Dec 28, 2007 - 04:06:01 CST
Lists are a personal expression of what we like, what we want, what we need. You make lists when you are in need of groceries. You make lists of personality flaws of all your friends and family. You rank your favorite colors when it's time to paint the dining room. Without our lists, there is only chaos and disorder.I will not stand for anarchy in my kingdom. As such, I present my list of the top 10 favorite albums for 2007.
10) Iron & Wine, "The Shepherd's Dog" Why is it that we can make baby blankets so incredibly soft, but adult blankets are kind of scratchy and rough, in comparison?Iron & Wine has always been a soft baby blanket, in a world full of scratchy adult blankets. On "The Shepherd's Dog," singer Sam Beam whispers you into a state of being as close to a coma as you can get without having to rent a room at the hospital, but this time it's bolstered by a backing sound so full and rich that you'll have to keep your eyes wide open.
9) Band of Horses, "Cease to Begin" I love "Cease to Begin" for three important reasons. First, beards are cool, and this is a beard-heavy band. Grow a beard. Second, "Is There A Ghost" is the catchiest song with only 14 words to its credit since Pearl Jam's "Smile," and it's comforting to know that I'm not the only one losing sleep over the possibility of ghosts in his house. Finally, they named a slow jam after former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Detlef Schrempf, and the song is just as soft and sweet as the Grand Teuton's touch from outside the three-point line.
8) The White Stripes, "Icky Thump" The Stripes were supposed to play a show in Fargo, but it got canceled. Taking away the bitter emptiness this disappointment has left me with, the band's latest album was anything but disappointing. It's as fun of a romp as any of the albums the band released in their first 10 years, and it proves that even the simplest of formulas can stay as fresh as a Twinkee, a decade later.
7)Bloc Party, "Weekend in the City" Call this one the after-party. After a truly staggering rookie release of high-octane, post-punk rock eruption on "Silent Alarm,"Bloc Party take it down a notch for their sophomore effort, "Weekend in the City." If their first album was a trip to the club, their newest follows you home, delving into your quiet, desparate moments away from the nightlife. It's a thoughtful release, and proof this band isn't content to hit the same note, over and over.
6) The Weakerthans, "Reunion Tour" Maybe it's my experiences as a new pet owner, but Iget a little misty-eyed during one moment of the song "Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure."The story of a cat who has run away, the song slowly builds to a wall of guitar and Virtute, the narrator, exclaiming she can no longer "remember the sound that you found for me." Gets me every time. Ijust want to hug my dog.
5) Shout Out Louds, "Our Ill Wills" Say what you will about Sweden (with their high taxes and doctrine of neutrality in wartime), but they sure can bend their heads around a decent pop tune. Like an ABBA for the indie set, the Shout Out Louds combine lyrics about being rejected by girls with sugary pop instrumentation. Nothing takes the sting out of love lost like a xylophone. The album's best moment is the song "Impossible,"is the finest tune that the Cure never wrote (and now, I'm sorry to say, it's too late to do so, Bobby Smith).
4) Kings of Leon, "Because of the Times" Read any press on these guys, and you'll know that three out of four members of this band were raised by a Southern preacher. And this album could pass as a religious experience. They bring the boogie when need be, then bay to the heavens, mournfully, when that mood strikes them. In terms of pure, raw rock expression, this album is probably the best example of the year for how rock 'n' roll should feel.
3) Spoon, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" The unconventional kings of indie rock and soul, Spoon just can't seem to do wrong in this world. There's not a sour note on this album with a ridiculous name. The horn section on "The Underdog" is the best use of brass on a pop single since Beyonce did it, but there's guitar on this, so you don't have to feel dirty for liking it. "My Little Japanese Cigarette Case" is the catchiest 18-word song since Band of Horses' "Is There A Ghost." And the echo-chamber rhythm of "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" stands at the peak of an album that never fails to make me flinch with pangs of delight.
2) Radiohead, "In Rainbows" Ifeel a little bit guilty for only ranking this album at the No. 2 spot. Yes, the album was officially released on the Internet long before it will actually hit stores. Yes, fans could choose how much they wanted to pay (or not pay, which I'm sure most of us did) for the right to acquire the music. Yes, Radiohead probably deserve the top spot just for being so commercially bold. Also, they likely merit the top for having finally found the right blend of the electric eccentrics of their later albums with the guitar pop of their earlier albums. "In Rainbows"is slow and startling in its smooth edges. Every track will slide through you slowly, like a painkiller working its way through your veins. It's a defining moment from a band that's already defined a whole musical generation. It deserves to be at the top of any list.
1) The National, "Boxer" With apologies to Radiohead, there's just no getting around the National's "Boxer."
We are all people, and we've all spent our fair share of time alone, and we all know the reflective thoughts that flood into an idle mind. The National's lead singer and lyricist Matt Berninger catches these thoughts and feelings like lightning bugs in a jar, placing them so perfectly on display with his smoky baritone. Ringing guitars, accordions, string sections and an awe-inspiringly great drummer blend together and create a sad, fragile and flawlessly vivid landscape behind every word. Each song is a masterpiece to itself, tacked together like 12 Van Gogh masterpieces hanging on a single wall.
With music as fully evolved and explored as "Boxer,"2007 stood out as a sparkling diamond of a year for original, revolutionary music. I hope 2008 will stand just as tall.
(Reach columnist Kelly Hagen at 250-8259 or kelly.hagen@;bismarcktribune.com.)
sam wrote on Jan 1, 2008 6:47 PM:
Where is Britney? wrote on Dec 31, 2007 1:29 PM:
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