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The 2007 Year-End Crazy Ambition(Top 50 Singles, Numero Uno)
Member Since: 9/3/2006
Posts: 27,884
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Videowise, 8/10. I don't really like "Long Road To Ruin" and "Hold On" videos.
D.A.N.C.E. is just
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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The 2007 Year-End Crazy Ambition(Top 5 Games)
Let's just get through the video games part of the CA, so we can get into the real meat of the CA.
Top Five Video Games of 2007
[5] Madden NFL 08
-- The best next-gen Madden, by far, but it's also one of the better Maddens. The inclusion of weapons added a whole new dimension to the game, Superstar Mode added 2007 NFL Draft players, which is awesome, when you think about it, and the TRUE franchise mode of Madden finally got moved up to next-gen. Best of all, it actually PLAYS LIKE AN NFL GAME!
[4] Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
[3] Rock Band
-- And so, the debate begins. Why is Rock Band higher? More innovation. GHIII may, currently, have the best soundtrack, but Band World Tour is the single most innovative mode in rhythm gaming. You think you've seen all rhythm games have to show you? Heh, wait until you play BWT, and once they get it online, it will become the ultimate rhythm game. That's not to say GHIII is bad. Far from it. It's certainly harder than the second game and it still keeps the core gameplay that all of us fans love, but Rock Band just adds so much to the table. Oh, and the fact that I can sing "Go With The Flow". That's pretty ****ing awesome.
[2] Mass Effect
-- Two words: Dialogue. system. This game has one of the most interesting dialogue systems ever seen in video games. You can, literally, take your character in thousands of different directions. That is amazing. Not only that, but the creation of your Sheppard is second to freaking none. My brother was able to create one who looked strikingly similar to his own likeness, and you have to understand, that is NOT an easy task. And the shooting part of the game isn't half bad, either.
[1] Halo 3
-- Oh no, I can see it coming now: "OMGZ, THE MOST OVERRATED GAME EVER AT #1! YOU'VE LOST UR MIND, FANBOY~!" Before you burn me at the stake, let me make one thing clear: the campaign mode isn't that special, especially if you're doing it on your own. However, if you got this game to play the freaking campaign mode, then you might be a little insane in the head. The reason to get this game, quite simply, is its multiplayer mode. It is one of the most realized, fun, user-friendly multiplayer modes in the history of video games, I **** you not. Not only can you enjoy killing soldiers left and right, you can also go back and watch how you killed said soldiers, as well as add more to the maps with the "Forge" mode. But mostly killing soldiers. It's not the greatest game ever made, but all of its problems wash away the moment you stick a plasma grenade on a soldier online. It may be some of the most fun I've ever had playing a game.
Okay, I swear to god, the albums list will begin either tonight or tomorrow. Promise.
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Banned
Member Since: 10/21/2001
Posts: 25,547
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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The 2007 Year-End Crazy Ambition(Top 15 Albums, 15-11)
Well, I'm sure that you didn't think it was going to be up this soon. Damnit, when I have free time on my hands, I'm a machine.
Anyway, let's get right into one of the big lists of the Crazy Ambition: The Top 15 Albums of 2007.
Top 15 Albums of 2007
Close Calls:
Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High
-- I really began to like artists I never would have thought I'd like this year, and FOB was one of the bigger surprises in that regard. Songs like "Golden" and "Hum Hallelujah" swayed my opinion pretty easily, however.
Blaqk Audio - CexCells
-- I wasn't as high on this as some people were, but there were some truly quality tracks on this album. I especially liked "Between Breaths" and "Wake Up, Open the Door, And Escape to the Sea".
Evans Blue - The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends
-- Another album I wasn't as high on as some other people were, and this one, I can't say I'm a huge fan of, but there's enough good tracks to warrant a mention.
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
-- An album that has gotten well deserved praise from critics and fans alike. The question is, can they top it?
Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight
-- I know, I know, I'm one of the most vocal MtM detractors, but the best songs on the album are enough to at least warrant a mention, if not push it into the top fifteen. This may very well be #16.
