The long awaited Top 10 Albums of 2007

Well hello there good people. My apologies for not keeping up with the tops the past couple of days. They have been a busy bunch; highlights include a Friday not worth mentioning; a great Saturday capped off with most awesome discussion with one of my favorite people in the world. Sunday was of course Skins game day, and not only that, but it was Dallas Week, and we kicked some arse. Yes they had nothing to play for, but we still won by 21 (much love ST21) and when we win this Saturday, we come beat your asses in 2 two weeks on your field bitches.

So I arrive at today, with my top 10 albums of 2007. Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride.



10. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before The Ships Even Sank;
I am a little surprised by this pick. I like the album when I first got it, but as with most of their stuff, it waned a little in the following weeks. But with the addition of the new guitarist, and the nice twist to their sound, I think this deserves a mention.



9. Feist, The Reminder;
This almost deserved a higher number, but the overplay by iTunes commercials knocked it down pretty low. There is some great song writing, and her voice is as powerful and beautiful as ever. I had the chance to see her early on her tour for this album, and what a great show. She's the kind of performer where you can feel the emotion in her songs.



8. Iron and Wine, The Shepperd's Dog;
The latest from Sam Beam was not unexpected. The more plugged-in style was revealed in his his last couple of EPs. What was unexpected was how well Beam was able to grow his sound so far from his early mellow masterpieces. There are still a couple of songs in the old style, but there is much more to choose from, and be entertained by. The next work may garner itself a much higher ranking if he can stay on this path.



7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Some Loud Thunder;
Start to finish, this work is not as strong as their self titled debut, but there is some really fun stuff on this album. I remember reading a review that talked about how the producer had a heavy hand in the sound, and I can hear certain songs that seemed to stray far from CYHSY sound. Nonetheless, as a sophomore effort, this one rocks.



6. Restoring Poetry in Music, Pyramids in Moscow;
This is another great work from the DC based group, further proving that hip-hop doesn't have to be just processed beats and egotistical self-gratifying rhymes. Two songs stand out in particular as a glimpse to the future; Life is Change, and Winning Loses. Both show great symmetry between everyone involved in creating noises, including production. There are a couple of songs that are not quite there, but nothing to skip over. This also gets mention as best album artwork of the list. (Check out the great Stephen Knox aka PointBlank)



5. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga;
I am really getting to love this group. Early in their career, they used hands claps as their percussion to create an organic sound. In their latest release, they used them to compliment the drums, and the sound scape is much fuller and satisfying. Their song writing has always been tight around seemingly repetitive beats, but there is an element to it that gets you walking.



4. The Bad Plus, Prog;
If you like Jazz, and especially progressive fusion, then this is the album for you. If you've ever been interested in Jazz, but not that gay Kenny G shit, this is the album for you. If you've wanted to check out Jazz, but been afraid because of all those snobby assholes talking about "The notes between the notes", tell them to shut up, and go listen to this album. This is the kind of music where you get lost in moments that makes you laugh because it is that ridiculous.



3. Panacea, The Scenic Route;
The second appearance by Raw Poetic on my list. The Scenic Route is best "album" I've heard in a while. It's an album where there is a story that runs you through the life of a man who is unhappy, and after analyzing everything, decides it not worth it. After jumping out of a plane with no chute, he falls into an alternative universe where he gets to create the world anyway he wants. Guess what he creates?
The imagery of the lyrics is played out seamlessly with the layers of music, both samples and live instruments. The classical guitar break at the end of Blue Ice is one of the coolest pieces of music I've ever heard. These guys also did a series of videos explaining how the song was made, and what the story is, check them out on YouTube.



2. K-os, Atlantic Hymns For Disco;
His first two albums topped my "Heard in 2007, But Not Made in 2007" list, and he made a damn strong showing here. If you have not listened to the other two, it may be easier to start with this one, as it is the most accessible start to finish. Mixing genres and styles from all over the place, this album as very mature, and much like The Scenic Route above, shows a future for hip-hop that I like. K-os also shows an interesting side to sampling with this album. He has a live band play a guitar riff, or drum kick and loop it live, and morph it into the k-os song. I think it is a great way to expand the use of samples, and give you a lot more freedom. Can you guess the sample in track 4 Equalizer?



1. Radiohead, In Rainbows;
Was there really any doubt? I won't bore you with another review. All I will say is the second disc that came with the disc box is growing on me. You can tell why they didn't make it into the first album. It is not because they are no good, it's because they didn't fit with the journey being woven with the first 10 tracks.

Well I hope you enjoyed all of my tops lists. Have a happy new year, and I will see you in 2008.