Heave Media

Our Favorite Records of 2007

Do we have the same taste in music? Probably. Check out our top 20 albums of 2007.

2007 was a good year for HEAVE. We went from an idea in late January, a project around March, a blog around May and a website in August. We have shared with you some interviews with our favorite bands, our opinions about certain music or news and an introductory course to some music you may have never heard of; because nobody knows everything there is to know about rock n' roll. 2008 will be on the up and up for HEAVE - as we have some big plans. We want to thank you for your early support as we take baby steps through the World Wide Web; and we hope you'll enjoy what we're doing through the rest of our HEAVEing lives. With that - here are HEAVE's favorite albums of 2007.

20. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank - We hate it when our friends become successful. Modest Mouse is no exception. We know them like the back of our own hand and shudder to think they'd ever stray from the circle. Yup, they lost a lot of their "true" friends with that last album. Hit songs, money to feed the kids - horrible I know. And now this Johnny Marr guy, who does he think he is? Well, guess what? We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank is the most disturbing album Modest Mouse has ever made. Each song creeps in like your uncle after cheerleading practice. Creepy yes, but a learning experience all the same. What did we learn? Isaac Brock is still an insane lyricist and arranger, Johnny Marr doesn't sound like Johnny Marr and Jeremiah Green's drumming is untouchable. Class dismissed.
Joe Roth

19. Copeland - Dressed Up & In Line - As much as I abhor the popularization of b-side albums and "re-releases", Copeland forced my hand this year. Dressed Up & In Line, "featuring rarities and unreleased songs" actually wins my vote as a beautiful and cohesive album. Though most of the material is familiar to die-hard fans, the tracks have been modified, improved, and crafted into a larger work that flows - and raises the bar for future b-sides of every other band out there.
Leen Morrisey

18.The Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder - God damn you, Robert Schneider! Sure, you came out with some great stuff in the past, but I had no idea what to expect after the five-year hiatus. Twenty-four songs, a rebirth of the elephant six imprint and non-Pythagorean compositions.New Magnetic Wonder is like a big bowl of cotton candy ice cream. You tell yourself you really only need one bite of the sweet, sugary goodness. None-the-less you find yourself eating the whole bowl and asking for more. With so much sad sack music topping this list, it’s refreshing to get some pure, unadulterated fun. Go ahead and trade in your Prozac and Zoloft for New Magnetic Wonder instead.
Greg Herald

17.The White Stripes - Icky Thump - I may be the only one, but I really think too many indie elitists completely overlooked this record. The whole "I avoid the mainstream, man" attitude can lead to completely avoiding some great music. I have to admit, I'm not a huge White Stripes fan overall, but this album really hit me. It's got a metal edge, it's dark and it's catchy. Jack's voice is not for everyone, but it’s for most people.Icky Thump is the best music The White Stripes have committed to tape yet.
Alan Howard Ramsen III

16.Sigur Ros - Hvarf / Heim - Hvarf/Heim doesn't have the transportive power of () and Takk, but manages to showcase the band's incredible chemistry and dramatic sweep. Every aspect of the band, from the piano to the strings to the vocals to the bass to the percussion to the production blends and mixes with the other. It's rare to hear music where every component adds something to the last and the next to create a complete experience for the listener. Half of the album consists of acoustic versions of previously released songs, while the other half is a live recording. As could only be expected from Sigur Ros, both halves somehow come together seamlessly.
Ryan Peters

15.Anberlin - Cities - Cities delivers more of the high energy, catchy songs that fans have come to expect from Anberlin. From the opening riff on "Godspeed," to the final notes of "Dismantle.Repair," this album has plenty of highs and very few lows, if any at all. Upon first listen, there is not a single song that compels the listener to skip to the next track. The band continues to up the bar both musically and lyrically with this great addition to their small but stellar catalog.
Cory Roop

14.Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Britt Daniel demonstrates his less-is-more production style along with his ability to craft near perfect pop gems. From the first riff on "Don't Make Me a Target," the listener will know that they want to be along for the ride. Although some of the tracks have horns and other interesting arrangements, overall the album is a back to the basics type package. Plus, the album is short, clocking in at less than thirty-eight minutes, so you won't get bored. Don't let the mildly awful title scare you, this is the band's best album since 2001's Girl's Can Tell.
Greg Herald

13.Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future - Call it new-rave, call it pop, call it whatever you like as long as glow sticks are somehow involved. The Klaxons burst into the world with one of the best debut albums I've heard in a long time, Myths of the Near Future. The album is so volatile, mixing tracks full of raw energy like "Magik" with sweeping grand pop hits such as "Golden Skanks," winning the band the honor of the Mercury Prize this past year. Not two shabby for a few boys that just started their band in 2005. Not too shabby at all.
Lisa White

12. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam - Animal Collective is undoubtedly one of the most innovative bands making music today. Strawberry Jam finds them in the next logical step of their musical development, blurring the lines between pop and experimental music along the way. The band's distinctive, almost tribal beats merge with Beach Boys-style vocals and sound effect drenched melodies that are just as unexpected as they are appealing. To the uninitiated ear, Strawberry Jam might sound like chaotic noise, but amid all the beeps and screams, the deliberately unconventional yet catchy songs emerge and envelop the listener into a whole new world.
Jason Pretchel

11. The Cribs - Men's Need's, Woman's Need's, Whatever - The Cribs don't care whom your mom slept with on prom night. They don't care that your dad stole from your trust fund, nor about Grandpa's spastic colon, they only care that you and your friends are having a good time in the club. Men's Needs, Woman's Needs, Whatever is an unapologetic thesis on the mystery of the female form and the confusion of the male brain. The songs are as innocent as they are sinister and The Cribs once again prove that playing in a family band is the ticket to sure-fire Platinum status.
Joe Roth

