Top Albums of 2007
You can tell I didn't really want to write this because it's already two days late and I didn't try very hard. There was too much music this year. I'm getting old.
20) Art in Manila - Set the Woods on Fire - No matter what I think I’m going to have a soft-spot for the girls from Azure Ray. Initially, I found this album fairly boring. I still prefer Orenda’s first solo album to this, but here she’s managed to become something more, allowing the full-band to transform her sound. After my initial qualms, I found myself playing this one on repeat, especially the Les Savy Fav cover. I don’t know if I’ve ever described a song as “sexy” before, but that’s exactly what The Sweat Descends becomes when bouncing off Orenda’s tongue.
Best Track: TIE: Set the Woods on Fire and The Sweat Descends
19) The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - Okay. Maybe it’s a surprise that these guys made it onto my list at all. Ever since Funeral was released I’ve been pretty adamant in my hatred, often calling them the most over-hyped band since the Beatles. This might be true, I still don’t think they deserve all the hype that they’ve gotten, they certainly aren’t the saviors of Rock and Roll that they’ve been heralded as but they still write some pretty decent songs. I probably wouldn’t have given this album as much of a chance had it not been the only decent thing we had a promo copy of at Borders for several months over.
Best Track: (Antichrist Television Blues)
18) Jens Lekman - Night Falls over Kortedala - Jens Lekman probably writes the catchiest songs of anyone presently alive, save Fred Thomas. Also, he’s from another country.
Best Track: The Opposite of Hallelujah.
17) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky - Pretty much standard Wilco, just a bit more laid back. Whenever I’m trying to describe this album I tell people that it’s the album I would put on if I were driving through a field on a bright summer’s day. I guess that’s the kind of thing you invite when you name your album Sky Blue Sky.
Best Track: Shake it Off
16) Rosie Thomas - These Friends of Mine - I guess long time Rosie Thomas fans didn’t care for this not-quite-an-album-but-more-than-an-EP. I’d never listened to her prior to this so I have nothing to compare it to. But honestly, this is the kind of shit I love. Hushed female vocals whispered over sparse instrumentation with clever lyrics? How can I not fall in love? Plus, she’s totally hot. Oh, and there’s Sufjan Stevens.
Best Track: Much Further to Go
15) Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower - The second of the ex-Azure Ray girls to charm her way into my heart yet again. Last time they both put out an album in the same year I ranked Orenda higher than Maria, something I’ve since grown to regret. Maria’s music is a lot more straightforward. Orenda likes to experiment more, something which I give her credit for but ultimately works against her. This is pure pop music and it is a delight to my ears. For some reason, I kind of treat it like a guilty pleasure. I know that there’s nothing incredibly special about it, it’s basically well worn territory musically. But Maria’s vocals are fantastic and I honestly think she’s made tons of progress as a songwriter, both since the days of Azure Ray and also since her last album. Of course, my favorite track is the one which shares co-writing credits with Conor.
Best Track: The Ballad of Sean Foley
14) Kevin Drew - Spirit If... - This is essentially another Broken Social Scene album, just scaled back a bit. Kevin Drew writes great songs which I’m told carry the torch of the 90’s. I wouldn’t know because during the 90’s I liked pop punk and Limp Bizkit. I probably would have been cooler had I listened to Dinosaur Jr. Sometimes Kevin’s songs are creepy. Most of the time I have no idea what he’s talking about. They almost always make me want to dance which is quite a feat.
Best Track: Lucky Ones
13) Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog - I was never a huge fan of old Iron and Wine. Every time I listened to Our Endless Numbered Days I got bored. Sam Beam’s voice was pretty appealing and the lyrics were good but for whatever reason the simplicity of it all sort of worked against it. However, I did enjoy the album he did with Calexico just like I thoroughly enjoy this. I understand how it could be a bit off-putting if you’re a fan of the simpler sound, but I think Sam managed to capitalize on everything that made his music great in the first place and then added a whole lot more to make it not boring.
Best Track: Boy with a Coin
12) Bishop Allen - The Broken String - Maybe the catchiest album of the year. So catchy that it sometimes borders on too cute which has the potential to make you sick. But really clever lyrics combined with music that makes my heart want to dance. Definitely one of my favorite random finds of the year.
