2007 Roundup: Greg’s Favorite Nine of the Year

My top nine albums/music of the year. I would have picked ten, but most everything else was background noise and singles to me in comparison to the following. Any year that Radiohead puts out an album is a great year in music, in my opinion, but there was a ton of great music to flesh out the year. And we also saw the cracks appear in the RIAA, with the demise of DRM coming our way. Cheers to 2007!

1/2/3:
Radiohead, In Rainbows: Despite all the business shiite surrounding this album, there is no denying that the music is absolutely supurb with several moments of perfection. Lots and lots and lots of Thom Yorke falsetto on display here, with plenty of the classic Radiohead organic electro pulses and textures that we love. If you haven’t checked them out, take a peek at the webcast concerts Radiohead did from their studio shortly after the album was released. Not only are the performances great, but the videos have a strange way of humanizing the band and contributing to their mystery at the same time.

Andrew Bird, Armchair Apocrypha: Listenable, fun, completely unique, and with perhaps the best lyrics of anyone right now. Is he a gimmick? No more so than any other indie artist out there these days, in my opinion. And unlike mosts of the artists even on this list (with the exception of FOC), his lyrics are inventive and memorable. His live show was a lush mashing solo just-in-time loops that I loved every second of. He’s the hardest working artist that I saw the entire year

Arcade Fire, Neon Bible: Intense album full of rich, lush layers that kept me entertained all year long. Energetic beyond belief live. When I first heard the leaked track containing a powerful organ WAY to high in the mix, I was concerned this was going to be a bad effort, but I loved this album more than Funeral. The show at Starlight was quite possibly the loudest concert I have ever been to, mostly due to LCD Soundsystem, but it was incredible!

4: Flight of the Conchords, music from the show: Reliving lyrics and moments from this show proviided an endless source of good times for me this year. I still randomly get “Brown Paper, White Paper, Stick it together with the tape, the tape of love….” stuck in my head on a weekly basis. Part time Model, Business Time. Not only is it fucking hilarious, but also made me realize how truly strange David Bowie and Serge Gainsbourg were. Not to mention Mel.

5: Peter Bjorn & John, Writer’s Block: Already sounding a bit tired, and used in too many adverts, but it was one of my favorites. Objects of My Affection, Start to Melt, Young Folks, Amsterdam, Roll the Credits, were all on my most played list all year.

6: The Frames, The Cost: I think this is technically a 2006 album, but I discovered it this year with everyone else who saw Once. Nothing really groundbreaking, but great songs with an incredibly powerful, if not sometimes too powerful, lead singer. Occasionally I wince with sentimentality, but this album is perfect when I’m in the mood for it.

7: Shins, Wincing the Night Away: A few great songs on this album, and the album that really got me hooked on the Shins. I never quite understood why everyone loved these guys so much, but after seeing live at a two night stint in Lawrence, listening to the new album over and over, I came to appreciate the older albums as well. An acquired taste for me, but one of best bands out there right now.

8: Jose Gonzalez, In Our Nature: I discovered this great singer-songwriter through the All-Songs live show podcast and was sucked in by his nylon guitar layers and ultra-mellow voice. This is great late night music, and his cover of Teardrop made me rediscover my high school love of Massive Attack.

9: Dan Deacon, music from his MySpace page and Youtube: I never managed to listen to his full album, despite it residing on his ipod, but there were a few weeks where I returned daily to his Youtube and MySpace content. I’m not sure what to think of this guy, but his songs are incredibly strange and enjoyable.