[15] M.I.A. - Kala
-- This is not my introduction to the world of M.I.A., but it certainly feels like it to me. This album is...almost a revelation of sorts. While last year was the year that I went metal, this year was the year that I tried as hard as I could to expand my horizons and not be held down by certain music. Of course, I think I failed in that regard, but hey, at least I found some interesting artists and music while I did so, and M.I.A. is one of the most intriguing and cool artists out there today.
Songs To Seek: "Jimmy", "Paper Planes", "$20"
[14] Static-X - Cannibal
-- God damnit, if it hadn't had been for "Destroyer". That song alone dropped this album down by at least five notches. Thank god most of the rest of the album makes up for it. It is pure metal. You thought Machine was metal? Oh, you wait and see. How about the opening title track? The title track is a dose of awesome with a sprinkling of insanity that simply does not let up. How about "Chemical Logic", which absolutely melts my face every time I listen to it? There's also "Chroma-matic", which has really snuck up on me the last couple of months. Seriously, if you listen to metal in ANY way, shape or form, seek out this album.
Songs To Seek: "Chemical Logic", "Chroma-matic", "Behemoth"
[13] Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vols. 1 & 2: Fire & Water
-- I am still incredibly underwhelmed by the Water portion of this album, but the Fire portion still rocks me all over. The opening track, "Firebreather", is about a powerful a song as Thrice has ever put on an album, while the other tunes fall in line with said "Firebreather", and it makes for a great listening experience. However, other than "Digital Sea" and MAYBE "Open Water", Water just doesn't do it for me. Sorry.
Songs To Seek: "Firebreather", "Burn the Fleet", "Backdraft"
[12] The Nightwatchman - One Man Revolution
-- In a year full of surprises, this was, honestly, one of the biggest. I have never been a big fan of folk music. I do like some folk music, but it's really not my thing. Leave it to Tom Morello to change my opinion on that style of music forever. One thing that I should point out is that I really do LOVE his voice. It's so perfect for the songs involved and his vocals and the music meshes so well. The songs themselves are hit or miss, but the ones that hit HIT. Seriously, I'm still trying to get over how overwhelmed I felt when I first listened to "The Garden of Gethsemane". This album(and said song) also gave me one of my anthem lines of 2007: "I know who I'm for...and who I'm against."
Songs To Seek: "One Man Revolution", "The Garden of Gethsemane", "California's Dark"
[11] Jay-Z - American Gangster
-- Jay-Z has always been there to reaffirm my faith in rap music. Even in the darkest days of the mainstream rap world, Jay-Z was there to give us all hope. Wheras Kingdom Come was, admittedly, a disappointment, American Gangster is the album that I(and probably a lot of people) wanted in the first place. I mean, it's what you've come to expect from Jay-Z, and that's pure quality. There's not much else that I could say that Ben won't wind up saying better anyway, so I'll let him describe it more in-depth, but the fact of the matter is, this is Jay-Z, and Jay-Z always delivers the goods.
Songs To Seek: "Success", "Ignorant ****", "No Hook"
10-8(or 10-7, whichever one feels more right) should be up tonight or tomorrow.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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very solid beginning, Ryan. nice to see someone putting The Nightwatchman on their list. That album was a great surprise for me as well. and thanks for the mention with American Gangster. I'll try my best to live up to that when I do my writeup for it.
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ATRL Moderator
Member Since: 12/21/2002
Posts: 20,569
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I only heard a few Nightwatchman songs on your show, yet including those, this is a solid, solid list. From Fall Out Boy to Jay-Z -- jesus ****! That is some good music!
"Open Water" and "Digital Sea" are also the only songs I listen to from the Water disc. Static-X, Blaqk Audio, Evans Blue, M.I.A. -- amazing. Can't wait for the rest, yo.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 7/24/2004
Posts: 12,563
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American Gangster is definitely a great album. However, the singles he released aren't as impressive as what he did back in "The Black Album".
P.S. Guitar Hero ****ing rules.
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ATRL Administrator
Member Since: 5/2/2000
Posts: 2,844
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awesome start; good to see Foos and M.I.A. especially
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Member Since: 1/14/2007
Posts: 6,202
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I still hate MIA, along with most of the water portion of Thrice's album similar to what you said. Mostly good though, especially Static X and Jay-Z
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Member Since: 1/9/2004
Posts: 9,558
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American Gangster + Infinity on High + Kala = AH. SUM.
