Best of 2007 (so far)

June 25, 2007

This was both one of the funnest and hardest music lists I’ve made for this site. Fun because I got to relisten to all my favorite albums of 2007 and remember why I liked them so much in the first place. Hard because I only am choosing 12 (and a half) for this list and I’m cutting out some big favorites. When it came down to it though, I chose the albums that are both hitting me the hardest right now and that I think I’ll remember most down the road. Without further adieu, here they are.

These 12 and a half albums (picked because it’s half of 25) are listed in chronological order and only include albums released in the first half of this year.

Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Of Montreal have made some wonderful records in their career but this one tops them all. Kevin Barnes takes the glam and elctrodance tendencies of the band to their extreme and comes up with twelve of the most memorable tracks of the year.

MP3 Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse

Bloc Party – A Weekend in the City
I really didn’t expect much out of this album. Bloc Party seemed like a surefire entry in the “sophomore slump” category. Boy, was I wrong. The album is just as ambitious and grandiose as their debut, and proves how incredibly talented this band is.

MP3 Waiting for the 7.18

Dear and the Headlights – Small Steps, Heavy Hooves
I knew the moment I heard the opening piano to “It’s Gettin’ Easy” that Dear and the Headlights were something special, but it wasn’t till I got their whole debut did I realize how seriously awesome this band is. Takes the best of the parts of indie folk and late-90′s emo scene and creates an album where each track is as stunningly fresh as the one before it.

MP3 It’s Gettin’ Easy

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
It’s not as incredibly powerful and consistent of an album as Funeral, but Neon Bible is still far from being a disappointment. Songs like “Keep The Car Running”, “Antichrist Television Blues” and the updated “No Cars Go” prove that Arcade Fire are still completely in a league of their own.

MP3 Keep The Car Running

Andrew Bird – Armchair Acrophya
Andrew Bird is ridiculously talented, I don’t think it’s possible for him to make a bad album. In Armchair Acrophya, Andrew Bird really embraces guitar rock while still incorporating his trademark violin and whistle on some of the best songs of his career.

MP3 Heretics

LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
What an incredible step-up from LCD Soundsystem’s first album this is. Going from an album with a couple great singles and a bunch of filler to one that has one great song after the other, filled with musical variety and lyrical sincerity. If I had to choose a favorite song of the year right now I think it would be “All My Friends”.

MP3 All My Friends

Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future
I know these songs have been floating around for a while, but this has been my go-to album ever since I first heard it early this year. The album is hyped as a nu-rave dance record but what’s really amazing how hard Myths of the Near Future rocks. This is a party album if there was one.

MP3 Atlantis to Interzone

Cloud Cult – The Meaning of 8
I’ve never heard an album that is so enjoyable to listen to and at the same time is so emotionally draining. The lament for the singer’s lost son is really heartbreaking, but it’s done in a way that is so musically and lyrically beautiful that you can’t help but listen to it again and again. I can’t imagine this not being a top 5 album when the end of the year comes.

MP3 Take Your Medicine

Windmill – Puddle City Racing Lights
Windmill is probably the most exciting new band I’ve heard this year, and it would seem that I can’t stop talking about how great this album is. Puddle City Racing Lights impresses me even more on a daily basis. Unbelieveably epic stuff.

MP3 Plastic Pre-Flight Seats

Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position
This album was my first experience with the sheer brilliance that is Patrick Wolf, and the mixture between dark and enchanting and uplifting and triumphant is completely captivating. The songs creep into your ears and don’t escape.

MP3 The Magic Position

Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
I’ve only been a full-fledged Wilco fan for a couple of years, and I’m really glad that I jumped on board because this to me is up there with the band’s best. Nel Cline’s guitar freak-outs alone would be enough to secure a place on this list, but Tweedy’s songwriting and vocal delivery are also in top form on tracks like “On and On and On” and “Impossible Germany”.

MP3 Impossible Germany

The National – Boxer
This one was a blog favorite from the get-go, and it shows that 2005′s Alligator was no fluke. The musical atmosphere that The National portrays is what separates them from the pack, the album is overflowing with the fantastic drumming and dark and meaningful vocals that create a dense musical landscape.

MP3 Fake Empire

Favorite EP of the 2007 (so far):
Beirut – Lon Gisland
These five songs represent the half in my 12 and a half number, and the main reason I think it should be recognized is it proves that Beirut weren’t a one-album wonder. The new version of Scenic World is a huge improvement, and Elephant Gun is easily one of the best singles of the year. This band is going to be around for a long time and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

MP3 Elephant Gun

Just Missed:
The Rosebuds – Night of the Furies
Page France – And The Family Telephone
Battles – Mirrored

Honorable Mentions:
The Broken West – I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On
Loney Dear – Loney, Noir
The Snake The Cross The Crown – Cotton Teeth
The White Stripes – Icky Thump
Pela – Anytown Graffiti
The Maccabees – Colour It In
Ola Podrida – s/t
Dappled Cities Fly – Granddance
The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

Posted by Taylor in Lists