Hey, I did this last year because I was pretty bored, so I figure I will do it this year too. So, in case you are fairly bored as well, here you are. Keep in mind, the albums in this list were not necessarily released in 2007, but instead they are the ones I listened to and bought in 2007. So, without further ado:

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - 10/10
(1998)

Rarely will you find an album as unique or as initially jarring as this one. I initially disregarded this album upon the first few listens as a sound that is not really for me, but with more and more spins, it slowly revealed itself through a blender of fuzz guitars and random horns. The lead singer/songwriter Jeff Mangum takes the listener deep inside his head, with brilliant lyrics and thrashing musicianship. This twisted and delicate album, while widely considered one of the best albums
released in the 90's is one for the books. Highly recommended.

Download: "Holland, 1945", "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"


My Bloody Valentine - Loveless - 9.5/10
(1991)
No, this isn't Bullet For My Valentine, though many have confused the two when I mention this band. If you have never heard this band, you may disregard them for having an "emo" name. Well first of all, this band is very not emo. This band surges and pulses with an energy which bands could only dream of attaining, and it ushers you into a trance with its layered guitars and ethereal vocals. With "Loveless", the vocals are not attempting to bring a message with lyrics, but instead they act as another instrument in the band. This album is soaring with melodies, but it puts you into a feeling of delirious absorption within the music. This album is an experience, and one which should be heard by most everyone.

Download: "Only Shallow", "Blown a Wish"


Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - 9/10
(2007)
Their first album "Funeral" set an insanely high bar for the band, and it was what made them wildly popular in the first place. Luckily for us, Arcade Fire delivered again, only with a different sound than what was found on "Funeral". Taking a less-than-optimistic look outward at society, "Neon Bible" mixes brilliant lyricism, with lush instrumentation and brilliant execution. They still keep the hooks and urgency found in "Funeral", though in this album, they are buried deeper within the music. "Neon Bible" is a fantastic follow-up for a band who is still yet to do wrong. Bright things are ahead for Arcade Fire, and it will be interesting to see what kind of direction they choose to take from this album. "Le miroir casse, the mirror casts reflet partout!"

Download: "No Cars Go", "Intervention", "Keep the Car Running"



LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver - 9/10
(2007)
Ok Touer, you win. This band is pretty effing awesome, thank you for recommending them to me.
Mixing many percussion elements with simple electronica and traditional instrumentation, "Sound of Silver" becomes one fun listen. Never before on one listen have I loved an album so quickly. With the first electronic beats of the opening track "Get Innocuous!", you will be tapping your foot and nodding your head with the fun beats and sarcastic, yet gripping lyrics of James Murphy and the rest of the band. Good stuff!

Download: "Someone Great", "Time to Get Away", "All My Friends"


The Decemberists - The Crane Wife - 9/10
(2006)
Intelligent, sophisticated lyrics ("Its contents watched by Sycorax/
And Patagon in parallax/A foretold rumbling sounds below the deep") and classical instrumentation mixed with a love for history is what this band is primarily known for. With this album, they venture away from their earlier work, but with that being said, The Decemberists are still at prime form. They still have sharp lyrics and intriguing melodies, and they certainly are in fine form when it comes to music which is simply enjoyable to listen to. Even their 14 minute sprawling epic "The Island: Come and See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel the Drowning" doesn't feel drawn out or pretentious. Instead, it makes for an interesting and enjoyable romp about pirates and murder... you know, the usual. This album starts strong with the delicate "The Crane Wife Pt. 3", and it closes with one of the best ending tracks I have heard, "Sons and Daughters". The Decemberists have stayed strong with this album, and I cannot wait to hear the new tunes ahead.

"There's a harbor lost within the reeds
A jetty caught in overhanging trees
Among the bones of cormorants
No boot-mark here nor fingerprint
The rivers roll down to a soundless sea
Come and see
Come and see"

Download: "Sons and Daughters", "The Island", "O Valencia!"



Boards of Canada - Geogaddi (2002)
AND
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998) - 9/10

This is electronic music at some of its best. It is useless to do drugs and listen to Boards of Canada, as the music itself does the job just fine. Both of these albums invoke feelings of nostalgia, what it is like to be a kid again. "Geogaddi" takes a spin on the darker side of the spectrum, filled with subliminal messages and clips of fuzzy old television and number stations worked within the music. It'll fill you with warm feelings of the past and it will chill you to the bone. With these two releases, Boards of Canada has successfully done what few artists can do.

Download (From Geogaddi): "Julie and Candy", "Music is Math", "Over the Horizon Radar"
Download (From Music Has the Right to Children): "Roygbiv", "Aquarius"


Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank - 8.5/10
(2007)
Modest Mouse has grown up, and apparently learned a few new instruments while they were at it. In this album, they are at their most cleanly produced, and some die-hard MM fans find that a little hard to digest. However, this band has been around for a long time, and as they grow older, so does their music. It is still full of Issac Brock's insane, drunken ramblings about pessimism and what not, however, the hooks are quicker and the melodies strong. That, and the band has grown with another couple members since their last release, including the former guitarist from The Smiths, Johnny Marr. While some may see it as "selling out", I see it as the band evolving, as all good bands should continue to do. For pure Modest Mouse bliss, check out the rocker "Spitting Venom", the most fitting tribute to their old style, fused with their newer style.

"Hold on to what you need, we've got a knack for fucked up history."

Download: "Spitting Venom", "Dashboard"


The National - Boxer - 8.5/10
(2007)
This one is a slow burner. With that being said, it sure does pack a mean punch. Make sure you don't just listen to this album once, but many times with the lyrics at hand. Then it will start to sink in, and you'll truly let the soulful baritone voice of the lead singer filter in, and draw comparisons to your own life. It's pretty powerful stuff, though it suffers from a weaker second half. However, its still all really good music... maybe I just havn't listened to it enough.

Download: "Slow Show", "Apartment Story"


The rest won't have a review, as this is getting long, and I am getting pretty tired. However, that doesn't mean that some of the next upcoming albums aren't fantastic too.


Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West - 8.5/10
(1998)
Download: "Trailer Trash", "Cowboy Dan"


Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War - 8/10
(2007)
Download: "The Night Starts Here", "The Ghost of Genova Heights", "My Favorite Book"


The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour - 8/10
(2007)
Download: "Civil Twilight", "Tournament of Hearts"


Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island - 7.5/10
(1996)
Download: "Naomi", "Song Against Sex", "Gardenhead; Leave Me Alone"


Stars - Heart - 7.5/10
(2003)
Download: "What the Snowman Learned About Love", "Elevator Love Letter"


The Decemberists - Picaresque - 7.5/10
(2005)
Download: "The Infanta", "Sixteen Military Wives", "The Engine Driver"


The Polyphonic Spree - The Fragile Army - 7/10
(2007)
Download: "Section 29 [Light to Follow]", "Section 32 [The Championship]"


The Shins - Wincing the Night Away - 7/10
(2007)
Download: "Australia", "Sleeping Lessons"


My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade - 6.5/10
(2006)
Download: "Famous Last Words", "Teenagers"


Coheed and Cambria - No World for Tommorrow - 6/10
(2007)
Download: "Feathers", "The Running Free"


Angels and Airwaves - We Don't Need to Whisper - 5/10
(2006)
Download: "Valkyrie Missile", "The Adventure"


Stars - Do You Trust Your Friends? - 4.5/10
(2007)
This album is a series of remixes by different bands, mixing or covering tracks from the Stars album "Set Yourself on Fire"
Download: "Ageless Beauty (Most Serene Republic Remix)", "Sleep Tonight (Junior Boys Mix)"


And there you have it!