My 20 Favorite Albums of 2007
This is practically my favorite thing to do all year long. I spend the whole year messing around with this list in my head, and now I finally get to share it. This has easily been my favorite year of music since the radio stopped being my primary source for new music.
20. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
I don't like it as much as '...The Mysterious Production of Eggs', but I didn't expect to. Regardless, it's about as much as I could have hoped for, and "Simple X" is one of my favorite songs of the year
19. Beirut - The Flying Cup Club
As with Andrew Bird, this album just didn't blow me away as much his last release. It certainly has it's fair share of delectable songs, however (this being one of them).
18. Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
I love Broken Social Scene, so naturally I should love a solo album put out by the group's "leader" (for lack of a better term). The album has a kind of somber mood to it, and it makes for lovely background music. It took a listen or two for me to really get into, but it definitely sucked me in.
download: Kevin Drew - Gang Bang Suicide
17. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Well, no sophomore slump here. This album is every bit as good, and in my mind, better than their first release. Ben Bridwell's vocals just grab me and don't let go. He's so easy to listen to, and it doesn't hurt that they write great songs. "No One's Gonna Love You" is really sad, but one of the songs I will remember most from this year.
16. White Stripes - Icky Thump
I thought for sure this would make it to my top 10 this year. Last year, it would have quite easily, but there's just been too much good music this year, and this album lost appeal for me after a short while. It's a solid album, for sure, and I'll be listening to it for a long, long time. I can see this being an album I look back on 10 years from now and saying, "wow, this album is fantastic."
15. Caribou - Andorra
I didn't see this coming. This album is full of wonderful '60s melodies and Caribou's usual electronic goodness. See this goodness up close and personal at La Blogothèque.
download: Caribou - Melody Day
14. Menomena - Friend and Foe
This album grew on me slowly over the course of the year. At first, I think I would stop listening to the album at some point and then listen to something else, because after seeing them at Pitchfork this year, my interest was sparked once again. As I listened to the album from that point on, I felt like the second half of it was all new material. I'm not sure what the explanation is for this, but I know that I'm a huge fan of the whole album now.
download: Menomena - Muscle 'n Flo
13. Feist - The Reminder
Talk about a year of crazy, unexpected mainstream success. She's been all over the internet and TV ads, but I haven't grown sick of her songs yet, which is a great sign. She has the voice of a goddess, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more of her in the future.
watch Feist perform "1234" on the Today Show"
12. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
I thought this one was going to be my #1 or #2 this year, but I think the fact that it was released so early may have hurt its position on my list. My last.fm page tells me that they were my most played artist this year, so obviously I loved this album, but for the past 6 months I've hardly listened to them at all.
standout tracks: "Australia", "Spilt Needles"
watch them perform a handful of songs in the street
11. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
It took me a while to get into this album, as a whole, but the opening track, "The Mending of the Gown", was an instant favorite of mine. The album runs through, track by track, seamlessly, and it becomes haunting and quite chilling at points. It takes patience to really appreciate this album, and for me the patience paid off.
download: Sunset Rubdown - The Mending of the Gown
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows
I'm not sure this album has even completely soaked in for me yet. I've listened to it a great deal, but I have an idea that there will come a time when I'll listen to this album and it will just feel "right" in relation to whatever is going on in my life at the time. I don't think there's a lot I can say about this album because anyone who has wanted to hear it probably has.
standout tracks: "All I Need", "Videotape"
9. Battles - Mirrored
This is the biggest surprise on my list. I didn't even know who they were in 2006. It's hard to even find a place to start when describing their sound, especially if you have never heard them before, and that's one reason why I uploaded a song. They definitely don't sound like anyone I've ever listened to before. They don't have real vocals (or if they do, they're not possible to understand), and the majority of their songs are instrumental anyways. They won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I think everyone would at least be able to label them as "interesting".
