2007 Anticipation!

Now that we've sifted through all of those top 10, 20, 50 and 100 lists from yesteryear, it's time to look forward and get all excited about what's coming out in the next year, and I'm not talking about the eminent releases by indie heavyweights Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse. Here they come, in order of Very Excited to VERY VERY VERY EXCITED:

5) No laughing now. Be kind. Yes, I'm excited about Norah Jones' new album Not Too Late. But why not? It's one of the musicians that my wife and I both really truly like, and my wife deserves to listen to something other than Tom Waits every now and again. I've got a weak spot for the kind of music fit for playing Saturday mornings whilst flipping pancakes. It's that Kings of Convenience, Etta James, Norah O'Conner stuff that just feels like home (HA! I made a funny!)

4) Speaking of weak spots, my other is west coast hip-hop, especially if it's extremely local. And around here (being the greater Seattle-Tacoma area) it doesn't get more local than the Blue Scholars. One DJ, One MC. It's hip-hop simplified. I already know that local public radio station KEXP is on their knees every night praying that the forthcoming album will feature yet another shout out like they did in "Freewheelin'" ("Back when KEXP was KCMU") The yet-to-be-titled album is coming out on Mass Line records, run by the Scholars and members of Common Market.

3)So it's already out, as of just this week. But I haven't downloaded it yet, but believe me I will. Madlib and Talib Kweli have collaborated on a short LP, and doing us one better, it's online and totally free for download. You can download the album, the cover art, the tray inlay. Why does Kweli love us so much? I go home tonight to download the album with GREAT anticipation. And let's just mention that I'm already excited for whatever else Madlib does this year, because he will no doubt produce at least 5 albums under 5 different names. Download it from Stones Throw!

2) The best part about this year is the number of my very VERY favorite artists releasing new records, and how Iron & Wine ended up on the number TWO slot? I'm sure none of this is a surprise, as revealed below. But, Mr. Beam claims to be releasing a new album of unknown title sometime this year. Early rumors said February, but with no title and no promises and even fewer rumblings, I'm starting to think it will be later. In an interview with Passing Afternoon, a fansite dedicated to Mr. Beam, he said that the sound would follow along the lines of Woman King which was more electric and dense than previous work. If his last iTunes EP is any indication, the sound is getting more electric all the time, but still sounding pretty hot. On the downside, in aninterview with the Independent Beam said, "It's not a political propaganda record, but it's definitely inspired by political confusion, because I was really taken aback when Bush got reelected." Wait, what? Not that I'm opposed to politically infused music (see Kweli and Blue Scholars above), but Bush was reelected some time ago Mr. Beam. Are you still taken aback? Because we've had our fill of music by people taken aback by Bush's reelection.

1) Well, what else do you expect me to say? Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha is coming out in March, and I couldn't be more excited. Songs the appear on Fingerlings 3 ("Water Jet Cilice," "Dark Matter," "Sythian Empire"), those leaked online and played at shows ("Armchair Apocryphists," "Plasticities," "Simple Excercises") lead me to think that this album will be an awesome step forward in Bird's music. Dosh is collaborating heavily, making it seem more like a record by Andrew Bird AND Dosh than by Andrew Bird alone, especially with Ben Durrant producing (he produced The Lost Take. Also appearing will be tourmates Haley Bonar and Chris Morrissey.

Well that's it. Depending on the releases these five possibly forshadow what my top 10 list of 2007 will look like... which makes me wonder, what does my top 10 list of 2006 look like...?