Countdown to 30: My Favorite Album From 2007

 2007

Obviously, we are right in the "difficult-to-choose" territory, so I'm going to launch right into my runner-up albums.

Mika's debut album Life in Cartoon Motion came out in 2007. Mika's concept for his first few albums was that they would represent different stages in his life. Cartoon Motion represents childhood. It uses falsetto heavily and is loaded with the most sugary pop songs you can imagine, beginning with "Grace Kelly," a response to a label asking him to change his style to be more commercial. My sisters and I each went through a phase in order of age, in which we absolutely loved Mika. For me, it started after my Canadian friend played "Grace Kelly" for me. I didn't know what to think of it at first, and then ended up playing it basically on repeat for months.

If you've been reading the articles up until now, or at least 2006, you'll know that this was the era for getting big on Myspace. Kate Nash was one of those lucky souls. Her first album, Made of Bricks was #1 in the U.K., but also made it to #36 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, #8 in the Top Alternative albums. I always compared Nash to Lily Allen at the time, but their music is quite different. The main thing they have in common is a refusal to hide their accents. At the time, Nash wrote songs about crushes, dysfunctional relationships, and identity, but also "Skeleton Song" which is a girl's letter to her own skeleton. At first glance, "Birds" is a folk ballad about love, but really it's about having difficulty putting romantic feeling into words. "Mariella" is an identity song at first, but then becomes a song about a character named Mariella who defies all social expectations. 

I discovered Nash thanks to my friend Zack and thought at the time that nothing Nash could do would top Made of Bricks.

Rooney's sophomore album, Calling the World came out in 2007. Producer John Fields gave the album a warm sound as the band began to explore more classic rock/pop sounds. The cover makes their classic rock roots obvious, acting as an homage to The Beatles Rubber Soul or The Doors debut album. Direct influences can be heard on several songs, such as an ELO-style backing vocal in the bridge of "Believe in Me." "What For" features a slide guitar part reminiscent of George Harrison (Harrison's son Dhani is actually on the album, but as backing vocals on "Calling the World") with rhythm guitar and a melody line similar to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The song "Are You Afraid?" seems to me to have elements of Toto as well as more backing vocals that sound like ELO. Between the solid production, fantastic guitar from Taylor Locke, and some peak songwriting from frontman Robert Schwartzman, Calling the World might be Rooney's strongest album.

Feist released her most commercially successful album, The Reminder. The Reminder reached #16 on the U.S. Billboard 200, #5 on the Alternative Albums charts. This album is less explorative than Let it Die, relying primarily on jazz with a sprinkling of pop. Leslie Feist's voice is truly showcased on tracks like the opener, "So Sorry." Feist's breakthrough hit was "1234," a song primarily written by Sally Seltmann. "1234" reached #8 in the U.S. and #4 in the digital sales charts. A big boost to listenership came from its inclusion in an iPod commercial. Admittedly, "1234" was my introduction to Feist, and is what inspired me to buy both Let it Die and The Reminder. "I Feel It All" received the most critical praise, but my favorite tracks on the album include the sparse "The Park," "My Moon, My Man," and "Brandy Alexander," the last of which was written with Ron Sexsmith. The tracks in-between all have merit also, Feist's voice elevating even the weakest songs.

Picking from the top two is really a chore, because they are two of my absolute favorite albums. I dearly love them both, and would make it a tie if I could. But, the arbitrary rules I've created for myself must remain strict.

During a period of emotional turmoil for both women, Tegan and Sara released their fifth studio album The Con in 2007. As a result of events in their personal lives, The Con is an incredibly emotional album. "Relief Next to Me" and "Back in Your Head" center around lovers growing emotionally distant from one another. Many of the tracks center on breakups in some way or another, with the final track, "Call It Off" describing a breakup the narrator isn't sure is for the best, but it seems inevitable.

The Con is produced by Chris Walla, who enlisted fellow Death Cab For Cutie member, Jason McGerr for drums. Matt Sharp (founding member of Weezer) plays bass on all of the songs written by Sara Quin, while Hunter Burgan of AFI plays bass on the songs written by Tegan Quinn. 

