The top 15 songs about being broke

We don't need to tell you that the most promising career options in America right now are boxcar-hopper, petticoat tailor or shepherd of hungry one-eyed alley cats. Fortunately, the condition of being stone-broke is a perennially popular theme in music (unless you're T.I.), and regardless of your taste in genre, there is a tune to accompany cooking canned beans over a street-corner bonfire. We took to our dusty archives to find a treasury of the best tunes for such times, and in no particular order, here are 15 of the most soot-blackened, pink slip-crumpling, rail-riding songs for you to sing to yourself in the unemployment line because you pawned your iPod weeks ago.

Surely there's plenty we forgot (sorry, Jeezy, next time!), because we were too busy mournfully playing our harmonicas. Tell us below in the comments!

Composer Danny Elfman has slipped his way into our collective subconscious by creating the scores to numerous films, including the blockbusters " Spider-Man," "Mission: Impossible" and "Men in Black," as well as the themes to " The Simpsons" and " Desperate Housewives."

The L.A. native made his name as the frontman for '80s new wave band Oingo Boingo. This year he composed the scores for the films " Wanted," " Hellboy II: The Golden Army" and "Standard Operating Procedure."

His first ballet "Rabbit and Rouge," choreographed by Twyla Tharp, premiered at the Orange County Performing Arts Center this summer, and he recently began work on his first Broadway musical, "Houdini." He shared his pop culture interests with Liesl Bradner.

HEAVY ROTATION ON YOUR IPOD

I listen to constantly changing messy playlists. If I had to pick I'd have to say a playlist that heavily features the work of Gavin Bryars, "Farewell to Philosophy"; Steve Reich (Kronos Quartet), "Different Trains"; Erik Satie, "The Irreverent Inspirations of Erik Satie," which is a rare use of him writing for solo voices. It would also be mixed with doses of Radiohead and Sparklehorse, Cat Power, Aimee Mann and the incredible Mauritanian singer Dimi Mint Abba.

Read more of 'Composer Danny Elfman on music, books and 'The Daily Show.'

For all you Vedder heads out there who missed the first show in his first ever solo tour last night* in Vancouver (uh, Vancouver? That isn't Seattle, Eddie), you can read Ann Powers' review here and peruse the set list below. We recommend you do so while drinking coffee or at least directing your darkest thoughts toward Ticketmaster.

SET LIST
"Walking the Cow" (Daniel Johnston cover)

"Around the Bend"

"I Am Mine"

"Dead Man"

"Man of the Hour"

"Guaranteed"

"No Ceiling"

"Far Behind"

"Rise"

"Millworker" (James Taylor cover)

"Goodbye"

"Broken Hearted"

"You're True"

"Drifting Along"

"Hide Your Love Away" (Beatles cover)

"Picture in a Frame" (Tom Waits cover)

"Trouble" (Cat Stevens cover)

"I Won't Back Down" (Tom Petty cover)

"Forever Young" (Bob Dylan cover)

ENCORE

"Society" (with Liam Finn)

"Growin' Up" (Bruce Springsteen cover)

"No More"

"Porch"

ENCORE TWO

"Hard Sun" (with Finn and Eliza Jane Barnes)

*The first version of this post stated that it was Vedder's first solo show ever. We should have written that it was the first show of his first solo tour ever. Guess we need to take our own advice and drink more coffee.

A country for starlets: I love the Coen brothers, but their shruggish acceptance speeches unfortunately defined what felt like one of the most perfunctory Oscars in years -- with one notable exception: Marion Cotillard, who played Edith Piaf to brilliant, mind-blowing, shape-shifting perfection in "La Vie en Rose." You might think I'm grossly overselling it, but the frothy adjectives apply. See it now, if you haven't already.

Homeward bound: We're heathens around these parts but we were sad to hear about Larry Norman's death Sunday.

Cute Band Alert! Back in the days of grunge, Sassy Magazine invented that feature to tell the world that indie rock boys could be heartthrobs too. We might have to revive the category just to accommodate Vampire Weekend, the painfully adorable quartet enjoying an avalanche of hype.

Columbia grads who coat songs about preppie life in a light veneer of world-beat guitars and rhythms, the Vampire Weekend calls what it does "Upper West Side Soweto" -- a catchphrase that's now biting back as skeptics question their artsy-craftsy appropriation of African influences. The band's mix is pleasant enough if you like your eyebrows arched, but we at Soundboard thought it might be useful to remind readers that actual African music is pretty awesome too.

For listeners who tire of Vampire Weekend's Izod jungle beats, here are a few relatively recent gems from the continent that these boys claim to sort of understand. Readers, we'd love to see your own picks in the comments section!

Tabu Ley Rochereau, "The Voice of Lightness" (Stern's Africa): Thanks to longtime African music fan Robert Christgau for the tip on this one -- an anthology of vintage tracks from the Congolese singer, one of Afropop's greatest voices. Soukous, Rocherau's particular subgenre, is crazy danceable music based on guitar lines that seem to float on helium. I saw Rochereau in an Oakland club back in the 1980s, and believe me, he really makes it rain.

Tinariwen, "Aman Iman: Water Is Life" (World Village) Revolutionary trance blues from desert nomads -- how hot is that? Tinariwen's excellent backstory (its members are Tuareg, a desert people, and allegedly trained as armed rebels before turning to music) has helped make it a favorite among upper-boho Westerners. What matters, though, is the band's groove : a fluid, sneaky thing, equally rooted in Arabic and psychedelic traditions, that packs more heat than most Euro-American rockers can even imagine these days.

Vusi Mahlasela, "Guiding Star" (ATO): Hipsters are never going to approve of Dave Matthews, and maybe that’s why this exceptionally graceful South African singer’s first studio effort for the jam master's ATO Records gained only marginal attention in the U.S. Or maybe Mahlasela’s gentle, folkish style, often communicating harrowing tales of life under and after apartheid, put people off. But “Guiding Star” is, in its quiet way, an African answer to Paul Simon’s groundbreaking “Graceland,” blending traditional sounds and contemporary stories to powerful effect.

Various artists, "The Very Best of Ethiopiques" (Union Square Music): Francis Falceto first heard Ethiopian pop on a friend’s cassete player in 1984; since then, the French promoter has devoted much of his life to getting that music past its homeland’s borders. The Ethiopiques series is at Volume 22 and growing; this two-CD collection highlights some of the best tracks from this archival treasure trove, ranging from haunting, Coltrane-esque jazz to ancient tunes on a King David’s harp.

Amadou & Mariam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch): It’s a couple years old, but this breakthrough album by the Malian expat husband-wife duo still ranks as one of the sunniest musical outings released this century. Manu Chao, the real king of world fusion music, produced. Some tracks boogie like classic rock, others roll along on those gloriously langorous Malian rhythms, some flirt with hip-hop. Every one will make you jump up and dance.

Soundboard contributor Casey Dolan also recommends the out-of-print "Songs the Swahili Sing," issued in 1983 on the legendary Original Music label, run by musicologist John Storm Roberts. “It introduced to Western audiences the sinuous music of taarab -- the music of the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts, amalgamating traditional Arabic music, Bollywood film scores, classic Memphis R&B and the Kenyan pop tradition,” writes Casey. “Some great music from the mid/late '60s is represented, including the Black Star and Lucky Star musical clubs.”

So that’s just the tiniest foray into African pop -- we didn’t even mention such obvious notables as Vieux Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab, Youssou N’Dour and Rokia Traore. If you can still make time for Vampire Weekend, cool. But don’t say we didn’t try to steer you right.

-- Ann Powers

[Photo 1: Vampire Weekend. Credit: billions.com. Photo 2: Amadou & Miriam at the Knitting Factory in 2005. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.]

If you need any proof of the lockstepping ways of today's music critics, just check out the top of Idolator's Pop 07 poll and compare it to Pazz & Jop at the Village Voice, the old dinosaur Idolator's poll was designed to defeat -- or at least challenge -- in its inaugural edition last year, when they called it Jackin' Pop. If you hadn't been told who was the flashy young upstart and who was the venerable old coot, could you tell the difference?

