Current mood:	tired
Current music:	Read Above

Best Albums of 2007
Happy New Year everybody. What better way to welcome 2008 than talking more about 2007? Like last year, I used every single day of 2007 to pick my favorite albums of the year, and now it's time to count them down.

It has been a weird year for music, for me at least. I found myself torn between the alternative rock that I used to listen to and the increasingly bizarre shit I was getting into at WNUR. WNUR opened up an entire new world of music to me, which severely affected how I listened to music. In short, I was almost never satisfied throughout the entire year. I spent 2007 listlessly passing from album to album, sometimes tuning in for up to a week before moving on again. But despite this less than ideal music situation throughout the year, there were a few albums that managed to stick with me, and it's for this reason that I'm recognizing them a bit differently than I have before. So with that said, here are 2007's music awards.

Top Five Albums


5. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
I liked this album the first time I heard it. The Current was absolutely obsessed with "North American Scum" this summer, and it was impossible not to associate this album with that time of my life. It's for this reason that I simply listened to this album as nothing more than feel good music, which is fitting for such a fun album. However, after returning to it these past few weeks, I've realized that this album is a lot deeper than I originally gave it credit for, and the fact that the album is able to work on those multiple levels while still being a fun dance album makes it worthy of the number five spot.
Favorite Track: North American Scum


4. St. Vincent - Marry Me
I don't really have too much to say about this album. It's really good, which is a fact that I failed to fully realize until giving it a few spins with my headphones on the train. It really is a well-put-together album that doesn't have a single track that is less than excellent. It's quality, and that's enough for a spot on my list.
Favorite Track: Paris is Burning


3. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Similar to how the Elected's live show was enough to push the album to my number one spot on last year's list, seeing Bird live has really deepened my appreciation for his music. It's a fantastic album on it's own, a fact that is rather unsurprising after having already been introduced to his earlier work through WNUR. There isn't much about his music that I could say that hasn't been said before, but this album just further demonstrates Bird's incredible talent and musicianship that is quickly making him one of Northwestern University's favorite alumni. A terrific album that highlights the uniqueness that makes Bird so appealing.
Favorite Track: Plasticities


2. Bright Eyes - Cassadaga
If there was one album that stuck with me throughout all of 2007, it was Conor Oberst's latest release. It's tough thinking through the majority of the year that a Bright Eyes album will most likely make your top albums list. People don't give the album a chance, with most of them passing judgment on the album before even giving it a listen. If they did, they would discover Oberst's continued evolution as an artist with a more folk-influenced album that contains his most mature and least selfish lyrics to date. It's the perfect balance between the warbling-voiced angsty teen that we loved growing up with and what truly feels like a natural and honest evolution from one of my favorite artists. In a year when almost every follow-up album from an artist disappointed me, Cassadaga remains one of the few releases that surpassed all of my expectations and cemented itself as the favorite in a long discography. If this is the direction Bright Eyes is headed in, I can't wait to see where they go next.
Favorite Track: I Must Belong Somewhere


1. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
This is a shining example of why I put my end of the year list off until the last minute. For whatever reason, I hadn't listened to this album for the entire year, but for the entire month of December, I haven't been able to listen to anything else. This wasn't a close call like last year's list. Neon Bible stands so far above all the rest of the albums I heard this year, it's ridiculous. It really makes me feel like I've been missing out on something this year if there is this big of a jump in quality between my first and second albums. Don't get me wrong, I love every album on this list, but there really is no excuse for an album to be as good as Neon Bible is. This album alone will let me look back at 2007 and not be disappointed. For standing head and shoulders above all competitors, Neon Bible easily earns the best album of 2007.
Favorite Track: (Antichrist Television Blues)

Top Live Acts


5. ZibraZibra - 777 Album Release Show at First Avenue
Ridiculous


4. Maximo Park - Varsity Theatre
I really was not excited for this show at all, but the sheer enthusiasm that these guys channeled into songs that I had thought I had grown bored of still has me impressed today. Fantastic. This is how every band should approach shows.


3. Art Brut/Hold Steady Halloween Show - Metro
Yeah, saying Hold Steady was great really isn't that surprising. Of course they're going to play a great set, and I expected as much going into the show. However, what I didn't expect was one of the most fun sets of the year from Art Brut. Starting with "Form a Band" and not letting up to the end, Art Brut is easily one of the most fun bands I've ever seen.


2. Andrew Bird - Cedar Cultural Center
This guy is ridiculous live. I see a lot of live acts, but I am always floored by how much a musician Andrew Bird is. Art Brut was fantastic, but those guys don't have to have a lot of talent. With his intricate loops, overpowering vocals, haunting whistling and understated, but hilarious, introspection between pieces, there is nothing quite like an Andrew Bird show. He's definitely an artist that needs to be seen live and has put on ridiculously good shows both times I saw him this year.


1. John Williams conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Symphony Hall
Alright, I feel guilty for picking this as the best show of the year, but fuck you. Hearing the CSO launch into the Star Wars theme almost brought me to tears. I had this big stupid ass grin on my face for the next month or something. I seriously don't remember when I felt that level of ecstasy from hearing a single piece of music. I felt like a kid again. The rest of the show was amazing, but that moment will be something I tell my grandchildren. Easily the most memorable and exciting live performance I had the opportunity to witness all year.

So, uh, bring it '08?

:o: