Any albums done by Prefuse 73, DJ Shadow, DJ Cam or Madlib.

Radiohead's ok too.

Spooooon!

There isn't a single album in that list I have, or want.

Other people have different opinions than I on subjective things like taste in popular culture!

NPR listeners are a snobby bunch of bastards. I can't tell you how Terry Gross fellates Jeff Tweedy. Ugggh!


By sepuku2

*considers list, makes costive face*

Thbpthbpthbpthbpthbpthbpthbpthbptbhp!

*bends at the waist, inhales deeply through nose*

Num-num-num-num-num!

Aaaaah!

I loved how the White Stripes blurb mentioned Meg White's "elemental drum work". I never knew that elemental was a synonym for barely competent.

Intelligent people are prone to tire of lyrics that never stray from infantile subject matter (bodily functions, naughty language, and calls for attention.) They also have a taste for a bit more musical variety than is available on the charts.

A snob looks down on you for your bad taste. If you assume that people with tastes that differ from yours are snobs, that probably says less about their veiw of you than it does about your own shame. If the man going to see King Lear while you're watching South Park automatically looks like a snob to you, it can only be because your own feeing of inferiority--for all you know he may not give a damn what you watch.

Well, at least they didn't miss Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by Of Montreal.

And I know I bought Lily Allen's album in 2006 directly on her website, so that shouldn't even make the list, should it, since it was legitimately available in 2006?

"That soundtrack sounded like a mix by Pitchfork"

"I happen to know those songs were picked very specifically."

No Untrue by Burial?

Pffft!

Flip #1 and #2, replace Amy Winehouse with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and you've got yourself a list.

watch out for adele next year

http://www.myspace.com/adelelondon

meh. pretty much the same as all the other Top ## albums of 2007 lists, except for the inclusion of Tegan & Sara's "The Con," which is awesome. very cool album, more distinct and less poppy than their last one.

No Dream Theater eh. Once again.

Cyxneo: No Untrue by Burial?

Pffft!


I must say, as much as I've heard about this album, I really don't get the hype. I downloaded it and thought it was boring as fark. To say nothing of the awful vocal samples. I also don't really see the Massive Attack comparisons. Maybe if Massive Attack had followed up 100th Window with a generic, crappy electronica album, yeah I guess. Personally, I'll just wait for whenever Massive Attack finally releases their new album.

What, no Jandek? Feh.

I must say, as much as I've heard about (Burial), I really don't get the hype. I downloaded it and thought it was boring as fark. To say nothing of the awful vocal samples. I also don't really see the Massive Attack comparisons. Maybe if Massive Attack had followed up 100th Window with a generic, crappy electronica album, yeah I guess. Personally, I'll just wait for whenever Massive Attack finally releases their new album.

This. I still can't get the buzz over Burial.

Having said that, there are at least 10 albums I'd happily endorse on this list, and that's saying something for a top 25 list.

Burial is alright, but it wouldn't be in my Top 10.

Quick Top 10, in no order:

Radiohead, In Rainbows
The National, Boxer
Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
Iron & Wine, Shepherd's Dog (he's a Columbia boy, and a good friend of mine is his touring drummer)
Stars of the Lid, And Their Refinement of the Decline
Paul McCartney, Memory Almost Full (huge Beatles geek, but this is the first time in ages he's merited a spot in my list)
Panda Bear, Person Pitch
Battles, Mirrored
Amy Winehouse, Back to Black

One or two of those might change between now and when I submit my list to the local alt rag in a couple days, but all of those would be in my Top 20 at a minimum. So 5 of mine are on the NPR list, but then again, I'm a music geek.

Oh, and no Jandek on my list, either. Though he did make my list the previous two years.

The Third Man

Yup.

First list i've seen in a while where I went "hey, I like that whole album!" not once, not twice, but thrice!

My top 10:

1) Matthew Good - Hospital Music
2) Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High
3) The Hives - The Black and White Album
4) Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
5) Against Me! - New Wave
6) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
7) Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
8) Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
9) The National - Boxer
10) Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden, I Miss Everyone

Wow, I can't believe some of these albums were released this year. It seems like Lily Allen, The Shins, and Modest Mouse were released a looooong time ago. Especially Lily Allen.

LCD Soundsystem? Again???

Prefuse 73- heh, that is some great marijauna music.

I can agree with this list, mostly.

FeedTheCollapse: Cyxneo: No Untrue by Burial?

Pffft!


I must say, as much as I've heard about this album, I really don't get the hype. I downloaded it and thought it was boring as fark. To say nothing of the awful vocal samples. I also don't really see the Massive Attack comparisons. Maybe if Massive Attack had followed up 100th Window with a generic, crappy electronica album, yeah I guess. Personally, I'll just wait for whenever Massive Attack finally releases their new album.

