Best of 2007

Top 20 Albums of 2007.


1/ Automat - Self-titled

Jeez. This is one album that was always just on the verge of being released and I simply COULD NOT WAIT. This is an absolutely stunning album and I urge everyone to buy a copy. Hooks galore and it's the album that i've listen to more than everything else put together.

2/ Scouting for girls - Self-titled

Appearing quite late in the year it was soon vying for the number one spot. Really bouncy, happy music with funny, clever lyrics. With the bonus "secret" track of 'Strachan' quite the biggest ear-worm of the year.

3/ John Hoskinson - Pancho Fantastico

Way, way up there on my most listened to albums of 2007.

4/ B.C.Camplight - Blink of a Nihilist

Thanks to Marc for this one. A real, real grower and i'll be playing the hell out of in 2008 too.

5/ The Nines - Gran Jukle's Field

The Nines and Jackdaw4 arrived from NotLame on the same day and they've been alternating position-wise since I started typing the list, but I think they just pip Jawdaw4 (but ask me again tomorrow).

6/ Jackdaw4 - Bipolar Diversions

If there was an award for the best album title...

7/ The Hoosiers

Very good live. Lead man seems to be quite quirky and mmanic and I like that.

8/ Fields - Everything last winter

To my ears it shares some of the same sensiblities as another great album from 2006, "Trial of the occupanther" by Midlake. It smacks of having being written in the middle of a dark, dark forest under the watchful eye of maleaovant spirits. Every thrash of the guitar sending a thousand hell-black crows flying into the sky.

9/ Ken Sharp - Sonic crayons

Chock-full of great melodies. Am now working my way through an older album.

10/ Jason Falkner - I'm OK... You're OK

It's been such a long, long wait that my expectation level was set very high. Initially apart from a few tracks I wasn't as excited as i'd hoped I would have been. There were certainly flashes of the old Jason Falkner in there alongside songs which bear influences of artists he's worked with, for example "Hurricane" which tastes of Air. After i'd calmed down and listened to it with a slightly less judgemental head it began to grow on me. Frankly for the tracks "Say it's true" and "I don't mind" it'd be worth the cost of the album alone.

11/ Field Music - Tones of town

Lovely, lovely. Listened to "Kingston" a great deal.

12/ Paul McCartney - Memory almost full

13/ Nick Drake - Family Tree

Milking the cash cow? Perhaps, perhaps, but - still an interesting listen. Odd to hear Drake's speaking voice and nice to see 'Blossom' on a properly sanctioned album.

14/ Elliott Smith - New Moon

As with the Drake album, I hope they don't tamper with a legacy by putting out ever older and worse off-cuts.

15/ Fionn Regan

Nice bit of folk.

16/ Rooney - Calling the world

Not as good as it might have been, but still very enjoyable.

17/ Tammany Hall Machine - Amateur Saw

18/ Wilco - Sky blue sky

19/ Maple Mars - Beautiful Mess

20/ The High Llamas - Can Cladders


Disappointment of 2007

Rilo Kiley's "Under the blacklight". I know a lot of people liked it, but it just didn't do anything for me.

"Cheapest" album of 2007
Radiohead

Albums released before 2007 which have only just reached my ears:

2005: The f**king excellent Bryan Scary and "The shredding tears".

Stuff:
Spoon's "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" would have been a contender but the album never arrived.

Hopes for 2008?

New albums from Ben Folds, Ed Harcourt and Bleu would be nice. (oh, and Jellyfish - what do you mean it'll never happen?)


..... p.s. I saw David Celia's album "This isn't here" on someone's list. In my head it was from from the end of 2006 and not a 1 Jan 2007 release as it turned out to be - and so i'll add it, if I may, to the end of my list.