download: Battles - Atlas
8. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
I wasn't sure where this album would fit in, since it's another one of those albums that I've slowly started to stop listening to as the year progressed. For that very reason, I gave it another listen yesterday to get an idea for how much I liked it. I realized that it's a great album, but like some other releases this year, just not quite as good as their previous release.
standout tracks: "Keep the Car Running", "No Cars Go"
7. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
For some reason I was reluctant to listen to this right away. Once I got around to it, however, I was in love. I was actually really into every song on the album pretty much immediately, and that doesn't happen very often for me. "Someone Great" is hands down one of my favorite songs this year.
watch All My Friends
6. The National - Boxer
This was a bit of a surprise for me. Prior to this year, I was never a huge fan of 'Alligator', but I became an instant fan of this album. Consequently, I then got into 'Alligator'. Everything about this album just works for me, on so many levels. I feel like there's a perfect balance of everything, and Matt Berninger's odd, narrative vocals are what really brings this album together and makes it great.
5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
I first saw these guys two years ago in Minneapolis when they opened for Of Montreal. They didn't play any instruments on stage, and it was a ridiculously enjoyable show. At that time they only had an EP, so it took a while for them to throw this album together. The album has some new recordings of songs on the EP, and most of the songs are in the same vein of those on the EP, but everything about it comes across as more professional. When I saw them earlier this year with Of Montreal (once again), they had two new members and they were all playing live instruments. They weren't able to goof around nearly as much, but they sounded fantastic. I think the band wants to be taken more seriously, but still have fun at the same time, and if they keep making records like this one, they'll be around for quite a while.
standout tracks: "Weekend Wars", "Electric Feel"
download: MGMT - Electric Feel
4. Spoon - GaGaGaGaGa
I was expecting big things from Spoon, but they even surpassed my expectations with this album. From start to finish every song is a hit. I'm pretty sure Spoon has some sort of formula down to just crank out great songs because they seem to do it over and over again with each album they release. I lost a little faith after 'Gimme Fiction' because to me that album was much less interesting than 'Kill the Moonlight' and 'Girls Can Tell'. They came back with a vengeance, clearly, and this is amongst their best work.
standout tracks: "Don't You Evah", "The Underdog"
watch "The Underdog" music video
3. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
I didn't know if this would stay in my top 5 albums this year, but it has, without much trouble. My top 3 could practically be interchanged with one another as there is only a very small margin separating them. I started to dislike that Kevin Barnes was getting away from his personal songwriting that we saw from him on Of Montreal's early albums. Well, he got very personal on this album, and I feel like I've fallen in love with them all over again. I feel that there's a great deal of irony on this album, and I love that as well. Most people would label this a dance/pop album, and rightfully so, but many of the lyrics are so dark and depressing, and they get overshadowed. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Of Montreal, and I feel confident when I say that this is their best work to date.
standout tracks: "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse", "We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafling"
watch "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" music video
2. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
Wow. I was blown away by this album. It's hard to not call "Fireworks" my favorite song of the year. This band is simply so unique that, like Battles, it's hard to find a place to begin describing them. The progression and flow of their songs is impeccable. They're going to pioneers in their genre (i don't even know which genre to put them in), and I think we'll see a fair amount of similar (probably worse) bands pop up in the future. Doesn't matter though, 'cause I'll probably never get sick of this album or this band.
standout tracks: "Fireworks", "For Reverend Green"
download: Animal Collective - Winter Wonder Land
1. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
So....I didn't even like this album very much when I listened to it the first couple of months that I had it. Then, all of a sudden, it hit me. I don't know what it was, but it was something, and I was in love. This album feels timeless. It flows so smoothly, and becomes almost hypnotizing at times. It just has a certain quality to it that you appreciate and grow to love, in the same way that film has a quality to it in the photography realm that sets it apart from digital. It's hard for me to pinpoint, but I really get this album, and I can't picture myself ever growing tired of it.
standout tracks: "take pills" "good girl/carrots" (but really just the "carrots" portion)
download: Panda Bear - Good Girl/Carrots
20. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
I don't like it as much as '...The Mysterious Production of Eggs', but I didn't expect to. Regardless, it's about as much as I could have hoped for, and "Simple X" is one of my favorite songs of the year
19. Beirut - The Flying Cup Club
As with Andrew Bird, this album just didn't blow me away as much his last release. It certainly has it's fair share of delectable songs, however (this being one of them).
18. Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
I love Broken Social Scene, so naturally I should love a solo album put out by the group's "leader" (for lack of a better term). The album has a kind of somber mood to it, and it makes for lovely background music. It took a listen or two for me to really get into, but it definitely sucked me in.
download: Kevin Drew - Gang Bang Suicide
17. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin
Well, no sophomore slump here. This album is every bit as good, and in my mind, better than their first release. Ben Bridwell's vocals just grab me and don't let go. He's so easy to listen to, and it doesn't hurt that they write great songs. "No One's Gonna Love You" is really sad, but one of the songs I will remember most from this year.
16. White Stripes - Icky Thump
I thought for sure this would make it to my top 10 this year. Last year, it would have quite easily, but there's just been too much good music this year, and this album lost appeal for me after a short while. It's a solid album, for sure, and I'll be listening to it for a long, long time. I can see this being an album I look back on 10 years from now and saying, "wow, this album is fantastic."
15. Caribou - Andorra
I didn't see this coming. This album is full of wonderful '60s melodies and Caribou's usual electronic goodness. See this goodness up close and personal at La Blogothèque.
download: Caribou - Melody Day
14. Menomena - Friend and Foe
This album grew on me slowly over the course of the year. At first, I think I would stop listening to the album at some point and then listen to something else, because after seeing them at Pitchfork this year, my interest was sparked once again. As I listened to the album from that point on, I felt like the second half of it was all new material. I'm not sure what the explanation is for this, but I know that I'm a huge fan of the whole album now.
download: Menomena - Muscle 'n Flo
13. Feist - The Reminder
Talk about a year of crazy, unexpected mainstream success. She's been all over the internet and TV ads, but I haven't grown sick of her songs yet, which is a great sign. She has the voice of a goddess, and I'm sure we'll be hearing more of her in the future.
watch Feist perform "1234" on the Today Show"
12. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
I thought this one was going to be my #1 or #2 this year, but I think the fact that it was released so early may have hurt its position on my list. My last.fm page tells me that they were my most played artist this year, so obviously I loved this album, but for the past 6 months I've hardly listened to them at all.
standout tracks: "Australia", "Spilt Needles"
watch them perform a handful of songs in the street
11. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
It took me a while to get into this album, as a whole, but the opening track, "The Mending of the Gown", was an instant favorite of mine. The album runs through, track by track, seamlessly, and it becomes haunting and quite chilling at points. It takes patience to really appreciate this album, and for me the patience paid off.
download: Sunset Rubdown - The Mending of the Gown
10. Radiohead - In Rainbows
I'm not sure this album has even completely soaked in for me yet. I've listened to it a great deal, but I have an idea that there will come a time when I'll listen to this album and it will just feel "right" in relation to whatever is going on in my life at the time. I don't think there's a lot I can say about this album because anyone who has wanted to hear it probably has.
standout tracks: "All I Need", "Videotape"
9. Battles - Mirrored
This is the biggest surprise on my list. I didn't even know who they were in 2006. It's hard to even find a place to start when describing their sound, especially if you have never heard them before, and that's one reason why I uploaded a song. They definitely don't sound like anyone I've ever listened to before. They don't have real vocals (or if they do, they're not possible to understand), and the majority of their songs are instrumental anyways. They won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I think everyone would at least be able to label them as "interesting".
download: Battles - Atlas
8. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
I wasn't sure where this album would fit in, since it's another one of those albums that I've slowly started to stop listening to as the year progressed. For that very reason, I gave it another listen yesterday to get an idea for how much I liked it. I realized that it's a great album, but like some other releases this year, just not quite as good as their previous release.
