Best Albums of 2007

[Guest post - Appraiser]
1. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

This album has it all, variety, top-notch lyrics, mood, orchestration, message and most of all execution. Neon Bible is the “Must Listen” of 2007. It’s without question the first quality concept album since Radiohead’s OK Computer (1997). Neon Bible is a modern day tribute to John Kennedy Toole’s book of the same name. The Arcade Fire paint a clear picture of their unmistakable frustration with the current religious and political climate around them. From top to bottom, Neon Bible is probably the most diverse yet cohesive album to be released in 2007. It’s a brilliant cd that makes you think and yet pleasures the senses.

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2. Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

Mr. Ritter has finally has finally put together a “complete” album by matching his typically keen lyrics with equally charismatic melodies and composition. Known for his mid-western charm, there’s no question Ritter knows how to write a poem. However, it took his 5th full length release to finally put together an album that grabs you from song one and keeps you there for the full 42 minutes. Historical Conquests has great acoustic driven tempos with various moods. It keeps you engaged from start to the finish.

3. The Veils – Nux Vomica

New Zealand’s best singer/songwriter returns with a new line-up and a great musical work of art to match. Finn Andrews, the artistic force behind The Veils, was forced to replace the other three members of the band in 2005 after struggling over the musical direction of the group, following the 2004 release The Runaway Found. The Veils have been compared to The Smiths and even Jeff Buckley. Nux Vomica attacks you from the start. With the songs “Not Yet”, “Jesus for the Jugular”, “Pan”, and “Nux Vomica”, it feels as if you are riding a horse that’s galloping much faster than you intended. However, the feeling is exhilarating and you can’t wait to get up there for another go.

4. Phosphorescent – Pride

Matthew Houck’s one-man band puts out a third full length album that results what might be the most emotive and visceral cd of 2007. Sure, Pride won’t knock you over the head with up-tempo drums or thick guitar riffs, but it’s well produced, well written and full of feeling. Having drawn comparisons with Will Oldham and Neil Young, Houck is certainly gaining artistic notoriety and critical acclaim at a rapid pace. These aren’t three minute pop songs with a catchy hook. Houck writes songs in a simple almost unformatted pattern that resolve themselves when he is done singing. There’s nothing pre-packaged about the songs, which gives Pride an honesty and intimacy seldom heard these days.

5. Radiohead – In Rainbows

They’re back, maybe not better than ever, but proving they’ve still got their chops. After a couple of less-than-inspired solo projects (Johnny Greenwood’s BodySong (2004) and Thom Yorke’s The Erasure (2005), the band is back together and in good working order. Radiohead has been kind of a square peg for the last decade, which hasn’t bothered me as much as some others. Now that they’ve had their fun with the over-glitchy tribal jazz fussion that they’ve spent three albums trying to perfect, In Rainbows brings the boys back to a more listenable brand of music. The songs come across as a bit more genuine with true emotion. There’s very little self-indulgence or the “look what we did” mentality that comes across in there more recent works. In Rainbows is a mellower, more inspired, easier listen that will hopefully guide Radiohead back into a new or “old” direction.

6. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver

With a second full length album, LCD Soundsystem have perfected the dance-punk-funk sound that put them on the map in 2005. Upon arrival to the scene, the New York based group was often mistaken as a British born band. Sound of Silver is great cd to have in the background at any party. It’s danceable, listenable, and sometimes laughable. However, they don’t have the euro-trash, dub-heavy sound that’s so often overheard coming out of the cheesiest dance clubs in town. Instead, the LCD has a bit of lyrical integrity that fits well with a more east coast danceable gutter-punk vibe. They don’t take themselves too seriously, but the music is definitely calculated and precise. Every music fan should hear “North American Scum”, “All My Friends” and “New York I love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down”.

7. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha

The musically prolific whistling guitar playing violinist is at it again. Andrew Bird is quickly becoming the eclectic indie folkster everyone wants to add to the cd collection. With a long list of instrumental contributions on over 20 albums for other artist’s ranging from Squirrel Nut Zippers to Rufus Wainwright to My Morning Jacket, it appears that Bird has finally given full attention on his own creation. After the critically acclaimed but commercially ignored Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005), Mr. Bird has followed up with a well-arranged, catchy, and quirky work that might even be considered radio friendly. Armchair Apocrypha is dare I say delightful and even grandiose at times. It truly is an enjoyable listen from beginning to end.

8. The Shins – Wincing the Night Away

The third full length is a nice departure for the Albuquerque quartet. Now based in Portland, The Shins have been one of the true indie-darlings of the last five years, with appreciable help from the Garden State “infomercial”. Wincing the Night Away isn’t an acoustic pop melody driven record like Chutes too Narrow (2003). It’s a lyrically mature artistic endeavor with more attention to detail. With soaring vocals, nice use of the slide guitar and strings, the tracks are well produced, without being over produced. The songs are more self-effacing rather than self-indulgent from a lyrical standpoint. The Shins are the lovable deadbeats everyone roots for. They make it look way too easy, but the end product is always quite satisfying.

