SiS 2007: The Top 30 of 2007 #05-#01

Finally, after being announced a week ago, and being teased with multiple posts throughout this week, we are finally here. It is time to announce my coveted Top 5 of 2007.

But before we do that, just like any countdown show, I believe we shall have a re-cap of #30-#06 (and this way, all you lazy people just coming on board don't need to sift through other posts to see the rest of the list. Oh well, if you want your mp3's and some insight, you'll read the others!)

30. Panda Bear // Person Pitch // Paw Tracks
29. Dntel // Dumb Luck // Sub Pop
28. Shout Out Louds // Our Ill Wills // Merge
27. St. Vincent // Marry Me // Beggars
26. Kings Of Leon // Because Of The Times // RCA
25. Thurston // Trees Outside The Academy // Ecstatic Peace
24. Fiery Furnaces // Widow City // Thrill Jockey
23. Interpol // Our Love To Admire // Capitol
22. Electrelane // No Shouts, No Calls // Too Pure
21. Field Music // Tones Of Town // Memphis Industries
20. Modest Mouse // We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank // Epic
19 The Shins // Wincing The Night Away // Sub Pop
18. UNKLE // War Stories // Surrender All
17. Film School // Hideout // Beggars
16. The Clientele // God Save The Clientele // Merge
15. Band Of Horses // Cease To Begin // Sub Pop
14. Broken Social Scene Presents: Kevin Drew / Spirit If... // Arts & Crafts
13. Elvis Perkins // Ash Wednesday // XL
12. Arcade Fire // Neon Bible // Merge
11. Rogue Wave // Asleep At Heaven's Gate // Brushfire
10. Radiohead // In Rainbows // TBD
09. Georgie James // Places // Saddle-Creek
08. Menomena // Friend And Foe // Barsuk
07. The Good, The Bad & The Queen // The Good, The Bad & The Queen // Virgin
06. The Rosebuds // Night Of The Furies // Merge

And now, without further ado, the Holy Grail is revealed:

05 Jens Lekman // Night Falls Over Kortedala // Secretly Canadian
Before a copy of Kortedala was placed on my desk this fall, I had only heard one song by this Swedish pop minstrel. Now, I have heard all of his songs and I’ve even seen him do that famous Paul Simon cover he likes to do sans chorus. The real subject at hand is that this guy, in his early to mid 20s, is a musical genius: this album will put him on the map. The overly dramatic opener “And I Remember Every Kiss” moves in to the hip shack nods of disco and (dare I say) hip-hop grooves (?) of “Sipping On The Sweet Nectar.” He also tells a poignant tale or 10 (“A Postcard To Nina,”) and gets really, really damn cheesy (“If I Could Cry (It Would Feel Like This).” God, I love it.

04 The Apples In Stereo // New Magnetic Wonder // Yep Roc
Before the year 2007, I had never listened to Robert Schneider and the rest of his Elephant 6 Collective. And then I was given a copy of Wonder to check out before interviewing the band and I was just blown away by every sugarcoated note. Every song is a burst of sun just exploding in to your face, it’s oh-so bouncy and so happy that it’s impossible to turn this record down. It might fit your mood in the long winter months, but it might make it feel like you’d be in a warmer place.


03 LCD Soundsystem // Sound Of Silver // DFA/Capitol
James Montgomery of Bigger Than The Sound said it was all about “All My Friends.” I say it was all about “Someone Great.” Where "Friends" was his piece of nostalgia, “Great” was my piece of reflection. Beyond that, it’s really a record that has nary a dull moment on it. It’s one of the few records I can play from start to finish anymore, though I really cringe when putting myself through the title track. Either way, it’s one of those records that I’ll remember as getting me through 2007, through its ups and its downs, for being my late night soundtrack, and for helping me get through all the changes this year brought about. Thanks, James.

02 Spoon // Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga // Merge
“Don’t Make Me A Target” picks this album up where Gimme Fiction left off (maybe because it's a Fiction outtake - a ha!) “The Ghost Of You Lingers” is a rather blunt detour that’s rather early on an album. “You Got Yr Cherry Bomb” brings it all together, and the rest is smooth sailing. It's not far from the Spoon tree, really -- or is it? "Finer Feelings" could be easily debatable as their attempt being the Beastie Boys, and while the inclusion of an unreleased cover by a relatively unknown band (The Natural History) in "Don't You Evah" is highly questionable, it all comes together and fits the Ga times five puzzle. Except for the title; I really would've preferred it if they would've stuck with the working title of Trouble Minx.

01 The National // Boxer // Beggars
I can’t still come up with the number one reason behind this year’s number one record. It’s beautiful; it is melancholy; it is soaked in white wine. It rocks (“Mistaken For Strangers”) and it sulks (“Slow Show”) and I still say Sonic Youth is hiding away in that auditorium (“Start A War.”) Maybe it’s because every time I’ve seen them this year (that’s 3 times, btw,) they just get better and better. They are one band that knows how to carry their emotions and show how they can transcend from record to the stage. And Matt Beringer’s vocal is so recognizable: he’s the new Dylan, or at least my Dylan. I really could go on and list many a reason but never firm up just one, and so we will leave it at that.

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And that's it. Next week, we starting post your top 10 lists (that means send them in if you haven't already) and I'll post some more fun Top 10 lists of my own, I guess?