Georgie James's Favorites of 2007

John:
1. Las Palabras - Demos
Rafael from Supersystem's new thing -- sung in Spanish, just him and his amazing guitar playing. Not sure when this will come out, but it's great!

2. Antelope - Reflector
One of the best albums to come out of DC in a long time.

3. Chuck Brown - "Chuck Baby"
As far as Go-Go goes, I'm actually not a big fan of Chuck Brown. I know he's the Godfather and all, but I'm more of an RE/Junkyard guy. That said, this song is a great and it's pretty impressive that someone who's been around as long as Chuck Brown is still able to sound this fresh.

4. Axe Riverboy - "Roundabout"
Off Tutu To Tango, the new solo record from Tahiti 80's Xavier Boyer. Not too dissimilar from Tahiti 80 but fairly well stripped of the electronic touches that have started to dominate their albums. This song is the best of the lot.

5. Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - "The Unwanted Things"
This song is even better live, but the recorded version of this indie-rocksteady tune remains solid. Ted has a rich understanding and respect for rocksteady and Jamaican music, so this comes off as appreciation, not appropriation.

Laura:
1. The Republic Tigers - Demos
A friend of mine has a band that opened for The Republic Tigers somewhere out in the big US of A this past year and passed along their demos to me. They hardly sound like demos. They're pretty brilliant -- great melodies, inventive production. Last I heard they were still unsigned. This blows my mind. I think we'll be hearing a lot more of them in 2008.

Actually, I have great news for you, Laura. They've just recently signed to the new label Chop Shop - founded by Alex Patsavas, music supervisor for shows like Grey's Anatomy and The OC (RIP). We will most definitely be hearing more from these guys in '08.

2. Dr. Dog - We All Belong
By far one of my favourite new bands, and an amazing album from start to finish to boot. I love their Brian Wilson-ish arrangments and harmonies. A nod to the past, but still fresh.

3. Keren Ann - Keren Ann
Her last album was lovely, but this one is richer in a Velvet Undergound meets Phillip Glass kind of way. I like to see that she's stretching and trying new things, working her velvety voice around new, rawer instrumentation.

4. Richard Swift - Dressed Up For The Letdown
My heart breaks every time I listen to this album but in the best way possible. I'm blown away by the subtle things he does to upend the whole world. A single line, a little melody, a minor chord change, all these things quiet breaths that knock the whole house of cards flat.

5. The Clientele - God Save The Clientele
For some reason this was my definitive summer album, even though it works in quiet waves, more like the lush soundtrack for late fall or the bleak of the winter months. Not really a riot or a new perspective but still entirely gorgeous.

Georgie James on MySpsace
Georgie James on The Hype Machine