Lists. They're sadly irresistible.
As a celebration of all that is maudlin about this horribly lazy and reductive format, with no one around to particularly stop me, we're publishing our now annual 'Birthday List' of the most popular stories of the year so far. Later, the least popular of the year to date and finally the slightly less fascinating O/L top stories of, like, FOREVER.
TOP 50 of 2007, so far
- Morrissey in Pasadena: Night 1 of 3 by Alarcon
"Don't cry for me, Pasadena," crooned the evening's headliner, arm elegantly raised up, as he made his way center stage, almost as if he was channeling the dead old bones of Evita Peron herself. - Morrissey in Pasadena: Night 2 of 3 by Alarcon
In many ways, "Bout Two" was a vastly improved affair. Morrissey's voice was still pitch-perfect, as it was the night before, but the old man seemed much more focused tonight. - Wembley Stadium - Architecture / Regeneration / Gentrification by Joe Ambrose
International football landmark, Wembley Stadium is again shiny and renewed. Joe Ambrose stands in its shadows - Happy Shopper #11: Jennifer Herrema by Alex V. Cook
Jennifer Herrema, former rock goddess of Royal Trux, Calvin Klein, and current one of RTX struts down our psychic catwalk. - Morrissey in Pasadena: Night 3 of 3 by Alarcon
Morrissey's third night at the Pasadena Civic started out with incredible promise. Maybe because there was a charge in the air that hadn't been there the previous two nights. - Black Stars and White Dwarfs by Alex V. Cook
Mos Def and Talib Kweli pushed the boundaries of hip hop as it was experienced by white audiences in 1998 on Black Star, and they both continue to push on the respective recent releases. - The Black Michael Jackson by Joe Ambrose
Joe Ambrose discovers the joys of portliness and the disappearance of the Black Michael Jackson - North American Scum by Lamont
LCD Soundsytem's North American Scum wins a grammy and gets appropriated as a political campaign anthem for 08. I don't think... But that doesn't mean it isn't great - A Day in the Life with LCD Soundsystem by Alex V. Cook
James Murphy has provided a thorough analysis of my busiest work day in months. - Me So Horny!, or, Jazz is Discovered to Still Exist by Alex V. Cook
New records by Ornette Coleman and David S. Ware are vibrant examples of jazz that blows past the walls of snobbery keeping jazz underground. - Five Sonnets on Arcade Fire's Neon Bible by Alex V. Cook
There once was a band from Quebec.... - 300 Words From London: Me and David Beckham by Lake
With David Beckham set to boom or bust US "soccer" Lake recalls a time when the two of them sat at the same table... Only days apart. - Moff Jerjerrod and I by Karl Morgan
Karl Morgan sets foot on the Death Star - A Tangier Christmas Whipping by Joe Ambrose
Joe Ambrose witnesses a christmas whipping on the street in Tangier - C'mon, Get Weird on Me by Alex V. Cook
Bardo Pond and Califone fulfill the unrealized promise for weirdness in classic psyche rock - Dan Sartain at The 100 Club by Joe Ambrose
Dan Sartain warms up the 100 Club and Joe Ambrose tells how... - Keep Clapping and Keep Saying Yeah by Alex V. Cook
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah return with a deep and lovely expansion on the sound that caught people's ears to begin with - Morning Tide by Debra Ifill
Celebrated New York Poet, Debra Ifill returns with her latest poem, Morning Tide - Tom Waits On A Plane by Belle Plankton
To some, he was a fake boho hobo, and then there's the rest of the world, who have loved and delighted in him all along... Tom Waits, a brief encounter with our Belle - 300 Words From London - Cricket World What? by Lake
Lake rakes over the two month festival of cricket that most people have chosen to ignore. - The Shins are Here! The Shins are (yawn)..excuse me...here! by Alex V. Cook
The greatest band in the history of all recorded mankind returns to up that ante of how much of their sad-sack shit you are going to put up with before you finally break up with them. - Picard vs Palpatine / Shakespeare vs Ibsen by Lake
There's a battle raging on the London stage between two titans of sci-fi cinema. In one corner Senator Palpatine has teamed up with Ibsen and in the other Captain Picard (or Professor X if you prefer) has called on Shakespeare. The winner will face Magneto's long awaited King Lear at Stratford in an attempt to be crowned the undisputed heavyweight of Sci-Fi Theatre. - Weirder and Weirderer by Alex V. Cook
