As many a bruised ego can attest, the annual choosing of the best albums of the year is a tense affair in the Word office. There are still people who don't speak to other people because their favourite didn't make it two years ago. Anyway, once chosen, we stick by our decisions. Here's the top ten, in no particular order. You are free to disagree.
Radiohead - In Rainbows: Overdiscussed for its delivery method and often the recipient of praise so unthinkingly rapturous that it was mildly insulting, In Rainbows is nevertheless Radiohead's best and most playable collection of songs since the Year Zero anti-music of Kid A. There are beautifully flickering guitars, dirges, reconfigured Funky Drummer and drum'n'bass beats, rock jeremiads, hummable songlets and, yes, moments of real, unalloyed joy... Who says there's nothing new under their sun? (Andrew Harrison)
Nick Lowe - At My Age: Rooted in the idioms of country and soul, profoundly romantic but English as tuppence, At My Age is Nick Lowe's masterpiece. He gives a lot of credit to "the Bloke", a muse of his own invention who comes up with the best material. What he provides Lowe gratefully accepts, knowing the songs will seem to sing themselves and all the musicians have to do is stay out of the way as they weave their spells. (David Hepworth)
Richard Hawley - Lady's Bridge: Maybe it was some forgotten, pigeon-like race memory of lush pre-Beatles rock'n'roll ballads that finally brought the nation to Hawley's music this year. Lady's Bridge feels as familiar and beguilingly alien as a stack of old EPs you might find in your late nan's radiogram; these songs are full of the romance of simpler times but feel more contemporary than those of many a method indie band. In Club Hawley, the carpets may be sticky but the dreams are pristine. (Andrew Harrison)
Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water Is Life: A timely reminder of how thrilling rock music can be when you have little inkling of what it's going to do next. The great joy here lies in the marriage of the familiar - Bo Diddley beats, Muddy Waters growls, Stonesy riffs - to the deliciously alien musical world of the southern Sahara. Ruthlessly rhythmic and suffused with a sweet melancholy, this is simply oustanding music - no "world" caveat required. (Graeme Thomson)
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible: After 2003's fabulous Funeral, Arcade Fire opened the Good Book, flicked on the rock stadium lights and invented a new genre: death-rave. Songs exploded with the feverish energy of life rather than death - from the Bruce Springsteen ramalama of (Antichrist Television Blues) to the New Order-on-opium clamour of No Cars Go to the dark, turbulent waters of Ocean Of Noise. All that and politics, church-baiting and tons of modern-world malaise turned up to 11. Rave on! (Jude Rogers)
Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers: A constant companion on long car journeys, this spacious and extraordinary record by the 34 year-old Oregon-based singer-songwriter is a confetti of sense impressions mostly set in the oceanside wilderness of the Canadian border, and magically arranged by her band. I can't get enough of its ringing textures, muted horns and slightly curdled harmonies. She sings about "a handful of dreamdust" at one point and it doesn't sound preposterous at all! (Mark Ellen)
Epic45 - May Your Heart Be The Map: I genuinely can't stand difficult music, but often easy music's even worse. Happily, May Your Heart Be The Map is experimental enough to build a track like, say, Winterbirds from acoustic harmonic loops and snadpapery tactile electronic glitches, but human enough for the whole thing to end up as a drowsy, sun-lit folk-pop humalong. Staffordshire duo Rob and Ben '45 are proud masters of the minimally melodic, and experiencing this brilliant record is like watching the sun burn off the last lazy layers of morning mist. Only with significantly better tunes. (Rob Fitzpatrick)
Chemical Brothers - We Are the Night: It's not common for anyone to deliver their best work six albums in, least of all in the Logan's Run world of dance music, but We Are The Night took the Brothers' modern-day psychedelia to heights that beat all comers. To their stock-in-trade cosmic mind-expansion and euphoric dance tracks they added a more sophisticated introspection, suggesting that of all the rave progeny, Simons and Rowlands might the ones in for the longest haul. (Andrew Harrison)
