30. Alcest - "Souvenirs d'Un Autre Monde"(Prophecy) (August 6)
I don't really know the story behind this release, or why it got the hype it did based on the guy who did it. I don't know who he is, Niege, some French black metal dude. But with this, his solo album, he's taken a page from Justin Broaderick's Jesu project and create something that essentially shoegaze music, for the metal fans. What you get is walls of guitars, non-stop distorted guitars, create a near white noise, the stuff of My Bloody Valentine and the like. You get the echo-laden vocals. This has the making of a classic, epic, shoegaze album. And that's what it is. There are soaring strings in some of the songs, random acoustic sections, awesome loud sections, and through the whole album, Niege manages to paint a pretty picture. I can't decipher the lyrics, and though the music often has a hard-edge, I can't help but think this is a romantic album. It's 6 tracks, and never devoid of feeling. It's an album that I feel will only grow better with age and repeated plays.
Recommended If You Like: Jesu, My Bloody Valentine, Ride
Myspace
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29. J. Tillman - "Cancer And Delirium"
(Yer Bird) (?)
It's odd how J. Tillman's second official release is what I considered to be one of the saddest and most somber records I heard this year, yet also my go-to record to listen to when waking up. It's a simple album, hushed, but gruff vocals, acoustic guitar or banjo, really minimal percussion, this is pure neo-hippie coffeehouse folk music, if that coffeehouse is outside in the woods, and the crowd is full of people like Iron & Wine's Sam Beam. Most songs are real heart-breakers. His voice and the tempo of the songs display it well. Tracks like "Under The Sun" which has two lyrics "Under the Sun/This too shall pass" and goes on for 4.5 minutes, is his try at a triumphant song, and though it sounds out of place, it is truly beautiful. "When I Light Your Darkened Door" has a lo-fi feel, and features many howls, and sounds like an old Iron & Wine song. "Ribbons Of Glass" which sort of sounds like one of the slow Sufjan Stevens songs has somehow crept up and become one of my absolute favorite songs of the year.It's sad bastard music, but somehow, through all the other pretty decent sad bastard music I've heard this year, J. Tillman's record succeeds and I can't stop listening.
Recommended If You Like: Iron & Wine, Nick Drake, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Damien Jurado
Myspace
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28. Brother Reade - "Rap Music"
(Record Collection) (July 10)
I don't know how ballsy it was to put their faces on their album cover, but it probably made quite a few people dismiss it as the next shitty hipster, comedic rap album. But what's contained inside is one of the straightest old school sounding hip hop albums of the year. Brother Reade is Jimmy Jamz (MC) and Bobby Evans (DJ/Producer). While Jamz is more than competent on the mic, he approaches songs with a traditional b-boy style, and while I don't typically get behind this, all the cliches that are present on this disc have somehow found their way into my head, and they make me dance when walking down the street. But while Jamz does his things, it's Evans bare-bones production, where the record really shines. This is like classic boom-bap hip hop, made in the future. Doesn't make sense? Think the last Clipse album made on a much smaller budget. It's somewhere between Company Flow and Edan without the psychedelics. It's fun, it's a great record for the car, and it bumps almost outrageously hard. Equally good for the headphones and the party.
Recommended If You Like: Def Jux, Brother Ali, Backpack rap
Myspace
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27. The Besnard Lakes - "The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse"(Jagjaguwar) (February 20)
Until about the end of June, this was my favorite record of the year. I didn't think much could beat it. Which isn't to say that it was love at first listen. I had trashed it many like 3 times before I fully loved it. Then one night it just caught me and I was hooked. Now, I can see why I loved it, it's still a good record, but it also kind of annoys me. It's just fallen out of my graces since the early summer, but to others who haven't listened to it a lot, I hope that it would sound fresh and awesome. It's like drugged out slow-moments of late 60s Beach Boys records, with pretty awesome guitar solos, ripped straight from other popular 70s rock bands. For indie rock songs, they are all pretty long, taking their time to get through, which can be daunting if we want satisfaction immediately, but the band has done this deliberately. It aids in the feeling that is trying to be created here. It's solid, original sounding indie rock. And it's better than Arcade Fire's newest.
Recommended If You Like: Broken Social Scene, Arcade Fire, etc.
Myspace
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26. Efterklang - "Parades"
(Leaf) (October 15)
I first heard of Efterklang back in 2004, on NPR. I loved the track played on All Songs Considered and got their debut album. It was full of Sigur Ros like tracks (funny that Amiina have played for both), but with more blips. I liked it, but it left me wanting more. I forgot about the band until this year, when I read a positive review on "Parades" I thought "oh what the heck," and got the album. I didn't love it initially, and shelved it. I brought it back in mid-November, kind of just playing it as background music as I was cleaning my house. Suddenly, "Parades" was one of the best records I'd heard in ages. This is an album that unveils itself over time. Which isn't to say that it's overly complex, but it is to say that there are other bands doing similar things, orchestrated, psychedelic, string-laden, epic songs with huge bands, but I think Efterklang have found the winning formula. Listening as I write this, things I didn't notice before are showing themselves. I don't like quoting other people, but Conrad from CokeMachineGlow might have summed it up best this year, "Parades is an album of slow-growing rewards from a band with whom relationships are formed, not instantly identified." It is truly a beautiful album. "Parades" might split reviewers, and might not end up on a whole lot of end-of-the-year lists, but it will surely go down as a cult classic. And I'm ready to sign up for that cult.
