“Ladies and Gentlemen, Rock.com proudly present our Best of 2007 List, copyright pending.
Also make sure to click here or on any of the above highlighted links to listen to the albums contained on this list in their entirety, through our accompanying end of the year themed internet radio broadcast. Enjoy…”
In Rainbows - Radiohead
When word broke of Radiohead’s impromptu decision to release their next album In Rainbows independently as a digital download, outsiders took heed, but longtime fans saw it as the mere extension of a band that has continued to redefine the lines of convention. Few bands have reached the level of creative success that Radiohead have steadily maintained for the entirety of their brilliant career, so much so that any comparison to current mainstream music would be unfair and ultimately futile.
Best Track: Scratching distortion open the jazz infused “15 Step”, where an ever desperate Thom Yorke bemoans his fate, forever condemned to the tireless pursuit of endless self destruction, as he asks, “How come I end up where I started? How come I end up where I went wrong?”
Boxer - The National
As far as debut albums go there is none that match the sheer brilliance of the National’s Boxer. In fact, I dare you to name a better album. Okay fine The Ramones, Are You Experienced?, and My Aim Is True were probably better, but those aside. So, I forgot about the Who, Beatles and Sex Pistols. Remove those from the discussion and what do you have left, huh? Will you quit naming bands already? This is the last time I go out on a limb for you people.
Best Track: Take your pick, “Mistaken for Strangers”, “Squalor Victoria”, “Start a War”, they are all amazing, but if you really want to have your mind blown away, you’ll listen to “Fake Empire” on repeat. You can thank me later.
Back To Black - Amy Winehouse
Overshadowed by constant tabloid speculation and fact based drug abuse, Amy Winehouse has lived a lifetime at the tender age of 24, making the self-fulfilling prophecy of “Rehab” and spiraling heartache fueled decent chronicled throughout Black To Black all the more poignant.
Best Track: Winehouse channels the girl groups of old in “Me & Mr. Jones” where an overprotective and equally irate lover scorned, chastises her man and his many flirtatious advances with candid subtlety, “What kind of fu@#ery is this?”
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
Further proof that anything Americans can do, Canadians can do better, musical commune Arcade Fire were indebted with the unreasonable task of following up on their absurdly brilliant and critically acclaimed first album Funeral. With expectations high they were likely destined for “failure”, but as failures go, Neon Bible is one of the greatest ever.
Best Track: The dazzling glow of title track “Neon Bible” shines a light on the tarnished face of organized religion, exposing its duplicitous nature for all to see, “It was wrong but you said it was right. In the future I will read at night.”
Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
Disco is not dead and much to the dismay of the masses likely never was. LCD Soundsystem and frontman James Murphy reinvigorate the much maligned 70’s fad with enough dabs of electronica and punk to take the genre far past the point of tolerability into the outer zone of bewildering delight.
Best Track: In “North American Scum”, a sardonic Murphy captures the mindset of vacationers abroad, when confronted with the sad realization that adopting “Hoser” and ending sentences with “Eh” may quite possibly be the best reaction to the sea of cold dead stares made in their direction, Eh?
Kala - M.I.A.
Artist and producer M.I.A., breathes immense complexity into well established musical archetypes, blurring lines between dancehall, techno, rap, hip hop, and reggae to create simple, yet extremely satisfying beats that go beyond the scope of many of her predecessors. Kala shatters all misconceptions of what pop music is and can be, and at the same time plays missionary to the world, exposing a xenophobic public to the cultural riches of our neighbor’s across an ocean divide.
Best Track: Tribal drums bellow over crashing tambourine in “Boyz” where a politically deft M.I.A. asks, “How many boyz are rowdy? How many start a war?”
Because of the Times - Kings of Leon
Off the heels of their standout sophomore effort, Aha Shake Heartbreak, the brothers Followill continue their penchant for Southern infused rock and flair for catchy hooks in their latest offering Because of the Times, but this time around mature beyond their years, crafting thematically layered pieces whose biting cynicism and lyrical weight match their urgency.