Idolator Pop 07 Album Top 10 (surveyed from 452 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver
2. M.I.A. -- Kala
3. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
4. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
5. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
6. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. The National -- Boxer
8. Kanye West -- Graduation
9. Panda Bear -- Person Pitch
10. Of Montreal -- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Pazz & Jop Album Top Ten (surveyed from 577 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sounds of Silver
2. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
3. M.I.A. -- Kala
4. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
5. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
6. Kanye West -- Graduation
7. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand
9. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic
10. The National -- Boxer

Only the bottom of the top 10 gives a little hint at Idolator's younger crowd. I started to do some math regarding the finer points of the two polls, but I hate math so I'm happy to report that someone did it for me. It'll likely hurt your brain, following along with all this parsing and delineating. I recommend stepping away from your computer after three minutes of analysis and then staring out the window nearest you, which with hope will show at least one scrap of nature.

--Margaret Wappler

Photo: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, the undisputed king? Credit: Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times

Tired of 2007? Already over 2008? Don't care either way? Check out these underrated sweethearts from all eras and epochs of music:

1. Roberta Flack: R&B’s Queen of the Slow Burn helped invent the style known as “quiet storm” with her spacious, jazz-tinged hits, and for that she’s been unduly punished.. Big emoters like Patti and Aretha are easier to mama-lionize, but some of our most beloved chanteuses (Sade, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys) follow as much in Flack’s hushed footsteps. One scholar – New York University professor Jason King – has eloquently made her case in print, but she deserves a bigger place in the pantheon.

2. Daryl Hall: He’s been rewarded with many hits and a revival of late, but too often, the glammer half of Hall & Oates is still pegged as a yacht-rock decadent -- when he was really a New Wave groundbreaker. “Sacred Songs,” his 1980 solo debut, was produced by loops-loving King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and stands up to anything Bowie did in his Very Blond years. Hall is also a major collaborator on the best experimental pop record you’ve never heard: Fripp’s fantastic 1979 solo debut, “Exposure.” These outings prove that Hall is not only the most gifted white soulman of his era; he’s an artiste too.

3. The Mekons: It’s true that critics of a certain age absolutely love the Mekons, who’ve been making brainy, drunken rock and roll for 30 years. But while fashionable young rockers are happily cannibalizing Gang of Four and Joy Division, this mightily enduring post-punk institution isn’t getting revived by anyone. Partly, that’s because they’re still putting out their own great albums – check out their 16th, “Natural,” minted in 2007. But really, the Mekons stand alone because their humanity, intelligence and wise good-time energy can’t be imitated. May they endure forever.

4. Hal David: Burt Bacharach in his turtleneck may epitomize midcentury cool, and Dionne Warwick was the voice that made him so. But did you ever think about who wrote the lyrics to those great songs? Hal David is the master of the telling detail: the makeup Warwick’s putting on as she says a little prayer for you, or the one less egg to fry that signifies heartbreak in that Fifth Dimension song. Honored by his own, he’s rarely acknowledged outside songwriter circles. I’d like to see him become our poet laureate.

5. Trent Reznor: Instead of just aging into the dystopian version of hair metal nostalgia, Trent Reznor made "Year Zero," a strong, political album wrapped up in a fascinating alternate reality game. "Year Zero" took his artistic vision to the next level, posing a serious challenge to other artists to really consider the formerly "peripheral" elements of a marketing campaign to be part of the artistic expression itself, and to go beyond old definitions of pop artist. Then, a few months later, he helped poet-rapper-rocker Saul Williams release his excellent new album (which Reznor produced) via the Internet through a pay-what-you-want model. With that, Reznor became the first (and so far only) truly established star to take Radiohead's dare; something that will have to happen a lot more if the "In Rainbows" campaign is to have any effect. Of course, because Reznor is an over-40 rocker identified with the '90s -- that strange epoch during which rockers actually took themselves seriously -- most hipsters just laugh him off now. But he gets the future. And he's still part of it.

--Ann Powers

[Photo: Flack and Peabo Bryson. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins Kasinga / LAT]

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

Composer Danny Elfman on music, books and 'The Daily Show'

Composer Danny Elfman has slipped his way into our collective subconscious by creating the scores to numerous films, including the blockbusters " Spider-Man," "Mission: Impossible" and "Men in Black," as well as the themes to " The Simpsons" and " Desperate Housewives."

The L.A. native made his name as the frontman for '80s new wave band Oingo Boingo. This year he composed the scores for the films " Wanted," " Hellboy II: The Golden Army" and "Standard Operating Procedure."

His first ballet "Rabbit and Rouge," choreographed by Twyla Tharp, premiered at the Orange County Performing Arts Center this summer, and he recently began work on his first Broadway musical, "Houdini." He shared his pop culture interests with Liesl Bradner.

HEAVY ROTATION ON YOUR IPOD

I listen to constantly changing messy playlists. If I had to pick I'd have to say a playlist that heavily features the work of Gavin Bryars, "Farewell to Philosophy"; Steve Reich (Kronos Quartet), "Different Trains"; Erik Satie, "The Irreverent Inspirations of Erik Satie," which is a rare use of him writing for solo voices. It would also be mixed with doses of Radiohead and Sparklehorse, Cat Power, Aimee Mann and the incredible Mauritanian singer Dimi Mint Abba.

Read more of 'Composer Danny Elfman on music, books and 'The Daily Show.'

For all you Vedder heads out there who missed the first show in his first ever solo tour last night* in Vancouver (uh, Vancouver? That isn't Seattle, Eddie), you can read Ann Powers' review here and peruse the set list below. We recommend you do so while drinking coffee or at least directing your darkest thoughts toward Ticketmaster.

SET LIST
"Walking the Cow" (Daniel Johnston cover)

"Around the Bend"

"I Am Mine"

"Dead Man"

"Man of the Hour"

"Guaranteed"

"No Ceiling"

"Far Behind"

"Rise"

"Millworker" (James Taylor cover)

"Goodbye"

"Broken Hearted"

"You're True"

"Drifting Along"

"Hide Your Love Away" (Beatles cover)

"Picture in a Frame" (Tom Waits cover)

"Trouble" (Cat Stevens cover)

"I Won't Back Down" (Tom Petty cover)

"Forever Young" (Bob Dylan cover)

ENCORE

"Society" (with Liam Finn)

"Growin' Up" (Bruce Springsteen cover)

"No More"

"Porch"

ENCORE TWO

"Hard Sun" (with Finn and Eliza Jane Barnes)

*The first version of this post stated that it was Vedder's first solo show ever. We should have written that it was the first show of his first solo tour ever. Guess we need to take our own advice and drink more coffee.

A country for starlets: I love the Coen brothers, but their shruggish acceptance speeches unfortunately defined what felt like one of the most perfunctory Oscars in years -- with one notable exception: Marion Cotillard, who played Edith Piaf to brilliant, mind-blowing, shape-shifting perfection in "La Vie en Rose." You might think I'm grossly overselling it, but the frothy adjectives apply. See it now, if you haven't already.

Homeward bound: We're heathens around these parts but we were sad to hear about Larry Norman's death Sunday.

Cute Band Alert! Back in the days of grunge, Sassy Magazine invented that feature to tell the world that indie rock boys could be heartthrobs too. We might have to revive the category just to accommodate Vampire Weekend, the painfully adorable quartet enjoying an avalanche of hype.

Columbia grads who coat songs about preppie life in a light veneer of world-beat guitars and rhythms, the Vampire Weekend calls what it does "Upper West Side Soweto" -- a catchphrase that's now biting back as skeptics question their artsy-craftsy appropriation of African influences. The band's mix is pleasant enough if you like your eyebrows arched, but we at Soundboard thought it might be useful to remind readers that actual African music is pretty awesome too.

For listeners who tire of Vampire Weekend's Izod jungle beats, here are a few relatively recent gems from the continent that these boys claim to sort of understand. Readers, we'd love to see your own picks in the comments section!

