Best of 2007

1. Radiohead: "In Rainbows" - A record showing a band playing perfectly together and giving 2007 an emotional kick in the ass. (suggested song) "All I Need"
2. Arcade Fire: "Neon Bible"- Lyrics play a much more significant role in this wordy springsteenesque second album from what may turn out to be the most important "new" band of the decade.
3. Of Montreal: "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?"- Listen to the first 30 seconds of "Gronlandic Edit" (my song of the year) and this bouncy psych-pop sound seemingly invented and perfected by Kevin Barnes explains it's place on this list.
4. Peter Bjorn and John: "Writer's Block"- If you've turned on your T.V. in the last six months you couldn't help but hear the catchy whistling tune "Young Folks" flowing through some ridiculous advertisement. Aside from the fact that the album has a few weak tracks, I probably had this in my car longer than any other album this year.
5. Animal Collective: "Strawberry Jam"- I have yet to figure out just what this record sounds like or where the hell it came from; the closest I can get is Brian Wilson's "Smile" but with a much stronger electric guitar influence and a melodic beauty all it's own.
6. Okkervil River: "The Stage Names"- This Austin based band defines what good folk based indie rock should sounds like, and throws in a fantastic take on The Beach Boys "Sloop John B".
7. LCD Soundsystem: "Sound of Silver"- The closest a man can come to combining dance and rock music and have it sound so "silver".
8. The National: "Boxer"- A dark, lyric driven album that can put you to sleep at night as well as wake you up and get you going in the morning. Not to mention, drumming that is unmatched in all of 2007.
9. Jens Lekman: "Night Falls Over Kortedela"- Uses a combination of horns, strings and keyboards to surprise you with every theatrical production on this exceptional record.
10. Burial/M.I.A: "Untrue/Kala"- I have to include both of these on the list and if "Untrue" had come out earlier in the year it would have probably been much higher. It reminds me of early Massive Attack and the choppy parts of "Kid A" that give you a very unsettling but curious feeling untouched by most musicians. M.I.A. comes back from her acclaimed debut to out do herself with a spastic album that separates itself from anything else this year.

ALMOST:

Wilco: "Sky Blue Sky
Sunset Rubdown: "Random Spirit Lover"
Spoon: "Ga Ga Ga Ga"
The Bees: "Octupus"
Modeselektor: "Happy Birthday!"