Numbers 10-6

10. The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible
Well, what can I say about The Arcade Fire that hasn’t already been said? They are the maturation of disaffected youth. They are the past tense of jaded angst. If Funeral was an ode to the desperate longing of school age love, then Neon Bible has got to be the summation of that unrequited ennui three years later. Three years of listless reverie met with the uncomfortable inevitability of waning light. Une Année Sans Lumière seems laughable when stacked up against eternity. That is the drive of Neon Bible. The innocence of Funeral is built up into a caricature of itself when the sad truth is, there doesn’t seem to be any left. Love becomes antagonism. Hope becomes dejection. Aspiration becomes spurn. Hey, growing up sucks, but at least there’s good music.
9. White Rabbits' Fort Nightly
Finally some pay-dirt from the big score promised by The Strokes. New York has it’s next great rock outfit. The kicker here is that they easily could have been tapped out after the ambitious opener Kid on My Shoulders. But they’re just not. They’re not even started. There are so many different looks here, the scathing vocals on I Used to Complain, the obligatory sing-a-long in The Plot, and that boogie inducing shuffling beat on Navy Wives. You just have to dance, and what’s more, you have to sing. It’s a very demanding listen, don’t get me wrong. You’ll probably even feel a little unprepared without a shaker of some sort for the experience. I’d recommend a cup, plastic or paper, with some candies or any sort of smooth round tiny thing. This is what music is supposed to do to people. It’s easy to forget that.
8. !!!'s Myth Takes
Nic Offer is the first great warrior for the white man’s right to dance. If you’ve seen Chk Chk Chk or Outhud live, then you know what I’m talking about. He’s got such style and finesse in all of his movement. What he lacks in grace, he makes up for in pure energy. Myth Takes isn’t an invitation to dance, it’s a goddamn commandment. Thou shalt look silly and get down to totally sweet tracks like Yadnus and Must Be the Moon. They have improved on every aspect of their sound without losing any of the goofy charm. The only thing we’ve lost from Louden Up Now is the loud. Maturation doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
7. Animal Collective's Strawberry Jam
Dave Portner is the Paul McCartney to Noah Lennox(a.k.a. Panda Bear)’s John Lennon. Yes, Person Pitch was fantastically awesome. The looping samples and harmonic cadences truly transcended anything Animal Collective had accomplished as a whole. That past tense, however, is the key. Their sound is officially innovative. They’ve been dancing (literally) along the border for quite some time, and Feels was certainly a huge leap in the right direction, but now they’ve really done it. For Reverend Green in the clean up position shows just what power pop truly means. Or should truly mean. It’s anger, it’s passion, it’s genuine unabated emotion, but it’s so catchy. And running in succession with Fireworks and all of it’s humble glory qualifies this album as top ten alone. Look out, future.
6. Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Animal Collective, however, was not the only band to take hold of their sound this year. Spoon has added another album to it’s growing repertoire of characteristically unapproachable, yet universally unforgettable sound. The Underdog is the official marker of the full circle they’ve traveled since 96’s Mantra of the Middleman Telephono. Why else would they have re-released Telephono the same year? Since Telephono, Spoon has learned much in the studio. The Ghost of You Lingers is the proof. All the haunting intrigue of Paper Tigers with the masterful artistry of The Delicate Place. Spoon has made a definitive mark between carefree experimentation and overly articulated pop. “It may not be photo-op/In the way that [they] spell it out.” But it is worth a second look. And a third, etc.

Best of 2007: The Underdog

While you wait for the top ten. And you will. Here's my 2 disc best of 07 compilation. Only arranged for flow's sake, position is in no way indicative of ranking.

Disc One
1. Spoon’s “The Underdog” from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
2. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!’s “Some Loud Thunder” from album of the same name
3. Arctic Monkeys’ “Teddy Picker” from Favourite Worst Nightmare
4. Cloud Cult’s “Please Remain Calm” from The Meaning of 8
5. The Arcade Fire’s “Antichrist Television Blues” from Neon Bible
6. St. Vincent’s “Jesus Saves, I Spend” from Marry Me
7. The Shaky Hands’ “Whales Sing” from their self titled
8. Voxtrot’s “Kid Gloves” from their self titled
9. Wheat’s “Little White Dove” from Every Day I Said A Prayer For Kathy And Made A One Inch Square
10. Pinback’s “Good To Sea” from Autumn Of The Seraphs
11. Band of Horses’ “Lamb of the Lam (In The City)” Cease To Begin
12. Menomena’s “Muscle ‘n’ Flo” from Friend and Foe
13. Gruff Rhys’ “Candylion” from album of the same name
14. Shout Out Louds’ “Tonight I Have To Leave It” from Our Ill Wills
15. The New Pornographers’ “All The Old Showstoppers” from Challengers
16. Okkervil River’s “Unless It's Kicks” from The Stage Names
17. The White Stripes’ “You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)” from Icky Thump
18. White Rabbits’ “The Plot” from Fort Nightly
19. Hot Hot Heat’s “Harmonicas & Tambourines” from Happiness Ltd.
20. Of Montreal’s “Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse” from Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
21. Klaxons’ “It's Not Over Yet” from