Tabu Ley Rochereau, "The Voice of Lightness" (Stern's Africa): Thanks to longtime African music fan Robert Christgau for the tip on this one -- an anthology of vintage tracks from the Congolese singer, one of Afropop's greatest voices. Soukous, Rocherau's particular subgenre, is crazy danceable music based on guitar lines that seem to float on helium. I saw Rochereau in an Oakland club back in the 1980s, and believe me, he really makes it rain.

Tinariwen, "Aman Iman: Water Is Life" (World Village) Revolutionary trance blues from desert nomads -- how hot is that? Tinariwen's excellent backstory (its members are Tuareg, a desert people, and allegedly trained as armed rebels before turning to music) has helped make it a favorite among upper-boho Westerners. What matters, though, is the band's groove : a fluid, sneaky thing, equally rooted in Arabic and psychedelic traditions, that packs more heat than most Euro-American rockers can even imagine these days.

Vusi Mahlasela, "Guiding Star" (ATO): Hipsters are never going to approve of Dave Matthews, and maybe that’s why this exceptionally graceful South African singer’s first studio effort for the jam master's ATO Records gained only marginal attention in the U.S. Or maybe Mahlasela’s gentle, folkish style, often communicating harrowing tales of life under and after apartheid, put people off. But “Guiding Star” is, in its quiet way, an African answer to Paul Simon’s groundbreaking “Graceland,” blending traditional sounds and contemporary stories to powerful effect.

Various artists, "The Very Best of Ethiopiques" (Union Square Music): Francis Falceto first heard Ethiopian pop on a friend’s cassete player in 1984; since then, the French promoter has devoted much of his life to getting that music past its homeland’s borders. The Ethiopiques series is at Volume 22 and growing; this two-CD collection highlights some of the best tracks from this archival treasure trove, ranging from haunting, Coltrane-esque jazz to ancient tunes on a King David’s harp.

Amadou & Mariam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch): It’s a couple years old, but this breakthrough album by the Malian expat husband-wife duo still ranks as one of the sunniest musical outings released this century. Manu Chao, the real king of world fusion music, produced. Some tracks boogie like classic rock, others roll along on those gloriously langorous Malian rhythms, some flirt with hip-hop. Every one will make you jump up and dance.

Soundboard contributor Casey Dolan also recommends the out-of-print "Songs the Swahili Sing," issued in 1983 on the legendary Original Music label, run by musicologist John Storm Roberts. “It introduced to Western audiences the sinuous music of taarab -- the music of the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts, amalgamating traditional Arabic music, Bollywood film scores, classic Memphis R&B and the Kenyan pop tradition,” writes Casey. “Some great music from the mid/late '60s is represented, including the Black Star and Lucky Star musical clubs.”

So that’s just the tiniest foray into African pop -- we didn’t even mention such obvious notables as Vieux Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab, Youssou N’Dour and Rokia Traore. If you can still make time for Vampire Weekend, cool. But don’t say we didn’t try to steer you right.

-- Ann Powers

[Photo 1: Vampire Weekend. Credit: billions.com. Photo 2: Amadou & Miriam at the Knitting Factory in 2005. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.]

If you need any proof of the lockstepping ways of today's music critics, just check out the top of Idolator's Pop 07 poll and compare it to Pazz & Jop at the Village Voice, the old dinosaur Idolator's poll was designed to defeat -- or at least challenge -- in its inaugural edition last year, when they called it Jackin' Pop. If you hadn't been told who was the flashy young upstart and who was the venerable old coot, could you tell the difference?

Idolator Pop 07 Album Top 10 (surveyed from 452 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver
2. M.I.A. -- Kala
3. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
4. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
5. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
6. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. The National -- Boxer
8. Kanye West -- Graduation
9. Panda Bear -- Person Pitch
10. Of Montreal -- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Pazz & Jop Album Top Ten (surveyed from 577 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sounds of Silver
2. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
3. M.I.A. -- Kala
4. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
5. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
6. Kanye West -- Graduation
7. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand
9. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic
10. The National -- Boxer

Only the bottom of the top 10 gives a little hint at Idolator's younger crowd. I started to do some math regarding the finer points of the two polls, but I hate math so I'm happy to report that someone did it for me. It'll likely hurt your brain, following along with all this parsing and delineating. I recommend stepping away from your computer after three minutes of analysis and then staring out the window nearest you, which with hope will show at least one scrap of nature.

--Margaret Wappler

Photo: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, the undisputed king? Credit: Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times

Tired of 2007? Already over 2008? Don't care either way? Check out these underrated sweethearts from all eras and epochs of music:

1. Roberta Flack: R&B’s Queen of the Slow Burn helped invent the style known as “quiet storm” with her spacious, jazz-tinged hits, and for that she’s been unduly punished.. Big emoters like Patti and Aretha are easier to mama-lionize, but some of our most beloved chanteuses (Sade, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys) follow as much in Flack’s hushed footsteps. One scholar – New York University professor Jason King – has eloquently made her case in print, but she deserves a bigger place in the pantheon.

2. Daryl Hall: He’s been rewarded with many hits and a revival of late, but too often, the glammer half of Hall & Oates is still pegged as a yacht-rock decadent -- when he was really a New Wave groundbreaker. “Sacred Songs,” his 1980 solo debut, was produced by loops-loving King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and stands up to anything Bowie did in his Very Blond years. Hall is also a major collaborator on the best experimental pop record you’ve never heard: Fripp’s fantastic 1979 solo debut, “Exposure.” These outings prove that Hall is not only the most gifted white soulman of his era; he’s an artiste too.

3. The Mekons: It’s true that critics of a certain age absolutely love the Mekons, who’ve been making brainy, drunken rock and roll for 30 years. But while fashionable young rockers are happily cannibalizing Gang of Four and Joy Division, this mightily enduring post-punk institution isn’t getting revived by anyone. Partly, that’s because they’re still putting out their own great albums – check out their 16th, “Natural,” minted in 2007. But really, the Mekons stand alone because their humanity, intelligence and wise good-time energy can’t be imitated. May they endure forever.

4. Hal David: Burt Bacharach in his turtleneck may epitomize midcentury cool, and Dionne Warwick was the voice that made him so. But did you ever think about who wrote the lyrics to those great songs? Hal David is the master of the telling detail: the makeup Warwick’s putting on as she says a little prayer for you, or the one less egg to fry that signifies heartbreak in that Fifth Dimension song. Honored by his own, he’s rarely acknowledged outside songwriter circles. I’d like to see him become our poet laureate.

5. Trent Reznor: Instead of just aging into the dystopian version of hair metal nostalgia, Trent Reznor made "Year Zero," a strong, political album wrapped up in a fascinating alternate reality game. "Year Zero" took his artistic vision to the next level, posing a serious challenge to other artists to really consider the formerly "peripheral" elements of a marketing campaign to be part of the artistic expression itself, and to go beyond old definitions of pop artist. Then, a few months later, he helped poet-rapper-rocker Saul Williams release his excellent new album (which Reznor produced) via the Internet through a pay-what-you-want model. With that, Reznor became the first (and so far only) truly established star to take Radiohead's dare; something that will have to happen a lot more if the "In Rainbows" campaign is to have any effect. Of course, because Reznor is an over-40 rocker identified with the '90s -- that strange epoch during which rockers actually took themselves seriously -- most hipsters just laugh him off now. But he gets the future. And he's still part of it.

--Ann Powers

[Photo: Flack and Peabo Bryson. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins Kasinga / LAT]

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

Set list for Eddie Vedder solo, Vancouver, Canada

For all you Vedder heads out there who missed the first show in his first ever solo tour last night* in Vancouver (uh, Vancouver? That isn't Seattle, Eddie), you can read Ann Powers' review here and peruse the set list below. We recommend you do so while drinking coffee or at least directing your darkest thoughts toward Ticketmaster.