I first heard of Tegan and Sara when I accidentally ended up with a bunch of my friend Zack's music on my mp3 player. I ended up with "I Know I Know I Know" off of So Jealous, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Then I found out Tegan and Sara were going to be opening for Death Cab For Cutie at a concert I bought tickets for. It was basically my first concert, so I researched the opening act (City and Color was there too, but I didn't hear about him ahead of time). I purchased and listened to The Con front to back and knew it by heart by the time of the show. It was really great to hear them play the album live, and they have great rapport live. I was fortunate enough to catch their The Con X tour in 2017 as well. The Con will always have a piece of my heart.

However, 2007 was also the year Everybody Else released their debut album. Their name is drawn from The Kinks song "I'm Not Like Everybody Else." Frontman Carrick Moore Gerety was formerly in a power pop band called The Push Kings with his brother Finn in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Drummer Mikey McCormack had been in a Richmond, Virginia rock band called The Waking Hours. Both men moved to Los Angeles, hoping to find more success. Eventually, they teamed up with bassist and vocalist Austin James Williams III, creating the lineup on their self-titled debut, Everybody Else. 

Everybody Else is a fantastic power pop album in its own right. Lead single "Meat Market" kicks the album right, showing off the skills of each member. The album never really became a massive hit, so there aren't a lot of facts to pull from. I'm going to jump right into the personal element.

Way too cool for school in 2007.

I know I've mentioned the fanmix community a fair number of times, but this is from the other side of it. I got into Everybody Else from a Twilight fanmix, Fanmixes were a bit like the mixtapes of yore, but specifically centered around a certain piece of media or the relationships therein. I don't remember everything from the mix in question, but I remember that the two songs I discovered from it were "Must Have Done Something Right" by Relient K and "Meat Market." I am forever thankful to whoever created that fanmix, because that is probably the only way I would have discovered Everybody Else. I was totally hooked by "Meat Market." I wanted more. Online, you could find the cute black and white video for "Meat Market," an acoustic "Button For Punishment," and an animated video for "Rich Girls, Poor Girls." Their Myspace may have had more songs than that, but I just know that I went into my local F.Y.E. to special order Everybody Else. I wasn't disappointed in the slightest when it arrived. The cover art, designed by Moore Gerety is fabulous (even if it contains lots of nipples), and the packaging itself folds out to reveal the liner notes. Top to bottom, this is a solid album full of power pop. There are fast songs like the aforementioned "Meat Market" and "Rich Girls, Poor Girls" and slower songs like the aforementioned "Button For Punishment" and "Alone in the World" but they all have a place on the album.

Everybody Else opened for Rooney on one tour. One of my greatest regrets from high school is not finding a way to go see them. Most nights, the bands closed the show on stage together with a cover of "Helter Skelter." I think missing that show contributed largely to my research of opening acts in the years that came after. Hey, I mean, without missing that show, I may never have gotten into 2005 album-from-the-year act Tally Hall.

When I listen to this album again, I still enjoy every track. Carrick Moore Gerety's voice is an absolute treat and the melodies are fun to sing along with. I think everyone should hear this album. but at the very least you should check it out if you're a fan of power pop or even pop punk.

Let's see what it looks like on that leaderboard!

Join me tomorrow for my favorite album from 2008.

Following in the Footsteps: Queen

What's that? Another new article series? You betcha. "Following in the Footsteps" explores the songs of bands or artists who seem to be carrying the torch lit by a previous band or artist. It's yet another type of playlist featured on One-Mind Tracks (the radio show, not the article series), and you can catch this playlist tonight at 7pm on 97.5 WDIF or streaming online. If you're outside of the timeframe though, let me tell you what you missed.

"Grace Kelly" by Mika
Early on in his career, Mika's voice was often compared to Freddie Mercury, to the point that he ended up referencing the comparison in "Grace Kelly," which definitely has some Queen aires. He wrote this piece about his annoyance with the music industry and their insistence that he change to sell records better, but he also wrote a track about his love of larger ladies entitled "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)." Does that sound like a familiar concept maybe?

"Old Bike" by Rob Cantor
Not that we're just talking about people whose songs deal with similar ideas to those found in Queen songs (although I did toss that idea around for a bit). Rob Cantor's alma mater band Tally Hall often saw comparisons to Queen as well, but you can't deny the similarities in this glammy track with vocal harmonies in just the right places. If you're doubting the comparison, just hold out for the bridge.

