As Kyle stated in his top albums column previously, this year really was a rather unimpressive year for music. I would reiterate his words in that 2006 had many stand out albums that really hit home lyrically, musically and were flawless fits for their time. [Kyle's note: I didn't necessarily think it was an unimpressive year for music, I just didn't have a lot of CDs that I heard and fell in complete love with. However, I think it was a great year for songs]

With that being said, 2007 still had some very good music and my top 5 artists made some enormous steps forward. Especially in regards to musical prowess and much broader sound than their previous albums featured.

Since I hate doing “top 10” lists, I am going to do a top 5 list with a few honorable mentions and an “outstanding debut artist.” Feel free to completely mock and/or disagree with any and all of my selections. These are just what my ears have enjoyed the most this year.

5. Arcade Fire-Neon Bible

The Arcade Fire continue to be that one band that I yearn to hear live (I can never wake up early enough to get tickets but that goes along with the fact that I’m getting too old). I loved FUNERAL but Win Butler’s lead vocals would grate on me after a while. I have to say that Win polished up his pipes nicely in the off-season and his voice was twice as good on their sophomore release. I was happy that the album lived up to the hype.

4. Iron & Wine-The Shepherd’s Dog

This falls into the “major step forward” category. Sam Beam, the brainchild behind Iron and Wine, has been spending a lot of time with another band called Calexico (even touring with them and recording an EP). Their influence can definitely be heard on Beam’s new disc. The sound has moved from just a stripped down guitar-folk vibe to a full-fledged band. This was probably the biggest surprise in my top 5 because I had anticipated an average offering on Iron and Wine’s 3rd full length.

3. The Shins-Wincing the Night Away

The love the Shins and the Shins sound. Many people believe that they have become too commercial now. I believe they are an Indie staple and their sound continues to develop slowly, but surely. The stand out songs on this album are “Sleeping Lessons” with its awesome explosion and build-up and “Red Rabbits.” As with previous Shins albums, the songs flow seamlessly into each other so it is a nice album to pop in and listen in its entirety.

2. Bloc Party-Weekend in the City

My buddy gave me a copy of this cd and Travis’ The Boy With No Name at the same time. Initially, I listened to the Travis album a lot more than Bloc Party’s sophomore release based primarily on vocals (see Arcade Fire; Kele Okereke, Bloc Party’s lead singer, also has a very “distinctive” sound to his voice). I was able to see both bands perform their albums live this past summer. Prior to attending the Bloc Party show, I revisited the album and realized that the band had matured a lot from Silent Alarm. Kele’s sexuality and his race, amongst other things, are addressed in the lyrics of this album. Because the material is more mature, it took me a little longer to recognize and absorb the complexities and layering on the songs. After I saw them live, this album was consistently in my rotation. If you have written it off, I highly recommend giving it another listen or six.

1. Radiohead-In Rainbows

Enough has been said about Radiohead’s innovative release of In Rainbows. However, there really hasn’t been much focus on the album itself. I have been a huge fan of Radiohead since The Bends and I still argue with people about it being my favorite Radiohead album. In Rainbows is the best “musical” album from Radiohead since OK Computer. It takes multiple listens but there some very beautiful melodies underneath the layers of samples. This album, along with the Shins’, is one that I can put in and listen all the way through without skipping a track. The standouts are “15 Step”, “Nude” and “Weird Fishes.” To top it all off, they are streaming a live show of them performing the album in its entirety on NYE (and I believe that Al Gore’s CURRENT TV is rebroadcasting as well). I can’t think of a better way to ring in 2008.

Honorable Mentions

Travis-The Boy With No Name
Spoon-GaGaGaGa
Norah Jones-Not Too Late
Air-Pocket Symphony
Sigur Ros-Heim/Hvarf

Debut Artist of 2007

Pela-Anytown Graffiti

My wife was asking me the other day why I love Pela’s album so much. I tried to explain it to her but I really couldn’t vocalize it or put it into words. I think the reason why I love them so much is that popular music now is so repetitive, bland and mediocre. Pela take it up a notch. Their sound is tight, their lyrics are insightful and I heard they put on a good show (I will let you know for sure when I see them in February). Bands like Pela give me hope that there is still a level of music that I can identify with and not cringe when I hear them. As sad as that may sound, it give me hope and that is why they are my debut artist of 2007.