The Top Ten Records Of 2007

01. The National / Boxer
Boxer is one of those rare albums that has your attention from the beginning of the first track, and keeps your interested until the very end. Previously, my only exposure to The National was a song that Brandon had put on a previous mix (from 2005's excellent The Alligator). But Boxer is definitely one album that has caused me to sit up and take notice of this band.

02. Radiohead / In Rainbows
After the Holy Trinity of The Bends (1995), OK Computer (1997) and Kid A (2000), Radiohead has had a hard time topping itself. Amnesiac (2001) proved a failed-experiment and Hail To The Thief (2003), although not a bad record in the least, didn't really live up to peoples' expectations. When the band announced that In Rainbows would be available exclusively through their website on a pay-what-you-want basis, many music listeners grew suspicious. How good could it be if their label isn't involved, and you can get it for as little as a penny? This is the reason why I didn't bother sitting down to download In Rainbows but, fortunately, Curt floated me over a copy when we were in St. Louis over Christmas. I'm glad he did because In Rainbows is like the rainbow at the end of a rainy day. God, that was stupid.

03. Jens Lekman / Night Falls Over Kortedala
Night Falls Over Kortedala is a perfect example of what you can achieve if you wear your emotions, as well as your musical influences, on your sleeve. Jens Lekman is the bastard son of Burt Bacharach and Beck Hanson.

04. The Clientele / God Save The Clientele
With the AM-friendly sixties sound, this album gets better with every listen. The Clientele reminds me, not of Belle & Sebastian (necessarily), but of the first time I ever heard Belle & Sebastian. At fourteen songs, it's just a little too long and, if not for that and that alone, God Save The Clientele would have been higher up on this list.

05. M.I.A. / Kala
I'm surprised I even gave Kala the time of day to begin with. After all, I'm not a fan of dance music. But I would argue that this album stands out more for its hip hip elements than its dance hall beats. I am continuously seeing Kala on various critics' end-of-the-year lists, and with good reason. And, since the rise and fall of Roxanne Shante, I've never been a fan of female emcees either. This one delivers the goods. Whatever that means.

06. The Veils / Nux Vomica
I first gave The Veils a listen after having heard all the comparisons between Nick Cave and lead singer, Finn Andrews. It's been about six months since I got my hands on a copy of Nux Vomica and I'll have to say that I still don't hear it. No, the first band I thought of was XTC and, apparently, my instincts were right on the money after having found out that Andrews is actually the son of founding-XTC member, Barry Andrews. Anyway, similarities and influences aside, this particular record is outstanding. And, at a perfect length--ten songs at a total of 43 minutes--gets better with every listen.

On a side note, I played this album for Lisa on a recent trip to St. Louis. About a minute into track 4, "Jesus For The Jugular," she asked me to skip to the next track, claiming it sounded "too Tom-Waitsy." Whatever that means, I couldn't hear it.

07. Grinderman / Grinderman
In case you didn't know, Grinderman is basically Nick Cave and about three-sevenths of The Bad Seeds. But, for those few of you who didn't take the time to listen to it, we are far from Bad Seeds territory here. Nick Cave, Warren Ellis and company wear their bluesy, dirty, surly, foul-mouthed influences on their sleeves. And, from what I gather, they're here to stay. Because of Grinderman, I'll forgive The Bad Seeds for only releasing a live 2 CD, 2 DVD collection this year (The Abattoir Blues Tour, which consisted mostly of material off 2004's Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus).

08. The New Pornographers / Challengers
The New Pornographers always seem to live up to the hype that have surrounded them since their incarnation in 2000. Every time a new record drops, I tend to brace myself for the sound of that second shoe hitting the floor. Now, four albums in, Challengers shows no signs of The Pornos going downhill.

09. MF Grimm / The Hunt For The Gingerbread Man
The emcee, who's legal name is Percy Carey, has achieved something that's rare in hip hop: longevity. Since the late eighties/early nineties, MF Grimm has proven himself at rap battles against the likes of GZA and Treach. He penned lyrics for some of the greatest emcees of all time (Dr. Dre, Snoop, Biggie, just to name a few) and produced albums by KMD and MF Doom. Every once in a while, he quietly releases a gem like The Hunt For The Gingerbread Man and it tends to go unnoticed by critics and hip hop heads alike. As a concept album, Gingerbread Man is brilliant storytelling.

10. Aesop Rock / None Shall Pass
I had high hopes for 2007 in regard to hip hop music. I anxiously awaited the third full length by Sage Francis. Unfortunately Human The Death Dance starts off really strong and loses steam about four songs in. In early December, the Wu Tang Clan released 8 Diagrams to mixed reviews. I downloaded a handful of tracks and only cared for a few of them. The new Madvillain record never saw the light of day. The Beastie Boys' new album was sans vox. And El-P finally released his proper follow-up to Fantastic Damage, which seemed to be well received by the hip hop community. I, for one, was pretty disappointed. And, since his days with Company Flow, I've always loved the music of El-P. Ironically, I've never really cared for Aesop Rock (whose record is produced by El-P) and None Shall Pass did not attract my attention until I heard the title track. I got my hands on the full length album and it's all I listened to for about two weeks straight. Thanks to None Shall Pass, I have a new-found respect for Aesop Rock. And, between him, The Gingerbread Man, and even M.I.A., my year for hip hop music ended on a good note.