2007 wasn't the best year for music I've ever heard. It didn't have a truck load of five-star material, but it had a bunch of largely satisfying releases, ones I'll probably still be listening to well into 2008 and beyond.
Thanks in part to Blogcritics, I was able to listen to and get a hold of a bunch more albums than I normally would have. And of course, the more music you listen to, the harder it is to narrow your favorites down to a short list. So instead of just another top 10, I've decided to do things a bit differently and group my favorites in groups of sevens, in honor of the year that was.
The first list consists of full-length CDs that got the most love and spins in my stereo system, the second list being just a sample of other artists whose work I dug not quite as much but deserves inclusion in any year-end list. My third list will be in "Part Two" of my 2007 best-of lists, since the first two run rather long. [None of these releases are ranked in any particular order, in case you were wondering.]
My Absolute Favorite Albums of 2007
1. Travis - The Boy With No Name: These Scottish rockers are highly underrated in America, for whatever reason. They are one of the primary reasons bands such as Coldplay even exist — though the two bands don't sound much alike — yet they put out great albums such as this that don't sell well in the U.S. Whether it's dreamy, goose bump-inducing instant classics like "Colder," infectious guitar pop rockers like "Selfish Jean" and "Under The Moonlight (featuring KT Tunstall)" or the radio-ready romantic pop of "Closer," this CD is a winner through and through.
2. Band of Horses - Cease To Begin: The quick follow-up to 2006's Everything All The Time, this CD is no sophomore slump for the Seattle-now-South Carolina sextet. Whether it's southern, jangle-style rock and pop on the likes of "General Specific" and "Is There A Ghost," or softer, more country-leaning numbers like "Marry Song," there's not a bad track on this album. And these tracks work just as well live, too.
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
Nice list, man. That Explosions album really didn't grab me like I thought it would, but I did manage to snag one of the early ones with the remix disc that is very interesting - it might even be better than the album itself. And I've been kicking myself for months for not picking up that Dinosaur Jr album. It's been on my "I need to pick this up soon" list and for some reason I never do. I will make this happen soon. Really.