Sculpture Magazine

     If I was Jo Whiley, a woman who knows approximately as much about music as Paris Hilton does about particle physics, I would begin this article by telling you "what a truly stellar - and/or stunning - year it's been for music". Fortunately I am no slave to the music industry and could give a fuck if people stop sucking the shit that it excretes with intoxicating consistency. It also helps that I consider myself to be blessed with sensibilities marginally more than those of a root vegetable whereas Cruella de Whiley's lie somewhere beneath the topsoil. 
     That's not to say that this year has been significantly worse than any other, merely that it seems more or less what we expected it to be. Much as the cinematic events were all three-quels, musically 2007 seems to have been dominated by "awkward" second or third albums from artists that set the world on fire with their debuts. 
     Amy Winehouse, The Arcade Fire, MIA and LCD Soundsystem have all proved that it wasn’t a fluke first time round. While the former of these has become the tabloids' 'troubled star' of choice she has been making some astute artistic decisions Was it really less than a year ago that I was wondering where Amy Winehouse was? Be careful what you wish for eh? 
     The world of live music seems to have been on the up again this year, with revenues rocketing and the big promoters grinning all the way to their lear jets. Thanks to a ridiculous number of old farts reforming (as well as those god-awful Live8 and Diana concerts) 2007 has been dominated by the big gigs and super-size venues. As a rule these things should not be encouraged but they've definitely gotten people back in the habit of going to gigs and there's been substantial trickle-down benefiting the smaller bands and promoters too. There’s nothing quite like the experience of live music and as a wise man once said to me: 'this is where music breathes and lives'. Actually it was Greg from Delays but he's pretty fuckin' wise.
     The most significant event of the year in music was however, unquestionably, Radiohead’s decision to give their album away on the internet for free, or whatever you thought it was worth. Which leads me neatly onto my main top for discussion... 
     Last year I contemplated the death of the album as musical form, today it seems to be the record company for whom the bell may toll. It seems that the costs of recording and releasing a record have fallen so low that artists’ no longer need the infrastructure and support that accompanies a major label contract. So is Rolf Schmidt-Holtz quaking in his boots? Perhaps not him but I suspect a number of his employees may be checking the job vacancies with increasing.  
     Popbitch recently reported the rumour that one out of every three major label employees will begin claiming benefits in 2008. I reported this to a good friend who happens to be the manager of an on-the-up independent record label. His reaction was, to put it mildly, gleeful. I imagine it'll be much like the '80s but rather than miners and dockworkers it'll be cunts wearing Chuck Taylors and skinny jeans clogging the dole queue. Instead of turning my lights of as an act of solidarity - as I recall my parents doing - I intend to have an illegal downloads marathon, as well as a self-satisfied spending spree at One Inch Badge Records, as a way of patting myself on the back.  
     Radiohead may have demonstrated that it's possible to self-finance an album from start to finish, release it on a "pay what you want" basis and still (possibly) make more profit per album than they will have done with any of their previous records. A Radiohead album is always going to draw attention but by being first to do things this way they guaranteed that they would make the news and reduce marketing costs to zero. What Radiohead did cannot and will not be repeated, not in the same way or to the same level of success. In Rainbows is a one-off record and Radiohead are truly a once in a lifetime band. 
     The changes currently shaking the music industry could and should fuel an undergraduate, if not post-graduate, thesis. I hope someone is writing one because there’s just not enough room here to cover the subject in any great depth. We can only hypothesise about the future: are the moguls losing their grip on the power? Is the distinction between indie labels and the majors blurring? Are indie labels fighting back? The way music is bought and sold is as fragile and uncertain as it has always been but that is business; all that should really matter is the pleasure we get from listening to amazing music: music that catches us off-guard, stimulates our synapses like no organic or chemical intoxicant ever could and takes us to places we didn't believe existed. 
     What matters most is there will always be bands and musicians dedicated to producing that kind of music, there will always be producers and promoters eager to share it with the world and we at Subculture will continue to help you find it. 
     Here are our picks of 2007.