Best Track: Click Click Click Click
11) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - My biggest regret of 2007 was that I did not listen to this album more. Brit Daniels and crew manage to get better and better with each album. This contains pretty much everything that made Spoon great on previous albums, only kicked up a notch. Also, the lyrics make no sense.
Best Track: Don’t Make me a Target
10) Feist - The Reminder - I guess this CD is proof that radio and TV can overplay the hell out of your music and you can somehow still remain awesome. Pretty much everything hinges upon Leslie’s voice which is basically one of the best I’ve ever heard.
Best Track: I Feel it All
9) Menomena - Friend and Foe - At first I didn’t really understand why Kyle or anyone liked this CD. It just kinda seemed like uncatchy noise. But after a few listens I actually started to understand that the hooks were just sorta piled on top of each other and I realized that it was quite an amazing CD. I hear that these guys are pretty fantastic live but I failed to see them this year because Ann Arbor is too far (sometimes) and the sound at the Blind Pig is terrible. Hopefully they play a better venue sometime next year.
8) Saturday Looks Good to Me - Fill up the Room - Like I mentioned before, Fred Thomas probably writes the catchiest songs of anyone I listen to. All the previous Slgtm records have sounded like summer days to me. This one kind of sounds like spring. I’m not really sure how that works. All the old influences are still there, the sound is just a bit more mature which seems to be a theme in a lot of the records I love this year.
Best Track: Make a Plan
7) Page France - Page France and the Family Telephone/Page France and the Bonus Telephone - My favorite new find of 2007. Michael Nau writes songs with a post youth group angst (I stole that term) similar to David Bazan and he sounds like Colin Meloy. This album sort of has a weird circus theme that can sometimes be hard to follow and I found myself listening to their previous album, Hello, Dear Wind a lot more. The five songs iTunes bonus EP was as good, if not better than the album. And my favorite song from that is also my favorite song of the year.
Best Track: Gowans’ Red Balloon
6) Bright Eyes - Cassadaga - The first time I heard Four Winds, I had a lot of hope for this album. It sounded exactly like the direction I was hoping Bright Eyes would go in. There seemed to be a bit more country to the music and Conor was at his most tolerable, vocal freakouts were at a minimum. Yet when I heard the full album, I was kind of disappointed because it was those vocal freakouts and weird quirks that made Bright Eyes so enjoyable in the first place. Yet as the year went on, I found myself still listening to this album repeatedly. Conor definitely grew up and I can’t really hold that against him. Things certainly seem less personal this time around, yet that doesn’t take away from the power of most of the lyrics. There are a few weak spots on the album and I’ll probably never like anything as much as I like I’m Wide Awake, but this is still a really solid album from one of my favorite artists.
Best Track: If the Brakeman Turns My Way
5) Band of Horses - Cease to Begin - I kind of enjoyed Everything All the Time and then I forgot about it. However, their sophomore album was a lot harder to forget. Kyle compared it to something you would listen to on a porch swing. I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate because there are times when these guys really seem to rock out. Maybe if you have a really rockin’ porch swing. This album might have placed a little lower had they not put on one of the best live shows I saw all last year. That concert managed to help this CD gain lots of extra play time. Also, if anyone is interested, their guitarist, Tyler Ramsey put out a pretty amazing solo album and was also really good live. It’s really reminiscent of Sun Kill Moon if that’s your kind of thing.
Best Track: No One’s Gonna Love You
4) Jenny Owen Youngs - Batten the Hatches - I wasn’t really going to count this album because it technically came out in 2005 but no one listened to it so they re-released it this year after Weeds made “Fuck Was I” totally popular. Like Band of Horses, Jenny put on one of the best live shows I’ve seen in quite awhile. Plus, she is an indie rock singer with red hair named Jenny. I had to fill the void that was left in my life after the only other person I know that fits that description put out the shittiest album of her career which is quite an accomplishment after the joke that was her last album. But let’s not wasting more time bashing Rilo Kiley (they suck) and instead talk about JOY’s solo debut. Most of the songs seem to chronicle the end of a relationship which the liner notes seem to confirm. Anyone that has been left feeling a wee bitter can easily relate and they are sometimes downright clever. There’s some interesting things going on musically, like violins and banjos. Oh, and did I mention she is totally hot and also that if you go to her MySpace there are plenty of pictures of her in a Catholic School Girl getup? And she does the best Nelly cover I’ve ever heard. I bet you didn’t know Hot in Herre was actually a song about penguins.
