And, thus, 2007 comes to a close. This was a fantastic year for music, with several of the best albums of the decade so far seeing their release. 2007 blows last year out of the water as far as I'm concerned, and it has made for many hours of happy listening. With this final feature, Under The Rotunda will be on break for two weeks until the new year rolls in. Well, a little bit after the new year rolls in -- I'll be back January 7th, to be exact. Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, enjoy Kwanzaa, etcetera etcetera. See you in 2008!
1. ST. VINCENT - MARRY ME
St. Vincent - Now Now (from Marry Me)
St. Vincent - Paris Is Burning (from Marry Me)
2. SPOON - GA GA GA GA GA
Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb (from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)
3. THE NATIONAL - BOXER
The National had me at 2005's Alligator. That album slowly crept it's way into my mind, eventually becoming my top album of the year and one of my all-time favorites. With this in mind, you can imagine the anticipation I had for their follow-up, Boxer. If you remember way back when the album leaked almost two months early, then you remember my joy upon first listen. After letting it settle in, this album is certainly more powerful than I thought it to be at first. Top notch production, gorgeous finger-picked guitar, excellent lyricism -- it's a fine piece of work.
The National - Fake Empire (from Boxer)
The National - Start A War (from Boxer)
4. RADIOHEAD - IN RAINBOWS
Radiohead - Videotape (from In Rainbows)
5. WILCO - SKY BLUE SKY
6. JOHN VANDERSLICE - EMERALD CITY
7. ANDREW BIRD - ARMCHAIR APOCRYPHA
Andrew Bird - Plasticites (from Armchair Apocrypha)
8. STARS - IN OUR BEDROOM AFTER THE WAR
Stars - My Favourite Book (from In Our Bedroom After The War)
9. SONDRE LERCHE - PHANTOM PUNCH
Sondre Lerche - Airport Taxi Reception (from Phantom Punch)
10. KINGS OF LEON - BECAUSE OF THE TIMES
From a post a few weeks ago: I wrote off Kings Of Leon a long time ago. I didn't like their first album. I didn't like their second album. So by the time their third, Because Of The Times, came out last April, I didn't even bother to check it out. Well, it's a shame I didn't -- until recently, that is -- because it's a pretty fine album. I'm not sure what happened, but this is a completely different band than we last heard from. This isn't weak Southern rock with lame riffs anymore; it's groovy rock with a tight band sound and great high guitar fills.
Kings Of Leon - Knocked Up (from Because Of The Times)
11. OF MONTREAL - HISSING FAUNA, ARE YOU THE DESTROYER?
Kevin Barnes' continues to establish himself as a prolific songwriter with yet another -- I've lost count -- excellent record. This album contains some of his more emotional work, said to be recorded while he was at the height of depression. Included is the nearly twelve minute long "The Past Is A Grotesque Animal," which features some excellent psychedelic rock grooving and emotion-tinged lyrically delivery. The album as a whole continues to show Barnes' disco influences, but not in a bad way.
Of Montreal - Cato As A Pun (from Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?)
12. THE ARCADE FIRE - NEON BIBLE
The Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage (from Neon Bible)
13. CARIBOU - ANDORRA
Caribou - She's The One (from Andorra)
14. KEVIN DREW - SPIRIT IF...
This album is a little bit less focused than previous Broken Social Scene efforts, but Broken Social Scene have never been a very focused band. Kevin Drew's "solo" effort features some great songwriting, wonderful musical textures, and possibly my favorite lyric from this year, "you are too beautiful to fuck."
Kevin Drew - Tbtf (from Spirit If...)
15. KEREN ANN - KEREN ANN
Keren Ann - It Ain't No Crime (from Keren Ann)
16. ROGUE WAVE - ASLEEP AT HEAVEN'S GATE
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan (from Asleep At Heaven's Gate)
17. EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA - WE ARE ALL FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE
Exploding Star Orchestra - String Ray And The Beginning Of Time Part I (from We Are All From Somewhere Else)
18. IMPERIAL TEEN - THE HAIR, THE TV, THE BABY & THE BAND
Imperial Teen were very bad live when I saw them October. All of the wonderful subtle nuances of this album were gone, and it became very clear that the folks in this band are not really musicians. Nevertheless, this is a great album. There are some wonderful textures and pop grooves, and it's an undeniably fun album to listen through to.
