My Top 10 Albums of 2007

Top 10 albums of 2007:

What an absolute stonker of a year for albums! Fuck NME’s albums of the year, read mine instead. Christ, the Arctic Monkeys were in their top 5 for fucks sake! It’s similar, but in a different order, truly independent and not influenced by large cheques from record labels.

WARNING: may contain bands or albums you have never heard or heard of. Shame on you!

1. Les Savy Fav – Let’s Stay Friends

I initially discovered Les Savy Fav back in 2001 when I was trying to find similar bands to At The Drive-In (my favourite band back at university) to enhance my drab CD collection. It has to be said, I tried and failed to get into them. For some reason I was looking for my next favourite band and instead greeted with what at the time I thought was an even more messy ramshackle At the drive-in. Needless to say, I cast them aside like a fool. I actually listened to this on a whim. I read a couple of stella reviews and for some reason or another liked the cover art, not that this was the impetuous for me to download it… On the first listen I knew it was something special. Favourites being: “What would wolves do”, “Patty Lee” and the marvellous “Raging in the plague age”. Buy it, steal it, download it now. Give it a few listens and you will be hooked.

2. Black Lips – Good bad not evil

Another discovery. I actually downloaded this also on a whim after reading (curses!) an NME review. Pleased I did, it’s a no holds barred 35 minutes of “flower punk”. From the chaotic “Katrina” to the sublime – sounds like it was recorded in a backstreet LA studio in the 70’s “Transcendental Light” it is an album to be reckoned with. Only bad thing? It has a really dodgy folk psychedelica pastiche named “ How do you tell a child that someone has died”. Terrible, but the albums ONLY bad point. Great, not bad or evil.

3. The Rakes – Ten New Messages

If you were to skim this essay you would think I am an avid reader of the New Musical Express. This is not true. I do however, look at their website (why pay for shit when you can read it for free?) This album scored a measly 6/10. Shocking!
It is an album that has to sink in and work it’s way through the pipes. Once it does, it feels like you have known the songs for years. It isn’t as clever or solid as their debut, Capture / Release, but it’s a bloody good follow up. It’s just a crying shame that because of that scathing NME review the band will more than likely never release album number three.

4. Kaiser Chiefs – Yours truly, angry mob

OK, I apologise, this is the first “mainstream” album in the list (more to follow I assure). By now the Kaiser Chief fans are divided. Those who love them because they know the singles after hearing them on Radio 1 on the hour and those who, like me – have loved them from the start (even as the middle of the road Parva, before the name was changed and songs made better). Their first album was one third musical genius – and two thirds massive holes which were covered over with filler. Although this album in my opinion lacks any killer singles (I’m sure the Radio 1 masses would disagree where biggest single “Ruby” is concerned) it is a more solid, refined album with only one filler (my kind of guy). A superb piece of work if you can get past the cheekiness of it all and THAT cover art. Dear god, whoever designed that needs shooting!

5. Gruff Rhys – Candylion

I hate it when journalists refer to Gruff as “the welsh wizard”. I suspect he hates it too. The man is better than that. Magic-ing (sorry) up tunes as good as this on his second solo outing he gets better and better. Title track is as bonkers as they come (A penguin and carnation / A lemon and Dalmation / And 'though I look for inspiration / Still my favorite combinations' Candylion). Shame that this years Super Furry Animals album isn’t as good, looks like Gruff won’t need them for too long.

6. Art Brut – It’s a bit complicated

It’s easy to dismiss Art Brut as indie jokers. I did when I heard their debut single “formed a band”. The spoken lyrics, the bum notes and the kind of lyrics that wouldn’t look out of place scrawled in a history textbook, however – over time and a few beers their charm shone though. This, their second outing is a better album than their first – albeit very different. Tighter musically (which has helped from new guitarist: Jasper Future), less bum notes, better production and more intelligent songs without jeopardising their integrity or knack for quirkyness. Don’t get me wrong, I love their first album, I can see past the imperfections – the second album is just more, well… grown up.


7. Klaxons – Myths of the near future

Nu-Rave. A terrible genre really. Coined by the Klaxons themselves (and later regretted) it spawned hundreds of sounalikes, all of which lack all grace, passion and most importantly, the tunes (we are looking at you shitdisco!). The album is a mixed bag, 7 absolute top tunes, beautifully crafted – only one of which even has a hint of rave (Atlantis to interzone), the rest, unfortunately is filler. Usually, albums with filler deserve a lower place in top tens, but the rest of the album is so good it puts it head and shoulders above the next three. Klaxons shouldn’t be pigeonholed, they are capable of much more.

