honorable mentions:
kevin devine - tour ep
ryan adams - easy tiger
20. kanye west - graduation
--remember the kanye/50 cent feud? i don't. not only did chi-town's finest outsell fitty, but he actually made a decent album (come to think of it, his only one) in doing so. while he just had to go and name an all-around atrocity of a song after my least favorite human being (barry bonds), at least kanyeezy finally put together a disc without an annoying smattering of skits for filler. golf clap from the peanut gallery for rhyming "coldplay" with "coldplay," mr. west. ('stronger,' 'can't tell me nothing,' 'flashing lights.')
19. elvis perkins - ash wednesday
--it may not be terrifyingly outgoing; however, much like matt costa's songs we sing (2005), it's consistently sweet, charming, and even catchy at times. ('may day!,' 'emile's vietnam in the sky,' 'ash wednesday.')
18. los campesinos! - sticking fingers into sockets ep
--fuck, why couldn't this just be full-length? 16 infectious minutes that sound like everything from rilo kiley to camera obscura to the brunettes. i harbored similar feelings for voxtrot around this time last year, so now i'm stuck holding out for a debut lp. ('frontwards,' 'don't tell me to do the math(s),' 'you! me! dancing!')
17. lcd soundsystem - sound of silver
--my shying away from electronic artists is nothing new, but at least james murphy may have finally started me in the right direction. there may be a handful of incredible singles on here, but i'm just not quite there yet. ('north american scum,' 'someone great,' 'all my friends.')
16. feist - the reminder
--despite the fact that it took an omnipresent little ipod spot, at least ten listens (a couple after starting this list), and a performance on kimmel's live-from-a-bus broadcast (told you i was shameless, didn't i?) to appreciate it, i'm finally sold. ('i feel it all,' '1234,' 'past in present.')
--my shying away from electronic artists is nothing new, but at least james murphy may have finally started me in the right direction. there may be a handful of incredible singles on here, but i'm just not quite there yet. ('north american scum,' 'someone great,' 'all my friends.')
16. feist - the reminder
--despite the fact that it took an omnipresent little ipod spot, at least ten listens (a couple after starting this list), and a performance on kimmel's live-from-a-bus broadcast (told you i was shameless, didn't i?) to appreciate it, i'm finally sold. ('i feel it all,' '1234,' 'past in present.')
15. band of horses - cease to begin
--the sooner you realize that a year later, b.o.h. couldn't touch their debut (my #1 in '06), the sooner you'll be able to appreciate a serene, moody and beautiful-at-times album that doesn't need one standout track to work. ('no one's gonna love you,' 'the general specific,' 'lamb on the lam (in the city).')
14. jens lekman - night falls over kortedala
--i may be more conflicted over this lp than any this year. as if it were out of a lekman song, it's an almost comical love-hate relationship; it's impossible for me to be indifferent toward it, and while i'm not sure if i buy into his narratives, if i want to, or if it's okay to, the good outweighs the bad in a very enjoyable way. ('a postcard to nina,' 'shirin,' 'friday night at the drive-in bingo.')
13. peter bjorn and john - writer's block
--for the first third of the year, 'paris 2004' was the front-runner for my favorite single of the year. given, that rarely holds up, but this was one of the most enjoyable albums of 2007, regardless of what you confine your musical preference to. ('young folks,' 'paris 2004,' 'the chills.')
13. peter bjorn and john - writer's block
--for the first third of the year, 'paris 2004' was the front-runner for my favorite single of the year. given, that rarely holds up, but this was one of the most enjoyable albums of 2007, regardless of what you confine your musical preference to. ('young folks,' 'paris 2004,' 'the chills.')
12. wilco - sky blue sky
--initially, the only thing i thought about sky blue sky? not wilco's best. the issue? for me, ranking wilco albums would be as undesirable an activity as ranking beatles albums (i look at yankee hotel foxtrot not only as their white album, but as a white album of sorts in my own experience as a listener of music in general). this is a step in a different direction for wilco, in favor of modesty (perhaps a more skillful being there). it may take a while for some, but this one will grow on you. ('you are my face,' 'sky blue sky,' 'what light.')
11. voxtrot - s/t--initially, the only thing i thought about sky blue sky? not wilco's best. the issue? for me, ranking wilco albums would be as undesirable an activity as ranking beatles albums (i look at yankee hotel foxtrot not only as their white album, but as a white album of sorts in my own experience as a listener of music in general). this is a step in a different direction for wilco, in favor of modesty (perhaps a more skillful being there). it may take a while for some, but this one will grow on you. ('you are my face,' 'sky blue sky,' 'what light.')
--i don't necessarily agree with the authorities that this was a disappointing debut lp; sure, it lacks the energy of the raised by wolves and mothers, sisters, daughters & wives eps, but were this indie-pop silver to be released by anyone else, the reception may have been friendlier. ('brother in conflict,' 'the future pt. 1,' 'blood red blood.')
10. radiohead - in rainbows
--the day of its release, michael, rebecca and i came home from work, carefully arranged a dish with assorted cookies and brownies from diddy riese, killed the lights in the living room, and smoked entirely too much pot. then we listened. ('nude,' 'all i need,' 'reckoner.')
