My Top 11 Albums of 2007

Following the annual tradition that I started two years ago, I present everyone with a ‘lil holiday treat: My Top 11 Albums of 2007. (If you’re interested, you can check out 2005 and 2006.)

(Annual) Disclaimer: These selections are not supposed to be “the” top albums of the year. In no way am I suggesting these albums are better than all other albums that were released this year. These are simply the ones that I liked best.

Without further ado, here is the list:

1. Singularity – Mae

Maybe my judgment is biased because Mae as I know it is dead, following the departure of keyboardist Rob Sweitzer and bassist Mark Padgett in late September. Nevertheless, it just seemed wrong to put Singularity at any other position than the top of this list. Dave Elkins’s songwriting is as beautiful as ever, and Mae’s blend of piano- and synth-driven pop-rock has never been more perfect than it is in Singularity. Perhaps that makes the band’s disintegration at this moment an even more bitter pill to swallow. I have never been happier with an album than I was as soon as I heard the synth riff of the opening “Brink of Disaster” and throughout my first listen to this album, and it only got better with each subsequent listen. From the crunching guitars of “Sometimes I Can’t Make It Alone,” the incredible synth line of “Waiting,” and the hook of “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” to the pretty love song “Just Let Go” or the soaring “Release Me,” this album just makes me smile from start to finish.

Favorite tracks: “Brink Of Disaster,” “Sometimes I Can’t Make It Alone,” “Just Let Go,” “Waiting,” “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” “Release Me,” “Rocket”

2. Our Love To Admire – Interpol

Melancholy and brooding, listening to Our Love To Admire is much like listening to a funeral dirge — and a hauntingly beautiful one at that. Frontman Paul Pank’s 80’s post-punk vocals perfectly deliver lyrics that can only be described as genius. Every single track on this album consistently delivers the most brilliant writing I have encountered this year. Upbeat tracks like “The Heinrich Maneuver” and the sarcastic “No I In Threesome” punctuate the methodic pace of the album, but the real brilliance is the hypnotizing closing track, “The Lighthouse,” almost entirely percussion-free, played almost exclusively with an echoing 50-year-old guitar, from which guitarist Daniel Kessler experienced painful sores from toxins that were on the strings. The pain was worth the price — this track is the best on the album, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Favorite tracks: “Pioneer To The Falls,” “The Scale,” “The Heinrich Maneuver, “Pace Is The Trick,” “All Fired Up,” “Rest My Chemistry,” “The Lighthouse”

3. Even If It Kills Me – Motion City Soundtrack

Glorious. From the orchestra tuning note before the frenetic opening of “I Fell In Love Without You,” to the driving, reflective “Last Night,” and the Ben-Folds-ballad-esque “The Conversation,” Even If It Kills Me is a masterpiece. Jesse Johnson’s synth work also reaches a new level of incredible on this album. The lyrical quality is as clever and witty as ever, but notably brighter than MCS has been in the past. While Commit This To Memory had an air of hopelessness lyrically, Even If It Kills Me is full of hope for the future, of picking up the pieces and moving on to bigger and better things. Some songs, like “This Is For Real,” and “It Had To Be You” are downright cute. Also, “Antonia” makes me smile.

Favorite Tracks: “I Fell In Love Without You,” “It Had To Be You,” “Last Night,” “Calling All Cops,” “Where I Belong,” “Point Of Extinction,” “Antonia”

4. The Walking Wounded – Bayside

This album is basically all I listened to for the entire month of January 2007. On repeat. Self-described “gloom pop,” Bayside suffered a devastating blow in the death of their drummer when the band was involved in a car accident in 2005. Despite the tragedy, The Walking Wounded manages to be somehow slightly less bitter than their self-titled 2005 release…but only slightly, as tracks like “They’re Not Horses,” “Choice Hops,” and “Thankfully” can attest. The one exception is the strangely sweet and uplifting “Landing Feet First” — a highlight. Anthony Raneri’s songwriting is absolutely magnificent throughout, as are the tight guitar licks and even a tasteful bit of piano sprinkled in.

Favorite tracks: “The Walking Wounded,” “They’re Not Horses, They’re Unicorns,” “Duality,” “Carry On,” “Choice Hops And Bottled Self Esteem,” “Dear Your Holiness,” “Landing Feet First,” “(Pop)ular Science”

5. Infinity On High – Fall Out Boy

Despite the polarizing effect FOB seems to have on people, I still say you have to actively try to dislike this album. Although they have come a long, long, long, way from Take This To Your Grave, FOB’s evolution has continued to impress me. Taking big risks musically, Patrick Stump’s instrumentation experiments all managed to somehow work out really well — R&B influences and all. The pop-punk roots are still there, of course, despite Stump’s almost boy-band-esque vocals on “I’m Like A Lawyer” and “This Ain’t A Scene.” Pete Wentz’s pretentious, pompous, and ever-witty lyrics are still there, too, as are the classically clever song titles. The final track, “I’ve Got All This Ringing” also showcases Stump’s impressive vocal chops.

