Trying to distill a top ten, top twenty, fifty... whatever... list is a preoccupation that corners folks like me at the end of every year. With Surgery crossing genre boundaries (ephemeral as they are), ranking largely "unlike" albums in a numerical order seems a little narrow-minded. Not to say that I haven't done it in the past....
This year I decided to choose a handful of albums that particularly grabbed my attention in 2007 and quiz the artists involved in their creation. Below are the initial seven respondents... with later additions a possibility, though not a certainty.
White/Lichens - S/T (Holy Mountain)
The melding of Chicago duo White/Light (Matt Clark and Jeremy Lemos) and Robert Lowe who records for Kranky as Lichens... see also his excellent Omns album for that label. Jeremy Lemos took question answering duty.
Zelienople - His/Hers (Type)
A decade-old Chicago trio follow four smaller-run releases with their first for Type Records.
White Rainbow - Prism of Eternal Now (Kranky)
Adam Forkner has been a member/band leader of Yume Bitsu, Surface of Eceyon, World to name a few. White Rainbow is his new solo identity.
Pjusk - Sart (12k)
Jostein Dahl Gjelsvik & Rune Andre Sagevik are a duo from Norway who've grown (separately) through the nineties rave/dance movements in electronic music, now exploring sparser territory.
Valet - Blood is Clean (Kranky)
Honey Owens has worked with Jackie-O Motherfucker, Nudge and World.... Valet is where she goes it alone.
Nicolas Bernier / Jacques Poulin - Denis - Etude #3 pour cordes et poulies (Ekumen)
Working in the fields of dance and electroacoustic composition, this duo are also involved in the Ekumen web-based collective for new digital arts.
Ateleia - Formal Sleep (Table of the Elements)
James Elliott's second full length, and first for Table of the Elements. It is a genre-defying ride.
The interviews were conducted via e-mail, if you're wondering why it sounds like we're all quoting term papers from time to time.
Thanks to these folks for their cooperation and for making interesting music... and now it's 2008... so... more, please!
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