Coming to you live from the middle of absolutely nowhere (and if you don’t believe me, have a look at the picture, which was taken right here in my current hometown)…it’s tradition! It’s required! It’s got 50% fewer calories than the leading brand! It’s Sam’s Top 10 Albums of 2007!
1. Ceremony - Disappear
Release date: October 15, 2007
Label: Safranin Sound and Design
Seeing as how it was released to almost zero fanfare on such a shoestring budget that you can only buy it in one of those slimline CD cases, it’s doubtful that very many people heard Disappear this year. Which is a shame, because this slice of shattered electro and aching shoegaze is transcendent in its despair, the single best thing I heard all year.
2. Crowded House - Time On Earth
Release date: July 10, 2007
Label: EMI/Parlophone
Bringing back together the surviving members of the seminal Kiwi/Aussie band took more than a decade, but the results were well worth the wait. As perfect a pop record as you’re likely to hear.
3. The Knife - Silent Shout [Deluxe Edition]
Release date: July 17, 2007
Label: Rabid/Mute
Partly this is penance for leaving the original version of this off my 2006 list. But the deluxe edition adds a truly brilliant live DVD to what is already one of the best electronic albums of the last few years, which is enough for me to stick it here this time around.
4. Eisley - Combinations
Release date: Aug. 14, 2007
Label: Reprise
Darker, denser, and better than their debut, Eisley’s second album is a showcase of precision-tuned harmonies and handcrafted arrangements. I liked Room Noises an awful lot, but I wasn’t expecting the follow-up to be this much of a leap forward.
5. The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army
Release date: June 19, 2007
Label: TVT
It takes a village to make a rock album, apparently, but it’s worth it if the album in question sounds this good.
6. Björk - Volta
Release date: May 8, 2007
Label: Atlantic
It’s still pretty darn weird, but Volta does a marvelous job of balancing Björk’s art-school eccentricity with pop music structures and clever production, making this probably her best work since Homogenic. Which is plenty good enough for me.
7. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Release date: Mar. 6, 2007
Label: Merge
How do you follow up one of the most critically acclaimed debuts of the decade? How about by making a second album that’s better?
8. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Release date: Mar. 20, 2007
Label: DFA
Even sleeker, cleaner, and shinier than before, Sound of Silver is James Murphy triple dog daring you not to dance. And if you can do it, you’re tougher than me, that’s all I can say.
9. Elijah Ebenezer Wyman - Butterfly Needles
Release date: Dec. 4, 2007
Label: Grinding Tapes
Wyman nearly died of kidney failure during the year, and Butterfly Needles is his attempt to turn the experience into catharsis. A complete about-face from 2006’s sonically detailed Why We Never Go Swimming and Other Short Stories, Butterfly Needles is a stark collection of lo-fi death rattles, a man and his guitar staring into the darkness. It’s not an easy listen, but it’s more than worthwhile.
10. Belanova - Fantasia Pop
Release date: Sep. 11, 2007
Label: Universal Latino
Mexico’s finest synth-pop trio put together another set of sexy, stylish tunes. Worth a listen even if you don’t speak Spanish.
3 Comments »
i see ceremony wormed it’s way to the top…as it well should! i need to compile mine and post it, as well.
i still havent listened to that ceremony album. i can see that i have to remedy that immediately.
nice list, by the way. i will be posting mine shortly.
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Comment by Amy — December 26, 2007 @ 11:38 am
Nice list!
Though I can’t seem to find Electrelane anywhere in it.
It was album of the year according to this blog.