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Email a friend» Home » The best albums of 2007
The best albums of 2007
As another 12 months of sporting disappointment and inclement weather draws to its inevitable, irretrievable end, we've once more handpicked the long players that have made us repeatedly proclaim the glory of music. All are available to download…
1
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The second album from dubstep's most mysterious exponent was a more upbeat, focused affair than its predecessor, but still showcased his (her?) signature blend of gorgeous abstract vocal snippets and melancholic atmospheres. Post-apocalyptic two-step, or maybe a sleep-deprived Massive Attack - either way, we were, for a while, of the opinion that music should be stopped and Burial declared the overall winner, but then we realised that might possibly be a bit drastic.
2
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Jack and Meg offered up their quirkiest collection yet, and topped it all off with a title based on bastardised northern slang. But amidst the Zep-flavoured stompalongs, pastoral folksiness and other idiosyncrasies lurked genuine invention. Long live the Stripes - a band that should always be allowed to do exactly what they like, when they like. They have our permission anyway.
3
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Music's most in demand Anglo-American producer/remixer/part-time model plundered the musical annals of his country of birth, offering up souled-out reworkings of The Smiths, Kaiser Chiefs, The Zutons and many more. And by enlisting the likes of Lily Allen and little-known, demure teetotaller Amy Winehouse to assist with vocal duties, huge crossover success was assured.
4
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Stripped-down, anthemic and packed with monstrous, jumping breaks, the third collection from Dizzee was overflowing with hooks, lyrical motifs and a newfound hip-hop minimalism. With the beats allowing his dark, dense lyrical dexterity more room to breathe than ever before, 'Maths & English' saw the Bow MC hit upon a truly winning formula.
5
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If 2007 was the year of the French dance invasion, then Parisian duo Justice were at the head of the fleet. Tired military metaphors aside, however, this was a post-modern mash-up of acid house, gloopy funk and distorted disco which not only reeled in bored nu-ravers, but also those who were old enough to know a little better. An innovative yet accessible album which, in some faraway parallel universe, is the soundtrack to every single commercial, soap opera, Hollywood blockbuster and game show in existence.
6
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The album which was possibly the year's most underrated came from a Manc fivesome with a nice line in yank-influenced indie rock and a bright, bright future. Anthemic and arty, yet consistently memorable, the barnstorming 'Won't You Come Around' and the tub-thumping desolation of 'Cold-Hearted Business' left us speechless. If there's any justice, they'll be headlining arenas within a couple of years.
7
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Nomadic Touareg collective Tinariwen have lived through territorial conflict, exile and political unrest in their native Mali, putting the "we all did Music Technology at Surrey University" patter of most British bands to shame. Bluesy, raw and imbued with all the anxious history of their desert homeland, this latest collection brought the band's hypnotic sound to a long-deserved wider audience.
8
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
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Unashamedly MTV-friendly, the sixth album by Dave Grohl and friends saw the ex-Nirvana sticksman applying the "if it ain't broke..." approach to his songwriting in order to craft a flawlessly muscular compendium of alternative rock tuneage, equally at home on FM radio or blasting across a succession of massive arenas.
9
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Kylie-endorsed Scottish dance producer Calvin Harris may not have created disco (we always thought that particular honour belonged to John Travolta) but he certainly did his bit introducing it to bored indie kids up and down the land. Although never straying too far from the electropunkdiscofunksynthpop blueprint which characterised dance music Version 20.07, the washed-out British summer would have dragged a lot more without this album's tremendous charms.
10
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Coming on like Bad Religion if they'd spent too much time reading Kerouac and Donna Tartt while listening to Bruce Springsteen and working out power chords, the second full-length from The Hold Steady found the US bar-room punks ploughing a furrow of earnest reinvention which left us wondering if tales of drinking, gambling, addiction and failed romance had ever sounded so fun.
