1. Boxer by The National
This album is a triumph on so many levels. Not only does it demonstrate a great and ever growing songwriting talent in Matt Berninger, but each song is the work of a band on top of their game in every respect. These are songs that get stuck in your head, drum fills that crack the air and melodies that bring a glow to your day despite its dark and brooding atmosphere; a shiver of the 21st century shooting down your spine. It’s a very personal record, lacking the production polish we’ve heard on so many modern records, but all the better for it. It is that anachronous thing – an analogue recording in a digital world, with all the associated warmth. There is a distinct feeling of frayed edges to it that make it all the more personal and when Matt says "You know I dreamed about you for twenty-nine years before I saw you" over the haunting piano line on Slow Show it’s all you can do but avoid breaking down right there and then. This is the album of the year, a moment of musical magic outside of time and space that is unrivalled by anything else in this list.
2. Friend and Foe by Menomena
Barsuk Records have found themselves another winner in Menomena. Their experimental folk-tinged indie rock is at once fresh and engaging. It is an album that benefits from multiple listens and one which, although I bought it back in March time, didn’t really start getting listened to properly until the early Autumn. Maybe it just needs the shorter days and the colder weather to be appreciated properly. Whatever it is, it has now firmly become a favourite of mine with great moments throughout. It includes brilliant lyrics and melodies and that crazy interactive cover which kept me entertained for a whole 2 minutes when it first arrived!
3. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
I never thought I’d be glad that The Smiths refused to reunite until the dynamite that Johnny Marr lit under Modest Mouse exploded releasing the band’s latest album. With their usual broad and eclectic range of styles becoming ever more refined, even compared to Good News for People Who Love Bad News, and the unashamedly joyful contributions from Marr, it is both brilliant to dip into, but also to listen to as a whole. The guitar line as the chorus of Florida kicks in makes me smile every single time I hear it.
4. The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse by The Besnard Lakes
There is something of the epic in this dark and brooding debut from Candian based Besnard Lakes. They blend downbeat indie with post-rock, the boy-girl lead vocals taking you ever further into the dark labyrinthine passages of their seemingly tormented souls. That isn’t to say it is a complete downer – the intricacies of the music more than make up for its gloomy atmospherics with a brilliant attention to detail. Each composition really has time to breathe with tracks clocking in upwards of 8 minutes without ever feeling like a moment of your time has been wasted.
5. Control by GoodBooks
In a somewhat dismal year for British music (though I’m sure the slightly younger crowd will disagree and the efforts by Idlewild, Indigo Moss and Fields certainly weren’t bad) this was by far and away the freshest sounding British album of the year, and even they will readily tip their heads to the great bands of the 80s who have so influenced their work. It’s intelligent pop music and because of this got largely shunned by the music press. For those prepared to give them a shot it is an album awash with singles, from the First World War inspired brilliance of Passchendaele through to the heartbreak of Leni its all about sing aloud choruses, brash synthesisers and a finished product that glows with the exuberance of a great debut.
6. Night Falls Over Kortedala by Jens Lekman
I only heard this for the first time about a month ago but it felt already then like an instant classic, a album completely out of step with 2007 and yet seemingly now an essential part of it. It might be hard to imagine the hard life in modern day Sweden but Lekman’s bold, beautifully textured arrangements allow him to weave stories from his neighbourhood. His stories of love and life and loss are delivered with wit, with feeling and with a wryness that defeats those accusing him of being saccharine or camp. It’s a record you wish you could fall in love with someone over.
7. Cease to Begin by Band of Horses
As early tracks appeared on the web it was clear that this album was a step up from their debut. Navigating the perilous waters between indie and Americana, Band of Horses, have turned out a stunning selection of songs, clocking in at only 35 minutes with one sub-minute instrumental track that arguably could have been dropped. With The Shin’s and Modest Mouse’s producer Phil Ek on board you can be sure this is one of the better produced albums of this year, although it is also the songwriting of Ben Bridwell and not just the exemplary musicianship that makes this one of the great all round records of 2007.
8. Cassadaga by Bright Eyes
Another interactive cover, but definitely no gimmick’s to be found on this, Conor Oberst’s most complete and rounded record. With the exclusion of the very first track which does irritate me slightly this is a profound and moving record, reaping the rewards of high profile collaborations with darlings from the alt.country scene. His songwriting is as ever first class and the band yet again show their talent for sublime, simple arrangements that sweep you away no matter where you hear it.
9. In Rainbows by Radiohead
Forget about the "name your price" marketing strategy, at the end of the day this was a great new Radiohead record, taking themselves back towards the giddy heights of Ok Computer and the time they ruled the world. Still throwing about the electronics ticks and whirs of their latter efforts they seem to have at last found a happy medium whereby Tom Yorke’s vocals and the brilliance of the band can work together, creating "music" as we know and love it again. It’s quiet, somber and brilliant.
10. Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? by of Montreal
of Montreal, from Athens, Georgia are definitely deserving of being added to the dictionary definition of “eclectic”. Peddling a sound of the fantastic, laced with soul, glam, funk and robotic synths, this is amazingly a break-up album. It’s strange stuff, but has become a bit of a guilty pleasure and definitely provides one of the more unique listening experiences of the year.
And those who nearly made it: LCD Soundsystem, Caribou, Deerhoof, Beirut, Spoon, The Field, The Kissaway Trail, Wilco, Laura Veirs, Architecture In Helsinki, The Shins, Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene Presents), Stars, Fields, Idlewild, Indigo Moss, Malcolm Middleton, Tinariwen, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Okkervil River, Minus The Bear, Feist.
Wow, 2007 was a great year.
