+ 2007 in review

favourites:

* Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
* The Sea and Cake - Everybody
* Thee More Shallows - Book of Bad Breaks
* Kid Cornered - self-titled
* Aleks and the Ramps - Pisces vs Aquarius
* Bachelorette - Isolation Loops
* Mice Parade - self-titled
* Fridge - The Sun
* By The Fireside - The Great Hartford Fire
* Múm - Go Go Smear the Poison Ivy
* Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
* Rand and Holland - Caravans
* The Tigers - Beautiful Forest
* Lymbyc Systym - Love Your Abuser

Honourable mentions:
* xoxo, panda - The New Kid Revival
* Akron/Family - Love is Simple
* Tuung - Good Arrows
* Odd Nosdam - Level Live Wires
* Apostle of Hustle - National Anthem of Nowhere
* The Go Find - Stars on the Wall

disappointments (ie i like yr old stuff better than yr new stuff):
pinback
arcade fire
band of horses (sort of, for the most part of good, but some duds)
okkervil river
machine translations
sun

overrated:
radiohead
animal collective
jens lekman

I went to see a lot of bands this year. some of the most memorable though:
* Founder, Midget @ Cad Factory
* Mice Parade @ Bottom of the Hill, SF
* Dan Kelly and the Alpha Males (Alpha Males farewell show) @ Northcote Social Club
* Lymbyc Systym, Boy in Static @ O'Nest, Tokyo
* Apples in Stereo @ Summerstage, NY
* Deloris, Charge Group @ Spectrum
* Tigers, Tucker Bs @ Hopetoun
* Adam Said Galore, Tucker Bs @ Hopetoun
* The Woods Themselves @ the Sando
* actually The Woods Themselves at any venue I've seen them in
* Aleks and the Ramps @ 303
* Kid Cornered, Joel Silbersher @ Last Bastion
* Aleks and the Ramps, El Mopa, Single Twin, Matt McBeath @ Edinburgh Castle
* The Evens @ Glebe Town Hall
* Aleks and the Ramps @ 2SER, live on Tape Relay
* Aktion Unit @ house show in Thornbury
* Bachelorette, Underlapper @ Ruby Rabbit (RR gets my vote though for worst venue in sydney EVER)
* Calexico @ The Basement

i've had the pleasure of listening to some amazing demo records last year too, and if they're anything to go by, the quality of 08 releases will be outstanding. look out for afxjim, single twin, the woods themselves and matt mcbeath.

post-edit 29.2.08: actually i didn't get around to really listening to the Of Montreal cd until recently but it pretty much goes to the top of the list as of today. yeh it's that good.