Whether it was the music, the fact that the stressful holidayswere finally over, or just the free booze a-flowin’, something was inthe air at the Highline Ballroom last night (Jan. 15), slapping smileson everyone at Spin‘s Year in Music 2007 party. Once inside andout of the cold temps and lengthy line, which stretched down the block,good spirits were well in order. The party, presented by Oakley andSlacker, included complimentary beverages courtesy of Heineken andBushmills to warm revelers up while the Virgins and the Raveonettes’ Sune Rose Wagnermanned the decks in between sets with stylish selections of rock anddance tunes. Recognizable faces mingling in the tight crowd includedMTV’s John Norris, English-born model Agyness Deyn, rock photographerMick Rock, vocalist Kristeen Young, and Sixx A.M.’s DJ Ashba, but most everyone’s attention was focused up front — and for good reason.
The sharp wordplay of Minneapolis’ “modern urban Norman Rockwell” Brother Alibroke in the stage, his deft flow equally smooth and imposingthroughout the impressive set, highlighted by fan favorite “Room With aView.” A short break preceded the arrival of the nicest indie rockeraround, Ted Leo, who, alongside his Pharmacists, blazed through songsheavily drawn from last year’s Living With the Living,though nicely spiked with heated oldie “The Ballad of the Sin Eater.”Donning a black winter hat, the Cult’s Ian Astbury gave a heartyintroduction to the evening’s headliners, Eagles of Death Metal, whopounded out their gritty Camaro hard rock (aviator sunglasses included)well past the midnight hour, throwing in swagger-filled covers of theRolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar,” Ramones’ “Beat on the Brat,” and thefitting Steelers Wheel hit “Stuck in the Middle with You.”
We asked: Looking back on music in 2007, what album got you through last year and why?
