top ten albums of 2007

I don't think 2007 was quite as awesome for music as 2006, just because 2007 didn't have Boys and Girls in America. Not without its highlights, however, 2007 brought us plenty of solid listening from artists new and old. I humbly submit to you, dear reader, my ten favorite albums of the year.

10.) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I honestly don't even have much to say about this album. Spoon are at the top of their genre and constantly crank out some of the catchiest and well-crafted tracks that indie rock has to offer. The fact that it's so damn short is disappointing, but a testament to its resilience - it definitely stands up to repeated listens.

09.) Kanye West - Graduation
Kanye West has done a lot more for rap than teaching us that it's okay for white people to listen to it, and Graduation - while not as bombastic and hubristic as Late Registration - is the best hip-hop album of the year. 'Ye lays down lines like "I'm like the fly Malcolm X / Buy any jeans necessary" which, despite being a pretty solid representation of everything wrong with hip-hop today, is a freaking hot line, man. A real grower of an album - nothing hits you in the face like "Gold Digger" or "Touch the Sky", but every track sounds better and better the more you listen to them. And he won his feud with 50, so that's another feather in his cap.

08.) The Field - From Here We Go Sublime
Ambient techno isn't something one hears incredibly often unless they seek it out - and Axel Willner's debut opus is a fantastic reason to do just that. Quite possibly the most beautiful-sounding and hypnotic album of the year, Willner weaves together layers of stringy synths, pulsing bass, and ghostlike vocals into an utterly entrancing and ecstatic 65 minutes. Played over a 5.1 system or a great set of headphones, From Here We Go Sublime is especially atmospheric and ethereal.

07.) Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
Those familiar with the previous works of Mr. Lekman know that his boyish charm and sugar-sweet lyrics make him a fantastic choice to show a girl how sensitive you are (as long as you're sure they won't fall in love with him). The amazing Night Falls Over Kortedala maintains his typical romantic subject matter and pairs it with orchestral horn flourishes, 60s and 70s pop stylings, and Motown, to mention a few of the many disparate influences you'll hear. A witty and lovelorn lyricist demonstrating a mastery of unabashedly sunny melodies with splendid pop sensibilities? The girlfriend will love it, too.

06.) Sunset Rubdown - Random Spirit Lover
Honestly, Spencer Krug is in more bands than I can name, and how he manages to churn out so much incredible material is just beyond me. Combining dense and layered guitars with his cracked and wavering voice, Random Spirit Lover is at once elegant and staggering. The album doesn't lose any steam from the joyous opening of "The Mending of the Gown", pairing blissful piano and guitar interplay with Krug's trademark vocals. "Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days" is another absolute highlight, sounding like swaggering circus music. I no longer consider Sunset Rubdown a "side project" of Wolf Parade - this is better than anything they've ever done.

05.) LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Cheap beer has nothing on James Murphy for getting white kids to dance. Sound of Silver is without a doubt the band's most mature release yet - nine exceedingly groovy, party-ready tracks that strangely capture the warmth and crispness of all the classic rock and electronic vinyls that Murphy sings about in "Losing My Edge". Switching between his freewheeling high-pitched delivery in "North American Scum" to a subdued and sweet techno ballad in "Someone Great", the bandleader is as versatile of a vocalist as he is a songwriter, and I really only see him getting better.

04.) Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Neon Bible was released to enormous expectations on the heels of the band's 2004 offering, the grandiose, morose, beautiful Funeral - and while not quite living up to its predecessor, it shows a logical progression as these somber rockers (riding their internet-fueled wave of popularity) expound upon their strong suits - homaging Springsteen through expansive instrumentation and Win Butler's intense vocals. Not as likely to move you as Funeral - on the other hand, not as likely to depress you, and definitely one of the most ornately-crafted works of the year.

03.) Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
The experimental psychedelic notions of Animal Collective are still rarely heard outside of stoners' iPods and college radio, but Strawberry Jam demonstrates the group blending their growing pop sensibilities with the, (okay,) inaccessible freak-folk noise-rock that's made up the remainder of their discography. The result is profoundly interesting and unpredictable tracks that manage to be loads of fun to listen to at the same time.

02.) Panda Bear - Person Pitch
That's right, two Animal Collective-related albums in a row at the 2 and 3 spots. I can do that. Noah Lennox's third release as a solo artist channels the choral harmonies of The Beach Boys and the distant emotions of The Velvet Underground through seven gorgeous, intricate tracks that defy shoehorning into a genre. From the canon-sounding "Comfy in Nautica" to the hauntingly upbeat "Take Pills" to the intense "Good Girl / Carrots" (one of the two 12+ minute tracks on the disc), expectations are shattered and new musical frontiers are explored.

01.) Radiohead - In Rainbows
Yeah, I know. Radiohead has the best album of the year? Real effing unexpected. But the long-awaited follow up to Hail to the Thief was absolutely worth the wait. The legendary band's latest album is much warmer and intimate than the alienation and somberness permeating most of the rest of their discography. Though not at all without Yorke's trademark lyrics of disillusionment and hopelessness, lyrical subject matter delves into people and relationships - who really expected to hear "I don't wanna be your friend / I just want to be your lover" kicking off a Radiohead track? The transition is welcome - Radiohead seem to have abandoned their search for the ultimate synthesis between rock and electronic music, as awkwardly attempted in Hail to the Thief - and the result is an incredibly natural feel, ranging from the near-danceable "Bodysnatchers" to the magnificent "Nude" that gives "How to Disappear Completely" a run for its money. It's still rock music, and it's the same Radiohead that we love - but it's a band at peace with itself and the world.