11
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In which Karl Hyde and co. continued to prove that there's a lot more to them than lager, lager, lager and shouting, namely edgy ambience, pulsing beats and Karl Hyde's signature brand of beat poetry.
13
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Having decamped to Paris to make the lion's share of his band's fourth album, Jason Swinscoe stepped off the Eurostar clutching a collection of stunningly fragile, textured narratives, the highlight of which was the Fontella Bass-voiced 'Breathe'.
14
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Kenny Anderson's latest offering constituted the exact mid-point between Celtic folk, indie introspection and classic FM rock. The album, along with a succession of superb live shows, marked Anderson as one of the UK's true songwriting talents.
15
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Messrs Findlay and Cato located their mojo in a big way this year with the release of 'Soundboy Rock'. Heavy on collaborations and light on filler, it propelled the duo back to the top of the pile marked "dance music it's ok to play to your parents".
16
Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind
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A beguiling collection of early singles, demos and hitherto unrevealed pop aspirations which, following 2005's 'Lookaftering' - her first after a 35-year hiatus - proved beyond all reasonable doubt that Vashti Bunyan albums are rather like buses.
17
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In-demand remix duo James Ford and Jas Shaw finally stepped up to the plate this year with their debut collection, bringing mayhem to dancefloors and parties all over the land in the process. Not so much a tour de force as a load of messy, sweaty fun.
18
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Zach Braff-approved Portland troupe The Shins announced themselves as a true alt rock superpower with the release of 'Wincing The Night Away', an album which saw them consolidate the promise of their previous two full-lengths.
20
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In any field of work, you have to be doing something right to have the nickname "The Boss", and fans and critics alike felt this to be Springsteen's best effort since his moniker-earning mid-1980s heyday.
21
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Beautifully textured, ambient electronica from the classically-trained Cornish producer. Middleton's inventive compositional talent must surely continue to make many of his horizontally-inclined contemporaries look on enviously.
22
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In which the hell raising, hard-rocking brothers harnessed experience gained on their numerous stadium support tours, imbuing their swampy, bluesy rock with a newfound expansiveness and accessibility. The record they've threatened to make for a while.
24
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Whilst the respective demises of Mclusky and Jarcrew were much mourned in certain circles, their bastard musical child provoked the opposite reaction. Sounding snarlier, tighter and more focused than ever, the future looks bright for Falkous and co.
25
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The Anglo-Sri Lankan activist picked up her microphone once more to deliver an album which, whilst not quite hitting the same glorious mark as her 'Arular' debut, was nevertheless brimming with quality.
27
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During the Hartnoll brothers' reign as the kings of intelligent techno, they seemed to spend more time at Glastonbury than even Michael Eavis, and this retrospective comprised the pick of their performances from the festival. Laser glasses not included.
28
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Like The Police jamming with Fugazi, Chicago quartet The Jai-Alai Savant offered up lurching post-hardcore with a rootsy edge and - by asking 'Scarlett Johansson Why Don't You Love Me' - echoed the sentiments of men all over the planet.
31
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After inking a deal with superindie Domino, Canterbury's favourite son set about reconfirming his genius for emotionally wrought, politically-charged narratives which sparkle with honesty, clarity and invention.
32
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Just as we were bemoaning the lack of witty Canadian rappers in our lives, along came the silver-tongued MC Abdominal to show us exactly why producers such as DJ Format trust him to sprinkle his lyrical dexterity all over their beats.
33
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Hip-hop, jazz, Latin, funk, soul, R&B, techno, disco - it's easier to name a musical style that didn't feature on the superb debut album from Manc DJ duo The Unabombers. Lead single 'Dirty Basement' was one of the party anthems of 2007.
34
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Our favourite Scottish miserablist further cemented his reputation for soul-burrowing introspection and lush, rounded arrangements with the release of his third album. And it's hard to argue with the sentiment of song titles like 'We're All Going To Die'.
36
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In which the Scottish threesome ditched the stop-start dynamics and quirky approach of previous outings in favour of more straight ahead, winning critical plaudits and widespread fanboy devotion alike.