Maps - We Can Create: The heartening level of success and broad critical acclaim that We Can Create has enjoyed this year proves that - happily - the nation's hunger for knee-trembling, room-spinny rush-of-Persians-to-the-head, saucer-eyed medicine-pop is as keen as it ever was. Revelling unrepentently in that perfect pop place where hip-shakingly propulsive music meets I-can't-actually-feel-my-thumbs lyrics, We Can Create is that most deeply cherishable of items, an album that will make your wig spin while providing up-to-the-minute, friend-impressing dinner-party thrills at the same time. Result, no? (Rob Fitzpatrick)
Cherry Ghost - Thirst for Romance: Cherry Ghost's debut album was a perfect accompaniment to 2007's gorgeously gloomy summer. Here were huge-hearted, whisky-soured stories full of torment and love, with Simon Aldred's smoky rasp introducing us to a bleak Northern England populated by "beautiful girls wrapped in black icicles", stiff drinks and three-time divorcees. Backed up by warm, country-influenced rock that summoned up the spirits of Johnny Cash, Elbow and Sparklehorse, this gorgeous record kept the pulse racing. (Jude Rogers)
Epic 45
Heard about Epic 45 LP via Word and it's great. They are a proper cotttage industry (I think I paid by Cheque)! It's what americans call electronica but has squeaky string acoustic Pholky elements, found recordings, ambient outdoor noises but with tunes and lyrics and that. Well worth checking out, key track: Winter birds (but the rest are good too?
Arrrgh
What is "Pholky"? Is this like "Phat"?
pholksongz
Sorry I shouldn't have tried modern ergot, I was alluding to epic45 mix of electronic and folky vibes. I'll get the Pholk outta here laters blud
Not bad, not bad at all...
I was slightly disappointed with Maps - it didn't strike me as a great album. It is very good, but his voice is a bit, well... weak.
I really enjoyed The Shins 'Wincing The Night Away' - the band Travis want to be; and adore Rufus Wainwright's 'Release The Stars' for it's energy, fun and exuberance .
My favourite album of the year, however, was 'Ma Fleur' by the Cinematic Orchestra. Perfect for just lying back in a comfy chair, with the lights low, and a nice red wine in your hand. Shame their live show at The Sage was a bit week - they kept popping on and off stage, letting some instrumental tracks play via CD or something. Just felt disjointed - people kept going in an out of the hall as a result.
Richard Hawley, however - wonderful album & wonderful live. If he ever gave up the music (which I prey he won't), a career in comedy surely awaits.
Wot no Bat for Lashes?
I know these things are all about discussion and disagreement; so: what? No Bat for Lashes? Easily the best album of the year*. You people don't know what you're talking about etc. etc....
* Seriously, the Bat for Lashes album is bloody good.
Half of that list is no
Half of that list is no surprise at all but there were a few surprises, such as the non-inclusion of The Crane Wife - though there does seem to be some debate about when that was actually released. 2006 in the US, and it was readily available in the UK by the end of 2006, but I still think it wasn't officially released in the UK until this year.
There seems to be much more concensus among all the music magazines about albums of the year than in any other year I can remember. Don't know if that means it's been a good year for music or not. Personally, I think it's been a great one.
My top 10 would look something like:
1//Boxer//The National
2//Neon Bible//Arcade Fire
3//The Crane Wife//Decemberists
4//Boys & Girls In America//The Hold Steady
5//Arctic Monkeys//Favourite Worst Nightmare
6//Make Another World//Idlewild
7//In Rainbows//Radiohead
8//It's A Bit Complicated//Art Brut
9//The Good, The Bad, The Queen
10//Icky Thump//White Stripes.
Twang
Macca's was good. As was Mr Lowe's ( and Gruff's 'Candylion' deserves an honourable mention ). But this year I must admit I've been mainly grooving to beautiful Japanese obi-stripped re-issues of The Ventures.
No Wilco ........surely some mistake
The album of the year 'Sky Blue Sky' - it takes root and then grows and grows like a leylandii on speed!
Otherwise a fairly reasonable representation of a year where the folk idiom has climbed 'out of obscurity into a dream' (Name that song)
Also second vote for The Shins comes here.
Album of the year 2008 'A Cork Tale Wake' by Chris Bathgate. You saw it here first.
snadpapery as they say
Pseuds Corner Ahoy!
