Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Salt Shaker Crew's Favorite Albums of 2007

by a few people who know what they’re talking about

Brent Sallay has once again wrangled together a comprehensive list of the best albums of the year. You best study it.

As a palette cleanser for the actual list, here is a list of the reasons that we are not writing anything, besides this poor excuse for an introduction, about our favorite albums of the year:

1. Nothing original to say.
2. You can just read what Pitchfork said about them.
3. Too lazy.
4. In-fighting.
5. The album titles are already self-descriptive.
6. Because the only thing you want to read about is why Radiohead didn’t make the list.
7. It’s basically February already.
8. Too busy rigging the list.
9. It was enough work just putting them in reverse order.
10. Um, because they’re so good, they speak for themselves?

And now, without further ado, I will shut up.

25 Night of the Furies, The Rosebuds
24 Random Spirit Lover, Sunset Rubdown
23 Asa Breed, Matthew Dear
22 From Here We Go Sublime, The Field
21 Cryptograms/Fluorescent Grey, Deerhunter
20 Yearbook 1, Studio
19 Friend and Foe, Menomena
18 Shocking Pinks, Shocking Pinks
17 Grindstone, Shining
16 All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer
15 Can’t Go Back, Papercuts
14 The Burbank Tapes, Dan Bern
13 Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem
12 Rise Above, Dirty Projectors
11 Dandelion Gum, Black Moth Super Rainbow
10 Night Falls Over Kortedala, Jens Lekman
09 Boxer, The National
08 Armchair Apocrypha, Andrew Bird
07 Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective
06 23, Blonde Redhead
05 Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon
04 Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the
Decline, Stars of the Lid
03 The Stage Names, Okkervil River
02 Person Pitch, Panda Bear
01 Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Of Montreal

Individual Lists:

Brent Sallay

01 Rise Above, Dirty Projectors
02 Dandelion Gum, Black Moth Super Rainbow
03 Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the
Decline, Stars of the Lid
04 Person Pitch, Panda Bear
05 Shocking Pinks, Shocking Pinks
06 Yearbook 1, Studio
07 23, Blonde Redhead
08 Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon
09 Asa Breed, Matthew Dear
10 Cryptograms/Fluorescent Grey, Deerhunter
11 Shampoo & Champagne, Balroynigress
12 Grindstone, Shining
13 Tio Bitar, Dungen
14 Random Spirit Lover, Sunset Rubdown
15 Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective
16 From Here We Go Sublime, The Field
17 Marry Me, St. Vincent
18 Documentary, Rolan Vega
19 This Bliss, Pantha du Prince
20 Dirty South Dance, A-Trak
21 Black Pompadour, The Zincs
22 Tears of the Valedictorian, Frog Eyes
23 Boxer, The National
24 Ditherer, Fog
25 Armchair Apocrypha, Andrew Bird
26 All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer
27 Cosmos, Murcof
28 What Is?!, King Khan & the Shrines
29 Imagine Our Love, Lavender Diamond
30 Songs from a Mean Season, Tulsa Drone
31 The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, The Besnard Lakes
32 Neon Bible, Arcade Fire
33 Sky Blue Sky, Wilco
34 Popular Demand, Black Milk
35 Friend and Foe, Menomena
36 Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters, The Twilight Sad
37 Pride, Phosphorescent
38 Part Two: The Endless Not, Throbbing Gristle
39 Chromophobia, Gui Boratto
40 Proof of Youth, The Go! Team

Tyler Evans

01 Person Pitch, Panda Bear
02 Can’t Go Back, Papercuts
03 Strawberry Jam, Animal Collective
04 Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon
05 Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem
06 The Stage Names, Okkervil River
07 Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the
Decline, Stars of the Lid
08 Night Falls Over Kortedala, Jens Lekman
09 Mirrored, Battles
10 Boxer, The National
11 From Here We Go Sublime, The Field
12 The Flying Club Cup, Beirut
13 Marry Me, St. Vincent
14 The Shepherd’s Dog, Iron & Wine
15 Random Spirit Lover, Sunset Rubdown
16 Cryptograms, Deerhunter
17 Imagine Our Love, Lavender Diamond
18 Dandelion Gum, Black Moth Super Rainbow
19 Andorra, Caribou
20 New Moon, Elliott Smith

Jeremy Mathews

01 Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Of Montreal
02 The Burbank Tapes, Dan Bern
03 Boxer, The National
04 Friend and Foe, Menomena
05 Night of the Furies, The Rosebuds
06 Places Like This, Architecture in Helsinki
07 Tones of Town, Field Music
08 New Magnetic Wonder, The Apples in Stereo
09 Wincing the Night Away, The Shins
10 The Shepherd’s Dog, Iron & Wine
11 Ditherer, Fog
12 Grindstone, Shining
13 Beyond, Dinosaur Jr.
14 Friend Opportunity, Deerhoof
15 Liars, Liars
16 The Stage Names, Okkervil River
17 We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, Modest
Mouse
18 Cease to Begin, Band of Horses
19 Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon
20 God Save the Clientele, The Clientele

Michelle Sallay

01 The Stage Names, Okkervil River
02 Challengers, The New Pornographers
03 23, Blonde Redhead
04 Neon Bible, Arcade Fire
05 Imagine Our Love, Lavender Diamond
06 The Flying Club Cup, Beirut
07 Our Love to Admire, Interpol
08 Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Spoon
09 Wincing the Night Away, The Shins
10 The Boy With No Name, Travis

Stewf

01 Armchair Apocrypha, Andrew Bird
02 Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?, Of Montreal
03 Night Falls Over Kortedala, Jens Lekman
04 All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer
05 Oracular Spectacular, MGMT
06 The Reminder, Feist
07 Our Love to Admire, Interpol
08 The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard, Rickie Lee
Jones
09 Sound of Silver, LCD Soundsystem
10 Drums and Guns, Low
11 The Bird of Music, Au Revoir Simone
12 Teardrop Sweetheart, Misha
13 A History in Rust, Do Make Say Think
14 The Distant Future, Flight of the Conchords

2 comments:

Stewf said...

I didn't listen to enough music this year. I am ashamed to say that I've only heard 3 of Brent's top 10. I should be fired.

Also, if you're going to write anything, I'd like to hear why you, Jeremy, have The National in your list. Surprised me.

Michelle said...

Stewf, we cannot afford to fire you. Our staff is already abysmally low as it is. Besides, I was probably just being willfully obscure with my top 10.