The top 30, part two.

...and so it continues.

15) Matthew Dear: Asa Breed - Ghostly International
Following the release of Backstroke in 2005, I had an opportunity to put on a Matthew Dear gig, and afterwards he told me of his plan to get a full band together for his next record. Live, it was to be called The Matthew Dear Big Hands Band, and on record, it was going to be called Asa Breed. Apparently, he succeeded. This is some of the most lively and forward-thinking techno I've ever heard. From the funk shuffle of "Pom Pom" the minimal shake-shake of "Don & Sherri", this album is the perfect step ahead for Dear. I say this in consideration of past releases and the general direction of electronic music in 2007 - embracing lyricism, organic songwriting and discovering full studio production, rather than locking oneself to a laptop and machines.


14)Feist: The Reminder - Arts & Crafts
Feist opens this record by saying "I'm sorry"...almost warning you that what follows WILL BLOW YOUR MIND. There was no better vocal pop record release this year - I don't have to remind you about her increasing ubiquity in pop culture, her FOUR Grammy nominations, or the fact that she did this all without losing a shred of indie cred...but if you have written this off without hearing it because "its so popular"...give yourself a shake. The cover of Nina Simone's "Sea Line Woman" (reworked here as "Sealion Woman") is the standout track here for me, as it boldly confronts the structures we consider 'pop' by giving it a chanty cadence, a tribal groove full of falsettos and handclaps. This track stands out as a testament to what is destined to become a timeless classic of an album.


13) Menomena: Friend And Foe - Barsuk Records
It's true, I'm sucker for saxophone rock. In the 90s I was obsessed with Morphine, and have loved the resurgence of horns in rock arrangements in bands like Beirut and TV On The Radio...and now in Menomena, this embracing of jazz arrangements in indie rock is seeing genuine life. Songs like "Muscle n' Flo" deliver beautiful harmonies over snapping snare drums and cacophonous guitar melodies, while "Evil Bee" drops a funky sax line over slamming cymbals. If there is one band to 'discover' this year, it's Menomena.



12) Two Hours Traffic: Little Jabs - Bumstead
Read my (internet) lips: this is the best powerpop record in the last 10 years, maybe since Weezer broke the scene open with their Blue Album. Every track is single-worthy, every track is a summer anthem, a fall breakup hit, a winter rockout. Pitch-perfect ooohs and lalalas cruise over "Nighthawks", with The Beach Boys conjured up on tracks like "Jezebel". This band delivers live as well, in a way that indie-pop acts like The New Pornographers cannot - jadedness is drowned out by enthusiasm and earnest songwriting, with results ranging from completely infectious hooks to lyrics that won't leave your head for days. LISTEN to this band already, wouldja?


11) Digitalism: Idealism - Kitsuné Music
In a year where everyone and their dog claimed to play 'electro rock' (or is it 'rock electro' in this case?), Digitalism actually did it. Angular guitar jangles ride over wide-load bass wobble, with the high ends sitting perfectly between a digital and acoustic hi-hat. Rock song structures dominate on tracks like "Pogo" and "Anything New", while full-on dancefloor assaults like "Digitalism in Cairo" send bass lines deep into your gut. 2008 is going to be an interesting year now that the rock-dance crossover has been fully realized - Erol Alkan has produced the forthcoming Mystery Jets album, and the sound of French touch is simply obligated to evolve in a post-Justice environment. Digitalism will help carry that torch far into the future, starting with Idealism. An apt name, nes pas?

10) MIA: Kala - XL Recordings
This one takes the cake for the most creative release, in that everything about this album was NEW. New rhythms, new song structures, and hip-hop tropes spun into world beat with laser-quick rhymes and clever word play. "I put people on the map that never seen a map/I show 'em something they ain't never seen/And hope they make it back", MIA raps on the track "20 Dollar", noting her past, her plan for the future, and perhaps a promise of further exploration. The shape of tracks like "Bird Flu" nod to the favellas, ghettos and shanty towns of the third world, while the second single, "Paper Planes" samples The Clash and raps about what rap is often about: M O N E Y.

9) Okkervil River: The Stage Names - Jagjaguwar Records
The lead single off The Stage Names is called "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe", a telling name for a record that blurs fictitious characters and real-life scenarios, as Will Sheff's lyrics draw vivid pictures for us. Among the dozens of bands the Springsteen reference was thrown at this year, Okkervil River are the band that's stopping one step short of tributing The Boss, but rather giving a nod, keeping an eye ahead. This disc has full, mature production efforts, highlighted by brilliant horn arrangements. This is a full step forward from Black Sheep Boy, and proves the band to be one to watch in '08.


8) Of Montreal:Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?: Polyvinyl
I had NO idea what to make of this when I first heard it. I admit, I was slow getting on the Of Montreal bandwagon, and this was this record that finally got me on board. It's nearly perfect in that it achieves what it sets out to be: a great pop record. Harmonies soar over funk bass on "Gronlandic Edit" and perfectly delivered keyboard punches through on the 12-minute "The Past is a Grotesque Animal". In it, Kevin Barnes describes said beast, as reflective of the darkness in all of us, while the band coos and wails on synthesizers, creating a perfect psychedelic pop moment. This whole album is streaming on their Myspace, check it out.

7) Burial: Untrue - Hyperdub
2007 saw dubstep reach new heights, as the South London scene exploded worldwide, and breakthrough artists like Skream and Vex'd caught the worlds feet and ears by surprise. The dark horse in the race was Burial, the anonymous champion who introduced many to the genre this year. With a nod to early trip-hop, 2-step and garage, this album is rooted in slow broken beat, HEAVY basslines and thin, wispy high end. The minimalism here rarely fails to sound full and warm, keeping a steady bounce in the dub, always conscious of making you shake, just a bit. This is truly beautiful dance music.

