2007: The Year In Music

2007 – Steve Jobs unveils the first iPhone. Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister of the UK. The final Harry Potter book, “The Deathly Hallows”, releases. Madeleine McCann goes missing. That last one was a bit of a yikes … so let’s hope we can find some good music this year!

I’ll be looking at the popular and highest-rated songs / albums of the year, giving my opinions on their musicality and longevity as well as an overall verdict for the year as a whole.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Billboard Top 10 (Popular) Singles

Source: Wikipedia

10 – Glamorous (Fergie feat. Ludacris)

Nope. Big nope.

Lazy lyrics, a poor feature from Ludacris, annoying production. If “Glamorous” isn’t my least favourite hit of 2007, there must be a real stinker coming up.

9 – Say It Right (Nelly Furtado)

“Say It Right” isn’t bad … but it sounds like every other Nelly Furtado song.

8 – I Wanna Love You (Akon feat. Snoop Dogg)

I don’t like the chorus of “I Wanna Love You”, it’s too simple. 2007’s hits have gotten off to a bad start …

7 – Hey There Delilah (Plain White T’s)

“Hey There Delilah” is fine. A nice vocal-guitar solo. Not very engaging, though.

6 – Before He Cheats (Carrie Underwood)

Oh dear god … is 2007 the year when music went down the toilet?

I’m not a Country music fan, so “Before He Cheats” clearly isn’t for me. Ironically, it’s probably my favourite of the five tracks so far.

5 – Buy U a Drank [Shawty Snappin’] (T-Pain feat. Yung Joc)

Nice bounce, kinda funny lyrics. Again, I don’t really like the sound and production of “Buy U a Drank”.

4 – Big Girls Don’t Cry (Fergie)

Fergie gives a decent vocal performance. “Big Girls Don’t Cry” isn’t exciting but at least the lyrics have some meaning.

3 – The Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani feat. Akon)

Annoyingly, a classic. Quite catchy as well.

2 – Umbrella (Rihanna feat. Jay-Z)

Sweet drum groove, catchy chorus, some great vocals from Rihanna. “Umbrella” remains one of the best hits of the 00’s.

1 – Irreplaceable (Beyoncé)

Beyoncé’s sincere lyrics make “Irreplaceable”. The chorus is good, but it doesn’t wow me as much as other Beyoncé songs.

FAVOURITE – “Umbrella” (Rihanna feat. Jay-Z)

LEAST FAVOURITE – “Glamorous” (Fergie feat. Ludacris)

Top-Rated Songs

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

10 – Fluorescent Adolescent (Arctic Monkeys)

I’m surprised “Fluorescent Adolescent” is the only Arctic Monkeys song to make the 2007 top-rated list. That album has some bangers, like “Brianstorm” and “505”, and if I had to pick a favourite right now it would probably be “Teddy Picker”.

“Fluorescent Adolescent” is still a banger, though. It’s very peppy and positive, shifting Arctic Monkeys away from Garage Rock and into something more generic and widely palatable.

9 – Skinny Love (Bon Iver)

A gorgeous Folk song, “Skinny Love” has some engaging lyrics and a simple production that anyone can get behind.

8 – 15 Step (Radiohead)

For a time, “15 Step” was my favourite song on “In Rainbows”. It opens the album with such a zany and infectious energy.

It’s not my outright favourite anymore, but the odd time signature and immense layering make it an eternal bop.

7 – Fake Empire (The National)

“Fake Empire” is the opener to “The Boxer”, and it’s quite a subdued start to the album.

The most interesting thing about it is definitely the switch from four-time to three-time – the second half in particular is much more interesting.

6 – Time To Pretend (MGMT)

“Kids” and “Electric Feel” may get the mainstream plaudits, but “Time To Pretend” has always been my favourite MGMT song.

The lyrics hit you like a ton of bricks, and that synth hook is legendary.

5 – Nude (Radiohead)

One of the most pleasant Radiohead songs in their discography.

Thom’s vocals are faultless.

4 – Jigsaw Falling Into Place (Radiohead)

Every hipster’s favourite “In Rainbows” song.

It’s the most energetic song on the album alongside “Bodysnatchers” … although I’d pick “Bodysnatchers” over this if given the option.

3 – Weird Fishes / Arpeggi (Radiohead)

It took me a few listens to truly appreciate it, but now “Weird Fishes / Arpeggi” is among my favourite Radiohead songs.

It builds with more and more layers, each more gorgeous than the last, and it’s one of those songs that gives me a euphoric, out-of-body experience whenever I close my eyes and sink into the groove.

2 – All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem)

“All My Friends” was the first LCD Soundsystem song I fell in love with, and for that it’ll always have my heart.

It’s the perfect example of a steady build to a rousing chorus, and the lyrics are both touching and humorous. I’m not surprised many people think this is LCD Soundsystem’s best song.

1 – Reckoner (Radiohead)

I’ve never understood the hype around “Reckoner”.

It’s a brilliant song with fantastic production and songwriting, don’t get me wrong, but it wouldn’t make my top five from the album. Here’s my ranking of the tracks if you don’t believe me.

If anything, that just proves how strong the album is as a whole.

BEST SONG OF 2007 – “Time To Pretend” (MGMT)

Top-Rated Albums

Source: http://www.besteveralbums.com

5 – Neon Bible (Arcade Fire)

“Neon Bible” feels slightly darker than the previous Arcade Fire album I heard – and this time they have religion in their crosshairs.

The album starts well with songs like “Intervention” and “Keep the Car Running”, but my two favourites are probably the last couple – “No Cars Go” and “My Body Is a Cage”. Not many albums save their best two for last like that.

4 – Boxer (The National)

I quite like The National’s vibe, but this isn’t going to be my favourite album of the year.

“Fake Empire” is a strong start but the rest blends together.

3 – For Emma, Forever Ago (Bon Iver)

Bon Iver is clearly a very intelligent songwriter. “Flume”, “Skinny Love” and “Re: Stacks” are some of the loveliest Folk songs I’ve heard in recent times.

2 – Sound Of Silver (LCD Soundsystem)

“Sound Of Silver” is one of my favourite albums of all time. Unfortunately, the number one album is also one of my favourite albums ever. This’ll be a tough fight for “Best Album”.

“Watch the Tapes” is a bit filler, but otherwise I adore songs like “Get Innocuous!”, “Someone Great”, “All My Friends” and “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down”. I’ve listened to this album front-to-back on many a long journey and it’s yet to get stale.

1 – In Rainbows (Radiohead)

Radiohead had already changed the game with “OK Computer” and “Kid A”, so nobody was expecting them to release their best album yet with “In Rainbows”.

Like how “Watch the Tapes” is my skip for “Sound of Silver”, “Faust Arp” is the only song on “In Rainbows” I don’t vibe with. The rest is some of the best Art Rock ever put to tape.

BEST ALBUM OF 2007 – “In Rainbows” (Radiohead)

This was one of those predicaments where two of the albums are among my favourites ever, but in the end I chose “In Rainbows” for how Radiohead managed to reinvent the wheel yet again.

Final Thoughts

2007 had two of my favourite albums of all time, and the rest of the albums were impressive too. The hits, however, made my eardrums bleed.

Overall Grade: B

Aaaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: