"#2 - No surprise here. Spoon show up ..." more

"#2 - No surprise here. Spoon show up on virtually every reputable Top 20 list for good reason. Simply stated, Spoon is one of the best rock bands in the world today. And they are in their prime. Like U2's Joshua Tree, The Ramones' Rocket to Russia, or Springsteen's Born to Run, Spoon's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is a record to be respected for the ages. More will follow, and when eligibility comes around, let me be the first to nominate Spoon for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.





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"#3 - Unlike Sloan, My Teenage Stride ..." more

"#3 - Unlike Sloan, My Teenage Stride flaunt their awkward edges with such endearing earnestness. Ah to be young again! Or not. MTS might not claim the best singers or players, but the blessed craft of songwriting is on glorious exhibition right here. And you throw in the right measure of enthusiasm and energy, and you get Ears Like Golden Bats. MTS are big fans of the late '80's/early 90's New Zealand sound made relatively famous by The Clean, The Bats, The Chills, and other "The" bands hailing from NZ. "Reversal" holds testament to that, and "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge" is a Top 5 song in any year.





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"#4 - Reigning kings of Nova Scotian p..." more

"#4 - Reigning kings of Nova Scotian power pop, Sloan have already delivered their classic career-defining album Between the Bridges, so what's a band to do as its esteemed career continues unabated? Be put out to pasture? No way, hoser! How about putting out a record with 30 songs on it? How many bands even write 30 songs worth recording since the last record? An early shoo-in for #1, Never Hear the End of it consistently hits all the goals without ever really catching fire. As skillful and talented as Sloan is, they sound uninspired at times here. But man, 30 dang songs! 22 or so are good if not better. Listen to "Who Taught You to Live Like That", "Ana Lucia", "Before the End of the Race", and my favorite "Ill Placed Trust". There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of them.





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"#6 - Chicago's Scotland Yard Gospel C..." more

"#6 - Chicago's Scotland Yard Gospel Choir nearly reinvent themselves here. Early live performances failed to truly demonstrate the eclectic and nuanced songwriting readily on display on this exceptional debut. Leading off with the scruffy Joe Strummeresque "Aspidistra", SYGC magically transport the listener to a timeless pub ripe with guitars, mandolins, fiddles, lusty (for life) men and women singing together along with plenty of handclaps. Besides, the Strummer influence, I'm hearing Pogues and quite a bit of Belle and Sebastian, but always Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. This is a record to relax to, reminisce with, glass of red wine or pint of Guiness in hand, sitting in a pub with friends, warm, comfortable, and endearing.






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"#8 - Somehow making 1970's inspired C..." more

"#8 - Somehow making 1970's inspired California Rock cool, The Broken West slyly present a west coast, laid back, Beach Boys and Eagles influenced sunshiny groove as a fine sheen over classic power pop presentation. The best power pop record made without breaking a sweat in 2007, easy. "Down In The Valley" is a song I could listen to forever.









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"#9 - In a prolific year for Britpop, ..." more

"#9 - In a prolific year for Britpop, impressive efforts from Editors, The Enemy, The View, and Maximo Park were overshadowed by The Holloways, an effervescent group that parlay tasty bits of Ska into their insightful, hook-filled brand of working-class Britpop. "Generator" is near tops the list in most infectious track of '07, and "Re-Invent Myself" as well as the title track ain't but a step or two behind. Recalls a more youthful, less world weary Libertines.











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"#11 - Hey! What happened to Tiger Arm..." more

"#11 - Hey! What happened to Tiger Army's maligned Music From Regions Beyond? Apparently this impressive Psychobilly group was disappeared by eMusic while I slept. Dyed-in-the-wool TA fans were dismayed by the glossy production and occasional brave attempts at trendy New Wave, but I likey. #10 - Former Teenage Fanclub member does very, very well; jangling and popping his/their way to sweet, sweet nothings, in the absolute best sense of the phrase. "Off Course" and "Out on the Cold" would fit right in on a TFC best of.












