Goodbye Seven, Hello Eight

Ohmpark has just about closed out an entire year. When I started this thing last January, I really didn’t have any expectations except to use this as a research project to learn a bunch of good music. In that regard, it has been a resounding success for myself. I hope you have been enjoying this as much as I have, and thanks so much for reading. Here’s the last of my best of ‘07 stuff, compiled together in case you missed anything:

Ohmpark’s Top 50 Best Albums Of 2007
Ohmpark’s Top 10 Best EPs Of 2007
Biggie C’s Favourite Photos of 2007
My Favourite Shows Of 2007
My Favourite Songs Of 2007

So, I like lists, and here’s some more:

Best Atlanta Artist Albums That Didn’t Make our Top 50:

Black Lips : Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo
Antic Clay : Hilarious Death Blues
The Jupiter Watts : Jupiter Watts
Slow Motion Crash : Slow Motion Crash
The Coathangers : The Coathangers
Black Lips : Good Bad Not Evil
Sonz Of Acworth : Rhythms Of The Dirty Down Under
One Hand Loves the Other : One Hand Loves The Other

Best Post-Rock Albums That Didn’t Make Our Top 50:

The Octopus Project : Hello, Avalanche
God Is An Astronaut : Far From Refuge
Jesu : Conquorer
Pelican : City Of Echoes
Graboids : Infinite Delay
Fridge : The Sun
Cougar : Law

Most Overrated Albums Of 2007:*

The National : Boxer
Arcade Fire : Neon Bible
LCD Soundsystem : Sounds Of Silver
The Field : From here We Go Sublime
Spoon : Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Burial : Untrue
M.I.A. : Kala

*Not that I think these are necessarily bad albums, because i do like most of them, but i think people are too crazy for them compared to the better albums this year.

Most Overrated Before It Was Released And Then Underrated After it Was Released:

The Shins : Wincing The Night Away

Best Atlanta Venue Of 2007:

ISP Space: It didn’t last as long as the year, but when it was open, it was such a cool thing. Pretty much every good band from the city played there and every show was completely free.

Best Other Atlanta Music Blog of 2007:

It Covers the Hillsides: With Cable And Tweed moving to Atlanta’s fat and ugly sister city (Athens), i think ICTH was easily my favourite ITP read of 2007. When it comes to indie rock, they (or i guess he) knows good stuff.

Looking Ahead:

2008 Festival Preview

Artists With Albums I’m Looking Forward To:

Parade
The Orphins
Untied States
From Exile
Spectralux
Snowden
Atlas Sound
Lid Emba
The Mars Volta
Beach House
Flight Of The Conchords
Hot Chip
Death Cab For Cutie
Built To Spill
Destroyer
Gnarls Barkley
The Breeders
Opeth
M83
Portishead
Vampire Weekend
Colin Meloy
Of Montreal

We will be having a One-Year Anniversary Party next Saturday (January 19th), so mark your calendars and stay tuned for details.

Ohmpark’s Top 50 Best Albums Of 2007

2007 was an incredible year of music and there were so many albums I really liked that didn’t make this list. I noticed that most of the lists I pay attention to were very similar to one another this year as opposed to last year. Also, I’ve found myself in more of a disagreeance with those lists than last year. If there is any theme to be taken out of this list, I think it’s that I feel like too many great albums were underrated by the blogosphere elites, and that they were way in love with some albums I think are overrated. This list represents my personal assertions more so than the rest of the Ohmpark crew, but I worked hard to get every one’s opinions and influences in this thing. Feel free to comment on how much you hate or love it. I feel like every album on this is an essential one from last year, so go listen to some new music:

Click here to read the entire post…

Photos: Year In Review 2007

In my first year of concert photography I learned a lot. The first show I shot was in January and by October I had a press pass for Voodoo fest. I accomplished more than I ever thought I would in a year. Thanks to everyone for all the positive feedback and kind words. Next year I look forward to many more great shows that I will shoot using still photography and video. Please enjoy my favorite photos of 2007.

#15 Eluvium

#14 Bradford Cox of Deerhunter

#13 Tiesto

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Ohmpark’s Top 10 Best EPs Of 2007

An EP, or Extended Play, is the sweet spot between a full album and a single. Typically between 10 and 25 minutes, although what has come to define the difference between EPs and LPs can sometimes be blurred. Usually EPs get a bad rap, as it carries with it connotations of being “less-than” and not good enough to be a proper album, but I like seeing variations in the art medium. There are EPs like Alice In Chains’ Jar Of Flies and Radiohead’s Airbag/How Am I Driving? that beat most full lengths. Also, EPs afford an artist the chance to showcase things that don’t fit in the context of a larger piece of work, or explore a different sound without moving fully in that direction. Anyways, I’d take an EP of nothing but the goodness over a full-length comprised mostly of filler surrounding a few good songs any day.

In 2007 I actually heard many great EPs. A few of which I’ll give honorable mentions that just missed this list that are worth-while include Joanna Newsom And The Ys Street Band, Vampire Weekend, and Black Kids‘ Wizard Of Ahhhs, of which I’ve come around a little bit on now that I’ve listened to it more. Here are the 10 most essential short-length albums of 2007:

Click here to read the entire post…

Ohmpark Mixtape #3: My Favourite Songs Of 2007

The best ofs continue. Here are the songs I really dug this year, arranged in what i think is a great flowing hour and a half experience. I did cheat a little bit and included a few tracks from my best 2006 Albums of 2007 list, but these songs will always make me think of this year, so it’ll work. Enjoy:

The Shins : Wincing The Night Away : Sleeping Lessons

Midlake : The Trials Of Van Occupanther : Roscoe

The Cinematic Orchestra : Ma Fleur : To Build A Home

Blonde Redhead : 23 : Spring And by Summer Fall

Earlimart : Mentor Tormentor : Happy Alone

Wilco : Sky Blue Sky : Impossible Germany

Beach House : Beach House : Master of None

Low : Drums And Guns : Breaker

Parade : Answer Me : Booths

Of Montreal : Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? : The Past Is A Grotesque Animal

Deerhunter : Fluorescent Grey : Wash Off

Akron/Family : Love Is Simple : Don’t Be Afraid, You’re Already Dead

Snowden : Anti Anti : Anti Anti


Moorish idols : Moorish Idols : Why Are We Whispering

Phosphorescent : Pride : Wolves

Smashing Pumpkins : Zeigeist : Neverlost

Radiohead : In Rainbows : Reckoner

Marnie Stern : In Advance Of The Broken Arm : Patterns Of A Diamond Ceiling

Sugarkane’s Top 13 Favourite Shows Of 2007

Live shows are such a different beast than listening to an album. With an album you love, you can listen to it any time and enjoy it. With a band you love, it’s much more of a dice roll on how much you enjoy a concert. They may not play the songs you like, they may have a bad show, you may end up around a bunch of 16 years olds acting like douches, maybe its outdoors and raining, maybe you took too many drugs, etc. There are so many factors at play that people at the same show can have completely different experiences. These 13 shows, then, represent my best experiences of the year. They are a reflection of my own subjective experience more so than the objectively best shows the bands i saw play. Click on the link to read-up:

Click here to read the entire post…