Seeing the diversity of thought on Relevantmagazine.com is beautiful. Whether it’s taking a lens to progressive culture, theology/philosophy/God, or everyday life, there’s never a sense of fear in the Relevant readers/writers.
Thank you to all who participated in sharing your 10 favorite albums of 2007! It marked a record high comment count for me, (leave it to Andrew Schwab to beat that in less than a day though.) and we all had a chance to share something that we believe is good.
I promised a week ago that I would give a CD package to whoever posted a top 10 list that stood out to me in a special way. I’m keeping this promise, but first, here’s MY top 10!
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25. Blonde Redhead – 23
23. The Dirty Projectors – Rise Above
22. The New Amsterdams – At the Foot of My Rival
21. Black Dice – Load Blown
19. Jose Gonzalez – In Our Nature
18. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
17. Laura Veirs – Saltbreakers
16. Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
15. Rosie Thomas – These Friends of Mine
14. St. Vincent – Marry Me
13. Shout Out Louds – Our Ill Wills
12. Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings
11. The Acorn — Glory Hope Mountain
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10. I’m Not There soundtrack
I couldn’t have hoped for anything more from a soundtrack about America’s greatest songwriter. Whoever compiled this album is a friend to me, because the bands that appear on this album are perfect representations of unique artists with broad appeal (something Dylan popularized), Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, Sonic Youth, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, and many more host the Dylan cover party of all-time, it’s a great party.
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9. Iron and Wine – the Shepherd’s Dog
Sam Beam does it right every time. He never repeats himself, yet holds fast to his style and clear mark of an Americana genius. The psychedelic twist of The Shepherd’s Dog makes for an intriguing and enjoyable trip into the post-modern American South.
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8. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala
And the Swedish album of 2007! His latest full-length is like candy, addictive and super-sweet. Jens also puts on a very fun show, full of smiles and Swedish girls in white. This is actually the music I seem to be putting on repeat most often. My last.fm loves Jens.
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7. The National – Boxer
This is certainly the “grower†of the year. You hear it once and say “that was pretty good,†and then it just seems better each time you listen to it again. That’s a phenomenon I can’t explain, but it always impresses me enough to put an album in my top 10. Boxer is patiently remarkable.
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6. Parts and Labor – Mapmaker
One of my favorite songs of the year is “Fractured Skies,†the opening track on Mapmaker. This daring song flies at you like a furious strobe-lighted samurai, stabbing 20 times before you even know you’re hit. If you want to get a caffeine high musically, Parts and Labor is your band.
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5. Liars – self titled
Liars is part experimental post-rock, part textured noise, and part atmospheric dance-punk. As a whole, the album brings all of the possibilities together to create an astonishing clatter of musical post-modernity. This is a soundtrack to a world of confusion and youthful entitlement.
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4. Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
This is Animal Collective’s breakout album. There’s still enough noise to keep the hardcore fans happy, but with an added dose of melody and accessibility, Animal Collective have created a sound that pushes experimental indie rock to new heights.
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3. LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
Sometimes I think it was LCD Soundsystem that reminded America that it’s okay to dance again. Ever since Daft Punk played at James Murphy’s house, this music has been getting so much respect outside of the dance clubs. Sound of Silver gives you a warm/cold feeling that leaves you content with your state of mind. There’s never a bad time for this music.
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2. Wilco – Sky Blue Sky
Summer albums are hard to dislike. Sky Blue Sky is the perfect album to hear softly while you chill on the front porch with your friends on a cool summer evening. It may not be Wilco’s best, but I’m with Derek Webb when he claims that we can always trust Wilco to be one of America’s greatest rock bands today.
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1. Menomena – Friend and Foe
This is exactly the sort of music that really digs into my soul and causes a stirring of mind and spirit that no other genre can accomplish. The experimental nature of Menomena delights my intellectual ear, and the groove and soul rock boundaries that the band stays within keeps the listening comfortable. It’s my favorite album of 2007. Easily the best album art of the year too, it even got a grammy nod for goodness sake.
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and a few honorable mentions:
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Eluvium – Copia
Feist – The Reminder
Stars of the Lid – And Their Refinement of the Decline
Castanets – In the Vines
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So here’s the package:
Blonde Redhead – 23
The New Amsterdams – At the Foot of My Rival
Andrew Bird – Armchair Apocrypha
St. Vincent – Marry Me
The Acorn – Glory Hope Mountain
AS WELL AS these Top 10 list-makers!
Iron and Wine – the Shepherd’s Dog (#9)
The National – Boxer (#7)
Menomena – Friend and Foe (#1!)
and as soon as he emails his mailing address to me ([email protected]) I’m sending this package out to…..
Max!
because he put some of my favorite albums of the year in his list (Andrew Bird, Radiohead), put on some pleasant surprises (Soul-Junk, Ben and Vesper, Dosh (!) ), and had the nerve to put Ellul, a band I’ve never heard of, at #1. Sir, this is the kind of list that makes me happy. You love what you love and you don’t hold anything back in sharing your feelings with us. So enjoy the package, give Armchair Apocrypha to someone you love for Christmas, and keep spreading good music around!!!
that goes to all of you, keep spreading the holiday cheer this season and beyond. Thanks for sharing with the ReleBlog!
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