A Belated Best-Of-2007

2007, we hardly knew ye. Nonetheless, I had initially resisted posting any kind of cliche end-of-the-year review, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt a bit derelict in my duties as a blogger for not putting together some sort of 2007 retrospective. So below is a list of the top five albums I was high on in '07. Needless to say, they are all very much recommended.

#1) The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
There was certainly no sophomore slump for this artsy collective of Canadian indie-rockers. The Arcade Fire rocked through their second album with the same strange energy and velvety pathos as the first, this time with a hint of Springsteen in the mix. Watch out Levon Helm, a few more albums like this and these guys just might end up being the best band to ever come out of Canada.

The Arcade Fire - Intervention

#2) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
Ridiculous album name aside, the Austin-based Spoon ooze with cool on their sixth studio LP. Mixing their trademark classic rock appeal with a bit more soul influence, Spoon tie this album together seamlessly, showcasing Brit Daniels as one of the premiere frontmen in rock music today. Oh yeah, and the songs are all catchy as Hell, too.

Spoon - You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb

#3) Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Sky Blue Sky is the follow-up effort to 2004's A Ghost is Born, an album which championed a combination of oddly quiet, yet guitar-centric, rock. Even though Sky Blue Sky arguably features that exact same blend, the results seem universally more welcomed this time around. Perhaps it's because the music doesn't pussyfoot around its own mellow vibe, or perhaps its the addition of stellar axeman Nels Cline, who leads the band to new levels of instrumental virtuosity on songs like "Impossible Germany" and "Walken."

Wilco - Hate it Here

Kanye West - Graduation
It should be noted that this album can't touch the freshness and originality of his West's first two LP's. Nonetheless, you have to give a brotha' props for creativity when he decides to rap over a Steely Dan or Daft Punk sample. That kind of thinking-outside-the-box has always been Kanye's M.O. Smoking 50 Cent in that semi-ridiculous publicity stunt is just another feather in his Luis Vuitton cap.

Kanye West - Homecoming (featuring Chris Martin)

The National - Boxer
For those of you that purchased The National's previous effort Alligator, much dap to you. For the rest of us, Boxer proved to be one of the major breakout albums of the year. Frontman Matt Berninger's crooning sounds so cool that the lyrics don't even matter. Combine that dynamic with steady, inventive instrumentation, with drummer Bryan Devendorf providing a more than solid backbone, and you've got a pretty kick-ass sound.

The National - Start a War

The Final Re-Up is Here

The fifth and final season of HBO's The Wire premiered this past Sunday night. In case you missed it, chronologically the show picks up about a year down the road from where Season Four left off. During that time, Carver has been promoted, Herc has been jilted from the force, Carcetti began severe city-wide budget cut-backs, and McNulty relapsed into some old habits. Political and social conflict will no doubt ensue. One other thing that's new, as always, is the show's theme song "Down in the Hole," this time performed by Steve Earle (posted below courtesy of The Leather Canary), who also has a recurring role on the show.
If you don't have HBO, I suggest you subscribe for at least the next nine weeks or so. Otherwise you'll risk missing out on the last season of the best show on TV, a statement that possesses a lot of added value considering the crap networks have been rolling out since the writers' strike set in. For an interesting discussion of the philosophical rhetoric of the series and its creator David Simon, check out this piece by Matthew Yglesias of The Atlantic.

Steve Earle - Down in the Whole