SET LIST
"Walking the Cow" (Daniel Johnston cover)

"Around the Bend"

"I Am Mine"

"Dead Man"

"Man of the Hour"

"Guaranteed"

"No Ceiling"

"Far Behind"

"Rise"

"Millworker" (James Taylor cover)

"Goodbye"

"Broken Hearted"

"You're True"

"Drifting Along"

"Hide Your Love Away" (Beatles cover)

"Picture in a Frame" (Tom Waits cover)

"Trouble" (Cat Stevens cover)

"I Won't Back Down" (Tom Petty cover)

"Forever Young" (Bob Dylan cover)

ENCORE

"Society" (with Liam Finn)

"Growin' Up" (Bruce Springsteen cover)

"No More"

"Porch"

ENCORE TWO

"Hard Sun" (with Finn and Eliza Jane Barnes)

*The first version of this post stated that it was Vedder's first solo show ever. We should have written that it was the first show of his first solo tour ever. Guess we need to take our own advice and drink more coffee.

A country for starlets: I love the Coen brothers, but their shruggish acceptance speeches unfortunately defined what felt like one of the most perfunctory Oscars in years -- with one notable exception: Marion Cotillard, who played Edith Piaf to brilliant, mind-blowing, shape-shifting perfection in "La Vie en Rose." You might think I'm grossly overselling it, but the frothy adjectives apply. See it now, if you haven't already.

Homeward bound: We're heathens around these parts but we were sad to hear about Larry Norman's death Sunday.

Cute Band Alert! Back in the days of grunge, Sassy Magazine invented that feature to tell the world that indie rock boys could be heartthrobs too. We might have to revive the category just to accommodate Vampire Weekend, the painfully adorable quartet enjoying an avalanche of hype.

Columbia grads who coat songs about preppie life in a light veneer of world-beat guitars and rhythms, the Vampire Weekend calls what it does "Upper West Side Soweto" -- a catchphrase that's now biting back as skeptics question their artsy-craftsy appropriation of African influences. The band's mix is pleasant enough if you like your eyebrows arched, but we at Soundboard thought it might be useful to remind readers that actual African music is pretty awesome too.

For listeners who tire of Vampire Weekend's Izod jungle beats, here are a few relatively recent gems from the continent that these boys claim to sort of understand. Readers, we'd love to see your own picks in the comments section!

Tabu Ley Rochereau, "The Voice of Lightness" (Stern's Africa): Thanks to longtime African music fan Robert Christgau for the tip on this one -- an anthology of vintage tracks from the Congolese singer, one of Afropop's greatest voices. Soukous, Rocherau's particular subgenre, is crazy danceable music based on guitar lines that seem to float on helium. I saw Rochereau in an Oakland club back in the 1980s, and believe me, he really makes it rain.

Tinariwen, "Aman Iman: Water Is Life" (World Village) Revolutionary trance blues from desert nomads -- how hot is that? Tinariwen's excellent backstory (its members are Tuareg, a desert people, and allegedly trained as armed rebels before turning to music) has helped make it a favorite among upper-boho Westerners. What matters, though, is the band's groove : a fluid, sneaky thing, equally rooted in Arabic and psychedelic traditions, that packs more heat than most Euro-American rockers can even imagine these days.

Vusi Mahlasela, "Guiding Star" (ATO): Hipsters are never going to approve of Dave Matthews, and maybe that’s why this exceptionally graceful South African singer’s first studio effort for the jam master's ATO Records gained only marginal attention in the U.S. Or maybe Mahlasela’s gentle, folkish style, often communicating harrowing tales of life under and after apartheid, put people off. But “Guiding Star” is, in its quiet way, an African answer to Paul Simon’s groundbreaking “Graceland,” blending traditional sounds and contemporary stories to powerful effect.

Various artists, "The Very Best of Ethiopiques" (Union Square Music): Francis Falceto first heard Ethiopian pop on a friend’s cassete player in 1984; since then, the French promoter has devoted much of his life to getting that music past its homeland’s borders. The Ethiopiques series is at Volume 22 and growing; this two-CD collection highlights some of the best tracks from this archival treasure trove, ranging from haunting, Coltrane-esque jazz to ancient tunes on a King David’s harp.

Amadou & Mariam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch): It’s a couple years old, but this breakthrough album by the Malian expat husband-wife duo still ranks as one of the sunniest musical outings released this century. Manu Chao, the real king of world fusion music, produced. Some tracks boogie like classic rock, others roll along on those gloriously langorous Malian rhythms, some flirt with hip-hop. Every one will make you jump up and dance.

Soundboard contributor Casey Dolan also recommends the out-of-print "Songs the Swahili Sing," issued in 1983 on the legendary Original Music label, run by musicologist John Storm Roberts. “It introduced to Western audiences the sinuous music of taarab -- the music of the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts, amalgamating traditional Arabic music, Bollywood film scores, classic Memphis R&B and the Kenyan pop tradition,” writes Casey. “Some great music from the mid/late '60s is represented, including the Black Star and Lucky Star musical clubs.”

So that’s just the tiniest foray into African pop -- we didn’t even mention such obvious notables as Vieux Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab, Youssou N’Dour and Rokia Traore. If you can still make time for Vampire Weekend, cool. But don’t say we didn’t try to steer you right.

-- Ann Powers

[Photo 1: Vampire Weekend. Credit: billions.com. Photo 2: Amadou & Miriam at the Knitting Factory in 2005. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.]

If you need any proof of the lockstepping ways of today's music critics, just check out the top of Idolator's Pop 07 poll and compare it to Pazz & Jop at the Village Voice, the old dinosaur Idolator's poll was designed to defeat -- or at least challenge -- in its inaugural edition last year, when they called it Jackin' Pop. If you hadn't been told who was the flashy young upstart and who was the venerable old coot, could you tell the difference?

Idolator Pop 07 Album Top 10 (surveyed from 452 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver
2. M.I.A. -- Kala
3. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
4. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
5. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
6. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. The National -- Boxer
8. Kanye West -- Graduation
9. Panda Bear -- Person Pitch
10. Of Montreal -- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Pazz & Jop Album Top Ten (surveyed from 577 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sounds of Silver
2. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
3. M.I.A. -- Kala
4. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
5. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
6. Kanye West -- Graduation
7. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand
9. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic
10. The National -- Boxer

Only the bottom of the top 10 gives a little hint at Idolator's younger crowd. I started to do some math regarding the finer points of the two polls, but I hate math so I'm happy to report that someone did it for me. It'll likely hurt your brain, following along with all this parsing and delineating. I recommend stepping away from your computer after three minutes of analysis and then staring out the window nearest you, which with hope will show at least one scrap of nature.

--Margaret Wappler

Photo: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, the undisputed king? Credit: Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times

Tired of 2007? Already over 2008? Don't care either way? Check out these underrated sweethearts from all eras and epochs of music:

1. Roberta Flack: R&B’s Queen of the Slow Burn helped invent the style known as “quiet storm” with her spacious, jazz-tinged hits, and for that she’s been unduly punished.. Big emoters like Patti and Aretha are easier to mama-lionize, but some of our most beloved chanteuses (Sade, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys) follow as much in Flack’s hushed footsteps. One scholar – New York University professor Jason King – has eloquently made her case in print, but she deserves a bigger place in the pantheon.

2. Daryl Hall: He’s been rewarded with many hits and a revival of late, but too often, the glammer half of Hall & Oates is still pegged as a yacht-rock decadent -- when he was really a New Wave groundbreaker. “Sacred Songs,” his 1980 solo debut, was produced by loops-loving King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and stands up to anything Bowie did in his Very Blond years. Hall is also a major collaborator on the best experimental pop record you’ve never heard: Fripp’s fantastic 1979 solo debut, “Exposure.” These outings prove that Hall is not only the most gifted white soulman of his era; he’s an artiste too.

