24. Beirut - The Flying Cup Club
23. Sondre Lerche - Phantom Punch
22. The White Stripes - Icky Thump
21. The National - Boxer
20. Akron/Family - Love is Simple
19. White Rabbits - Forth Nightly
18. Marisa Nadler - Song III: Bird on the Water
17. Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
16. Clientele - God Save the Clientele
15. Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
14. Alaska in Winter - Dance Party in the Balkans
13. Silverchair - Young Modern
12. Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
11. Wu Tang - 8 Diagrams
10. LCD Soundsystem - Sounds of Silver
09. Radiohead - In Rainbows
08. Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity
07. Papercuts - Can't Go Back
06. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
05. Battles - Mirrored
The common response when talking to people about this album is, "Yeah, but can they do it live?" Yes, they can. It's a fun head scratcher of an album, only to be fully enjoyed when one stops analyzing its components and lets the overall product creep into the skull, taking over the space for a math rock dance party.
04. Jonquil - Lions
This was my indie selfish move of 07...not letting any of my close friends know about Jonquil. Oh, how many sleepless nights, just wanting to send it to one person. I only laughed more when the months after it's release melted off the calender without any Pitchfork review or mention. Well, my resolve paid off and if you are like the many who haven't heard of Jonquil...this is your Holiday present. The album plays at Beirut's stadium of sound but handily defeats them at their own game...and unlike Condon it's a team effort. (Still love Beiruit, see #24).
03. Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer
Oh, another Zach list....another Of Montreal album. I've been killed time and time again for my claim that Of Montreal is better than The Beatles (please do not leave a comment of this point...just say I'm wrong and continue to read please). Another fantastic upbeat album by Barnes who had his life thrown in the gutter....again...how many times can this guy get hurt? If each painful moment contributes another album...then someone out there hurt him...hurt him Cherry Peel bad...unlike Pitchfork's claim that this Of Montreal's best album....it goes Cherry Peel, Satanic, and then Hissing Fauna. But, with this said, great album...and I dare you to find a song on here that doesn't make you want to dance...a little....or a lot...I dance a lot to my number three.
02. Mother Mother - Touch Up
Poor Mother Mother. If it wasn't for such an impressive number one album this year, they would have hands down taken the crown. I can honestly say that I've never heard music like this in all my life. It's the return of the acoustic guitar, as it slashes through folk, punk, and soft rock. The songs are roller coasters...up and down we go from danceable jams to some of the sadest music of the year. The end result is a fantastic album that is the most underrated of the last few years, not just 07...please, do yourself a favour and listen to them, over and over, again...or for the first time.
01. The Fiery Furnaces - Widow City
Take one of the best contemporary rock bands of the last five years and look at how their sound grew over those years. Gallowsbird's Bark was all rock, Blueberry Boat could be the most revolutionary album of the decade, Rehearsing My Choir was a concept album so well executed that the story and music enter each other-creating one entity, and Bitter Tea focused on the power of post recording effects/techniques to maximize sound. Released one year after another since 2003, all their albums were leading to Widow City, an the album that is the culmination of experimenting through four albums. I'm not saying this is the best Fiery Furnaces album, but it is definitely the most focused, overall mind blowing work of music from start to finish that they have packaged. For those who don't "get" their sound...I'm so sorry...hopefully one day the clouds will part and you will finally see what it is they are all about: musical perfection.
TOP FIVE SONGS:
05. Jonquil - Whistle Low
04. Battles - Atlas
03. Wu-Tang - Wolves
02. Dan Deacon - Wham City
01. Sunset Rubdown - The Mending of the Gown
WORST ALBUM:
Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This
-?-WHY RECORD ANY OF THIS-?-
ah, your comments are like small love letters.
ReplyDeleteGood list, good good.
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