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10. Menomena – Friend and Foe

If album art was the deciding factor of AoTY, then Friend and Foe would be the cream of the crop. This album from the Portland outfit, Friend and Foe feels infinitely more sincere than their debut, I AM the FUN BLAME MONSTER! (an anagram for “The First Menomena Album”) They’ve accomplished a unique form of indie rock that glazes the requisite bass, drums and guitar in piano and tenor saxophone. All of the cuts from the album are guaranteed to get your pleasure center moving, so please, dig in.


9. Spoon – Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Spoon has been delivering their Austin rock for over a decade now, but the ridiculously named Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga might be their best yet. The band eschews the techno-driven sound found in Kill the Moonlight, while exploring new aural landscapes. Seriously, there are reggae-esque cuts here (Eddie’s Ragga), songs that could’ve been co-written by Brian Wilson (The Ghost of You Lingers), and, of course, some straight rockers (Don’t Make Me A Target). Lyrically, Spoon has always betrayed their sound, with some of the most intricate lyrics this side of Texas rock, and its no different here. It’s refreshing to see such great music coming from such a prolific band, and I can hardly wait for the next on.

8. radicalfashion – Odori

Alright, I’ll admit it: I know almost nothing about radicalfashion. He’s Japanese, and he has one of the better artist names I’ve ever heard. However, his stark minimalist techno is some of the most intimate music of 2007. He abuses the piano; these pieces would make Mozart’s head explode, and each piece is so thoroughly drenched in white noise that half the fun comes from trying to figure out where the samples came from. But I digress: I know very little about radicalfashion, and I know even less about why I love his music so much. Give it a try.

7. The Innocence Mission – We Walked in Song

This is the definition of a winter album. The Innocence Mission is another band that has been around for longer than this writer has been on God’s green earth, and their experience can be heard in We Walked in Song. Karen Peris’s voice drifts along acoustic-guitar driven songs, and you’ll be hard pressed not to sing along. This album is sadder than their previous work; the break between albums was spent by most of the band members going to funerals. If this is what sadness sounds like, I’m up for seconds.

6. Thee More Shallows – Book of Bad Breaks

Thee More Shallows is one of the most criminally ignored bands on the planet. Their 2005 album, More Deep Cuts, was the best album of that already brilliant year, but went by without as much as a glance by most consumers or magazines. The Book of Bad Breaks is a transitional album; the album is more immediately accessible and poppy, but still has the lyrical dexterity to keep you coming back for more. The distortion is controlled and, in my opinion, brilliant, but it can polarize listeners. It’s naturalistic themes, hard rocking, and scintillating pop hooks make it a cut above the rest.

5. El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

El-Producto may not be a household name, but he’s well on his way. Head of the Definitive Jux rap label and notorious for his bass-heavy beats, El-P has crafted his best album with I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead. The drums are, as always, ear-bleedingly good, but they’re much more varied than his debut, and both of the subdued tracks (The Overly Dramatic Truth, Posenville Kid No Wins) are standouts. His raps let you into his twisted mind, through post-apocalyptic sets and loveless relationships. It’s heavy handed, but not heavy-legged: this is the most jumping album of 2007.

4. Stars – In Our Bedroom After The War

Stars have been creating pleasant pop since the dawn of the decade, but every album seems better than the last. In Our Bedroom After The War covers all the bases, this album is jam-packed with rockers, ballads, and even a Prince homage (Ghost of Genova Heights). The Stars’s stars, Torquil and Amy, handle the vocals with amazing poise, and really help keep this album barreling ahead. The album is a downer, but the occasionally trite lyrics are also firmly tongue-in-cheek; you are still supposed to dance to this, after all.

3. Radiohead – In Rainbows

After the slightly disappointing Hail To The Thief, it looked like Radiohead might have finally run out of ideas. And, in a way, In Rainbows doesn’t do much to dissuade that theory: it is their most accessible album since OK Computer, and the majority of the songs on the album have been on their set lists for the past decade. However, the studio has turned these songs into some of the best songs Radiohead has ever released. The twinkling xylophone on “All I Need”, the bridge in “Bodysnatchers”, the syncopated rhythmic heart attack that infects the piano ballad “Videotape”: all prime Radiohead moments. With In Rainbows, Radiohead has stopped becoming their worst enemy. We no longer have to wait for the next Kid A, or the next OK Computer, we just have to wait for the next Radiohead album.

2. Elsiane – Hybrid

This is, as the album title suggests, a collaboration between singer Elsieanne Caplette and drummer Stephane Sotto, but I’m a bit scared to hear what they sound like on their own. Together, they’re absolutely horrifying, creating haunting soundscapes with driving rhythms, dark strings, and Elsieanne’s unique voice. Almost every song strikes an emotional chord, and its hard not to get enveloped into the music. It’s a bit jazzy, a bit rocky, and a bit electronica, but, no matter how you try to classify it, the only thing it is for sure is excellent.

1. The National - Boxer

No. Just listen to it.



Happy New Year from all of us at o9!

As a bonus, here’s overlord and founder o90×42424‘s list (in no particular order):
In Rainbows - Radiohead
Long Road out of Eden - The Eagles
In Black and White - Mustard Plug
Niggy Tardust - Saul Williams
Desire - Pharoahe Monch
So Many Nights - The Cat Empire
Somewhere In the Between - Streetlight Manifesto
Are Men - Barenaked Ladies
Monkeys for Nothin’ and the Chimps for Free - Reel Big Fish
Year Zero - Nine Inch Nails