Top 10 Albums of 2007
This list was tricky to compile since 2007 offered a wealth of great music. Also, with time being what it is, I’m sure there are many excellent releases that I haven’t heard that would otherwise be on this list. That said, these selections, in no particular order, all are well worth owning. Happy holidays!
The criminally underrated group delivers the goods once again on their third album. Here’s hoping that their next effort finds the larger audience that they so richly deserve.
Throughout, poppy songs change unpredictably but not to such an extent that the structures are rendered unrecognizable. Far more accessible than pure prog yet far more complex than straight-forward pop, Deerhoof serves up a prog-pop record that perfectly melds accessibility with sophistication.
The “grower” label is as inextricably linked to this album as is the beard on A.C. NEWMAN’s face. That said, this dog does hunt. It simply hunts differently. Instead of charging straight at its prey, as the group’s previous records did, Challengers rises to the challenge by moving furtively, like a chess grandmaster plotting moves whose logic isn’t immediately apparent but whose wisdom ultimately prevails. That said, “My Rights Versus Yours” and “All the Old Showstoppers” kick off the album with hooks and pep to spare.
Ahhh, a new Wyatt album. Always a special occasion to see what the ex-SOFT MACHINE drummer has been working on. Thankfully, his first studio album in four years is generally excellent and includes contributions from BRIAN ENO, PAUL WELLER and PHIL MANZANERA. Comicopera is comprised of three acts that loosely deal with love/relationships, war/society and non-English languages/cultures. The first third of the album is the best. Only the last third, which sometimes meanders, diminishes what is otherwise a terrific album from a legend still going strong at 62.
This more than evokes 1967. It blows it up in glistening techni-color then channels it through a shimmering kaleidoscopic soundscape that sounds contemporary yet is so sunny and psychedelic that you’ll have trouble believing this was made in ’07—not ‘67.
Adding more vinegar to the recipe on this, the group’s fifth album, frontman RODDY WOOMBLE makes it look easy, crafting a taut album filled with edgy and melodic gems that deftly combine grit, spit and polish.
In its debut, Fields serve up a propulsive, psychedelic and shoegazey sonic stew. This is best listened to in its entirety. Though the individual songs have a lot to recommend, see “Skulls and Flesh and More” and “The Death,” taken in total (just like CATHERINE WHEEL’s immortal Adam and Eve) the album is greater than the sum of its parts.
A few years back, the exuberant robe-clad Spreesters were all the rage. Mags like Uncut and MOJO gave them lots of love. But then a major backlash kicked in. Hard to say why but maybe the public grew fatigued by their relentless optimism. In any case, the group’s latest effort may well be its best. Too bad more people aren’t listening.
My take on the record, how it was released and what it may portend for the industry.
The Shins prove that they can still write exceptionally well-crafted songs that are oozing with infectious hooks and soaring melodies.