standout tracks: "Keep the Car Running", "No Cars Go"
7. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
For some reason I was reluctant to listen to this right away. Once I got around to it, however, I was in love. I was actually really into every song on the album pretty much immediately, and that doesn't happen very often for me. "Someone Great" is hands down one of my favorite songs this year.
watch All My Friends
6. The National - Boxer
This was a bit of a surprise for me. Prior to this year, I was never a huge fan of 'Alligator', but I became an instant fan of this album. Consequently, I then got into 'Alligator'. Everything about this album just works for me, on so many levels. I feel like there's a perfect balance of everything, and Matt Berninger's odd, narrative vocals are what really brings this album together and makes it great.
5. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
I first saw these guys two years ago in Minneapolis when they opened for Of Montreal. They didn't play any instruments on stage, and it was a ridiculously enjoyable show. At that time they only had an EP, so it took a while for them to throw this album together. The album has some new recordings of songs on the EP, and most of the songs are in the same vein of those on the EP, but everything about it comes across as more professional. When I saw them earlier this year with Of Montreal (once again), they had two new members and they were all playing live instruments. They weren't able to goof around nearly as much, but they sounded fantastic. I think the band wants to be taken more seriously, but still have fun at the same time, and if they keep making records like this one, they'll be around for quite a while.
standout tracks: "Weekend Wars", "Electric Feel"
download: MGMT - Electric Feel
4. Spoon - GaGaGaGaGa
I was expecting big things from Spoon, but they even surpassed my expectations with this album. From start to finish every song is a hit. I'm pretty sure Spoon has some sort of formula down to just crank out great songs because they seem to do it over and over again with each album they release. I lost a little faith after 'Gimme Fiction' because to me that album was much less interesting than 'Kill the Moonlight' and 'Girls Can Tell'. They came back with a vengeance, clearly, and this is amongst their best work.
standout tracks: "Don't You Evah", "The Underdog"
watch "The Underdog" music video
3. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
I didn't know if this would stay in my top 5 albums this year, but it has, without much trouble. My top 3 could practically be interchanged with one another as there is only a very small margin separating them. I started to dislike that Kevin Barnes was getting away from his personal songwriting that we saw from him on Of Montreal's early albums. Well, he got very personal on this album, and I feel like I've fallen in love with them all over again. I feel that there's a great deal of irony on this album, and I love that as well. Most people would label this a dance/pop album, and rightfully so, but many of the lyrics are so dark and depressing, and they get overshadowed. Anyone who knows me knows that I love Of Montreal, and I feel confident when I say that this is their best work to date.
standout tracks: "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse", "We Were Born the Mutants Again with Leafling"
watch "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" music video
2. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
Wow. I was blown away by this album. It's hard to not call "Fireworks" my favorite song of the year. This band is simply so unique that, like Battles, it's hard to find a place to begin describing them. The progression and flow of their songs is impeccable. They're going to pioneers in their genre (i don't even know which genre to put them in), and I think we'll see a fair amount of similar (probably worse) bands pop up in the future. Doesn't matter though, 'cause I'll probably never get sick of this album or this band.
standout tracks: "Fireworks", "For Reverend Green"
download: Animal Collective - Winter Wonder Land
1. Panda Bear - Person Pitch
So....I didn't even like this album very much when I listened to it the first couple of months that I had it. Then, all of a sudden, it hit me. I don't know what it was, but it was something, and I was in love. This album feels timeless. It flows so smoothly, and becomes almost hypnotizing at times. It just has a certain quality to it that you appreciate and grow to love, in the same way that film has a quality to it in the photography realm that sets it apart from digital. It's hard for me to pinpoint, but I really get this album, and I can't picture myself ever growing tired of it.
standout tracks: "take pills" "good girl/carrots" (but really just the "carrots" portion)
download: Panda Bear - Good Girl/Carrots