You’ve already seen the DJ’s Top Picks for best albums of the year, and you’ve listened to the Top 90.3 albums of 2007, as voted by you, the listeners — but what about KEXP’s staff, interns, and volunteers, those committed individuals who work behind the scenes at KEXP? Here are their lists:

Alex Ruder, Programming Intern/Music Reviewer

1. Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)
2. Caribou - Andorra (Merge)
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-release)
4. Cex - Exotical Privates (Automation)
5. Electrelane - No Shouts, No Calls (Too Pure)
6. Kanye West - Graduation (Roc-A-Fella)
7. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (DFA)
8. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
9. edIT - Certified Air Raid Material (Alpha Pup)
10. Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)

Amy Lindsey, Events Producer

1. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol)
2. Editors - An End Has a Start (Fader)
3. The Blakes - The Blakes (Light in the Attic)
4. Beirut - The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing!)
5. KEXP Volume 3 - Various (KEXP)
6. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self released)
7. Pela - Anytown Graffiti (Great Society)
8. M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
9. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)
10. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release (Wichita)

Andrew Corey, Programming Coordinator

1. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self released)
2. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times (RCA)
3. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
4. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
5. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol)
6. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)
7. Menomena - Friend and Foe (Barsuk)
8. The Cops - Free Electricity (The Control Group/Mt Fuji)
9. The Ponys - Turn the Lights Out (Matador)
10. Sigur Ros - Hvarf/Heim (XL)

Ben Guerechit, Writer

I’m Not There - Original Soundtrack (Columbia)
Bettye Lavette - The Scene Of The Crime (Anti)
Band Of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (DFA)
Dr. Dog - We All Belong (Park The Van)
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog (Sub Pop)
Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (SMG)
Beastie Boys - The Mix-Up (Capitol)
Dusty Rhodes and the River Band - First You Live (Side One Dummy)
Low - Drums and Guns (Sub Pop)

Catherine Roth, Wo’Pop Intern

1. M.I.A. - Kala (XL)
2. Low - Drums and Guns (Sub Pop)
3. Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water Is Life (World Village)
4. Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog (Sub Pop)
5. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone)
6. Wax Tailor - Hope & Sorrow (Decon)
7. Radiohead - In Rainbows (Self-Released)
8. Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall (Reprise/Wea)
9. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (Republic)
10. Nick Drake - Family Tree (Island)

Danielle Cook, DJ Assistant for John in the Morning

1. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian)
2. M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
4. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)
5. The Cinematic Orchestra (Domino Recordings)
6. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (self-released)
7. Modeselektor-Happy Birthday! (Bpitch Control)
8. Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8 (Earthology)
9. Gui Boratto (Kompakt)
10. Kanye West- Graduation(Roc-A-Fella)

Eric Maholitz, Writer

1. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)
2. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)
3. Menomena - Friend and Foe (Barsuk)
4. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
5. Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub Records)
6. Matthew Dear - Asa Breed (Ghostly International)
7. Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position (Fontana Universal)
8. Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
9. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release (Interscope)
10. Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)

Eve Cooke, Programming Assistant for Nite Life

1. Daft Punk - Alive 2007 (Virgin)
2. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (Island, Republic)
3. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (DFA)
4. Justice - Cross (Ed Banger)
5. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City (Vice)
6. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release (Interscope)
7. M.I.A. - Kala (XL / Interscope)
8. Radiohead - In Rainbows (XL / TBD)
9. Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future (Polydor)
10. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)

Gregory A. Perez, Photographer

Pelican - City of Echoes (Hydra Head)
The Wrens live @ The Crocodile Cafe, June 9, 2007
The Narrator - All That To The Wall (Flameshovel)
Dead Confederate - EP (T.A.O.)
Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)
Ted Leo + Pharmacists - Living with the Living (Touch & Go)
Partman Parthorse - s/t (self-released)
Against Me! - New Wave (Sire)
Foals live @ Williamsburg Music Hall at CMJ, Oct. 17 2007
Battles - Mirrored (Warp)

Hilary Harris, Photographer

The Maldives - The Maldives (Homegrown)
Iron & Wine - The Shepherds Dog (Sub Pop)
Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals (We Are Free)
The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs (Matador)
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (Sub Pop)
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
My Morning Jacket - OKONOKOS (ATO/RCA)
Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger (Lost Highway)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 (RCA)
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)