Best Track: Fuck Was I
3) The Good Life - Help Wanted Nights - This is the soundtrack to Tim Kasher’s play or movie or whatever. It is also the most straightforward album he’s ever written. Not that I don’t love everything that The Good Life has done (and most Cursive, save the mistake that was Happy Hollow) but occasionally some of the music is bogged down by experimentation and lofty bullshit. There’s none of that here. These songs are all relatively short and too the point. The lyrics are the best and smartest he’s ever written. It mostly tackles the same topics that every Good Life record is about, drinking, being sad, and failed relationships, but that’s exactly what we love them for. I’m always going to be a sad motherfucker at heart even when I’m happy. Thankfully, it seems like Tim Kasher is going to keep putting out amazing albums for those of us that fit such a description.
Best Track: Some Tragedy
2) The National - Boxer - I don’t even know how to write about this album. You should just read what Kyle wrote because I think he put it perfectly. Like many things, at first, I really hated this. I just thought it was droney and boring. But Kyle’s insistence made me give it a few more chances and it’s an album which really grows on you. It really is sort of a lonely album, one which reminds me of sitting in some dark corner at a bar. Of course, it doesn’t help that they frequently play the National while I’m sitting in some dark corner at the WAB.
Best Track: Mistaken for Strangers
1) Okkervil River - The Stage Names - I don’t think it should really come as a surprise to anyone that this is my favorite album of 2007. I’m sure these guys hate the term lit-rock, and to be fair, it isn’t entirely accurate. But Will Sheff seems to write lyrics that have the ability to make a English major’s head explode. The sentence are just so pretty, fun to say, and hell, even though I’m sure I’ve overused this word, clever. And the themes running throughout are just so much fun to look for and trace. And when you sit down and really go through this album it is almost like reading a good book. Yet they still manage to rock the fuck out. Will’s voice seems to occupy that area that I love. It’s not really a voice that was made for singing, yet there’s something about it that works so wonderfully with the kind of music that he’s singing. Everything here is more or less perfect. And at only 9 tracks, it still manages to feel really full.
Best Track: Plus Ones
20) Art in Manila - Set the Woods on Fire - No matter what I think I’m going to have a soft-spot for the girls from Azure Ray. Initially, I found this album fairly boring. I still prefer Orenda’s first solo album to this, but here she’s managed to become something more, allowing the full-band to transform her sound. After my initial qualms, I found myself playing this one on repeat, especially the Les Savy Fav cover. I don’t know if I’ve ever described a song as “sexy” before, but that’s exactly what The Sweat Descends becomes when bouncing off Orenda’s tongue.
Best Track: TIE: Set the Woods on Fire and The Sweat Descends
19) The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - Okay. Maybe it’s a surprise that these guys made it onto my list at all. Ever since Funeral was released I’ve been pretty adamant in my hatred, often calling them the most over-hyped band since the Beatles. This might be true, I still don’t think they deserve all the hype that they’ve gotten, they certainly aren’t the saviors of Rock and Roll that they’ve been heralded as but they still write some pretty decent songs. I probably wouldn’t have given this album as much of a chance had it not been the only decent thing we had a promo copy of at Borders for several months over.
Best Track: (Antichrist Television Blues)
18) Jens Lekman - Night Falls over Kortedala - Jens Lekman probably writes the catchiest songs of anyone presently alive, save Fred Thomas. Also, he’s from another country.
Best Track: The Opposite of Hallelujah.
17) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky - Pretty much standard Wilco, just a bit more laid back. Whenever I’m trying to describe this album I tell people that it’s the album I would put on if I were driving through a field on a bright summer’s day. I guess that’s the kind of thing you invite when you name your album Sky Blue Sky.
Best Track: Shake it Off
16) Rosie Thomas - These Friends of Mine - I guess long time Rosie Thomas fans didn’t care for this not-quite-an-album-but-more-than-an-EP. I’d never listened to her prior to this so I have nothing to compare it to. But honestly, this is the kind of shit I love. Hushed female vocals whispered over sparse instrumentation with clever lyrics? How can I not fall in love? Plus, she’s totally hot. Oh, and there’s Sufjan Stevens.
