2007 was a very good year for music for me with a wide variety of artists putting out albums I really like. One of these was killed on the radio but I don’t listen to the radio so I still enjoy it. Most of these are fairly obscure and only a couple mark me as an old dude. Anyhow here is my list of the best albums of the year in no particular order:

1. Battles – Mirrored
   A really fun album that perks me up whenever I hear it, the killer track is Atlas.
2. New Pornographers – Challengers
   A really strong album from the New Pornographers with three songs that are real standouts, My Rights Versus Yours, Myriad Harbour, and Challengers.
3. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black
   The only album here on the strength of one song, Rehab. Yes I know you are sick of it, yes I know she has turned her life into a UK soap opera, Rehab is still brilliant and really does swing.
4. Matt King – Rube
   I stumbled onto Matt King opening at a Robert Earl Keen concert last month. We ate dinner during his set and could only half hear most of it, but I liked what I heard so I bought his latest when I got home and think it is brilliant. Cursing the Ohio in particular is great, the song moves well and the lyrics are honest and raw. Great story telling music that I find myself playing regularly.
5. Mark Knophler – Kill to Get Crimson
   This is how you know I am an old dude. Mark Knophler was the guitarist for Dire Straights in the stone age of music, but his guitar work and great lyrics still produce great albums like this one. Punish the Monkey is my favorite cut on the album, bitter and accurate.
6. Rasputina – Oh The Perilous World
   This album is simultaneously fascinating and grating. Fascinating wins most of the time but the harsh sound of the music means I need breaks between listening. Weird and wonderful album, my favorite is 1816, the Year Without a Summer.
7. Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra – Voices and Choices
   Very odd but fun album I stumbled upon at Emusic’s Download of the Day that I keep putting back on to listen to. No single killer track, just a nice album.
8. The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets – The Shadow Out of Tim
   I bought this for the novelty of a Cthulhlu based album, but it is actually very very well done with all the songs having solid cores to them. I really recommend you give them a listen, you wont be sorry unless you are driven irrevocably insane of course.
9. Yoshida Brothers – Hishou
   Big in Japan these guys rock the shamisen like nothing you have ever heard. No seriously, they really do rock.
10. Jack Rabbit Slim – Sleeze-A-Billy
    A British band playing American rockabilly with real gusto. A small little album that packs a punch there isn’t a bad cut on the album.

To see some videos read the rest of the entry.

The Battles: Atlas

The New Pornographers: Challengers

Amy Winehouse: Rehab

Matt King: Cursing the Ohio (not a great sound on the video, you can hear it clean at his myspace page)

Mark Knophler: True Love Will Never Fade (Not my favorite on the album, but the only one available..)

Rasputina: The Year Without A Summer (not the whole song)

Shawn Lee’s Ping Pong Orchestra: Sorry no videos out there I could find, listen to his newer stuff on his myspace page.

The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets: Marine Biologist Demo Video (Not the final video apparently)


Yoshida Brothers: Kodo

Jack Rabbit Slim: Kitten With A Whip

This entry was posted on Monday, December 24th, 2007 at 12:13 pm and is filed under Music. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.