Its that time of year again, the time when everyone tries to recap the year in a tidy little list of 20 items. This list is not neccessarily the 20 “Best” albums of the year, instead, they are 20 albums from 2007 that I personally have enjoyed the most over the course the year. I hope you enjoy the list and it at least inspires you to listen to a few new bands or albums that you hadn’t already. The easiest and best place to start for any of these bands is probably their MySpace page. Here we go:
20) Steve Earle - Washington Square Serenade: The ever dependable Steve Earle is back with perhaps his most distinct album in years. It still bears the quality songwriting that you’ve come to expect, but shows a new focus on his adopted city, New York, and incorporates some new sounds including his first use of drum loops. Don’t worry, its nothing too shocking, but it makes for a great album with some inspired tunes. Don’t miss “Satellite Radio” for a taste of the “new” sound.
19) Stars - In Our Bedroom After The War: Lush, atmospheric indie pop/rock music that is crammed with emotion. Stars are a great band that don’t seem to get much credit and this album will hopefully bring them some more attention. The male/female vocals seem to glow and are the perfect compliment to the muted theatrics of the music. Listen to “The Night Starts Here” for a good start.
18) Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice: Experimental indie rock band with odd time signatures, killer guitar sounds and catchy tunes. This is their 3rd full length and hopefully the one that gives them the break they need. The song that hooked me was “Throwin’ Shapes”.
17) The Shins - Wincing The Night Away: Another amazing album from probably one of the most well known indie bands around. This album has the band going in slightly new directions and it took some time for me to get into it, but now I can’t get the songs out of my head… in a good way. Check out the first track, “Sleeping Lessons” for a taste.
16) Bruce Springsteen - Magic: Wow, the Boss is back! The Rising was an ok album but it never really felt like the classic Springsteen albums of old. This one still has some of that old “magic”… wow, lame. Every song is like a lesson in what was great about the old stuff, yet feels slightly updated. Don’t miss the songs, “Living in the Future”, “Magic” and “Girls in their Summer Clothes”.
15) The Broken West - I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On: Falling under the always confusing category of Power Pop, The Broken West have made a fantastic debut album that sounds more to me like alt-countryish rock. The songs are filled with great harmonies and pretty much every tune is a winner. I must have played the song “Down in the Valley” over a hundred times since I first heard it.
14) White Stripes - Icky Thump: Between his other band, The Raconteurs, and being a general all around badass, Jack White had time to bang out another White Stripes album and Icky Thump is no worse for wear. Featuring Jack’s never ending parade of guitar riffs that you wish you’d written and Meg’s steady pounding there’s not much out of the ordinary, but it features some of their best songs yet. The title track is an undeniable blast of power that I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of.
13) Iron & Wine - The Shepherds Dog: I only got into Iron & Wine recently but have done my best to get up to speed quickly and could not get enough of this album. Showing growth and maturity with a fuller, more developed sound The Shepherds Dog will reveal itself in layers and you’ll be left with something you can’t imagine having been without. Don’t miss “Innocent Bones” and “Boy with a Coin”.
12) Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger: Adams might be the most prolific songwriter in today’s music scene, and in the past that sometimes equalled inconsistency. Easy Tiger was his only full length of 2007 and it shows with his most consistent set of songs in years. He stays in the vein of alt-country which he’s mostly known for and his backing band, The Cardinals, play the perfect compliment to his sometimes ragged, sometimes soulful, always interesting songwriting. Check out “Pearls on a String”.
11) Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank: Consistently hailed as sellouts since their move to a major label, Modest Mouse have been given a crappy deal. They’re still one of the most original bands going in the mainstream and this album has provided me a lot of listening enjoyment. Plus I don’t see how anyone can deny “Dashboard” as one of the best songs of the year.
10) Feist - The Reminder: I want to marry Feist. I’ve been madly in love with her since I first saw her perform at the Juno’s and this album has appropriately vaulted her into the international spotlight… with some help from that Apple commercial. The Reminder is crammed with a creativity and catchiness that don’t come easy to any songwriter. Listen to “I Feel It All” and then try and not play it again immediately after.
9) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: Indie music and global stars don’t go hand in hand, but the Arcade Fire make it seem easy. Neon Bible is a darker and slower album than their debut, but that doesn’t make it any less amazing. I’ve been listening to it steadily since it came out and my favorite tune has changed about 9 times. The church organ and slow build on “Intervention” is worth it alone.
