Somehow 2007 ended and 2008 began without me getting the chance to do all the wistful looking back on the past year that I so enjoy. But there’s nothing saying that all year-end retrospectives must be done by year’s end, right? So, as we get going with 2008, the following is a list of songs I couldn’t stop listening to in 2007. These were songs that spent at least a week or more on either constant repeat or in very heavy rotation on the iPod. If we were still listening to cassettes, the little magnetic ribbon holding the bits for these tracks would be stretched and warped and on the verge of breakingââ�¬â��they’re just that good. And so, in no particular order, the 2007 Musical Imbroglio:

1. The Chills by Peter Bjorn and John
2. Music Is My Hot Sex by CSS (Hey, I was listening to it before it was an iPod ad, I swear.)
3. Alabama by Neil Young (After a conversation w/a guy at the bar I started listening to the prime years of Neil Young and it’s great stuff, although I also really love the Harvest Moon era…)
4. Invincible by OK Go (It’s sort of hard to choose one song. OK Go was just about all I listened to for about, oh, January and February.)
5. Misty Mountain Hop by Led Zeppelin (An old Ledzep track appeared on a mix from a friend at the beginning of the year so I started listening to “IV” quite a bit. It just doesn’t get old.)
6. The Diary of Horace Wimp by ELO (I’ve enjoyed ELO since I air-guitared to “Don’t Bring Me Down” for a “talent” show in 5th grade, so when a friend started talking about this song I didn’t need much persuading.)
7. Imitosis by Andrew Bird (A catchy tune from a great lyricist.)
8. Just Dropped In by Kenny Rogers (This is from the “Big Lebowski” soundtrack, most of which is quite recommendable.
9. The Future Freaks Me Out by Motion City Soundtrack (Found this via the Weekend America podcast and fell in love w/it immediately. How can you not love the 80s nostalgia packaged in such a poppy fun tune?)
10. Bowl of Oranges by Bright Eyes (The only show I saw this year and this is one the tracks they played. Great lyrics, great song.)
11. One Two Three Four by Feist (Again, I listened to it before it became an HBO ad or an iPod ad, thanks to my sister who tipped me to it.)
12. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne (More 80s retropop nostalgia. Oh Mickey you’re so fine….)
13. Reeboks in Heaven by Fujiya & Miyagi
14. The Calendar Hung Itself by Bright Eyes (Just another great track I couldn’t stop listening to. Angry, angsty, awesome.)
15. Tits on the Radio by the Scissor Sisters
16. You Don’t Know What Love Is by the White Stripes (One of my faves from “Icky Thump.”)
17. Beginning to Get to Me by Snow Patrol (Snow Patrol was all I listened to for another two months in probably March and April. And when I say all I listened to, I mean all.)
18. Failsafe by New Pornographers (The only song I have from their latest; obviously I need to hear the rest.)
19. The Pills Won’t Help You Now by Chemical Brothers (One of many I listened to repeatedly; great for background while working on briefs, etc.)
20. If the Brakeman Turns My Way by Bright Eyes (Yes, I know, another Bright Eyes tune, but it’s my favorite from Casadaga and has to be on the list!))
21. Young Folks by Peter Bjorn & John

So it basically comes down to OK Go, Snow Patrol, Bright Eyes, and a random mix of old and new pop tunes that got me through 2007. This was the first in many years that I actually listened to a measurable amount of non-NPR radio, mostly while driving to and from the jail on a regular basis. That’s where all the top-40-ish stuff comes in. Even w/the poppy pablum, 2007 was a pretty great year, musically. Of course, if none of the above songs strike your fancy, NPR’s Songs of the Yearand Best CDs from All Songs Considered might offer something more to your liking.

So what were you listening to last year? What are you listening to now?

This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2008 at 9:34 pm and is filed under Life. It has had 217 views. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response here, send a trackback from your own site, or rate this post right here: