Sound off: Brit bands reign supreme in 2007
The inevitable year-end list. How can you transition into the new year without one? Here are Sound off's Top 11 Albums of the year. Yes, 11. One is the loneliest number, and it begged to join the other 10. Who the hell am I to say no?
Adios to the year 2007. What a long strange trip it's been.
1. The Good, the Bad, and the Queen - self-titled (Parlophone)
Blur frontman and Gorillaz gatekeeper Damon Albarn compiled an all-star cast of musicians - Clash bassist Paul Simonon, Verve guitarist Simon Tong, and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen. The band also pulled in mega underground producer Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, Dangerdoom).
The foursome put together an instant gem, a concept album about London. Despite Albarn's volatile nature (he allegedly stopped his band from performing live one night - in the middle of the set - because he thought they played horribly, and he made them start all over), he remained stable enough to work peacefully with everyone.
At times, it's easy to confuse the lyrics as a dark and depressed Albarn, but conceptually, this is about a dark and depressed London. ("Drink all day 'cause the country's at war/You'll be falling off the palace walls/I can't be anymore than I see/In the flood you'll be washed away" from "Kingdom of Doom"). As stark a picture Albarn paints about London, nothing can top the collaborators who make this album untouchable, particularly Simonon whose bass lines easily have could get lost in Danger Mouse's aural landscape. Thankfully they do not.
2. Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare (Domino/Warner Bros. Records)
There is no better indie rock band in the world right now than Arctic Monkeys. So, this disc should've landed in the number one slot? Yes, but The Good, the Bad, and the Queen is a one-off side project and is hands down the best record of the year. Don't argue. You'll get nowhere.
So, coming in at a dangerously close second is Favourite Worst Nightmare. The first single and first track on the album, "Brainstorm," shook longtime AM fans with its atypical fervency, but classic AM Brit rock returned from there on out.
Sophomore albums slump, right? Not a chance with this one. It took their critically acclaimed debut disc to new heights. Check out "Balaclava," "Do Me a Favour," and "505," and you'll then have no argument as to why these young 20-something's have a future brighter than the "what-could've-have-been" breakout British rock acts of recent years. The Libertines ring a bell? They did a few years ago. This band will not go that route - fingers crossed.
3. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released/XL Recordings)
Enough already about the fact that people could set their own price and pay whatever they wanted to for this album (I forked over absolutely nothing, by the way). Radiohead has never stopped maturing, and they're not afraid to try anything new and outside the box.
They have ruled the rock world since 1997's OK Computer. You've got echoes of every Radiohead album here. Then they go and add Thom Yorke's expanding and more personal lyrics, and production that is unmatched. Radiohead have shown that they will never fade away. Head straight to "Reckoner," track seven. Then hit shuffle. Eternal bliss.
4. Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold (Echo/She Bear Records)
Natasha Khan, a.k.a. Bat For Lashes, scared the living hell of out me with her straight-out-of-a-dream video for "What's A Girl To Do." Riding a bicycle down a dark street, only to be joined by other cyclists wearing giant costume character heads, including rabbit, tiger, and a bear, Khan sets the scene for a you're-about-to-get-murdered slasher flick. Thankfully, she and the super furry animal heads survive, and the bike ride ends peacefully. A vocal twin of Bjork, Khan emerges as a voice that compliments the trippy, echoing, fairytale backdrop that fuels this disc.
5. Interpol - Our Love to Admire (Capital Records)
As soon as Daniel Kessler strummed the first chord on "Pioneer to the Falls," the first track on Our Love to Admire, it was evident that these New York City musical cousins of Joy Division have returned to their roots.
Despite the fact they now call a major label home, the corporate and fearful side of the industry hasn't affected Interpol's original sound. No matter how many times he hates to hear the comparison, singer Paul Banks still echoes Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Rekindle your love for Interpol. After a disappointing sophomore album in Antics, the third time around shows how Interpol still emit an underground sound.
6. Editors - And End Has a Start (Epic/Fader)