The Best 30 Albums of 2007
Jan 20 '08
The Bottom Line The 30 best albums of 2007. A subjective exercise made objective.
You probably don’t need reminding, but approximately three weeks ago I posted a list of some of my least favorite albums of 2007 as well as some honorable mentions. The whole affair was a smashing success and I’ve been rather busy ever since dealing with the enormous heaps of praise and gift offerings that are logically expected to follow such a smashing success. Although the praise and gifts are still arriving in greater quantities than ever, I’ve decided it’s about time I make good on my promise to unveil the thirty best albums of 2007. Originally, I intended to write three individual segments with detailed analysis of ten albums each time. Seeing as it’s taken me nearly a month to get around to this, though, I’ve decided instead to simply list albums 30-11 and then round out the whole affair with the very ten best records to be released in 2007. Enjoy, feel free to comment, and as always, do not feed the oysters.
Albums 30 – 11 (artist – album)
30. Handsome Furs – Plauge Park
29. Liars - Liars
28. M.I.A. - Kala
27. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
26. Pop Levi - Return to Form Black Magick Party
25. Justice - Cross
24. Frog Eyes - Tears of the Valedictorian
23. Jay-Z - American Gangster
22. Battles - Mirrored
21. Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder
20. Dan Deacon - Spiderman of the Rings
19. Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
18. Iron and Wine - The Shepherd’s Dog
17. Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
16. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
15. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
14. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
13. Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
12. Les Savy Fav - Let’s Stay Friends
11. The White Stripes - Icky Thump
10. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Considering this is Modest Mouse’s first release with their name all over the mainstream radar, I think the group did a remarkable job. Isaac Brock and company utilize the polished production that got them to this stage, and mesh it with their own, distinct, hell-on-wheels hybrid rock better than most could have predicted. Brock’s connections reel in some big names too, including former Smith’s guitarist Johnny Marr – who actually joined the band for the album – and Shins lead singer James Mercer. Mercer provides backing vocals on some of the album’s strongest tracks and his inimitable pitch complements Brock’s snarl nicely.
That said, Modest Mouse has written better albums so don’t be deceived into thinking this is the pinnacle of the group’s work. As a whole, We Were Dead is maddeningly inconsistent and plays things a little too safely to keep fans from wondering if the band has already peaked. Still, Brock proves himself capable of writing enough quirky hooks to maintain a pleasure center that keeps Modest’s ship floating above their peers.
9. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse
The longer I listen to music, the more I’m starting to become convinced Canada will soon take over the world. It seems the independent music scene is absolutely dominated by Canadian bands that seem to come out of nowhere. Perhaps I’m wrong, but they often present a keen knack for fresh and invigorating sound that the majority of the world – I’m looking at you Britain – could learn from. Now again, this is merely an opinion, but does it not seem likely that the Canadian government has developed some of sort of superiority formula that can turn the genes of even the most average hoser north of the border into something much, much more? Sure, first it’s music, but what next? I’ll tell you. Basketball. The Canadians are coming NBA. And there’s nothing you can do about it.
Anyways, without a doubt, the Besnard Lakes are another one of these Canadian wonders with a debut, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, that promises a long, prosperous future. Although the album nearly cripples itself with overindulgence, the band’s calm/explosive dynamics are captivating enough that your attention can’t quite drift past the point of no return. At its most delicate moments the vocals can sound uncannily like they were done by the Beach Boys. What makes the album great is the fact the Besnard Lakes are able to expand and modernize this influence with loud, erupting guitar.
8. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Jens Lekman is a charming young fellow. Seriously. His romantically nostalgic lyrics bring to mind the Magnetic Fields Stephen Merritt, expect when Jens croons about the tragedies of love over sweeping strings and sampled 60’s pop it’s almost impossible not to fall head over heels for the guy. I’m a dude, and I like manly things like scratching my crotch and burping as much as the next dude, but if Jens was near me man… whew. It would definitely move. I don’t even think I’d be embarrassed.
7. The National - Boxer
Boxer is one of those albums that all the real people of the world (basically everyone except the Paris Hiltons) can immediately connect with. Lyrically the album focuses on middle class struggles that everyone faces and for that reason alone it has incredible replay value. Of course, add to the mix some of the most serene, emotionally poignant melodies on the planet, as well as a worn baritone so rich it would have given Johnny Cash in his prime a run for his money, and you have yourselves one of the best albums of recent memory.
6. Radiohead - In Rainbows
This album’s been talked about to death and I won’t waste your time hear with anything other than this. In Rainbows is not a classic album and Radiohead certainly are capable of rattling off legitimate classics. That said, this album is still an essential for any fan of music in general simply because of its undeniable excellence. Love them or hate them, Radiohead do things right.
5. Okkervil River -The Stage Names
Okkervil River don’t do anything particularly innovative on The Stage Names but they do reconstruct lots of music you’ve heard before (Transformer-era Lou Reed, the Beach Boys, standard blues riffs) and make it fresh and exciting enough that you’re left with a solid bit of evidence that rock and roll can never die. It can always evolve, it can always adapt, and it can always give you one more reason to keep on living. As critic Jim DeRogatis writes, the only logical response to “Rock is Dead!” is as follows: “F*ck You.”
4. Animal Collective- Strawberry Jam
Speaking of innovation, Animal Collective may well be the face of modern pop and where experimental rock and roll can and should be taken. The collective have been perfecting their Brian Wilson meets abrasion sound for some time and Strawberry Jam is that perfection finally caught one disc. It’s not every day you hear something this catchy in the midst of grating, swirling sonic explosions.
3. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer
I always find it fairly interesting, and frankly, fairly disturbing, to learn that an upbeat, euphoric pop gem can contain downtrodden, depressed lyrics. I always think of Pet Sounds when musing on such albums. For every brilliant, saccharine melody The Beach Boys employ, there’s at least one set of legitimately sad lyrics.
Well, Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? is certainly another one of those albums. Creator and lead singer Kevin Barnes concocts some of the most unforgettable harmonies of recent memory while all the while focusing in on his failed relationship with his wife. Make no mistake about it, even at its brightest this album is unquestionably dark not only in its lyrical content, but in the general atmosphere as well. Barnes does a great job of ensnaring the listener with glimmering vocals layered over a hyperactive, digital rhythm section, only to remind them that life can really suck sometimes. Of course, Barnes phrases this in hyper-literate, poetic language that only adds to the initial value of the song. As far as replay value goes, Of Montreal has an album here that may very well stay in your rotation for years.
2. Menomena - Friend and Foe
Over the course of 2007 I probably wrangled somewhere around 100 new albums into my possession and simply listened to many, many more. For the most part, a good album generally has my attention for a week at a time before I get bored and move on to something new. It should say something then that an album released in early January is still impressive enough to me that I would include it in the number two slot on my list. Menomena have been on my radar and in my rotation for what feels like forever and their ominous sound has maintained enough mystery for me that I can listen to this very instant and not feel the slightest hint of boredom.
1. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
It’s probably unhealthy, not to mention somewhat pathetic, for me to give the Spencer Krug driven Sunset Rubdown the title of best album of the year. You see, for those of you who haven’t been keeping track at home, I have given Krug the prize in some form or another for three years running now. Nonetheless, I can’t deny Random Spirit Lover is the best album of 2007. Epic only begins to describe it.
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