My top albums for 2007

Sorry for the delay - sick kids, work, snow, it all adds up.

I'm still an album guy at heart. Yes, I grew up as the CD came of age and I relish the idea of downloadable singles, but the concept of a great album with a collection of songs that mean something, that should be heard together and were recorded at the same time is what excites me musically. I love the notion of a new release date for an album - it makes Tuesday that much more special.

So, to that end...

The Best albums of 2007:

In Rainbows - Radiohead
Blew me away the moment I downloaded it. One of the best albums I've heard in years. Insightful, cutting, passionate, its everything that all the wannabe bands do today that Radiohead perfected. The choose your own price download gimmick aside, it is a solid album from the opening track to the end and it rekindled my enjoyment of Radiohead. Bodysnatchers quickly became one of my top plays, and from the CD's start with 15 Steps complete with handclaps and eerie children cheering to the satisfying conclusion of Videotape's quiet brooding cresendo of moodiness, this brings the band full circle from its prog-rock beginnings with all its learned along the way. Finally, available now through conventional downloads and in CD - its a must get.

Neon Bible by The Arcade Fire
Until Rainbows came out, this had been my AOTY since I got it in March. Keep The Car Running, which I raved about in the top plays section, has this urgent call to action with a Not Fade Away riff running throughout its driving drum beat. The Arcade Fire is one of the best exports to come out of Canada since I discovered Labatt's Blue in college. At first, I was impressed with this album, but still thought it paled to its predecessor, the debut Funeral. After repeated playing, Neon Bible holds its own and blazes its own path. If Radiohead set the standard in the '90s then The Arcade Fire becomes the band to watch this decade. Sounding like Talking Heads, a bit of Bowie with a bit of Bono in some joyous end of the world festival with hurdy-gurdys, this band is the one to watch. It's title track, along with Black Wave/Bad Vibrations (perhaps an apocolyptic retort to Good Vibrations?) and a remake of their own No Cars Go are some of the standout tracks. Go to http://www.neonbible.com/ to see more of their visual and audio wonder.

Version - Mark Ronson
Thanks to my buddy Scooter in NYC, I have come to be thrilled by this 21st century wall of sound with its shagadelic horns, house beat bass, touch of hip-hop and great reworkings of some excellent songs. Covers of songs by The Smiths (Stop Me), Coldplay (God Put A Smile on Your Face), Radiohead (Just), Kasabian (L.S.F.) and Britney Spears (seriously - a great rap cover of Toxic with O.D.B. himself) to name a few has the same horn section (of Brooklyn's own The Dap Kings) that made Amy Winehouse a household name make this such a fun listen again and again. If you liked the Winehouse, you'll love this. Ronson keeps producing more and more and his imprint has been left on other standout tracks from AIR to Bob Dylan. This album provides the soundtrack for one groovy night.

Not Too Late - Norah Jones
I think the third solo release for Jones got a bit overlooked. It probably doesn't redefine the dinner music standard that her debut perfected, but it does add a bit of bite to her repetoire and adds balance to her music. Not My Friend is delightfully scornful, My Dear Country and Sinkin' Soon provide her own distaste for what happened in New Orleans, Little Room is sweetly sentimental and Thinking About You is classic Norah. It's smart album by someone who toughened up a bit and worth another look at.

In Our Bedroom After the War - Stars
There is a great music scene happening right now north of the border. Bands and artists like the aforementioned Arcade Fire, as well as Broken Social Scene, the very cool Feist, and this pick, Stars are defining a new wave. I first saw Stars at Lollapalooza two years ago and was sucked in. The interplay between lead singers Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan reminded me of the dynamic and tension between Michael Stipe - Natalie Merchant. With the new album, heavy shades of The Smiths exist next to reminders of The Housemartins (along with maybe some Pet Shop Boys) in a deeper and more dramatic voice from Campbell. Dark concepts abound such as the title track and The Night Starts Here, Today Will Be Better, I Swear, and the excellent lead single Take Me To The Riot. A bit kindler and gentler and more pop like than their Arcade Fire neighbors, the cold arctic air must be doing something right to be producing this sort of great music. Also, well worth hearing their live set on NPR's All Songs Considered podcast http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15298176

Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Kraus
Among the adult-alt-cool albums to come out this year, the one that rightly should be at the top of many lists is the very unusual, but perfect, pairing of rock legend Robert Plant with bluegrass icon Alison Kraus. With T-Bone Burnett at the producing helm, the two of them collaborate on a uniquely perfect soundtrack for what could be an unmade road movie. The songs and their harmonys perfectly coexist in some alternate universe. Please Read The Letter captured my attention right away when I first heard it in the New York Times excellent music pop-cast. http://www.nytimes.com/ref/multimedia/podcasts.html (and to be discussed in a future post on podcasting). Rich Woman starts this project off with a strange creepy groove that runs throughout this roadshow into gorgeous elegies such as Fortune Teller and Stick With Me Baby. I think the cover describes it all - two happy souls singing in the middle of nowhere. It's haunting and it's beautiful.

Live In Dublin - Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band
Bruce had 2 albums which were rather retro in my mind come out in 2007. Magic, was updated 80s Bruce, and Live In Dublin was updated Peter Seeger. I love the Seeger Sessions, and his performances of this album live becomes an irish hurricane of foot stomping, gospel revival, big band, New Orleans sounding music. The opening cut, a reworked Atlantic City, is great fun and when the whole band kicks in, its a menacing tour de force. It's fun, it's serious, it's great revisiting of some classic Bruce seen through a whole new lens, and its the best live Bruce to date.

What my ipod liked in 2007

2007 came to a close, and like everyone else, I feel the obligatory need to share my top listens of the year. I decided the best way to determine what made the top of the list, was to let my ipod tell me - what songs were from 2007 and most played? Admitedly, the songs which were uploaded to the ipod earlier in the year got more play than more recent additions.

Here's who made the cut.

Most played song: Ruby by Kaiser Chiefs (from Yours Truly, Angry Mob). Ruby is a great song and it surprised me, and pleased me, that it made the top of the list. Kaiser Chiefs is the latest in a hot string of the newest wave out of England. Ruby has a sharp guitar riff with some some la-la's in the beginning followed by a deep crooning Morrissey-like voice that reminds me more of The Smiths than much of his own recent work, especially with lyrics like "Due to lack of interest, tomorrow is cancelled." Then that chorus of "Ruby ruby ruby ruby" kicks in and it's so much fun. Right behind Ruby, ironically, is Dashboard by Modest Mouse (from We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank) with Johnny Marr, formerly of The Smiths on guitar. Maybe I just miss The Smiths?

Rounding out the top plays for 2007:

Weapon Of Choice - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Baby 81). Catchy, fun, and I played it all summer.
Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen (Magic). Certainly not Bruce's best, but a great throwback to some '80s Jersey rock (did I mention that I am from exit 9?)
Running Away - Polyphonic Spree (The Fragile Army). See post below, I love it, my kids love it.

Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire (Neon Bible). In the next post, I'll tell you why I think this is one of my two favorite albums of the year, and the best band I've heard in years. This song was top of my play list for so long and proved that The Arcade Fire still had the ability to awe and inspire with their sophomore release.

Stop Me - Mark Ronson featuring Daniel Merriweather (Version). With so much hype about Amy Winehouse, the overlooked hero was her album's producer (her Phil Spector if you will) English DJ and producer Mark Ronson. This cover (of a Smiths song no less) made my top 10 in downloads and has the same groove and the same horn section (Brooklyn's own The Dap Kings) that made Amy Winehouse a household name. If you liked the Winehouse, you'll love this.

Bodysnatchers - Radiohead (In Rainbows). Simply stunning. See the albums of the year post.

Young Folks - Peter Bjorn & John (Writer's Block)
(F)lannigan's Ball - Dropkick Murphys (The Meanest of Times)
Take Me to the Riot - Stars (In Our Bedroom After the War)
Please Read The Letter - Robert Plant & Alison Kraus (Raising Sand)
Atlantic City - Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band (Live In Dublin)
Toxic - Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra (Hits The Hits)

Next posts - my favorite albums from 2007 with some surprises, some overlooked gems, and some really great albums; my favorite tracks and albums for the whole family.