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"#12 - Talk about a late bloomer. GLMS..." more

"#12 - Talk about a late bloomer. GLMS are the great undersung band of 2007. Upon first listen "Heydays" is a song that burns slow without release. Repeated listens reveal the seduction. Bluntly stated, "Queen of the Barley Fool" is one of the best songs of the year, one of those timeless tracks that musically and lyricly combine to tell a story to the greatest impact, assuming you've been in the same bar at least twice and seen or maybe even spoken to the perceived object of your desire.














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"#13 - Brimming with eclectic confiden..." more

"#13 - Brimming with eclectic confidence, Datarock Datarock foregoes overt serious Rock posturing for overt not-so-serious Rock poseuring. The result is an exuberant mix of Talking Heads, Blancmange, DEVO, OSTB, and Feelies influenced New Wave. Once you get past the immediate hooks of "I Used To Dance with My Daddy" and "Fa-Fa-Fa" (T-Heads meet Feelies?), you might get sucker punched by the underlying angst of "See What I Care" and the Rheingold influenced post-Krautrock of "New Song".














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"#14 - Took me a couple listens to get..." more

"#14 - Took me a couple listens to get used to Shout Out Louds eMusic coined "Cure-core" tendencies, but try to tell me that "Tonight I Have To Leave It", "You Are Dreaming", and the especially wonderful, "Time Left For Love" are not 3 of the best singles of the year, and I might be inclined to heartedly disagree. The brilliance of arrangement on these 3 tracks overshadows the rest of Our Ill Wills, but a handful of other songs support the genius of songwriting on display here.















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"#15 - Upon hearing lead-off single "M..." more

"#15 - Upon hearing lead-off single "My Right Versus Yours", I had an "Uh-Oh, what happened?" moment. Upon hearing follow-up single "Mutiny, I Promise You", I exhaled a sigh of relief and went back to the well... with mixed results. I am an absolute sucker for upbeat power pop songs and am a fan of all NPs' previous releases, as well as A. C. Newman's last solo CD. I still admire Challengers quite a bit, but rather than finding themselves firmly entrenched in my Top 5, #15 is the best I can muster for The New Pornographers in '07.
















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"#16 - A comeback album of sorts, Moon..." more

"#16 - A comeback album of sorts, Mooney Suzuki present Have Mercy as if it was a great lost classic Rock record from the 1970's. Tracks like "99%" and "Rock 'n' Roller Girl" would have filled arenas back in the day, and catchy power pop numbers like "Ashes" and the instantly memorable "First Comes Love" are songs I would have put in heavy rotation back when I was in high school. Have Mercy is a bit leaden compared to their earlier, more rambunctious garage rock efforts, but I can appreciate a band maturing in sound as long as the tunes are still there.

















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"#17 - For some reason I tend to appre..." more

"#17 - For some reason I tend to appreciate Of Montreal more in theory than in practice. "Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse" is one of the catchiest songs of the year, and "Suffer For Fashion" isn't far behind. As a whole though, Hissing Fauna is kind of a chore for me to get through in one sitting. I might like to have a drink or two with Kevin Barnes, but after 3 or 4, I'm ready to go home. And me, I'm usually good for a 6 pack.


















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"#18 - Au Revoir Simone have such a gr..." more

"#18 - Au Revoir Simone have such a great sound: bouncing, tinkling, textured synths throughout, similar to a more relaxed Book of Love. If they threw in a couple more upbeat tracks like "Dark Halls" and "Night Majestic", I would have liked this even more.



















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"#20 - Maritime rightfully decides to ..." more

"#20 - Maritime rightfully decides to amp up the Rock a bit for their latest, and while it's not quite Promise Ring, tracks like "Guns of Navarone" and especially "For Science Fiction", inject welcome energy to the jangly pop racket previously missing from the Maritime formula.





















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