Jim Beckmann, Online Content Coordinator

Harvey Danger did it a year ago, but thanks, Radiohead, for making free music cool! Here are ten free albums (well, nine albums and two EPs) of 2007 that don’t suck:

Atmosphere - Strictly Leakage (here)
Black Kids - Wizard of Ahhhs EP (here)
Cassettes Won’t Listen - One Alternative EP (here)
The Crimea - Secrets of the Witching Hour (here)
The Depreciation Guild - In Her Gentle Jaws (here)
Tim Fite - Over the Counter Culture (here)
Okkervil River - Golden Opportunities Mixtape (here)
Ratatat - Ratatat presents Remixes Vol. II (here)
Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise & Liberation of Niggy Tardust (here)
VA - Stereogum presents OKX: A Tribute to OK Computer (here)
VA - Warm & Scratchy [Adult Swim] (here)

John Felthous, Volunteer

1. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 (RCA)
2. Tegan and Sara - The Con (Sire)
3. The Valley - The Valley (self-released)
4. Les Savy Fav - Let’s Stay Friends (Frenchkiss)
5. Pinback - Autumn of the Seraphs (Touch and Go)
6. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic)
7. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)

Keenan Dowers, Intern/DJ Assistant

1. Fishboy - Albatross: How We Failed To Save the Lone Star State With the Power of Rock and Roll (Happy Happy Birthday to Me)
2. BOAT - Let’s Drag Our Feet (Magic Marker)
3. Police Teeth - Jazz Records For Sale (Blood City)
4. Tullycraft - Every Scene Needs A Center (Magic Marker)
5. Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder (Yep Roc)
6. The Hat Company - Fair-weather Friends (Little Pocket)
7. The Afternoon Naps - Sunbeamed (self-released)
8. Saturday Looks Good to Me - Fill Up the Room (K Records)
9. Pants Yell! - Allison Statton (Soft Abuse)
10. David & the Citizens - I Saw My Reflection and I Didn’t Recognize Myself (self-released)

Kyle Johnson, Photographer

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum)
J Tillman - Minor Works (Fargo)
ONEBELO - The R.E.B.I.R.T.H (Subterraneus)
Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth (Rhymesayers)
Japanther - Skuffed up my Huffy (Tapes Records)
Lonesome Rhodes and the Good Company - Nothing To Write Home About (self-released)
Siberian - With Me (Sonic Boom)
Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehap (Def Jam)
Kevin Drew - Spirit If… (Arts & Crafts)

Leigh Bezezekoff, Programming Intern

The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs (Matador)
The Blakes - The Blakes (Light In The Attic)
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna…Are You The Destroyer (Polyvinyl)
Mono In VCF - Mono In VCF (Self Released)
The Purrs - The Chemistry That Keeps Us Together (self-released)
Elliot Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
The Valley - The Valley (self-released)
Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin (Sub Pop)
Peter Bjorn & John - Writers Block (Witchita)
!!! - Myth Takes (Warp)

Leslie Smith, Traffic Coordinator

1. Wax Tailor - Hope & Sorrow (Decon)
2. Blonde Redhead - 23 (4AD)
3. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
4. Blockhead - Uncle Tony’s Coloring Book (Ninja Tune)
5. The Dynamics - First Landing (Hacktone)
6. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (Republic)
7. Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)
8. Dyme Def - Space Music (Soul Gorilla)
9. The Pierces - 13 Tales of Love and Revenge (Lizard King)
10. Band of Bees (the Bees) - Octopus (EMI, Int’l)

Levi Fuller, Programming Intern/Writer

Antelope - Reflector (Dischord)
Corespondents - Hairy Ghost Pipefish (Noise/Order)
The Dodos - Beware of the Maniacs (self-released)
Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (Mute)
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog (Sub Pop)
Menomena - Friend & Foe (Barsuk)
Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
The Way it Is - Be Still My Beating (self-released)
Wesafari - Moss Green EP (self-released)

Lisa Shimzu, Slave of Kevin Cole

The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone)
Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog (SubPop)
The Blakes - The Blakes (Light in the Attic)
Mono in VCF - Mono in VCF (self-released)
Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (Mute)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (plus the cool remix EPs - Capitol)
Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)
Bole2Harlem - Bole2Harlem Vol 1 (Sounds of the Mushroom)

