CHRIS WALKER VS. MY TOP TEN ALBUMS OF 2007
Last year I came off pretty arrogant with my Top Ten Albums of 2006, saying my list was better than most because I was able to restrain myself to ten picks and remembered a lot of great albums most forgot to mention. I’m not going that route this year, mainly because I know my finger is “off the pulse”, so to speak. And intentionally so.
A lot of music just didn’t impress me this year. I never got into Dan Deacon (no matter how fun Tod Seelie made his shows look), never found the appeal in Patrick Wolf. You’ll notice there’s no Radiohead, no Panda Bear, no Arcade Fire, or Wilco on my list? Why? Because I haven’t gotten around to listening to the new Radiohead yet (tragic, I know) and I didn’t care for any of those other albums, no matter how great everyone else said they were. Oh yeah, and I fucking hate Wilco.
That’s why this year I will refrain from calling my list the Ten “Best” Albums of the Year and instead call them my personal Top Ten Favorite Albums of 2007. Hope you enjoy my picks. Feel free to confirm your agreement with them, or call me an idiot for leaving a certain album out, whatever, I’ll take it.
CHRIS WALKER’S TOP TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2007
10. PARAMORE: RIOT!
Ah, my guily, guilty pleasure. I am not ashamed to say it: I love me some Paramore. They make pop-punk anthems the way they’re supposed to be made and I can’t help but love the shit. It’s undeniably infectious. Not to mention, that Hayley Williams is so goddamn adorable!
[MP3] Paramore: Crushcrushcrush (right-click to download)
09. APOSTLE OF HUSTLE: NATIONAL ANTHEM OF NOWHERE
I called it back in February (I think), National Anthem of Nowhere would make my top ten. And it did. The music is just so refined and mature. It’s one of those albums that will outlast the hipsters, survive the fads, and become one of those great, enduring albums – much like Apostle of Hustle’s first album, Folkloric Feel.
[MP3] Apostle of Hustle: National Anthem of Nowhere (right-click to download)
08. DETHKLOK: THE DETHALBUM
It’s easy to overlook Dethklok’s The Dethalbum for the fact it’s made by a fictitious band from an adult swim cartoon called “Metalocalypse”. The fact of the matter is The Dethalbum could very well be one of the greatest metal albums made. It contains all the best parts of metal (see: brutality) but is free of all the lame, we-take-ourselves-too serious pretentiousness often associated with metal. I mean, let’s face it, most metal albums are better to use as beer coasters than to put in a CD player. Metal sucks*. Not The Dethalbum though. It deserves to be cranked up to 11 and played on repeat.
[MP3] Dethklok: Go Into The Water (right-click to download)
07. JENS LEKMAN: NIGHT FALLS OVER KORTEDALA
I got my hands on Night Falls Over Kortedala around the same time as Beirut’s The Flying Club Cup. I’ve been constantly listening to the glorious, witty, pop gems off Night Falls Over Kortedala ever since then. Flying Club Cup? Not so much.
[MP3] Jens Lekman: The Opposite of Hallelujah (right-click to download)
06. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE: ERA VULGARIS
Era Vulgaris is just a whole lot of fun. When my iPod adapter broke it was all I listened to for a week straight. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “Make It Wit Chu”. There’s a lot of swagger, some blues, and a whole lot of sex-and-drug-drenched rocksploitation in Era Vulgaris. It’s also got blink-and-you-miss-‘em moments from The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor. Nice.
[MP3] Queens of the Stone Age: Era Vulgaris (right-click to download)
05. JUSTICE: †
Justice single-handedly kept dance music alive and revived Daft Punk in the same year. This album is what The Looks was for me last year, only better. That being said, I’ve got to give MSTRKRFT their due (if I hadn’t a million times already), their remix of “D.A.N.C.E” was one of my favorite tracks of the year.
[MP3] Justice: D.A.N.C.E. (MSTRKRFT Remix) (right-click to download)
04. BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE PRESENTS KEVIN DREW: SPIRIT IF…
If you didn’t know any better you’d swear Spirit If… was the new Broken Social Scene album, not a Kevin Drew solo outing. From “Too Beauitful To Fuck”, “Safety Bricks”, “Lucky Ones”, “Backed Out On The…”, to “Aging Faces / Losing Places” this album evoked all the right emotions. And any guy who writes a song called “Gang Bang Suicide” and makes it one of the most genuine love songs of the year surely deserves a place amongst my top ten.
[MP3] Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew: Gang Bang Suicide (right-click to download)
03. FIONN REGAN: THE END OF HISTORY
Technically this album was released in 2006 on Bella Union in the UK. But since Lost Highway released it in the US this year, and it’s been in constant rotation on my iPod since January, I’m including it here. Maybe it’s my kinship to Irish singer-songwriters that makes The End of History dear to me, I don’t know. If you ever get the opportunity to see Fionn live in a small venue where he hates the audience – don’t miss it. You’ll be in for a brilliant acoustic performance.
[MP3] Fionn Regan: Hunter’s Map (right-click to download)
02. NINE INCH NAILS: YEAR ZERO
Listening to this album makes me sad for bands that fell off, bands everyone used to love that now suck. Like Korn, for instance. While Korn tries reinventing themselves with the same boring sound on every disposable album Trent Reznor has remained relevant, able to progress while retaining the elements that make his music “Nine Inch Nails”. From the flash drives with MP3s, to the viral campaign, to the music itself, everything about this album was awesome. Who knew sobriety could be a good thing?
[MP3] Nine Inch Nails: Capital G (right-click to download)
01. FEIST: THE REMINDER
This album changed my life. Literally. I would not be in the place I’m at right now if it were not for this album. And I like where I am. That makes me really like this album.
[MP3] Feist: I Feel It All (right-click to download)
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* Not all, but most metal sucks. Just to clarify.
Note: all MP3s are for sampling purposes and will be taken down if requested. These are songs from the best albums of the year though, so click the links and buy the albums – if you don’t already own them. They’re the best albums of the year so they’re obviously worth it.
Posted: December 14th, 2007 | Author: Chris Walker | Filed under: Music | No Comments »
