2007 is nearly over...

2007 is nearly over…
…and a ton of bands have broken up! British alt rockers yourcodenameis:milo went on an indefinite hiatus back in August. Vocalist Paul Mullen was reported as having joined The Automatic in October, following the departure of keyboardist/vocalist Alex Pennie. Although it is a disappointment that ycni:m won’t be making any more music for now, Mullen joining The Automatic will most likely result in a fantastic sophomore album from the band.

Experimental band The Blood Brothers announced their break up in November, after 10 years of making music together, which resulted in five albums being released, among various singles and EPs. Their individual style will be a hard gap to fill. Philadelphians Hot Cross, soon after releasing the fantastic Risk Revival decided to cancel their US tour and quit making music together. This happened in July, less than a month after their second album was released.

The list of bands that broke up, or went on hiatus this year is rather long, but 2007 also had some great albums released. January saw the release of the Mercury Music Prize winning debut album by Klaxons, Myths of the Near Future. An innovative record fuelling the “nu-rave” scene (although the band claim that this is simply “a joke that’s got out of hand”), this is an album you really ought to check out if you enjoy the singles.

Fall Out Boy returned in February with Infinity on High, an album that spawned the hit singles This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race and (the bizarrely titled) Thnks fr the Mmrs. Although not to everyone’s taste, it must be said that the band have a brilliant ability to create great pop songs. This ability is shared by Kaiser Chiefs, who released Yours Truly, Angry Mob in the same month, which was an excellent follow up to their debut album.

In March, former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley, a new “rockier” Idlewild, and the crazy Enter Shikari, who seem to have fused hardcore with dance music, all released albums. Not many people seem to pay Charlotte much attention these days, but The Deep Blue showcases her song writing talents very well. Make Another World resulted in a fair amount of criticism for Idlewild, but the album is not necessarily deserving of this. The band has written some excellent songs. After generating a lot of press attention, possibly because they appeared to be hardcore’s answer to nu-rave, Enter Shikari’s Take To The Skies lived up to expectations and is…mind-blowing, whether or not you’re a fan of the music.

The second album from Arctic Monkeys was also released in April, entitled Favourite Worst Nightmare. Quirkier than their debut record, there are some truly outstanding songs on this album, including Teddy Picker (released as a single on the 3rd December). In May, Welsh rockers Funeral for a Friend released their third album, Tales Don’t Tell Themselves, a concept album about a fisherman.

June saw the release of Puzzle by Biffy Clyro, who have suddenly shot to popularity after remaining relatively unknown for the past few years. Fans of this band should check out Reuben, whose third album, In Nothing We Trust was released in the same month. The recent single Deadly Lethal Ninja Assassin features ex-Million Dead frontman Frank Turner, whose first solo album was released all the way back in January, and titled Sleep Is For The Week.

Ash shocked everyone by releasing their last album in July. Twilight of the Innocents is going to be the last complete album that the band members will record, as they have decided to embrace the digital age and release more singles more often, rather than a few albums over a long period of time.

August…High School Musical 2: The Soundtrack, anyone? Didn’t think so. Moving on swiftly, Foo Fighters latest album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, came out in September. In addition, Wolves by Idiot Pilot was also released. Dashboard Confessional, made famous by Vindicated, showed a folkier edge in latest album The Shade of Poison Trees, released in October, and definitely worth checking out. This month also saw Jack Peñate’s first album, Matinee appear (finally!). Let’s hope that next year is as full of great music as this year was.

Songs to check out:
yourcodenameis:milo ft. The Automatic - The Trapeze Artist
The Blood Brothers – Camouflage, Camouflage
Hot Cross – Turncoat Revolution
Klaxons – Isle of Her
Fall Out Boy – The Take Over, the Breaks Over
Kaiser Chiefs – Highroyds
Charlotte Hatherley – Behave
Idlewild – If It Takes Your Home
Enter Shikari – Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour…
Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm
Funeral for a Friend – Out Of Reach
Biffy Clyro – Who’s Got A Match?
Reuben – We’re All Going Home In An Ambulance
Frank Turner – Back In The Day
Ash – Twilight of the Innocents
Foo Fighters – The Pretender
Idiot Pilot – Planted In The Dark
Dashboard Confessional – These Bones
Jack Peñate – Second, Minute or Hour