"I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness
How about a band that wants to be Queen so bad that they hired Rufus Taylor, the son of Queen's drummer Roger Taylor as their new drummer? Kind of like the way The Who wanted to be The Beatles and so they got Zak Starkey for the touring band (I'm joking of course). But seriously, The Darkness has frequently been compared to Queen, and it's not hard to see why. Or...hear why. Either really.

"Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance
Yeah, I know, it's not 2006 anymore. And I'm sure most people got burnt out on this song so much that they don't want to hear it or think of it as music anymore, and the other half of people are being reminded of the embarrassing era in which they shopped exclusively at Hot Topic and dyed their hair black, but this song is still pretty solid. And it's definitely got some Queen vibes going on, so just deal with it.

"At Least I'm Not as Sad (As I Used to Be)" by fun.
One thing to remember about Queen is that they weren't all arena sound. fun. totally could be, but they also have that other quality that made Queen rad; namely "fun" (even when they're a little melancholic). See also: the acapella intro and vocal harmonies in "Some Nights."

"Starlight" by Muse
I know Muse kind of shot themselves in the foot when they got attached to the Twilight series, but they still have a certain polished glam rock feeling to them. It's like a glam-rocker that wears a button-up coat with a scarf covering any troublesome neck that might otherwise show. You can hear a little heterosexual Freddie in there for sure.

"Brighter Day" by Jellyfish
Jellyfish have a wide range of influences from all over the musical map, and they blend it all up into their own thing. "Brighter Day" is definitely their most Queen-esque track. Although if you're looking to find the lovechild of Queen and The Beach Boys, look no further than "Sebrina, Paste, and Plato."

"Stuck on the Girl" by Young Beautiful In a Hurry
Young Beautiful in a Hurry is a band completely unashamed of the influence Queen has had on them. Lead singer Brendan McCreary has even performed as Freddie Mercury in a Queen tribute show (The Show Must Go On). To find out more, check out the interview I did with him here.

"Unstoppable" by Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam are honestly probably the closest match on this list. Upbeat lyrics with an arena sound? Check. Lead singer unafraid of running around in tight pants? Also check.

These tracks can all be found below:

Know some more Queen-esque tracks? Leave a comment!

Separated at Birth: 3 Music Videos That Could Have Been Shot on the Same Set

No More Blood From a Clone has been around for a while now, but it's been a minute since we introduced a new series of articles. So today, I bring you the first installment of "Separated at Birth," in which we explore multiple music-related things that are seemingly unrelated, but share some family traits.

First up, the following are three music videos that (and I'm sure they aren't alone) have a similar nature feel and artistic direction.

In 1985, the somewhat obscure but well-respected group Talk Talk released the video for their song "Life's What You Make It." The video was filmed at the Wimbledon Common and directed by Tim Pope (famous for his work with The Cure). 

Now, in case you're unfamiliar with the work of Talk Talk, let me just tell you, videos were not lead singer Mark Hollis's favorite thing. Their original video for "It's My Life," also directed by Pope, was a protest against lip-synching. But for this video, the band obviously did more to embrace the medium, making "Life's What You Make It" the band's strongest music video.

Perhaps that's why, in 2009, the video had an affair with Spike Jonze's rendition of Where the Wild Things Are, and gave birth to Mika's "Rain" video.

The song itself was described my Mika as "an unapologetic '80s pop record," making it a stone's throw away from the sound Talk Talk were in the process of leaving when "Life's What You Make It" was released. The video, directed by Nez Khammal was filmed in the Epping Forest in Essex, but I think it could have easily shared the set with it's half-brother (providing Wimbledon Common even looked the same by 2009).

Just a year later, a brother much more closely related to "Life's What You Make It" was born, in the form of Jamie Woon's "Night Air."

"Night Air"'s video is very similar in artistic direction to the Talk Talk single, complete with close-ups of the creatures crawling in the night.

While there is seemingly no other link between these three songs, I think the videos are a crazy connection. Stay tuned for more musical artifacts that were separated at birth.

One-Mind Tracks: The Music Industry

It's no secret that there's as much politics to the music industry as there is to the government. Frequently, artists end up expressing their annoyance at the bastardization of the good art in the form of a song. Most times, the record executives don't even notice.

The Fear by Lily Allen
Lily examines the ugly lust for fame many people have, along with the idea that we are all conditioned toward the rich and sleazy archetype.