• Foo Fighters Echoes Silence Patience & Grace
  RCA

  Some bands take age's in-between albums to get more material out there. Dave Grohl and his merry band, after a double album 18 months ago, have already got together another long player to assist them continue to play arena tours. And to put it succinctly, it rocked out like most arena rockers have forgotten to do these days. Mixing up the acoustic and rock sides of his character, it's really the louder aspects of their oeuvre which impressed here, with "The Pretender" managing to be one of the singles of the year, and "Let it Die" seemingly tailor made to be sung along to their forthcoming Wembley Stadium gigs. Moe of the same goodness from Dave Grohl, and the year is better for it. (Zahid) 

  • Foo Fighters Web site
• Radiohead In Rainbows
  XL

  Little needs to be said about the strange circumstances that surrounded the release of this record, the discussion of which have, at times, overshadowed the music itself.  And this is a terrible thing because In Rainbows is the leanest record that they've released in ages. It features some of the most laidback and natural sounding tracks they've ever made, and, in some ways, is up there with the best stuff they've ever done.  In a recent interview Thom Yorke called it a 'seduction' album; and with lines like 'I don't wanna be your friend, I just wanna be your lover' from "House of Cards" you can see where he's coming from.  Best of all, Yorke's voice has been pushed back into the foreground, and on "Videotape" it aches beautifully in a way that reminds you just how spectacular a talent he is.     

  This album is the sound of a band with nothing left to prove but still producing remarkable and emotive music. (Scott)

  • Radiohead Web site
• Kings of Leon Because of the Times
  RCA

  Not really being a fan of the Followill's previous two albums or live shows, this album came to be the surprise of the year in terms of quality. Being tighter, more musically adventurous and displaying less irritating vocal tics which hampered their previous recordings, this is the album which they had always had the potential to make. Opening up with a near eight minute epic in "Knocked Up", the highlight of the album, they set their stall from the beginning. It's a mixture of the long, Credence Clearwater stuff, and the 3 minute bang alongs, which work even better mixed in between, such as the weird, Pixiesh "Charmer". Third time lucky here, and proof positive to give bands a second chance. (Zahid) 

  • Kings of Leon Web site
• Arcade Fire Neon Bible
  Merge

  Sophomore albums are notoriously a losing bet. Especially if the band's debut was a critical darling, being lauded as one of the best debuts in a decade, the way Funeral had been for Arcade Fire. The excitement over the band's release of Neon Bible had reached almost a fever pitch even before a single track was released. Music geeks in the blogosphere were debating its merits with the intensity of the Supreme Justices. Amazingly, what Arcade Fire produced was in many ways superior to their debut. Yes, it was more restrained, but it was also complete with war concepts, more his-and-her songs, and a stronger-if-not-tempered approach to their heavy orchestration. If Funeral is the uncontrolled angst of adolescence, than Neon Bible is the wiser resignation of adulthood. (Vivien)

  For one band to produce one seminal album is considered more than enough in a career. For a band to two it twice with two consecutive albums could be considered overkill. Yet, that’s the situation these Canadians are now in, and the have coped admirably, producing a wonderful, uplifting set of songs from the safety of their own studio in a church. From the punchy "Intervention", to the moving "Body is a cage", and moving onto the euphoric re-recorded EP track "No Cars Go", this is an album without a bad track on it. The album in the list most likely to be citied as an influence ten years from now, now watch out for the imitators. (Zahid)

   

  • Arcade Fire Web site
• The National Boxer
  Beggars Banquet

  The National released their fourth album this year, and refined their musical template to produce one of Indie nation's best ones of the year. Coming across like a more red wine soaked, American version of the Tindersticks, this album is almost luxurious, with long winded but never boring love songs in a political framework. "Start a War" and "Mistaken for Strangers" are among the most moving tracks of the year, with Aaron and Bryce Dessner obviously putting a lot of their own emotions and passions into it. Although still not quite as brilliant as their previous Alligator, this is still great, and easily among the better albums of 2007.  (Zahid)

