Midyear 2007: The Best 20 Albums (Parts 20-11)
Jun 18 '07 (Updated Jun 21 '07)
The Bottom Line Best 20 albums of 2007. 20-11.
I’ve spent the last half hour trying to come up with an introduction to this little list of mine. I finished listening to the entire second disc of Elliott Smith’s New Moon in that time. It’s a nice album to listen to while failing miserably. You’ll find said disc somewhere on the list below. I won’t spoil where yet. In fact I don’t even know where yet. Your guess is as good as mine.
Anyways, the points I were trying to convey are essentially as follows: I’ve hardly written any reviews at all this year, and the few that I have written are about as fun to spend time with as dead goldfish. This by no means should suggest I feel 2007 has been a disappointment. In actuality, there’s been an extraordinary amount of worthwhile music released so far in 2007, and the batch of artists rumored to be unleashing albums later this year is equally as impressive (Can I get a Smashing Freakin’ Pumpkins?).
So, naturally, I thought a midyear best of list would provide a nice opportunity to give a healthy dose of my opinions to all my loyal legions of fans. And by “all” I mean maybe one unfortunate soul who, by some cosmic fluke worthy of the grotesque tribulations in Dante’s Inferno, has my profile page stuck as their home page.
Of course, I’m sure at this stage there are many – and again any references to mass quantities of people reading this should be divided by three and then multiplied by its reciprocal – of you dreading the idea of me writing again and especially of me rambling on and on about twenty albums.
I assure you, though, that it could be much worse. I originally wanted to make a list of 27 albums, and before that 37. The numbers seemed appropriate. Twenty doesn’t seem appropriate. It’s easier, though, and, as a midyear list certainly suggests, I’ve only had half the necessary time to make a moderately educated guess.
Regardless, I hope there are some of you who will find something of interest within the list below. As with any midyear list, it is bound to shift as time wears on, but for the time being I think these picks are solid enough that I can attach my code name to them.
If you do stumble across something you like, or if you simply can not understand how any one person could be so wrong within such a short period of time, please let me know. Otherwise, I leave you now to enjoy the least reliable of all best of lists: The 2007 midyear extravaganza!
20. Handsome Furs – Plague Park
I’ve only been writing snippets of wisdom on this site for around two years. None the less, it should say something that I am yet to compose a best of list that does not include some facet of the Canadian indie rock juggernaut that is Wolf Parade. In 2005 the group’s debut, the staggeringly visceral romp Apologies to the Queen Mary, was my favorite album of the year. Last year, the only album I ranked higher than co-lead singer Spencer Krug’s solo debut, Shut Up I Am Dreaming, was a reissue of Pavement’s Wowee Zowee. It should come as no surprise then, and perhaps even something of an underachievement, that Dan Boeckner, the songwriter/vocalist sharing tracks with Krug in Wolf Parade, has produced a solo effort in Handsome Furs that narrowly makes the cut in 2007.
Boeckner’s work on Plague Park is much more reminiscent of the aesthetic and atmosphere created on Wolf Parade’s debut, specifically the track Same Ghost Every Night. The same type of brilliant, dark melodies that made songs likeWhat if We Built Another World so remarkable are found in abundance. What sets Plague Park apart is its raw, slow-burning nature and the addition of drum machine blips and bleeps. Each song steadily gains steam before ultimately climaxing in a rather subtle manner. In fact, as a whole Park comes across a lot like a series of well written Wolf Parade rarities in the early stages of their production. This may very well be the album’s greatest criticism, but in my opinion the stripped down element provides a hauntingly beautiful backdrop for Boeckner’s impassioned growl to roam.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- What We Had
-- Handsome Furs Hate This City
--Sing! Captain
-- Dead Rural
19. The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters
Of all the accents in the entire world I’m hard pressed to find one more engaging, and deserving of imitation – the sincerest form of flattery – than a thick Scottish accent. Seriously. Watch a movie like Boondock Saints and then try not to walk around your house blurting out, “You and your f**kin rope,” in a heavy accent. Unless I’m just odd and need to find a hobby, I can guarantee you won’t be able to resist. Consider the following. You get to roll your “r’s” and more importantly, will sound so badass that you can even wear a skirt and still seem masculine. Assuming you’re a guy of course. If you’re a female wearing a skirt and still seem masculine…well, I’m not sure what I can do for you.
