Ten For Tuesday: Top Albums of 2007 (the top ten) January 8, 2008
Posted by Matt in music, top ten.Tags: Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, josh ritter, Michael McDermott, music, Radiohead, Robert Plant, Ryan Adams, Spoon, the new pornographers, The White Stripes, top ten
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Earlier today I posted the albums I ranked from 11-20. Below are the ten must-haves of the last year. Enjoy.
10. Ryan Adams – Easy Tiger
I know that Adams’ arrogance knows no bounds, but he is certainly the most prolific songwriter of my generation and perhaps one of the most brilliant as well. Easy Tiger is easily his best work since 2000’s Heartbreaker (there have been 7 albums since then) as he revisits his country past.
Download: The Sun Also Sets
9. The New Pornographers – Challengers
I’ve been in love with Neko Case ever since I first heard her 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, so I will quickly snatch up anything that has her name on it. This supergroup, which includes the great Ms. Case, showcases her greatness yet again (and the rest of the band isn’t too bad, either).
Download: Challengers
8. Robert Plant/Allison Krause – Raising Sand
It may seem like a strange pairing to mix the queen of bluegrass with the man who helped invent hard rock, but whoever came up with the idea is a genius. Zeppelin experimented some with folk-type music in songs like Gallows Pole and Going to California, so I guess it shouldn’t be such a surprise that this works so incredibly well. What I really want to hear now is the two of them collaborating on Battle of Evermore.
Download: Please Read the Letter
7. John Fogerty – Revival
People in their 60’s just aren’t supposed to rock like this, but, despite his age, former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty lays down the gauntlet and outdoes all of those young whippersnappers. This is how rock music is supposed to be.
Download: Creedence Song
6. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
I’m a 30 year old white guy who can’t dance a lick, but when I listen to this album (or any of Spoon’s other ones) I want to get down. I defy you to listen to this and not bob your head or tap your foot or something, it is downright infectious.
Download: You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb
5. The White Stripes – Icky Thump
It is kind of humorous that we have both The White Stripes and Robert Plant in the same list, because there is nobody around today that channels Zeppelin more than Jack White. Even more amazing is that White can lay down some fat Jimmy Page-style riffs while sounding eerily like a 70’s era Plant belting out rock anthems. It also doesn’t hurt that I had the chance to catch The White Stripes in concert a few months ago. Wow.
Download: Icky Thump and I’m Slowly Turning Into You
4. Radiohead – In Rainbows
The band made headlines across the world back in the fall when they offered this entire album on their website with the option of paying whatever amount you wanted for it. Having been a big fan of Radiohead since their “Creep” days, I snatched it up on the first day it was available. Now, I have to admit that I have been a bit disappointed with their work as of late (Except for Thom Yorke’s solo album, The Eraser), but this is, without a doubt, their best work since 2000’s amazing Kid A. These guys weave together a sonic landscape that few others can even come close to.
Download: Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
3. Michael McDermott – Noise From Words
I offer my sincerest thanks to Scott and Greg for introducing me to this stellar album by singer-songwriter Michael McDermott. It is one of those few collections of songs that I can listen to from beginning to end, over and over, and never get tired of. From the heart-rending ballad of loss Still Ain’t Over You Yet (Most nights I wish that we’d never met / Most days I choke on my fear and regret / and I hate to admit / that I still ain’t over you yet) to the inspiring album-ending anthem of redemption I Shall Be Healed (Then I stood at an altar / The weight it caused me to kneel / Just say ye the word / and I shall be healed) this is truly a work that must be heard.
Download: Still Ain’t Over You Yet and I Shall Be Healed
2. Josh Ritter – The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Another guy in the running for best songwriter of my generation, his incredible melancholic 2006 album, The Animal Years, seemed impossible to top, but this work, with its more upbeat yet still poignant sound, may have done it. The album opener, To the Dogs or Whoever, blows the doors off of his normally subdued sound while ballads, like the apocalyptic love story The Temptation of Adam, show his continued maturity as a songwriter.
Download: To the Dogs or Whoever and The Temptation of Adam
1. Bruce Springsteen – Magic
With artists like the aforementioned Robert Plant and John Fogerty, 2007 was the year of the return of old rock stars, and nobody epitomized this more than 58 year old icon Springsteen. In my opinion, this one if far greater than the 2002 Grammy Award-winner, The Rising, and his best work since at least Born in the USA. Yes, this one is Magic indeed. From Radio Nowhere’s hard charging guitar riff to the small town imagery of Girls in Their Summer Clothes, this is a certain masterpiece.
Download: Radio Nowhere and Girls in Their Summer Clothes
What would you add to the list?
good stuff. even more overlap with mine here. I have 7 of these 10.
I got Fogerty’s on eMusic and like it a lot, too, even though it didn’t make my list. (I’ve also got the double-live album of his on eMusic in my queue still, hopefully to download soon.)
Like Kings of Leon, I’ve been meaning to get to Ryan Adams as well.
Adams has put out a massive amount of music since 2000 and much of it is hit-or-miss. You can’t go wrong with either the Heartbreaker or Easy Tiger albums, though.
You have excellent taste.
Thanks, Scott. I have you to thank for much of what is on this list…
[...] In case you are interested, you can see my past picks for my year end music lists here: 2006 2007 2008 Now that we have nearly reached the halfway point of this trip ‘round the sun, I thought I [...]