Top Albums of 2007

I’ve been meaning to finish this article for, oh... about two months now. But they say better late than never and I’m sure when you see my picks for the best albums of 2007, you’ll agree.

First of all, I should explain my musical evolution throughout 2007. My musical collection is very diverse, with artists ranging from 3 Inches of Blood to Bob Dylan; from Joanna Newsom to Michael Jackson. But in 2007, the Indie scene really exploded and so did my appreciation for it. Meanwhile, all the genres I consider to be “alt rock” were coming up stale and generic, with the notable exception of the rise of prog rock/metal, math rock/metal, and other more experimental genres. In the hopes of covering all the bases, I’ve included a top 10 as well as a “Best of” for a couple genres, although I did group some disciplines together to avoid the inevitable genre arguments.

Top 10 of 2007

10. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible



9. Bright Eyes – Cassadaga



8. Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog



7. Daft Punk – Alive 2007



6. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga



5. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver



4. Radiohead – In Rainbows



3. The National – Boxer



2. Feist – The Reminder

I couldn’t even deny the magic of this album if I tried. Feist is a bit of an indie microchasm. Almost every household in North America has heard a Feist song and has probably enjoyed it. Leslie Feists songs have been driving success behind many commercials and she has enjoyed great popularity in the indie crowd. And yet…how many people have a clue of who Feist is? The Reminder is certainly Feist’s best offering yet and demonstrates an impressive diversity, at times reaching unparalleled catchy pop and then falling back to her soulful indie routes. The Reminder demonstrates the power of one of the leading female vocalists today.


1. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

Simply awesome. Hissing Fauna takes depression (and the discussion of it) to new levels, pairing it with seemingly incongruent catchy indie-pop-rock. If it weren’t for the layers of, dare I say, danceable melodies, this would be one of the most depressing albums of the year. But its progressive balance of good and evil makes this not only the pinnacle album from Of Montreal, but the pinnacle album of 2007.



Best of Rap: Jay-Z – American Gangster

In one of the most abused genres in history, Jay-Z manages to push ahead with an album that isn’t ho-hum and isn’t targeted at Soulja-boy wannabes. Jay-Z is lyrically at or near the best he’s ever been. Where Kingdom Come utterly disappointed me, American Gangster left me impressed. Jay-Z refused to let iTunes sell his album as singles, citing his desire for people to hear the album as an entire piece of work and he’s bang-on there. As labels try to package the next rapper for a multi-platinum single, Jay-Z has brought something real and inspired to the table.



Honorable Mention: Kanye West – Graduation

Gotta say... this album would be infinitely better if it weren’t for the hype surrounding the album (and Kanye himself) prior to its release. This album will grow on you with successive listening, but doesn’t bring the lyrical presence you get from Jigga or the intoxicating beats from College Dropout or Late Registration. In a year of also-rans, Kanye almost gets second by default.



Best of Rock/Alt Rock: Against Me! – New Wave

Perhaps one of the most interesting albums of 2007. Panned by many dedicated fans for moving to a major label after years of anti-corporate sentiments, Against Me! brought one of the few really good punk albums of the year. It borders on pop mastery, showing strong influences from Tegan and Sara, but has an underlying power that reminds you of what Against Me! has been in the past.



Honorable Mention: Say Anything – In Defense of the Genre

Yes, I do consider emo to be a subset of Alt Rock. You don’t find this type of angst in the pop section, folks. But one of the most anticipated albums in the online community didn’t disappoint for me at all. Lyrically and musically, this album manages to be both diverse and consistently emotionally powerful. It’s packed full of guest spots from some of the top vocalists in the genre, but falls short on delivering that power. For the love of god... if you have Anthony Green doing vocals on a song, you had better let his unique talents shine through!



Honorable Mention 2: Between the Buried and Me – Colors

Undoubtedly the best metal album of the year. Colors is an epic convolution of progressive elements, monstrous metal, and melodic bliss. Colors has a way of saying “Hey, we’re metal, but we’re not too metal. We’re progressive but we’re not too progressive. We’re epic but we’re not campy.” It is an impressive blend, showcasing what can be done in the metal genre if you’re willing to break out of mind-numbing riffs, screams, and kick drums.


Be sure to let us know what your favorite albums of the year were. Maybe there’s an album or two you’re looking forward to this year as well.