9. Interpol – Our Love to Admire

A little more Rock with a little less Pop makes the version of Interpol bit more enjoyable this time around. It appears that the New York new-wave inspired rockers have returned to their roots a little. Although still sounding remarkably like Joy Division (the comparison is unavoidable), Our Love to Admire has some oomph behind it. It’s not just a few guitar riffs that seem drowned out by the overly-danceable drum beats that many thought Antics (2004) brought us. As usual, Paul Banks delivers the lyrics with an intensity that pierces the air as you’re listening. Our Love to Admire has a real strength and density that most of the Interpol loving public was hoping to hear.

10. PJ Harvey – White Chalk

PJ shows us her softer side with White Chalk, an honest stripped down, yet well-produced, collection of acoustic soul-searching ballads that is a true departure from her earlier work. The ready to blare electric guitar has been put aside as PJ puts her recent piano lessons to use. While there isn’t much orchestration in her playing, less is clearly more on this eleven song effort. Harvey has changed directions lyrically as well. These songs are about loneliness, unrequited love, even self-weakness and frailty. White Chalk proves Harvey is capable of producing a consolidated effort of beautiful intensity. PJ’s newly found softer, mesmerizing and at times reverbed voice soars through the CD providing a gentle yet powerful presence to the collection.

11. Tunng – Good Arrows

Watch out Beta band, your place might be taken by a band that does it better. Tunng might be the next great British indie quirk band.

12. Unkle – War Stories

A great cohesive guitar driven cd that doesn’t confuse with too many break-beats. The performers are diverse as usual, however, the songs fit together nicely for once. This is what UNKLE was meant to sound like.

13. The Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army

The happiest band on earth returns with a less symphonic, yet easier listen. Instead of overly dramatic orchestration, The Fragile Army pulls you in with a more radio friendly standard approach that still maintains the integrity of the band.

14. White Rabbits – Fort Nightly

This is great debut with punch with a refreshingly new sound coming from New York. With clever lyrics and well-written / constructed songs, the White Rabbits prove you can rock with a piano.

15. Beirut – The Flying Club Cup

Now living in Paris, Sante Fe’s 21 year-old musical prodigy’s second full length release is a little less eastern block, and little more romantic. The flying Club Cup is amazingly creative in instrumentation but easily accessible, unlike the first full length Gulag Orkestar (2006).

16. Kate Nash – Made of Bricks

The 20 year old West London-based songbird took Britain by storm in 2007. The comparisons with Lily Allen don’t bother Kate a bit. They’re actually quite close friends and went to music school together. With wittingly sarcastic and straight to the point lyrics matched with a light and lovely musical back-drop, Made of Bricks is relationship-based cd that is quite poppy, yet surprisingly credible.

17. Band of Horses – Cease to Begin

It’s not a far departure from their 2006 release Everything, All the Time, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Hailing from Seattle, you wouldn’t expect to hear the Midwestern, straight off the tractor guitar pop resonating from the speakers. Band of Horses have a refreshingly new sound that one might expect to come from Lawrence, Kansas or Athens, Georgia.

18. Blitzen Trapper – Wild Mountain Nation

Log cabin cool, there’s no other way to describe Blitzen Trapper. With a mid 70’s up-tempo southern rock vibe, Wild Mountain Nation has a back-woods guitar driven sound that can only be compared to the classics like The Grand funk Railroad and Mountain.

19. The Besnard Lakes – Volume 1

This is a new and refreshing sound to psychedelic shoe-gaze. The soaring atmospheric instrumentation with Beach Boy-esque harmonies makes for a sonically ambitious spin on the typically boring so-called new-gaze genre. It’s quite a stimulating album that that keeps your attention from beginning to end.

20. Sea Wolf – Leaves in the River

The latest film school drop-out to turn singer/songwriter, but he gets I right. Alex Brown Church AKA Sea Wolf writes pretty yet well constructed poems that tell a story. The songs don’t jump out the speakers at you, but they maintain a pleasant melody and cadence that is both enchanting and artistic.

21. Dr Dog – We All Belong

If you’ve been waiting for Beatles 1971 guitar pop, We All belong is here for you.

22. Liars – Liars

A well conceived, easy listen from the “street-beat” veterans of NYC.

23. Sunset Rubdown – Random Spirit Lover

Not made for everyone. But the Rubdown continue to show aspects of genius and versatility.

24. Rilo Kiley – Under the Blacklight

This is a well-written album that may not be musically bold, but is lyrically strong, with a distinctively feminine point of view. Jenni Lewis never disappoints as a poet.

25. Iron and Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog

Like most of Sam Beam’s work, it doesn’t grab you by the nape of the neck, but it does hug you and holds you close in it’s acoustic singer/songwriter arms.

26. Akron Family – Love is Simple

A happy fun hippie time that takes you back to Woodstock for 11 songs.

27. Efterklang – Parades

A diversity of sound-scapes that is beautiful for some, but not made for everyone.

28. Lightning Dust – Lightning Dust

A beautifully slow and melodic side project of Black Mountain’s Amber Webber and Josh Wells.

29. Saturday Looks Good to Me – Fill Up the Room

Straight-forward Indie rock from Michigan. Fill Up the Room has a lot of moving parts that work well together.

30. M.I.A. – Kala

British female vocalized eccentric electronica dance that’s a bit urban, a bit tribal, and even a little Jamaican at times.