To hold you over: 2007 Honorable Mentions, part 1

The Top 10 has finally been whittled down (I think), but I still need to write about all the albums and download a few of them so I can upload them for you all. But in the meantime, here are some pretty darn good albums from the last year that I would encourage you to check out if you have not already done so. You're gonna have to track them down yourself or borrow them from me though, no downloads in this batch.

Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury

I am well aware that this album came out in 2006, but the fact of the matter is I slept on it then and ended up spending the first half of 2007 listening to it over and over and over. So incredibly good. If I had been on top of it a year ago, it would have been #3 or 4 on my last top 10.

Burial - Untrue

When I heard there was a new Burial album coming out, I assumed it would end up nestled somewhere in my top 5. Not so, as you can see. Untrue is a little too dance-oriented for me. It lacks the creepiness of its predecessor (#3 on last year's list), and I'm not too into all the vocals this time around. Nonetheless, it's good, and it will get more listens around these parts. I would like to take this opportunity to vent about Hyperdub's decision to alter the vinyl editions of the Burial albums from the CD versions. The LP's are targeted at dj's, so the tracks are resequenced and the more ambient/beatless tracks are cut out. That sucks for those of us who would rather listen to Burial in our bedrooms than in some club, and it's kept me from (so far) purchasing Untrue.

El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead

Fantastic Damage was for hip-hop fans with double-jointed brains. I'll Sleep When You're Dead is more accessible, but I think critics who said that makes it a more "mature" record are privileging cohesiveness of sound over ambition of lyrical and musical ideas. I'll Sleep... has three or four excellent songs, but most of my favorite El-P tracks and lyrics come from FanDam.

Iron Lung - Sexless//No Sex

This is as close as any punk/hardcore record is getting to my top 10 this year. (Last year Kylesa was the lone representative unless you still consider Isis primarily a hardcore band, which is a stretch at this point.) These guys are head and shoulders above most contemporary fastcore/powerviolence. More heaviness and less goofiness is the key here. Completely in the vein of all their previous output (they're accreting an intimidating discography), but a notch above. Nice dudes as well. Check out guitarist Jon's noise/drone project Pig Heart Transplant if you're into that sort of thing.

Venetian Snares - My Downfall (Original Soundtrack)
Just spinning this for the second time right now. It's a return to the form of 2005's brilliant Rossz Csillag Alatt Szuletett: dark orchestral parts peppered with signature drill-n-bass. I can't imagine any of his work topping that album, but I do love the vibe he created there and it's present again here. Recommended.