Imperial Teen - Shim Sham (from The Hair, The TV, The Baby & The Band)
19. BLONDE REDHEAD - 23
Blonde Redhead - 23 (from 23)
20. THE POLYPHONIC SPREE - THE FRAGILE ARMY
The Polyphonic Spree - Running Away (from The Fragile Army)
21. BUSDRIVER - ROADKILLOVERCOAT
Busdriver - Pompous Posies! Your Party's No Fun (from Roadkillovercoat)
22. VOXTROT - VOXTROT
Voxtrot - Kid Gloves (from Voxtrot)
23. PRIESTBIRD - IN YOUR TIME
Priestbird - Life Not Lost (from In Your Time)
24. THE BRUNETTES - STRUCTURE & COSMETICS
The Brunettes returned this year with another record full of bubblegum pop at it's finest. The male/female trade-off vocals have never been more key, and the band weaves through some tight pop grooves throughout this short blast of fun energy.
The Brunettes - Her Hairagami Set (from Structure & Cosmetics)
25. NEDELLE - THE LOCKSMITH COMETH
Nedelle - Ghost Ships (from The Locksmith Cometh)
1. ST. VINCENT - MARRY MEWhen I first heard this album over the summer, I freaked out. I became infatuated with the exquisite songwriting and the immense, full textures of the recording. This album is perfect for me. Excellent use of jazzy chords, a vast array of instrumentation, stellar guitar playing, beautiful vocals, clever and witty wordplay (such as "Your skin's so fair, it's not fair," or "While Jesus is saving, I'm spending all my days...", or "I'm not Annie, Annie, Annie, anything"), dissonance in all the right places, and incredibly captivating songwriting. And, in the special bonus category, Annie Clark (i.e. St. Vincent) went to Berklee. Which means if I had been born 4 years earlier, I might have been chilling out or playing with Annie. Interesting thought. Regardless of her schooling, Marry Me is a masterpiece, and it's sure to remain one of my all-time favorites in the future.
St. Vincent - Paris Is Burning (from Marry Me)
2. SPOON - GA GA GA GA GAFollowing 2005's excellent Gimme Fiction, Spoon return with their best album to date. These songs are their most captivating yet, and the album as a whole is a fine piece of work. Great production with horns sounding mighty fine and the handclaps sounding crisp. And "Don't Make Me A Target" is quite possibly the best song they have ever written.
Spoon - Don't Make Me A Target (from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb (from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)
3. THE NATIONAL - BOXERThe National - Fake Empire (from Boxer)
The National - Start A War (from Boxer)
4. RADIOHEAD - IN RAINBOWSAh, yes, Radiohead, the critical darlings. Well, I hate to fit the music critic mold, but they do have a way of making incredibly creative and innovative records. And In Rainbows is no exception. Interestingly enough, I got much more into the album after I heard the second disc, which I found to be essential. These songs are a wonderful mix of how weird Radiohead can be and how accessible Radiohead can be -- and when those two meet in the middle, it makes for a great record.
Radiohead - Down Is The New Up (from In Rainbows)Radiohead - Videotape (from In Rainbows)
5. WILCO - SKY BLUE SKYIt seems that many Wilco fans are not as happy with Sky Blue Sky as they are with Wilco's older work. For me, though, Sky Blue Sky is a great record. I'm all about the wonderful musical breaks highlighted on this record, especially those featuring guitarist Nels Cline. Nels has been playing with Wilco live for awhile now, but this is the first studio record to include him. And he adds quite a bit to the band's sound with his ripping guitar solos. This must have given Jeff Tweedy some freedom on songwriting. "Alright, I think I'm done with lyrics for this song. Nels, you solo for two minutes and then we'll have a full song."
