There’s nothing more fun in December than perusing the master list of year-end music lists gathered up by Large-Hearted Boy (he posts a list of the updates each day). And two of my favorite posts in that list are this one (a cheat sheet for indie bloggers) and this one (where he predicts what publications will choose based on their previous picks).

Favorite Albums of 06 Not Bought by Lame-O Me until 07
Ghostface Killah “Fishscale” So damn good.
James Hunter “People Gonna Talk” You’d never believe it was this voice coming out of that body.

Favorite Overall Artists this Year:
Matt Nathanson, who I listened to obsessively for several months after Mariko sent me his (old?) Live album (“At the Point”) and then his new album (“Car Crash“) came out. Witty and sarcastic and lots of fun.

Josh Ritter, whose 06 album (“The Animal Years”) I didn’t get until January and he then put out an 07 album (“The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter“) as well. He’s all over the place style and influence wise, but I NEVER feel the need to hit “forward” when he shows up on the pod.

Ben Harper, whose new album (“Lifeline“) and two live shows were pretty much the highlight of my (late) summer. Like Ritter, he is a man of many musical styles and many musical skills. Listen to “Say You Will” to shake your booty and “Lifeline” to cry yourself to sleep when you wind up going home alone again.

And Griffin House, a ridiculously young (ridiculously hot) dude with a million albums out who sings my current favorite song “The Guy That Says Goodbye to You is Out of His Mind“. He’s got some twang to him but he’s more “songwriter/ storyteller/ folkster” than he is country.

My Favorite Albums of 2007 (other than those by the boys mentioned above)
Note I said “Favorite”. I’m not going to argue the ‘best’ question especially since there are albums that I thought were pretty damn excellent but hey, turned out I didn’t listen to them very much, so they just didn’t wind up being a Favorite. And I don’t listen to ANY techno (or stuff that’s electronic enough that I myself would call it techno and you technoheads would be like Dude! That XX album is NOT Techno!) so that eliminates a LOT of albums I was curious about on other people’s lists. (No wonder I hadn’t heard of them.) Then there’s the issue that the sad solitudinous-sounding (there’s a new word for ya!) albums are always going to rank higher with me than the happy ones… I am who I am.

1. The National “Boxer”
From the first minute I listened to this, I knew it had #1 locked up. The lead’s deep, deep (hypnotic) voice. (Deep like Ian Curtis deep.) The thick thumping rhythms. Really intriguing (and unforgettable) lyrics. I am lame and had never heard them before this year! (I KNOW!) I could lie on the couch/ in my bed/ on the floor with the lights low listening to this for hours on end. They sounded just as wonderful live.
Favorite songs: “Green Gloves” “Slow Show”

2. Band of Horses “Cease to Begin”
Less poppy than the Shins. More quirky than Rogue Wave. Really haunting. Almost to the point of spookiness at times. Cannot get enough.
Favorite songs: “No One’s Gonna Love You” “Detlef Schrempf”

3. Eddie Vedder “Into the Wild”
I don’t know how this happened but whenever ANY of these songs came up on “random” or “shuffle”, I immediately had to stop whatever I was doing and listen to the entire album, start to finish, a few times. Sound Opinions did a hilarious breakdown of some of the lyrics…and I agree…but that doesn’t stop me from just loving the sounds and the mood and the feelings. I really think I can feel Alaska in my mind when I’m listening to this.
Favorite songs: “No Ceiling” “Society”

4. Travis “The Boy With No Name”
So damn good. Love their lyrics, their melodies, their sweetness. Maybe next time they won’t wait so long to put out a new album. And LOVEDLOVEDLOVED them live. One of my favorite live shows EVER, let alone this year.
Favorite songs: “Battleships” “Sailing Away” (that one’s an iTunes bonus track) “My Eyes”

5. Earlimart “Mentor Tormentor”
Subtle sounds for the melancholy melodramatic moper inside me. (Not that it’s either melancholy or melodramatic music, but it works for me. during those times. you know. THOSE TIMES. Of the melancholy. And the melodrama. Do you not know me at all?) Love the boy/girl vocals and the quiet intensity. Why don’t more people know about this band? Why don’t more people LOVE this band?
Favorite songs: “Answers and Questions” (especially the chorus!) “The Little Things”