3. The Mekons: It’s true that critics of a certain age absolutely love the Mekons, who’ve been making brainy, drunken rock and roll for 30 years. But while fashionable young rockers are happily cannibalizing Gang of Four and Joy Division, this mightily enduring post-punk institution isn’t getting revived by anyone. Partly, that’s because they’re still putting out their own great albums – check out their 16th, “Natural,” minted in 2007. But really, the Mekons stand alone because their humanity, intelligence and wise good-time energy can’t be imitated. May they endure forever.

4. Hal David: Burt Bacharach in his turtleneck may epitomize midcentury cool, and Dionne Warwick was the voice that made him so. But did you ever think about who wrote the lyrics to those great songs? Hal David is the master of the telling detail: the makeup Warwick’s putting on as she says a little prayer for you, or the one less egg to fry that signifies heartbreak in that Fifth Dimension song. Honored by his own, he’s rarely acknowledged outside songwriter circles. I’d like to see him become our poet laureate.

5. Trent Reznor: Instead of just aging into the dystopian version of hair metal nostalgia, Trent Reznor made "Year Zero," a strong, political album wrapped up in a fascinating alternate reality game. "Year Zero" took his artistic vision to the next level, posing a serious challenge to other artists to really consider the formerly "peripheral" elements of a marketing campaign to be part of the artistic expression itself, and to go beyond old definitions of pop artist. Then, a few months later, he helped poet-rapper-rocker Saul Williams release his excellent new album (which Reznor produced) via the Internet through a pay-what-you-want model. With that, Reznor became the first (and so far only) truly established star to take Radiohead's dare; something that will have to happen a lot more if the "In Rainbows" campaign is to have any effect. Of course, because Reznor is an over-40 rocker identified with the '90s -- that strange epoch during which rockers actually took themselves seriously -- most hipsters just laugh him off now. But he gets the future. And he's still part of it.

--Ann Powers

[Photo: Flack and Peabo Bryson. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins Kasinga / LAT]

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

Odds, ends and awards

A country for starlets: I love the Coen brothers, but their shruggish acceptance speeches unfortunately defined what felt like one of the most perfunctory Oscars in years -- with one notable exception: Marion Cotillard, who played Edith Piaf to brilliant, mind-blowing, shape-shifting perfection in "La Vie en Rose." You might think I'm grossly overselling it, but the frothy adjectives apply. See it now, if you haven't already.

Homeward bound: We're heathens around these parts but we were sad to hear about Larry Norman's death Sunday.

Cute Band Alert! Back in the days of grunge, Sassy Magazine invented that feature to tell the world that indie rock boys could be heartthrobs too. We might have to revive the category just to accommodate Vampire Weekend, the painfully adorable quartet enjoying an avalanche of hype.

Columbia grads who coat songs about preppie life in a light veneer of world-beat guitars and rhythms, the Vampire Weekend calls what it does "Upper West Side Soweto" -- a catchphrase that's now biting back as skeptics question their artsy-craftsy appropriation of African influences. The band's mix is pleasant enough if you like your eyebrows arched, but we at Soundboard thought it might be useful to remind readers that actual African music is pretty awesome too.

For listeners who tire of Vampire Weekend's Izod jungle beats, here are a few relatively recent gems from the continent that these boys claim to sort of understand. Readers, we'd love to see your own picks in the comments section!

Tabu Ley Rochereau, "The Voice of Lightness" (Stern's Africa): Thanks to longtime African music fan Robert Christgau for the tip on this one -- an anthology of vintage tracks from the Congolese singer, one of Afropop's greatest voices. Soukous, Rocherau's particular subgenre, is crazy danceable music based on guitar lines that seem to float on helium. I saw Rochereau in an Oakland club back in the 1980s, and believe me, he really makes it rain.

Tinariwen, "Aman Iman: Water Is Life" (World Village) Revolutionary trance blues from desert nomads -- how hot is that? Tinariwen's excellent backstory (its members are Tuareg, a desert people, and allegedly trained as armed rebels before turning to music) has helped make it a favorite among upper-boho Westerners. What matters, though, is the band's groove : a fluid, sneaky thing, equally rooted in Arabic and psychedelic traditions, that packs more heat than most Euro-American rockers can even imagine these days.

Vusi Mahlasela, "Guiding Star" (ATO): Hipsters are never going to approve of Dave Matthews, and maybe that’s why this exceptionally graceful South African singer’s first studio effort for the jam master's ATO Records gained only marginal attention in the U.S. Or maybe Mahlasela’s gentle, folkish style, often communicating harrowing tales of life under and after apartheid, put people off. But “Guiding Star” is, in its quiet way, an African answer to Paul Simon’s groundbreaking “Graceland,” blending traditional sounds and contemporary stories to powerful effect.

Various artists, "The Very Best of Ethiopiques" (Union Square Music): Francis Falceto first heard Ethiopian pop on a friend’s cassete player in 1984; since then, the French promoter has devoted much of his life to getting that music past its homeland’s borders. The Ethiopiques series is at Volume 22 and growing; this two-CD collection highlights some of the best tracks from this archival treasure trove, ranging from haunting, Coltrane-esque jazz to ancient tunes on a King David’s harp.

Amadou & Mariam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch): It’s a couple years old, but this breakthrough album by the Malian expat husband-wife duo still ranks as one of the sunniest musical outings released this century. Manu Chao, the real king of world fusion music, produced. Some tracks boogie like classic rock, others roll along on those gloriously langorous Malian rhythms, some flirt with hip-hop. Every one will make you jump up and dance.

Soundboard contributor Casey Dolan also recommends the out-of-print "Songs the Swahili Sing," issued in 1983 on the legendary Original Music label, run by musicologist John Storm Roberts. “It introduced to Western audiences the sinuous music of taarab -- the music of the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts, amalgamating traditional Arabic music, Bollywood film scores, classic Memphis R&B and the Kenyan pop tradition,” writes Casey. “Some great music from the mid/late '60s is represented, including the Black Star and Lucky Star musical clubs.”

So that’s just the tiniest foray into African pop -- we didn’t even mention such obvious notables as Vieux Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab, Youssou N’Dour and Rokia Traore. If you can still make time for Vampire Weekend, cool. But don’t say we didn’t try to steer you right.

-- Ann Powers

[Photo 1: Vampire Weekend. Credit: billions.com. Photo 2: Amadou & Miriam at the Knitting Factory in 2005. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.]

If you need any proof of the lockstepping ways of today's music critics, just check out the top of Idolator's Pop 07 poll and compare it to Pazz & Jop at the Village Voice, the old dinosaur Idolator's poll was designed to defeat -- or at least challenge -- in its inaugural edition last year, when they called it Jackin' Pop. If you hadn't been told who was the flashy young upstart and who was the venerable old coot, could you tell the difference?

Idolator Pop 07 Album Top 10 (surveyed from 452 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver
2. M.I.A. -- Kala
3. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
4. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
5. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
6. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. The National -- Boxer
8. Kanye West -- Graduation
9. Panda Bear -- Person Pitch
10. Of Montreal -- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Pazz & Jop Album Top Ten (surveyed from 577 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sounds of Silver
2. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
3. M.I.A. -- Kala
4. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
5. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
6. Kanye West -- Graduation
7. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand
9. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic
10. The National -- Boxer

Only the bottom of the top 10 gives a little hint at Idolator's younger crowd. I started to do some math regarding the finer points of the two polls, but I hate math so I'm happy to report that someone did it for me. It'll likely hurt your brain, following along with all this parsing and delineating. I recommend stepping away from your computer after three minutes of analysis and then staring out the window nearest you, which with hope will show at least one scrap of nature.

--Margaret Wappler

Photo: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, the undisputed king? Credit: Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times

Tired of 2007? Already over 2008? Don't care either way? Check out these underrated sweethearts from all eras and epochs of music:

1. Roberta Flack: R&B’s Queen of the Slow Burn helped invent the style known as “quiet storm” with her spacious, jazz-tinged hits, and for that she’s been unduly punished.. Big emoters like Patti and Aretha are easier to mama-lionize, but some of our most beloved chanteuses (Sade, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys) follow as much in Flack’s hushed footsteps. One scholar – New York University professor Jason King – has eloquently made her case in print, but she deserves a bigger place in the pantheon.

