Best Albums of 2007

10)Feist - The Reminder

Here's hoping that staring in an iPod commercial is not akin to an NFL star appearing on the cover of Madden. Feist's The Reminder slightly edges out Cat Power's The Greatest as the best female solo masterpiece of the year. A pretty huge honor for her to receive from us! (cue eye-roll). But don't write off this Broken Social Scene alum as a coat-tail-rider who surfs a fluffy wave of hype to the top. This album has amazing replay value.

9) Bishop Allen - The Broken String

If there were a version of Hey There Delilah made for adults with educations and jobs, it would have certainly been done by Bishop Allen. The prodigious Rice and Rudder released a dream-pop epic, and now they deserve some time off. But lord knows they won't be taking it. When they get back from their European tour, keep an eye out for this hard working indie outfit at a small club near you.

8) Band of Horses - Cease to Begin

Surprisingly on par with its predecessor, but not surprisingly one of the most enjoyable albums of the year. Cease to Begin sounds remarkably fresh for an over-worked genre (which we call post-Neil Young). It brings amped-up catchiness to alt-country. It just sounds right.

7) Joel Plasket Emergency - Ashtray Rock

An emerging hero out of Canada's rock-clubs, this latest effort, a semi-autobiographical nostalgia-fest, is almost as thoughtful as it is groovy. With a side of fun and a "let's get tanked!" attitude, this album takes major-chord Canadian feel-goodness to a cool new place.

6) The National - The Boxer

It takes more than a bourbon-smooth croon to rank on just about every top ten list this side of the printed word. How about hypnotic drumming and a Crash Test Dummies-gone-serious sound? You've probably read this all before, so moving on...

5) John Vanderslice - Emerald City

This former Spoon producer may have recorded the most interesting album of the year. Vanderslice continues to combine masterful execution with a kind of playfulness, giving the impression of that one professor who you really connected with. Combining the creativity of Andrew Bird, and the hold-nothing-backness of Stephen Malkmus (that wasn't supposed to rhyme), John Vanderslice's Emerald City is definitely a head-turner.

4)Radiohead - In Rainbows

We didn't know if it was going to be critic-proof or impossible to live up to the expectations. Doesn't matter, it's awesome.

3)Dr. Dog - We All Belong

This tome of psychedelic retro-pop is the sound of happy go luckiness personified. Here's a tip: if you're a fan of The Flaming Lips, this could be your favorite album of the year. If you're a fan of The Beatles, this could be your favorite album of the year. And most importantly, if you're a fan of original songwriting, this could be your favorite album of the year. Lots of good stuff...

2)!!! - Myth Takes

This album is what house music wishes it could be. It takes that genre's bossy, rhythmic pump-you-up beats and builds upon it with lavish tripped-out jazz-funk and tribal percussion. This album could be the soundtrack to your driving, exercising, video game playing, blog-reading, coitus, or just about any other activity where nobody could get hurt from letting your mind wander.

1) The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

I was so thrilled to realize that this album was released during 2007, because it feels like it's been with me my whole life. This album is gorgeous. It's pretty and mysterious and stuffed to the brim with near-perfect songs. It's extremely cinematic, yet brings content to spare. Its hooks transcend catchiness like watching an actor who's so good that you forget they're acting. Wincing the Night Away is probably up there with the best albums of the decade thus far. Or better.