6. Mr. Hudson & the Library “A Tale of Two Cities”
A gift from MicheleG, this one really snuck up on me. Loved “On the Street Where You Live” immediately, thought the rest was fun…and then found myself queuing it up again and again and again…
Favorite songs: “On the Street Where You Live” “Cover Girl”

7. Midlake “The Trials of Van Occupanther”
The most ’70s sounding disk of the year. Lots of layered vocals. They were spellbinding live. Spellfuckingbinding I tell you. Not really a fan of their old stuff but this album gets me every time.
Favorite songs: “Head Home” “Van Occupanther”

8. Great Lake Swimmers “Ongiara”
Really lovely. Like everything they do. Thick, layered, beautiful. I keep missing their Chicago shows but I swear I will see them before I croak. High hopes that 2008 will be the year!
Favorite songs: “Changing Colours” “There Is a Light”

Runners Up (or “all the albums that tied for 9th and 10th and I could not be bothered to choose between them”):

Rogue Wave “Asleep at Heaven’s Gate”
Like BoH, they are less poppy than the Shins, but not as folk as BoH. Their sound is like…ringing a bell deep down into a well. Very distinctive lead vocals.

Shane Nicholson “Faith & Science”
Following in the Finns’ footsteps, lovely voice, lyrics, etc.. And he’s easy on the eyes, so there’s that.

The Alternate Routes “Good and Reckless and True”
The perfect soundtrack for a roadtrip.

The Magic Numbers “Those the Brokes”
Poppy bubbly fun. I’m a fan of everything they do. Great harmonies.

The Bees (US) “High Society”
Another album of FUN.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club “Baby 81”
Probably the rockingest stuff I listened to this year. Really fell for them live.

Sara Bareilles “Little Voice”
Got this album very very cheap from iTunes, what a bargain. Rachael Yamagata-esque if you need a comparison.

Okkervil River “The Stage Names”
They always seem a bit rougher ’round the edges to me than their peers.

Meiko (self-titled)
Byron recommended a single and I found myself listening to this album a lot. Lovely.

Athlete “Beyond the Neighborhood”
Have been a fan for several years now. Just a matter of time until these guys blow up (US-wise, I’m sure they’re huge in the UK already). Really intimate, excellent live show.

Youth Group “Casino Twilight Dogs”
Aussie rockers. Loved them live.

Favorite Singles of 2007 (that weren’t on albums mentioned above):

• “Let’s Get Out of This Country” Camera Obscura
• “I Think I Love You” The Guggenheim Grotto
• “Please Don’t Pass Me By” Jack Harlan
• “When I Wake” The Changes
• “Waterfall” Griffin House
• “I Remember” Chris Brokaw
• “Lord Give Me a Sign” DMX (old but I listened to it a lot)
• “Entering Bootytown” (from Music & Lyrics)
• “Eyes” Rogue Wave
• “The Inauguration” Bun B
• “Life Is Beautiful” Vega4 (sounds like Snow Patrol)
• “Intervention” Arcade Fire
• “Communist Love Song” Soltero
• “Don’t You Think It’s Time” Bob Evans
• “Walk Over Me” Dirtie Blonde
• “Been There All the Time” Dinosaur Jr (love the plaintive, pleading vocals)
• “Diamond Ring” Joseph Arthur (Love this song. Love him. Is he single? I’ll be his diamond ring)
• “Something Violet” Bishop Allen
• “Find Love (Let Go)” Kyle Andrews
• “It Never Rains in Southern California” Albert Hammond (old but I listened to it a lot after the VM finale)
• “Chicago Promenade” Jason Isbell
• “1 2 3 4” Feist (it’s all over but it’s THAT GOOD)
• “Take Me to the Riot” Stars
• “RE: Your Brain” Jonathan Coulton (blame the Nipper! I do!)
• “Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe” Okkervil River
• “The Underdog” Spoon
• “Scar That Never Heals” Jeremy Fisher
• “Saving Grace” (theme) Everlast
• “Black Like Me” Spoon
• “Our Friends Appear Like the Dawn” Bodies of Water
• “Beloved” Minnie Driver (surprising!)
• “Sinkin’ Low” Joe Purdy
• “The Way I Am” Ingrid Michaelson
• “See These Bones” Nada Surf (over and over!)
• “George W Told the Nation” Tom Paxton
• “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love” Jay Z (old but it’s all over the American Gangster trailers)
• “To Build a Home” The Cinematic Orchestra (sounds like Antony & the Johnsons)
• “Do You Feel Me” Anthony Hamilton (more American Gangster love)
• “Bastard of Midnight” The Damnwells
• “Secret Passed Along” Twin Atlas
• “No Blue Sky” The Thorns (old, but soooo good)

