My list comes later than everyone else's this year because my list is clearly the best list. In case you were wondering.
2007, from the albums I heard and the concerts I attended, was a decent year for music. It was year where I heard many good records, but very few, if any, great records. 2007 lacked any masterpieces by established artists, though there were some sturdy additions to already established catalogues (
Radiohead and
Spoon come to mind). 2007 did see some new talents emerge (
St. Vincent,
Black Moth Super Rainbow,
Marnie Stern) as well as other acts come into their own with breakthrough sophomore releases (
Deerhunter,
The Besnard Lakes). While it's certainly a little early to have any kind of definitive perspective on 2007, I think it was average but pleasant.
Creating a ranked list was a more difficult this year than in years past; my top ten were nearly interchangeable, all records that I liked (even liked a great deal), but without much particular difference in merit to distinguish them. That being said, I did take a shot, and my rankings this year were not based on my own subjective thoughts about "quality," but rather specifically on enjoyment and frequency of listens. I also didn't include EP's in the mix, unless they were clearly a companion piece to a record.
So, starting with the EP's first:
4) Black Kids - Wizard of Ahhhs
3) High Places - Ancient Almanac
2) Illinois - What The Hell Do I Know?
1) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Is Is
And albums:
30) The White Stripes - Icky Thump
29) Marnie Stern - In Advance of the Broken Arm
28) AA Bondy - American Hearts
27) White Rabbits - Fort Nightly
26) Caribou - Andorra
25) Liars - Liars
24) Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
23) Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold
22) Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
21) Dungen - Tio Bitar
20) Les Savy Fav - Let's Stay Friends
19) The Clientele - God Save the Clientele
18) Parts & Labor - Mapmaker
17) Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
16) Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
15) The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
14) Holy Fuck - LP
13) St. Vincent - Marry Me
12) Amon Tobin - Foley Room
11) The Bird & The Bee - The Bird & the Bee
10) !!! - Myth Takes
9) The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse
8) The Field - From Here We Go To Sublime
7) Deerhunter - Cryptograms/Fluorescent Grey
6) Feist - The Reminder
5) Blonde Redhead - 23
4) Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum
3) LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
2) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
1) Radiohead - In Rainbows
Labels: 2007 Recap