6) Electrelane: No Shouts, No Calls - Too Pure/Beggars' Banquet
Speaking of beautiful, the latest from Electrelane blew me away. I've been a fan of the band since their debut Rock it to the Moon broke the instrumental post-rock mold apart, mixing surf guitar and dub bass. Two albums later, which explored more vocal contributions, the ladies of Brighton, UK have assembled a rich and rewarding listen for their fans old and new."To The East" is the stand-out track for me, with Verity Susman's cooing voice lilts over Mia Clarke's guitar shreddage. Their warmth oozes from every song here, and makes their current, indefinite hiatus all the saddening.

5) Radiohead: In Rainbows - XL Recordings
I, like everyone else, was caught off guard by the news that Radiohead was to release a new album...in the following 48 hours, for free. This effort will remain in the history books of the music industry as the signaling of a paradigm shift, where the artist takes charge, despite (or perhaps in spite of) the major label's wishes. Now, if the album SUCKED, it could have been a different story, but people all over the world have embraced the band's warm and ethereal rock vibe. Standout tracks "Faust Arp" and "Bodysnatchers" don't overshadow other strong efforts, but rather are the best illustration of just where the band is at in their songwriting careers - seeking diversity, strength and a future-conscious mindset. Their fans are paramount to they being able to do this how they wanted, and the results are endlessly rewarding for all. Among the best is this fan video for "All I Need", a mashup of the song with imagery from the French documentary Microcosmos. Check it.

4) Spoon:Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga-Merge Records
One of my favorite things about music in 2007 is that the revisionist desires of the listening audience became less about content rather than context. Think back to '05 or '06 when discopunk was the hot shit; it wasn't about paying tribute, it was about THE BEAT (ie: the content). In the case of Spoon (and Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones, Vampire Weekend, etc), the effort now is to reflect production trends of the 50s and 60s to make a music which sounds much more...organic, if you will (ie: the context). The live-off-the-floor feel of "Don't You Evah" harkens back to James Brown coaching his band through opening riffs, while songs like "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" showcase a fat-bottom sax line and reverb-ed tambourine, reminding us that in this, "the future", the past will always exist. Spoon are at a point in their career where this kind of album isn't made without a certain degree of risk, but in 2007 the listeners were ready to have old tastes rekindled. Lucky for them.

3) Justice : Cross - Vice/Ed Banger
Cross is an instant classic. If you didn't hear "D.A.N.C.E." in almost every DJ set(/clothing store/mobile phone ad/grandma's garage sale) this summer, you were living under a rock. The lead purveyors of French touch were everywhere, from magazine covers to late-night TV, and in the ears of every clubber in the world. This album absolutely KILLS, from the first string blast of "Genesis" to the fade-out beat of "One Minute To Midnight", every track is a new thrust towards the future of dance music. The vocal funk of "DVNO" collapsing into "Stress" is one of those moments where you could sit around for hours, listening to the break drop over and over again. The classicism here will be regarded for years to come alongside Daft Punk's Homework as important contributions to moden music. Hopefully Justice's longevity will be as strong as their French house forefathers.

2) Les Savy Fav: Let's Stay Friends - Frenchkiss Records
Les Savy Fav has crafted their angular post-hardcore to a precise art, and the evidence is within every track. From the storytelling meander of "Pots & Pans" to the party jam "Rage In The Plague Age", the diversity LSF have matured into is astonishing. Vocalist Tim Harrington has struck a perfect balance between the growl and the croon, the shout and the melody, evident in the roughness of "The Equestrian", which slides smoothly into the falsetto of "The Year Before The Year 2000". Syd Butler's bassline beefs up "Scotchguard the Credit Card", one of the best tracks on the record, helping close off one of the best rock albums of the last 5 years. This album is the sound of your own ass getting kicked. Get used to it.


and finally...#1:

1) LCD Soundsystem: Sound Of Silver - DFA
The first words spoken on Sound of Silver are "Get innocuous" - an instruction to lose one's presuppositions of what might follow. This is a dance record, a pop record, and a rock album all in one, with every track different from the next. The themes are clear: politics (in the self-conscious "Noth American Scum", and the ballad "New York I Love You") and what it means to grow older. "All My Friends" is a gorgeous song, an epic melding of piano and highhat, while James Murphy waxes poetic, "It comes apart/the way it does in bad films/the except the part/where the moral kicks in". Aging also plays a part in "Watch The Tapes", a raucous MC5-esque rock jam where gang vocals shout the title between jittery lyrics about being in your midtwenties and being just a little terrified of the future. I think I can relate. Murphy never loses sight their mission to BE a dance band, and every single song achieves that end. This release is not just the best album of 2007, or the best LCD Soundsystem album yet, its also a vitally important record in the evolving relationship between dance rhythm and rock music.


Honorable mentions, in no order...

HEALTH : S/T - Lovepump United
Sea Wolf: Leaves in the Winter - Dangerbird Records
White Williams: Smoke - Tiger Beat6
Battles: Mirrored - Warp
Miracle Fortress: Five Roses - Secret City/Rough Trade
Cobblestone Jazz: 23 Seconds - !K7 Records
Tussle:Warning EP - Smalltown Supersound
Beirut: Lon Gisland EP - Ba Da Bing Records


phew. done.