The PCWEI Best of 2007 Awards

Tonight another year slips into the mists of memory like mime into quicksand. And to celebrate, here’s what those of us a PCWEI think are the best things to remember about 2007:

Best Movies

5. American Gangster (review)

Russel Crowe was amazing, Denzel was Denzel, and Ridley Scott put it all together nicely. Overall it’s an excellent, if not perfect, portrait of a gangster and the man determined to bring him down.

4. Knocked Up (review)

I knew this movie was going to kick ass as soon as I saw the red band trailer, and it didn’t disappoint. Its great cast, interesting characters, and underlying charm made it the second funniest movie of the year.

3. Superbad (review)

Whereas Knocked Up showed both sides of male/female relationships, Superbad focused on the male perspective. And it got it right. Very right. With hilarious consequences.

2. Ocean’s Thirteen (review)

Truly a fitting cap to the Ocean’s trilogy, Ocean’s 13 brought all the wit, charm, and intrigue you could ask for. It easily would have been my pick for my favorite movie of the year if not for…

1. The Bourne Ultimatum (review)

Michael Bay, are you paying attention? THIS is how you make an action movie. You know, with a plot and stuff. Crazy.

Best Cover Songs
7. “The World’s Greatest” - Bonnie “Prince” Billy - R. Kelly song

6. “Teardrop” - José González (video) - A Massive Attack song that’s also used as the theme for House.

5. “Conquest” - White Stripes - (video) Originally written by Corky Robbins and popularized by Patti Page.

4. “Sea Lion Woman” - Feist (video) - an adaptation of Nina Simone’s “See-Line Woman”

3. “Young Folks” - Dawn Landes (video) - Originally done by Peter Björn and John.

2. “Buckets of Rain” - Neko Case (video) - a great cover of an oft-overlooked Bob Dylan classic.

1. “The River” - Josh Ritter (video) - I got to hear a mindblowing version of this classic Springsteen song at the 9:30 Club.

Best Songs

20. “Hate it Here” - Wilco (from Sky Blue Sky)

19. “In Our Talons” - Bowerbirds (from Hymns for the Dark Horse)

18. “In Our Nature” - José González (from In Our nature)

17. “The News from Your Bed” - Bishop Allen (from The Broken String)

16. “Down in the Valley” - The Broken West (from I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On)

15. “Paris is Burning” - St. Vincent (from Marry Me)

14. “Kid on My Shoulders” - White Rabbits (from Fort Nightly)

13. “Earth Intruders” - Björk (from Volta)

12. “Icky Thump” - The White Stripes (from Icky Thump)

11. “Boy With a Coin” (video) - Iron & Wine (from The Shepherd’s Dog)

10. “Skyway” - Apples in Stereo (from New Magnetic Wonder)

9. “1 2 3 4″ - Feist (from The Reminder)

8. “Little Bit of You in Everything” - The Rentals (from The Last Little Life EP)

7. “The Underdog” - Spoon (from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)

6. “Flume” - Bon Iver (from For Emma, Forever Ago)

5. “The Chinatown Bus” - Bishop Allen (from The Broken String)

4. “Energy” - Apples in Stereo (from New Magnetic Wonder)

3. “To the Dogs or Whoever” - Josh Ritter (from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter)

2. “My Rights Versus Yours” - The New Pornographers (from Challengers)

1. “Carousel” - Iron & Wine (from The Shepherd’s Dog)

Best Albums
10. José González - In Our Nature
The rare sort of album that manages to be both chill and intense at the same time. González’s classical guitar and idiosyncratic style make this an album that holds up to repeat listens.

9. White Stripes - Icky Thump
A great return-to-form for The White Stripes. Icky Thump is everything you could want out of a Stripes’ album, meaning it’s all over the map but a fun ride the whole way.

8. Feist - The Reminder
This album still sounds good, despite Feist’s overexposure due to “1 2 3 4″ being used in an iPod commercial.

7. Bowerbirds - Hymns for the Dark Horse
The most pleasant surprise of 2007 (for the full story about why, read their Sunday Music Spotlight entry). The album is genuine, rustic, and sweet.

6. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Justin Vernon’s falsetto will curl up in your head and linger like a dog in front of a fireplace. Read his Sunday Music Spotlight entry for the details of he made such a wonderfully soft album.

5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Spoon hit one out of the park with their followup to Gimme Fiction. It’s a solid album from top to bottom, with no weak links, and some startlingly high peaks.

4. Bishop Allen - The Broken String
On the surface Bishop Allen made an amazingly crisp and clear pop album. But listen closely and you’ll hear a lot of density in the production and even more heart in the lyrics.

3. Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Josh Ritter is coming close to living up to his twin billing of “The Next Bob Dylan” and “The Next Bruce Springsteen”. On Historical Conquest he expands on his work in The Animal Years, growing both lyrically and musically.

2. Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
New Magnetic Wonder may be pop music’s equivalent to a great oil painting. To the untrained ear the songs just paint pretty pictures. Everything just sounds good. To someone who knows how songs are put together however, the layers and details are revealed, and the true nature of the masterpiece becomes clear. The entire album is impeccably recorded, mixed, arranged, and conceived. In most years it would be a runaway for best album of the year.

1. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog
Sam Beam managed to not only unseat The Apples in Stereo from what seemed like a lock for the top spot on the list, but he managed to outdo himself as well. With The Shepherd’s Dog he managed to make the best Iron & Wine album to date, which is no small feat.

The album expands even more on his collaboration with Calexico, allowing Beam to play with new instruments and effects. And like a master chef he manages to mix together ingredients and flavors that are foreign to him and produce something absolutely breathtaking.

The Shepherd’s Dog is not just the clear Album of the Year, it’s the leader in the clubhouse for Album of the Decade.

Honorable Mention - White Rabbits, St. Vincent, Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, The New Pornographers, Modest Mouse, The Broken West, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Blitzen Trapper, Aqueduct, Andrew Bird, Deer Tick, Rilo Kiley

Happy New Year everyone.