12.31.07

My Top 10 Albums of 2007 (and Top Songs)

Posted in Geek at 2:39 pm by Evan

Okay, there’s been much debate between myself and my other music nerd friend, Dan, on just which albums are the best of the best.

Last year’s list was fun and all, but I had put on an album there that, looking back, shouldn’t have been on there at all. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead was a decent record at best. But at the time it had just come out, we were excited about it, and we got carried away.

So this year we’ve talked more about why our favorite albums of the year are favorites, and his list is looking quite different from mine. I prefer more pop/traditional songwriting stuff and he likes the more indie leaning stuff. Which is great, as it shows the contrast between our own tastes. While I can certainly enjoy and love a few of his fav tracks and albums, I’ve ranked my Top 10 by those that brought me the most joy. I’m positive you’ll dig them as well.

#10 – Burial – Untrue

Here is the most recent addition to my best of the year. This is an electronica album that is absolutely perfect background music for working. I know that sounds a little odd, but finding an album like that is rare and difficult at best. This allows you to keep something going and not worry about keeping up with the verse/chorus changes and you don’t really miss out on the best parts because, as most electronic music is, it’s repetitive enough that you’ll get to hear it in time. I also love the fact that you’ll ‘forget’ that you’re listening to it and then catch the sound of some great riff or sequence. I’m really happy to have this album in my collection.

#9 – The National – Boxer

This album’s opener, “Fake Empire”, is good enough to warrant its inclusion here. Yes, I know, that shouldn’t be something to take into account, but damn. It’s that good. However, lucky for you there are plenty of other solid tracks on this record. Dan thinks that many will put this on their Best Of list simply because they missed Alligator, their previous record, which was far, far better than this one. That thing would’ve been #1 with a bullet had I known about it at the time. Regardless, after an incredible start the goodness keeps coming with new classics like “Brainy,” “Slow Show,” and the other breakout track on the record, “Start A War.”

#8 – Maroon 5 – It Won’t Be Soon Before Long

Ah, a point of contention. My buddy Dan thinks this album is the same track over and over, while my friend Derek loves the hell out of it (and I’m sure it sits on the top of his albums of the year). Me? I think it’s a pop gem. I love me a good pop song, and there are just so many on this record. “Makes Me Wonder” and “Wake Up Call” sit at the top of the charts, but I prefer “A Little Of Your Time” and “Kiwi” to those. Hell, the bonus track, “Infatuation”, is better than those two. If you liked their last record, you’ll love this one.

#7 – Fall Out Boy – Infinity On High

Why do I put notoriously pop albums on here? Because I’ve written songs before. And it’s damn near impossible to write a good, solid pop song. And what you have here is a whole album’s worth of incredible material. Plenty of hooks, cute lyrics, and the best song titles around. C’mon, how can you not love “I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)”? Regardless, songs like “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race” and “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs” keep them on the top of the charts while I prefer the subdued fun of “The Take Over, The Break’s Over” and “Thriller”. An accomplished record that is does the thing that all good records do: They make it look easy.

#6 – Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

A given. Arcade Fire simply can’t make a bad record (okay, they’ve only made two, but they’ve both been achingly brilliant, so what can you do?). The standouts on this record are more easily identified and enjoyed than on Funeral (their last record), so that’s good for the new listener. “Intervention” is clearly the high point of the record, but other all-stars like “Keep The Car Running” and the title track keep the goodness alive. This is a cohesive and enjoyable romp from one of the best bands in the world, period. I don’t know a single music nerd who doesn’t giggle with excitement when they hear about Arcade Fire creating new material.

#5 – KT Tunstall – Drastic Fantastic

The best pop record of the year. Easily. While Fall Out Boy covers the ‘power pop’ aspect, KT has it down in both melody and songwriting. This album continued to surprise me all the way through, from the the beginning track, “Little Favors” to the awesome “If Only” moving on to my favorite track on the album, “Hopeless”, and the great “Hold On” and “Saving My Face.” There simply isn’t a bad track on the record. I love good songwriting, and this is probably the closest to pure songwriting bliss on this list. From a woman I was expecting to flare out from One Hit Wonderitis, this girl has proven herself worthy many times over.

#4 – Radiohead – In Rainbows

What? It’s Radiohead for chrissake! From a band that has made a few lackluster albums over the years (and that’s only because when you go from The Bends to OK Computer to Kid A, where you gonna go?), they return to form and in a new distribution format. For the record, I paid 5 pounds for my copy, which was almost $12. I was more than happy to do so, and the music has been great. From the rocking opener “15 Step” to the groovy and heartfelt “All I Need”, you hear Yorke better than you have in years, and his songwriting hits its peak with the last song on the album, “Videotape,” which was used in one of my most popular videos ever to great effect.