8. Editors – An End Has A Start

Probably the most Mellon collie band to hit the charts in recent years. I find their meteoric rise to household name a bit strange. Well, I did until I got my filthy hands on a pre-release copy of this album. Crafted for the mainstream whilst keeping the brooding darkness and foreboding of their songs the same. This is another album the blasted NME game 6/10. Clearly, they need their fucking ears cleaning out.

9. Mother & The Addicts – Science fiction illustrated

Another recent discovery, only ahead of the Kings Of Leon because it is unlike anything I have heard this year. Definitely a nod to the 80’s synth bands, deadpan falsetto voice and songs so bloody catchy it’s criminal that they aren’t as big as they should be. Hopefully the world will catch on, until then they will be stuck in obscurity. I actually bought this album on amazon for 98p, now you have no excuse!

10. Kings Of Leon – Because of the times

Ok, let’s get this out of the way right now. I have liked KOL since I heard their debut EP in a smoky bar, they have been consistently good both live and recorded, but this, their third offering is without a doubt their weakest to date. By no means bad, it’s just not as amazing as we all wanted it to be.
The first three tracks are three of their best yet, there are at least another three tracks which would sit comfortably on any KOL mix-tape, unfortunately what is bad is very bad indeed. The last four songs tail off into American trad rock (see my live review for more on this) which just feel out of place with the rest of the album, maybe suited to b-sides. It is a long album, if they had cut it to 10 tracks (Christ, even 12) it may have been further up this list, but as over half of it is filler – it sits at the bottom.

We all know there are albums I have missed. They didn’t make the list for some reason or another. Favourite music is subjective, it depends on mood. If I had compiled this list a month ago I’m sure it would have been different. Here they are:


In no specific order my other fave albums on 2007 –

Radiohead – In Rainbows
OK, ok. So I left it off. Yes, it’s very good – it may have been number 11 in the list, but there is something in the production of the album that sits inbetween the lines of homemade and badly produced. It does have some of their best tracks in years, but it does lack a certain polish their other releases have had.

The Coral – Roots & Echoes
Great stuff but more grown up all of a sudden. I miss their pirate sea shanties about skeleton keys. Come on lads, let’s have another “Nightfreak”.

LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
Great album, but they really really need to start shortening their songs to less than 8 minutes. After 4 minutes of the same repetitive samples and beats I start to get a bit bored.

Jamie T – Panic Prevention
After hearing the dreadful “Shelia” it nearly put me off for good. Then I remembered just how good his debut “Salvador” was. It’s a very good album, awkward in places – his cockney white-boy rap / talk can begin to annoy after about half of the album, but listen to it in parts and it’s a rewarding listen (just skip Shelia).

Rumble Strips – Girls & Weather
Really nice, but maybe too nice. Unbelievable that they are a four piece, some nicely crafted songs about lost love and desperation – very quirky. Maybe, just maybe, the new Coral.

The Raveonettes – Lust Lust Lust
Thankfully better than their last album (pretty in black) and a positive move backward to their dark, brooding roots into 1950’s b-movie territory. Some fantastic stuff here, narrowly missed out on the list.

Band Of Horses – Everything, all of the time
A fantastic album,, only left off the list because I forgot about it.

The Shins – Wincing the night away
Really nice, contains some killer tracks, but more forced than previous outings. Definitely their weakest.

Super Furry Animals – Hey Venus!
My favourite band. Definitely evident they still have an undeniable knack for crafting a superb melody – it’s just a bit messy in places.

Babyshambles – Shotters Nation
I hated this when I first heard it. REALLY hated it. With time it grew, but not that much. In danger of repeating itself, it does have some killer songs – but it does have lots of filler. The production literally shines compared to their debut (which I actually liked) and however Stephen Street managed to reign Mr. Doherty in and get a good performance deserves a medal. It’s good, just not good enough.

Pigeon Detectives
I should have left these guys off purely because of their stupid fucking name. All the kids seem to like these at the moment, I decided to check them out. Cracking pop hooks,