12.05.2007

best albums of 2007



well, well, well...
this year i've been very bad at keeping this blog up...but, this post has been on my mind for a few weeks now.

humbly, i present my pics for the best albums of 2007.


1. tegan & sara :: the con
it seems that the last time i actually made a post...it was about this album. produced by chris walla (death cab for cutie - who do NOT blow me away), the con is without a doubt t&s' best album to date.






2. arcade fire :: neon bible
a stellar album from front to back...the album's greatness was only enhanced by their live show. this album would have landed somehwere on my list if it was 10 tracks of crap and "keep the car running"




3. amy winehouse :: back to black
ok, i might be cheating juuuuuuuuust a tad with this one. back to black was released dec 12, 2006 (technically making it ineligible for my 2007 list)...but, when an album is this good - you just can't ignore it. produced by mark ronson (you'll see his album version a little further down on my list), winehouse's sophomore CD succeeded where her debut failed. frank was all "lite jazz" and just didn't ring true...but, back to black was nouveau-motown in all the best ways. and to prove that point - my favourite track on the album "tears dry on their own" was co-written by motown scribes ashford & simpson....that's right fuckers! she may be high on my deadpool for 08 (with ms spears for company), this album will always be her magnum opus.




4. peter bjorn & john ::
writer’s block
i fucking loved "young folks" from the first whistle. and the rest of the album did not disappoint. i missed them at SXSW and i'm still kicking myself over it.





5. once :: motion picture soundtrack
ok, so recently i had to fly to montreal for business for the day. i watch 30 mins of ONCE on the way there...and, the next 30 mins on the way back...and, for the next week or so i was like a crack-addict trying to find her next fix to get my hands on the DVD to see how it ended (DVD doesn't come out until Dec 18). i haven't seen a movie in a long time that captured my attention so instantly - and, in so subtle a way. the music is just so perfectly suited to the mood and tone of the film - it's almost essential to the movie. glan hansard (the frames) and marketa irglova are perfect. you MUST see this movie...and, you MUST listen to this soundtrack. (also investigate the swell season!!)
:: video :: once movie trailer




6. hard-fi :: how the west was won
stars of cctv made it onto my best of 2006 list...so, i was excited with the new album came out. i'll admit, i didn't fall it love with it at first...but, it's a grower...gets better with repeated spins.
:: video :: suburban knights

7. feist :: the reminder
like hard-fi, this one didn't have me at hello. i was almost disappointed when i first listened to it. but, i'm glad to say that it grew on me like a fungus.
:: video :: my moon, my man

8. dragonette :: galore
i pretty much pooh-poohed this band before giving it a single listen. martina sobara (lilith fair "rock") on vocals? no thanks...but, then they played our annual conference and blew me AWAY! holy shit they were awesome. a sell sheet described them as gwen stefani fronting duran duran...pretty accurate.
:: video :: i get around

9. matthew good :: hospital music
i think i've rattled on about my matthew good obsession before (remember that year i listened to beautiful midnight at least once a day...every day?). so, i don't think there's any surprise that hospital music would make it onto my list. as always, matt's music is filled with emotion that (at times) can make me cry. filled with stories about a particularly difficult time in MG's life (divorce, mental illness) hospital music is intensely personal and i'm so happy to say i'm a fan still...after all these years.
:: video :: born losers

10. arctic monkeys :: favourite worst nightmare
wow...like a lot of other things on my list...the last monkeys CD made it onto my 06 list. this one is a bit lower on the list because it's not as stellar from begining to end as their debut...but, has standout tracks that make it a must-have.
:: video :: brianstorm


the best of the rest.....
11. rilo kiley :: under the black light
12. mark ronson :: version
13. fall out boy :: infinity on high
14. travis :: the boy with no name
15. white stripes :: icky thump
16. fiction plane :: left side of the brain
17. maximo park :: our earthly pleasures
18. kanye west :: graduation
19. kate nash :: made of bricks
20. m.i.a :: kala

:: linky :: best of 2006