Disc Two
1. Bark Bark Bark’s “Haunts” from album of the same name
2. Animal Collective’s “For Reverend Green” from Strawberry Jam
3. The Go! Team’s “Keys To The City” from Proof of Youth
4. Architecture In Helsinki’s “Heart It Races” from Places Like This
5. !!!’s “All My Heroes are Weirdoes” from Myth Takes
6. The Tough Alliance’s “First Class Riot” from A New Chance
7. Minus The Bear’s “Burying Luck” from Planet of Ice
8. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s “Weapon Of Choice” from Baby 81
9. Yeasayer’s “Sunrise” from All Hour Cymbals
10. RJD2’s “Beyond” from The Third Hand
11. Liars’ “Houseclouds” from their self titled
12. The Brunettes’ “Brunettes Against Bubblegum Youth” from Structure and Cosmetics
13. Red Sails’ “Empty Jelly Jars” from their debut EP (woot)
14. Bright Eyes’ “Four Winds” from Cassadaga
15. Hail Social’s “Heaven” from Modern Love & Death
16. Wilco’s “Hate It Here” from Sky Blue Sky
17. The Shins’ “Sleeping Lessons” from Wincing The Night Away
18. The Good Life’s “A Little Bit More” from Help Wanted Nights
19. Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew’s “Big Love” from Spirit If...
20. YACHT’s “I Believe In You” from I Believe In You. Your Magic Is Real.

Numbers 15-11

15. The Shaky Hands' Self Titled
Well the indie folk will get me every time. That’s just a fact. But man, the first time I listened to this album I was really enthralled. It’s so accessible and so catchy. It’s everything that’s good about pop music. Delffs’ earnest delivery really makes you believe in the power of love and if that doesn’t get you, the jangle surely will. This is what you’re supposed to do on a self titled album. This is what these guys are all about. I’m convinced.
14. YACHT's I Believe in You. Your Magic is Real.
Man, oh man, who says dance music can’t be sincere? To make a confession, I actually thought LCD Soundsystem’s latest was from late last year until I looked at Pitchfork’s best of ‘07. But honestly? I’m not sure YACHT isn’t just better anyway. I stand by my ignorance. If it’s a beat contest, maybe LCD has a slight edge, but YACHT for sure gets the lyrical edge. His songs are so effervescent it hurts. His endearing candor stands in stark contrast with LCD’s pretentious affectation. Not that the pretension isn’t often hilarious.
13. Gruff Rhys' Candylion
The cover tells you everything you need to know about this album. It’s so frank and whimsical. Gruff made the Super Furry Animals famous for their playful beats and lyrical gyrations. Candylion is everything I love about SFA in a vulnerable uncharacteristically unostentatious light. With nothing to hide behind, Gruff’s anything but gruff voice really takes on it’s own identity. The proof of that, of course, is Skylon! It’s just a fourteen minute long story in near monotone with very little musical intrigue (comparatively). And it’s awesome. Gruff, I honestly never knew you cared.
12. Wheat's Every Day I Said a Prayer For Kathy and Made a One Inch Square
This album is brilliant. They avoid structure in every sense, and somehow make some of the catchiest songs I’ve heard all year. Musically, they’re building out, not up. There’s no pay-off, no (seemingly) inevitable capitulation to the friendly confines of pop ditties. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Instead, there are lyrical rounds, aimless crescendos, compounding, yet fleeting rhythms, and some of the most inspired vocals I’ve ever heard. What it lacks in accessibility, it makes up for in provocative ingenuity.
11. The Good Life's Help Wanted Nights
Kasher’s strength has always been his ability to highlight the frivolity of relationships, all the feelings involved, and the relentless nostalgia of it all. He does so sometimes sarcastically, but always poignantly and truthfully. He tells long playing stories that dramatically and enthusiastically go nowhere. With a startlingly confident stride towards country (certainly when you consider his Cursive roots), Kasher really indulges in his truest love, word play. From the clever, “I love your suffering/Like gravity loves a stumbling drunk”; to the hopeless, “But c’mon, we’ve all had our stumbles/And some nights it almost feels like love” to the sassy, “Your lover's up doing God only knows. . . who . . .” As long as he’s still singing, I’m still listening.