Wilco - Walken (from Sky Blue Sky)
Wilco - Impossible Germany (from Sky Blue Sky)
Wilco - Walken (from Sky Blue Sky)
Wilco - Impossible Germany (from Sky Blue Sky)
6. JOHN VANDERSLICE - EMERALD CITYI was a latecomer to the John Vanderslice wagon, but I'm glad I finally got on. With Emerald City, Vanderslice solidified his craft and brought his songwriting to a new level. These songs feature him at his creative peak, in my opinion. There is a wonderful level of emotion throughout the album, with lyrics that always seem sincere. That's the beauty of a great songwriter: even when he touches on topics often deemed "cheesy", he manages to retain a level of honesty and sincerity.
John Vanderslice - The Minaret (from Emerald City)
John Vanderslice - The Minaret (from Emerald City)
7. ANDREW BIRD - ARMCHAIR APOCRYPHAAndrew Bird has returned with one of his best albums to date, if not the best. These songs maintain everything that has brought me to love him in the past: beautiful violin playing, raw energy, nice beats (courtesy of band member Martin Dosh), and wonderful layers of sound. Andrew Bird continues to be one of my favorite artists, and Armchair Apocrypha has only solidified his status.
Andrew Bird - Plasticites (from Armchair Apocrypha)
8. STARS - IN OUR BEDROOM AFTER THE WARWhile many of my colleagues disagree with my inclusion of In Our Bedroom After The War, I believe it is a strong pop record. Yes, they're singing about relationships on pretty much every song. Yes, it's true they're not breaking any musical boundaries. Yes, this record is nowhere near the level Set Yourself On Fire set -- but that record was a masterpiece, and it'd be pretty hard to maintain that standard. This is still a wonderful pop record, and I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to it this year.
Stars - My Favourite Book (from In Our Bedroom After The War)
9. SONDRE LERCHE - PHANTOM PUNCHSondre Lerche, who has been one of my favorite artists for a few years, released a straight traditional jazz album last year, Duper Sessions. This year, he released an album that is in a dramatically different style. This one's more straight-up rock. And I do believe he recorded both albums at the same time, which is an interesting gear-shift in styles. While Phantom Punch does not match the level of Sondre's first two folk/rock albums, it does contain some of his best songs, including opener "Airport Taxi Reception".
Sondre Lerche - Airport Taxi Reception (from Phantom Punch)
10. KINGS OF LEON - BECAUSE OF THE TIMESKings Of Leon - Knocked Up (from Because Of The Times)
11. OF MONTREAL - HISSING FAUNA, ARE YOU THE DESTROYER?Of Montreal - Cato As A Pun (from Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?)
12. THE ARCADE FIRE - NEON BIBLEIt'd be pretty hard to follow up Funeral, The Arcade Fire's phenomenal 2004 album. But they managed to do so with another record that ain't too bad. It's not at the level of Funeral, but it does feature many breathtaking moments of energy, emotion, and dynamic growth.
The Arcade Fire - My Body Is A Cage (from Neon Bible)
13. CARIBOU - ANDORRAThis was a sleeper record for me. I didn't give it much of a thought at first glance, but it was brought back to my attention serendipitously. I went to see Born Ruffians at the Middle East Up, who were opening up for Caribou. Even though I didn't know Caribou too much, I thought I might as well stick around -- good choice. The band blew me away live, with an amazing sound texture and awesome drumming. After this experience, I checked out Andorra again, and I was thrilled this time. This album is full of 60s-esque melodious pop, but it's also full of contemporary electronic music. This mix makes for a very interesting and captivating sound, and I highly recommended checking it out. And if you need a second-chance-listen, like I did, listen on headphones, and the music will really pop.
Caribou - She's The One (from Andorra)
14. KEVIN DREW - SPIRIT IF...Kevin Drew - Tbtf (from Spirit If...)
15. KEREN ANN - KEREN ANNI've been enjoying Keren Ann for a while now, and her latest record is no exception to the wonderful work she has done in the past. It features several songs that remain in the vein of her folky, melodious charm, but it also features an excellent foray into a more rocking sound, showcased on "It Ain't No Crime". Based on this record, I'm pretty sure that no matter what direction she goes from here, I'll still be a fan.
