2007 Top 10 Lists (staff): Mac McCaughan

Mac McCaughan (Merge co-owner/Portastatic/Superchunk)


Been fretting over Top 10s of late...a lot of great stuff came out this year and I don't think I can get it down to 10! And as usual I'm including no Merge releases, which I naturally listened to more than anything else...so without too much analyzing, these kept making their way back into the player over and over this year:

Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
Feist - The Reminder
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
New Pornographers - Challengers
Bill Callahan - Woke On a Whaleheart
Shins - Wincing the Night Away
The National - Boxer
Bruce Springsteen - Magic
Robert Wyatt - Comicopera
Okkervil River - The Stage Names

and all tied for #11...:
Tracey Thorn - Out of the Woods
Bishop Allen - The Broken String
Caetano Veloso - Ce
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
Robert Plant / Allison Krauss - Raising Sand
Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
Loney Dear - Loney Noir
Majik Markers - Boss
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

Man o' man like I said too much great stuff to narrow it down! And surpsingly "indie" when I look at it now -- a great year for indie rock whatever that means, and i think you do. People complained about the Feist Apple ad -- they watch too much TV, and 1234 wasn't nearly the best song on there. Panda Bear took me by surprise as I've never been absorbed into the Animal Collective's clutches really. Tracey Thorn's record is so good and without deserved fanfare. I'm still not sure if I'm spelling Loney Dear correctly.

Not mentioned here were some amazing reissues as well: Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall, Young Marble Giants Colossal Youth, and the Betty Davis reissues come to mind. Sonic Youth reissued Daydream Nation live on stage.

Records I couldn't catch up with long enough to get to know but that I probably will love soon include the Fiery Furnaces - Widow City, Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger, Battles, and maybe even that Radiohead record...it's on my computer somewhere....

Here's hoping 2008 is as plentiful.