Best Track: Much Further to Go
15) Maria Taylor - Lynn Teeter Flower - The second of the ex-Azure Ray girls to charm her way into my heart yet again. Last time they both put out an album in the same year I ranked Orenda higher than Maria, something I’ve since grown to regret. Maria’s music is a lot more straightforward. Orenda likes to experiment more, something which I give her credit for but ultimately works against her. This is pure pop music and it is a delight to my ears. For some reason, I kind of treat it like a guilty pleasure. I know that there’s nothing incredibly special about it, it’s basically well worn territory musically. But Maria’s vocals are fantastic and I honestly think she’s made tons of progress as a songwriter, both since the days of Azure Ray and also since her last album. Of course, my favorite track is the one which shares co-writing credits with Conor.
Best Track: The Ballad of Sean Foley
14) Kevin Drew - Spirit If... - This is essentially another Broken Social Scene album, just scaled back a bit. Kevin Drew writes great songs which I’m told carry the torch of the 90’s. I wouldn’t know because during the 90’s I liked pop punk and Limp Bizkit. I probably would have been cooler had I listened to Dinosaur Jr. Sometimes Kevin’s songs are creepy. Most of the time I have no idea what he’s talking about. They almost always make me want to dance which is quite a feat.
Best Track: Lucky Ones
13) Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog - I was never a huge fan of old Iron and Wine. Every time I listened to Our Endless Numbered Days I got bored. Sam Beam’s voice was pretty appealing and the lyrics were good but for whatever reason the simplicity of it all sort of worked against it. However, I did enjoy the album he did with Calexico just like I thoroughly enjoy this. I understand how it could be a bit off-putting if you’re a fan of the simpler sound, but I think Sam managed to capitalize on everything that made his music great in the first place and then added a whole lot more to make it not boring.
Best Track: Boy with a Coin
12) Bishop Allen - The Broken String - Maybe the catchiest album of the year. So catchy that it sometimes borders on too cute which has the potential to make you sick. But really clever lyrics combined with music that makes my heart want to dance. Definitely one of my favorite random finds of the year.
Best Track: Click Click Click Click
11) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - My biggest regret of 2007 was that I did not listen to this album more. Brit Daniels and crew manage to get better and better with each album. This contains pretty much everything that made Spoon great on previous albums, only kicked up a notch. Also, the lyrics make no sense.
Best Track: Don’t Make me a Target
10) Feist - The Reminder - I guess this CD is proof that radio and TV can overplay the hell out of your music and you can somehow still remain awesome. Pretty much everything hinges upon Leslie’s voice which is basically one of the best I’ve ever heard.
Best Track: I Feel it All
9) Menomena - Friend and Foe - At first I didn’t really understand why Kyle or anyone liked this CD. It just kinda seemed like uncatchy noise. But after a few listens I actually started to understand that the hooks were just sorta piled on top of each other and I realized that it was quite an amazing CD. I hear that these guys are pretty fantastic live but I failed to see them this year because Ann Arbor is too far (sometimes) and the sound at the Blind Pig is terrible. Hopefully they play a better venue sometime next year.
8) Saturday Looks Good to Me - Fill up the Room - Like I mentioned before, Fred Thomas probably writes the catchiest songs of anyone I listen to. All the previous Slgtm records have sounded like summer days to me. This one kind of sounds like spring. I’m not really sure how that works. All the old influences are still there, the sound is just a bit more mature which seems to be a theme in a lot of the records I love this year.
Best Track: Make a Plan
7) Page France - Page France and the Family Telephone/Page France and the Bonus Telephone - My favorite new find of 2007. Michael Nau writes songs with a post youth group angst (I stole that term) similar to David Bazan and he sounds like Colin Meloy. This album sort of has a weird circus theme that can sometimes be hard to follow and I found myself listening to their previous album, Hello, Dear Wind a lot more. The five songs iTunes bonus EP was as good, if not better than the album. And my favorite song from that is also my favorite song of the year.