Melissa Collett, Community Outreach

1. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Domino)
2. Pinback - Autumn Of The Seraphs (Touch & Go)
3. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
4. Peter Bjorn and John - Writer’s Block (Almost Gold)
5. Arthur & Yu - In Camera (Hardly Art)
6. Fujya and Miyagi - Transparent Things (Deaf Dumb & Blind)
7. LCD Soundstystem - Sound Of Silver (Capitol)
8. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release (Interscope)
9. The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs (Matador)
10. Jens Leckman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian)

Melissa Trejo, Programming/Morning Show Assistant

Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release (Interscope)
!!! - Myth Takes (Warp)
Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (Island)
Justice - “cross” (Vice)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (DFA/ Capitol)
Apparat - Walls (Shitkatapult)
M.I.A.- Kala- (XL)
Caribou - Andorra (Merge)
Pela - Anytown Grafitti (Great Society)
Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)

Mike Turner, Equalizer Chicago producer

Lupe Fiasco -The Cool (Atlantic)
Office - A Night At The Ritz (Scratchi Records)
Tom Schraeder -The Door The Gutter The Grave (self-released)
Ariel -The Battle of Sealand (High Wheel Records)
Cracklin Moth -My Heart is Leaking (self-released)
Cameron McGill and What Army -Hold on Beauty (self-released)
Bang Bang -The Dirt That Makes You Drown (Morpheus Records)
Andrew Bird -Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum)
Tenniscourts -Self titled (self-released)
The 1900’s -Cold and Kind (Parasol Records)

Miriam Lamey, Writer

1. The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters (Fatcat)
2. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)
3. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals (We Are Free)
4. Maximo Park - Our Earthly Pleasures (Warp)
5. Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold (She Bear/Parlophone)
6. Mando Diao - Ode to Ochrasy (Mute)
7. Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
8. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81(RCA)
9. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)
10. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack Decay Sustain Release (Interscope)

Morgan Kluck, Volunteer

1. Dntel - Dumb Luck (Sub Pop)
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)
3. Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
4. Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War (Arts & Crafts)
5. Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8 (Earthology)
6. M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
7. El-P - I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (Definitive Jux)
8. BOAT - Let’s Drag Our Feet (Magic Marker)
9. PWRFL Power - Injured Fruits (self-released)
10. YACHT - I Believe in You. Your Magic is Real. (Marriage Records)

Pema Domingo-Barker, Intern

10. Jamie T. - Panic Prevention (Caroline)
9. Battles - Mirrored (Warp)
8. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
7. Kevin Drew - Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew: Spirit If… (Arts and Crafts)
6. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
5. M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
4. Various - Live at KEXP Vol. 3 (KEXP)
3. The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs (Matador)
2. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)
1. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol)

Rebecca Campeau, Wo’ Pop Volunteer

M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
Los Mono - Somos Los Que Estamos (Sonic360)
Mexican Institute of Sound - Pinata (Nacional)
Camille - Le Fil (Narada)
Funky C - Joya (Sonic360)
Vieux Farka Toure - Vieux Farka Toure (World Village)
Shantel - Disko Partizani (Crammed)
VA- IndiaRama (Wagram)
VA- Mexican Boleros (Trikont)
DJ Bitman - Latin Bitman (Nacional)

Richard Laing, Production Assistant

Apparrat - Walls (BPitch Control)
Battles - Mirrored (Warp)
The Field - From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt)
Grinderman - Grinderman (Anti-)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol)
No Age - Weirdo Rippers (Fat Cat)
Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)
Tinariwen - Aman Iman (World Village)
Voice of the Seven Woods - Voice of the Seven Woods (Twisted Nerve)

Rischel S. Granquist, Administrative Assistant

Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)
Sloan - Never Hear The End Of It (Yep Roc)
Mark Ronson - Version (Red Ink)
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder (Yep Roc)
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone)
Iron And Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog (Sub Pop)
The Valley - The Valley (self-released)
M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars (Geffen)

Rory Raabe, Online Content Intern

1. Pop Levi - The Return to Form Black Magick Party (Counter Records)
2. M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
3. VA - Across The Universe [soundtrack] (Interscope)
4. Justice - Cross (Downtown/ Ed Banger)
5. Caribou - Andorra (Merge)
6. Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (Mute)
7. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Runs Down Thunder Canyon (XL/Beggars)
8. The Virgins - The Virgins [EP] (Anything)
9. Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things (Deaf Dumb & Blind)
10. Flight of the Conchords - The Distant Future [EP] (Sub Pop)

