Gateway

Issue date: 12/14/07 Section: Arts & Leisure

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Radiohead - In Rainbows

Spitting in the Recording Industry Association of America's eye by allowing fans to pay whatever they want for a pre-release version of In Rainbows is only one reason why the band's sixth full-length album made headlines this year. The first release from the band in four years, In Rainbows, which will release in the U.S. in January, is a more mature release from an already groundbreaking group. While the band is best known for songs like "Creep" and "There There," chances are new releases like "Jigsaw Falling into Place" and "Bodysnatchers" will define the band when all is said and done.


Iron and Wine - Shepherd's Dog

Yes, fine… it's got a bit too much of a Paul Simon vibe to be truly original but dammit it just sounds so good. The singer/songwriter/crooner Sam Beam returns for his third full-length album with a full band backing him up this time. This soft and melodic folk-rock release is beautiful in its simplicity. Although Shepard's Dog seems like it would have found a more receptive audience in 1967 than 2007 music as good as this is timeless.


Kayne West - Graduation

Try as I might, I just can't hate Kayne West. I should despise the man for essentially ripping off riffs and audio samples better than Sean Combs ever did. Unlike Combs, West does it with class and undeniable charm. Songs like "Stronger," "Flashing Lights" and "Goodnight," featuring a sample from Elton John's "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" are just too damned impressive to deny that, while the man may profit from other people's work, he's damned good at it.


Idiot Pilot - Wolves

Idiot Pilot isn't a band so much as it's two 20-year olds from Washington, with Wolves as their sophomore album. You may never have heard of Idiot Pilot, but I bet you've heard their song "Retina in the Sky." The track was used as the theme to this year's blockbuster film Transformers. But, unlike previous artists like Dashboard Confessional, Nickelback and Evanescence, with songs in blockbuster films, Idiot Pilot has remained "undiscovered," and that's unfortunate. In addition to "Retina in the Sky," other tracks like "Last Chance" and "Planted in the Dark" make this the best album you've never heard of.

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