#3 – Peter, Bjorn and John – Writer’s Block

Now here’s a perfect indie pop album. While KT keeps the traditionalist in me enjoying her melodies, these guys are the ones pushing the boundaries. Their melodies, lyrics, and timing are second to none. It’s hard to describe how perfectly these songs gel with one another, with the insanely catchy “Old Folks” to the funk of “Amsterdam” to the funky “Let’s Call It Off”, good luck finding a bad track on this disc. When you get so close to the top, you could almost interchange any of these Top 3 as my #1, as these albums bring me great joy and each listen just gets better and better.

#2 – Mobius Band – Heaven

If you like indie/alt rock at all you will die and go to…well, you know, when you hear this record. I’m always a little skeptical of new bands, and it usually takes Dan making me listen to something before I buy in. But this one didn’t take long. Wow, wow, wow! What an incredible record. From the first song you know this is something both different, special, and noteworthy. As I said, I’m ranking these by joy produced (JP), and this one has a pretty high JP count. The awesome and eclectic opener, “Hallie” segues perfectly into “Secret Language,” which is probably my favorite track on the record. The other incredible standout is “Friends Like These”, which has an awesome chorus that is second to none this year. I love this record!

#1 – Blonde Redhead – 23

But not as much as I love this one! Man, another one I hadn’t heard of at all, saw mentioned somewhere like Metacritic, took a chance, and immediately fell in love. From the title track to the awesome “Dr. Strangeluv” to “By Summer And Spring Fall” (my fav tracks), this record delivers. If you like a little Radiohead mixed with some Moby all with a pop sensibility that is second to none, this is the album I most enjoy firing up from 2007. The melodies are tight, the electronica is perfectly used to compliment and not overwhelm, and I always get more out of each listen than the previous one. To listen is to love.

So that’s my Top 10 records of the year. What about my iTunes listen data? What were my most listened to songs?

Top 10 Most Listened To Songs in 2007
(without repeat artists), from Most Listened:

#1 “To Build A Home” (featuring Patrick Watson) by The Cinematic Orchestra from “La Fleur”

This is my favorite track of the year. While the rest of the album can’t keep up the sublime brilliance of this track, I love love love the build-up this one has. It’s so very hard to impacting and emotional with music anymore, but this one seals it.

#2 – “Seventy-Four, Seventy-Five” by Shearwater from “Palo Santo”

Another fantastic track. This is a track that can both get you moving and allow you to appreciate the lyrics, something incredibly rare. Normally you get a track that can pump you up but is generally mindless. It’s so nice when they’re blended. Not to mention this album is ridiculously brilliant. If I had found it last year it would’ve been my #1 with a bullet. So let me say it loud and clear: Please buy this record it’s amazing. It’s better than Blonde Redhead. Yes, really.

#3 – “23″ by Blonde Redhead from “23″

Ah yes, the opener tracks. There are many first tracks in my most listened to, mainly because I just double click the album and go. Regardless, this track is awesome and if you’re curious if you’ll like Blonde Redhead, you could easily start here. Dig it? Then it only gets better from here.

#4 – “Fake Empire” by The National from “Boxer”

Again with the opening tracks! Fortunately, as I mentioned earlier, this is by far the best song on the record. Listen and enjoy this masterpiece

#5 – “Secret Language” by Mobius Band from “Heaven”

Hrm, sense a pattern? Yes, many of my favorite songs are on my favorite albums, shock of shocks. That said, this is my favorite track from the disc, as its chorus is just too good and one of the driving reasons I listened to the rest of the record. Man, so good.

#6 – “Annie Waits” by Ben Folds from “Rockin The Suburbs”

Note I didn’t say ‘top songs from this year’, this is simply a song I fired up a lot. I had never listened to “Rockin the Suburbs” before this year, and I definitely missed out. This is a kick ass track (along with many other tracks on that record, such as “zac and sara”) that you can instantly enjoy. My favorite kind.

#7 – “Secret Meeting” by The National from “Alligator”

Remember what I said about people loving Boxer because of the goodness of Alligator? This track is so good it’s scary. As soon as you hear it you’ll know why every music nerd creams their jeans for these guys. Lyrics, melody, presence, this track has it all.

#8 – “Don’t Make Me A Target” by Spoon from “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”

The best track on the record deserves plenty of praise. It’s another pop gem from Spoon whose last record, Gimme Fiction, is one of my favorite records ever. The first four tracks on Gimme Fiction are better than some bands will ever produce, ever. No one rocks the tempo like Spoon.

#9 – “Something To Believe In” by Aqualung from “Memory Man”

This is a great track on a truly mediocre album. This just goes to show that it’s easy to have a few good moments on an album (the other notable on Memory Man is “Pressure Suit”), but to carry it from start to finish requires a true master. And Aqualung is no master. Yet.

#10 – “Be Good” by Tokyo Police Club from “A Lesson In Crime”

Why couldn’t this EP have been released in 2007 instead? My God, so good! I love, love, love this EP, I’ve listened to it several dozen times this year and I have yet to get over it. This is a spacey little track with some incredibly rich pop goodness with hand claps, people shouting “Hey! Hey!” in time to the music, and a rocking guitar riff. Diggin it.

So that’s enough for today. I’ll return shortly with my favorite songs of the year. I hope this music is as good to you as it is to me.

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