Anyways, my point here, and I promise you there is always a point, is that you’ll find the lush, thriving vocals of Glasgow native James Graham to be equally as inviting and irresistible. Graham denies the common urge to awkwardly sing in a forced American style and the decision is certainly for the best. Couple his always enjoyable voice with the dense, speaker-blowing wash of guitars and cymbal crashes and you have in The Twilight Sad one of the more interesting debuts of 2007. Comparisons to a Scottish version of Interpol are sure to abound based on the group’s fairly ominous use of their soundscapes and the largely gloomy lyrics, although I’m pretty sure Interpol hasn’t yet utilized an accordion on a track. They reportedly have an album out this summer, though, so there’s still time.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- Cold Days From the Birdhouse
-- That Summer, At Home I Had Become the Invisible Boy
-- Walking For Two Hours
18. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – Living With the Living
Cohesion and flow are often times touted as necessary traits for any great album. In my opinion, though, sometimes a sprawling, disjointed mess can be equally pleasing. One need look no further than Pavement’s Wowee Zowee or REM’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi to witness the advantages of unpredictable and ultimately satisfying inconsistency.
Without a doubt, Ted and his batch of politically conscious pharmacist’s fifth album, Living With the Living, fits the mold of the aforementioned classics. The brilliant pop melodies that have made Leo such a likable act are all over the place and found in many different forms. Influences here range from such bands as The Clash, The Offspring, and Goo Goo Dolls, all the way to legitimate reggae. Also, it’s nice to see Leo expand on his resume of scintillating falsetto and toss in some heartfelt anger towards the sad state of the world. Leo’s scathing lyrics, which are as good as they’ve ever been, are given even greater impact on some occasions when the hardest working man in indie rock can’t help but snarl them. Of course, as with any disc that meanders about for nearly an hour, there are some clunkers. With Ted Leo, though, it comes as no surprise that the good far outweighs the bad.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- Sons of Cain
-- Bomb. Repeat. Bomb.
-- The Toro and the Toreador
-- C. I. A.
17. Nine Inch Nails – Year Zero
To be completely honest and further evidence my relative lack of expertise, I had literally never heard a Nine Inch Nails song heading into this year. I’m not sure why it took 18 years after the release of Pretty Hate Machine for me to give Trent Reznor a chance, but I think it has something to do with the fact that he scares me. Or at least he did. Hell, even his self-manifested genre, industrial, sounds fairly menacing. Again, some of the workings of my inner psyche are inexplicable, but I always imagined vicious machines revolting against mankind when I thought of this genre. That and the absurdly creepy Wizard of Oz spin-off with Michael Jackson in it. Excuse me for a minute while I shudder uncontrollably.
Moving along, the plotline of concept album Year Zero is far too promising to ignore completely, even if you too never imagined yourself immersed in a Reznor record. Although misguided and unable to fulfill its mass potential, the latest addition in the politically conscious series of Orwellian dystopias does a respectable job of creating an atmosphere and texture that suggests fear and destruction. Reznor’s ability to create jittery, grating sounds is unparalleled. What most likely goes overlooked is his penchant for pleasing melodies within the junkyard of explosions surrounding the listener. More specifically, I was absolutely floored every time Reznor hit an improbable, beautiful high pitch that overshadowed the chaos. Despite its fair share of filler and an understandably diluted concept, I highly recommend beginning your journey with Nine Inch Nails as soon as possible, if you haven’t already.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- The Beginning of the End
-- Capitol G
-- In This Twilight
-- Zero-Sum
16. Frog Eyes – Tears of the Valedictorian
In my experience, Frog Eyes are easily one of the most challenging, difficult rock bands a person can endeavor to listen to. Each song is drenched in layer after layer of frenetic instrumentation and it’s not until putting forth hours of digging that you can reach the intended melodies. Frankly, it’s kind of like a twisted, swirling game of hide and seek. You know full well the pop melodies are in there somewhere, you just can’t find the lil’ bastards.
