Music Blogs

Yea, yea, I hear ya. End of year "best of" lists are like fruitcakes. There are way too many of them lying around unnoticed at the end of the year. They've become "I'm a credible critic" lists more than anything, with popular indie blogs shunning anything commercial and adding in some hip-hop, world music, or jazz to increase their hip-factor.

So when I went through the process of creating my top 100 of 2007 list why did 70% of it turn out like most every other hipster blog out there? Well, it all boils down to the fact that even in this new musical landscape, we fall in love to the stuff we listen to. And we only listen to the stuff we are aware of. And I can't resist listening to what is getting buzz. But from time to time I do find an under-the-radar gem.

So yes, some of the albums you will see in my list will be completely new to you, many more will appear on other year end lists, and the reason is simple. They're great albums.

The only measure I used when selecting my top 100 was whether I found myself coming back to listen for enjoyment. Not because I had to do a review, or because I was told it was a great record, but because I wanted to hear it again and again. A melody, a technique, a feeling, something about each of these records brought me back for more, and each has earned a permanent spot in my collection and in my life.

10.  A Place To Bury Strangers by A Place To Bury Strangers
Noise Pop fans can now rejoice. A Place To Bury Strangers have produced the greatest fuzz-fest since The Jesus and Mary Chain's seminal 1985 release Psychocandy. This eponymous debut by the Brooklyn trio delivers the same melodic underpinnings and distorted psychedelia that lies at the heart of the noise pop genre, but they take each element to the extreme. Distinct guitar lines are super-hooks, coated in pure white sugar, and the blasts of echo and distortion hit like an overloaded freight train.

9.  Neon Bible by The Arcade Fire
The Arcade Fire have proven that they are no fluke. Although they've been described as the aughties answer to the Talking Heads, the music they're making deserves more than such simplistic comparisons. Neon Bible is yet another fine release, and it's undoubtedly marked for greatness as a key album in the history of music. Right next to some of the very best.

8. From Here We Go Sublime by The Field
From Here We Go Sublime is hands down, the best electronic effort of the year. The album has be described as minimal techno, two words that usually make my gag reflex kick in whenever they are spoken together. But here, Axel  Willner uses repetition and depth to hypnotize the listener into a complete state of bliss. The album is best felt, not anayzed, and once it comes into focus, you may not ever be the same.

7. Kala by M.I.A.
I resisted M.I.A.'s debut Arular for quite some time. The recording felt hurried, amateurish, even harsh to my ears. But once I let the beats and M.I.A.'s unique vocal styling run their course my eyes were opened, and I was hooked. Kala ups the ante by delivering an incredibly fun, sexy and multi-cultural maelstrom of highly danceable sound.

6. 100 Days 100 Nights by Sharon Jones
There has not been a classic soul album released this good since the late 1960s, or early 1970s. Sharon Jones' incredible voice is supported perfectly by the analog and accurate Dap Kings on this sleeper 2007 release titled 100 Days, 100 Nights. This title track is a killer, as good as anything created by the great Aretha Franklin, so don't miss it.

5.  In Our Nature by Jose Gonzalez
In Our Nature breathes as a living organism, supported by nothing more than acoustic guitar, José's transcendent voice, and not much else. The guitar playing on the disc is unreservedly mind-boggling. He gets so much sound, so much beauty, and so much dynamic power out of his acoustic guitar that it left me slackjawed and speechless. You'll hear sustained notes, melodic runs, bass lines, foundational chords and explosive crescendos weaved together so masterfully that you'll be helplessly awed.

4.  Raising Sand by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Robert Plant is a iconic legend, and Alison Krauss brought bluegrass to the masses almost single-handedly. What happened when they combined forces for Raising Sand is unquestionably heavenly. The duo have created  the most beautiful and inspiring Americana music release of 2007, and this is the reason you probably will not see a Led Zeppelin world tour anytime soon even after their applauded London reunion. When young, play football (Zeppelin), when old, play golf (Plant/Krauss).

3. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
Don't let yourself be swayed by naysayers, revilers and malcontents. Sky Blue Sky is worth the investment of your money and your time. The relaxed dynamic at play here is not traveling the same highway we've been riding on recent Wilco records, but the underlying tension we've come to love so much from this band is still there. It's just more subtle. Part of the reason we're enamored with Wilco is the fact that we never know what to expect next, and Sky Blue Sky continues the game of "stump the fan". Tweedy forges his own path, oblivious to the expectations of media or customer. Would we respect him in the morning if he did otherwise?

2. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
2005's Gimme Fiction was my favorite release of that year, and I had high expectations for Ga X 5. Well, to put it quite succinctly, my expectations have been exceeded. Spoon continues to deliver the goods and have crafted the most compelling album of their career. The mid-tempo and infectious plodding they gave us on Gimme Fiction continues, but has now been completely mastered, refined and exploited. The melodies and arrangements have stepped it up a notch, and the band explores different territory without losing the cohesive sound that is completely their own. The ethereal sound of "The Ghost of You Lingers",  the reggae styling of "Eddie's Ragga" and the horn parts on "The Underdog" are all unexpected, but fit like jewels in an increasingly valuable golden crown.

1.  In Rainbows by Radiohead
This record will show up on the year-end lists of many critics, but in my mind, In Rainbows is far and above the best release of 2007, with a lot of room to spare.  I paid £6 for my digital copy on the band's website during their much publicized "pay what you want" campaign. But with all hoopla aside, when I listen to this record I become wholly lost in the dynamic power of the playing. The chops are breathtaking. But the beauty of the melody, and the incontestable power of the artistic vision contained within also play a large role in why In Rainbows is not only the best album of the year, but maybe the decade.

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