"...a leylandii on speed"??
Come, come! Not much use for them book-learnin' words down Bozeat way!
But back to the res - no votes for "My Name Is Buddy" by Ry Cooder? Why has everybody gone off him?
Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings.
Chuck Prophet's "Soap And Water"
Wynton Marsalis' "From The Plantation To The Penitentiary"
Lyle Lovett's "It's Not Big, It's Large"
Fountain's Of Wayne's "Traffic and Weather"
And of course, the wonderful Claire Martin's "He Never Mentioned Love"
I would swap
the (overrated) Arcade Fire with The Hold Steady and Cherry Ghost (meh) with Percy Plant/Alison Krauss "Raising Sand". But as Jeffrey Leibowski would say "That's just my opinion, man"
I would add...
Bright Eyes - Cassadega
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
(Another vote for)The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Mostly agree, but.....
The Shins - Wincing The Night Away has been my most played album all year, and having seen the man in Cardiff last month, Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger was a fantastic effort. I love getting old, I can listen to anything and not care anymore whether its "hip" or not. The kids hate me for it!
Neon Bible
I find Neon Bible very loud. Even when you play it quietly - the sound is thick.
However Sky Blue Sky is great, especially the passage in On and On just after the bridge when you can't tell what time it's in 4/4, 3/4, 7/8? and you feel a bit queazy then it resolves itself and you can't help smiling. Wonderful.
Thats why......
i feel slighty unsteady when i listen to it. Or is the booze?
Fried/The Hours
Something I discovered through the Word CDs was Things Change by Fried - the lead singer has the most amazing voice; a sort of cross between Skye from Morcheeba, Macy Gray and Aretha Franklin. It seemed to be overlooked, though, which is a huge pity.
I'm also still enjoying listening to Narcissus Road by The Hours, and the beautiful Tim's House by Kate Walsh deserves a mention
"CDs"...ahem.
For the first time in a long old time, only a small precentage of the music I bought this year has actually been on CD. Big old vinyl records and downloads from emusic, wippit etc have been my staple this year, with just a smattering, nay, garnish, of cd's. And virtually none of those cd's have been "new" music. Rather more discounted catch ups of artists I'd recently become aware of, or stuff I wanted to listen to that was unavailable under pretty much any other format.
My top 10 would probably be
1. Let's Get Out Of This Country - Camera Obscura
2. Welcome To The World - Pillcrushers
3. I Wish I Could Have Loved You More - Candie Payne
4. Lady's Bridge - Richard Hawley
5. Free School Milk - Tiny Dancers
6. An End Has A Start - Editors
7. The Good The Bad & The Queen
8. Pedals - The Aluminum Group
9. Guide For Young People - The Music Lovers
10.Traffic & Weather - Fountains of Wayne
I don't have a problem with hardly any of the Word top 10 (although I want to give Laura Viers a Morcambe & Wise dvd to cheer her up).
I'm surprised that Tracey
I'm surprised that Tracey Thorn's latest is not on any of the list. It garnered some good reviews at the time it was released. There are some cracking tunes on the album such as 'Picadilly' and 'A to Z'.
I'd agree with most of the selections above apart from Radiohead. I just don't 'get' them, no matter how many times that I have tried. I think I'd rather take my eyes out with a rusty spoon than have to listen to Thom Yorke. Grrr Grrr and thrice Grrr.
Radiohead. Again.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo.
I just can't get Radiohead. What IS the attraction? I watched them at Glastonbury one night a few years back; I think I was the only member of the audience who was BORED to TEARS after the first three numbers.
And then there's Arcade Fire. Let's all play interesting acoustic instruments, get up on stage mob-handed and BLOW or STRUM LIKE BILLY-O while the lanky singer SHOUTS a lot. That's it; that's the game plan. For every song.
Sorry, but they just don't do it for me.
To add insult to mysterious tastes, The Hold Steady are conspicuous by their absence from your list; you must have cloth ears, gentlemen.
what, no rilo kiley?
I've not forgotten all the trouser rubbing about rilo kiley circa 2005, so am very surprised not to see them on the list for this year!