Things I am obsessively listening to in December and would be in my Top 10 except I just got them a week or so ago:
Bat for Lashes “Fur and Gold” Really lovely. Quirky and hypnotic.
Sea Wolf “Leaves in the River” Sometimes fast & happy, sometimes sad & slow. Just lke me!

Favorite Covers (I got) in 2007 (they may not have come out this year)

• “Forever Young” Youth Group (Rod Stewart?)
• “The Heart of the Matter” India.Arie (Henley/Eagles)
• “You’re the One that I Want” Beck (grease sdtrk)
• “Romeo & Juliet” Matt Nathanson (??) (Have you ever heard the Indigo Girls do this live? it’s awesome)
• “Build Me Up, Buttercup” Rhymefest & ODB (old )
• “Waiting for a Superman” Brooke (The Flaming Lips) (via Everybody Cares)
• “I Will Follow” Waz (U2) (via Fuel/Friends)
• “Goin’ to Acapulco” Jim James & Calexico (Dylan)
• “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” Antony & the Johnsons (Dylan)
• “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” Glen Hansard & Market Irglova (Dylan)
• “Streets of Philadelphia” David Gray (Springsteen, right?)
• “On the Street Where You Live” Mr. Hudson & the Library (My Fair Lady)
• “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” Saint Etienne (Neil Young) (Everlast also does a great cover of this!)
• “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” Greg Laswell (the sad, slow, depressing version. I’m not kiddin’.)
• “Papa Don’t Preach” Picturehouse (Madonna)
• “Raining in Baltimore” Brandi Carlile (Counting Crows) (via Fuel/Friends)
• “I’m on Fire” Bat for Lashes (Springsteen?)

Liked But Didn’t Love or Just Didn’t Wind Up Listening to That Much:
There were LOTS of good albums put out this year by artists I have loved in the past…and many of them I do indeed think are GOOD albums, they just weren’t my favorites. It’s the luck of the draw as well, as you have to be a better album earlier in the year to maintain your place in the favorites than you do at the end, don’t you?

Arcade Fire “Neon Bible” (love some singles, don’t love the whole thing); Crowded House “Time on Earth” (love their old stuff, this is good, just not great.); Shins “Wincing the Night Away” (good but just never listened to it that often); Fall Out Boy “Infinity on High” (fun but I didn’t listen to it much after the first month); White Stripes “Icky Thump” (their albums always take awhile to grow on me, I’ll probably listen to it obsessively next spring sometime); Ryan Adams “Easy Tiger” (as good as his old stuff. but I’m kinda ‘over’ him you know? he used to be in my top 10 EVERY YEAR and I would rush to buy him the first day of release. now I have a more laidback attitude about when I get to his stuff, how much I focus on it, etc.); Kanye West “Graduation” (good but not as good as the previous. not as joyful); The Thrills “Teenager” (like it but not a departure from their previous stuff); Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings “100 Days, 100 Nights” (I lovelovelove their previous album. This one just doesn’t measure up to that one, to my ear.).