2. Daryl Hall: He’s been rewarded with many hits and a revival of late, but too often, the glammer half of Hall & Oates is still pegged as a yacht-rock decadent -- when he was really a New Wave groundbreaker. “Sacred Songs,” his 1980 solo debut, was produced by loops-loving King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and stands up to anything Bowie did in his Very Blond years. Hall is also a major collaborator on the best experimental pop record you’ve never heard: Fripp’s fantastic 1979 solo debut, “Exposure.” These outings prove that Hall is not only the most gifted white soulman of his era; he’s an artiste too.

3. The Mekons: It’s true that critics of a certain age absolutely love the Mekons, who’ve been making brainy, drunken rock and roll for 30 years. But while fashionable young rockers are happily cannibalizing Gang of Four and Joy Division, this mightily enduring post-punk institution isn’t getting revived by anyone. Partly, that’s because they’re still putting out their own great albums – check out their 16th, “Natural,” minted in 2007. But really, the Mekons stand alone because their humanity, intelligence and wise good-time energy can’t be imitated. May they endure forever.

4. Hal David: Burt Bacharach in his turtleneck may epitomize midcentury cool, and Dionne Warwick was the voice that made him so. But did you ever think about who wrote the lyrics to those great songs? Hal David is the master of the telling detail: the makeup Warwick’s putting on as she says a little prayer for you, or the one less egg to fry that signifies heartbreak in that Fifth Dimension song. Honored by his own, he’s rarely acknowledged outside songwriter circles. I’d like to see him become our poet laureate.

5. Trent Reznor: Instead of just aging into the dystopian version of hair metal nostalgia, Trent Reznor made "Year Zero," a strong, political album wrapped up in a fascinating alternate reality game. "Year Zero" took his artistic vision to the next level, posing a serious challenge to other artists to really consider the formerly "peripheral" elements of a marketing campaign to be part of the artistic expression itself, and to go beyond old definitions of pop artist. Then, a few months later, he helped poet-rapper-rocker Saul Williams release his excellent new album (which Reznor produced) via the Internet through a pay-what-you-want model. With that, Reznor became the first (and so far only) truly established star to take Radiohead's dare; something that will have to happen a lot more if the "In Rainbows" campaign is to have any effect. Of course, because Reznor is an over-40 rocker identified with the '90s -- that strange epoch during which rockers actually took themselves seriously -- most hipsters just laugh him off now. But he gets the future. And he's still part of it.

--Ann Powers

[Photo: Flack and Peabo Bryson. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins Kasinga / LAT]

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

It’s time for some Afropop!

Cute Band Alert! Back in the days of grunge, Sassy Magazine invented that feature to tell the world that indie rock boys could be heartthrobs too. We might have to revive the category just to accommodate Vampire Weekend, the painfully adorable quartet enjoying an avalanche of hype.

Columbia grads who coat songs about preppie life in a light veneer of world-beat guitars and rhythms, the Vampire Weekend calls what it does "Upper West Side Soweto" -- a catchphrase that's now biting back as skeptics question their artsy-craftsy appropriation of African influences. The band's mix is pleasant enough if you like your eyebrows arched, but we at Soundboard thought it might be useful to remind readers that actual African music is pretty awesome too.

For listeners who tire of Vampire Weekend's Izod jungle beats, here are a few relatively recent gems from the continent that these boys claim to sort of understand. Readers, we'd love to see your own picks in the comments section!

Tabu Ley Rochereau, "The Voice of Lightness" (Stern's Africa): Thanks to longtime African music fan Robert Christgau for the tip on this one -- an anthology of vintage tracks from the Congolese singer, one of Afropop's greatest voices. Soukous, Rocherau's particular subgenre, is crazy danceable music based on guitar lines that seem to float on helium. I saw Rochereau in an Oakland club back in the 1980s, and believe me, he really makes it rain.

Tinariwen, "Aman Iman: Water Is Life" (World Village) Revolutionary trance blues from desert nomads -- how hot is that? Tinariwen's excellent backstory (its members are Tuareg, a desert people, and allegedly trained as armed rebels before turning to music) has helped make it a favorite among upper-boho Westerners. What matters, though, is the band's groove : a fluid, sneaky thing, equally rooted in Arabic and psychedelic traditions, that packs more heat than most Euro-American rockers can even imagine these days.

Vusi Mahlasela, "Guiding Star" (ATO): Hipsters are never going to approve of Dave Matthews, and maybe that’s why this exceptionally graceful South African singer’s first studio effort for the jam master's ATO Records gained only marginal attention in the U.S. Or maybe Mahlasela’s gentle, folkish style, often communicating harrowing tales of life under and after apartheid, put people off. But “Guiding Star” is, in its quiet way, an African answer to Paul Simon’s groundbreaking “Graceland,” blending traditional sounds and contemporary stories to powerful effect.

Various artists, "The Very Best of Ethiopiques" (Union Square Music): Francis Falceto first heard Ethiopian pop on a friend’s cassete player in 1984; since then, the French promoter has devoted much of his life to getting that music past its homeland’s borders. The Ethiopiques series is at Volume 22 and growing; this two-CD collection highlights some of the best tracks from this archival treasure trove, ranging from haunting, Coltrane-esque jazz to ancient tunes on a King David’s harp.

Amadou & Mariam, "Dimanche a Bamako" (Nonesuch): It’s a couple years old, but this breakthrough album by the Malian expat husband-wife duo still ranks as one of the sunniest musical outings released this century. Manu Chao, the real king of world fusion music, produced. Some tracks boogie like classic rock, others roll along on those gloriously langorous Malian rhythms, some flirt with hip-hop. Every one will make you jump up and dance.

Soundboard contributor Casey Dolan also recommends the out-of-print "Songs the Swahili Sing," issued in 1983 on the legendary Original Music label, run by musicologist John Storm Roberts. “It introduced to Western audiences the sinuous music of taarab -- the music of the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts, amalgamating traditional Arabic music, Bollywood film scores, classic Memphis R&B and the Kenyan pop tradition,” writes Casey. “Some great music from the mid/late '60s is represented, including the Black Star and Lucky Star musical clubs.”

So that’s just the tiniest foray into African pop -- we didn’t even mention such obvious notables as Vieux Farka Toure, Orchestra Baobab, Youssou N’Dour and Rokia Traore. If you can still make time for Vampire Weekend, cool. But don’t say we didn’t try to steer you right.

-- Ann Powers

[Photo 1: Vampire Weekend. Credit: billions.com. Photo 2: Amadou & Miriam at the Knitting Factory in 2005. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times.]

If you need any proof of the lockstepping ways of today's music critics, just check out the top of Idolator's Pop 07 poll and compare it to Pazz & Jop at the Village Voice, the old dinosaur Idolator's poll was designed to defeat -- or at least challenge -- in its inaugural edition last year, when they called it Jackin' Pop. If you hadn't been told who was the flashy young upstart and who was the venerable old coot, could you tell the difference?

Idolator Pop 07 Album Top 10 (surveyed from 452 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver
2. M.I.A. -- Kala
3. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
4. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
5. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
6. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. The National -- Boxer
8. Kanye West -- Graduation
9. Panda Bear -- Person Pitch
10. Of Montreal -- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Pazz & Jop Album Top Ten (surveyed from 577 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sounds of Silver
2. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
3. M.I.A. -- Kala
4. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
5. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
6. Kanye West -- Graduation
7. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand
9. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic
10. The National -- Boxer

Only the bottom of the top 10 gives a little hint at Idolator's younger crowd. I started to do some math regarding the finer points of the two polls, but I hate math so I'm happy to report that someone did it for me. It'll likely hurt your brain, following along with all this parsing and delineating. I recommend stepping away from your computer after three minutes of analysis and then staring out the window nearest you, which with hope will show at least one scrap of nature.

