Tuesday, January 22, 2008

My Top 10 Albums of 2007

Boring, obvious, but important nonetheless.  And if I was a Beatle cast member, I think I would want to be Phil Spector--or, rather, I would want to have Phil Spector's role in shaping their career...he's one creepy motherfucker.

TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2007 (In no particular order)

The Reminder-Feist
Catchy, pretty, and it gets better with time.

From the Screen To Your Stereo, Part II-New Found Glory
They did a collaboration on every track, so the album features Lisa Loeb, Patrick Stumpf, Adam Lazzara, Max Bemis, and Chris Carraba--emo kids creamed their skin-tight pants.

Under The Blacklight-Rilo Kiley
This one made a ton of Top 10 lists, and with good reason.  Jenny Lewis is amazing, and Blake Sennett is more underrated in this band than he was as Joey the Rat on Boy Meets World.

Armchair Apocrypha-Andrew Bird
I'm a sucker for string sections, and this is Andrew Bird's best album since he was with the Squirrel Nut Zippers.  I miss swing music.

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank- Modest Mouse
The band pulled in Jimmy Marr, of The Smiths fame, for this album, and the people who aren't still pissed that they sold more albums than Trojan sold condoms (e.g. "sold out") last year will probably agree with this decision.

Asleep At Heaven's Gate-Rogue Wave
Rogue Wave makes prodigious use of 6/8 time in their songs, so there isn't a lot of foot- stomping to be had on this record, but songs like Lake Michigan made it onto the late night circuit, and this band is a pleasantly surprising new addition to Jack Johnson's Brushfire lineup.

Juno Motion Picture Soundtrack
Buddy Holly, The Kinks, Belle & Sebastian, and The Moldy Peaches dominate this soundtrack, and the lo-fi aesthetic of this album provides a great backdrop to a good film written by Diablo Cody, a U of Iowa grad.

Lifeline-Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Recorded during a week off in Paris amidst a perpetual world tour, this album captures a moment in time surrounded by accordians and romantic locales.  More dominated by love songs than other BH offerings, and the CD comes with a DVD where the band plays the album set from start to finish.

Icky Thump- The White Stripes
How could this not be on the list?  Another instant classic from the siblings/spouses.  Get better, Meg.

Live At the Mayan Theatre-The Format
Nate, Sam, and the Faux-mat team up with Limbeck, Reuben's Accomplice, Jimmy Eat World, Steel Train, and some hired horns to put on a full arrangement of 2006's Dog Problems and a bunch of fan favorites.   Mmm...my personal favorite.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i couldn't agree more with Juno making the list ... i have to be honest that i was unfamiliar with kimya dawson prior to the soundtrack, but i have subsequently fallen hard for her effortlessly simple melodies and word driven tunes ... her 'wordiness' would even make a wordaholic of the caliber of a steven colbert blush. nice call.