Deerhoof and Hella are but two of the emerging personalities in the fractured pantheon of weird rock genius. - The Violinist and the Doll Collector by Alex V. Cook
Tony Conrad and Charlemagne Palestine, two of the giants of minimalism, cross the beams and destroy the universe, only to rebuild it anew. - Dear Girl... We Have a Panty Problem by Erin Pipes
Dear Girl, Erin Pipes, gets to the heart of a young man's panty problem... - American Neon #2: Burning Man by Shane O'Reilly
For 7 days each year, if Burning Man isn't the 51st State of the USA, it's a least 'an outlying territory' Shane O'Reilly immerses himself... - Happy Shopper #13: Edwyn Collins by Lamont
Edwyn Collins is well known for his international hit record 'A Girl Like You' but did you know, he can be a keen shopper too... - Return of the Soft Rock Renegades by Alex V. Cook
Brazzaville, Do Say Make Think and Arbouretum are poised to slip you all their individual sonic mickeys. - 300 Words From London: Opera vs Football - No Contest by Lake
Lake at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden going Top C Turvy. Or something. - Possessed By the Devil's Comedic Timing by Alex V. Cook
While the world goes to hell, Gorgoroth's over-the-top Satanic malevolence puts a smile on my face. - Coal Eyes, Scrubs Big Daddy and Flea by Paul Hawkins
Paul H returns, adding a dark chapter from his Claremont Rd squat memoirs - Skin + Bones + Drainpipes by Lamont
Skin+Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture is big and beautiful and happening at MOCA - The Hip-Priest of the Hyperreal by Alex V. Cook
Mark E. Smith emerges out of the dust of Baudrillard's demise with a new band, a new record and old wisdom - The Sunset Stalker: The Shakespearience by Lamont
From Sunset Blvd to Stratford Upon Avon, and happily, back... - Mage Against the Regime by Alex V. Cook
Of Montreal breaks from the crowd, frothing at the mouth with their latest release, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? - Cosmo-Politician: The Times Are Not-A Changin'... Yet by Paul Hawkins
Modern day revolutionary songsmith and all round political agitator Cosmo has been around - 300 Words From London: Is This A Seagull I See Before Me? by Lake
Lake rubs shoulders with the Hollywood stars at the Royal Court Theatre. - '24' - A Philosophical Masterclass by Karl Morgan
Karl Morgan takes a break from constantly watching 24 to write an article about...24 - Happy Shopper #12: Brini Maxwell by Lamont
Brini Maxwell, the Style Channel and NPR Tastemaker is the latest and most welcome outsideleft.com Happy Shopper - From Reggae to Regg, Eh by Alex V. Cook
The unlikely success of Canadian reggae is heralded on reissues of brilliant records by Noel Ellis and Studio One legend Jackie Mittoo - Neate Neate Neate by Lake
Adam Neate - artist. So good we ran him twice. A previous Happy Shopper and a very popular one. We revisit him with a more in depth feature. Well, as in depth as we get... - Spare the Blade! by Lamont
KnifeSafe, from LamsonSharp - you can Stick a Knife in it, if you're done. - I Love a Bad News Woman by Alex V. Cook
Lucinda Williams' latest record is a delicious cocktail of honey and strychnine, among the finest in her career. - 300 Words From London: Damien Hirst Goes To Church by Lake
More pills, not many thrills and a bit of religious belly aching. Damien Hirst. God. Again. - T&D. Visions & Sound. by Lamont
T&D are north london's exceedingly ambient self-styled Experimental Healing and Easy Listening Duo. They've got you under their skin. - Magritte: Pipesmoker by Lamont
Ren?© Magritte is the pipesmoker. That's possibly how you know him best, from 'La trahison des images' (the tragedy of images) Magritte's famous image of The Pipe coupled with the expression, Ceci n'est pas une pipe. This is not a pipe. - Happy Shopper #10 - Anthony Reynolds by Lake
Anthony Reynolds writer and musician tells us how he spends his time and money. - A Passage to India by H.xx
This is the first in a series of travel related essays from our new contributor H.xx, as she restlessly manages her downtime from a career which calls upon her to travel relentlessly with some of the most famous rockstars in the world. - Music for a Peruvian Hootenanny by Paul Hawkins
Novalima know... You can change the world when you are dancing - Happy Shopper #14 - Tracks by Lake
Minimalist instrumentalist Tracks. From the North West of London with odd interludes in the North East of England. Like an ASBO John Fahey his new CD on Red Guard records gives us the creeps. In a good way.