--Margaret Wappler

Photo: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, the undisputed king? Credit: Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times

Tired of 2007? Already over 2008? Don't care either way? Check out these underrated sweethearts from all eras and epochs of music:

1. Roberta Flack: R&B’s Queen of the Slow Burn helped invent the style known as “quiet storm” with her spacious, jazz-tinged hits, and for that she’s been unduly punished.. Big emoters like Patti and Aretha are easier to mama-lionize, but some of our most beloved chanteuses (Sade, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys) follow as much in Flack’s hushed footsteps. One scholar – New York University professor Jason King – has eloquently made her case in print, but she deserves a bigger place in the pantheon.

2. Daryl Hall: He’s been rewarded with many hits and a revival of late, but too often, the glammer half of Hall & Oates is still pegged as a yacht-rock decadent -- when he was really a New Wave groundbreaker. “Sacred Songs,” his 1980 solo debut, was produced by loops-loving King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and stands up to anything Bowie did in his Very Blond years. Hall is also a major collaborator on the best experimental pop record you’ve never heard: Fripp’s fantastic 1979 solo debut, “Exposure.” These outings prove that Hall is not only the most gifted white soulman of his era; he’s an artiste too.

3. The Mekons: It’s true that critics of a certain age absolutely love the Mekons, who’ve been making brainy, drunken rock and roll for 30 years. But while fashionable young rockers are happily cannibalizing Gang of Four and Joy Division, this mightily enduring post-punk institution isn’t getting revived by anyone. Partly, that’s because they’re still putting out their own great albums – check out their 16th, “Natural,” minted in 2007. But really, the Mekons stand alone because their humanity, intelligence and wise good-time energy can’t be imitated. May they endure forever.

4. Hal David: Burt Bacharach in his turtleneck may epitomize midcentury cool, and Dionne Warwick was the voice that made him so. But did you ever think about who wrote the lyrics to those great songs? Hal David is the master of the telling detail: the makeup Warwick’s putting on as she says a little prayer for you, or the one less egg to fry that signifies heartbreak in that Fifth Dimension song. Honored by his own, he’s rarely acknowledged outside songwriter circles. I’d like to see him become our poet laureate.

5. Trent Reznor: Instead of just aging into the dystopian version of hair metal nostalgia, Trent Reznor made "Year Zero," a strong, political album wrapped up in a fascinating alternate reality game. "Year Zero" took his artistic vision to the next level, posing a serious challenge to other artists to really consider the formerly "peripheral" elements of a marketing campaign to be part of the artistic expression itself, and to go beyond old definitions of pop artist. Then, a few months later, he helped poet-rapper-rocker Saul Williams release his excellent new album (which Reznor produced) via the Internet through a pay-what-you-want model. With that, Reznor became the first (and so far only) truly established star to take Radiohead's dare; something that will have to happen a lot more if the "In Rainbows" campaign is to have any effect. Of course, because Reznor is an over-40 rocker identified with the '90s -- that strange epoch during which rockers actually took themselves seriously -- most hipsters just laugh him off now. But he gets the future. And he's still part of it.

--Ann Powers

[Photo: Flack and Peabo Bryson. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins Kasinga / LAT]

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

A poll by any other name …

If you need any proof of the lockstepping ways of today's music critics, just check out the top of Idolator's Pop 07 poll and compare it to Pazz & Jop at the Village Voice, the old dinosaur Idolator's poll was designed to defeat -- or at least challenge -- in its inaugural edition last year, when they called it Jackin' Pop. If you hadn't been told who was the flashy young upstart and who was the venerable old coot, could you tell the difference?

Idolator Pop 07 Album Top 10 (surveyed from 452 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound of Silver
2. M.I.A. -- Kala
3. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
4. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
5. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
6. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7. The National -- Boxer
8. Kanye West -- Graduation
9. Panda Bear -- Person Pitch
10. Of Montreal -- Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Pazz & Jop Album Top Ten (surveyed from 577 critics/voters):

1. LCD Soundsystem -- Sounds of Silver
2. Radiohead -- In Rainbows
3. M.I.A. -- Kala
4. Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black
5. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
6. Kanye West -- Graduation
7. Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
8. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand
9. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic
10. The National -- Boxer

Only the bottom of the top 10 gives a little hint at Idolator's younger crowd. I started to do some math regarding the finer points of the two polls, but I hate math so I'm happy to report that someone did it for me. It'll likely hurt your brain, following along with all this parsing and delineating. I recommend stepping away from your computer after three minutes of analysis and then staring out the window nearest you, which with hope will show at least one scrap of nature.

--Margaret Wappler

Photo: LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, the undisputed king? Credit: Robert Lachman/Los Angeles Times

Tired of 2007? Already over 2008? Don't care either way? Check out these underrated sweethearts from all eras and epochs of music:

1. Roberta Flack: R&B’s Queen of the Slow Burn helped invent the style known as “quiet storm” with her spacious, jazz-tinged hits, and for that she’s been unduly punished.. Big emoters like Patti and Aretha are easier to mama-lionize, but some of our most beloved chanteuses (Sade, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys) follow as much in Flack’s hushed footsteps. One scholar – New York University professor Jason King – has eloquently made her case in print, but she deserves a bigger place in the pantheon.

2. Daryl Hall: He’s been rewarded with many hits and a revival of late, but too often, the glammer half of Hall & Oates is still pegged as a yacht-rock decadent -- when he was really a New Wave groundbreaker. “Sacred Songs,” his 1980 solo debut, was produced by loops-loving King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and stands up to anything Bowie did in his Very Blond years. Hall is also a major collaborator on the best experimental pop record you’ve never heard: Fripp’s fantastic 1979 solo debut, “Exposure.” These outings prove that Hall is not only the most gifted white soulman of his era; he’s an artiste too.

3. The Mekons: It’s true that critics of a certain age absolutely love the Mekons, who’ve been making brainy, drunken rock and roll for 30 years. But while fashionable young rockers are happily cannibalizing Gang of Four and Joy Division, this mightily enduring post-punk institution isn’t getting revived by anyone. Partly, that’s because they’re still putting out their own great albums – check out their 16th, “Natural,” minted in 2007. But really, the Mekons stand alone because their humanity, intelligence and wise good-time energy can’t be imitated. May they endure forever.

4. Hal David: Burt Bacharach in his turtleneck may epitomize midcentury cool, and Dionne Warwick was the voice that made him so. But did you ever think about who wrote the lyrics to those great songs? Hal David is the master of the telling detail: the makeup Warwick’s putting on as she says a little prayer for you, or the one less egg to fry that signifies heartbreak in that Fifth Dimension song. Honored by his own, he’s rarely acknowledged outside songwriter circles. I’d like to see him become our poet laureate.

5. Trent Reznor: Instead of just aging into the dystopian version of hair metal nostalgia, Trent Reznor made "Year Zero," a strong, political album wrapped up in a fascinating alternate reality game. "Year Zero" took his artistic vision to the next level, posing a serious challenge to other artists to really consider the formerly "peripheral" elements of a marketing campaign to be part of the artistic expression itself, and to go beyond old definitions of pop artist. Then, a few months later, he helped poet-rapper-rocker Saul Williams release his excellent new album (which Reznor produced) via the Internet through a pay-what-you-want model. With that, Reznor became the first (and so far only) truly established star to take Radiohead's dare; something that will have to happen a lot more if the "In Rainbows" campaign is to have any effect. Of course, because Reznor is an over-40 rocker identified with the '90s -- that strange epoch during which rockers actually took themselves seriously -- most hipsters just laugh him off now. But he gets the future. And he's still part of it.

--Ann Powers

[Photo: Flack and Peabo Bryson. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins Kasinga / LAT]

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

Ann Powers’ underrated picks

Tired of 2007? Already over 2008? Don't care either way? Check out these underrated sweethearts from all eras and epochs of music:

1. Roberta Flack: R&B’s Queen of the Slow Burn helped invent the style known as “quiet storm” with her spacious, jazz-tinged hits, and for that she’s been unduly punished.. Big emoters like Patti and Aretha are easier to mama-lionize, but some of our most beloved chanteuses (Sade, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys) follow as much in Flack’s hushed footsteps. One scholar – New York University professor Jason King – has eloquently made her case in print, but she deserves a bigger place in the pantheon.

