With the year coming to an end, lists of the best and worst about everything and anything begin to reproduce like water sprinkled gremlins and make their way through cyberspace right to your screen. Here is another one of them.
This list focuses on music of course, intended to name what this writer considered some (it was an amazing year music wise) of the best music albums of 2007 so far. A carefully selected and stripped (almost entirely) of pretentiousness and hipsterness 20-ranked album list, sorted in order from the least favorite but still amazing album (20) to the best (1). Also there is a short description for the first 5 albums, and for those that have one, their metacritic score. Enjoy!
20 Best Indie Albums of 2007
( ) = metascore
20. Cloud Cult - The Meaning of 8 (-)
19. Black Before Red - Belgrave To Kings Circle(-)
18. Pop Levi - The Return to Form Black Magic Party(80)
17. Explosions in the Sky - All of the Sudden I Miss Everyone (80)
16. Caribou - Andorra (83)
15. Electrelane - No Shouts. No Calls (76)
14. Jose Gonzalez - In Our Nature (72)
13. The Earlies - The Enemy Chorus (67)
12. Shocking Pinks - Shocking Pinks (76)
11.Montag - Going Places(-)
10. Café Tacuba - Si No (-)
09. Young Galaxy - Young Galaxy (-)
08. Dntel – Dumb Luck (60)
07. Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If… (72)
06. Porter – Atemahawke (-)
05. Unkle - War Stories (61) Album that erases the line between rock and electronica (reviewed earlier, use link).
04. Radiohead - In Rainbows (88) Radiohead´s seventh studio album is a regression in their music style. In Rainbows is not the experimental break-though-pushing-the-envelope album we where getting accustomed to, but a more comfortable and easy flowing album. Of course Radiohead´s unique style is palpable in each song, but a sense of calm and maturity guides In Rainbows and Radiohead to a whole new level allowing them to maintain their iconic stature.
03. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (86) James Murphy is relentless in his second album. Producing a more playful and sleeker sound and using his voice this time with no shame and stretching it with outstanding results. There isn’t a boring moment in the whole album, and his second single, All My Friends might just be the best song of the year.
02. Apparat - Walls (-) Apparat (a.k.a. Sascha Ring) redefined his own style with Walls, creating a soft atmosphere of elegant electronics combining it with dance like beats and lyrics. The album climaxes and unwraps with melancholy and sorrow and Apparat alleviates it by embellishing it with a faint light of electronic harmonies.
01. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (87) A more gothic and obscure second album. The cynicism and critical perspective is very evident, Butler saturates each song with his rusty voice and discontent. Well, all this didn’t kept the Arcade Fire from making an album that will become a classic. The tightness and sequence both in music and in literal significance wrap Neon Bible and turn it into one obscure and inspiring ride. The dynamic bond the band members have managed to create is so powerful, that even their slow sad songs make you want to stand up and shout.
A lot a great albums came out this year, these where just a few. Remember no to take those critics grading systems too seriously. Be your own critic.
