Sunday, December 02, 2007

Top Albums of 2007

50 The Go! Team - Proof of Youth
Pretty disappointing follow up to a classic, but it has a few notable tunes.

49 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! - Some Loud Thunder
Almost an utter failure, huge disappointment, Underwater and Emily Jean Stock saved the cd.

48 Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond
Impressive straightforward indie rock cd from the old school. PLEASE PAVEMENT GET BACK TOGETHER!

47 The White Stripes - Icky Thump
Although not fully for me, a very rocking cd nonetheless. It does lack cohesion though.

46 Explosions in the Sky - All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone
Gotta love instrumental meats. Explosions can do no wrong. Not as good as The Earth is Not a Cold, Dead Place though.

45 Dr. Dog - We All Belong
70's rock at its finest. One of Tweedy's favorites. Somehow, Dr. Dog recreates the days of old.

44 Panda Bear - Person Pitch
One of the most original things I have heard. Not as good as people proclaim, but interesting at the least. Reminds me of Beach Boys with a tablespoon of psychedelia.

43 LCD Soundsystem - Sounds of Silver
Two songs on this cd are good enough to carry the weight of the whole cd. Is that legal?

42 Youth Group - Casino Twilight Dogs
Cripsy indie power pop that echoes sounds of the 80's. Excellent cover of "Forever Young"

41 Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Tony Bennett for hipsters. Very original. Gorgeous instrumentation which accompany his solid baritone.

40 Blonde Redhead - 23
BR brings the ambient sounds of Sigur ros' and Bjork together for this little ditty.


39 The Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
Pretty much a let down compared to Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, but still has some great indie pop tunes.


38 Besnard Lakes - Are the Dark Horse
Original award yet again. At times reminds of, you guessed it, pshychedelic Beach Boys.

37 Iron & Wine - The Shepard's Dog
Great effort by Sam Beam to switch it up a bit, but something is still missing.

36 Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
Probably Ryan Adams' best since Gold, love that he brought back some twang. However, when he says, "Guitar Solo," I suddenly and involuntarily throw up.

35 Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
A dash of DBT and a dash of Led Zep and wa-lah, BT emerges with this solid Southern rock record.

34 Menomena - Friend and Foe
At times sounding like none other than Ozzy, Friend and Foe hides a few masterpieces within.

33 Son Volt - The Search
Not a bad effort for the Godfather of Alt-country. Jay, please bring back the banjo, fiddle, and lap steel. The Boquist brothers are bored stiff.

32 The Clientele - God Save the Clientele
Mellow indie rockers, The Clientele, release another mediocre yet capturing record.

31 Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
I just see so much potential in this band, and I feel this record is a step in the wrong direction. "The Beginning After the End" starts the record out strongly but then I'm asleep by number 4. It is still a pretty good attempt; I just see so much potential. Oh, well.

30 John Vanderslice - Emerald City
I hate to be negative but every cd after Cellar Door should be called Not Cellar Door, because that is what they are. I love John V though, and this cd has some wonderful songs. Once again, I just expect more.

29 Radiohead - In Rainbows
What an amazing marketing release. This is standard Radiohead, good album.

28 Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
Spencer Krug is a stud. Do I need to continue?

27 Yeasayer - All Hour Cymbals
Surprisingly wonderful debut by Brooklyn's Yeasayer. Almost has a Genesis feel, with a dash of freak rock. Very interesting indeed.

26 Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
The Southern Strokes do it again with BoT. Little more mainstream, but I still dig it.

25 Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Never cared for Of Montreal until this album. The 80's are not dead.

24 Feist - The Reminder
Feist blasted her way into the spolight with TR. Very impressive cd, she capitalized her potential.

23 Backyard Tire Fire - Vagabonds and Hooligans
Drive By Who? BTF elbows their way into the Southern Alt-country spectrum with this fine cd.

22 Great Lake Swimmers - Oneida
Give me banjo or give me death. With strong vocals and beautiful instrumentation, these mellow hipsters struck gold with Oneida.

21 Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Solid album, possibly his finest. I love Andrew Bird, but for some reason it just doesn't stick like other artists do. See other artists below.

20 Interpol - Our Love to Admire
Critics hated it, I actually liked it. I really just don't know how they can "change it up." Interpol is Interpol. Awesome cd.

19 The Felice Brothers - Tonight at the Arizona
Honestly, I could write three paragraphs about this band. Freshest, most original thing I heard all year, I can't believe they have not blown up yet. Get ready, it will happen.

18 The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Pretty disappointing release from The Shins. I expected more once again. Over half of the cd is better than average.

17 Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position
Interesting release by the eccentric Patrick Wolf. Almost orchestral backing and his David Byrnesque vocals combine for a powerful one-two punch.

16 The Twilight Sad -Fourteen Autumns, Fifteen Winters
Put words to Explosions in the Sky and you will have this band. Laced with a thick scottish accent, TTS are a unique talent.

15 Jason Isbell - Sirens in the Ditch
Ex-trucker Jason Isbell releases his first solo leaving us thirsty for more. Packed with instant classics, Sirens is a huge stand for Jason as he implants flag in the alt-country soil.

14 BSS presents: Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
Might as well be a Broken Social Scene album. Wonderful album. Its hard to find a bad song it. The first nine blow me away.

13 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Potential, Potential, I am beginning to see a theme. Not a bad cd Jeff, we just expect more.

12 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Britt and the Spooners create yet another classic, and somehow maintain originality on every track and album.

11 Josh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Love this guy. Finally got Animal Years this year, and was blown away. Conquests picks up where it left off and adds about six more dimensions.

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