EASE DOWN THE ROAD

Last week’s edition of Ease Down the Road listed some of what we believe to be the year’s most memorable songs, the problem being that we only had space for about 1,300 words – hardly enough to even begin to cover the year’s finest offerings. This week, as promised, we’re flipping our geeky mixtape to Side B, in doing so, offering more of our many favorite songs from 2007.

Teaser Geek’s Geek Tape: 2007 (thru October): Side B

“Hate It Here” from Wilco’s eighth studio album, Sky Blue Sky, a hands-down favorite in the whatzup office this year. Oddly, this very straight-ahead pop/rock album caused quite a bit of controversy amongst Wilco fans. Some called it “boring” or “too-slow” or even “adult contemporary,” others didn’t hesitate to call it “masterful” or “classic” after only a few listens. While I personally don’t like it as much as their last few (a little too by-the-books for me), I do consider it one of the year’s most impressive recordings. It’s sharp, it features some of the best players you’re going to find and, of course, most of the songs feature arrangements and lyrics that warrant the word “classic.” It’ll be interesting to see how this album does come year-end list time.

“Race: In” from Battles’ first LP, Mirrored. Speaking of amazing arrangements, this song (along with most of Radiohead’s In Rainbows) is easily one of the year’s finest in that aspect. After a slew of bewildering experimental EPs, this math rock-minded supergroup has finally put together an album, and – as anyone who heard their many EPs would expect – it’s a doozy. Where most side projects have a tossed-off or indulgent aesthetic to them, Mirrored is a fully-baked 11-track album that takes months, literally, to fully dissect and appreciate.

“Fake Empire” by The National from their fourth album, Boxer. In classic The National fashion, this album’s appeal grows exponentially every few listens. As much as I hate to pick the single, “Fake Empire” – with its awkward piano, muted horns and better-than-Interpol vocals – it’s too good to overlook; but, really, you could say that about most of Boxer’s songs.

“No Pussy Blues” from Grinderman’s eponymous debut album. When Nick Cave and the Bad Seed boys convene in the studio these days, things are usually pretty planned out. Such is not the case with their latest project, Grinderman, which sees the weathered players ripping through 11 edgy art-rockers that come off as a brainier, less metal classic-era Iggy and the Stooges. That said, there’s plenty of hootin’, hollerin’, screamin’ and explodin’, especially on “No Pussy Blues.” Cave’s best work in over a decade.

“North American Scum” from LCD Soundsystem’s sophomore album, Sound of Silver. Nasally vocals, dance beats and irony-fueled lyrics amount to a song that more or less epitomizes the way most young Americans feel these days when talking to non-Americans about their country. In classic LCD fashion, the song also points out some of the finer aspects of U.S. culture (mainly that we’re a rock n’ roll-friendly country that breeds some of the best bands in the world) and squeezes in the word “party” as many times as possible. “You see I love this place that I’ve grown to know / And yeah I know you wouldn’t touch us with a 10-foot pole / Cause we’re North American Scum!” sings James “LCD” Murphy on one of the best tracks from one of the year’s best albums.

“Everybody Knows” and “The Sun Also Sets,” both by Ryan Adams from his ninth properly released album, Easy Tiger. Similar to Wilco, Adams played it pretty straight in 2007, the difference being that he can crank out 13-15 new songs as good as anything without hardly trying (it takes Wilco months, even years to record an album). Both songs mentioned here are heartbreakin’ pop songs wrung through Adams’ rot-gut country processor. They’re catchy, memorable and about as easy to like as anything Adams has ever done. That, and the vocals on Easy Tiger had many a critic hailing Adams’ voice as the best in the business. No argument here, dude can wail.

“The Pelican” from Menomena’s Friend and Foe LP. Easily one of the year’s surprise hit albums (both with critics and fans, no less), Friend and Foe is the rare album that sounds genuinely unique without being outlandish or downright peculiar. The writing and playing isn’t really that different than anything else in the pseudo-hard, edgy art-rock genre, but right when Menomena make you think up, they head down. Look right and they’ll turn left. “The Pelican” (and Friend and Foe in general) just might be the freshest sounding thing all year.

“Finer Feelings” from Spoon’s sixth and best album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. For year’s I’ve heard people talk about “growing” with a band, but never really understood it. Then Ga5 came out, and it all made sense. Named after a Can song, Spoon’s initial impressions of Pavement, Guided by Voices and Wire were every bit as good as the real thing, but not until they seemed to hint at finding their own sound on 2005’s Gimme Fiction did they really seem like a “great” band. Ga5 is a lean, catchy, smart album that presents the best version of Spoon yet, and “Finer Feelings” – not to mention “The Underdog,” “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” and “Black Like Me” – is one of the year’s very best indie rock songs. Scratch that, one of the year’s very best songs, period.

“Intervention” and “(Antichrist Television Blues)” from the Arcade Fire’s second opus, Neon Bible. Along with Radiohead’s In Rainbows, Neon Bible is a safe bet for end-of-the-year list accolades. Speaking of Radiohead, the scope and ambition behind Neon Bible is reminiscent of OK Computer and Kid A. Really, though, the Arcade Fire thus far would be best described as a more literate version of The Cure, circa their brooding, pseudo-progressive trilogy days.

The B-Sides (or songs that have Ease running to the store to buy another tape):

“Australia” and “Phantom Limb” from The Shins’ Wincing the Night Away; “You’ll Be Comin’ Down” and “Terry’s Song” from Bruce Springsteen’s Magic; “The General Specific” from Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin; “Imitosis” from Andrew Bird’s Armchair Apocrypha; any given track from Josh Ritter’s amazing fourth proper album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter; “Ordinary People” from Neil Young’s surprisingly good Chrome Dreams II; “Grow Grow Grow” from PJ Harvey’s dark and mellow White Chalk; “Jesus Saves, I Spend” from St. Vincent’s Marry Me; “Fri/End” from Thurston Moore’s Trees Outside the Academy; “Four Winds” From Bright Eyes’ Cassadaga; anything from Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse; “Don’t Let Him Waste Your Time” from Jarvis Cocker’s Jarvis; “Underwater (You and Me)” from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s underrated Some Loud Thunder; and pretty much everything from Low’s Drums and Guns, which plays through like a true classic. (Note: These songs are pretty much all just as good as the aforementioned ones; we just simply ran out of room.) Stay tuned for full end-of-the-year coverage.