Rilo Kiley
Yeah, I really like the RK album especially "Close Call", and I don't get Radiohead either! I feel like I'm missing out on something!
Subjective, like all good music
I think I could take half your list and leave the rest. I've never been particularly enamoured by Richard Hawley nor Nick Lowe so I'll pass on them, but I wholeheartedly agree with the inclusion of Laura Veirs (thanks for the introduction), Tinariwen, Arcade Fire and Radiohead. I know that Radiohead take a lot of bashing from people who just don't like them, but In Rainbows was by a long shot the best album I heard this year and they remain at the top of their game. It took me many years to succumb, but they've become one of my favourite bands and should be applauded for their consistently high quality releases and for continuing to embrace the album and eschew - Hail to the Thief aside - the temptation to go over the ten-track mark.
For the record, my favourites of 2007 are:
1. In Rainbows - Radiohead
2. Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
3. Boxer - The National
4. Aman Iman - Tinariwen
5. Saltbreakers - Laura Veirs
Honourable mentions go to:
Kurr - Amiina
Boys and Girls in America - The Hold Steady
Dog House Music - Seasick Steve
Good tracks on average albums:
Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe - Okkervil River [from The Stage Names album]
Disaster - The Besnard Lakes [from The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse]
Comfy in Nautica - Panda Bear [from Person Pitch]
(Unsurprisingly, all of the above are the first tracks on their respective albums).
I somehow forgot to mention
...Octopus by The Bees. I seem to remember Andy Gill praising the album to the heavens in The Independent.
I'm embarrassed that I forgot about it, but pleased I have remembered it now.
The magic of the web
In the old days I reckon I would have about 10 CDs from 2007 by now + maybe a couple I had taken out of the Library and would be eagerly awaiting another 3 or so in my stocking. I just did a quick count and reckon I have 44 albums from 07 in my itunes.
Favourites:
Arcade Fire
Artic Monkeys
Radiohead
The National
The Decemberists (if we are counting that but I had it in 06)
Bat For Lashes
KT Tunstall (so sue me)
Rilo Kiley
Bruce Springsteen
PJ Harvey
Surprised
Not to see The Decemberists in the magazine's top 10, especially after the plugging it got earlier in the year.
Definitely made it into my faves for 2007 along with a number of aforementioned usual suspects.
I would also give honourable mentions to The Shins, King Creosote and Grand Drive's album (a much under rated band).
Also thought Tracey Thorn's album was good.
Hold Steady for Arcade Fire
Hold Steady for Arcade Fire (My God how are they so popular and yet he is so miserable?)
Richard Hawley? Surely not! Replace with Crowded House - Time On Earth is a delightfully long lasting surprise sadly overlooked in all of the 'Best of' lists - and part of a reunion not built on sand - or rather cash!
good year for music, not such a great list
another one for The Shins
personally though that Wyatt's Comicopera was the best of the bunch this year
followed by The Dillinger Escape Plan's Ire Works
when does the dillingers new album get any mention in Word anyway?
or did I just miss it :(
Cherry Ghost
Cheers Worders. Bought Cherry Ghost and Laura Veirs on the basis of the list and played them both up and down the M1 all over the holidays. Brilliant. Even the wife - notoriously hard to please - liked the Cherry Ghost album......although she hated Maps (now consigned to iPod-only status). EPIC 45 still on order with Amazon. Tinariwen surely the revelation of the year and another reason to believe that simply buying stuff based on reviews in magazines never did anyone any harm.
Other tings this year:
Ryan Adams - returns to form
Lucinda Williams - a triumph in the honking and parping stakes
Rufus Wainright - time for everyone to jump on the bandwagon just as he produces his worst record in years
Turin Brakes - more criminally underrated tunes
Crowded House - great to have you back boys, but a bit stodgy no?
Plant/Krauss - aaaaaaaaaah, lovely stuff
Rilo Kiley - why its possible to fall in lust with the sound of a woman's voice
Patty Griffin - the great album that everyone ignored
mock shock horror....
at not seeing the shins in the end of year list. So much so that i thought that it may have been released at the tail end of 2006. Still the album i'm playing at year end. saw them at the academy in manchester and think that the album is even better live.