37
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Berlin's Ulrich Schnauss said "hello" in a big way this summer, displaying influences ranging from shoegazing popsters My Bloody Valentine to Vangelis. We were thoroughly, irreversibly besotted.
38
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This year found the veteran Canadian rocker belying his 61 years by delivering some of his freshest, strongest material in a long time. Some old rockers may be content to graze in the meadow of past glories, but Neil's not one of them.
39
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After losing an entire album's worth of material courtesy of a faulty hard drive, Parisian Joakim Bouaziz put a band together and simply started again from scratch. Fans of free-spirited electro-indie pop will be very glad he did.
41
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Martin Wheeler extended his flawless musical CV with his third long player. In contrast to the robotic funk of his previous work, however, the dreamy 'Afterglow' was imbued throughout with a humanity which defied its electronic origins.
43
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Will Holland aka Quantic combined salsa, boogaloo and Puerto Rican/Colombian influences to stunningly groovy effect on what was essentially his eighth full-length under numerous guises.
44
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
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All eyes were on Modest Mouse after their somewhat surprising enlistment of Smiths guitar legend (and long-time fan) Johnny Marr, but the Washington ensemble didn't disappoint. Blissfully skewed tunesmithery of the very highest order.
45
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This Scottish trio channelled the spirit of a pissed-up (and pissed-off) Wedding Present and various shambolic US types in fine style. Raucously energetic indie rock with a tunefulness for which most bands would sacrifice their grandmothers.
46
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The latest chapter in the musical life of the London drum & bass pioneers was of a more soulful bent than anything they'd done previously, even featuring a contribution from fusion drumming legend Larry Mizell.
47
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Deep funk from down under was the order of the day from Tru Thoughts' twelve-legged Melbourne collective, whose sophomore set saw them adding a wider mixture of styles and atmospheres to their trademark organ-led rawness.
48
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The inaugural address from Sheffield's charismatic, opinionated Jon McClure found him railing against the drudgery of modern life over seductive electro-indie grooves which wormed their way into our heads and still show no sign of leaving.
49
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Zach Condon dipped his toes into Parisian waters for the much-anticipated follow-up to his widely acclaimed 'Gulag Orchestra' debut, and the resultant opus was a compelling set which drew heavily upon Jacques Brel and the chanson tradition.
50
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The third full-length from Montreal singer and Cinematic Orchestra muse Patrick Watson was released in Europe this year, and further showcased his velvety, Antony Hegarty-like vocal tones and literate song writing.
51
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The odd foie gras-related lyrical abomination aside, Bloc Party's second effort was an ambitious, expansive affair which dealt with the myriad frustrations of the 9-5 lifestyle and the suffocation of a hedonistic city life.
52
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UNKLE's third studio outing was a dark, brooding offering which saw the duo combine psych rock with electronics and enlist a stellar line-up of collaborators including Josh Homme, Ian Astbury, Duke Spirit and Massive Attack's 3D.
54
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US alt. rock perennials The National's evocative fourth LP was more effectively realised affair than even its stunning predecessor 'Alligator', revealing a band overflowing with confidence and creativity.
55
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With an album title taking its cue from the activities of the early '90s Scandinavian black metal underground, the debut from the Parisian electro outfit was suitably incendiary. Pounding electro pop with a sleazy, late-night twist.
56
Virgo Blaktro And The Movie Disco
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Ever wondered what Sly Stone fronting Daft Punk would sound like? Wonder no more. The US DJ/producer further extended his reputation for bringing mischief to the planet's dancefloors with another set of slinky electronic disco.
57
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"Rework a classic Black Flag album based only on vague memories of the originals" wouldn't, at first glance, seem a sure-fire way to artistic success, but luckily the Brooklyn mavericks ignored this advice and crafted this cracked, joyful masterpiece.