9. bright eyes - cassadaga
10. radiohead - in rainbows
--the day of its release, michael, rebecca and i came home from work, carefully arranged a dish with assorted cookies and brownies from diddy riese, killed the lights in the living room, and smoked entirely too much pot. then we listened. ('nude,' 'all i need,' 'reckoner.')
9. bright eyes - cassadaga
--as magnificent as the majority of this album is, what's left completely disinterests me. nonetheless, seeing the bulk of it performed with the assistance of the l.a. philharmonic at the hollywood bowl was unforgettable, and a handful of songs are as forceful as any by conor oberst. ('hot knives,' 'make a plan to love me,' 'no one would riot for less.')
8. two gallants - s/t
--seeing they put out an album i all but lapped up last year, i wasn't quite sure how great such a quick release could be. i almost assumed i should be disappointed; and while i'm sure there are more than a handful out there who adored what the toll tells and shrugged this one off, i can't help but disagree. ('the hand that held me down,' 'ribbons 'round my tongue,' 'despite what you've been told.')
7. stars - in our bedroom after the war
8. two gallants - s/t
--seeing they put out an album i all but lapped up last year, i wasn't quite sure how great such a quick release could be. i almost assumed i should be disappointed; and while i'm sure there are more than a handful out there who adored what the toll tells and shrugged this one off, i can't help but disagree. ('the hand that held me down,' 'ribbons 'round my tongue,' 'despite what you've been told.')
7. stars - in our bedroom after the war
--given how long it took for me to actually enjoy 'set yourself on fire' as an lp, i was pleasantly surprised by how quickly i was hooked by this one--within the first listen. ('my favourite book,' 'midnight coward,' 'bitches in tokyo.')
6. spoon - ga ga ga ga ga --before this year, i'd had been hard-pressed to get into any spoon album as a whole; i'd fall in love with individual tracks, but there was never a cohesiveness i could, well, go ga-ga over. it took a while, but i've realized that this is in fact that album. ('you got yr. cherry bomb,' 'the underdog,' 'black like me.')
5. the good life - help wanted nights--it's not the most ambitious album (nor is it the good life's best), but i find a certain solace--identification, even--in tim kasher's lyrics and delivery; it's hard enough just to dismiss the lesser songs on here, which believe it or not, are there. ('your share of men,' 'keely aimee,' 'rest your head.')
4. andrew bird - armchair apocrypha
--the first word i heard used to describe this 'heretics': heroin. having never heard of andrew bird before this year, it didn't take me long to fall for his strings, quirky lyrics and velvety crooning. if you've yet to listen to an andrew bird record, please do; it may not be armchair, but be persistent--you'll eventually find something of his that blows you away. ('fiery crash,' 'plasticities,' 'heretics.')
3. the arcade fire - neon bible
--after seeing them play the greek theater in may, i had something along the lines of "win butler owns my fucking soul" up as an away message for what must've been a week; when all's said and done, their second album produces exactly that effect--it's truly a religious experience; completely unrelated to the fact that this masterpiece was recorded in a church. ('keep the car running,' 'intervention,' 'antichrist television blues.')
--the first word i heard used to describe this 'heretics': heroin. having never heard of andrew bird before this year, it didn't take me long to fall for his strings, quirky lyrics and velvety crooning. if you've yet to listen to an andrew bird record, please do; it may not be armchair, but be persistent--you'll eventually find something of his that blows you away. ('fiery crash,' 'plasticities,' 'heretics.')
3. the arcade fire - neon bible
--after seeing them play the greek theater in may, i had something along the lines of "win butler owns my fucking soul" up as an away message for what must've been a week; when all's said and done, their second album produces exactly that effect--it's truly a religious experience; completely unrelated to the fact that this masterpiece was recorded in a church. ('keep the car running,' 'intervention,' 'antichrist television blues.')
2. the national - boxer
--the fact that this is the album that turned me onto a band i now consider one of my favorites, yet it no longer headlines their discography--paired with a mere two songs that i merely don't care for--may be responsible for keeping it from the top (well, bottom) of this list. two months ago, that's precisely where it was. ('green gloves,' 'slow show,' 'apartment story.')
1. okkervil river - the stage names
--akin to boxer, an album that turned me onto an incredible band that i now treasure. to the contrary, where the aforementioned has flaws (albeit minimal), stage names flirts with a simple perfection; there may be only nine tracks, but not one is worth overlooking. ('unless it's kicks,' 'plus ones,' 'john allyn smith sails.')
DOWNLOAD:
(1-6) (7-12) (13-16) (17-19) (the rest)
--the fact that this is the album that turned me onto a band i now consider one of my favorites, yet it no longer headlines their discography--paired with a mere two songs that i merely don't care for--may be responsible for keeping it from the top (well, bottom) of this list. two months ago, that's precisely where it was. ('green gloves,' 'slow show,' 'apartment story.')
1. okkervil river - the stage names
--akin to boxer, an album that turned me onto an incredible band that i now treasure. to the contrary, where the aforementioned has flaws (albeit minimal), stage names flirts with a simple perfection; there may be only nine tracks, but not one is worth overlooking. ('unless it's kicks,' 'plus ones,' 'john allyn smith sails.')
DOWNLOAD:
(1-6) (7-12) (13-16) (17-19) (the rest)