Other Albums I Liked a Lot This Year:
January: The Long Blondes “Someone to Drive You Home”, Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. “The Chronicles of a Bohemian Teenager”

February: Music & Lyrics soundtrack (I can listen to this thing over and over!), The Essex Green “Cannibal Sea”

March: The Fratellis “Costello Music”, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists “Living with the Living”

April: Kyle Andrews “Amos in Ohio”, Liam Frost & the Slowdown Family “Show Me How the Spectres Dance”

May: Elvis Perkins “Ash Wednesday”

June: Candy Butchers “Hang On Mike”, Jenny Owens Youngs “Batten the Hatches”

July: Stars “In Our Bedroom After the War”, Jason Isbell “Sirens of the Ditch”, The Changes “Today Is Tonight”, Josh Rouse “Country Mouse, City House”

August: (Lots and lots of rap en francais. Email me if you want specifics), Rhymefest “Blue Collar”, Aesop Rock “None Shall Pass”

September: Hard-Fi “Once Upon a Time in the West”, Jeremy Fisher “Goodbye Blue Monday”, Fionn Regan “The End of History”

October: Joshua James “The Sun Is Always Brighter”, Joe Purdy “Take My Blanket and Go”

November: David Gray live covers album “A Thousand Miles Behind”, Great Northern “Trading Twilight for Daylight”

December: Augie March “Moo, You Bloody Choir”, Brother Ali “The Undisputed Truth”, Jay-Z “American Gangster”, The Foxboro Hot Tubs (Green Day secret project?) “Stop Drop and Roll”

My Favorite Live Gigs This Year:
1. Gomez. Amazing show. But they’re low on everyone’s 07 radar since they didn’t put out an album this year.
2. Travis. So much fucking fun in concert.
3. The National. Just as beautiful as the album.
4. Polyphonic Spree x2. highest energy show you’ll ever see.
5. Ben Harper x2. He’s amazing.
6. Griffin House. He’s hot.
7. The Decemberists. So polished.
8. Midlake. Bewitching.

Favorite Album of 2005 that I Didn’t Get Until 2006

Flipsyde “We the People” Why I wasted six months before buying this album I’ll never know. The exact type of rapping/ singing blend I tend to like (think Chronic Future). Sassy and smart and stylistically diverse. Love it.
Favorite Songs: “US History” (great fucking song, dudes) “Trumpets” “Flipsyde”

Favorite Albums of 2006

1. Gnarls Barkley “St. Elsewhere” Band of the year, album of the year, and song of the year. These guys blew everyone else away. Not only are they great musicians, but they are all about having FUN with it: unrelentingly HAPPY and never shy about showing it.
Favorite Songs: “Crazy” Of course!! It was THE song of 2006! “Smiley Faces” “Just a Thought”

2. Gomez “How We Operate” If I had bought this on LP, I would have worn out the grooves. Didn’t know them before this album. Love the contrast between the vocals tempo and the harmonies/background. Love the melodies.
Favorite Songs: “All Too Much” “How We Operate” “Hamoa Beach” “See the World” “Cry on Demand”

3. Golden Smog “Another Fine Day” This was a constant listen all summer long. Much more straight “rock” than most of the stuff I listened to this year.
Favorite Songs: “Long Time Ago” “Cure for This” “Strangers”

4. Hilltop Hoods “The Hard Road” Australian rap; probably my favorite purchase from the trip. No noticeable hos or bitches or guns or what you might expect if you listen to much American rap. Using the genre to different effect. Politically aware. Literate (Oscar Wilde shoutout, anyone?). Great beats. Unusual backdrops.
Favorite Songs: “Recapturing the Vibe” “The Hard Road” “Conversation from a Speakeasy” “Breathe”

5. Rosanne Cash “Black Cadillac” Dedicated to her mom, dad and stepmom, all dead in the past few years. Spent so much time listening to Johnny Cash in the past few years, I couldn’t NOT check this out. So glad I did. Beautiful and elegiac. Bought early in the year, but never set aside.
Favorite Songs: “I Was Watching You” “God Is in the Roses” “The World Unseen” “Like Fugitives”

6. Band of Horses “Everything All the Time” Recommended to me by Paul in our ongoing exchanges before they really broke out. These guys just don’t sound quite like anyone else. “The Funeral” is certainly one of the best songs of the year, although I find I generally listen to this as a whole album, only rarely breaking it down. Plaintive yet soaring melodies.
Favorite Songs: “The Funeral” “The Great Salt Lake” ‘I Go in the Barn Because I Like the” “Monsters”

