The Halftime Report
I know everyone bitches about how annoying "best of" lists are, especially halfway through the year. But I'm doing one, and I have a few reasons for subjecting you to it. First of all, it helps me keep track of things, because I've listened to LOTS of albums so far this year and it's nice to stop, take a breath, and look at what 2007 has given us so far. Plus, not only is this list a little reminder of January through June when the year comes to a close, it's something to compare to when I finalize my list at the end of December.
But the main reason for posting a list like this? Let's pretend someone has been in Antarctica or a coma or for some other reason has been completely music-free for the past six months. Now imagine they'd like to listen to some new music released in 2007, and they just don't know where to start. Well, this is where I would point - a cheat sheet of my recommendations for the year so far.
And if you've been coma-free for the past six months? Well, skip the stuff you're familiar with and seriously consider checking the rest of these out, I promise they're worth your time and your money.
After the jump, my current top 10 favorite albums of 2007, in alphabetical order (hey, you can't expect me to rank them halfway through the year):
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Andrew Bird's The Mysterious Production of Eggs landed at #6 on my list of favorite albums of 2005, so I was definitely excited about hearing this year's Armchair Apocrypha. And despite how high my expectations for this album were, they were actually exceeded - this record is almost perfect, and it's even convinced me to seek out pretty much everything else in Bird's catalog. I'm completely amazed by this man's live performances, with the looping and the whistling and the random, random comments, but really there's nothing more amazing than the perfected versions of songs that he chooses to record. Definitely an album I'll be listening to for years to come, though I admit I usually have to be in the right mood to listen to Andrew Bird.
mp3: "
Imitosis"
I don't know when I fell so head over heels with Dr. Dog, but if I were actually ranking the albums on this list, I think Spoon would be the only thing keeping We All Belong from scoring the #1 spot. And I'm still not sure Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga would be able to hold this one off. Not only is this a fantastic album, the two excellent, excellent shows Dr. Dog played here in Nashville on Cinco de Mayo completely solidified how much I love it. If there's one thing on this list that you might not check out on your own, this is definitely what I would suggest you run out and buy. Don't wait as long as I did to fall in love with Dr. Dog.
mp3: "
We All Belong"
When I started thinking about making this list, I was pretty sure Panic Prevention wasn't going to make my top 10, even if we're only talking about being halfway through the year. This album is so unlike anything else I've listened to pretty regularly this year, and recently I've set it down to listen to some other things. But when I put it on again the other day on the way home from work, I found myself singing along to song after fantastic song, and I realized how much I really do love this record, and how much I obsessed over it just a few months ago. This is definitely the kind of album I'm interested in re-evaluating in six months, because I'm not sure my love for it is going to have staying power. But in the meantime, it's just about perfect summer music, and I'm sad to see that it hasn't gotten a US release date yet.
mp3: "
So Lonely Was the Ballad"
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
This almost feels like a 2005 release to me. I admit that I downloaded the leak of Sound of Silver back in December, and I'm not sure if I'd love it as completely if it didn't provide the soundtrack to the late-night leg of a road trip home for Christmas - I think no album out there could be better described as "music to stay awake to." Track after track had my sister and I bopping in our seats, instantly perky and refreshed after a ridiculous number of hours on the road. Now Sound of Silver has become my go-to album at the gym, where that extra burst of sonic energy is put to a similar use.
mp3: "
Watch the Tapes"
Back in December, I was pretty convinced Friend and Foe would be my favorite album of 2007 - despite the fact that I was initially unimpressed with an advance web stream of the album, I became completely smitten with the promo copy I received in the mail. And Menomena is definitely the most interesting and bizarre act on this list, delivering an album that while upon first listen may not be the catchiest thing you've heard all year, will manage to creep up on you until it's all you can listen to for a few weeks. Definitely something I think I'll revisit at the end of the year for my final best of 2007 list.
mp3: "
Weird"
I gave this album a full write up less than a month ago, though I've been listening to it pretty regularly for what seems like a very long time. I still love it just as much as I did the first time I heard it, and it's just as gorgeous as it was upon that first impression, but now it's almost more comfortable, more familiar, and it's become the album that I put on when I need something calming or reliable. I have a feeling I'm going to keep listening to Five Roses constantly until the end of the year, but only time will tell.
mp3: "
Have You Seen In Your Dreams"
This is just the kind of album you hope to bump into somewhere along the way in your listening adventures - completely different and beautiful and haunting and even the tiniest bit spooky - unique enough to make you take a deep breath and think to yourself, "now this is why I'm so obsessed with finding new music." I haven't spent as much time with Ghost as some of the other albums on this list, but I think I can confidently say that this is something I'll revisit for years to come, and it will sound just as refreshing and amazing as it does right now. I probably summed this up better in my initial review of the album back in April.
mp3: "
Welcome Home"
It's almost cheating putting Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga on this list, because I tried to restrict myself to albums that have already been released, but seeing how the latest Spoon album comes out tomorrow and they've been streaming the album online for a while now, I think it's safe to include this. It's no secret how much I completely and totally adore Spoon, and this may be their strongest record yet - maybe even stronger than Gimme Fiction, which was my #2 favorite album of 2005. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how well this sells tomorrow, and I'm counting down the days until the band comes back to Nashville in October.
mp3: "
The Underdog"
I never gave this one a proper write up, but it was my featured album of the week on the show back in May, and I feel like I've been gushing about it to anyone who will listen. White Rabbits have nailed the whole indie rock thing while managing to make Fort Nightly unlike anything else I've heard lately - NYC by way of an all-night calypso party in Morocco or something that sounds equally insane. This band is absolutely on the top of my "new bands I would LOVE to see live" wishlist, which is a pretty tough list to top when you listen to as much music as I do.
mp3: "
I Used To Complain Now I Don't"
Most people who love this album have said the same thing I'm about to say - this is a slow-grower. It's not an album that necessarily sticks with you after one listen, or two or maybe even five, but somewhere along the way Sky Blue Sky grabs hold of something and actually makes a very big impression on you. This wasn't what I expected from Wilco after A Ghost Is Born, which is actually the album that made me a Wilco fan (yes, ridiculously late to the game, I know), but it's beautiful and amazing and a even bit more complex than I think a lot of people are giving it credit for. And I will always associate the title track with the perfect performance Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche gave here in Nashville in January - helping me remember how much I love a perfect, simple song.
mp3: "
Sky Blue Sky"
nice listings, great tunes, thanks for highlighting!
Posted by: harold hollingsworth | Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 03:41 PM