Ten Best Albums of 2007

Read parts one through three – my top ten of 2007’s books here, films here, and television here.

I hope you’ve all been waiting with bated breath for this, the last Best of 2007 List from The 1979 Semi-Finalist (yes, I know it’s March 2008 already – apologies). I especially hope you’ve all been waiting so anxiously because this is what I am by far least qualified to judge…it’s great to wait for someone’s totally unqualified opinion right? Anyway, this list is obviously compiled from the stuff I actually listened to (a relatively small selection – of what must have been hundreds of albums released this year – maybe 30 or 35 albums in total?) and is largely instinctual, I like what I like and that’s about all I can really say, without some brilliant musical background. So, BS prologue over, here we go…

10. The Mary Onettes ~ The Mary Onettes

I kind of missed the whole awesome 80’s music wave, since I was only 14 when it ended and I lived in Salt Lake City (and the middle of nowhere Colorado) from the age of six until seventeen, both of which were WELL behind the “awesome” music curve. I really didn’t even find all that great music until much later in life, and much of it was brought to me by Adam (thanks Adam). I love most everything I hear from that “new wave” sound, but compared to super fans like my friends Brooke & Evan I’ll always pretty much be a tourist. I didn’t experience it as I should have, but only in retrospect, which colors everything, and I also never got involved enough (do I get “involved enough” in any kind of music? probably not) to appreciate all the amazing details, however The Mary Onettes ARE an awesome band and I love this album. It’s such perfect 80’s “new wave alternative rock” without being old and stale, without copying everything before it, instead it’s just really honest and earnest music that has its own sound, but a sound that belongs soundly in the 1980’s. The great thing for me, is that since they are a “new” band I can experience some of what I missed out on in the 80’s and for that I’ll be forever grateful to The Mary Onettes – thanks Mary Onettes! I can’t wait to experience the next album in real time…Best Track(s): Track #4 – The Laughter

09. Proof Of Youth ~ The Go! Team

Woo-hoo! I picked this up because of the first track, and the whole album pretty much rocks just as hard as that first one, even the mellower tunes somehow rock. I love this shit. In my imagination this whole band is the product of sweet assed female ninjas that bred with the dudes from Jurassic 5…producing the coolest most badass ninja jurassic jammin kids that just happened to start a band one day in the garage. I was playing it loud as fuck at work one day after everyone had already left and I swear I could have worked all night on the energy I was getting from the album. Best Track(s): Track #1 – Grip Like A Vice; Track #3 – My World

08. Cross ~ Justice.

On first listen, I was all, “this is great, but not top ten material”. Second listen, “Hmmm, perhaps I should reconsider”. By the third listen I was in. The mixes are just awesome and the beats are impossible to ignore. The only flaw, for me, is that occasionally, unless of course my cd IS f’ed up, they mix it so hard that the song sounds f’d up (Track #4). I don’t know what this technique is called, but it’s not a technique I’m a fan of. At all. But the rest of the cd is good enough that I’m willing to look past that…and put it right up there in the top ten for 2007. A special thanks goes to ihatewheat of adhoc who introduced me to this band. Thanks! Love it. Best Track(s): Track #1 – Genesis; Track #6 – Phantom Pt. II

07. Neon Bible ~ The Arcade Fire

I was never on The Arcade Fire train, I don’t know why, I just seemed to miss it and was never able to get back on…until now. This is a great album. I love it. I’m going to have to start digging into The Funeral, because if the reviews can be believed, then that album is equal to or better than Neon Bible. One of the things I’ve decided I most like about The Arcade Fire is that they kind of transcend categorization. Not that I’m an expert, but their music doesn’t fit easily under any one label. And you get the feeling when listening that they’re not doing it on purpose so that they can be “awesome and label-less” but rather it’s just actually who they are and how they sound. I kind of just love the hell out of the idea that they’re just doing what they love, what they know how to do, and it comes out just completely beautiful and badass. Best Track(s): Track #1 – Black Mirror; Track #4 – Intervention

06. Back To Black ~ Amy Winehouse

I SO don’t want this on my list, but what can I say…the girl can sing like no freaking tomorrow. So here she is, on the top ten of the year and she deserves it, especially because I don’t even listen to music “like this” very often, but when something is good like this album is it seems to transcend genre lines and pop factor and all that other crap and it just gets to be recognized as the kickass album that it is. Best Track(s): Track #1 – Rehab; Track #5 – Back to Black (although I lean towards Rehab these days considering her current dramas…shades of precognition much?)

05. The Bird & The Bee ~ The Bird & The Bee

I picked this up randomly…I think because I liked the title. Thank the gods I am such a silly ridiculous person. It’s an excellent album. Somehow poppy and accessible, without being annoying and poppy and accessible. Make sense? No? Too bad, that’s the best I can explain it. I defy anyone to listen to track #3 – F*cking Boyfriend and not be singing it the rest of the day…but in a good way. I can’t wait to hear more of this stuff. It’s a soft-ish album overall, but in all the good ways. Best Track(s): Track #3 – F*cking Boyfriend; Track #4 – I’m A Broken Heart.