I disagree. "Untrue" is a great album, mind blowing. Perhaps you should listen to his remix of Jamie Woon or Bloc Party. He has a Thom Yorke remix too. His style is unique and he came about it on his own. It's just not the sort of album you can turn on in the middle of the day. It requires a bit of previous experience with underground music, and not Massive Attack. If you've not heard Skream, Benga, Blackdown, Kode9, or the awe inspiring Maurizio, you simply aren't going to get Burial I'm afraid. It's not a record for everyone.

Gogol Bordello - Super Tantra!
Terj Tankian - Elect the Dead
Ween - La Cucaracha

/respect my opinion *tears*

I am frightened by new things and therefore only listen to free broadcast radio stations owned by Clear Channel which play well-known anthemic classic rock songs about rock bands rocking out at the rock show with the rock fans.

so i guess anything that isn't whiny and retarded doesn't even get considered for this list?

I like a lot of those albums, and I think "Hissing Fauna..." is probably the album I listened to the most last year.

Also I really like Memonema's "Friend and Foe" and Coheed and Cambria's "No World for Tomorrow." (yeah, I like C&C, so sue me.)

Listening to this year's music is like drinking freshly squeezed wine

Why do the lBoobiess always get the same mix of complainers and agreers... followed by posts like mine talking about the pointlessness of complaining or agreeing?

Darn us all... to heck!

Looks like I have much in common with the NPR listeners, since I already have:

#25 Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
I have all the Rilo Kiley stuff, and this one ranks up there, despite the whining about them "selling out" or "going pop" on this one.

#24 Lily Allen - Alright, Still
This one is kinda old, but I still enjoy it. Solid pop album from start to finish.

#17 Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin
Some say not as well crafted as their last album, but I disagree. They remind me of a more experimental The Shins.

#15 M.I.A. - Kala
I wasn't to keen on her style at first, but this album is growing on me. Maybe I'm just getting too old.

#14 The New Pornographers - Challengers
I can never get enough of Neko Case. I find this album more approachable than Twin Cinema.

#12 Iron & Wine - Shepherd's Dog
And I can never get enough of Iron & Wine. This one is probably his best so far.

#11 Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
I picked this up as a curiosity back before she was all over the tabloids. I'm not sure I'm a fan of yet another British artist aping Motown and American R&B, but she does it well. Too bad she's a freakshow now.

#8 The Shins - Wincing The Night Away
Very solid release from these guys. Check out the video for Australia on Youtube, you won't regret it.

#7 Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Out of the pile of albums I have of theirs, this one makes my Top 3. I usually listen to it from start to finish.

#6 Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I saw these guys play in a tent in Lawrence, KS about a year ago because a friend dragged me there telling me "these guys are from Austin and they are badass!". He was right, they put on a free show to a half-full tent in a unnaturally cold late summer evening. Great stuff, and so is this album.

#5 The White Striples - Icky Thump
Uh oh, it sounds like Jack White may have taken some vocal lessons. Listen to Conquest. Uh oh. This will be on the radio a zillion times.

#4 Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
I'm no good at describing in words how much I love this album, so I won't try.

#3 Feist - Reminder
I'm warming up to this one slowly. I'm a big Beth Orton fan and she reminds me of her a little.

#2 Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
I'm also warming up to Arcade Fire. I didn't jump onto the bandwagon on these guys (so kill me) yet, but I'm starting to come around.

#1 Radiohead - In Rainbows
Just brilliant. I didn't think they could top Hail to the Chief. I'll never doubt again.

Nice to see Iron & Wine on the list--I haven't bought shepherd's dog yet, but they're an amazing group of musicians, so it's nice to see them getting some mainstream-ish recognition.
As for Modest Mouse--WWDBTSES was a decent album when compared with every other album released this year, but let's face it, it was NOT their best effort. compared to, say, The Moon & Antarctica or The Lonesome Crowded West, this was simply sub-par.

Also: did anyone else notice that this may as well have been titled "The to 25 INDIE albums of 2007"? the list was almost exclusively made up of pop indie/emo bands, and while there was a LOT of great stuff coming from that scene this year, I gotta say, i would've liked more diversity.

Err.. Hail to the Thief. Yikes. :(

hecticthe13th: Also: did anyone else notice that this may as well have been titled "The to 25 INDIE albums of 2007"? the list was almost exclusively made up of pop indie/emo bands, and while there was a LOT of great stuff coming from that scene this year, I gotta say, i would've liked more diversity.

Dude...it's NPR. :)

I only picked up the following over the year:

#21 Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
#15 M.I.A. - Kala
#07 Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
#05 The White Stripes - Icky Thump
#01 Radiohead - In Rainbows

I really thought that Easy Tiger and We Were Dead... were the best of the ones I purchased. I like In Rainbows, but I wasn't wowed except for the last song on the album "Videotape." I was really disapointed with Kala and Icky Thump. I really liked M.I.A.'s original album, and I thought Kala just seemed rushed (it was). Icky Thump may be the worst White Stripes album ever, and doesn't deserve any comparison to Elephant.