10.Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Spirit If... - I pleaded my case to have this as high on the list as possible - as it was my favorite album of the year. Kevin Drew took the charm and talent of Broken Social Scene and added some radio-like catchiness that Drew seemed dying to get out. There is not a bad track on Spirit If..., Drew and the rest of the BSS crew may have created their best work to date.
Wes Soltis

9. Against Me! - New Wave - Ten tracks, no frills, no apologies. Against Me! is among those bands who believe their talents and passions should produce more than break up songs, using sharp vocals, furious guitars and earnest lyrics to drive their points across. New Wave is the band's fourth full-length album and their debut with Sire Records, which has brought forth the predictable "boo-hoo you're such sellouts" nonsense. But after considering the band's growth in the last year, the album is undeniably a heavy stomp in the right direction.
Leen Morrisey

8. The National - Boxer - The depressed indie darling of the year, Boxer, expands on The National's last album, Alligator. Matt Berninger's morose baritone perfectly matches the lyrical subject matter, which ranges from spoiled relationships to the formation of new identities and new friendships as time marches on. Download "Racing Like a Pro," an instance of expertly described anxiety and depression: "Sometimes you get up and bake a cake or something, sometimes you stay in bed, sometimes you go la di a di da di a da, 'til your eyes roll back into your head."
Ryan Peters

7.His Name is Alive – Xmmer - Xmmer represents the summation of the nearly two-decade-old project of multi-instrumentalist Warren Defever. Xmmer's tunes offer all the trademarks of the group's previous efforts including lush, dreamy female vocals, atmospheric stringed instruments and guitar parts the evoke feelings of melancholy, playfulness and nostalgia all at once, and undoubtedly strong songwriting skills. The album could easily be likened to some lost 70's singer songwriter or even a Broken Social Scene side-project, but to do so would be a disservice to Xmmer's own distinct, haunting beauty. If there's a candidate for The Most Overlooked Album of 2007, this would be it.
Jason Pretchel

6.Daft Punk - Alive 2007 - Daft Punk was always a band that I "just enjoyed" until I saw them live, then I understood the true genius behind this French electro duo. With the release of Alive 2007, recorded in Paris of June 2007, music nerds across the world could re-live the robot rave of every Daft Punk show, right down to the chanting fans and pulsing beats. Don't be surprised if you find yourself pumping your fist and chanting along to Alive 2007, it's completely natural.
Lisa White

5.The Polyphonic Spree – The Fragile Army - They began as what looked like a cult of solar druids, now they wear army fatigues. One of the best uses of the entire band comes on the title track. Beginning at a slow, almost deliberate pace, the song features Tim DeLaughter's voice above keyboards and horns before the rest of the band joins in and the song picks up the pace and adds a typewriter for effect. The Fragile Army features subtle arrangements of both vocals and instruments that show exactly why the band has as many members as it does.
Cory Roop

4.The Clientele - God Save the Clientele - Pour yourself a cup of tea, light a cigarette and open the windows to let the springtime air in. There, you are now ready to experience the beauty and splendor of The Clientele's God Save The Clientele. Alasdair MacLean and company charmed us with Suburban Light, wooed us with The Violet Hour, took us on the first date with Strange Geometry and finally won our hearts with God Save The Clientele. This is a true collection of pure pop standards. Heaven sent really, in a year filled with angular chord changes and hipper than thou mediocrity, The Clientele shine brightly.
Joe Roth

3.The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible - Dark, moody and brooding, Neon Bible is just as depressing as Funeral, but it's packaged in a heavier form. There are still plenty of strings and organs to go around, but "The Well and the Lighthouse," "Keep the Car Running" and "No Cars Go" all brings the rock. I not only considered this the best winter album of the year, it also achieved the number three position on my personal "best of 2007" list. You will probably like it upon first listen but you will absolutely love it after repeated exposure. So much for people dubbing The Arcade Fire a one album wonder.
Greg Herald

2.Radiohead - In Rainbows - The musical content of In Rainbows was nearly overshadowed by the unorthodox way that the band released it to the public, which is a shame given that the band's seventh studio album is also its most organic and complete in years. Rife with strings, piano and Thom Yorke's wavering falsetto, the music breathes and moves. Trading the political discontent of Hail to the Thief for a lacerating look inward, In Rainbows is all about the life and death of relationships. To truly hear the album as it was meant to be experienced, you need to purchase or download the "bonus," eight-song disc included in the box-set version of the album. Rather than a collection of b-sides, In Rainbows 2 acts as the perfect complement to the first disc. The high mark comes at the end of the second disc, on the lilting "4 Minute Warning." In the last moments before a bomb is to be dropped, Yorke sings about shades of terror in intensely personal terms: "Now I'm in a nightmare, but soon I'm gonna wake up, yes, someone's gonna bring me round. This is your warning, four minute warning."
Ryan Peters

1.Battles - Mirrored - Battles delivered the indie hit of the summer with the quirky voiced "Atlas." The rest of Mirrored is a delightful romp backed by voice effects, distorted guitars and insane drumming. Battles put on a great set at Pitchfork, and came back in to Chicago in November to give their fans a taste of laptop math rock goodness. Who knows what the future has in store for Battles - but they delivered with our favorite album of the year.
Wes Soltis

Posted by Wes Soltis on Jan 07, 2008 @ 12:00 am