As you know, I love music. Well, I love my music. I’ve been told that I’m a music elitist, that I hold too high a view of my own musical tastes. That’s probably true, but should it be any other way?
To that end, it’s time for my annual Top Ten Album List. (For last year’s list, click here.) The rules here are simple. In order for an album to qualify for my list, it must be comprised of original material (no greatest hits compilations) and it must have been released in 2007. Here it is:
10. The Ringing Bell – Derek Webb
After last year’s Mockingbird, I probably had unrealistic expectations for this album. Whereas Mockingbird was truly a great album, The Ringing Bell is merely good. But “merely good” is still good enough to crack my Top Ten.
Best track: I for an I
9. Remedy – David Crowder Band
This is another album I had high hopes for. Once again, the greatness of their previous full-length release (2005’s A Collision, one of the best albums of the decade) fueled my completely unrealistic expectation for Remedy. But this one grew on me with each listen. A quality album in its own right.
Best track: Never Let Go
8. Sky Blue Sky – Wilco
I’ve been a fan of Jeff Tweedy since the Uncle Tupelo days. Being There is still one of my favorite discs of all time. After some experimentation with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born, Wilco returns to her alt-country roots with Sky Blue Sky and the sound is glorious.
Best track: What Light
7. Some Mad Hope – Matt Nathanson
I fell in love with Nathanson last year after Scott recommended him to me. I picked up a copy of Beneath These Fireworks and was instantly won over by the cohesiveness of his artistry. Some Mad Hope didn’t resonate with me as instantly, but with each listen I gained a deeper appreciation for the layered quality of this album. He’s probably still an album or two away from putting out his best work. But Some Mad Hope is a welcome addition to the Nathanson canon.
Best track: Bulletproof Weeks
6. Lifeline – Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
Eclectic would be the best way to describe this one. Gospel, blues, country, rock…they all make an appearance here on this musical tour de force. Recorded to a 16-track analog tape machine over a 7 day period in Paris, Lifeline crackles with an intimate feel of a living room jam session. A great album.
Best track: Say You Will
5. Neon Bible – Arcade Fire
I love this album from Canadian husband / wife team Win Butler and Reigne Chassagne. The instrumentation is vast and diverse, painting lush landscapes for Win and Regine’s vocals to frolic and play. Who knew pipe organs could sound so great?
Best track: Intervention
4. Emotionalism – The Avett Brothers
Bluegrass pop. That’s probably the best way to describe the artistry of The Avett Brothers, Seth and Scott. Their affinity for 3 part harmony hearkens back to the Beatles; their musicianship has earned them the designation “grungegrass”. I came across these guys on XM earlier in the year and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Emotionalism.
Best track: Paranoia in B Major
3. The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter – Josh Ritter
I was first introduced to Ritter by my friend Taylor. On the heels of last year’s stellar album, The Animal Years, Ritter’s follow-up showcases his maturity as an artist. The songs form a livelier set than Animal Years and it sounds great.
Best tracks: Next to the Last Romantic, Wait for Love and To the Dogs or Whoever
2. Magic – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band
This one didn’t capture me at first listen, but I quickly realized what a great album this was. It eventually became my staple disc for my Monday night drive to Lipscomb. The Boss certainly doesn’t sound his age here and the the band has never sounded better. A throwback album that’s definitely a keeper.
Best tracks: You’ll Be Comin’ Down, Last to Die and Long Walk Home
1. Noise From Words – Michael McDermott
Scott and Greg have already bemoaned what a travesty it is that McDermott isn’t a household name. I agree. As with last year’s A Hundred Highways, I knew Noise From Words was my album of the year at first listen. I’ve been a fan of McDermott for about a decade now, but none of his later work really spoke to me like his self-titled disc. Until now. Noise is far and away McDermott’s best work since then, and maybe ever. No song more readily resonated with me this year than I Shall Be Healed. Still Ain’t Over You Yet rips my guts out every time I hear it. I’ve never been moved by a painting; sculptures don’t do the trick for me. But McDermott’s music is art to me. Everybody needs a copy of this album.
Best tracks: They’re all great, but start with Still Ain’t Over You Yet, My Father’s Son and I Shall Be Healed
Among the previously released albums I fell in love with this year, 2 stand above the rest: Johnny Cash’s My Mother’s Hymnbook, which became salve for my soul in the days surrounding my grandfather’s death, and Springsteen’s Born to Run, which has to be one of the best rock albums of all time.
already & not yet 