Best Track: Gowans’ Red Balloon
6) Bright Eyes - Cassadaga - The first time I heard Four Winds, I had a lot of hope for this album. It sounded exactly like the direction I was hoping Bright Eyes would go in. There seemed to be a bit more country to the music and Conor was at his most tolerable, vocal freakouts were at a minimum. Yet when I heard the full album, I was kind of disappointed because it was those vocal freakouts and weird quirks that made Bright Eyes so enjoyable in the first place. Yet as the year went on, I found myself still listening to this album repeatedly. Conor definitely grew up and I can’t really hold that against him. Things certainly seem less personal this time around, yet that doesn’t take away from the power of most of the lyrics. There are a few weak spots on the album and I’ll probably never like anything as much as I like I’m Wide Awake, but this is still a really solid album from one of my favorite artists.
Best Track: If the Brakeman Turns My Way
5) Band of Horses - Cease to Begin - I kind of enjoyed Everything All the Time and then I forgot about it. However, their sophomore album was a lot harder to forget. Kyle compared it to something you would listen to on a porch swing. I’m not sure that’s entirely accurate because there are times when these guys really seem to rock out. Maybe if you have a really rockin’ porch swing. This album might have placed a little lower had they not put on one of the best live shows I saw all last year. That concert managed to help this CD gain lots of extra play time. Also, if anyone is interested, their guitarist, Tyler Ramsey put out a pretty amazing solo album and was also really good live. It’s really reminiscent of Sun Kill Moon if that’s your kind of thing.
Best Track: No One’s Gonna Love You
4) Jenny Owen Youngs - Batten the Hatches - I wasn’t really going to count this album because it technically came out in 2005 but no one listened to it so they re-released it this year after Weeds made “Fuck Was I” totally popular. Like Band of Horses, Jenny put on one of the best live shows I’ve seen in quite awhile. Plus, she is an indie rock singer with red hair named Jenny. I had to fill the void that was left in my life after the only other person I know that fits that description put out the shittiest album of her career which is quite an accomplishment after the joke that was her last album. But let’s not wasting more time bashing Rilo Kiley (they suck) and instead talk about JOY’s solo debut. Most of the songs seem to chronicle the end of a relationship which the liner notes seem to confirm. Anyone that has been left feeling a wee bitter can easily relate and they are sometimes downright clever. There’s some interesting things going on musically, like violins and banjos. Oh, and did I mention she is totally hot and also that if you go to her MySpace there are plenty of pictures of her in a Catholic School Girl getup? And she does the best Nelly cover I’ve ever heard. I bet you didn’t know Hot in Herre was actually a song about penguins.
Best Track: Fuck Was I
3) The Good Life - Help Wanted Nights - This is the soundtrack to Tim Kasher’s play or movie or whatever. It is also the most straightforward album he’s ever written. Not that I don’t love everything that The Good Life has done (and most Cursive, save the mistake that was Happy Hollow) but occasionally some of the music is bogged down by experimentation and lofty bullshit. There’s none of that here. These songs are all relatively short and too the point. The lyrics are the best and smartest he’s ever written. It mostly tackles the same topics that every Good Life record is about, drinking, being sad, and failed relationships, but that’s exactly what we love them for. I’m always going to be a sad motherfucker at heart even when I’m happy. Thankfully, it seems like Tim Kasher is going to keep putting out amazing albums for those of us that fit such a description.
Best Track: Some Tragedy
2) The National - Boxer - I don’t even know how to write about this album. You should just read what Kyle wrote because I think he put it perfectly. Like many things, at first, I really hated this. I just thought it was droney and boring. But Kyle’s insistence made me give it a few more chances and it’s an album which really grows on you. It really is sort of a lonely album, one which reminds me of sitting in some dark corner at a bar. Of course, it doesn’t help that they frequently play the National while I’m sitting in some dark corner at the WAB.
Best Track: Mistaken for Strangers
1) Okkervil River - The Stage Names - I don’t think it should really come as a surprise to anyone that this is my favorite album of 2007. I’m sure these guys hate the term lit-rock, and to be fair, it isn’t entirely accurate. But Will Sheff seems to write lyrics that have the ability to make a English major’s head explode. The sentence are just so pretty, fun to say, and hell, even though I’m sure I’ve overused this word, clever. And the themes running throughout are just so much fun to look for and trace. And when you sit down and really go through this album it is almost like reading a good book. Yet they still manage to rock the fuck out. Will’s voice seems to occupy that area that I love. It’s not really a voice that was made for singing, yet there’s something about it that works so wonderfully with the kind of music that he’s singing. Everything here is more or less perfect. And at only 9 tracks, it still manages to feel really full.
Best Track: Plus Ones