The Libertine's Top 18 Albums of 2007

Its that time of the year again. Time for my year end top albums list. 2007 was such a great year for music that this is a supersized edition. I couldn't just pick 10 albums, so this list will be my favorite 18 albums of 2007.

A couple of groundrules. Firstly, these are my favorite 18 albums of 2007, not the best 18 albums of 2007. Although there is some overlap, the lists are not the same. For instance, Battles "Mirrored" album is one of the best 18 albums of 2007, but it is not one of my favorite 18 albums. Converesely, Travis' album "The Boy With No Name" is not one of the best 18 albums of 2007, but it is one of my favorite 18 albums of 2007. Secondly, there may or may not be albums on this last that actually came out in 2006. They will be included in my 2007 list if I did not hear about them until 2007. This is my +1 year rule. Consequently, albums released prior to 2006 will not qualify for the +1 year rule.

18. Kings of Leon: Because of the Times

An incredible live band. I was worried that the singer wouldn't sound like the album, but he was able to hit all the straining notes. Because of the Times is a vast improvement over their previous albums, pulling together all of their Jack Daniels southern rock tinged music into an indie rock gem. Fans is an anthem that I wish I had in my high school years. Other standout tracks include Ragoo, Charmer, and the dark heart of Because of the Times, Knocked Up.



17. Youth Group: Casino Twilight Dogs

Alot of critics slept on this band's latest album and preferred 2005's Skeleton Jar. I'm not really sure why, Casino Twilight Dogs shows the bands matured sound and wider platitudes of arrangements. The album is a kaleidoscope of brit pop and 90s era alternative. See Start Today Tomorrow which sounds like a cross between Radiohead's between High and Dry and David Gray's Babylon. The best track off the album was their lead single, Sorry, which carries the sarcastic refrain "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so terribly, terribly sorry" to an ex-girlfriend who still hasn't found happiness with her new lover.





16. Travis: The Boy With No Name

A return to form after their previous disappointing 12 Memories where Travis tried to do be something they're not--a rock band with a bluesy overtone. Can we all just pretend that album never happened? This is pure brit-pop heaven reminiscent of the heights they reached with their debut album with songs like Turn and Why Does it Always Rain on Me? If there's one problem with this band is that the songs tend to carry on too long. The album would be much benefited if each song ended 30 seconds earlier. Can we make a rule that Travis can't make a song longer than 3 minutes? What would be the downside to this?



15. Menomena: Friend and Foe

Not quite as good as their first album, I AM THE FUN BLAME MONSTER (an anagram for the "The First Menomena Album), Friend and Foe is alternatingly epic and frustrating. Frustrating in that some of the songs never seem to get off the ground (see Running) and epic in the sense that some songs are so fucking original that you can't even compare them to any other band (see Wet and Rusting and Weird). An unbelievable live band. I couldn't believe the band only had 3 members, each rotating instruments and vocals. People characterize the Shins as alternative music or true indie music. These people are idiots. Menomena are probably the most original band operating in the indie rock spectrum right now.



14. Forget Cassettes: Salt

An album full of contrast. On the one hand you have a female lead singer with a delicate voice reminiscent of Portishead, and on the other hand you have a thrashing, violent instrumentation in the vein of In Utero Nirvana. This is a surprising inclusion into my top 18 list because I'm not really a big fan of heavy stuff, but the album is just too beautiful in juxtaposing its beauty with its brawn. I couldn't deny this album its rightful place in my top 18.



13. Stars: In Our Bedroom After the War

Every indie rock kid I knew hyped up 2005's Set Yourself on Fire as if it were 2001's Is This It. I hate to break it to these scenesters, but Set Yourself on Fire wasn't very good. The only redeeming song was Ageless Beauty. In Our Bedroom After the War finds the band in much better regard as they experiment with trip hop-lite sounds on some songs (Personal) and 80s era loud/soft dynamic (Take Me to the Riot). Its a great album that takes you all over the place on its 13 tracks. This is what Set Yourself on Fire was supposed to be.



12. Burial: Untrue

I don't listen to many electronica artists anymore. There are very few that I follow with regularity. Burial is one of them. Part of the UK dub-step movement, Burial presents the soundtrack to coming home from a grimy club at 5 AM alone and wondering about your future. Its the ultimate comedown album as songs do little but repeat their simple loops over and over with slight twists. This is an album that brings me back to my college days when I actually would go clubbing. (FYI the other electronica artists I follow are Telefon TelAviv--FUCKING AWESOME, Four Tet, Amon Tobin, and DJ Shadow).



11. Once Soundtrack

A great love story of a movie featuring the lead singer of the Frames (their song Fake, got me through one of my worst breakups ever, so, big ups to them for that). Most of these songs are simple acoustic melodies with a bit of piano. Only a handful actually feature any sort of full instrumentation with a bass or drums. This makes the album a more intimate experience and it pays off in a big way. The highlights include, When Your Mind's Made Up, Falling Slowly, and Once. People need to see this movie and buy this soundtrack. Its unbelievable. This should probably be in my top 10, but I just can't find room in there for some reason.



10. Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

An early contender for album of the year when it first came out. On repeated listens, the album grows deficient on its own production values--its too fucking bloated. Every song aims for some sort of emotional apex that becomes so draining over 11 consecutive tracks. Funeral was such a beautiful understated album that ranks somewhere in my top 10 of all time. Consequently, I had such high hopes for Neon Bible. No Cars Go is the perfect example of its bloatedness. No Cars Go was an early demo of Arcade Fire with a brooding instrumentation that brought out the haunting vocals. On Neon Bible its an overbloated pile of shit. The album notwithstanding, there are some kick ass tracks--Antichrist Television Blues, Keep the Car Running, and Intervention. Half of the album is phenomenal. The other half is draining.





COMING SOON 1-9....