The White Noise Revisits 2007

Let us show you the year through our ears...

Here is the end of year stuff from the White Noise Revisited. To kick off, 21 haiku (what you can’t say in 17 beats, ain’t worth saying) accompanying two 45 minute mixes comprising the best songs lifted from the best albums, singles and downloads of the year. Download them both, slap 'em on a C90 and play them on that Walkman you asked Santa for this year.

Then, Lighthouse selects some songs that floated his boat - some to download, and some brilliant You Tube links to titilate both eyes and ears. Interestingly enough, we both chose completely different songs, which only goes to show what a fantastic year it’s been for music.

The White Noise Revisited will return next year, and hopefully we’ll be rather more prolific than we have been over the last couple of months. Have an awesome Christmas and New Year and thanks for reading and commenting. Keep supporting the music you love by purchasing an original – there are links all over this post to buy the music we have written about, so don’t forget to do so.



Download: The Year Through My Ears 07 Side a

1. Battles – Atlas

Glitter Band stomp backs
Math rock with weird Smurf vocal.
Single of the year.

Taken from ‘Mirrored’ LP on Warp Records.
Buy from Norman Records.

2. Dizzee Rascal – Pussy’ole (Old Skool)

Dizzee digs out the
rave hoover and ‘Woo yeah!’ break for
old school genius.

Taken from ‘Maths + English’ LP on XL Recordings.
Buy from Norman Records.

3. M.I.A. – Boyz

Everything but the
kitchen sink is chucked in this
ethnic music mash.

Taken from ‘Kala’ LP on XL Recordings.
Buy from Norman Records.

4. Black Affair –Tak! Attack!

Former Beta boy
finds cure for depression through
tuff electro beats.

Taken from ‘Tak! Attack!’ 12” on V2 Records.
Buy from Norman Records.

5. Aleksi Perälä – Autumn Morning

Finnish wunderkid
awakes from hibernation
and shows his talents.

Taken from ‘Project V’ LP on Rephlex.
Buy from Norman Records.

6. Mosca – Our Light Shone So Brightly

Mosca’s Winterland
was my album of the year.
Bittersweet wonder.

Taken from ‘Winterland’ LP on Herb Recordings.
Download from Beatport.

7. Burial – Near Dark

Universal praise
for these stark dubstep soundscapes
from press-shy wizard.

Taken from ‘Untrue’ LP on Hyperdub Recordings.
Buy from Boomkat.

8. Wooden Spoon – Maime

One man picks up his
guitar and plucks whimsical
wonder that I love.

Taken from ‘The Folk Blues Guitar of Wooden Spoon’ on Bo’ Weavil Recordings.
Buy from Bo’ Weavil Recordings.

9. Sennen – Blackout

Nu-gaze gem from band
named after the Cornish cove
or Ride song maybe?

Taken from ‘Blackout’ 7” on Hungry Audio.
Buy from Norman Records.

10. Soulsavers – Kingdoms of Rain

Lanegan's growl and
majestic sounds equals
spiritual gold.

Taken from ‘It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land’ LP on V2 Records.
Buy from Amazon.

Download: The Year Through My Ears 07 Side b

1. Lady Sovereign – Random

Pint-sized chav rapper
is best female MC since
Roxanne Shanté ruled.

Taken from ‘Public Warning’ LP on Island.
Buy from Amazon.

2. 7 Hurtz – Beatbox

Campag Velocet
drummer rocks electro beats
as Output waves bye.

Taken from ‘I Hate Music (The Best Of Output Recordings)’ LP on Output Recordings.
Buy from Norman Records.

3. Rubens – Bank Holiday

Glasgae boys do great
take on vintage Black Dog sound
with live drums to boot.

Taken from ‘Carnivalesque’ LP on Herb Recordings.
Buy from Boomkat.

4. The Good, The Bad & The Queen – Kingdom of Doom

Portrait of London
from the diverse supergroup.
Best things Damon's done.

Taken from ‘The Good, The Bad & The Queen’ LP on Parlophone.
Buy from Norman Records.

5. Ringo Deathstarr – Starrsha

Their name suggested
grinding punk rock. Nope, this is
awesome nu-gaze joy.

Taken from ‘Ringo Deathstarr’ EP on SVC Records.
Buy from SVC Records.

6. Gravenhurst – She Dances

Song dedicated
to Sandy Denny, sounds like
the folk Boo Radleys.

Taken from ‘The Western Lands’ LP on Warp Records.
Buy from Norman Records.

7. Caribou – Melody Day (Four Tet Remix)

Four Tet avoids jazz
and turns Caribou's sweet song
into 60s folk.

