chains cover, live in studio)

7. If I Am A Stranger (live in studio)

As if the warm weather, trips to the beach and scantily-clad women weren’t enough reasons to make Summer seem so far away, the annoucnement of two albumsthis week are making the wait even longer.

The National will release “Boxer” on May 22nd (I know, not officially Summer, but still…), and Ryan Adams will release “Easy Tiger” on June 5th.

It’s really hard to believe that “Easy Tiger” will be Ryan’s NINTH album.

Happy Halloween Fuzzy Lion readers. To help celebrate this glorious holiday, here are a few wonderful songs to help celebrate this day, aptly named “Halloween.”

“Halloween” - Ryan Adams

“Halloween” - Matt Pond PA

“Halloween” - Dave Matthews Band

“Halloween” - Stephen Lynch

Ryan Adams is streaming a new track called “France” on his website. Check it out here.

Anyone that’s seen Ryan Adams live, especially back about 4 or 5 years ago, can tell you that he’s very pretentious in concert. His acoustic shows became infamous for drunken ramblings that lasted longer than the songs he played.

The same can be said for Ryan’s show back in November of 2000 in Bristol, England. Luckily, I’m here to filter all the nonsense ramblings out and deliver a beautiful, acoustic, soundboard recording for you. There are some nice rare gems on this set as well as an amazing version of “My Winding Wheel.”

Tracklist:
Chin up, cheer Up
To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)
Oh My Sweet Carolina
Just Like a Whore
Damn Sam (I Love a Woman That Rains)
What Sin Replaces Love
Call Me On Your Way Back Home
That’s No Way to Get Along
Amy
Idiots Rule the World
God Bless
Like the Twilight
My Winding Wheel
Don’t Ask For the Water
To Be the One
Firecracker
Wonderwall

Download this must-hear set here.

In the Spring of 2001, Ryan Adams went into record three songs with Eric “Roscoe” Ambel at Cowboy Technical Services in New York, NY. The three songs recorded were “Ghost,” “My Love For You is Real,” and “Liar.”

“Ghost” is one of my all-time favorite Ryan Adams songs. Download the Cowboy Technical Services Sessions here and experience first-hand one of the best RA gems out there.

Moroccan Role is pointing people to a studio version of the title track from Ryan Adams’ forthcoming album “29.” Head on over and have a listen.

Scenestars is streaming Ryan Adams & The Cardinals Jacksonville City Nights in its entirety here. Simply click on the picture of Rachel’s head and choose “radio.”

On first listen, it’s much more country than Cold Roses and is summed up by Rachel best when she says:

Because
this record can hardly be called anything less than straight-forward
country, I predict it will be hard for it to find a place on radio.
Country stations won’t play it because Adam’s lacks the country boy “Aw
Shucks, M’am” demeanor. He’s been very open about his drug use and has
a habit of falling off stages and canceling shows. Rock stations won’t
play this record, cause well, it isn’t rock. It’s sad that a country
album done so well will have such a hard time finding an audience
outside of Adam’s diehard fanbase.

Regardless of its commercial success, Ryan continues to exercise the artistic freedom allowed to him by Lost Highway with Jacksonville City Nights and fans of Heartbreaker and Cold Roses will surely be listening to this record for years to come.

Pre-order Jacksonville City Nights here.

For those of you who can’t get enough Ryan Adams today, new album details have been revealed. Jacksonville City Nights, his second release this year after Cold Roses will hit the stores on September 26. The tracklist is as follows:

• A Kiss Before I Go
• The End
• What Sin Replaces Love
• Hard Way To Fall
• Dear John
• The Hardest Part
• Games
• Silver Bullets
• Peaceful Valley
• September
• My Heart Is Broken
• Trains
• Pa
• Withering Heights
• Don’t Fail Me Now