Reeling In The Years: 2007

by James Keen

2007 was a good year for a few reasons. Aside from going to uni, I also turned 18, which meant a) I saved enough money from my birthday and part-time job in a local pizza takeaway to be able to afford to go to Leeds Festival, and b) I could actually produce ID when challenged in the Birmingham Bar Academy, on the rare occasion that the tried and tested ‘not having a shave for a few days’ technique failed.

Kubichek! – Nightjoy
Lead single off their sole album, released in this year. Regularly seen playing in front of sparse crowds at the aforementioned Bar Academy, as well as to a surprisingly large one at Leeds Festival.

goFASTER>> - She Starts Monday
At least Kubichek could draw in tens of people. I went to see this lot play a charity gig in Sheffield with my girlfriend. We were the only people there. Now on the same label as...

Johnny Foreigner – Another Ghost Another Planet
Most of the middle section of 2007 was spent with the I Like You Mostly Late At Never collection of demos on repeat, from which the above is drawn, before the Arcs Across The City EP was released towards the end of the year.

Situationists – We Are Weightless
The decision to go to university in Sheffield was made a lot easier by local bands of this quality coming through.

Ripchord – Lock Up Your Daughters
Signed to Sony imprint 1965 Records, whose entire budget went on promoting The View, meaning this lot never got to release their album. I still maintain that Ripchord were better, though it’s all relative. I also saw them play live in a strip club for a Channel 4 programme, an experience which can only be described as surreal.

Snowfight In The City Centre – Six Seconds
Shortly after releasing this single, they split up, and not long after became Delphic. This ‘wasn’t the music they wanted to make’; I doubt they care that they lost my interest after the change of direction.

GoodBooks – Passchendaele
Like a musical Freddy Adu, they never quite fulfilled expectations. We were left with one stellar album, with this bittersweet single a reminder of what might have been.

Future of the Left – adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood
Happened upon the album from which this is taken by chance, after being sent it to review. Probably the third best album of 2007, behind that of…

The National – Fake Empire
As undoubtedly brilliant as this, and the rest of Boxer, was, it was beaten to my personal top spot by...

Meet Me In St. Louis – All We Need Is A Little Bit of Energon, And A Lot of Luck
Which was probably the best album of that decade.

Master list