7. My Chemical Romance “The Black Parade” The most recent purchase on this list. This album is a crazy combination of mindboggling array of influences…Yet unlike other derivative bands, to my ears they have a very distinctive sound of their own that stands out above all that.
Favorite Songs: Wow, hard to pick out individual tracks here, I almost always listen to this as a full album… maybe “Mama” or “Cancer”. Or ALL OF THEM!! 🙂

8. The Long Winters “Putting the Days to Bed” Didn’t love their previous release, wasn’t even going to buy this, but it turned out to be one of the albums I listened to the most! Melodius and musically diverse. Totally singalongable. Literate. Intellectually pleasing.
Favorite Songs: “Fire Island, AK” “Teaspoon” “Honest” (perhaps the best ‘advice’ song ever) “Clouds”

9. Cat Power “The Greatest” Lush and stately. Has a very dignified, old school, jazz standard feel to it. One of those rare albums that is just SO RIGHT ON that you can barely catch your breath while you’re listening to it.
Favorite Songs: “Willie” “Where Is My Love”

10. Bishop Allen “June” You could argue that I listened to Bishop Allen more (and more consistently throughout the year) than any other band this year, since they put out an EP EVERY MONTH. Poppy, goofy and fun. Definitely quirky; definitely talented.
Favorite Songs: “The Same Fire” “Number 39”

Runners Up

Weepies “Say I Am You”. — “The World Spins Madly On” is one of the best songs of the year. Love it. Also like Deb Talan’s solo stuff, but not quite as much.

Joseph Arthur “Nuclear Daydream” — Beautiful. Heartbreaking.

Scissor Sisters “Ta Dah” — Just as danceable as their first.

Damien Rice “9” — More of the same from “O”. But he does it so well.

Beck “The Information” — Definitely the funnest thing I saw live this year. Can’t listen without thinking about the puppets!

Imelda De La Cruz “Noise Noise Noise” — She’s a friend of a friend. This is the best album you’re not listening to (or haven’t heard about)! Maybe you should go buy it! Ran into her in Whole Foods the other night with aforementioned friend. Could not stop myself from blurting out “I LOVE YOUR ALBUM”. As a (former) proud New Yorker, this is something I would NEVER do to someone famous. But I figured she’s low key enough still (at this point) that I could embarrass myself.

The Audreys “Between Last Night and Us” — Alt country from Australia.

She Will Have Her Way — An entire album of Crowded House covers!! What’s better than that. Fave: Renee Geyer’s version of “Into Temptation”.

Snow Patrol “Eyes Open” — Anthems you can’t get out of your head.

Keane “Under the Iron Sea” — Pretty. — Very pretty.

Raconteurs “Broken Boy Soldiers” — Can Jack White make a bad album? Loving Brendan Benson more here than on his solo stuff.

The Fray “How to Save a Life” — Sometimes cheesy radio ballads really ARE good songs.

Favorite Songs from 2006 (or mostly?) NOT on Any of the Above-Mentioned Albums
“Jenny Don’t Be Hasty” Paolo Nuttini
Sassy.

“You” Switchfoot
Sad. Melancholy. As you might expect. Me being me. And all.

“Reason to Mourn” Ben Harper
Almost makes me cry. Every time.

“Multiply” Jamie Lidell
Overall he’s not my usual type. But this is a crowdpleaser.

“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” sung by Terrence Howard in the movie
You would not believe the grin I get on my face when I’m listening to this. As well as “Whoop That Trick”. Loved the movie, love the songs.

“Halo” Bethany Joy Lenz
Sung as Haley James on that horror show “One Tree Hill”. The best thing that’s ever come out of that show is this song.

“Weight of the World” Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
This is more than I wanted, take me out of the dark… Time will change, still the world remains the same…

“Bad Day” Daniel Powter
Overplayed. Because it was good!

“Faith” Shawn Mullens
Haven’t listened to him in years. When he’s on, he’s on.

“Emily Kane” Art Brut
We all wish there was a song like this out there about us, don’t we.

