Album of the Year According To Everyone Else
I thought a couple of the critics’ lists for some major music magazines and sites had interesting #1 albums for 2007. Each of these albums is on almost every list you can find, but I was a little surprised by some of the top picks (and by whom). Here’s a (?)short review of some (and yes, this is reviews of reviews. Shoot me):
1 M.I.A.
Kala(Interscope)
“M.I.A.’s second album was an international block party with a sonic imagination nobody else could match all year.”
Most original album of the year? Yes. Best album of the year? Perhaps. Seems like a pretty odd pick for Rolling Stone, who seemed way more into Graduation and In Rainbows last year (yup, it’s ‘last year’ now). I think they tried to give us a surprise pick Grammy-style upset, which I suppose they did.
1. In Rainbows by Radiohead
“With all hoopla aside, when I listen to this record I become wholly lost in the dynamic power of the playing. The chops are breathtaking. But the beauty of the melody, and the incontestable power of the artistic vision contained within also play a large role in why In Rainbows is not only the best album of the year, but maybe the decade.”
Whoa. Slow down, tiger. Radiohead alone arguably have better records this decade than In Rainbows. While it is a great pick, and a fantastic record, there were many albums this year that gave this a good run for it’s money.
Against Me!
New Wave
“No small thanks to producer Butch Vig, New Wave is a beacon: more liberating than a thousand middle fingers. In a perfect world, New Wave would have been greeted with the adulation and success the similarly agitpop American Idiot received.”
Spin, Spin, Spin. Sorry, I don’t get it. Yes, the songs are catchy and anthemic, but Tom Gabel’s dated mid 90′s Warped Tour howl should have at least taken them out of the running for the top 10. A fun album for sure, but not deserving of any American Idiot esque praise; Not even better than any of the 50 or 100 listed by most other publications. Maybe I’m completely missing something, but to be blunt, SPIN, you may as well have given the honors to Good Charlotte. I’m pretty sure they had a protest song.
01: Panda Bear
Person Pitch
“With its bright harmonies, loops that veer from lulling to ecstatic, and reverb that lends each sound a hazy twinkle, Person Pitch feels friendly and conversational, if beautifully streaked with psychedelic disorientation. But mostly, it just feels overwhelmingly positive and unfailingly generous. “
I agree on this review completely (though this is just a snippet). This is a beautiful record, and I’m glad it ranked higher than Animal Collective’s Strawberry Jam (Honestly, I can only take them in small doses). This was the better record, and not much of a surprise pick for Pitchfork. But, to say this is the definitive best record of 2007 is simply a stretch, in my mind. Though, Pitchfork’s picks often are.
1. The Reminder
Feist (Artist)
Throughout, the record profits from a simple, unfussy aesthetic that keeps the production minimal and the emphasis squarely on Feist’s cracking, wistful vibrato. It’s a low-pressure vibe, welcoming and content to linger. And linger you will.
This was a top 10 record for sure, but a bit too restricted to be #1; Not sure if that makes sense. Genre bending seemed to be a big theme with some of the top picks this year, and the slow, steady pace of The Reminder is a solid 5-star indie-pop record. But…not sure I would ever call it Album of the Year.
1. Wilco, Sky Blue Sky
Sky Blue Sky is the most simple record of the year. It resonates because it’s true and beautiful and seemingly not of this era. But it’s also unfathomably complicated: a record about relationships, about being so in love and wanting to make it work so bad, about giving of yourself and taking from someone else about being back to back, in the foxhole — impossible Germany, unlikely Japan — against overwhelming odds, but determined to fight until the bitter end.
I love this review, and I love this album. But it is simply not Album of the Year. It is, at best, Wilco’s third best album (which of course, doesn’t mean it can’t be album of the year). It just doesn’t have the impact of most of the records listed above. it is simple, but perhaps too simple at times. A lot of fans call this a big disappointment, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that. You can’t expect them to be perfect everytime. “Impossible Germany” is hands down one of the best songs of the year, but I’m not sure this is even a top 10 album.
Posted: January 3rd, 2008 under 2007, Misc.
Tags: Best albums of 2007