BBBD Best Undiscovered Tracks Of 2007 (Part 2 of 5)

I feel as though I sold myself short with my statistical sum-up of the year. It was a little bit too straightforward and was only an indication of what I most frequently listened to over the course of the year rather than what I really liked in the end. There is a difference!

I now present to you the second installation of BBBD's Best Undiscovered Tracks List of 2007. (So now I've done artists and unknown acts, but still no favorite albums or "mainstream" independent favorites -- we shall see what the future holds!)

You can get the ZIP of all 25 of my favorite tunes here or download the MP3s one-by-one over the course of five days.

Holy Hail - Born of a Star
Holy Hail represents the new New York cool. Sort of like Tom Tom Club goes church-y or something. It's Fannypack done folk. It's indie-dance done twee. It's so many things done backwards and contrary to common belief and hipness ... thereby making them the epitome of hip. It's creatives like these guys that we need more of.

Jana Hunter - Babies
We're tired of Devendra, we're tired of "freak folk," we're tired of nondescript singer/songwriters like Feist ... we want more authenticity and trueness and now Jana Hunter is here to deliver that to us. The Texas-born singer/songwriter doesn't rely on a especially unique or quirky vocal talent, complex guitar melodies or riffs, or ecstatic stylings like many of her folk and country companions but plain and simple talent. She evokes old standbys like Vashti Bunyan, Nick Drake, and Joni Mitchell while refraining from being derivative, trendy, and hip to the now ... which, again, makes her cool, anyway!

Late of the Pier - The Bears Are Coming
I don't know why interest in Late of the Pier sputtered out. They're easily one of the more progressive acts to sprout from the U.K. this year. With their off-kilter tribal-meets-dingy-bedroom-drum-machine beats, soulful singing, and loopy synth and guitar lines, the band represents a weird sort of hybrid of Talking Heads, the Unicorns, and a lo-fi incarnation of the Rapture.

Mancino - L'amour (Or Less)
Mancino is the smartest pop group out of NYC this year. Bringin' grunge back in a nerdier fashion. 'Nuff said.

Parker Lewis - Dirty Dancing
There have been one too many wussy male singer/songwriters to spring from Sweden in the past few years. One daydreaming Jens Lekman is all we really need, right? Nah ... Parker Lewis brings a whole new level of earnest sweetness and endearing pop writing to the table. He sings from the heart, will undoubtedly make you feel so much emotion for him (a stranger!), and will refuse to let you turn him off repeat. The young musician has been based in NYC for a while now ... perhaps it's the detachment from his home and sorrow from homesickness that has given him such talents, but whatever it is, his sadness is pure beauty. Turn all the noise off. Listen. Fall in love.