Top 20 Albums of 2007
Submitted by M.Sturm on Wed, 03/26/2008 - 08:55
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- 1) Radiohead "In Rainbows" - Yes, they pulled off the greatest marketing campaign in music (and made more profit from it somehow) but what people seem to be missing here is that this is Radiohead’s best album since OK Computer (so the best this decade). That’s saying a whole hell of a lot.
- 2) Of Montreal "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" - Songs of flat out depression, where, if you didn’t listen to the words, you would think were about jubilation. It’s almost a perfect blend. Besides, how can I not like something that laughs at churches and has a song with the opening line "I spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown while living in Norway"?
- 3) Spoon "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" - Spoon continue their maturity without missing a single beat. Almost every song on this album sounds very minimalist until after multiple listens. If you’ve heard Spoon before you know what to expect, and if you haven’t, shove a very shape pencil into your head, for you deserve it.
- 4) M.I.A. "Kala" - When I first heard M.I.A. was perhaps going to have this entire album produced by Timbaland I was extactic, obviously. Then, after hearing the finished product (which does include one Timbo production) I was even more extactic it didn’t happen. M.I.A.brings a ferocity to her music that should not be given a steady radio/club friendly beat. The point wouldn’t get across. This album takes Arular to the next level. Maybe it really is time to get world concious, or it seems M.I.A. thinks we’re all going down.
- 5) Modest Mouse "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank" - "Float On" had a possibility of totally fucking up this album, as Modest Mouse had, despite making 3 absolutely incredible albums on their previous 3 tries, never had a radio hit. A lot of people who purchased their last for that one song were disappointed, as they had never heard the strange music Isaac Brock and company have made. The formula stands for this album. A couple tunes that, if given a chance, could be radio hits, and then the crazy ’am i a pessimist or optimist’ horn driven’, yelled vocals, uneven guitar songs. Make that 4 of their last 4 as far as incredible goes.
- 6) Panda Bear "Person Pitch" - The soundtrack for spring/summer. Light, breezy and jingling, it’s damn near impossible not to compare it to The Beach Boys ’Pet Sounds’. Certainly not bad company to be compared to.
- 7) Kings of Leon "Because of the Times" - A new album, a new lyrical direction, a new maturity, and one result remains the same: You can’t pick your favorite song off this album because, at some point, they each are. Has their been a more solid band this decade than Kings? Radiohead, The Hold Steady perhaps? That’s a damn short list with good company.
- 8) The National "Boxer" - Stocked full of songs that aim straight for your heartstrings without sounding to pretenscious or whiny. Just solid lyricism combined with ’more than meets the ear’ complex musicality.
- 9) LCD Soundsystem "Sound of Silver" - Is it a rock album or a techno album? The fact that it’s hard to tell is what makes it so damn great. Sitting behind his computer James Murphy uses a variety of sounds and emotions and makes his own dancerock. I’ll be jam dancing for a while.
- 10) Jens Lekman "Night Falls Over Kortedala" - Soft, emotional and oftentimes funny croons that ease there way into your head until you hum, whistle or sing along. Excellent storytelling mixed with just the right borrowed rhythms allow you to travel the world without leaving your chair.
- 11) Kanye West "Graduation" - Kanye absolutely refuses to not make the best albums he possibly can. Continuing to expand and obsessing over becoming a better rapper, not just a better producer (unlike some producers I know, cough cough, Timbaland) ’Ye blesses us with his best overall album yet. Still some holes, but not as many or as big as in the past.
- 12) Band of Horses "Cease to Begin" - Magically powerful. Band of Horses stick to a pretty similar formula of building sound throughout each song, taking the lovely melodies they make to a nearly overpowering climax. Toss in a minimal amount of often repeated but seemingly very meaningful lyrics (quality, not quantity people) and you’ve got a winning combination.
- 13) Arcade Fire "Neon Bible" - Following up a debut like "Funeral" is bound to be difficult but Arcade Fire do it exactly how it needed to be done. They expand their sound, somehow sounding even larger than before. Sometimes it actually feels like the music itself might just explode.
- 14) Animal Collective "Strawberry Jam" - Honestly, half the time I have no clue what the hell this album is saying, or what it’s about. My guess (and hope) is that I am getting it and that it’s all about the sound. This album is loaded with quirky lyrics but that’s barely of relevance when you hear the music. Fun and breezy, it dances into your head in waves and by the time you realize what your hearing you’re another minute into the song and it starts all over again.
- 15) Lil’ Wayne "Da Drought Vol. 3" - Every rapper alive seems to think (and spit in some song) that they are they greatest rapper alive. When Lil’ Wayne says it though, you feel as if he’s not trying to convince himself, but perhaps just trying to remind you of something you might already know. And the man clearly never rests, putting out about 3-4 albums a year. If other rappers matched this production you know the content would slip. Not the case with Wayne.
- 16) Lupe Fiasco "The Cool" - Sure, he knows Kanye. Sure, he had a decent debut with a couple standout tracks. But seriously, did anyone see this coming? Lupe’s laid back style is chamelionesque, changing from the slow flow "Paris, Tokyo" to matching rhymes with the tongue twisting Twista. Sophomore slump my white ass.
- 17) Burial "Untrue" - Throw your headphones on, flip up your hoodie, hit play and take a walk through a chilly big city at night. Or just picture it in your head right now. The sounds your hearing in your head are most likely on this album.
- 18) Frog Eyes "Tears of the Valedictiorian" - Carey Mercer leads his band of on again of again colaberators who just cant seem to get enough of making music with different people. A conglomoration of Swan Lake, Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, this album, not so amazingly, sounds like something different yet familiar. Slower musical tones, lyrics of wanting, whether it be maturity, connections with people, or an appreciation of the world around, and that voice(!) make this cd worth the multiple listens it will take to truly appreciate its beauty.
- 19) Jay-Z "American Gangster" - After a less than short retirement, Jay-Z returns with his own version of the soundtrack to what is apparently a cross between his life and that of Frank Lucas, the gangster portrayed in the 2007 film "American Gangster." Although not overly autobiographical, the stories painted by Jay are solid and the beats are great as well. This is what we come to expect from the Hova.
- 20) Feist "The Reminder" - We all know "1,2,3,4" is a great tune, but what may be surprising for the rest of us is that the rest of this album is damn near as good. Shifting moods while seeming to remain optimistic, the album holds onto whatever ear space you allow it to have.
waaaaaaaay late, i know. i completely forgot. Also,I will freely admit I listened to less albums this year than in the past.