Keren Ann - It Ain't No Crime (from Keren Ann)
16. ROGUE WAVE - ASLEEP AT HEAVEN'S GATERogue Wave have steadily improved their sound and their cohesiveness on each successive record, and Asleep At Heaven's Gate is their best work yet. It features perhaps their best song to date, "Lake Michigan", and also includes many other wonderful displays of songwriting.
Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan (from Asleep At Heaven's Gate)
17. EXPLODING STAR ORCHESTRA - WE ARE ALL FROM SOMEWHERE ELSEYes, this album is experimental jazz, but that's no reason to not include it on my mostly indie year end list. It's a pretty bonkers record -- the sound on here is enormously immense, featuring an huge jazz orchestra. And the parts they play are all over the place, making it a very sonically entertaining album.
Exploding Star Orchestra - String Ray And The Beginning Of Time Part I (from We Are All From Somewhere Else)
18. IMPERIAL TEEN - THE HAIR, THE TV, THE BABY & THE BANDImperial Teen - Shim Sham (from The Hair, The TV, The Baby & The Band)
19. BLONDE REDHEAD - 23This might not be Blonde Redhead's best work, but it does contain some wonderful experimental songs. They seem to have grown into more of an effect-heavy, texture-heavy band, but the sound suits them just fine on 23.
Blonde Redhead - 23 (from 23)
20. THE POLYPHONIC SPREE - THE FRAGILE ARMYThe Polyphonic Spree have released another album full of raucous energy and filled with happiness. The songs on The Fragile Army rise to the bar set by their earlier records, although it is also just as inconsistent as their earlier records. Eh, what can you do. It's still a fun listen.
The Polyphonic Spree - Running Away (from The Fragile Army)
21. BUSDRIVER - ROADKILLOVERCOATBusdriver's latest, Roadkillovercoat, is certainly more commercial than his previous records. The production is much more geared towards the mainstream rap genre, and a few of the songs are lost due to said production values. But Busdriver is still spitting fire, and his rhymes are just as intelligent and focused as ever.
Busdriver - Pompous Posies! Your Party's No Fun (from Roadkillovercoat)
22. VOXTROT - VOXTROTUpon first glance, I didn't think anything of this record. Natch, I listen to it three times, and I still didn't think anything of it. It took a live show to get me into the record, but once I saw them perform the songs with such energy, I thought I'd give it another chance. This time, the album finally clicked for me. The textures are nowhere near as complex as things were on their earlier EPs, but the record is still great.
Voxtrot - Kid Gloves (from Voxtrot)
23. PRIESTBIRD - IN YOUR TIMETarantula A.D. blew me away with a live show a few years ago, and I've been a fan ever since. Now, they have changed their name to Priestbird, but the band features the exact same lineup. Their sounds changes a little bit on this record, including more vocal lines than they ever have had in the past. But it works out just fine. I still find myself rocking out to their music, and I still enjoy their heavy riffs. And that's saying something, coming from my musical tastes.
Priestbird - Life Not Lost (from In Your Time)
24. THE BRUNETTES - STRUCTURE & COSMETICSThe Brunettes - Her Hairagami Set (from Structure & Cosmetics)
25. NEDELLE - THE LOCKSMITH COMETHI've been a Nedelle fan ever since I saw her open for Deerhoof in 2005, and I was excited to hear her latest work when it came out this year. This album hears Nedelle's sound growing more content with itself, settling into a more standard chordal approach to songwriting, as opposed to her jazz (Republic Of Two) and jagged-indie-rock (From The Lion's Mouth) influenced records of the past.
Nedelle - Ghost Ships (from The Locksmith Cometh)
Hey mate, great post. Must've taken you a while. Love a couple of your choices especially Stars and Andrew Bird. Seasons Greetings from Perth, Australia.
Benjimite
http://high-lighter.blogspot.com/
Good post! I agree.
Great post. Thank you.
Over all an excellent list. However, I was surprised that you left Cassadaga and Living With The Living totally off the list. Still, an excellent list.
Great list, and great blog. I'd put Arcade Fire higher, but overall I agree.
Good job!
I'm curious, why didn't challengers make your almighty list? I thought it was at least better than new voxtrot.
(Nine months later...) Because, Sara, Keith doesn't like The New Pornographers. He also doesn't like happiness, ice cream or flags.