Sheryl Witlen, Writer

1. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol)
2. The National - Boxer (Beggars Banquet)
3. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals (We Are Free)
4. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin (Sub Pop)
5.The White Stipes - Icky Thump (Warner Bros)
6. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
7. The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters (Fatcat)
8. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (Cantora Records)
9. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino Records)
10. Digitalism - Idealism (Kitsuné /Virgin)

Spike, Online Content Volunteer/Writer

Joe Henry - Civilians (Anti-)
Richard Hawley - Lady’s Bridge (Mute)
Dirt Music - Dirt Music (Glitterhouse)
Grant Lee Phillips - Strangelet (Zoe)
Bettye LaVette - Scene of the Crime (Anti-)
Grinderman - Grinderman (Anti-)
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
Learn to Sing Like A Star - Kristin Hersh (Yep Roc)
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 (RCA)
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away (Sub Pop)

Tim Betterly, DJ Assistant and Events Intern

1. Blonde Redhead - 23 (4AD)
2. Beirut - The Flying Cup Club (Ba Da Bing)
3. M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
4. Katherine Hepburn’s Voice - Unlimited Nights and Weekends (self-released)
5. PJ Harvey - White Chalk (Island)
6. Les Savy Fav - Let’s Stay Friends (Frenchkiss)
7. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)
8. Eletrelane - No Shouts, No Calls (Beggars)
9. The Cave Singers - Invitation Songs (Matador)
10. DataRock - DataRock (Nettwerk)

Kid Hops’ Expansions top cuts of 2007:

Baby Origami feat. Frank Music - “Time Keeps On Movin’” (Liquid V)
Zero Tolerance & Beta 2 - “Traffic Jam” (CIA Deepkut)
Craggz - “My Detroit” (Med School)
Commix - “Japanese Electronics” from Call To Mind LP (Metalheadz)
Ill Logic & Raf - “Temptation” from Syracuse EP (Bingo)
Calibre - “Try” All Sounds Electric LP (Critical)
Dj Marky & A.I. feat. Ben Westbeech - “Shame” from Master Plan Part 1 EP (Innerground)
Logistics - “Cold World” from Wide Lens EP (Hospital)
High Contrast - “Tread Softly” from Tough Guys Don’t Dance LP (Hospital)
Alix Perez - “Solitary Native” (Shogun Audio)
Calibre feat. MC DRS - “Hustlin’” (Signature)
Marcus Intalex - “Lowlife” (Soul:r)
Roland Appel - “Dark Soldier” (Sonar Kollectiv)
Samim - “Heater” from Flow LP (Get Physical)
Benga & Coki - “Night” (Tempa)

Kid Hops’ Positive Vibrations best of 2007:

Alborosie - “Kingston Town” (Forward)
Fantan Mojah - “So Many Problems” (Irie Ites)
Mavado - “Top Shotta Nah Miss” from Gangsta for Life LP (VP)
Mr. Vegas - “Lean Wid It” (Taxi)
The Revolutionaries - “Plantation Heights” from Drum Sound LP (Pressure Sounds)

Sonic Reducer brings you three hours of the best in local, national, international punk and hardcore. Your hosts, Brian, Nick and Mr. West drag you through a mess of short, fast and loud songs from today and back in the day every Saturday night from 9pm to midnight.

Mr. West

1. Bjork- Volta (One Little Indian)
2. Pissed Jeans Hope for Men (Sub Pop)
3. Walls - Walls (self-released)
4. J. Tillman Cancer and Delerium (Yer Bird)
5. Volt - Volt (In the Red)
6. Hex Dispensers - Hex Dispensers (Alien Snatch)
7. Copyrights - Make Sound (Red Scare)
8. Cloak and Dagger - We Are… (Jade Tree)
9. Intelligence - Deuteronomy (In the Red)
10. pleasureboaters - gross (Don’t Stop Believin’)

Honorable mention
Career Suicide, Cicadas, Black Breath, Kanye West, Lords of Light, Sex Video, Head, King Khan and his Shrines

Great live shows
Tyvek, Cheveu, Fucked Up, Lifetime, Benson Jones, Fort Hell, Monotonix

VA - “Gangsta Boogie” triple-disc Mixed CD made by Rachel’s brother. I don’t know what the cyclone is, or who the king of R’n'B is but I love this disc.