58
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Sheffield's favourite sons delivered more of the same incisive, observant guitar pop on the follow-up to last year's huge selling 'Whatever People Say I Am...' debut. Less of the shock of the new maybe, but there's still clout in Alex Turner's clever songwriting.
59
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From deep inside the Arctic Circle, Norwegian duo Adjagas introduced the wider world to yoik, the traditional music of the Sami people. We were thoroughly intrigued by these hypnotic musical stories which resonate long after they have faded away.
60
Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
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The high priest of beardy folk delivered an epic 72-minute opus which straddled '60s tropicalia, gospel, psychedelic pop and classic '70s rock. Banhart's increasingly polished productions do little to disguise his undeniable creative talents.
61
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In 'The Theme', Northern dance producer Edzy, aka Unique 3, was responsible for one of the truly seminal moments in late '80s dance music. 2007 saw him return from a lengthy hiatus to deliver this versatile set which showed he'd lost none of his touch.
62
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Los Angeles duo No Age consolidated their rapidly increasing word-of-mouth appeal with this helping of alt. rocking, distortion pedal-battering goodness. An ear-catching alarm call for those who believe the US underground's golden age has passed.
63
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The fourth solo studio set from Manu Chao found the French/Spanish protest singer tempering the conscious swing of his Clash-inspired garage rock polemic with salsa, Latin, reggae and gypsy punk.
64
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The second album from the New York art rockers didn't quite scale the dizzy heights of their debut, but was liberally laced with gems nonetheless, in particular the claustrophobic swing of 'Satan Said Dance'.
65
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The Catalan octet's live version of their hit album 'Techari' was an adrenaline-fuelled celebration of their unique hip-hop/flamenco/Cuban-flavoured brew, in equal measure intense, superbly executed and somewhat moreish.
66
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A Japanese folk tale of animal/human metamorphosis provided the conceptual cornerstone of Colin Meloy and co's third offering, a compelling collection of folkish pop delights, shantyesque singalongs and artful whimsy.
67
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German bleepologists Mouse On Mars employed irascible Fall front man Mark E. Smith's angry slur to maximum effect on this debut. What techno would have sounded like had it been invented after hours in a Salford hostelry. Hopefully not a one-off.
68
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Psych-folk, nu-folk, weird folk - call it what you like. Fact is, London septet Tunng had clearly tired of being branded with all the usual tags, as evidenced by the poppy sheen of their third full-length. One-word song titles are where it's at, too.
69
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Normally, hailing from the arse end of Zone 4 would be somewhat of a hindrance in rock & roll terms, but Morden's Good Shoes turned it emphatically to their advantage, delivering a wiry post-punkish set driven by late teenage ennui and suburban angst.
70
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The Birmingham-based quintet offered a refreshing line in alt. folk/post rock that you didn't have to have a beard in order to like or understand. With all five members being classically trained, beautifully executed, harmony-laden textures were in abundance.
71
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This year, the thoroughly bonkers Eugene Hutz came strutting onto all sorts of radars in the style of some sort of gypsy folk Robin Hood, delivering a spiky, deranged collection of Balkan punk polka. Super stuff.
72
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Now there's a band name. Short, catchy and offensive enough to alienate the entire Daily Mail readership in one fell swoop. And the music wasn't half bad either - dark electro pop marinated in swathes of unsettling noirish effects, not unlike Add N To X.
73
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Chicago multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird's considerable talent shone through on his seventh studio workout, a collection of eloquent quirkiness which had us nodding enthusiastically in approval.
74
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Despite this being album number 457 (or thereabouts) the whacked-out Welsh wizards showed that they have lost none of their maverick, inventive spirit, and why their army of fans continue to genuflect devotedly at their plimsolls.
75
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The Massachusetts-born songwriter's third record glided blissfully between traditional folk and shoegazing/dream pop. Beautiful, sad songs that, even if you spent your entire life listening on repeat, wouldn't lose their impact. Go on - try it.