Favorite Albums of 2007

Kevin is the most recent dane101 contributor to submit an end of the year list. To read them all click on "2007 Reflections" above.

It’s time to once again throw my top 10 music selections onto the heap of top 10 lists. My annual tradition of “Top 10 Night” went off again without a hitch (with the exception of the Jameson induced headache the following morning). My friends and fellow music lovers, Peter and Mary, once again joined me for an evening of tunes, whisky, and discussion about the year in music. This year we added another audiophile, Tim, to the mix.

What follows are the top ten lists (and some near misses) that emerged from that night:

01 The National – Boxer – What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this album? Nothing, so I’ll repeat what’s already been said … it’s superb.

Key track: “Apartment Story”

02 Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga – A truly fun album that uses expanded instrumentation, especially horns, to accentuate Spoon’s already solid music and smart lyrics.

Key track: “The Underdog”

03 The White Stripes- Icky Thump – Jack White abandons the marimba of “Get Behind Me Satan” to return to his tried and true guitar driven approach. “Icky Thump” is classic White Stripes … rock, blues, funk, country, and folk in one package.

Key track – “Rag and Bone”

04 Kings of Leon – Because Of The Times – I’m still baffled as to why the Kings do not appear on more top ten lists. This is their coming of age album. From the ballsy opener, “Knocked Up” to the melancholy closer, “Arizona”.

Key track – “Knocked Up”

05 Jason Isbell – Sirens Of The Ditch – This album is proof that Isbell’s songwriting skills are too strong to have to compete for album space with equally talented songwriters Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley in Drive-By Truckers. Isbell will be carrying on the southern rock/country tradition for some time to come.

Key Track – “Dress Blues”

06 Radiohead – In Rainbows
07 Band Of Horses- Cease To Begin
08 Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog
09 Ryan Adams- Easy Tiger
10 Soulsavers – It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s Where You Land

Near misses:
Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
Bruce Springsteen – Magic
Grinderman – Grinderman
Amy Winehouse – Back To Black
The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

Exceptional Exception Album – Teddy Thompson – “Up Front and Down Low” – Keeping traditional country alive. Can’t be included in the top 10 because it primarily consists of covers, but Thompson’s original, “Down Low,” is one of the best of the year.

Album cover of the year – The National – “Boxer”

Single of the year – “The Pretender” – Foo Fighters

Song of the Year – “Dress Blues” – Jason Isbell

Most anticipated albums for 2008:
Gutter Twins
Drive-By Truckers
My Morning Jacket
Death Cab for Cutie
Guns n’ Roses [?]

Peter
01 The National – Boxer
02 Radiohead – In Rainbows
03 Bruce Springsteen - Magic
04 Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
05 Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
06 The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
07 Menomena – Friend And Foe
08 Kings Of Leon – Becauce Of The Times
09 Okkervil River – The Stage Names
10 Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin

Near misses:
Iron & Wine – The Shepherd’s Dog
Fever Marlene- Civil War
LCD Soundsystem – Sound Of Silver
Jarvis Cocker – Jarvis
Feist – The Reminder

Most anticipated albums of 2008:
Gutter Twins
Oasis
My Morning Jacket

Mary
01 The National – Boxer
02 Bloc Party- A Weekend In The City
03 The Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
04 Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
05 Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals- Lifeline
06 Radiohead – In Rainbows
07 Charlotte Gainsbourg – 5:55
08 Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin
09 New Pornographers – Challengers
10 Beirut- The Flying Club Cup

Near misses:
Brandi Carlile- The Story
Rilo Kiley – Under The Blacklight
Fever Marlene- Civil War
Bjork – Volta
PJ Harvey- White Chalk

Tim
01 The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
02 Bruce Springsteen – Magic
03 Bloc Party – A Weekend In The City
04 The National – Boxer
05 Editors- An End Has A Start
06 Radiohead- In Rainbows
07 Kings Of Leon – Because Of The Times
08 Jarvis Cocker – Jarvis
09 Interpol – Our Love To Admire
10 Velvet Revolver- Libertad

Near misses:
Fever Marlene – Civil War
The Twilight Sad- Fourteen Autumns And Fifteen Winters
Band Of Horses – Cease To Begin
The White Stripes – Icky thump

Most anticipated albums of 2008:
Oasis
Gutter Twins