Brian Foss

1. Tyvek - Fast Metabolism & Double 45 (What’s Your Rupture)
2. Hex Dispensers - Hex Dispensers (Alien Snatch)
3. Head - Heil Head & 45 (Evil Clown / Goner)
4. The Eat - It’s Not The Eat Its the Humidity (Alternative Tentacles)
5. The Obsessors - Double Scoop (Braindart)
6. Obituaries - Obituaries (Highgate)
7. The Intelligence - Deuteronomy (In The Red)
8. The Intellectuals - Invisible Is The Best (Dead Beat)
9. Steel Tigers of Death (demo)
10. Reptilian Civilian (demo)
11. TacocaT (demo)

Kevin Cole and Lisa Shimizu
photo by Gregory A. Perez

Another year in my Life With Kevin has come to a close. Kevin’s on vacation right now, so it’s pretty quiet in our office. I spent some time last week helping deliver Live at KEXP Volume 3 to some of the local retailers who sell it for us. We cannot begin to express how grateful we are to these retailers — not only do they sell the CD for us, but they sell it and give 100% of the proceeds back to KEXP. You buy it for $15, KEXP gets $15. How great is that?? We are tremendously grateful to them. I brought some CDs into Sonic Boom in Fremont and got to talk briefly with Nabil Ayers. Nabil not only co-owns Sonic Boom but plays drums in The Long Winters and has the coolest sideburns on the whole planet. I thanked him for selling the CD and for the incredible song that they gave us for Live at KEXP Volume 3: “Pushover.” I’ve probably heard it a hundred times in the past year, and will never, ever get tired of listening to it, especially the harmonies at the end of the song. It’s stunning and I was so happy when Kevin chose it as Track One.

So we’ve actually started working on Live at KEXP Volume 4! It’s hard to believe that we’ll have the CD in our hands in six months. John, Cheryl, Don, Kevin and I have listened to over 30 fantastic performances from this year and are in the process of choosing our favorite tracks. This week Kevin is doing the final round of listening and deciding which tracks we want to send over to Tom Hall for remixing. Then we’ll start looking for artwork, listen to the remixed tracks and begin the long process of getting permission from the bands and labels and publishers. We’ve heard some damn fine performances so far and can pretty much guarantee that it’s going to be another excellent CD. You’ll soon have a chance to be in the liner notes for Live at KEXP Volume 4 so keep your ears peeled for that.

In the meantime, head out today to get Live at KEXP Volume 3 if you haven’t already. It’s the last day you can buy it — either online at KEXP.ORG, or from Seattle retailers including Everyday Music, Cellophane Square, Sonic Boom Easy Street, Silver Platters, and at PCC Natural Markets. While you’re there, thank the retailers for their support of KEXP – we really couldn’t do this without them. Or the bands. Or you.

Lisa

Black Lips live @ KEXP 7/9/07 (slideshow)
photo by Mike Blankenhorn

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Morning Show host John Richards, is Veni Vidi Vici (Diplo remix) by Black Lips, an exclusive remix from Vice Records.

The Atlanta-based Black Lips built their reputation on extreme live performances, shocking audiences with everything from urinating to strumming guitars with their units. The strength of their shows was utilized earlier this year when Vice decided to release a live album, Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo, which was received warmly by music critics. Now that more people are paying attention, the band is putting more emphasis on the music than the theatrics. With half the antics, the Black Lips produce perhaps the most notable brand of psych-rock since their ’60s and ’70s inspirations, as on their Vice full-length release also from this year, Good Bad, Not Evil. Diplo, another product of the South, is no stranger to remixing others’ work. His recent remixes include songs from Bloc Party, Peter Bjorn and John, Kanye West and many more. This time around, Diplo extends the track a full minute, packs it full of caffeine and bass, and puts his classic club stamp on it. For a guaranteed unforgettable show, check out Black Lips at Neumos 2/4. Their MySpace page has a bunch of other dates going through the end of March. Meanwhile, the following video features just one of their recent album standouts, Katrina:

Yes, we’ve counted down the Top 90.3 Albums of 2007, as voted on by you, the listeners, but you can go back and listen on our 14-day Streaming Archive — just click here and start all over again!

Tune in to KEXP now to hear the Top 90.3 albums of 2007, as voted on by you, the listeners. DJs Troy and Cheryl Waters will take you through the entire list.

Think you know who might win this year? Take our poll:

Got a different suggestion? Leave a comment and let us know who you think will win.