“Skeleton Key” Margot & the Nuclear So & Sos
Love lovelovelove LOVE this song. Thank you, Silvia!

“Fidelity” Regina Spektor
Irresistible.

“We All Lose One Another” Jason Collett
Go ahead. TRY not to sing along to the chorus.

“Listen” and “Letter to the World” Dead Heart Bloom
Listen as I write you a song… Here’s my goodbye to the world…

“Since I Left You” The Avalanches
Another Australia purchase. Rest of the album is too electronica pour moi. But this song is great.

“Fancy Lover” The Whitlams
New stuff from Australians I learned about previously from a Brit (Hi Michele!)

“Tant Pis Pour Toi” Nous Non Plus
En francais! Bien sur!

“Boston”, “Stars and Boulevards” and “Coffee and Cigarettes” Augustana
My cousin would call this “WB music” [i.e. Dawson’s Creek, Everwood, etc.]. Yup. And I still like it.

“Hoquiam” and “Denton, TX” Damien Jurado
Set the player on repeat, you’ll want to listen to these again.

“You’re the Kind of Trouble (I Could Get Into)” Solomon Burke
Soul singer goes country, complete with sassy country lyrics!

“Happiness” Grant Lee Buffalo
More of my usual melancholy, despite its title.

“Home” Barenaked Ladies
Stuck in the middle of the road, for better or worse we compromise…

“Unspoken Love” The Electric Farm
You can fight it. But what’s the use.

New (to me) Artists (that I liked) This Year

Strays Don’t Sleep — I try not to pay tooooo close attention to the lyrics, as some are a little, shall we say, Republican sounding. But I saw these guys open for Josh Rouse and they have a cool sound. Two vocalists, interesting voices/contrasts.

Ben Kweller — Ben Kweller is toooo much fun. Has a real Peter Frampton ’70s look to him although he’s all of…what? 17? He was one of my favorite Lollapalooza discoveries. Very catchy songs.

Memphis — Part of the whole Broken Social Scene / Stars / Metric / Emily Haines crowd. Soft and pleasing. Thoughtful. And perhaps less melancholy than is my norm in this type of sound.

Submarines — Recommended by Sunday Undies Jen. Have seen them described as a “happy” boy/girl Stars-like band. A real “relationship” album. Haven’t listened enough for them to make the top 10/runners up. But like what I hear.

Covers I Loved This Year
Gnarls Barkley covering the Violent Femmes’ “Gone Daddy Gone.”

James Blunt covers of Crowded House’s “Fall At Your Feet” and the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”

The Magic Numbers singing Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” and The Smiths “There Is a Light that Never Goes Out.”

Joseph Arthur also singing “There Is a Light that Never Goes Out.”

Boy Least Likely To rocking out to George Michael’s “Faith. Saw this in concert!

Matt the Electrician‘s version of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” Heard live!
Multiple covers of Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” by The Raconteurs (awesome, live!), Kanye West (OK, live at lolla), Nelly Furtado (slow but cool) and Ray LaMontagne (OK). As discussed, THE song of 2006!

Ben Folds singing Dr. Dre’s(? Snoop’s?) “Bitches Ain’t Shit.” There are a lot of great covers by Ben Folds out there.

Joshua Radin covering Yaz’s “Only You.” Man, I love this song. Still.

Albums I liked…And Then Got Over
Sometimes seeing someone live changes how you feel about them, for better or, as in these cases, for worse.

Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins “Rabbit Fur Coat” — This is a pretty rockin’, albeit very short, album. Then I saw her in concert. And she was all bible-banging / gospel-y / standing-on-the banks-of-the-Jordan prayin’ and I don’t think I listened to it a single time after that. Ah well. Not everyone needs to be experienced live. I’m sure I’ll still check out her next efforts.

KT Tunstall “Eye to the Telescope” — I liked this album a lot when it came out. I still think “Suddenly I See” is a great song. But in concert she was really…awkward? And at some point I lost interest; the album just dropped off my radar the rest of the year.

Corinne Bailey Rae (self-titled) — It’s amazing to see that huge voice coming out of a stick-thin body. But the songs are too much the same to keep me interested. Same tempo, same sounds. Throughout.