Music Blogs

We continue with the eighth installment of our top 100 albums of 2007 year end list.

30.  Hvarf/Heim by Sigur Rós
You know your band is good when you can put out a compilation of unreleased songs and acoustic remakes, and it's still lauded as one of the best albums of the year. And 2007 was no slouch year. Sigur Rós is a band that defies description and can melt your heart with just a brush of their hand. I cannot live without this band.

29.  Asa Breed by Matthew Dear
Imagine for a minute that instead of killing himself in 1980, Ian Curtis of Joy Division decided to go into hiding for 27 years. Now imagine that while he was in complete seclusion, surviving only on Pop Tarts and heroin, that he bought a Mac and learned how to use it. If you can imagine this, you're close to understanding what Asa Breed sounds like at it's very core.

28. The Stage Names by Okkervil River
I enjoyed Okkervil River's 2005 album Black Sheep Boy, but 2007's The Stage Names finds the band taking their sound to the next level. And that means injecting large quantities of tasty pop hooks and competent playing. The record conveys sadness in a unique over-the-top manner and is without a doubt, a must own album of 2007.

27. 23 by Blonde Redhead
Blonde Redhead has become a superbly cinematic band. 23 finds them painting crystal clear abstractions that open your eyes to a whole new lexicon of audible imagery. All while retaining an undeniable surface accessibility. But once they have your ear, closer inspection will have you falling completely under their control. This album stands as a complete work as opposed to a collection of individual songs.

26. Mirrored by Battles
Battles have succeeded in creating a touchpoint between rock music and computers. Mirrored will be hailed by future music historians as a shining example of how pop music was taken to the next level. There were many great albums released this year, but not many as creative and original as this. This is not experimentation for experimentation's sake, but experimentation in search of beauty.

25.  Let's Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav
This New York City via Rhode Island School of Design quartet not only picks up where they left off, but have moved the ball forward. For the uninitiated, you could describe the sound as the Hold Steady, but a tad less working class, and a bit more experimental. Explosive catharsis and studious lyrics are supported by competent musicianship that rises and falls, from the sublimely simple to abrasive, controlled chaos. In other words, it rocks.

24.  Cease To Begin by Band of Horses
Every sound on Cease To Begin is structured to produce that warm feeling that only the dramatically human can. Synthesized ambience permeates the record, but it's foundation is pure rock & roll. The wispy vocals are instantly and consistently entrancing, and on whole the album will make you happy, whether you want it to or not.

23. I'll Sleep When You're Dead by EL-P
I received a copy of this LP before its release in March and am still trying to dissect it's power and vision. This is a hip-hop record that contains a huge amount of value. You'll find yourself coming back again and again to be wowed by the production and sick lyrical skills. So if you purchase this one it'll end up costing fractions of a penny per spin.

22. Grinderman by Grinderman 
Nick Cave is a legend in my mind. So I freely admit that my addition of Grinderman at the twenty-second best album of 2007 may be a wee bit biased. But when I listen to the raw, invigorating power of this record it gives me hope for rock and roll, just like The Stooges did.

21. Cookies by 1990s
The debut album by John Mckeown's new trio, 1990s, is a disheveled, drug-fueled, lightning rod of an album. The band brings the unbridled underbelly of rock & roll forth like a swig of ipecac syrup. Have no doubt, these Glasgow lads are 100% rock & roll. From the well-worn faces only a mother could love, to the attention grabbing melodies, to a cocksure delivery that rivals the mighty Rolling Stones.

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