30. Sundowner - Four One Five Two (Red Scare)
Dreamers and drifters, romantics and rejects: Chris McCaughan speaks to them all. Four One Five Two gives both hope and comfort to the listener, making them feel even the worst days can't be all that terrible if there's a tomorrow to follow. This is exactly what The Lawrence Arms unplugged would sound like. (Scottie)
29. Pygmy Lush - Bitter River (Robotic Empire)
After Mannequin and Malady broke up, there were quite a few people in the hardcore scene left heartbroken. Well if that is what it took for Pygmy Lush to come to fruition, then so be it. Going back and forth from post-grunge sounding hardcore to an acoustic Black Heart Procession, Pygmy Lush combine genres effortlessly and prove once and for all that hardcore kids can write a good song. (Shane)
28. The White Stripes - Icky Thump (Warner Bros.)
The White Stripes are one of the survivors of the "The" band craze at the beginning of this decade. Unlike their peers, The White Stripes survived the temporary hype that surrounded the garage rock revival scene and soldiered on to release several albums. With Icky Thump The White Stripes continued their unique two-person assault on the world of rock and roll? well until an anxiety attack. Put that assault on hold. (Michael)
27. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha (Fat Possum)
I fully understand the appeal of the singer-songwriter variety. I dig what Sondre Lerche and Sufjan Stevens are doing. But then there are guys like Devendra Banhart, who perplex me. Fortunately, Andrew Bird follows the former with his folk infusion of the singer-songwriter shtick. Unfortunately, he seems to be flying a little lower under the radar than those mentioned. So if you've missed out up until now, look into him. (Michael)
26. Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog (Sub Pop)
With friends like these, who the hell needs Calexico? Sam Beam showed that he's no longer the type of guy to fly solo with The Shepherd's Dog. With some of the best production we got to hear all year, the clickity clack of Iron and Wine's folk songs managed to rekindle the spirits of Simon and Garfunkel in 2007. That's no easy feat. (Shane)
25. Allegiance - Desperation (Rivalry)
While other hardcore bands get all the fame and glory, Allegiance hides in the shadows. But don't let that fool you. This California outfit outshines many of their peers on Desperation. Partnering metallic hardcore with gritty production and lyrical narratives on daily life, Allegiance issued one of the top hardcore albums of 2007, which will unfortunately be their last. (Michael)
24. The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour (Epitaph)
Best album you didn't hear this year. Throw away your Decemberists records and buy this; it trumps them all. It's literary and lamenting, humble and heart breaking, the soundtrack to a mid-western life full of woes and wows. This is the album for the 21st century everyman. (Scottie)
23. Jesu - Sundown/Sunrise (Aurora Borealis)
Justin Broadrick must live in the studio. No other artist matched his output of music in 2007. Sundown/Sunrise further blurs the line of drone, metal, and shoegaze. If you missed this, you missed out. If you like this, you can probably expect another five or so releases from Broadrick in 2008. (Michael)
22. Do Make Say Think - You, You're a History in Rust (Constellation)
In recent years, there has been an explosion of post-rock outfits. The success of artists like Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, and Mono is likely a reason. Do Make Say Think stand out from the crowd with their unique instrumentation and dynamic song structures as showcased on You, You're a History in Rust. The album is a listening experience to be undertaken from start to finish - chopping it up into songs would only be doing the album a disservice. (Michael)
21. Pelican - City of Echoes (Hydra Head)
City of Echoes is a fairly polarizing album. Either you are a fan of the band's increased pop experimentation or you find the band's newfound direction to be the final nail in the coffin. The Chicago instrumentalists have turned in another fine performance on City of Echoes. (Michael)
20. Ben Weasel and His Iron String Quartet - These Ones are Bitter (Mendota)
New Screeching Weasel album? It's never going to happen; come to terms with it. Weasel's second solo album is just as good though. Super produced by one of the cuties in All American Rejects, these songs are an audio example of what it means to be bittersweet. Sort of mean lyrics played with that upbeat power-pop sound, making it hard to be heartbroken for all that long. This is the closest you can come to crooning while not giving up your punk mentality. (Scottie)
19. Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone (Temporary Residence)
Who says this band hasn't evolved? This new record had distortion! In all seriousness, these four boys from Austin, TX continue to best everyone when it comes to writing songs that tug on the heart strings without saying a word. These songs also double if you are in a bind and need to sell your car! (Shane)
18. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)
The Shins had a quiet early career. But after a choice appearance on the soundtrack of Garden State that all changed. 2003's Chutes Too Narrow was met with critical acclaim, and this, their latest, catapulted them to the forefront of the indie pop scene alongside artists like Death Cab for Cutie. (Michael)
17. Wolves in the Throne Room - Two Hunters (Southern Lord)
Two Hunters is exactly what you'd expect from a modern black metal outfit: gritty production, a pummeling onslaught of drums, vicious riffs, and scathing vocals. And yet, Wolves in the Throne Room also found the time to accent their music with melody and ambience, making them something more than your average face-painted, axe wielding Satanists. (Michael)
16. Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)
Noah Lennox really shocked everyone with the latest Panda Bear album. What could have sounded like Animal Collective songs that didn't make the cut, instead sounded like the album Animal Collective wished they had released this year. Noah Lennox melds perfect pop with his experimental spirit and comes out championing a sound that was as fresh as it was deep. (Shane)
15. 108 - A New Beat from a Dead Heart (Deathwish Inc.)