Naturally, the lazy, radio-friendly-unit-shifting part of me hoped that Tears of the Valedictorian would mark a turn towards the accessible for the Canadian rockers. I suppose then, that in an odd manner befitting Frog Eyes these tunes do push the melodic elements forward more than past works. Although accessible is an awful description to use by any conventional standards, most tracks do allow Spencer Krug’s keyboard and lead singer/lunatic Carey Mercer’s guitar to flourish atop the mix. Consequently, Tears possesses some of the group’s most listenable material yet, without actually abandoning any true character traits in the process.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- Caravan Breakers, They Prey on the Weak and the Old
-- Stockades
-- Reform the Countryside
-- Bushels
15. Elliott Smith – New Moon
It’s probably important to prelude this by informing everyone out there that Elliott Smith is undeniably dead. To prevent any confusion as to how he managed to create a new double album worth of material from the grave, it should be noted that all the tracks on New Moon are rarities, primarily from the mid nineties. Elliott hadn’t yet stabbed himself – or been murdered for all the conspiracy theorists out there – so using his immaculate gift for songwriting he was able to create such a surplus of magnificent songs. I find it incredible that one man could do so much with an acoustic guitar, an eight-track, and a wispy, tortured set of pipes. Even more incredible is the fact that all the excellent songs on New Moon were deemed unworthy of his self-titled 1995 release and Either/Or. It goes to show the quality of those works.
Still, I should make it clear that those more familiar and keen to Elliott’s super-polished work on XO might not like what they’re hearing on New Moon as much. Elliott is in full singer/songwriter mode, as opposed to full-fledged rock band mode. Obviously, considering this material is largely from before XO, it makes perfect sense.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- New Monkey
-- All Cleaned Out
-- Either/Or
-- Almost Over
14. The National – Boxer
Boxer is the rare album that can grasp and keep your attention without overemphasizing anything. Every meticulously calculated detail is a lesson in laconic values. The National don’t aim to overpower you, and they certainly don’t aim to shock you. What they do accomplish here, though, is an uncanny ability to move you. Nearly every one of these songs is so incredibly well crafted you can’t help but sit back and take note of their ability to not waste a single note.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- Fake Empire
-- Mistaken For Strangers
-- Slow Show
-- Ada
13. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! – Some Loud Thunder
Despite one of the absolute worst band names in rock history, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! have achieved the impressive feat of overcoming the sophomore slump with relative ease. Some may disagree, but given the enormity of the hype surrounding their debut – which was good but not great – I find it remarkable that the band was able to maintain their heads throughout all the praise and keep a constant eye towards progression. Rather than simply regurgitate the formula that won them so many fans in the first place – see The Arctic Monkeys – lead singer Alec Ounsworth and company do a great job of putting together an occasionally outstanding, eclectic record.
Don’t get me wrong, Some Loud Thunder is an indisputably flawed album, but at its best the band has made strides that in my opinion vastly improve upon their debut. Most notably, when The Clap is firing on all cylinders they don’t seem as content to allow some of the same mind-numbing repetition that the debut sported in excess. Instead, these tracks build upon themselves steadily until finally taking the exultant turn into the songs climax. Not the entire album works this way, which is what keeps it from scoring higher, but at the very least it represents another giant leap forward for the little band that could.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- Some Loud Thunder
-- Satan Said Dance
-- Yankee Go Home
-- Underwater (You and Me)
12. The Good, The Bad, and the Queen – The Good, The Bad, and the Queen
The most likely criticism of this Damon Albarn led super-group is that the songs on this album will put you to sleep. So am I here to dispel this notion? Well, actually…no. This album is in fact one of the best discs to listen to while trying to fall asleep in public places. I kid you not. I probably turned to The GBQ more than any band this year when I was in dire need of a nice, satisfying nap.
Is that why I place this record so highly, though? Of course not. In actuality, although most of what I said above is true, I find this Albarn project – and despite the big names, make no mistake about it being an Albarn project – to only further prove his musical genius. While I’m sure there’s a feisty camp out there that would like nothing more than for Damon to return to his Brit-pop roots, I prefer his ability to create somber atmospheres that conceal but don’t eradicate his pop sensibilities.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- 80’s Life
-- Northern Whale
-- Kingdom of Doom
-- The Good, The Bad, and the Queen
11. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
I originally had the critical darlings from Montreal ranked as high as fourth in my list. So what pushed Win Butler and company out of the top ten? Well, through no fault of their own, because Neon Bible is still a great record, a few artists made strong, late surges that the Arcade Fire just couldn’t compete with.
I don’t want to diminish the quality of the group’s second full length, though. I hesitate to go into too much detail for now. I’d rather you just read my review of Neon Bible. And you’d rather I just shut up. Touche.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Check out these tracks
-- Intervention
-- The Well and the Lighthouse
-- Antichrist Television Blues
-- No Cars Go
Alright so there’s the first half of my midyear top twenty. Stay tuned for the rest of the list! Hmmm. That looks rather desperate, doesn’t it? That exclamation point? I still haven’t figured out how to include one and not just look sad. Oh well!
Continued Reading
Parts 10-1
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