The Best Albums of 2007: #51 to #60
We continue with the fifth installment of our top 100 albums of 2007 year end list.
60. Super
Taranta! by Gogol Bordello
Gogol Bordello continued in
2007 with their gypsy punk cabaret show, and despite what Pitchfork says,
they have given us another reason to love them in Super Taranta! This is
maximum energy music that you either "get" or "don't get".
And if you don't get it, try again.
59. Andorra by Caribou
The changes in tone, melody and arrangement on Andorra all fit within the
confines of the mood Dan Snaith defines on this relatively short 9 track disc.
It'll work equally well in the context of a chic uptown penthouse party, or
around the campfire in the middle of the woods. But the most impressive thing
about Andorra
is how perfectly it balances pop sensibility with a willingness to stretch
the boundaries into the realm of art.
58. Hissing
Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by Of Montreal
There was a tremendous amount of critical buzz around this album in 2007. I
loved the band's last full-length, 2005's The Sunlandic Twins, but Hissing
Fauna... exceeded even this exceptional effort. The subject of love scorned
is new for Of Montreal, but here the band keeps the
inspiration fuzzy, and it's distance enables the band to utilize
it's power to maximum effect.
57. We'll Never
Turn Back by Mavis Staples
There is no voice in any
genre working today that can move like Mavis Staples, and she continues a
white-hot streak of perfect releases with We'll Never Turn Back. She has
officially moved from wise musical legend to living oracle. Her complete
comfort with her immense talent is hard to beat, and I'm not sure how she could
possibly raise the bar any higher than she has.
56. It's Not Big, It's
Large by Lyle Lovett & His Large Band
Lyle Lovett & His Large
Band deliver big horns, gospel singers, and beautifully sparse country crooning
all in one breath on their newest record. Lyle proves his ability to cross
genres with ease on It's Not Big... But style is irrelevant in the
hands of Lovett. The strength of song and delivery he employs would
carry through if he chose thrash metal as his choice of genre.
55. My Name Is
Buddy by Ry Cooder
Although I still hold his 2005 concept album Chavez Ravine as a
favorite, Ry Cooder delivers enough on My Name Is Buddy to
make number 55 on my top 100 list this year. The record is another
conceptual work that follows a cat during the dust bowl era. The concept
was kicked off by a mysterious doctored photo of a cat's head on the body of
Lead Belly. This alone could win an honorable mention, but Ry Cooder takes it
to the limit.
54. Icky Thump
by The White Stripes
Jack White could have easily put The White Stripes on autopilot, or disbanded
the duo altogether after the success of his "real band" The
Raconteurs. But he did no such thing. Instead, he and Meg, who has
suffered some anxiety issues
lately, instead gave us yet another year-end-list worthy album .
53. Wincing The
Night Away by The Shins
I was dumbfounded, and a little depressed, when I saw this new Shins album
for the first time on the main new release shelf at Wal*Mart. Had indie music
really come to this? Maybe so, but after hearing the record, who cares? It's
would be a great record whether it sells 10 or 10 million.
52. Because Of
The Times by Kings Of Leon
The third album by Kings Of
Leon, Because Of The Times, scored them their first number one disc on
the UK
album charts. They have been gradually improving with each release, but Because
Of The Times is a watershed, a true defining moment for this band.
51. The Con by
Tegan & Sara
A case could be made that The
Con was the indie-kid album of summer 2007. Okay, maybe not, but the 5th
album by this Canadian sister duo is, in my mind, their best and most refined
record to date. So much so that it's only one spot off of making my top 50
albums for the year.
Continue to #61 to #70
Return to #41 to #50
