Making love with her indie rock playing on her stereo

I love the end of the year. Never mind all that raaa christmas so much to do raa stuff. There's the sense of wrapping up the year, looking back on it and being all nostalgic even though it maybe wasn't that exciting but best of all it's the time for definitive lists. Top ten albums of the year, best songs, best films, best performances, best moments. I love all that shit. I read them all every year and look at all the stuff I missed and catch up in the last couple of weeks in December. It's a flurry of checking out bands with a pile of blank cds by my side and my trusty but leaky CD-R pen. So here are Miss Kitty's top five albums of 2007 that she just got round to listening to:

5. Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold Myspace Link

I was watching Gonzo's definitive lists on MTV2 (I know man, so mainstream!) and the video for What's a girl to do? was one of their top 5 videos or something. The singer seems to be some sort of crazy hippie and slightly more attractive version of Lily Allen in looks only. She speaks like Charlotte Gainsbourg and sings very dreamy. Had the album on while I printed off some things and fiddled around amateurly with Photoshop and her songs were very pretty. Aside from the aforementioned single I recommend Prescilla.

4. New Pornographers - Challengers Myspace Link

Another band I'd noticed before but never done anything about. Listened to their album when my internet broke down and I had to spend half an hour prodding the wireless pod thing until it behaved again. Good tunes, sort of poppy folk indie. With the band name such as it is and one of their tracks called "Entering White Cecilia" it's a right old laugh looking them up but definitely worth having a listen. Challengers and Myriad Harbour were the tracks that stood out for me while I prodded but I need to give it a few more listens with my full attention to appreciate their pretty sounds some more.

3. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga Myspace Link

Having heard much fuss about the band by indie people on the internet I thought I'd check them out. And I was not disappointed despite their rubbish band name. Nothing that'll stop you in your tracks but good to tidy up to, gets your hips moving. Julie enjoyed Don't You Evar and had a little boogie with me. Don't Make Me A Target and You Got Yr Cherry Bomb very good too.

2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder Myspace Link

I've had mixed feelings about CYHSY! I remember when everybody was raving about them and they blurred into Godspeed You Black Emperor! or wherever they're putting their exclamation mark these days, in my mind purely because of the punctuation. So upon hearing they had a new album (almost a year late) I thought I'd try again with them. A few of their songs are a bit incomprehensible. Lots of nice tunes, shame about the whiney voice who seems to be trying to cram too many words into the music and the first track is dire. However, they are one of the few albums I had a chance to listen to more than once and I was impressed. Highlights include Goodbye to Mother and the Cove with it's almost Pokemon in some sort of a cave tune twinkling and Mama Won't You Keep Them Castles In The Air And Burning Bit weird, bit mad but overall very funky.

1. The White Stripes - Icky Thump Myspace Link

Everytime The White Stripes release a new album I go ooh I like the White Stripes and I think about buying their album and I listen to each new single and get excited and then I lose interest and forget. I have yet to buy an album of theirs. So while I was bored and MTV was blah blah blahing away in the background I looked up to see Jack White flirting with a bull before it gouged him to death. And the song was fantastic. So for once I checked out the whole new album I didn't know they had released. It is pure rock. Great guitar work and songs that instantly stuck themselves firmly in my head and this is the one I've listened to all day and sung along to while I dried my hair. I love it all. Absolute favourites are You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told), A Martyr For My Love Is You and Icky Thump.

A special mention goes to A Fine Frenzy Myspace Link because she is ginger, beautiful and sings like an angel but I've only heard a few of her songs. Her myspace has a cover of Let It Snow which borders on the cheesy but she's pretty so we'll let her off. Definitely listen to Almost Lover, tis divine! And thus concludes Miss Kitty's albums she almost didn't listen to in the year 2007. Will I do one for the albums I actually knew about and bought at the time they came out? That will depend on whether anybody wants to read my opinions on The Shins, Modest Mouse and that French chick I have a bit of a crush on but her music was iffy.