My Favorite Albums of 2007 (so far)

Normally I don't do these middle-of-the-year-favorites lists, but 2007 has been such an incredible year. It has undoubtedly been the best year for music since I started caring and actively seeking out new music on a daily basis. So I'm just gonna do a little 'Top 10' list of the albums that I have enjoyed the most this year.

I should point out that I'm not going to include Elliott Smith's 'New Moon' in my list, simply because I had already heard most of the songs prior to its release, and it isn't really a new album. That said, I'll probably listen to it more than any of the albums on my list, in the long run.

Alright, here we go. I'm making this list as I write this entry, so I'm not entirely sure how the final list will look.

My Favorite Albums of 2007 (so far)


10. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha

I didn't think there was any way he could top '...Mysterious Production of Eggs', and I don't believe he did with 'Armchair Apocrypha', but it's a hell of an album, and it's much better than I had anticipated. The standout track for me is the wonderful collaboration between Mr. Bird and Mr. Dosh, entitled "Simple X"

download "Simple X"


9. Caribou - Andorra

Last year I remember listening to 'The Milk of Human Kindness', Caribou's previous album, and thinking "this is pretty good. I could get into this." Well this year I checked out his new album, and throughout my first listen I thought, "holy shit, this is really good!" I discover more things to like about this album with each listen. It's a very 60s-inspired pop album, but in kind of a psychedelic way.

download "Melody Day"


8. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky

To be honest, I didn't like this album for a while. It had to grow on me a lot, but now I love it. Nels Cline absolutely rips it up with his guitar work. Although Jeff Tweedy's vocals are certainly present, the band has chosen to let the instruments do a lot of talking on 'Sky Blue Sky', and that's what I had a hard time getting used to at first. I'm so thankful I gave it some more time though, as I absolutely adore everything about this album now.

download "What Light" (the song this blog is named after!)


7. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

I couldn't realistically expect to get an album better than 'Funeral' from these guys. I was right in expecting that, but that's not to say I'm disappointed with their second effort. This album somehow managed to live up to the hype (I honestly wonder how that's possible). From start to finish, everything get at least 4/5 stars in my book (with the exception of "ocean of noise". not a huge fan of that song for some reason).

download "No Cars Go"


6. Feist - The Reminder

This, along with Wilco's new album, was pushed to the back burner after my first listen. For whatever reason though, I gave it a second chance and it was pure bliss. I don't even care what words Feist chooses to sing in her songs, or if her words even make sense. As long as she's singing something, I'll be happy. Man, if only I could marry a voice...
So beautiful, this album is.

download "One Two Three Four"


5. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

This album will rank high on at least two of my lists this year. One being this list here, and another being my 'Worst Album Titles of 2007' list. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that it will come in at #1 on the other list. Album title joking aside, 'Ga x5' is a groovy collection featuring some of Spoon's best work. It's so good to know that Spoon hasn't lost a beat, because I had high expectations for this album, and after Gimme Fiction (which I wasn't a fan of), I didn't know what I was going to get from these guys. Well, what I did get was an album that forcefully grabbed my invisible glass pane of expectations and dropped it from a 40-story building, completely shattering the dang thing.

download "Don't You Evah"


4. The White Stripes - Icky Thump

When the title track of this album leaked onto the internet a couples months ago, I was blown away. I was ready to hear what I hoped would be an album full of "Icky Thump"-like tracks. What I got was even better. Jack White kind of goes all over the place on this album, but it works. While listening, it's very evident that you're hearing a White Stripes song, whether it be a blues-y "300MPH Torrential Outpour Blues", a Tenacious-D-like "Conquest" (seriously, I always think about Jack Black singing this song when I hear it), or the odd, Celtic folk style "Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn". I'll take this album over 'Get Behind Me Satan' any day (and I wasn't a hater of that album).

download "Catch Hell Blues"


3. The National - Boxer

This album slowly won me over, and it won me over in a big way. I was a casual fan of 'Alligator', their last album, but something about the new album is just a little bit more captivating and intimate to me. Matt Berninge's lyrics are the thing that makes The National so interesting and wonderful. It's as if he puts himself and/or others into hypothetical situations, of the littlest importance sometimes, and writes songs out of said situations. There are characters who the listener isn't introduced to, and these characters do things that don't necessarily make sense, but once the songs continue the listener can make some sense of them, or they can make something up to satisfy their own idea of what is happening in the song. It's an interesting take on songwriting, and Matt's vocals do nothing but enhance the words that he writes, by adding a level of richness to the bands' sound that makes the experience of listening to them extremely engrossing.

download "Mistaken For Strangers"


2. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

I don't feel that there's a lot I can say about this album that hasn't already been said. It's been out since January, so if you're reading this you're most likely well aware and familiar with it. It's my favorite Shins album for sure, but all of their albums are very important to me. 'Wincing the Night Away' feels like a much bigger deal than the last two albums. Everything about it indicates that the band is more mature, and that's neither good nor bad in my opinion. It just so happens that the increased maturity paid off greatly on this album. It feels like an album as opposed to just a collection of songs compiled onto a disc, and that's great. There's a wonderful flow to 'Wincing the Night Away'. Fortunately I was able to catch them on their first tour for the new album, and all of the new songs sounded fantastic live. It really is a great time to be a Shins fan.

(if you want a song, ask me)


1. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Another early 2007 release takes its place as my favorite album this year (so far). Again, I don't think I can say much about this album that you don't already know. I suppose I should make it known that I'm a huge Of Montreal fan, so I'm sure that played a part in this being my #1 album through the first half of the year. Kevin Barnes is at his best when his lyrics are personal, and this album is a clear example of that.

download "No Conclusion" (from the 'Icons, Abstract Thee' EP, released after the album)