I've heard other albums from friends. Amy Winehouse's album was really enjoyable though I'll probably never purchase it (same goes for Lily Allen). I did't really care for what I've heard of any of Rilo Kiley stuff. I have the original LCD Soundsystem album, but haven't had any desire to pick up the new one after hearing one song (it may be great, though). I've probably heard 4 songs from Feist's album, and it was good, but more of the kind of music my girlfriend listens to.

Finally, and possibly most controversially, I think Arcade Fire, and all (both?) of the their albums, but especially Neon Bible, is absolutely terrible. I have had several friends insist that I must listen to them and that they "kick so much ass." I have never heard more of a contrived, forced effort to sound smart and sophisticated in the vein of "The Boss" since The Killers' second album. Now, perhaps that I think Springsteen sucks hardcore is relevant to how much I hate Neon Bible, but it is possibly some of the worst songwriting/music-making, I've heard in a long time.

That's a nice well-rounded list...

Be-leaf it or not, I haven't even heard the Radiohead.

Loved the Wilco album, though. Tweedy still writes some good-sounding stuff.

Before I say what I was going to say, GreenKnight18: your filter PWN is one of the funniest I have seen ever. Alright I'm done with that.

Marquis de Sod: Listening to this year's music is like drinking freshly squeezed wine

I have to agree with this statement. Even though Radiohead's album is the only album I own on any list I have seen on the numerous "Albums of 2007" lists. For me, being a Mars Volta fan this year has been real good to me. Their guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez has released 3 LPs and 2 EPs this year.(Although many were recorded in 2005 while he lived in Amsterdam) I don't care who you are, but if you get 5 solo albums from an artist from a band you love, at least 2-3 will be real good and you will be pleased. For me every single album was superb.

On top of that I got an album from Rush, Acid Mothers Temple, Billy Martin and John Medeski of Medeski Martin and Wood, Charlie Hunter, Frank Zappa, The Greyboy All-Stars, John Butler Trio, Led Zeppelin(Their remastered album of "The Song Remains The Same" is farking awesome), two from Neil Young, and Porcupine Tree

Since I am only 19 I can legitimately say that for me, 2007 has been the best year for music in my lifetime.

so apparently every NPR listener buys whatever pitchfork tells them to.

The list lost all credibility by not having this CD listed:

I can't wait for a full-length album by the Black Kids, the "Wizard of Aaahs" EP was pretty good

And I'm liking Kate Nash's "Made of Bricks"

Any list that omits Richard Thompson's 'Sweet Warrior'
is BOGUS!
Dad's Gonna Kill Me!

I love Radiohead as much as the next, but IN RAINBOWS...#1...seriously?

They could record themselves taking sloppy shiats, lay the track over some synthetic beats, cover it in reverb, and have Thom Yorke improvise sentences like "Grass in sparkling verandas," and it would be well embraced. The positives of a solidied fan base I suppose.

that was a shatty list...

drickmeister: I loved how the White Stripes blurb mentioned Meg White's "elemental drum work". I never knew that elemental was a synonym for barely competent.

Well if she can do her job barely competent and still sell MILLIONS of records that doesn't say much for you. Should we start talking about how good ringo was too? who farking cares if i want to hear a 20 minute drum solo ill put on a zeppelin bootleg (which i do sometimes) but other people choose to make their music with more simple beat you don't need to whine about it. sometimes less is more.

Excellent list there boringmike, although "Vocal Studies" was the only Prefuse release I really liked. DJ Shadow was the backdrop to many a crazy happening throughout college and "Entroducing" still sounds fresh. "Shades of Blue" is fantastic as well. May I recommend a few that I think you might enjoy:
Thievery Corporation - "The Cosmic Game"
Ott - "Blumenkraft"
Telefon Tel Aviv - "Fahrenheit Fair Enough"
Deltron 3030

ShannonKW: Intelligent people are prone to tire of lyrics that never stray from infantile subject matter (bodily functions, naughty language, and calls for attention.) They also have a taste for a bit more musical variety than is available on the charts.

A snob looks down on you for your bad taste. If you assume that people with tastes that differ from yours are snobs, that probably says less about their veiw of you than it does about your own shame. If the man going to see King Lear while you're watching South Park automatically looks like a snob to you, it can only be because your own feeing of inferiority--for all you know he may not give a damn what you watch.

THIS.

And Gotan Project, how could I forget them? Myself and a lot of people around me have been seriously diggin them recently

'in rainbows' and 'ga ga ga ga ga' farking rule. i don't understand why people like 'neon bible,' though. it is complete shiat compared to the perfect 'funeral.'