Dec
23
Putting together a Top 10 albums list is always a challenge, but that’s one of the reasons I like doing them. It seems as though the criteria I use to rate the albums changes from year to year: sometimes you want your list to reflect the times, sometimes you can’t ignore a popular or influential album even if you didn’t really love it, and sometimes — as is the case this year — you just want to pump up what you enjoyed most over the previous 12 months.
This year, I enjoyed a heckuva lot of music. Narrowing this sucker down to 10 was a months-long process, reached only after a thorough listening of each of the contending albums. I’m not even convinced my list is set in stone as of this moment — if I had my way I’d have my top nine and 11-way tie for 10th.
Before I launch into it, two notable exceptions should be, um … noted. Lily Allen’s Alright, Still and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black were both released in England in 2006, so I couldn’t count them as 2007 albums. Tough luck, but it does make my decision-making a bit easier, as both likely would have been considered for the list.
Finally, stick around at the end of the list for the first-ever episode of the Hiptarded podcast, featuring yours truly and Jehan Bâby, talking 2007 music and reflecting on a year of shows, DJ sets and generally good times. (See if you can spot the mistake I made in it!)
10. Panic Prevention by Jamie T: As cheeky and brash as they come, Jamie T is like the male equivalent of Lily Allen, if she were able to effortlessly switch from rockabilly to rocksteady (in fact, Allen does a guest vocal spot on the song “Rawhide”). The swagger of youth has never been more evident. Key tracks: “If You Got the Money,” “Brand New Bass Guitar,” “Salvador”.
9. Myth Takes by !!!: Dance rock at its best, with an astounding sonic boom of funk, electronica and guitar trickery. Mesmerizing in part because of its swells, builds and hummable refrains, but to call it repetitive would mean you’re just not listening hard enough. Key tracks: “Heart of Hearts,” “Must Be the Moon,” “All My Heroes Are Weirdos”.
8. The Reminder by Feist: I love when an album transcends the music world to become a bona fide pop-culture phenomenon, and that certainly happened with this record. “I Feel It All” was an unofficial theme song of the Toronto International Film Festival, “1 2 3 4″ seemingly made the iPod famous, and suddenly people were drinking Brandy Alexanders again. But all this was only possible because Feist made an album that was at once loose and polished, stripped-down and intricate. And the sound of her lingering alto certainly didn’t hurt. Key tracks: “1 2 3 4,” “I Feel It All,” “My Moon My Man”.
7. Kala by M.I.A.: Expectations were pretty high following M.I.A.’s 2005 debut, Arular, but I think it’s safe to say singer/rapper/songwriter Maya Arulpragasam met them. Following visa problems that prevented her from working with producer Timbaland in the U.S. (something to do with her revolutionary Tamil father, no doubt), M.I.A. travelled the world and worked with a variety of producers and musicians (and even local children), giving Kala the feel of a snapshot of dance music worldwide in 2007. Hip hop, electro, Bollywood — it’s all here, and Arulpragasam serves as your very stylish guide. Key tracks: “BirdFlu,” “Paper Planes,” “Boyz”.
6. Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem: Universally praised for the sense of whimsy in his lyrics and his ability to get rumps shaking, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy raised the bar again in 2007 with Sound of Silver, a varied and sophisticated flat-out party record. Key tracks: “North American Scum,” “Someone Great,” “Us v. Them”.
5. In Rainbows by Radiohead: Sure, they set off an industry revolution by offering a pay-what-you-can digital download of In Rainbows, but before they got to that Radiohead were busy crafting their best work since OK Computer ten years ago. From the rich-sounding drums all the way out, the band evoke warmth and even intimacy in a left-turn from their relatively cold and technical recent releases. Key tracks: “Bodysnatchers,” “Reckoner,” “15 Step”.
4. Ambiguoso by Parlour Steps: Maybe this is my hipster snob pick, since it’s a band few people outside Vancouver have ever heard, but no album this year gave me quite the satisfaction Ambiguoso did — listen after listen after listen. I’ve written lots about this band on this blog, so here’s a quick summary: cerebral, poetic lyrics over warm harmonies, talkative guitars, carefree choruses and bridges, and a dash of the terribly odd. Key tracks: “World As Large,” “Thieves of Memory,” “Hot Romance”.
3. Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman: Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman does so many things well, and yet the whole is still greater than the sum of its parts. He’s funny and charming and sings in an innocent baritone with a cute accent. His zeal for experimenting with instruments, samples and voices is nearly unmatched. He has a flair for the dramatic and crazy attention to detail. He’s a master composer and arranger. The end result is Night Falls Over Kortedala, a thrilling collection of stories and soundscapes. Key tracks: “A Postcard to Nina,” “Friday Night at the Drive-in Bingo,” “I’m Leaving You Because I Don’t Love You”.
2. The Stage Names by Okkervil River: Bands from Austin, Texas, placed one-two in my list this year, and my sister had a baby she named Austin in April. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, The Stage Names is a soulful rock record with a consistent passion whether the song is a heart-shattering ballad or an upbeat, rollicking fairytale. Frontman Will Sheff wrote what is essentially a road record, cramming atypical tales and feelings from touring life into a referential but original 10-song package. Key tracks: “You Can’t Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man,” “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe,” “Love to a Monster”.
1. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon: I’ve long been a fan of Spoon’s minimalist, groove-heavy sound, but there is an unconstrained spirit about Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga that puts it a cut above both previous Spoon albums and everything else I heard this year. At times seemingly channelling the greats of Motown (”You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb”), at times occupying their own sonic universe (”The Ghost of You Lingers”), Spoon invites the listener into the studio with plenty of between-songs ambient noise and a rich, personal and fun approach to songwriting. Clap along if you can! Key tracks: “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” “Finer Feelings,” “The Underdog”.
Honourable mentions: The Flying Club Cup by Beirut, In Our Bedroom After the War by Stars, Boxer by The National, Challengers by The New Pornographers, Wincing the Night Away by The Shins, Icky Thump by The White Stripes, Calligraffiti by Grand Analog, 23 by Blonde Redhead, Sidelines of the City by Cuff the Duke, Sky Blue Sky by Wilco, Neon Bible by Arcade Fire, Andorra by Caribou, Reunion Tour by The Weakerthans, Situation by Buck 65, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse, and on and on and on and on….
Click here to download episode #1 of the Hiptarded podcast, brought to you by Jehan and Mason.
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