8. Joel Plaskett Emergency - Ashtray Rock: Plaskett remains relatively unknown in the States and is still making his name in his native Canada, but there’s no denying his talent and growth as a songwriter. Ashtray Rock is concept album about two young friends who form a band and everything else that goes along with it while trying to grow up. It reads like a nostalgia trip, but the songs are good enough that they hold up on their own. I love how the songs appear to grow in maturity as the main characters do themselves. Check out “Snowed In/Crusin” and “Soundtrack for the Night” to get an idea of the variation.
7) Daft Punk - Alive 2007: Not only is this the soundtrack to the greatest visual show of all time, its also the best thing Daft Punk has ever released. If you haven’t heard this or a variation of it that’s floating around the web, you will be amazed at how everyone’s favorite Robots can weave 2 and even 3 of their songs into one brand new version that somehow makes their music even more kickass. If you missed the 2007 tour you will unfortunately die a lesser person, but this live album will give you a delicious taste. Listen to “Around the World/Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and prepare to transcend space and time.
6) Beirut - Flying Club Cup: Eastern European folk music made by a 20 year old guy from the States… bizarre, but somehow it works beautifully. This is Beirut’s second album and sees young Zach Condon spreading his influences to include more of a Parisian feel and it pays off. Horns, accordions, and ukuleles abound and tying it all together is Condon’s unique and amazing voice. Check out “Sunday Smile” and branch out a bit.
5) The National - Boxer: This is the kind of album you could give your Dad, your Sister, your annoying friend who only likes bands that nobody else knows about and pretty much everyone will love it. Its like they make low key, intimate anthems that everyone can identify with. The best way to describe the sound is warm… rich vocals, organic instruments and amazing songs that you’ll wish you’d been listening to for years. If there’s an album on this list I’d most recommend listening to, its this one. Listen to “Fake Empire” and you’ll know what I mean.
4) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky: This is almost a no brainer because I like everything Wilco has ever done, but this album has really grown on me. When I first heard it, it seemed like a bit of a let down after the experimentation they explored on the last two albums, but I soon realized that it was just as good to hear an awesome band just playing great songs. Another really organic sounding album, Sky Blue Sky has some of my favorite songs of the year on it and the addition of Nels Cline on guitar has made the band a lot more muscular when they stretch things out a bit. “Impossible Germany” might be the best song they’ve ever written.
3) Artic Monkeys - Favorite Worst Nightmare: I thought the Arctic Monkeys first album was decent, a few cool tunes and a sound that seemed to crib from some classic UK bands. This second album takes that “sound” and makes it strictly the Arctic Monkeys. Favorite Worst Nightmare is song for song a much steadier album than the first and the fact that they’ve been touring for 2 years straight has made them into tightly wound ball of energy. I absolutely love this album and can’t wait to hear what they do next. “Fluorescent Adolescent” is impossibly bouncy and catchy and “Do Me A Favor” explodes with an energy that I never expected from these guys.
2) Radiohead - In Rainbows: What can I really say about this album that hasn’t already been said. This is Radiohead’s most consistent and accessible set of songs since Ok Computer and showcases a prettiness that hasn’t been seen in a while from them. Every band member is on top of their game and Thom Yorke sounds reinvigorated. Strap on some head phones and be amazed. My favorite track is “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”, whats yours?
1) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga: My favorite album of the year belongs to Spoon. This band seems to be getting better with age and each year that they release an album it seems to be at the top of my list of favorites. They make quirky, creative and inventive indie rock music that somehow stays accessible, yet nowhere close to mainstream. With every release their fanbase grows and this album has probably brought them their most attention yet and it is much deserved. Nobody sounds like Britt Daniels when he sings and really, nobody sounds like Spoon. Every song on this album brings something different to the table and in my opinion nothing beats it this year. Nothing bopped like “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”, nothing stabbed like “The Ghost Of You Lingers” and nothing soared like “The Underdog”…. but thats just my opinion.
Happy listening, bring on 2008.
Honorable Mentions:
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Living with the Living
Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
Kanye West - Graduation
Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Great Bloomers - Great Bloomers EP
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Great reviews!
A few of those titles might look pretty good in a certain someone’s Christmas ’stocking’.
Go Habs Go!!!!
Bobby
December 3rd, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Great list… but two words:
Where’s Britney?
December 3rd, 2007 at 4:00 pm
nice little list here. that spoon album must be great to beat out in rainbows on anyone’s list.