So You Want To Be a Rock 'N' Roll Star by The Byrds
The Byrds delivered this wonderful how-to song in 1967, during the hey-day of five-minute fame.

Frankly, Mr. Shankly by The Smiths
The sickening side to a life as a rock and roller is outlined. "Mr. Shankly" is also rumored to be Geoff Travis, the head of Rough Trade Records.

The Compromise by The Format
The Format used this song to express their anger at record labels. Elektra, the record label for their first album, failed to give it any kind of marketing or promotion. Elektra was bought out by Warner Music Group shortly after the release of their first album, meaning they ended up releasing Dog Problems on their own label.

The Moneygoround by The Kinks
All of Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One is about various parts of the music industry, including the people that populate it. This is by far the most cynical song on the album, discussing how everyone connected to the business side of music, despite their level of involvement, divides the majority of the money up, with very little reaching the artist.

You and I by The Monkees
Davy Jones and Bill Chadwick wrote this tune about the temporal nature of fame. It was written and performed near the end of The Monkees' career, after Peter Tork had already left the group.

Blood From a Clone by George Harrison
The song that gives this blog its name was written in direct response to Warner music rejecting Harrison's first version of Somewhere In England. Mo Ostin told him it "contained no hits," implying that Harrison was out-of-touch with the world of modern music saleability. Hence, in the re-do of the album, Harrison created this rant-filled opener with a ska beat and off-beat drums*, making a statement in the song that anyone can produce a soulless hit, but that doesn't make it good. Harrison was strongly opposed to the formulaic process executives wanted to apply to music and I think this song does a perfect job wording his concerns.

It's Still Rock and Roll To Me by Billy Joel
Like Harrison, Joel was asked to change to appeal to larger audiences. He responded with this uncharacteristically poppy tune with a new wave sound, arguing that music is still music no matter what the singer looks and dresses like.

Grace Kelly by Mika
A record executive reportedly asked Mika to be more like Craig David and change his sound to better fit the pop music arena. Mika was angered, and wrote this song in response, implying that he could try to be anyone to win approval but he's not willing to do that and lose himself.

Pork and Beans by Weezer
Geffen asked Rivers Cuomo to produce more commercial work, which angered him into writing a song about how he was going to do whatever he wants to do. Ironically, the song was quite a commercial success, getting great reviews and debuting at number 19 on the Billboard modern rock chart. But I think by now, the world is aware that Weezer really do only what they want to do, with complete disregard of approval from record companies, radio DJs or their fans.

Only a Northern Song by The Beatles
George Harrison has always been fairly cynical about the music industry. This song was a denouncement of The Beatles as a group and of Northern Songs, Ltd., the publishing company that all Beatles songs belonged to. Northern Songs was started by Dick James, Brian Epstein, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon, but after Epstein's death, James sold his shares to ATV, resulting in The Beatles no longer owning their own songs: even the ones that had yet to be written. Harrison had begun to feel fairly meaningless in the music creation process.

Ditty Diego (War Chant) by The Monkees
Written by Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson, this track from Head is about the lack of freedom The Monkees had, not only from their producers and from their TV show, but from their image and the position they developed in society. I'm not sure whether it's fitting or sad that they didn't get to write this song.


Radio Radio by Elvis Costello & The Attractions
Costello wrote this song as a protest about the way radio was run. Costello was angered by the fact that radio was so commercialized and that broadcasts were essentially owned by record studios and larger radio corporations which decided which songs were to be played. On a 1977 Saturday Night Live appearance, the band were pressured by their record company to play "Less Than Zero" instead of this, a more recent song. A few seconds into the song, Costello made the band stop and they started over with "Radio Radio," a song Costello also felt was more relevant to American audiences. The song change did not go over well, and in fact resulted in a twelve year ban from the show for Costello and co.

Panic by The Smiths
Morrissey and Johnny Marr were listening to BBC Radio One when they learned about the Chernobyl disaster. The presenter moved on immediately from the news report to "I'm Your Man" by Wham!, juxtaposing disaster and whimsical pop songs with no apology.

Hey, Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had a Deal by They Might Be Giants
As usual, They Might Be Giants use lyrics and music that sound slightly insane to get their point across.


Got any more? I'd love to hear them!



*These facts come from While My Guitar Gently Weeps: The Music of George Harrison by Simon Leng.