mxdwn Top 30 Albums 2007
30. Panda Bear – Person Pitch
Artificial intelligence this melodic could only be made in Japan. Keigo Oyamada synchronized the electric, the electronic, and the monosyllabic to make post-rock not just powerful but playful as well.
– Adam Blyweiss
When every member of a band sings at once it can be great or terrible. In this case, when coupled with varied instruments and creative production techniques, it creates the raucous, psych-pop atmosphere Yeasayer needed to complement their complicated, inspired and ambitious songwriting.
– Brendan Welsh
27. The Cinematic Orchestra – Ma Fleur
One of New York City´s premier underground hip-hop artists, 2007 was the year Aesop Rock finally received recognition as a witty, well-delivered MC whose intense lyrics, beats and guest spot choices make the album extra impressive.
– Danielle Reicherter
Another showcasing of what Mr. West does best: addictive samples, marquee guests, a unique message and beats hot enough to get your grandma’s booty shaking. There’s no “Gold Digger” on this record but the strength of multiple tracks make it Kanye’s most complete effort.
– Ryan Lewis
Clearly big, loud guitar will never go out of style. A Place To Bury Strangers took a shoegaze wall of sound and tore it down, then used the bricks to make a disgusting yet beautiful sculpture of distortion, lingering vocals and dark poetry.
– Brendan Welsh
DJ/Producer Mark Ronson’s Version, a collection of covers by Brits like Robbie Williams and Lily Allen is, thankfully, not an insignificant who’s who of musicians but a celebration of music and it feels good. It features many tight, horn-driven orchestrations like The Daptone’s take on Coldplay’s “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face,” and Britney Spears’ hit “Toxicâ” sung by Ol´Dirty Bastard and Tiggers. Inspired pairings make Version sublime.
– Jacquie Frisco
James Lavelle’s UNKLE project captured a mood so appropriately on War Stories. Without being overtly political or going into specifics, Lavelle and a host of guests (Josh Homme, Ian Astbury, Autolux) capture timelessly the paranoia, fear, anger and ultimately bleak landscape of dealing with international conflict.
– Matthew Kiel
The Followill boys strike again with their bassline heavy brand of Nashville whiskey and denim rock that’s worthy of starting a bar fight along with several calmer, semi-acoustic tracks perfect for a sweetheart slow dance.
– Danielle Reicherter
Soothing pop sensibilities swirl with serious electronica in Walls to create a crossover dollop of pleasant surprises in each mug sized track. Sascha Ring has found his sweet spot: this is an album to get cozy with.
– Zachary Preston
Just because it wasn’t wild and woolly didn’t mean it wasn’t Wilco. Jeff Tweedy and company found catharsis and beauty in alt-country simplicity, proving that sometimes a moment of clarity is all you need.
– Adam Blyweiss
18. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Simultaneously Dan Snaith’s most ambitious and accessible record, Andorra embraces the flower power of ’60s psychedelic pop and layers it with razor-sharp electronics and percussion, crafting a sunny masterpiece that fans of the Beach Boys and Aphex Twin alike can appreciate.
– Robert Huff
Jens Lekman is now a master singer and songwriter. Night Falls Over Kortedala, in grand, almost, epic fashion conquers an array of pop music styles while introducing us to odd, but very human emotions and characters. From brotherly advice and melancholy hairstylists to hiding lesbian romance, Lekman’s voice and words couldn’t be more enchanting and inviting.
– Matthew Kiel
Moving away from his established mellow indie-folk sound, Iron and Wine (real name Sam Beam) experiments by incorporating touches of reggae and world music into his rich style. Majestic arrangements and Beam’s trademark vocal harmonies remain while The Shepherd’s Dog propels towards a more varied future for Iron and Wine.
– Danielle Reicherter
It takes real panache to come off sounding as accidentally brilliant as The Shins do on Wincing the Night Away. At this stage in their career, the bar has been set pretty high and falling short would be a mild disappointment. But they clear the bar with room for wild amusement to spare.
– Zachary Preston
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s collaborative soundtrack to the movie (which they also starred in) Once is a shimmering paragon of beauty found in spite of lost love. Irglova’s tracks “If You Want Me” and “The Hill” emanate with power from the recesses of sadness and Hansard’s ballads “All The Way Down” and “Leave” defiantly demand equality and respect. And most importantly, the tracks where they sing in unison (“Falling Slowly,” “Lies” and “When Your Mind’s Made Up”) bring new life to the concept of duets through passionate, soulful delivery.