At 6 pm, Ian Moore and his band are making their live Audioasis debut. If you aren’t familiar with Ian, he’s a widely respected veteran singer and songwriter–and a transplant for Austin who made Seattle his home several years ago. He’s an obscenely talented, highly charismatic performer — the sort of fellow who can cause a packed house at the Tractor to fall silent. He’s also an intelligent, open-minded music fan with diverse tastes, claiming everything from Neutral Milk Hotel to NWA among his influences. Probably the two most interesting pieces of trivia about him are 1) he was the guitarist in Dwight Yokam’s band in Slingblade, and 2) Ice Cube directed one of his music videos many moons ago. You can read more
here.

Ian has promoted it through his site, which has a pretty active international fanbase, so that means lots of online listeners, as well as our local regulars.

At around 7 pm, the lovely Kerri Harrop (a.k.a. DJ Cherry Canoe) will be joining me to spin music and do a little local year-in-review of 2007. Thanks to her deep connections, girlfriend’s always got all sorts of rarities up her sleeve, so there will definitely be some treats in store (confidential to Kerri — bring that Gutter Twins and/or live Lanegan stuff you played me the other night and I’ll be in your debt forever). You can and should check out Kerri’s popular (and beautifully written) blog over here.

At 8 pm, up-and-coming local punk outfit TacocaT will be live in the studios. We’ve all been spinning their excellent demo for the last few months (especially on Sonic Reducer and AO), and I’m looking forward to having those ladies come in. They recently put out a 7″ on Don’t Stop Believin’ Records (home to the Pleasureboaters and Team Gina). You can read and listen to more over here.

I also plan on recognizing the local musicians we lost this year (Slim McCarroll, Joe Crawford, and more) and will bust out as many “live from the Crocodile” recordings I can get my hands on.

By Hannah Levin
Rotating Audioasis Host

Paul Lynde Fan Club (source)

I must admit this week’s blog post deadline completely snuck up on me. Likely due to the xmas holiday, this past week flew by. With only a week or so left in 2007, it seems that this entire year has flown. In fact, this entire decade is speeding past me at an uncomfortable rate. When I was a kid, I assumed that by 2010 we’d all be cruising around with jet packs eating space food. We better get focused in the next few years!

Since last week’s post was dedicated to looking back over 2007, I figured the logical next step was to look forward into 2008, Nostradamus-style. I’ve got big expectations for the future. So, here’s an chronological list of things I completely assume will happen in 2008:

• Just after midnight on New Year’s Eve, Greg Collingsworth of The Small Change will burst into flames on stage at the Sunset Tavern. I can’t see the exact moment that it happens. But, if I had to guess, I would say it would be when he jumps on stage with The Tripwires to sing backing vocals on a Chuck Berry song during their encore.
• In June the fellows of Central Services will abandon the recording process for their new record to dedicate their attention full-time to the Board of Education side project after Nickelodeon offers them a television show.
• In the autumn, Scott Sutherland (The Doll Test, The Riffbrokers, Llama, Paul Lynde Fanclub) will be granted the Nobel Prize for his work in the obscure field of Overinvolvement.
• Just before 2008 comes to a close, your favorite band will reunite for a one-off show. Unfortunately, it will conflict with this work thing that you have to do. You’ll be bummed. But, you’ll forget about it in a day or two, because you got to see some clips on YouTube. It looked pretty crowded anyway, and the singer wasn’t as cute as you remember.

To avoid this post being 100 percent fluff, allow me to point you to a website that has the entire Llama recorded catalog available for free download. That includes the newest record in its entirety, and it isn’t even release yet.

Happy New Year everyone. I hope all your 2008 dreams come true.

Gary Miller runs the Seattle Power Pop Blog, which focuses on all things powerpop in the Pacific Northwest. SPB features album reviews, recommended shows, videos, mp3s and more.

Mono in VCF live at KEXP 12/18/07
photo by Mike Blankenhorn

Every Friday, we deliver a different song from a local performer as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Afternoon Show host Kevin Cole, is Escape City Scrapers by Mono in VCF from the 2007 self-released, self-titled album.

Because Mono in VCF’s debut album is self-released, its genius has largely escaped the attention of the masses, but several blogs have claimed it as one of the best debuts of the last year. This four-piece out of Tacoma, WA, gets its inspiration from Phil Spector’s production techniques as well as previous kings of the underground like Scott Walker and the Delfonics. The band’s melancholic romanticism employs plenty of orchestral arrangements and cinematic soundscapes that hearken back to the glory days of pysch-pop and soul with an added twist of… trip-hop? That’s right, get your hands on it now in digital format, available through the band’s MySpace page or, for the purists among you, grab the physical release when it hits stores 2/5/08 followed by an album release show 2/9 at the Triple Door. And thanks to our streaming archive, you can listen to the band’s recent in-studio performance (12/18) here.