Taken from ‘Melody Day’ single on City Slang.
Buy the LP, 'Andorra' from Norman Records.

8. Field Music – Kingston

Mackem boys provide
a lesson in how great pop
should be short and sweet.

Taken from ‘Tones of Town’ LP on Memphis Industries.
Buy from Norman Records.

9. Miranda Lee Richards – Life Boat (Neil Halstead Remix)

Voice from the heavens
reworked by shoegazer for
ethereal fuzz.

Taken from ‘Life Boat’ 7” on Sonic Cathedral Recordings.
Buy from Sonic Cathedral Recordings.

10. Panda Bear – Take Pills

Like listening to
the Beach Boys playing in a
field far far away.

Taken from ‘Person Pitch’ LP on Paw Tracks.
Buy from Norman Records.

11. The Tuss – Goodbye Rute

Is it Aphex Twin?
Doesn't matter if it's not,
this is quality!

Taken from ‘Rushup Edge’ LP on Rephlex.
Buy from Norman Records..

That's all from me, Joe White Noise, over to Lighthouse...

Taken by Trees - Tell Me



Alternately soothing and unsettling, 'Open Field' is a consistently beguiling record, one that feels like it came from a far flung corner of some dank forest.

Buy 'Open Field' LP from Norman Records.



Beirut - Siki Siki Baba (Live at Glastonbury)

Obviously, Beirut were the toast of the bloggers last year, but I missed out on all that, because I wasn't paying attention. To compound that fact that I had lost touch, I discovered them through the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury. Even the BBC are ahead of me these days.

Buy 'The Flying Cup Club' LP from Norman Records.

Loney, Dear - I Am John



I have no idea who Loney, Dear is. I have never heard any other songs by him, and I have no intention of doing so for fear of ruining this perfect headlong downhill sprint of a pop song. Falsetto of the year.

Buy 'Loney, Noir' LP from Norman Records.



Electralane - Tram 21

Electrelane played my damp town in October and made the pokey room in Corporation spin around with their brutal, wistful, noisy romance. Then they split up. In my house, they will be missed long after we've played holes through their records.

Buy 'No Shouts No Calls' LP from Norman Records.

The Fall - Reformation



Mark E Smith's 'American band' mark a distinct return to the bass led sound of days past. A two note masterclass in tension and release, a fragmentary account of another diasatrous US tour, and great, great dancing from all involved.

Buy 'Reformation Post TLC' LP from Norman Records.



Marnie Stern - Vibrational Match

On paper - panicked, arrythmical drumming; many fingers telegram looped metal solos into an unfathomable tapestry; knotty and unpredicatble song stuctures; woman shouts aphorisms. In practice - dense and exciting and uncategorisable and like debris falling off a mountainside, it rocks.

Buy 'In Advance Of The Broken Arm' LP from Norman Records.



Amiina - Rugla

I discovered the record shop I always wished existed in Monorail in Glasgow. They sell everything I can never find, and a ton of stuff I never knew I wanted. This either means I am very hard to please, or should get out more. In any case, they were playing this on a Saturday morning, so it got bought.

Buy 'Kurr' LP from Norman Records.



Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan - Sis Around The Sandmill

Presumably, Panda Bear and Animal Collective will be topping lots of polls this year, as well they might. But this much maligned counterpoint shouldn't be overlooked. None quite deliver the same sense of weird as when the vocals first creep into this one.

Buy 'Pullhair Ribeye' LP from Norman Records.

Prinzhorn Dance School - Crackerjack Docker



Prinz and Horn like to keep it simple. So should you.

Buy 'Prinzhorn Dance School' LP from Norman Records.

Björk - Volta



I feel a bit sad that new Björk albums are sort of recieved these days with gladness muted enthusiasm, as though they're not anything to get really excited with, while she seems to be pushing further out with each release and with 'Volta' having the most fun she's had since 'Debut'. I think they used to call this sort of thing protest music.

Buy 'Volta' LP from Norman Records.

The Harvey Girls - Lazlo, Buddy



Another hazy, rich, imaginaitive masterpiece from the ever underrated Harveys this year. The magnificent 'Declinate' only costs a quid from SVC records. You're continued ignorance merely shortchanges yourself.

Buy 'Declinate' EP from SVC Records.

Euros Childs - Y Mwnci Drwg



Two full albums of melancholy and madness from Euros this year, and also this. And only he could make something like this both deranged and slightly moving at the same time, like getting lost in a beach front funfair.

Buy Euros Childs from Norman Records.

Lighthouse.