Numbers 20-16

20. Hot Hot Heat's Happiness Ltd.
I’m still not sure yet, but this may be their best effort. I always tend to like a band’s newest album the best if it’s even close to as good as the other ones, but it does seem like this one landed a little further ahead. There are elements of maturity here that weren’t present on the first two. And I’m not just saying that because this is the first time they’ve limited their happiness in any way. It did seem to be a jaded year in music, but I guess seven years of Bush could do that to anybody. Sure did it to The Arcade Fire, and they’re not even from this country. But it’s not just a jaded maturity, tracks like Harmonicas & Tambourines and So, So Cold have really stepped up the par. It’s not just dance music anymore, these guys are really good.
19. The Cloud Cult's Meaning of 8
This album would have been higher had they just dropped a couple of tracks. It really started to drag about half way through, and it’s a shame because there’s some great stuff here. I mean, the first four tracks are just unstoppable. No one’s expecting them to keep up that sort of pace, but they almost lost me before the end. A Girl Underground and Alien Christ are the only ones that really stand out to me on the second half. Nevertheless, the good was good enough to earn them a place on the list.
18. Menomena's Friend and Foe
This is exactly the sort of emotion I look for in music. It’s deeper than just the vocals, all three of the guys in this band play all sorts of instruments and contribute lead and backing vocals alike. It’s really a group effort and you can feel that sort of homogeneity in their music. The first half is where the action is. The second half is nice, but not nice enough to land higher. I see big things for you though, boys. Three is the magic number.
17. Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew's Spirit If...
Well, I guess the difference here is it’s all Kevin, all the time. In effect, the music loses some of its mystery, but makes up for it in earnestness and intimacy. Now, a lot of times I’m confused when bands decide to come out with a self-titled album a few long plays into their discography. Like when Razorlight brands their second, clearly inferior release as what they’re all about, I guess. Or when Pearl Jam, after releasing several potential this-is-us albums comes out with possibly their last, and certainly not their best effort as their official mark. But with Broken Social Scene it made sense. Their self titled really felt like a finale to everything they’d been about in their first three albums. A bombastic summation of atmospheric energy. I guess The Big Bang would have been a good pick too. Now as an encore, the other 18 or whatever take a step back and let the spotlight fall on one. The result is an instantly endearing sure to be classic.
16. Yeasayer's All Hour Cymbals
This album really characterized the difference between atmosphere rock and chamber rock for me. It’s got all the great haunting qualities good atmosphere rock has, but it’s all in the foreground. What’s impressive (for one) is that it’s never overwhelming. These guys are among the vanguard of future rock along with bands like Animal Collective, Architecture in Helsinki and TV on the Radio. This album just has such raw tribal energy that is so rare in modern music. Even as I’m writing this I’m not sure I placed this high enough. Keep your eyes on these guys. That’s all I can say.

Numbers 25-21

25. Voxtrot's Self Titled
Yes, while very disappointing, it was a solid effort. It’s difficult as a young band to live up to the nothing short of daunting pressure these guys were under to knock one out of the park. Hell, I certainly had all my bets on ‘em. But realistically, just because you’ve written a bunch of totally sweet songs doesn’t mean you’ll just keep it up and even translate them to an album, no less. But forgetting everything I know about them, this is a nice listen.
24. St. Vincent's Marry Me
I’m sorry, I’ll admit this group would be much higher in the count down if there was a male vocalist. I can’t help it. I do really like her as far as female vocalists go for me, but I don’t know. The music is definitely above average and fits nicely behind Annie’s lead, but the sing a long factor is high with me. And if I don’t have it, it’s much harder for me to get into an album. An inconvenient truth, perhaps, but there you have it.
23. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!'s Some Loud Thunder
You know, a friend of mine who worked at a CD store told me that a lady returned SLT because she thought it was “messed up,” to which my snarky colleague replied, “no, that’s how it’s supposed to sound.” Feh. As stupid as that may be, the album, and band, are rather recognizable for their bare bones sound and their perfunctory swagger. I love it. They’re beyond hipsters. It’s a great album. Not as great as their first, but I’m not returning it. (Once I buy it, I mean.)
22. Minus the Bear's Planet of Ice
For a while I felt like I was the only one who liked these guys. Then I met someone who liked them even more than I did. I tell you, I’ve seen them live after each album was released. Back in ‘03 at a hole in the wall bar in Philly with maybe a dozen other people, in ‘06 at The Troc in Philly where they tore the roof off, and earlier this year in Buffalo where they were more electric than ever. It really just seems like they keep getting better. Highly Refined Pirates may still be my favorite album, but these guys are as good as they’ve ever been. And thank god they’re not doing the stupid track name thing anymore. Now they have funny ones like "Double Vision Quest". See, my theory was that in attempts to downplay themselves and elude fame, they purposefully handicapped themselves with ridiculous track names that nobody would ever want to admit that they’re listening to. “Hey man, this is a good song, what’s it called?” “Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!” It’s just awkward. And this is my theory because if you just forget all that nonsense and listen to the music, it’ll really blow you away. And I think they just want people to focus on that. Also, I’ve witnessed their imperturbable stoicism first hand. They mean business. I think the ideal format for this one is giant headphones in bed or a chair or somewhere you can just close your eyes and let go. It just doesn’t quite have the highs that HRP does.
21. The Shins' Wincing the Night Away
If The Shins released an album and it wasn’t somewhere in my top 25 for the year, then something would have had to gone horribly wrong. I will forever be in love James Mercer’s singing/songwriting. One would be hard-pressed to find a handful of people who were more in sync lyrically and melodically. That being said, it is rather tragic that they didn’t even crack the teens. They should have been Top 10. Top 10, I say!