After reviewing a few dozen releases this year this is my top ten of reviewed albums plus a few select tracks of items that I went out and hunted down myself. These weren't easy to select out of the great stuff I received so it was a challenge. I'd like to thank the labels and their PR agencies for hunting me down and sending CDs to me. I reviewed everything that I received this year with just a couple of exceptions of items I felt I wasn't qualified to review. [Hint to labels and their agencies: LAist likes getting stuff to review, look for our contact info on the staff page]. In my Top Ten is a band (Tall Pony) that wasn't even signed when I posted the review and I had a few others like that this year but there should haver been more. Also, please note that there are 3 LA bands/groups in my Top Ten (Bitter:Sweet, No Age, The Deadly Syndrome). more ›

Artist: Tom Middleton Album: Lifetracks Label: Six Degrees Records Release Date: 11/06/07 Listen to the track "Shinkansen": DJ, mixologist, and producer Tom Middleton has put out an album in his own name. You may have heard of some Middleton's other projects of the last 15 years: AMBA, COSMOS, Global Communication, and The Jedi Knights or his remixes of Prince, Coldplay, and Jamiroquai but this is his first release of his own tracks with his own... more ›

Here's the mix: Download or listen to the mix above which contains the songs and their related articles below: - Spoon "Infinite Pet" for show review by Staci Goodner - No Age "Everybody's Down" for a story/show review by Joshua Pressman - Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings "Tell Me" for a CD review by tomdog - MIA "Galang" for a show review by Joey Maloney - Cake "War Pigs" cuz they play on 11/30 at... more ›

Artist: Various Album: CINEMATIC: Classic Film Music Remixed Label: Six Degrees Records Release Date: 09/11/2007 Finally an album for hardcore cinephiles and downtempo/electronica fans - lucky me, I'm a denizen of both camps. Producer Bob Duskis paired up film classics by Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini, and Nino Rota with electronica producers like: King Britt, the Bombay Dub Orchestra, Bent, and Gaudi. OK, let's be careful here, there are hardcore cinephiles who will demand that nobody... more ›