Inessentials

Okay, so it’s March already, and I’m just now finding time to post about my favorite 2007 albums - about four months too late. So sue me. It’s spring break, and I’ve just now got the time. I’ve listed a lot of albums, so read as much as you’re interested in.

Top Tier – Go Buy These Right Now

(1) Boxer, The National

Beautifully crafted sonic atmospheres create spaces for reflection, regret, and recommitment. The lyrics are strong, walking the delicate line of alliteration, while the melodies sneak up on you and stay stuck in your. There is no bad song on this album. Simply wonderful.

(2) Challengers, The New Pornographers

This is how you build an album. The song order is perfect, squeezing the most out of each moment. A lot less pop than their previous efforts, these songs meander at their own pace to places both common and profound. Except for the weak final track, this is simply great songwriting.

(3) Neon Bible, Arcade Fire

A less personal, more political follow-up to their acclaimed debut. The sound is exquisitely muddied as the band crams in as many instruments as fit into their recording studio/church. A rich blend of spiritual, political, and topical themes are buttressed by claustrophobic, exhausting instrumentation. “Antichrist Television Blues” is the most forceful statement of the band’s themes and sounds to date.

(4) The Broken String, Bishop Allen

Matthew Sweet’s playful lyricism joined with Sufjan Stevens’ playful orchestral pop. Not as good as either of these at their best, but a wonderful indie pop album.

(5) America, Romantica

A local Minnesota act that draws on the best of the new wave of rootsy alt-country and traditional folk music. It’s singer-songwriter music for those who find the genre boring. Lyrical complexity enhanced by smooth crooning and precise guitar playing.

(6) Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destoyer?, Of Montreal

Heady, noisy, art-pop that delicately blend lyrics of dread and loneliness with party music. Some of the most complex pop music being written today.

(7) La Radiolina, Manu Chao

Political, world-spanning, genre-hopping album with plenty of punk, Afro-Cuban, and reggae influences blended together in a frenetic 21-track opus that doubles back on itself, repeating guitar riffs and ideas without falling into the trap of a “concept” album. Seven tracks shorter, and this would have challenged for album of the year.

(8) The Trumpet Child, Over the Rhine

Nobody blends American musical traditions – jazz, folk, country, blues, gospel – better than Over the Rhine. At first I was disappointed that the melancholia of Drunkard’s Prayer was gone, but this experiment in joy really grew on me. Here are some great songs that stand well on their own, but not an especially cohesive album.

(9) Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon

Spoon continues their recent trend toward stripped down production and shoving more intriguing guitar riffs into an album than most bands muster in their career. “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case” is great, but nothing on par with “The Way We Get By.” Still, a very good listen.

(10) The Reminder, Feist

A vocalist who is all about the melodies, but I would like to see more structure to these songs. A great singer-songwriter with pop chops, who could use a great backing band.

EP of the Year

The Wizard of Ahhs, Black Kids

Incredibly fun. I can’t wait for a full album.

Second Tier – Good, Not Great

The Bird of Music, Au Revior Simone

Synth-pop that David Lynch loves.

Cease to Begin, Band of Horses

A lot of nice melodies, but not enough of what made Everything All the Time one of the best of 2006.

The Flying Club Cup, Beirut

French drinking songs for fans of Devotchka.

The Undisputed Truth, Brother Ali

The best Muslim albino African-American rapper from Minnesota you will ever hear.

Widow City, The Fiery Furnaces

So complex, so fascinating, so good.

Proof of Youth, The Go! Team

Their sloppy playing only adds to the energetic, marching-band nostalgia.

The Shepherd’s Dog, Iron & Wine

More rhymically interesting than Sam Beam’s previous work, with a few wonderful moments.

Heaven, Mobius Band

If you like some sugar in your indie rock cereal, Heaven’s a great place to be.

Person Pitch, Panda Bear

Like Brian Wilson playing around in the studio before the Pet Sound sessions.

Under the Blacklight, Rilo Kiley

The common comparison is to Fleetwood Mac, but I hear a lot of Blondie in Rilo Kiley’s aspirations to time-stamped pop music.

Raising Sand, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss

Two vocalists of different genres honor the music they love.

Leaves in the River, Sea Wolf

Moody, dark, occasionally overwrought. A nice debut.

Wincing the Night Away, The Shins

A couple killer songs, but too much like everything else they’ve done.

Never Hear the End of It, Sloan

A great way to bridge the gap from classic rock to indie rock.

Third Tier – A Few Hits, Lots of Misses (I Tell You the Hits)

Places Like This, Architecture in Helsinki

“Heart It Races,” “Same Old Innocence”

Wild Mountain Nation, Blitzen Trapper

“Country Caravan,” “Wild Mountain Nation,” “Summer Town”

23, Blond Redhead

“23,” “Silently”

I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On, The Broken West

“Down in the Valley,” “So It Goes,” “Slow”

The Fight of My Life, Kirk Franklin

“I Am God,” “Jesus”

The Redwalls, The Redwalls

“Summer Romance,” “Each and Every Night,” “Modern Diet”

In Our Bedroom After the War, Stars

“Bitches in Tokyo,” “Window Bird,” “Midnight Coward”

Icky Thump, The White Stripes

“Rag & Bone,” “Icky Thump”