update: I provided links to bands' MySpace pages so you can get quick and free (and legal!) listens if you want to give them a try.
Music: Best Of 2007
1. Career Suicide by A Wilhelm Scream
Genre: Punk / Metal
Ever liked a band, but wanted them to pull out the stops, skip the slow songs, and put out a really fast, powerful album? A Wilhelm Scream was one of those bands for me. And holy shit did they deliver, above and beyond what I ever expected possible. This is a barn-burner of an album - 13 songs of pure fury.
I don't want to scare anyone off this - this is not hardcore, or really even metal besides the guitar tone and complexity, and there is no screaming or thrashing or stuff like that. Melodic guitar, harmonized vocals, and the catchiest hooks you ever heard. But this is a mean album. The passion in every song is stunning - every member of this band is at their peak. Saying this in 2007 is pretty much heresy, but I feel no shame in asserting that this is a punk rock masterpiece. From the gasping, fervor-filled lyrics, dripping with wit and sarcasm, to the breakneck dueling guitars, to the relentless, metronome-like drumming, this is an album I'm going to enjoy over and over throughout the years to come. I simply can't recommend it enough.
Standout tracks: The Horse ; Pardon Me, Thanks a Lot ; 5 to 9
Link: http://www.myspace.com/awilhelmscream
2. Somewhere In The Between by Streetlight Manifesto
Genre: Ska / Punk
Ska is a new one for me this year - never thought a Ska Punk band would make my #2. This band is catchiness incarnate. Seriously, listen to this band and be prepared to have it stuck in your head for the next week. Best described as a perfect mix of guitars and horns, Streetlight Manifesto doesn't lay the corniness on too thick like some other similar bands, and offers an album full of diverse songs. Some of the opening tracks are light and fluffy, while the latter half (the two closers especially) is brimming with passion and deeper themes. This is stuff you can put on anytime and just feel happy - and it also has the depth for more serious listens.
Standout tracks: The Receiving End Of It All ; What A Wicked Gang Are We ; We Will Fall Together
Link: http://www.myspace.com/streetlightmanifesto
3. The Big Dirty by Every Time I Die
Genre: Metalcore / Southern Rock
This is a tough album for me to review. ETID's 2005 album, Gutter Phenomenon, was my top choice for the year, and their 2003 Hot Damn! would surely have been as well if I was writing these little columns back then. There's no shame in being behind AWS's Career Suicide as that's a once-a-decade type of album, but them being behind Streetlight Manifesto as well is kind of telling. This album simply wasn't what I was hoping for.
A lot of people were up in arms over Gutter Phenomenon's newfound Southern Rock stylings, but I felt it was a strong direction to go in, even if I didn't like it as much as Hot Damn!'s genre-defining breakneck metalcore. This, however, is a mish-mash of styles without a clear direction. In some ways, it's a step back to their first LP, Last Night In Town, and I really felt they were still finding their sound back then. The Big Dirty dips in and out of metalcore and southern rock, but doesn't always find a suitable middle ground. When the album shines, it shines - "We'rewolf" features one of the best riffs they've ever written, and has an amazing climax that is the very definition of rock 'n' roll. "INRIhab" is a first for vocalist Keith Buckley, showcasing him dropping the (admittedly clever) puns and wordplay, and focusing on more serious, personal issues. Others like "Rendez-voodoo" and "Buffalo Gals" see the band trying some different, interesting melodies out. But others are a lot more cookie-cutter. I'm obviously not too unhappy with the album as it's still my #3, but I have such high expectations for ETID. Now, the long wait until 2009...
Standout tracks: We'rewolf ; INRIhab ; Buffalo Gals
Link: http://www.myspace.com/everytimeidie
4. New Wave by Against Me!
Genre: Punk / Folk
Another new band for me this year, although hardly new themselves. Against Me! have a legion of fans from their early acoustic, extremely low-fi work, and they are none-to-happy about the recent major label deal and all the radio play. I say 'Meh.' This band has unique lyrics, raspy vocals, great guitar tone, and no shortage of catchy hooks. I've had many an Against Me! song stuck in my head this year, especially after diving into their back catalogue as well.
Standout tracks: Piss And Vinegar ; Americans Abroad ; Up The Cuts
Link: http://www.myspace.com/againstme
5. Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
Genre: Rock / Alternative
I'm hesitant to call this "indie rock" as that's not really a genre, but the colloquial usage of that term is probably a good description of Arcade Fire. There was something majestic and beautiful about their debut, Funeral, and a lot of that is missing from Neon Bible. But give this enough time, and you really get a completely different, equally amazing feel. There's a pervasive quiet pensiveness to this album, and some really touching moments that take you out of whatever you're doing and smother you in sound and emotion. Real undeniable charm.
