Best of 2007

[radiokills]

not that anybody is actually going to go through them all but:

 

The National - Boxer (although I like Sad Songs and Alligator better)

Black Lips - Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo

Stars of the Lid - And Their Refinement of the Decline

Pissed Jeans - Hope For Men

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

[howfast]

9 of my top 10 released in the first half of 2007

The fall release schedule was one of the weakest in recent memory (thank goodness for in rainbows)

 

 

1. National -Boxer (and I picked up alligator too)

2. Interpol

[tugmoose]

Didn't we have this thread, like, a year ago?

[Eli Cash]

I'm going to be the asshole that lists a lot more than anyone asked for or cares to see. Mostly because I started putting together a list and couldn't figure out where to stop.

 

40. Soulsavers – It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s the Way You Land

39. St. Vincent – Marry Me

38. Felix Da Housecat – Virgo Blaktro & the Movie Disco

37. Caribou – Andorra

36. UGK – Underground Kingz

35. Justice - †

34. The National – Boxer

33. Jay-Z – American Gangster

32. The 1900s – Cold & Kind

31. Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English

30. Bloc Party – A Weekend in the City

29. Simian Mobile Disco – Attack Decay Sustain Release

28. Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated

27. Radiohead - In Rainbows

26. White Williams – Smoke

25. The Sea and Cake – Everybody

24. Ghostface Killah – The Big Doe Rehab

23. Dinosaur Jr. – Beyond

22. Talib Kweli – Ear Drum

21. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

20. Burial – Untrue

19. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

18. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

17. Blitzen Trapper – Wild Mountain Nation

16. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

15. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

14. Muscles – Guns Babes Lemonade

13. Little Brother – Getback

12. The Clientele - God Save The Clientele

11. Gui Boratto – Chromophobia

10. The Broken West - I Can't Go On I'll Go On

9. Shocking Pinks – Shocking Pinks

8. Feist - The Reminder

7. The Tough Alliance – A New Chance

6. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

5. Pharoahe Monch – Desire

4. Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

3. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

2. Kanye West – Graduation

1. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver

[Hype Repellent]

5. The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter - Josh Ritter

4. Songs III Bird On the Water - Marissa Nadler

3. Digital Shades - M83

2. And Their Refinement of the Decline - Stars of the Lid

1. The Salvation Blues - Mark Olson

[radiokills]

good!

[solace]

5. The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter - Josh Ritter

4. Songs III Bird On the Water - Marissa Nadler

3. Digital Shades - M83

2. And Their Refinement of the Decline - Stars of the Lid

1. The Salvation Blues - Mark Olson

hahahaha

 

totally gave yourself away dude

[kathyp]

This is a fairly boring top five:

 

1. Teddy Thompson - Upfront and Down Low

2. Bruce Springsteen - Magic

3. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

4. Elliott Smith - New Moon

5. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

 

Honorable mentions: Apples in Stereo, Mary Gauthier, Bettye LaVette, Betty Davis, Rilo Kiley, Linda Thompson, Patti Smith (but only "Midnight Rider")

 

Disappointment of the year: Lucinda Williams - West

[Sir Stewart]

This is a fairly boring top five:

Not that into this year's offerings, ha?

[KevinG]

So enough time has pasted I am ready for my top 5. Unfortunately I could have prolly put this list together this past January, when I got wind of what albums where coming out this yeah. No surprises that I was like oh my god.

 

5. In Rainbows - Radiohead

4. Sky Blue Sky - Wilco

3. Easy Tiger / Follow the Lights - Ryan Adams and the Cardnials

2. Armchair Apocrypha - Andrew Bird

1. Challengers - The New Pornographers

 

Honorable Mentions: Release the Stars - Rufus Wainwright; The Else - They Might Be Giants; Cease to Begin - Band of Horses; Wild Mountain Nation - Blitzen Trapper

 

Also as a side note, why is ther no love for Son Volt's The Search? Only a handful of mentions, I thought there would be more.

[solace]

Also as a side note, why is ther no love for Son Volt's The Search? Only a handful of mentions, I thought there would be more.