Don Yates, Music Director of KEXP

I’m fortunate enough to be able to hear a ton of music every year, but I wouldn’t pretend to have heard everything worthwhile — there’s way too much music released nowadays for anyone to listen to all of it. Still, I’m happy to share my favorites, even though ranking them this year seemed more arbitrary than usual. Not very many of them shared much in common, beyond me liking them a lot. So while I wouldn’t consider it all to be set in stone, what follows are some of my favorite albums of this year.

1. M.I.A. - Kala (Interscope)
M.I.A. took a huge leap forward on her second album, combining hip hop, club music and occasional rock references with a dizzying variety of other styles from around the world for a sound that evoked a lively street corner in a major international city, with her deadpan vocals cutting through the hustle and bustle with lyrics ranging from the playful to the politically provocative. Pop music that’s genuinely cutting-edge, even revolutionary.

2. Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Sony/BMG)
One of the biggest problems with modern country music is excessive timidity, which makes the artistic fearlessness of this fiery Texan all the more admirable. She’s also fast turning into a great country songwriter who’s equally convincing at playing the small-town rebel or a vulnerable dumped lover.

3. Bettye LaVette - The Scene of the Crime (Anti-)
The veteran soul singer continued her artistic renaissance with this masterful album that finds her taking songs from a variety of sources ranging from Willie Nelson to Elton John and transforming them into deeply personal tales of revenge, sorrow, affirmation and redemption. The Drive-By Truckers provide surprisingly supple accompaniment (aided by the great soul keyboardist Spooner Oldham), but the focal point is LaVette’s powerful singing.

4. The Whore Moans - Watch Out For This Thing (Wizard House)
In another great year for Northwest rock, this Seattle band rose to the top with a knockout combo of classic garage-rock riffs and screaming hardcore punk intensity. No other band provided more rock ‘n’ roll thrills for me this year than these guys, and I plan on ending the year how it began, with the Whore Moans tearing it up live at the Sunset.

5. Bruce Springsteen - Magic (Columbia)
With indie-rock bands like the Hold Steady, the National and Arcade Fire all embracing Springsteen’s influence, the man himself returns to his classic E Street Band sound on his best record in a couple decades, with poignant songs painting a bleak portrait of a country that’s lost its way due to an unnecessary war, a climate of fear and diminished opportunities.

6. Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams (SRC/Universal Motown)
The first album in six years from the legendary Staten Island crew is one of the year’s boldest and most adventurous hip hop records. While all of the group’s rappers are in fine form (and Method Man is much more than that), the RZA steals the show with some of his most cinematic production, creating trippy, almost psychedelic soundscapes that are as intricately crafted as they are borderline bizarre.

7. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
This Montreal band’s debut album was rooted in personal concerns, particularly the deaths of loved ones. This time around they look outward under the influence of Springsteen, and like him, they cast a critical eye at a world gone wrong, though their often-rousing music provides some hope and perhaps even a call to action.

8. The Valley - The Valley (self-released)
Hearkening back prime Sub Pop bands like the Fluid, Seaweed and Mudhoney, this Seattle band follows up their debut album with a monster 6-song EP featuring a bone-crushing sound driven by noisy, scuzzy guitar and massive song hooks.

9. Roger Wallace - It’s About Time (Natchez Street)
The Austin honky tonker adopts a more stripped-down sound on his latest album, while also confidently exploring a wider variety of styles with his most consistently strong set of songs to date.

10. The White Stripes - Icky Thump (Warner Bros)
One of their most adventurous, hardest-rocking and just plain fun albums, with the focus on Jack’s squealing guitar riffs complemented by Meg’s primal thump.

11. Kanye West - Graduation (Roc-A-Fella)
While he’ll never be known as one of the world’s great rappers, Kanye continues to shine as a producer. On his third album, he masterfully blends his trademark warm soul grooves with European electro-house and techno synth textures and an even broader range of cleverly used samples ranging from Laura Nyro and Mountain to Can and Daft Punk.

12. pleasureboaters - gross (Don’t Stop Believin’)
This young Seattle band’s explosive debut combines postpunk-influenced dance-rock with aggressive garage-punk and angular Fugazi hardcore into an intricate sonic maelstrom that’s still catchy and danceable enough to move the crowd.