Standout tracks: The Well And The Lighthouse ; (Antichrist Television Blues) ; Black Mirror
Link: http://www.myspace.com/arcadefireofficial
It gets tougher to really order them past this point, so take exact numbers with a grain of salt. They're all undeniable winners, have no doubt.
6. Icky Thump by The White Stripes
Genre: Garage Rock
Have you thought that The White Stripes have gotten really weird in the past few years? Yeah, me too - I pretty much hated their last album, Get Behind Me, Satan. This album was a real revelation, however - going back to their garage rock roots, Jack and Meg (or probably just Jack...) have written some really great tunes here. Most of this album is classic rock and roll greatness. Rag and Bone has one of the best riffs of the year, and the interplay between the two vocalists is hilarious. There are some odd moments, sure, but in general they are a lot more reigned in, and there's very little I don't like about this album.
Standout tracks: Rag and Bone ; Icky Thump ; Catch Hell Blues
Link: http://www.myspace.com/thewhitestripes
7. Ire Works by The Dillinger Escape Plan
Genre: Math / Metal / Pop?
Their last album, Miss Machine, really divided people, what with it's Faith No More-esque detours into creepy pop. Ire Works continues down that trajectory, but it does it in a smart fashion, and still brings the metal when it needs to. The tracklist is a little sparse, considering that a few too many of the tracks are just instrumental interludes, which is a shame. But when your biggest complaint is "Why isn't the album longer?", I'd say that's a good thing.
Standout tracks: Milk Lizard ; Fix Your Face ; Black Bubblegum
Link: http://www.myspace.com/dillingerescapeplan
8. Super Taranta! by Gogol Bordello
Genre: Punk / Gypsy
This is eastern European gypsy punk, with thickly-accented vocals, accordions, and every random string and percussion instrument you can think of. It's loud, it's catchy, and it's weird.
Standout tracks: Wonderlust King ; American Wedding ; Supertheory of Supereverything
Link: http://www.myspace.com/gogolbordello
9. Lifetime by Lifetime
Genre: Punk
There's not much to say about this because it's really no frills - fast, genuine-feeling, catchy punk. Simple lyrics and songs, but it resonates so well and really sticks with you.
Standout tracks: Can't Think About It Now ; Northbound Breakdown ; Records at Nite
Link: http://www.myspace.com/lifetimenj
10. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco
Genre: Rock / Alternative
Like this year's White Stripes album, Wilco's latest is a return to more simple rock after an album of experimentation. Catchy and honest, this is great mellow music with occasional dips into face-melting guitar solos.
Standout tracks: You Are My Face ; What Light ; Shake It Off
Link: http://www.myspace.com/wilco
Other notable albums:
11. Rilo Kiley - Under The Blacklight
So catchy, and Jenny Lewis's voice is so hot.
12. Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
There are 3 or 4 songs here that would put the album in the top 5 if only the rest of the songs on the album were like them. Sadly, they are not. Check out "Turnin' on the Screw," "Sick Sick Sick," and "I'm Designer."
13. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Same comment as QotSA's Era Vulgaris right above. "Spitting Venom" is a classic, though.
14. Radiohead - In Rainbows
Some pretty interesting stuff on this album, and of course there's the whole internet distribution gimmick, but it didn't stick with me the way it did with some.
15. !!! - Myth Takes
I don't know if they'll ever top "Me and Giuliani Down By The School Yard." They certainly don't here, but there's some cool dance punk served up on this album.
16. Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
It's certainly nice to be past With Teeth's almost rap-like nonsense. "Zero Sum" is stunningly beautiful, and "Capital G" is probably Trent's catchiness since TDS's "Closer," but in general the album is as juvenile as most of his recent work.
The Ugly...
Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
The Pretender is a crazy-catchy song, but the rest of the album is meandering bullshit.
From Autumn To Ashes - Holding A Wolf By The Ears
Oh god, please make Francis stop. His whiny voice is just terrible. Without Ben, this band is pretty much shit.
Funeral For A Friend - Tales Don't Tell Themselves
FFAF is still convinced that their early work was childish, and they need to be super serious and deep to be "artists." Enter their first concept album. Hopefully their last. Though I don't know why I even still care - they haven't done anything good since 2003, and they've pretty much disowned all their early work.
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
I don't even know what is wrong with this band lately. Their debut album was perfect southern rock and roll. Then they got all boring. Not a single song on this album has the slightest bit of spirit.
Thrice - The Alchemy Index vols. I & II: Fire & Water
This is a real disappointment, as I've loved everything Thrice has done up until this point. Normally they're so passionate and technical. This felt droning and dull. Hopefully it was just a slip up, or something they'd been wanting to experiment with.