Favorite tracks: “Thriller,” “The Take Over, The Break’s Over,” “This Ain’t A Scene, It’s An Arms Race,” “I’m Like A Lawyer With The Way I’m Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You),” “Hum Hallelujah,” “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs,” “Bang The Doldrums,” “Fame < Infamy”

6. Chase This Light – Jimmy Eat World

As I think was the problem for many J.E.W. fans who listened to this album, it just took so long to finally make it all the way through the thing. It was almost impossible to resist the urge to keep replaying the first 5 tracks, all of which are amazing. Turns out that the second half of the CD is just as good as the first. From the explosive opening of “Big Casino” to the reflective moodiness of “Dizzy,” Chase This Light is a masterpiece of lyrical prowess — and although perhaps a bit pop-oriented, still flavored with plenty of genuine rock.

Favorite tracks: “Big Casino,” “Let It Happen,” “Always Be,” “Carry You,” “Electable (Give It Up)” “Gotta Be Somebody’s Blues,” “Firefight,” “Dizzy”

7. Captiva – Falling Up

A very different sound from their previous standard hard rock efforts, Captiva finds Falling Up breaking new ground. A sonic journey, the band’s trademark piano background is still complemented by synth and guitar hooks, though the combination is perhaps a bit more melodic than in the past. Jessy Ribordy’s uniquely captivating voice and the album’s lush instrumentations take the listener into a dream-like world, especially on tracks like “A Guide To Marine Life,” “Captiva,” and “How They Made Cameras.” Falling Up still finds plenty of time to rock out, as evidenced by the energy of tracks like the single “Hotel Aquarium,” as well as “Goodnight Gravity,” “Good Morning Planetarium,” and the edgy “Murexa.” The album ends with the piano-heavy tracks “Arch to Achtilles” and “The Dark Side of Indoor Track Meets,” both of which are remarkably beautiful.

Favorite tracks: “A Guide To Marine Life,” “Hotel Aquarium,” “Goodnight Gravity,” “How They Made Cameras,” “Good Morning Planetarium,” “Arch To Achtilles,” “The Dark Side of Indoor Track Meets”

8. Cities – Anberlin

By far Anberlin’s best album to date, Cities boasts more complex instrumentation and lyrical work than their previous efforts. With instantly memorable hooks and singable choruses, this album showcases Anberlin’s powerful punch on driving tracks like “Godspeed,” “Dismantle.Repair,” and “There Is No Mathematics To Love And Loss,” while also executing well on the mellower tracks like “The Unwinding Cable Car” and “Inevitable.” The blending of crunching guitars with keys and synth is also appropriate and adds to the texture of each track, unlike other bands which seem to be jumping on the synth bandwagon recently. The epic majesty of “*fin” has also attained a special status as one of my favorite songs of all time.

Favorite tracks:“Godspeed,” “Adelaide,” “There Is No Mathematics To Love And Loss,” “Alexythmia,” “Dismantle.Repair,” “*fin”

9. A Weekend In The City – Bloc Party

Although this is going to be controversial, I’m going to just go ahead and say I liked this album better than Silent Alarm. Yes, yes, I know, I’m crazy. Told chronologically as the story of one man’s weekend, Bloc Party’s execution is brilliant on A Weekend. From the driving guitar riffs of “Song For Clay (Disappear Here)” and “Hunting For Witches” to the hip-hop-esque beats of “The Prayer” to the awesome tempo change in the middle of “Uniform,” this album is British indie rock at its best. The lyrics are likewise a thought-provoking and provocative narrative of life in the modern Western world — yes, references to Sudoku in “Waiting for the 7.18” and even the left-wing social commentary of “Hunting For Witches” and “Where Is Home?” included.

Favorite tracks:“Song For Clay (Disappear Here),” “Hunting For Witches,” “The Prayer,” “Uniform,” “Where Is Home?,” “I Still Remember”

10. Paper Walls – Yellowcard

This album is everything I love about Yellowcard. They managed to take the edginess and hook-laden riffs from One For The Kids and Ocean Avenue, and combined them with the (very few) good bits of the disappointing Lights and Sounds and hit all the right notes with Paper Walls. While certainly more radio-single-friendly than previous efforts, Paper Walls still contains enough raw pop-punk energy to make it a very worthwhile listen. What can I say? I’m a sucker for an electric violin.

Favorite tracks:“The Takedown,” “Keeper,” “Shadows and Regrets,” “Afraid,” “Date Line (I Am Gone),” “Cut Me, Mick,” “Paper Walls”

11. Boxer – The National

Despite obtaining this album only 4 days ago — after repeated requests to several of my friends who had been raving about it…(coughBencoughJon)…it clearly deserves to make this list. Even better than their previous release Alligator, with Boxer The National solidify their spot as one of my favorite artists. There is something strangely soothing about Matt Berninger’s gravelly, mumbling voice, and accompanied by perfectly sparse guitar and piano instrumentation it produces an effect that is beautifully methodic — the sound is never rushed, never too full or complex. It’s also completely entrancing.

Favorite tracks: “Fake Empire,” “Mistaken For Strangers,” “Brainy,” “Squalor Victoria,” “Start A War,” “Ada”

Some other albums didn’t quite make the top 11 list — it was a very competitive year — but deserve a little recognition:

Honorable Mention:
– Alive 2007 (Daft Punk)
– Five Score And Seven Years Ago (Relient K)
– La Vida Es Un Ratico (Juanes)
– Riot! (Paramore)
– Cover Your Eyes (Sullivan)