Select songs from Cannibal and CexCells make this a great start too.
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Member Since: 6/16/2006
Posts: 8,691
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American Gangster
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Member Since: 6/19/2006
Posts: 1,094
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No Call of Duty 4 or BioShock?
Shame, shame.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 5/9/2003
Posts: 3,779
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hova!
knew youd come around to FOB.
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Member Since: 9/7/2004
Posts: 3,871
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LP, M.I.A., Jay-Z, Foos, FOB, Blaqk Audio
Great list so far, can't wait to see the rest.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
Posts: 10,641
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Haven't heard anything from The Nightwatchman, but sounds promising.
Every other album however, is flawless. Great list so far.
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Member Since: 9/3/2006
Posts: 27,884
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Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace is my favorite on this set.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 9/26/2001
Posts: 22,475
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The 2007 Year-End Crazy Ambition(Top 15 Albums, 10-7)
No, the fact that I agonized over whether it should be 10-8 or 10-7 wasn't the reason why this wasn't posted sooner. I just haven't had time to update this, really. Here's 10-7. KARATE CHOP!
10] Kanye West - Graduation
-- Hey, another rap album. What is this, Eddie's list? Well, it's well known that I'm a big fan of Kanye West and his awesome samples of mass destruction. This album isn't quite on the level of his first two albums, but his first two albums were out of this world good, whereas this one is just plain good. It's still the Kanye that quite a few of us know and love, and he hasn't really lost a step. "I Wonder" is one of the sweeter songs that I've heard this year, and "Flashing Lights" is just a well made and quite awesome tune that will, almost certainly, be on my top 50 singles list next year, while "Stronger" is a beast of a song, a true giant. It may not be his best, but average Kanye is 100 times better than your average mainstream rapper.
Songs To Seek: "Stronger", "Champion", "Flashing Lights"
[9] The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
-- I've never been a gigantic fan of DEP. I really don't know why. Their style of music, now more than ever, appeals to me, but I just never got around to listening to a lot of their music, other than "Unretrofied". This album may have changed that permanently. There aren't very many songs that stand out here, but the album works much better when listened to from front to back, where it all comes together in perfect harmony. Even though the songs that can stand out on their own aren't many in number, those songs are pretty strong, including a song of the year contender in "Milk Lizard" and the excellent "Horse Hunter", featuring Brent Hinds of Mastodon fame.
Songs To Seek: "Milk Lizard", "Horse Hunter", "Black Bubblegum"
[8] Paramore - Riot!
-- This one just plain came out of nowhere. Paramore was supposed to be a band that I just could not care about, a band that I thought would be forgotten about by everyone within three years. This album confirms that I was dead wrong. The key here is Hayley Williams, who takes, in quite a few cases, forgettable songs, and brings them up in quality big time with her powerful voice. The first few notes in "Hallelujah" give me chills every freaking time I listen to the song. I think her voice alone has caused me to have a huge crush on her. No joke. I'm rambling. The point is, without Williams and her amazing voice, this would just be another flash-in-the-pan band. With her, they are truly something.
Songs To Seek: "Hallelujah", "We Are Broken", "When It Rains"
[7] Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
-- This album is lower, in terms of placement, than their last album Lullabies to Paralyze, but I actually think that Era Vulgaris, in general, is better. While LtP's best songs are, probably, better than this album's best songs, the worst songs on this album are better than those on LtP. Songs like "I'm Designer", "Make It Wit Chu", and "River in the Road" are great signs of what's to come in the future. And then, there's "3's & 7's", a blazing tune that grabs you by the balls and doesn't let go. I'm pretty sure that, at one time, I said that this album was disappointing, but I was comparing it to their prevous albums when I said jargon like that. When I analyze it on its own, it's a pretty solid album.
Songs To Seek: "3's & 7's", "I'm Designer", "Make It Wit Chu"
I swear to god, 6-4 will come sometime soon. Probably today. I don't have anything better to do today, anyway.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 11/6/2002
Posts: 10,641
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 6/9/2002
Posts: 6,789
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awesome stuff. Yeezy, Paramore, and Queens are all great. I need to check out this DEP album i've been hearing so much about.
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ATRL Senior Member
Member Since: 5/9/2003
Posts: 3,779
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