Unlike the previous, this was such a fantastic year in music. The two best touring bands in the world came out with seminal albums, the Wilco album being their best yet. This was also a great year for the sophmore album with Band of Horses, Arcade Fire, and Leslie Feist all producing very strong second efforts, while Bloc Party and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! both greeted us with disappointment. Okkervil River came out with the best album of their catalogue, as well as Jens Lekman. Newcomer and Dallas native, St. Vincent put together a really great collection of songs as well.The selection process for this was kinda tough - the top three albums are pretty much in a three-way tie for me. The same with 8-12, I enjoyed each of those as much as the other. There was also a band that I just recently heard about called MGMT who's new album Oracular Spectacular is a favorite right now, but it just arrived a little too late to include it in the top 20.
Hope you enjoy the list, these are all fantastic albums that would def. be worth purchasing... Also, I would like to hear what you liked as well as anything you think should have been included.
20. Kings of Leon - Because of the TimesHighlights: Fans, McFearless, Knocked Up
19. Menomena - Friend and FoeHighlights: Wet and Rusting, My My
18. Battles - MirroredHighlights: Tonto, Leyendecker, Atlas
17. Ryan Adams - Easy TigerHighlights: Goodnight Rose, Everybody Knows, Two
16. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga GaHighlights: The Underdog, Don't Make Me A Target
15. Andrew Bird - Armchair ApocryphaHighlights: Plasticities (a favorite of the year), Scythian Empires, Heretics
14. Caribou - AndorraHIghlights: Irene, Eli, Melody Day
13. Rilo Kiley - Under the BlacklightHighlights: Dreamworld, Dejalo, Close Call, The Moneymaker
12. Arcade Fire - Neon BibleHighlights: No Cars Go, Intervention, Keep the Car Running, My Body Is A Cage
11. Son Volt - The SearchHighlights: Methamphetamine (a favorite of the year), Highways and Cigarettes, Circadian Rhythm
10. Iron & Wine - The Shephard's DogHighlights: Lovesong of a Buzzard, Boy With a Coin, House by the Sea
9. Feist - The ReminderHighlights: I Feel It All, Sea Lion Woman, My Moon My Man
8. The National - BoxerHighlights: Mistaken For Strangers, Squalor Victoria, Fake Empire, Slow Show
7. Rocky Votolato - The Brag And CussHighlights: Red Dragon Wishes, The Wrong Side of Reno, Postcard From Kentucky, Lilly White
6. St. Vincent - Marry MeHighlights: Now Now, Marry Me, Paris Is Burning, Your Lips Are Red
5. Band Of Horses - Cease to BeginHighlights: No One's Gonna Love You, Is There A Ghost, The General Specific, Detlef Schrempf
4. Radiohead - In RainbowsHighlights: Reckoner, House of Cards, Jigsaw Falling Into Place, Weird Fishes/Arpeggi, All I Need
3. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over KortedalaHighlights: The Opposite of Hallelujah, Shirin, A Postcard to Nina, Friday Night At The Drive-In Bingo, Put Your Arms Me (another favorite of the year)
2. Wilco - Sky Blue SkyHighlights: Side With The Seeds, Hate It Here, You Are My Face (favorite on the album), Either Way, The Thanks I Get (bonus disc)
1. Okkervil River - The Stage NamesHighlights: Plus Ones, Unless It's Kicks, Savannah Smiles, John Allyn Smith Sails (amazing), You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock N' Roll Man, Our Life is Not A Movie Or Is It
posted by Matt at Monday, December 10, 2007
9 Comments:
I am embarrassed to say that I have only heard Radiohead. How big of a tool am I?
Every time someone names Okkervil their #1 of the year, I regain a little more faith in the human race.
And from a fellow Dallasite, too!
I feel like having Arcade Fire out of the top ten is an injustice on the same level as the Bosnian Genocide (look it up, it was a rough time for those people), but Neon Bible was easily THE album of the 1st half of '07.
Great call on including the National. Could easily be in the top 5. Such a solid album.
Wonderful post Matty. Keep it up.
-begert
nice selection for 2007, mateo. and i like that rad santa art up top.
A+ for you.
Many great selections in your list, and some I will have to check out. Several I would include: LCD Soundsystem, Kevin Drew, White Stripes and Blonde Redhead.
Funny, I've bought most of the albums you've put on your top. I've been disappointed by Rilo Kiley. Howewer, St Vincent was one of the best musician I've discovered this year.... A very fine selection?
thanks for all the comments everybody -
a couple responses...
Doug - I haven't got to check out that LCD Soundsystem album yet, but I have heard good things so you may be on to something, I also liked that Kevin Drew album as well.
Parisian Cowboy - I think that you should give the Rilo Kiley album another shot, it does a pretty good job at being good clean pop music. Also, glad you enjoyed St. Vincent - her sister was a friend of mine in college, so that's kinda cool.
Second thoughts:
This week I picked up the Yeasayer album and it is easily good enough to make on the list, as well as the MGMT album, in fact it could be in my top 10. I also should have probably put the Battles album up a little higher than 18.
Honorable Mentions:
Papercuts, Phosphorescent, Panda Bear
I also should have put in Great Lake Swimmers - Ongiara... really screwed up leaving that one out.
Maybe I should have done the Top 25.
Nice list. i like yer style, dude!
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