2008 Woodie Awards
The 20 best albums of 2007: #10-6
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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10. Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil
This young quartet out of Atlanta proves once more why they are one of the most exciting rock bands with Good Bad Not Evil. Raucous guitar and drums along with playful, often silly, lyrics could easily make this band seem like one of the typical garage-rock revivalists, but don't overlook these guys. Check the twangy-stutter of "I Saw a Ghost Lean" or the country-swagger of "How Do You Tell a Child That Someone Has Died," along with other influences on the album.
-Matthew L. Reese
9. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
I don't pretend to have heard every single song that was released in 2007. But it'd be a tough sell to tell me there was a better one than Andrew Bird's "Heretics." I won't poo-poo it by describing it. Fruitless. Go listen to it. The rest of Armchair Apocrypha is not quite as brilliant, but there are brilliant moments nonetheless. Most who have followed Bird's scattered career agree it's his best collection to date. Released early in the year, Apocrypha is a record that has staying power. You can't pigeonhole this one. Fitting record for the vagabond visage Bird so aptly portrays.
-Kevin Jeffers
8. Jennifer Gentle - The Midnight Room
Jennifer Gentle came at a time when America needed Italian avant-pop the most. Light up some incense and serve the gelato, Jennifer Gentle delivers the goods. Marco Fasolo, founder and sole creator on The Midnight Room, holed himself up in an old, creaky house (immersed with fog, no doubt) in northern Italy to record this album. He went in with a paisley shirt, wavy hair, and a trebly electric guitar. He left with a modern psychedelic masterpiece. And probably dementia.
-Matthew L. Reese
7.The National - Boxer
This is what Top-40 music should sound like. Perfection. The National (who released its second excellent record with Boxer in 2007) boasts probably the best drummer you've never heard of in Bryan Davendorf. Hell, the drums alone would be reason enough to listen to Boxer if not for the complexities that the layered melodies and instruments throughout present to the listener. Never fret, though, because the soothing baritone of Matt Berninger guides you through. Even if its as even-keel as albums get, there's not a bad track on here. You're in love halfway through Fake Empire, the opening track.
-Kevin Jeffers
6. Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
The Shout Out Louds follow up their debut album, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff with Our Ill Wills. The album starts out with possibly its best song, "Tonight I Have To Leave It." Within the first minute of the album, you can hear a strong resemblance to The Cure. Frontman Adam Olenius's sound is very similar to Robert Smith's. If you are a fan of The Cure, you will love this album. If you are a diehard fan of The Cure, you may see it as a rip-off. Though the entire thing is a great listen, the album has some songs that stand above the rest, including "Your Parents Living Room," "You Are Dreaming" and "Hard Rain." Swedish pop is back for a reason.
-Matthew McRae
-- The 20 best albums of 2007: #20-16
-- The 20 best albums of 2007: #15-11
-- The 20 best albums of 2007: #5-1
This young quartet out of Atlanta proves once more why they are one of the most exciting rock bands with Good Bad Not Evil. Raucous guitar and drums along with playful, often silly, lyrics could easily make this band seem like one of the typical garage-rock revivalists, but don't overlook these guys. Check the twangy-stutter of "I Saw a Ghost Lean" or the country-swagger of "How Do You Tell a Child That Someone Has Died," along with other influences on the album.
-Matthew L. Reese
9. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
I don't pretend to have heard every single song that was released in 2007. But it'd be a tough sell to tell me there was a better one than Andrew Bird's "Heretics." I won't poo-poo it by describing it. Fruitless. Go listen to it. The rest of Armchair Apocrypha is not quite as brilliant, but there are brilliant moments nonetheless. Most who have followed Bird's scattered career agree it's his best collection to date. Released early in the year, Apocrypha is a record that has staying power. You can't pigeonhole this one. Fitting record for the vagabond visage Bird so aptly portrays.
-Kevin Jeffers
8. Jennifer Gentle - The Midnight Room
Jennifer Gentle came at a time when America needed Italian avant-pop the most. Light up some incense and serve the gelato, Jennifer Gentle delivers the goods. Marco Fasolo, founder and sole creator on The Midnight Room, holed himself up in an old, creaky house (immersed with fog, no doubt) in northern Italy to record this album. He went in with a paisley shirt, wavy hair, and a trebly electric guitar. He left with a modern psychedelic masterpiece. And probably dementia.
-Matthew L. Reese
7.The National - Boxer
This is what Top-40 music should sound like. Perfection. The National (who released its second excellent record with Boxer in 2007) boasts probably the best drummer you've never heard of in Bryan Davendorf. Hell, the drums alone would be reason enough to listen to Boxer if not for the complexities that the layered melodies and instruments throughout present to the listener. Never fret, though, because the soothing baritone of Matt Berninger guides you through. Even if its as even-keel as albums get, there's not a bad track on here. You're in love halfway through Fake Empire, the opening track.
-Kevin Jeffers
6. Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
The Shout Out Louds follow up their debut album, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff with Our Ill Wills. The album starts out with possibly its best song, "Tonight I Have To Leave It." Within the first minute of the album, you can hear a strong resemblance to The Cure. Frontman Adam Olenius's sound is very similar to Robert Smith's. If you are a fan of The Cure, you will love this album. If you are a diehard fan of The Cure, you may see it as a rip-off. Though the entire thing is a great listen, the album has some songs that stand above the rest, including "Your Parents Living Room," "You Are Dreaming" and "Hard Rain." Swedish pop is back for a reason.
-Matthew McRae
-- The 20 best albums of 2007: #20-16
-- The 20 best albums of 2007: #15-11
-- The 20 best albums of 2007: #5-1
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