2. Daryl Hall: He’s been rewarded with many hits and a revival of late, but too often, the glammer half of Hall & Oates is still pegged as a yacht-rock decadent -- when he was really a New Wave groundbreaker. “Sacred Songs,” his 1980 solo debut, was produced by loops-loving King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, and stands up to anything Bowie did in his Very Blond years. Hall is also a major collaborator on the best experimental pop record you’ve never heard: Fripp’s fantastic 1979 solo debut, “Exposure.” These outings prove that Hall is not only the most gifted white soulman of his era; he’s an artiste too.

3. The Mekons: It’s true that critics of a certain age absolutely love the Mekons, who’ve been making brainy, drunken rock and roll for 30 years. But while fashionable young rockers are happily cannibalizing Gang of Four and Joy Division, this mightily enduring post-punk institution isn’t getting revived by anyone. Partly, that’s because they’re still putting out their own great albums – check out their 16th, “Natural,” minted in 2007. But really, the Mekons stand alone because their humanity, intelligence and wise good-time energy can’t be imitated. May they endure forever.

4. Hal David: Burt Bacharach in his turtleneck may epitomize midcentury cool, and Dionne Warwick was the voice that made him so. But did you ever think about who wrote the lyrics to those great songs? Hal David is the master of the telling detail: the makeup Warwick’s putting on as she says a little prayer for you, or the one less egg to fry that signifies heartbreak in that Fifth Dimension song. Honored by his own, he’s rarely acknowledged outside songwriter circles. I’d like to see him become our poet laureate.

5. Trent Reznor: Instead of just aging into the dystopian version of hair metal nostalgia, Trent Reznor made "Year Zero," a strong, political album wrapped up in a fascinating alternate reality game. "Year Zero" took his artistic vision to the next level, posing a serious challenge to other artists to really consider the formerly "peripheral" elements of a marketing campaign to be part of the artistic expression itself, and to go beyond old definitions of pop artist. Then, a few months later, he helped poet-rapper-rocker Saul Williams release his excellent new album (which Reznor produced) via the Internet through a pay-what-you-want model. With that, Reznor became the first (and so far only) truly established star to take Radiohead's dare; something that will have to happen a lot more if the "In Rainbows" campaign is to have any effect. Of course, because Reznor is an over-40 rocker identified with the '90s -- that strange epoch during which rockers actually took themselves seriously -- most hipsters just laugh him off now. But he gets the future. And he's still part of it.

--Ann Powers

[Photo: Flack and Peabo Bryson. Credit: Geraldine Wilkins Kasinga / LAT]

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

The hidden pleasures of 2007: great band names

2007 may have been a great year for music, but I was too busy listening to hateful talk radio to notice. I did, however, notice that ’07 was a banner year for band names. Here are the best of ’07, in no particular order:

1. Gay Beast (what is it about Minneapolis? They always breed the best band names: Husker Du, Babes in Toyland, Muffler Chump, etc.)
2. Raspberry Cocaine (we prefer Boysenberry ourselves)
3. Airborne Toxic Event (otherwise known as sick building syndrome?)
4. Sissy Wish (reminds us of something Sonic Youth might have tossed off in a studio circa ’91).
5. Casxio (sex + casios = genius)

--Charlie Amter

(Pictured: Princess Pop performing at a Raspberry Cocaine show. Photographer: Mark Huddleston)

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

The hidden pleasures of 2007: saints and sinners

The Blood Brothers: The Seattle quintet's recent breakup is a sad reminder of the ambitions that the Bros had for hardcore. Their larynx-ripping dual-vocal attack sometimes overshadowed their Wagnerian approach to post-punk songwriting, which was the most intelligent take on the idea of 'aggressive music' since Refused's heyday. They were campy enough to call a song "F*ing's Greatest Hits," but scary enough to make the Fueled By Ramen set hide behind their bangs and damn one of the genre's most riveting bands to the shoulda-been-more-famous rack. --August Brown

Rilo Kiley: The big yawn that greeted Rilo Kiley’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” shows how quickly indie rock fans will turn on their fave raves. What sin did the L.A. darlings commit? Trying something new – specifically, sophisticated pop that wasn’t crunk enough for Britney Spears apologists, nor bookishly twee enough for Decemberists fans. But even if she’s using fewer words per line, Jenny Lewis is still the best young lyricist in rock. Don’t give up on her, hipsters!! --Ann Powers

(Pictured: Lewis in flight. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha /LAT)

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

The hidden pleasures of 2007: jazz, anyone?

And no, we’re not just talking about any number of archive-dredging reissues that happen every year -- though many of these can be welcome. Jazz as a whole is still alive and moving forward in the 21st century; it just takes a little more digging to find the evidence. The double album from Ken Vandermark’s grimy and bass-heavy new project Powerhouse Sound was one of the top releases of the year, featuring contributions from Tortoise’s John Herndon and Jeff Parker on compositions dedicated to such non-typical luminaries as Hank Shocklee and the Stooges. Also keep an eye out for His Name Is Alive’s gorgeous and contemplative tribute to saxophonist Marion Brown, “Sweet Earth Flower,” a shocking contrast to singer-songwriter Warn Defever’s usual slowcore-leaning fare, with a little help from members of Nomo. Both are great ways to expand one’s listening palette, and all without ever getting caught in a "quiet storm, soft and warm." --Chris Barton

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler

The hidden pleasures of 2007: smog cutter and fields of joy

2007: it's slipping right between our fingers. These handful of days between the frenzy of Christmas and the drunken surrender to 2008 are lost times, typically marked by decreased concentration, increase in returns of ill-fitting or otherwise unsuitable gifts, the temporary but nevertheless inconvenient closings of favorite restaurants (what's up, Maroush?) and other trivial follies. But, it is also a time of reflection on the copious gifts of 2007, especially those that didn't get their comeuppance by the typical tabulators.

For the next few days, we'll be paying tribute to those hidden gems -- favorite releases, concerts and sudden revelations, some of which had little to do with 2007 but still count as lively sparks on the great musical continuum. Calendar years are so 2006 anyway. And yes, that sentence only boggles the mind the more you read it.

Anyway, I'll start with a few slept-on albums:

Bill Callahan, "Woke on a Whaleheart" (Drag City): This poor bastard. Will he ever get a break? Will the masses ever listen? Finally, after 456 sad sack records, dude goes and falls in love with Joanna Newsom, hooks up (artistically!) with a gospel singer and makes the first genuinely happy, uplifting record in his career. No one cared, which sort of makes sense in the world of Callahan, formerly known as Smog. He's the hapless troubadour circling the lands with wise songs -- we, as the fools of the Earth, aren't supposed to listen to this kind of wisdom until he's dead or immortalized by the Todd Haynes of 2207.

The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompact) and Field Music, Tones of Town (Memphis Industries): These albums have nothing in common besides an obvious love for the word field but it's fun to compare. On one side, we have the Field, aka Axel Willner, whose publicity picture features a wispish, red-haired Swede in a fantastic, multi-colored t-shirt. His music -- gorgeously icy but supple waves of electronica -- is similarly concerned with heat and light, chill and energy. And don't even get me started on that Lionel Richie sample that resonates throughout then blooms at the end of "A Paw in the Face" like some dirty, delicious weed. On the other side, there's Field Music's "Tones of Town," released in the leaden month of February, seemingly to a handful of critics who either fell in love with this smart set of ticking, racing songs or who never cracked the jewel case. Sometimes these English fops can be a little tea-time restrained but at their best, Field Music makes pop-music geometry, elegant proofs to soothe your jagged heart.

OK, more of these coming on Monday. Stand ready with your champagne. I recommend Freixenet. So underrated.

--Margaret Wappler