– Raymond Flotat
Trent Reznor’s alternate reality — a literate and eerie one invoking The X-Files — turned the music business on its ear months before Radiohead. Further, his topics were external (for once) and his sounds revisited the days when he embraced Prince’s fetish-funk and pushed buttons with Coil and Foetus.
– Adam Blyweiss
Recorded all over the globe and yet more cohesive and coherent than anything she has released before, Ms. Arulpragasam’s sophomore call-to-arms soundtracks her third-world politics with first-class dance beats (“XR2”) and left-field pop hooks (“Paper Planes”). Ostensibly the feminine yin to Arular’s paternal yang, Kala and its songs have a far more universal reach, one that former reigning world music queen Bjork has long since forgotten.
– Robert Huff
There’s nothing flashy about The Boxer, The National’s fourth album. It’s dark and moody, demanding closer attention. That’s when it seeps in and gets under one’s skin with beautiful, haunting and sometimes heartbreaking lyrics and melodies. Shortcomings and flaws are celebrated. Isolation is embraced which oddly enough makes it completely relateable. Tragically beautiful.
– Jacquie Frisco
Illuminating the darker, unspoken side of Britain, Damon Albarn’s dream supergroup (Tony Allen, Simon Tong, Paul Simonon) plays a wholly unique concoction of afrobeat, dub and pop that all but defies common classification. The Good, The Bad and the Queen speaks to wartime oppression (“Kingdom of Doom”), romantic longing (“Northern Whale”) and spirited protest (the title track), all with snappy melodies and mellow grooves.
– Raymond Flotat
Kevin Barnes firmly hit his stride on Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, a clever evolution of the electronica, funk and indie pop genres that he’d been blending delicately between Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Sunlandic Twins. Here, on such toe-tapping booty-shaking numbers like “Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse” and “Gronlandic Edit” Of Montreal has melded the three into a style all their own.
– Raymond Flotat
7. Feist – The Reminder
6. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
A mostly thunderous, occasionally spacey, and always entertaining romp through the imagination of Jack White. Where else could you hear bagpipe-backed political commentary, deafening blues jams and a duel between an electric guitar and a mariachi trumpet on the same record? Icky Thump is everything that most music today is not: bold, innovative, and instantly classic.
– Ryan Lewis
4. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Justice’s debut was conceived with an uncanny ability to provoke listeners to pop and lock and even raise the devil horns and headbang equal parts coupled with a surefire crossover hit in “D.A.N.C.E.” † places the French duo in the game immediately out of the shadow an on par with obvious influences Daft Punk with cornucopia of ear candy. Opening with ominous, “Imperial Death March”-esque fanfare, † evolves into a chaotic mix of disco, funk, static crunches, synths, hard-hitting drum kicks, and slap-popping bass that harkens back in time while feeling very now and looking towards the future.
– Matthew Kiel
No longer content to simply have Daft Punk playing at his house, at his house, James Murphy has grown up, and with him his sonic and lyrical ambitions. The snarky, post-ironic catchphrases of LCD’s debut have been replaced with the elegiac “Someone Great” and the autobiographical “All My Friends” (an already-classic anthem that manages to be both shimmering and sobering). Musically, Murphy mixes a smashing cocktail of Bowie, Byrne, and Kraftwerk that flows like a fine wine from the opening pulse of “Get Innocuous” all the way to the house-crashing-down finale of “New York I Love You (But You’re Bringing Me Down),” proving once and for all that not only is it possible to dance and rock, but to age gracefully while doing both. At this rate, Murphy’s retirement party is going to be a beast.
– Robert Huff
With In Rainbows, Radiohead accomplished more than just proving record labels unnecessary by giving away their latest creation at any price (although that was quite the feat as well). They also crafted an album that bested the extraordinarily high expectations of fans and critics alike. Hearing In Rainbows for the first time is like a listening to a Radiohead’s Greatest Hits collection comprised of completely original material. From the melancholic mastery of OK Computer’s ballads to the electronica-influenced Kid A and explosiveness of Hail To The Thief, each phase of the band’s brilliant career is infused without a moment of unoriginality. In Rainbows is not just a bold statement for a rapidly-changing music industry, it’s the standard of excellence for creativity in music today.
– Ryan Lewis
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