Best Music of 2007

Every year I like to do my Best of Year review of music. We had a lot of choices this year. Based on print-outs from my iTunes I have 140+ CDs that had a 2007 release date. I shall do my best to endeavor to craft a good article but seeing that I am rather busy, this may be a work in progress so bare with me.

1. "Neon Bible" (Arcade Fire)

This is a masterpiece of an album. Win Butler, an Exeter Prep graduate (a la Dan Brown), finds his roots in Montreal taking up the cause of his wife, who is of Haitian extraction. Less groundbreaking than their previous album, Funeral (itself a masterpiece), Neon Bible shows that the anthematic tones of U2 are not lost on this multi-national band. Highly political and critical of the US war machine as well as puppet dictators who have either been created by or as a result of US foreign policy. My favorites are Windowsill, the incredibly passionate Intervention along with the title track.

2. "Wincing the Night Away" (The Shins)

I love The Shins. I got into them after their brilliant first album but the Wincing the Night Away did not disappoint. It is contagiously delicious. Otherworldly folk-rock with a tinge of psychedelia for good measure. The Shins only disappointed in that they did not play Detroit. What a pity. If you haven't heard any of their music, run, do not walk and grab some.
3. "Favourite Worst Nightmare" (Arctic Monkeys)

I saw them in March and it was one hell of a show. Rowdy and full of piss and vinegar as my grandfather was apt to say. Lyrically they are among the most witty and amusing of any band. They remind me of the Kinks mixed with the Minutemen. The average age of the show was about 17 so I was roughly 20 years older than most.

4. "Under the Blacklight" (Rilo Kiley)

I had listened to the previous CDs of Rilo Kiley and I liked them but they just did not resonate with me. Die hard Rilo fans were somewhat disappointed in this album as it is less adventurous, but what it lacked in adventure it made up with sharp lyrics detailing the mixed and confused world of Los Angeles. The seedy side behind the glamour and make-up. The scene behind the scenes. Stories of sex, drugs and loneliness permeate this album. Musically it is upbeat which serves a juxtaposition of the darkness in the lyrics. Most of August was spent listening to this.

5. "Sky Blue Sky" (Wilco)

Over time, I am sure this will be my favorite of 2007. It is imminently listable. Like one of the blogs I read suggested: Wilco was never as weird as they were perceived to be. This bears that out. This reminds me of Nick Drake meets the Eagles with Neil Young thrown in for good measure. Jeff Tweedy's lyrics opens up and shows his vulnerbility in the moving "Either Way." Sad song but with a glimmer of hope. Other gems are Impossible Germany and the title track.

6. "Challengers" (The New Pornographers)

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Like Rilo Kiley, this was my late summer listening. I spent half of August at my dad's cottage and I had this and Rilo Kiley on heavy rotation the whole time. In fact I would often put the two on shuffle and they complement each other surprisingly well. I think this is probably my favorite New Pornographers album. Still quirky and complex but Neko Case's vocals shine here and the songs are very well composed, if not a bit poppy. But introducing a little pop sound to the NPs is certainly not going to make them Britney.

7. "Our Ill Wills" (Shout Out Louds)
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I swear I heard this album in 1984. If you did not check the voice, you would swear that this could have been the Cure at their brightest. This album is like a time travel to all the glorious new wave giants of the 80's; only filtering out the excess garbage. I have been listening to this album more and more of late.

8. "Boxer" (The National)

Maybe this was the year of nostalgia, but the National, like the Shout Out Louds, is a throw back to the sounds of Joy Division, Bauhaus but with a more upbeat tempo and less morose lyrics. A very introspective CD.

9. "La Radiolina" (Manu Chao)

A new find. Latin beats with French and English (and I think Arabic) language that is one of the most highly charged political albums I have heard in years. As political as early Billy Bragg, but with a beat that is almost danceable. I am addicted to Manu!

10. "In Rainbows" (Radiohead)

On top of a brilliant marketing strategy they put out their most accessible album in years. While not at their peak of the Bends or OK Computer, In Rainbows demonstrates why Radiohead is widely regarded as one of the most influential working bands around.

Honorable Mention (in no particular order)

1. "In Our Bedroom After the War" (Stars)
2. "Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew Spirit If..." (Arts & Crafts)
3. "Time on Earth" (Crowded House)
4. "Friend Opportunity" (Deerhoof)
5. "Compass Rose Bouquet" (Great Lakes Myth Society)
6. "Our Love to Admire" (Interpol) "Noel" (Josh Groban) OK... I can't help it, it is one of the best Christmas albums I have ever heard
7. "The Reminder" (Feist)
8. "The Stage Names" (Okkervil River)
9. "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?" (Of Montreal)
10. "Icky Thump" (The White Stripes)
11. "Autumn of the Seraphs" (Pinback)
12. "The Flying Club Cup" (Beirut)
13. "Heroes & Thieves" (Vanessa Carlton)
14. "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" (Modest Mouse)
15. "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" (Spoon)