2007: The Year in
Alternative and Indie Rock
.
#1 Joe Henry Civilians. Any one of my top four picks could have earned the number one position. They’re all great cds. But I’m willing to look ahead ten years and guess that Joe Henry’s Civilains is the one I’ll still be listening to most often…and still mulling over as well. Most music that’s self-consciously literary doesn’t work, but this is a very literary record (as deep and true and wise as the very best short stories and poetry) that’s also entirely successful as music. Plus, in Time Is A Lion Joe Henry gives a very elegant answer to something I’ve been thinking about a lot. What’s the best way to respond to G.W. Bush after he steps down next year from being president? Here’s the song’s response. “God may be kind / and see you as a son / But time is lion / and you are a lamb.
Download: Parker’s Mood
#2 Spoon Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga All Spoon cds are really collections of spry, incredibly catchy, downright danceable pop singles. This had a higher-than-average ratio of great songs –songs that would be huge radio hits if radio had a heart and a brain. Download: Black Like Me.
#3 Radiohead In Rainbows While I loved the idea of Radiohead’s last three cd’s, (loved the notion of a huge worldwide audience sifting through big, ambitious, layered compositions) I didn’t find myself listening to them all that often But In Raimbow’s is different. It’s a collection of exuberant and often beautiful songs. In Rainbows is much more traditional and recognizable than the experimentation of the last there cds. But the pleasures are enormous. Download: Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
#4 Fionn Regan The End of History The late Nick Drake has shaped a whole generation of folk singers. That’s a great influence to have, but few of these young singers can stand shoulder to shoulder with Drake. Here’s one that can, and it’s a testament to how good this cd is that it takes several listens to really click. But when it does the songs have real staying power. Download: Blackwater Child
#5 The National
Boxer
There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned and masculine about The
National. Their sound is big and
muscular enough to appeal to fans of Springsteen and U2. And like those greats artists, there’s a
hard-won wisdom and integrity to the lyrics that makes you pause and come back
to these fine songs again and again. Download:
Slow Show
#6 Feist The Reminder A great female voice, and impeccable sense of arrangement and rhythm. This stands head and shoulders above most female pop. The songs continue to charm and delight. Download: 1,2,3,4
#7 Amy Winehouse Back to Black A very improbable record. How can you make a 60’s soul (think The Supremes) and pop record about rehab, self-loathing, and dead-end relationships? Two possible answers: a gorgeous soulful voice and genuine wit. Download: Me and Mr. Jones
#8
The New Pornographers Challengers
I’ve never had the glowing response
to earlier New Pornographers’ cds that other
listeners have. They’ve always sounds a
bit too frantic for my taste. But on
their latest collection (which the critics haven’t praised as highly) the songs
have more room to breathe. By my reckoning
it’s their best work. Download:
#9 Shout Out Louds Our Ill Wills Nothing literary or profound here. Sometimes you just want a cd so catchy and jubilant you can love it (and dance to it) on the first listen. Download: Tonight I have to Leave It
.
Honorable Mentions
Bright Eyes – Cassadega
The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns, Fourteen Winters
LCD Sound System – Sound of Silver
Bishop Allen – The Broken String
--John Dalton