What do you do after a decade of dormancy? If you're 108, you write your most dissonant, abrasive, and forceful album to date. A New Beat from a Dead Heart continues the legacy of this Krishna outfit: pounding metallic hardcore featuring a candid commentary on politics and religion. Were you expecting anything else? (Michael)
14. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Living with the Living (Touch & Go)
There are few things we can consider certain in this ever-changing climate, one is the rock-steady reliance of Ted Leo and his illustrious Pharmacists. Living with the Living is both a continuation of Leo's previous sound, along with some newer experiments that prove he's yet to find himself stuck in a musical rut. With a blend of politics, melody, aggression and honesty, this comes highly recommended as ever. (Matt)
13. Crime In Stereo - ?Is Dead (Bridge Nine)
For many, Crime In Stereo's fast-paced Nitro debut, The Troubled Stateside was a beautiful fusion of the best elements of bands like Strike Anywhere, The Movielife, Gorilla Biscuits, and Lifetime. Not content to cater to expectations however, the band showed an ability to focus and tighten up, producing the deeper and more introspective ... Is Dead without sacrificing the speed and melody that made them popular to begin with. (Matt)
12. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Merge)
For a lot of people, Neon Bible was their album of the year. For their latest effort The Arcade Fire did not fall victim to the sophomore slump. Rather, they wrote an album that, to me, puts Funeral in its place. If pop-accented indie rock is your thing, and you haven't bought this album, you need to do so now. (Michael)
11. Cloak/Dagger - We Are (Jade Tree)
Once again Richmond shows that it is better than you. After only releasing one 7" Cloak/Dagger signed to Jade Tree, and their first release is their done-to-perfection formula of 80's inspired hardcore. With members having played in bands such as American Nightmare, Stop It!, and Striking Distance, it comes as no surprise that Cloak/Dagger is able to be so tight and concentrated, ripping through Black Flag soaked ragers. In a year where seemingly every other hardcore band was an 80's rehash revival group, We Are shows that inspiration is just that, it's what you make of it that counts for something. (Cory)
10. Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
Okkervil River didn't write a soundtrack with this album, they wrote the movie itself. Cinematic with better story telling than eighty percent of the movies released this year, The Stage Names also managed to be a pretty damn good sounding pop album. If these guys aren't the center of the indie media by their next album then we'll know for sure that the Shins made a deal with the devil. (Shane)
9. Electric Wizard - Witchcult Today (Rise Above)
What happens when Black Sabbath, The Byrds, classic horror flicks, and a heavy dose of hallucinogenic drugs are placed in a giant bong, and smoked by your record player. The answer is Electric Wizard and their latest long-player, Witchcult Today. Fans of stoner, doom, and riff-metal should no doubt own this. (Michael)
8. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga (Saddle Creek)
Like a conclusion to Conor Obsert's longtime interest in alt-country sounds, Cassadaga hits right out with a rusty Americana vibe that sees tales of lost lovers, dusty roads, soul singers, and classic cars woven around guitars, pianos, fiddles, sweeping strings, and Oberst's mature and soul-baring voice. Produced with a reverent beauty and perfectly sequenced, this record is the soundtrack to a Summer lost. (Matt)
7. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Domino)
I am probably the last person that should be writing about this album. However, based on my limited exposure to Animal Collective, I can say is that if you are looking for music that reaches outside the bounds of traditional songwriting, then Animal Collective is what you need. Strawberry Jam is like Amnesiac on crack. (Michael)
6. Neurosis - Given to the Rising (Neurot Recordings)
Neurosis gave us Given to the Rising this year, and it proves that the group is not going soft as it is easily one of their heaviest records since Times of Grace. The album is a wicked blast of music that seems intent on breaking listener down. Recorded in just six days time, Given to the Rising gives listeners a glimpse of a band that in the future might only be described as a force of nature rather than a music outfit. (Bob)
5. Jesu - Conqueror (Hydra Head)
The amount of music that Justin Broadrick released this year is astounding. Conqueror quickly took a high position on many peoples best of lists in 2007 and never truly relinquished it; the album was a great mix of melancholic emotion and subtle heavy pounding. (Bob)
4. Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice (Suicide Squeeze)
Minus the Bear? more like "Amazing" the Bear. Planet of Ice is Minus the Bear's most dynamic and progressive album to date. I don't see how you can't love this album. Seriously? "Amazing" the Bear. (Michael)
3. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic)
After the breakout success of "Float On," many fans wondered what direction the band would take with their follow-up. Further expectations were added with the announcement that Johnny Marr was joining the band fulltime. Well, Modest Mouse did not give into the temptation of fame, nor did they falter and write a piss-poor album, instead they delivered a top-notch album. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is one of the catchiest indie rock albums of 2007. (Michael)
2. Lifetime - Lifetime (Decaydance)
When I started here at Scene Point Blank a few years back, if you would have told me Lifetime would be reformed and have one of the top albums of 2007, I would have called you crazy. But here we are and Lifetime's comeback album shows that despite a ten-year hiatus, they are still at the top of the hardcore game. (Michael)
1. Radiohead - In Rainbows (Independent)
Proving that predicting Radiohead is a fool's errand, Thom Yorke and company surprised everyone with the release of In Rainbows and left critics dumbfounded with their pricing plan. While the boldness of their refusal to continue down traditional paths of production was unquestionable, such a statement would be worthless without musical muscle to back it up. Luckily for fans, In Rainbows was stunning and exciting, featuring a renewed energy and desire to dabble and experiment that prove Radiohead are still relevant in 2007 and beyond. (Matt)
Time will only tell how In Rainbows will fit into the history of music. One thing that will not be contested is that the donation-based release of In Rainbows made more waves than any other album in 2007, and that was before even a note of music was heard. So how does it rank in regards to the Radiohead catalog? Well, In Rainbows is less pretentious than Kid A but also more abstract than The Bends. What does that mean? It's Radiohead; it's good! (Michael)