  • The National Web site
• Super Furry Animals Hey Venus!
  Rough Trade

  The Super Furry's had a lot to prove with this, their first Post Sony album. Without the pressures of a major label, they could have gone into a more indie and experimental mindset. Instead, they decided to go more pop, with great effect. Starting of with the cheeky sub two minute "Gateway Song", which led to the more hardcore pop of songs such as "Show your Hand" and "The Gift that Keeps on Giving", these are some of the best songs of Gruff Rhy's career, which considering his career, is a compliment indeed. This album is the best pop album of the year, and solidifies the Super Furry Animal's future as the spiritual and musical heirs to the Beach Boy’s psychedelic-pop crown. (Zahid)

  • Super Furry Animals Web site
• Ash Twilight of the Innocents
  WEA
  Fifth and last traditionally released album here from the Downpatrick boys: from here on out, it's all singles on the internet. The first one with them back as a three piece, they certainly had a lot to prove, and that they certainly did. Starting of with the poppy "I Started a Fire", this is a mixture of high octane pop-rock, ballads, and in the title track, "Twilight of the Innocents", their most ambitious songs ever a 8 minutes long psychedelic number. With hard riffs and great 'I'm in love' lyrics, this is the sort of album which Ash does well. The best send off possible, and here's hoping that their promise not to release new albums is a false one.  (Zahid)
  
  • Ash Web site
• Future of the Left Curses
  Too Pure

  From the ashes of the previous bands Jarcrew and McClusky, the Future of the Left men have made a wonderfully shouty, passionate rock album here. With some of the finest titles of the year, such as "Small bones, Small bodies", "The lord hates a coward" and, my personal favourite, "2Fuck the Countryside Alliance", this is an angry band, and they are not afraid of letting everyone know about it in hilarious detail. Just because they are funny, does not make them a joke band however, and channelling Fugazi is never a bad idea. Best future cult album of the year here, and most likely to get you going in a mosh pit.  (Zahid)

  • Future of the Left Web site
• Klaxons Myths Of The Near Future
  Geffen

  Easily the most impressive debut record of the year, London's "nu- rave" darlings Klaxons fuse crazed beats and synths with fuzzy bass and vocals chock full of high-pitched voices and counter-harmonies. The lyrics are intriguingly obscure, yet the songs are catchy enough to be lodged in your head despite not having a clue what you're singing along to. (Vivien)

  • Klaxons Web site
• Grinderman Grinderman
  Mute

  And speaking of Nick Cave, while it is no secret that this reviewer is a diehard fan who will never debase recent releases from the Seeds, there is a genuine happieness to see Cave shirk off his orchestra, overblown cloak in favor a return-to-rock leather jacket. Grindermen, made up of Cave, Warren Ellis, Martyn Casey and Jim Sclavunos. Instead of Ellis' typical sad violin pieces, these songs are with cocksure venom, punctuated with a humorous-yet-evil lyrical snark that Cave hasn't truly displayed since his Birthday Party days. These musical elderstatesmen have no intention of going gently into that goodnight. Not to mention that "No Pussy Blues" might just be the best name for a single, well, ever. (Vivien)

  In the downtime between bad seeds albums, Nice cave decided to hook up with Warren Ellis and make a more visceral album that he has in some time. Harking more to his manic Birthday party days, this is a howling at the moon, bible thumping scream of a rock record. The brilliant "Bring it On" and "No Pussy Blues" are twisted, preacher-esque love songs, and the album as a whole is a passion led triumph. With quite a bit of feedback present as well, it's not for the faint hearted or pop orientated, but for the rest of us, this is a short but sweet, 35 minute treat. (Zahid) 

  • Grinderman Web site