2007 - the year in music

After a terrific start to the year with some fantastic releases from the likes of The Shins, Bloc Party and The Arcade Fire, some observers (ahem) were noting that 2007 could end up being a banner year, at least for rock. In the end it didn't quite reach that status, but overall most year-end top ten lists were still among the most quality-laden of recent years.
So without further ado, here are my top 20 albums for 2007:

20. Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
19. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
18. Patrick Watson - Close To Paradise
17. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
16. Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
15. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Boat Even Sank
14. Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
13. Holy Fuck - LP
12. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
11. Radiohead - In Rainbows

10. Justice - Cross

Initially I was gonna put Holy Fuck's debut album here, but after listening to Justice's again over the holiday, and recalling their sweatily fantastic gig at Koko, I had no choice but to include the guys from le Tryptique in my top 10. Thanks to them and Daft Punk's summer tour, electro is back in the mainstream, and everyone seems to be having fun.

9. Kanye West - Graduation

The biggest ego in hip-hop (if not the universe) decides to step beyond his patented production style, and comes out with one of the most refreshing albums in years, in a genre that sorely needs it.

8. Bright Eyes - Cassagada

Conor Oberst is a man of many talents, who never seems to stay too long in a single direction. For this one he played up to his strengths, though, coming up with a very solid collection of folk-rock and soul influenced tracks that confirm how close he is to his much-noted Springsteen heritage.

7. The National - Boxer

With the so-called rock revival in the past 5 years, much has been made of the influence of 80s bands like The Cure and Joy Division. And not many bands have managed to reuse the influence of JD like these guys, while still maintaining a modern and fresh-sounding outlook

6. Jeremy Larson - Jeremy Larson
Great songs and a fresh sound from this promising new talent

5. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Did they manage to top the brilliance of their debut Funeral? Tough to say, but sophomore slump this was definitely not

4. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
It's amazing how much the best post-rock bands manage to express, without uttering a single word

3. Ola Podrida - Ola Podrida

Let's be honest, there was no way I was going to be able to resist the debut album from the guy who scored David Gordon Green's All The Real Girls. Very delicate, but never boring, he deserves to be heard by a lot more people. Quick, somebody get one of his songs on an episode of Grey's Anatomy

2. Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir

2007 was the year when everything seemed to go right for Loney, Dear's Emil Svanangen, and he didn't even need to have his music in an ad for a television to do so

1. Eluvium - Copia

Ambient can be a tricky genre to make a mark in, as so much of it lies in slow progressions. But Eluvium's Matthew Cooper manages to stay within the confines of the style while coming up with fantastically beautiful and heartbreaking sonic landscapes. If Terrence Malick ever makes a sci-fi movie, we've got the ideal composer right here.

best songs:
The Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)
Band Of Horses - Marry Song
Andrew Bird - Scythian Empires

Boys Noize - &Down
Bright Eyes - No One Would Riot For Less

Eluvium - Ostinato
Explosiong In The Sky - It's Natural To Be Afraid
Feist - 1234
fennesz+sakamoto - haru
Jeremy Larson - More Than You
Justice - Phantom pt. II
Kanye West - Flashing Lights
Kevin Drew - Tbtf
Kings Of Leon - Knocked Up
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
Lil' Wayne - Ride For My N***

Los Camposinos - You! Me! Dancing!
Loney, Dear - Saturday Waits
Lovedrug - Everything Starts Where It Ends
Modest Mouse - Missed The Boat
The National - Fake Empire
Ola Podrida - The New Science
Paramore - When It Rains
Phosphorescent - Cocaine Lights
Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Rogue Wave - Chicago X12
Sea Wolf - I Made A Resolution
The Shins - Sleeping Lessons
Stars - The Night Starts Here
Valerie Leulliot - Caldeira