The Search was just an OK album for me... not even remotely as great as Okemah

[PigSooie]

1. The National "Boxer"

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. The New Pornographers "Challengers"

3. Georgie James "Places"

4. Wilco "Sky Blue Sky"

5. Bruce Springsteen "Magic"

6. Ryan Adams "Easy Tiger"

7. Spoon "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

8. Radiohead "In Rainbows"

9. Basia Bulat "Oh My Darling"

10. Great Lake Swimmers "Ongeria"

[solace]

kinda surprised at the super high ranking of Challengers on a few lists here

it has gotten shit on (somewhat unfairly) on most of the forums i frequent

 

i like it quite a bit more than Twin Cinema, which besides 4-5 songs i never really got into, but definitely not one of the best things i heard this year (will def make my top 50 though). would put it behind EV & MR too. could have just used a bit more uptempo stuff and i'd probably have loved it :/

[PigSooie]

kinda surprised at the super high ranking of Challengers on a few lists here

it has gotten shit on (somewhat unfairly) on most of the forums i frequent

 

i like it quite a bit more than Twin Cinema, which besides 4-5 songs i never really got into, but definitely not one of the best things i heard this year (will def make my top 50 though). would put it behind EV & MR too.

 

keep in mind i've probably only heard 15, or so albums this year.

 

I love the 1st half of that album so much.

[bsr8j]

1. Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch

2. The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour

3. The New Pornographers - Challengers

4. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

5. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger

 

Special mention: Jeff Tweedy's Living Room/Letters to Santa Show from 3 March 2007. I could listen to this forever.

 

Honorable mentions: Bright Eyes - Cassadaga, Tegan & Sara - The Con

 

The saddest part about making this list was realizing just how little music I bought this year. Well, I bought a lot of music, but just not a ton of new releases.

[solace]

keep in mind i've probably only heard 15, or so albums this year.

 

I love the 1st half of that album so much.

 

Showstoppers and Heaven & Earth are amazing, after that i really dig My Rights, Challengers, Myriad, Unguided and Spirit of Giving, after that i can take or leave the rest. only 2 songs that i'm not really big on though White Cecilia (not Dan's best work) and Solitude

 

their show last month was killer though. best i've seen them (i missed the Twin Cinema tour though, saw them off the first 2)

 

you do have Georgie James super high though, that rules . i only posted my top 5 but pretty sure it's in my top 10

[KevinG]

Showstoppers and Heaven & Earth are amazing, after that i really dig My Rights, Challengers, Myriad, Unguided and Spirit of Giving, after that i can take or leave the rest. only 2 songs that i'm not really big on though White Cecilia (not Dan's best work) and Solitude

 

their show last month was killer though. best i've seen them (i missed the Twin Cinema tour though, saw them off the first 2)

 

you do have Georgie James super high though, that rules . i only posted my top 5 but pretty sure it's in my top 10

 

Any album with a song like Showstoppers on it automaticlly makes it awesome. I love that song so much it is silly.

[Mystik Spiral]

I must be silly too...

 

Sure there are a couple of mediocre tracks on Challengers, but the awesomeness of the awesome ones makes it sure-fire top 5 material.

[solace]

nah that's cool

 

just surprised based on the reactions it's gotten elsewhere that i frequent =)

[Mystik Spiral]

I honestly don't understand the blah reviews that it got... but I guess if we all liked the same 5 albums things would be pretty boring...

[solace]

yeah, considering Pfork and a bunch of sites went apeshit over Twin Cinema, which i never really fully connected with other than the obvious few tracks

 

the album is definitely a solid 7.5, Pfork def dropped the ball (no surprise)

[Welsh Rich]

I liked Challengers a lot more than Twin Cinema, in fact I didn't even buy Twin Cinema I was so disappointed in it. Though Challengers didn't end up on my end of year list, it was one of the few albums I listened to that refreshed my senses. Great album.

 

As for my Top 5... here goes:

1. The National - Boxer

2. Battles - Mirrored

3. LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver

4. The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters

5. The Good, The Bad & The Queen - s/t

[lizish]

Add me to the not-getting of the not-getters for Challengers. The thing is lovely and much better than say Electric Version.

 

1) Broken Family Band - Hello Love

2) The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain

3) New Pornographers - Challengers

4) Rock Plaza Central - Are We Not Horses?

5) Rizdales - Radio Country

[bsr8j]

I included Challengers in my top 5, but it was actually a grower for me. I didn't really like it that much the first five or six times I listened to it. But listening to it at about 6 in the morning on the way home from a night shift at work really changed my mind. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but whatever it was, I finally started digging the album. Now it's one of my favorites for the year. So I can understand people not thinking it was one of the year's best.

[solace]

Add me to the not-getting of the not-getters for Challengers. The thing is lovely and much better than say Electric Version.

except if your main interest in New Porns is for their straight up/forward power pop like me, then it's pretty easy to see why i prefer Electric Version

 

Challengers certainly shows the most depth of any of their records, that's for sure.