Recommended If You LIke: Sigur Ros meets Arcade Fire with some Animal Collective
Myspace
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25. Caribou - "Andorra"
(Merge) (August 21)
The most amazing thing about Dan Snaith's records, every time is that they are completely his. He is a one man band. I mean, back when he was Manitoba it made sense. The weird, IDM-like song structures and fragmented experiments in sound. It almost made sense on "The Milk Of Human Kindness," still an experimental, kraut-rock like record. But listening to "Andorra"...there has to be a full band. When "Melody Day" starts up, you'd swear you're listening to some record collectors favorite lost psychedelic record of the 60s. This record is crazy. And for the first time, Snaith is creating songs. You can hear him singing, there is almost choruses, they are all within reasonable pop song length, and I'll be damned if this isn't the best thing he's released. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for the kind of music he is trying to re-create, or maybe it's because it's actually just a really good record. Bedroom pop made for sunny days on the beach. It's perplexing, all over the place and one of the most fun records of the year.
Recommended If You Like: Dungen, 60s British Psychedelic bands
Myspace
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24. Freeway - "Free At Last"(Roc-A-Fella) (November 20)
I waited way too long for this. More than 4 years after Freeway's debut, he finally released "Free At Last." Usually when you wait this wrong for an album from a rapper, it's doomed to be a failure, in the case of Freeway, he's released his second excellent album. When listening to Freeway, it begins and ends with his flow. There in no rapper in the history of rap that sounds like him. The awkward emphasis, the half-yelling, half high-pitched quiet stuff. Whatever it is. He sounds passionate everytime he raps, no matter what the topic. It turns some people off, but for me, it makes every song exciting. His beats aren't bad either, of course. Though the record is executive produced by 50 Cent, the beats aren't handled by the people like Just Blaze and Kanye this time around. But the tracks still get that awesome, early 2000's, Roc-A-Fella feel, when the label was on top of the world right before a sudden collapse. I'm glad I waited, and I'm glad Free delivered.
Recommended If You Like: Beanie Sigel, other Roc-A-Fella rappers
Myspace
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23. Feist - "The Reminder"(Cherry Tree/Interscope) (May 1)
2007 was sort of the year of Leslie Feist. I mean, sure Daughtry had the most record sales. Sure Arcade Fire became one of the biggest bands in the world. Sure The Police reformed and had the highest grossing tour of the year. But Feist, with that damned ipod commercial has almost become a household name. Played nearly the same by 20-year old hipsters in their apartments as 40-something wives in their refurnished homes. Feist has become a crossover artist that is almost impossible to escape (and why would we?) She's getting lots of flack, people say her songs are annoying, people say this record isn't as good as it's first, people calling her Norah Jones. Whatever, all are wrong. Leslie Feist is one of the best and most inventive forces in pop music today. Even if this album is heavy on ballads, or is doing weird covers of Nina Simone classics, or is producing singles that will be stuck in your head for a month each (My Moon, My Man, I Feel It All, 1,2,3,4), this is a great album. She put out the best videos, she had the best Letterman performance, and she has a great voice. I tend to gush about her, but I can't help myself.
Recommended If You Like: Regina Spektor, Cat Power, old great jazz singers
Myspace
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22. Spoon - "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
(Merge) (July 10)
Now, on their 6th full length album, Spoon have basically been creating the same album every year, just tightening the screws a little bit. I've never been sold on this band, but I enjoy all of their records. Every single one of their records on a quality level is very high, but I never really want to listen to them. But with Ga x 5, Spoon have finally released something I loved from first listen, and might love even more now, on probably 30th listen. It's just the right blend of high-tension indie rock, and white boy funk. Like Feist, Spoon received quite a bit of press this year. They appeared in commercials, they were on SNL, they probably soundtracked some television shows, they finally made their way to modern alternative radio with "The Underdog". It's just a great rock n roll album. The thing about Spoon is while no one is going to listen to them and go "I've never heard anything like this before!" They haven't. Spoon is immediately familiar, but entirely their own band. Honestly there is not a single bad song on the album.
Recommended If You Like: Elvis Costello, (post-Pink Flag) Wire, indie rock
Myspace
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21. Skeletonwitch - "Beyond The Permafrost"(Prosthetic/Red) (October 2)
I can't stop listening to this record. Well, if I wasn't in the process of making this list and replaying this records so that I can write somewhat accurate reviews, and if I didn't have roommates, this record would just be playing on repeat over and over the last few weeks. I'm just addicted to it. It's like Iron Maiden gone totally blackened death metal. Awesome dueling guitar solos, black metal shrieks, loud as fuck. This is the album to rock out to this year. And it's good. It's very good. Whereas Baroness was sort of slow and doomy, Skeletonwitch don't hold back. This is powerful stuff. It comes in a hurry. No songs are more than 5 minutes long, and no songs stop you from headbanging. I'm not the biggest metal fan in the world, and I'm terrible at writing about it, but this record is just a blast. Love the guitars.
Recommended If You Like: Iron Maiden crossed with Immortal
Myspace
#20-11 tomorrow
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