Top 10 albums of the year according to Matthew

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By Matthew Sigur

10. Spoon’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga – Spoon is the George Clooney of music: cool and dependable. Call this Spoon’s “Ocean’s Thirteen” as the Austin natives sound Motown on tracks like “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb.” The most impressive thing about the band and this album is how Spoon can create tension like on “Don’t Make me a Target.” The guitars sputter a couple of times before shining fully into a solo. In a sane world, this would be coming from your FM.

9. Ghostface Killah’s The Big Doe Rehab – Rap sucks. That is, if you watch Sucker Free Sundays and think that all rap is this Hurricane Chris, Soulja Boy bulls**t. In the nick of time, Ghostface Killah saves the year again. No beef or skits needed, the proof is in the fact that he will remain one of the best as all the “hitmakers” will exit faster than Tone Loc at a ‘90s awards show.

8. Bruce Springsteen’s Magic – A recent Spin cover article featured The Boss and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler interviewing each other and talking about music, life, etc., as if to signify the passing of the torch. Let’s see Butler make an album this consistent in 20 years with songs like “Your Own Worst Enemy” or “Girls in Their Summer Clothes.” Don’t pass the torch yet, The Boss and the E Street band are still making great albums.

7. Dirty Projectors’ Rise Above – Dave Longstreth, lead singer/guitarist of Dirty Projectors, is obsessed with Beyonce Knowles, has a voice that shakes more than David Byrne, has two great female harmonizers, a drummer that is as good (if not, better) than Zach Hill … and they made an album based on Longstreth’s memory of Black Flag’s Damaged. In short, the most original album this year.

6. Rock Plaza Central’s Are We Not Horses – Over a constant strum of a G chord, lead singer Chris Eaton strains, “Be joyful l… my children, be joyful.” This concept album, from the point of view of a steel horse, is beautiful. The band finds a perfect balance – not getting too close to the theme but never straying from it. When the piano taps in on “We’ve Got a lot to be Glad For,” Eaton isn’t singing about horses and angels; it’s just an easier pill to swallow that way.

5. Sunset Rubdown’s Random Spirit Lover – Spencer Krug knows how to set the scene; see the lyrics to “The Courtesan Has Sung.” But this album finds the band expanding on the frustrating bedroom recording sound. When they dive into the final part of “Up on Your Leopard…,” it shows that Krug has an amazing band, not named Wolf Parade.

4. Josh Ritter’s The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter – Instead of perfecting every note as he did on his previous album, the singer/songwriter Ritter, in his own words, plays the pianos with pistols, keeps his cold cocked and waits for love. Add to that list that he makes one-hell-of-an-Americana record.

3. Radiohead’s In Rainbows – Is it symbolic that various songs on the album feature effects that sound like a card deck shuffling in? The thing about a Radiohead album is that it has the power to make you listen repeatedly until you form this ridiculous thesis. Not many albums can ever do that – Radiohead have done it ever since OK Computer. This album is no different. Oh, and they kind of changed the music industry.

2. The Besnard Lakes’ Are the Dark Horse – Frontman Jace Lasek has been producing everyone else’s brilliant works (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown), and now he has a brilliant work of his own. Lasek can build up a song with the best of them; but unlike others, he composes and lets the song bloom patiently (see “Because Tonight”). That is, until they rip out the guitars on the blaring rocker “Devastation.” Dark horse – hardly – this album is an epic beast.

1. The National’s Boxer – The album starts off with “Fake Empire” which sounds like a firecracker in slow motion. Distant sounds to a muted piano with vocalist Matt Berninger singing in his baritone: “We’re half awake in a fake empire.” While the drums build, the guitars and horn meet at an intersection and take over. The firecracker glare abruptly stops and a lone horn remains. Some might say the band is all about slow sentiment; you’d have to be damn-near dead to leave this masterpiece of an album unnoticed.

Originally Published: Issue 590 - December 11, 2007

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