13. Amy Winehouse - Back to Black (Universal Republic)
Put aside this young British singer’s never-ending personal troubles, and you’ll find one of the year’s most distinctive soul albums, with a sound steeped in ’60s R&B but updated with bits of hip hop and reggae. She’s also a fearless songwriter and a remarkable singer with a brassy tone and confident phrasing that sound years beyond her young age.

14. Jay-Z - American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella)
Taking inspiration from the film of the same name, Jay-Z gets back to what he does best, though his drug-dealing tales are now more reflective than they were in his youth. Lyrically, he’s in peak form, delivering a variety of clever, tongue-twisting rhymes with peerless authority and an untouchable flow. He also takes time to answer rap’s critics with a savvy defense of artistic expression.

15. Les Savy Fav - Let’s Stay Friends (Frenchkiss)
While this Brooklyn band’s previous records contained plenty of brilliant moments, this is their most consistently strong recording and also their best-sounding, with the band adding a few new pop tricks to their bracing blend of angular post-punk and Fugazi hardcore.

16. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol)
Sound of Silver is not only a great dance club album filled with New Wave funk scorchers, it’s also a first-rate set of pop songs. James Murphy improves upon his fine debut with a broader, more fully realized sound, stronger vocals and a variety of emotionally resonant songs that strike deep.

17. Feral Children - Second to the Last Frontier (Buffalo Shoe)
With roots in the small town of Maple Valley, this Seattle band shares some similarities to the ramshackle sound and alienated lyrical sensibility of Modest Mouse, but combined with the communal vibe of tribal freak-folk and the explosive rage of punk.

18. Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)
My favorite late-night album of the year, bringing together hazy production, tricky two-step beats, atmospheric synths, assorted mysterious sound effects and manipulated R&B vocals buried deep in the mix for a spectral sound that gets deep under the skin.

19. Eilen Jewell - Letters from Sinners & Strangers (Signature Sounds)
The debut from this Boise-raised, Boston-based singer was a pleasant outing of heartfelt country-folk, but she follows it up with an excellent album that’s more tough, raw, bluesy and soulful. The album’s barroom blend of western swing, rockabilly, honky tonk and Jimmie Rodgers blues ends up being a great fit for her airy, sultry vocals.

20. Black Eyes & Neckties - Apparition! (Clickpop)
This Bellingham band proudly carries on the dark garage-punk tradition of the Murder City Devils, with a fierce blend of loud, buzzing guitars, spooky organ lines, pummeling rhythms, gravelly, shouted vocals and horror-inspired lyrics.

21. Dyme Def - Space Music (Soul Gorilla)
This young Seattle trio gets back to basics on their high-energy debut of straight-up hip hop, with one of Seattle’s great beatmasters Bean One providing hard-hitting production for their brash, street-smart battle raps. The Seattle hip hop scene was red-hot in 2007 with a number of high-profile shows and other excellent albums from Blue Scholars, Grayskul, Cancer Rising, the Physics and
Gabriel Teodros, and it shows no signs of slowing down in 2008.

22. Parts & Labor - Mapmaker (Jagjaguwar)
While their adventurous, percussion-driven sound is still loaded with lots of electronic and guitar noise, these Brooklyn noisemakers tighten things up with stronger melodies, relatively more conventional song structures, anthemic choruses and massive song hooks for a powerful rock album that would make Husker Du proud.

23. Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab (Def Jam)
The latest from the Wu-Tang rapper isn’t as strong as last year’s classic album Fishscale (or Supreme Clientele, for that matter), but it’s still loaded with a variety of soul-flavored hip hop bangers that place GFK’s engrossing street stories and high-anxiety rapping front-and-center.

24. Grinderman - Grinderman (Anti-)
The debut album from this project featuring Nick Cave backed by a slimmed-down version of the Bad Seeds contains some of the rawest, most brutal recordings Cave has made since the Birthday Party. He also contributes some dark, unsettling ballads, but at the heart of the album is primitive, bluesy garage-rock laced with menace and seething lust, but also leavened with some knowing winks at the absurdity of playing a middle-aged rock ‘n’ roll animal.

25. Tim Armstrong - A Poet’s Life (Hellcat)
The first solo album from the frontman for punk band Rancid is an endearingly loose and scruffy take on the classic Jamaican sounds of ska, rock steady and early reggae. Accompanied by the Aggrolites, Armstrong hearkens back to classic British two-tone acts like the Specials and the Selector for some of the most easily enjoyable songs of his career.