MY TOP 15 OF THE FIRST QUARTER

We’re already more than three months into 2007 and a lot of good records out already. But like I said in a recent post, there just haven’t been that many exciting hip-hop and R&B releases, so I’ve been listening to tons of rock, which is unusual for me.

In terms of hip-hop, I do applaud the recent trend of free downloads. Stones Throw, in particular, came through with two nice freebies, the Talib Kweli/Madlib collaboration Liberation and the label sampler Chrome Children Vol. 2. Then, Def Jux did the same thing with their Definitive Swim compilation. I also downloaded mixtapes by underground faves Little Brother, Brooklyn emcee Hell Razah (Sunz of Man), and Detroit producer/rapper Black Milk. And I listened to veteran BK producer Domingo’s The Most Underrated and veteran BK rapper Sean Price’s Jesus Price Superstar. Finally, RZA’s Afro Samurai soundtrack was decent, as was Consequence’s Don’t Quit Your Day Job. But none of this stuff blew my mind.

In terms of R&B, everyone is raving about Amy Winehouse – rightfully so – but I’m not counting her Back in Black as an 07 album cause I was listening to the UK version through 06. And to be fair, there are a number of recent high-profile R&B releases that I haven’t heard yet (Macy Gray, Musiq Soulchild, Joss Stone).

So what have I been listening to?? A lot of funky rock, or disco punk, or whatever you want to call it – in particular, LCD Soundsystem and !!! (pronounced chk-chk-chk). I’m loving both of their new albums.

Speaking of funky, of course the new Antibalas is hot, too. But it’s a little more jazzy and subdued than I expected. Which is not at all a criticism – I’m glad that they’re stretching out into new territory beyond strictly Afrobeat.

Another genre-bender is k-os, who I think of as sort of a Canadian version of an Andre 3000 or Mos Def-type. There are some extraordinary songs on his new album, but his experimentalism and versatility sometimes fails him. And I definitely prefer him as a singer than an MC.

Finally, holding the #1 spot in my rotation at the moment is Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky, which I realize isn’t even out yet, so it shouldn’t count as a first-quarter release. But I have to mention it, cause it’s so damn pretty. I’ve enjoyed this band in the past, but the new record is not at all what I was expecting. It almost sounds like the Eagles, like some hazy 70s soft-rock. I know that sounds awful, but it totally works for me. And the guitar work here is excellent. Here’s the list....

Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
The Good, The Bad & The Queen – The Good, The Bad & The Queen
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
The Bees – Octopus
!!! – Myth Takes
Deerhoof – Friend Opportunity
Antibalas – Security
k-os – Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Kweli & Madlib – Liberation mixtape
Various Artists – Chrome Children Vol. 2
Vieux Farka Toure – Vieux Farka Toure
Air – Pocket Symphony
Menomena – Friend or Foe
Consequence – Don’t Quit Your Day Job

It will be interesting to compare this to my year-end list to come. Of course, there are many exciting releases ahead – just in the next few months, I’ll be checking for Pharoahe Monch, Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Arctic Monkeys, and more – but I suspect at least the first half of my list above will remain in my top albums of 2007.