04. Prog ~ The Bad Plus

Ah, The Bad Plus…how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Prog is a great album, not their best, not my favorite (that would be 2004’s Give – with the infamous 1979 Semi-Finalist track) but this is still wonderful and belongs in anyone’s top ten. For the uninitiated, The Bad Plus is a jazz trio consisting of Piano, Bass, and Drums (Dave King on drums is like watching – and hearing – magic). The Bad Plus is largely known for their creative and super lush covers of infamous tunes like Everybody Wants To Rule The World by Tears for Fears (on this album) and Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, but the real brilliance for me is in their original work. It is really some beautiful groundbreaking jazz, which you don’t hear much of these days, at least not in mainstream music. They are BRILLIANT to see live. When I leave a Bad Plus show I feel like I can absolutely conquer the world. I want to write, draw, create, live…all of it. I wish they could bottle the experience – I’d stock up – instead I’ve bought tickets to see them again this year – March 22nd at The Blue Note – yay! Best Track(s): Track #2 – Physical Cities

03. Wincing The Night Away ~ The Shins

I’ll admit it, I was one of those people that just kind of fell in love with Natalie Portman in Garden State (if I wasn’t already in love with her) when she’s all “Hey, Zach Braf – this music (The Shins) will change your life” and it kind of does. There’s something wonderful about The Shins. It’s all happy and layered and beautiful and deep all at the same time, and Wincing is particularly this way. I listened to the album many many times in narrowing down my list and it never ceased to be thoroughly enjoyable and moving. I kinda just love the fuck out of it. Thanks Natalie Portman. Best Track(s): Hard call, I’m going with Track #1 – Sleeping Lessons, if only because it’s just a great intro into the whole beautiful package.Track #4 – Phantom Limb and Track #6 – Red Rabbits as close seconds.

02. Sound Of Silver ~ LCD Soundsystem

Good stuff. Certain tracks stand out exceptionally for me on this album, and others are just “great”. The beats are incredible and the lyrics surprisingly, have an actual point – which can often get lost on beat heavy albums. There’s chatter on the web about how this and that song are complete rip-offs of other earlier songs – and this could be absolutely true – I don’t have that kind of musical vault-like knowledge – but the end result is some beautiful beautiful sounds that I’m completely sold on – so I guess I don’t feel too badly about it – true or not. Somewhere in the epic space of the internet someone said this album is the music they want to hear on the radio on a night coming home at 3am…and I couldn’t agree more. I can almost see myself cruising through the city, euphoric but epic-ly sad, with this blowing over me and out the windows and onto the streets. Now if only I had a car. Best Track(s): Track #1 – Get Innocuous. Boy do I love first tracks huh? I think I’m a sucker for first tracks the same way I’m a sucker for first lines in books…

01. In Rainbows – Radiohead

I wasn’t so sure about this album upon first listen…but it’s Radiohead, and a lot of my all time favorite albums have taken more than one listen for me to fall in love with them, in fact, I think I prefer it that way, it alludes to a complexity and depth that isn’t just accessible in casual listening. Suffice to say In Rainbows is one of these complex albums. But by listen number two I was pretty in love and I kind of can’t get enough of it lately. I’ve also noticed a lot of other people that are Radiohead fans (boyfriend, boss, co-workers) seem to feel the same way about this album…and I notice we all play it A LOT. It’s in the bloodstream. For the record, Adam and I did download it, or rather he downloaded it and paid a bit extra (10 pounds I think) because he knew he was going to give it to me, which he did. I applauded the way they released this album, and while it certainly hasn’t been certified as a success by all, it takes a while to change an ancient system – they get credit for getting the ball rolling. I’m a superfan. And they easily slide into the number one spot for me for 2008. Best Track: Track #4 – Weird Fishes/Arpeggio

Honorable Mentions:

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank ~ Modest Mouse. Honestly? This should be on the list – it’s a great album, but I know Modest Mouse like I know few other bands, and while this is great they can do better (and have, like the exceptional This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About). I’m going to wait for better.

Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga ~ Spoon. This is a solid album (sans the terrible title) but it just wasn’t quite exceptional or unique enough to crack this top ten group.

Icky Thump ~ The White Stripes. This is good, but I find White Blood Cells to be superior. Also, I have this problem with the Stripes where I like everything, but after a whole album it just starts to all sound the same. And I get sick of the drums and screeching.

I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On ~ The Broken West. Good stuff (and a great album title) but it just didn’t stand out enough in the pack to push its way to the forefront. A band to watch though.

Spells ~ The Comas. Why is this band not super famous? They are poppy enough to be on the radio…yet I’ve never heard them there (although I listen to very little radio these days – so maybe I’m wrong). They’ve got a great sound. They don’t make the list solely on lyrics. I don’t love the lyrics. At all. They seem a little silly…red microphone? really? A bit silly. But they’ve got super potential to take over the world even if they don’t up their lyrics to a new level. Pop radio isn’t exactly picky.

Would’ve thought they’d make the list, but I just couldn’t get into them:

Some Loud Thunder ~ Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I like their self titled album, but this ended up just sounding like a lot of noise to me, I wanted to get there but just couldn’t. I kinda hated it actually.

Cease To Begin ~ Band Of Horses. I LOVED their first album, Everything All At Once and listen to it constantly, this is just not nearly as good. Maybe they only had one great album in them?, maybe the dynamic (and talent?) has changed too dramatically now that Mat Brooke has left?, I don’t know but man am I disappointed in Cease To Begin, it has none of the magic of Everything.

My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go ~ Aereogramme. I freaking LOVE the first track on this album (Conscious Life For Coma Boy) and there are many other good tracks, but it’s just too soft. I kept waiting for it to amp up and it just never happened. In the end it made me sad.