I know it’s late but my webhost has finally sorted out the issues I was having. So now I can finally bring to you my list of 2007. According to my Windows Media Player library, I added 100 hours of music to my collection this year. So you would think that I should find maybe 10 albums that can make up the list. Well, it’s not easy. My rough draft came up with 19 albums, so here is my Top 10, and some brief comments, followed by a list of Honourable Mentions.

Day One - Birds Of Tokyo
No album this year has gotten close to the amount of play time the one received. This band from Perth, Australia has produced a gem of a debut album. Solid all the ay through, with no weak songs at all, they back up the song writing with amazing live performances which I have had the pleasure of witnessing for myself.

Carry On - Chris Cornell
This is what I think Chris Cornell does best. Euphoria Morning was one of the best albums of the year when it came out, and so is this. Here Cornell feels comfortable in his own skin writing music for him, not writing music to conform to what a bunch of hypocritical, money grabbing, self-righteous wankers want to hear.

Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails
Trent got out of his head, got political, and created an ARG to go with the album. Forget about all that and just listen to it. It is the most aggressive, angry, disturbing release from NIN in a long time and is absolutely brilliant.

Libertad - Velvet Revolver
A much more solid album, sounding like a band that has found the gel, and not just bringing in someone to sing over the top of already written and recorded tracks. Some people don’t rate this album but I played the hell out of it. Plus, one word - Slash.

Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters just keep getting better and better. I’m the first to admit to not being a huge fan, but the last two albums, and this one in particular are simple phenomenal. Dave Grohl may well be looked and in 20 years ti9me as the greatest wock songwriter of this generation.

Infinity On High - Fall Out Boy
There are very few bands labled “emo” that I like. And this is one of them. A great rocking album, with one of the best songs of the year in “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs”. This album has surprised me with the replay value. Even if you don’t look twice at emo, this is worth checking out.

Close As You Get - Gary Moore
I don’t remember the last Gary Moore album that hasn’t been brilliant. This is one of the best sounding albums her has done. Raw, guttural, but then sweet and mournful. A brilliant album. he just keeps getting better with age and it’s another british blues album that is a must have.

Puzzle - Biffy Clyro
I found these Welsh guys via a small article in a guitar magazine. They got a rave review there and I’ll give them here now. A few patchy songs mar this album, but if any band can get close to out Foo Fightering the Foo Fighters, it’s Biffy Clyro.

Minutes To Midnight - Linkin Park
So many people hate them, but most of these people still think of Linkin Park as the Nu-Metal band everyone loves to hate. Ignore all that and listen to this album. It is a great body of work, no weak tracks, varied in style and substance. Forget what you know of Linkin Park and give it a go.

In Rainbows - Radiohead
I’m a huge radiohead fan, but not so biased as to think that their shit is made of solid gold. This is a a very very good album. It is one of the best of the year. Is it another OK Computer, or Kid A? No. But is the best thing they have done since those releases. The guitars are back and the electronic stuff subdued. The songwriting is brilliant and their is a definite energy, a restlessness about the music that makes it all work.

Honourable Mentions

Stolen Apples - Paul Kelly
Fear of A Blank Planet - Porcupine Tree
Young Modern - Silverchair
Blackbird - Alter Bridge
Come On Like The Fast Lane - The Silos
Drastic Fantastic - KT Tunstall
Grinderman - Grinderman
Icky Thump - The White Stripes
Sloe Gin - Joe Bonamassa
Unplugged - Korn
War Stories - U.N.K.L.E.

You may notice that is not a GUITAR albums of the year. I listen to too much music and too much variety to pick just guitar music.

I’m heading down to ses Nine Inch Nails tonight in Sydney. I’lllet you all know how it is sometime tomorrow. I am totally pumped for tonight. Wh00t!!!

Nine Inch Nails
EDIT What’s with the anti terrorism pictures coming up from Flickr. Maybe we should all start drinking the water!

I grew up listenening to KISS. I’ve got photo’s of me somewhere as a three year old with Starchild make up on all rocking and cute (yes at one point in time I was cute). So when I was given a free ticket to go see Paul Stanley’s solo tour I thought why not. This was further enhanced once I found out that Stanley’s backing band was the awesome band from RockStar. Those guys are some of the finest musicians I have ever seen assembled into a band and they sure didn’t disappoint.

In fact, for the most part neither did Stanley. His voice was sounding a little worse for wear, and except for the occasional verbal spewing that kept cropping up “during” songs, he was exceptionally impressive. Even as a guitarist, with an awesome guitarist on stage, I found myself watching the drummer, Nate Morton, more than anything else.

The man is simply amazing. Rock solid but very flashy and stylish. He brought a huge amount of power and drive to every single song. Any band would be lucky to have a drummer half a gifted as Morton.

It has to be said, and Stanley himself mentioned it as soon as he walked on stage, the crowd numbers were awful. Being generous I would say pushing a thousand - tops. But those that were there were given a pretty good show by a great entertainer an and awesome collection of musicians.

This is the best cover I have heard in ages.