Best Track: Undone by the constant strain of responsibility, Caleb exercises all of his demons in “McFearless”, as he’s forged in a fire of echoing dissonance and emerges a new man, “I roll my sleeves to make a better man of me or I might easily/Just give up on this show.”
Sky Blue Sky - Wilco
From Uncle Tupelo to Wilco, Jeff Tweedy has mastered the art of the tragically sad country song. With themes of frustration and alienation, Sky Blue Sky covers the gamut of emotional anguish, yet Tweedy maintains his hopeless optimism throughout, creating a pitch perfect musical entry that’s not too hot, not too cold, but just right.
Best Track: The echoing feedback of “Impossible Germany” makes you wonder why more songs don’t have gratuitous two minute guitar solos, then you remember the 80’s, and the thought quickly escapes your mind.
The Reminder - Feist
The emergence of Feist into the public consciousness is the feel good story of the year. Between show-stopping performances on Saturday Night Live to regular appearances in GAP commercials, the Canadian chanteuse assures our trip toward global corporate synergy will be a delightful one.
Best Track: I’m not sure which is better the song or accompanying music video, but the infectious “1234” proves the euphoric twang of banjo and blissful procession of trumpet are hard to shake off, and when combined with beatnik finger snapping, is even harder to ignore. You dig daddy-o?
Volta - Bjork
While most rank Bjork amongst the batsh@# crazy elite, with each new album drifting progressively further from the status quo, the Icelandic nymph proves there is indeed method behind her madness with Volta, whose beautifully eccentric pastiche of discordant sound and imagery, elevate music to a higher art form. And yes, I really am that pretentious.
Best Track: The seemingly out of place “Declare Independence”, pulses with primal punk indignation.
Favourite Worst Nightmare - Arctic Monkeys
Trumpeted as the next great British import the Arctic Monkeys more than delivered on that promise with their auspicious debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, but sadly no one took heed. Now one year removed from the hype, Alex Turner and company return with Favourite Worst Nightmare, which did little to register with the short attention spans of American audiences, but whose sound, regardless of popular opinion, remains the lone brilliant flash in a year mired by an army of mediocre punk clones.
Best Track: The effortless cool of punk maelstrom “Brianstorm”, whose dueling buzzsaw blasts of guitar lay waste to your synapses.
Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails
Industrial rock demigod Trent Reznor has made a career of sticking it to the man, but Year Zero takes his scathing indictments on religion, corporatization, and political hypocrisy to their logical conclusion. Reznor’s foray into the concept album imagines a fully realized dystopian future, where fear is the opiate of choice for controlling interests and hope comes from the sole convictions of a man that has absolutely nothing left to lose.
Best Track: While Reznor himself claims the notable “G” in first single “Capital G”, refers to the corrupting influence of greed, those with missing limbs and war induced trauma know better.
Wincing the Night Away - The Shins
I’ll spare you of all the obvious Garden State references and simply say this. The Shins are like that creepy uncle you have that comes over once a year for Thanksgiving, eats all your food, and then proceeds to tell disturbing stories about his time in a “fox hole”, but then you later realize he’s neither served in the army, nor dated a female member of the species.
Best Track: A near note for note copy of the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Just Like Honey”, “Phantom Limb”, treads all new ground as the first song to reference woman on woman relations without the prerequisite school girl giggle or wink and nudge to the forearm.
Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon
After some ten years of reveling in indie rock obscurity, the Austin based quartet Spoon have seemingly come from nowhere with the Dadaist inspired Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, whose eclectic blend of minimalist garage rock and soaring big band sound, both defy convention and logic.
Best Track: Mariachi horns blast over spastic hand claps in “The Underdog”, recreating the boisterous energy of a late night fiesta, and rehashing long repressed memories of my Spanish upbringing.
Is Is - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs returned to Fever To Tell form with Is Is, which even at a paltry five tracks proves the better of their pretentious art punk rivals, and further legitimizes their reputation as unbridled forces of nature.
Best Track: Resident sex kitten Karen O whimpers over rain drop reverb in “Down Boy”, but her uncharacteristically coy demeanor is quickly shattered by a blistering Nick Zinner guitar rift that erupts over thundering drum.
thank you, brother