MUSICpage 8 the rutgers review volume 35, issue 5

The Rutgers Review Official End-of-Year Best of 2007 Extravaganza!!!

After twelve long months of listening to a plethora of new music, it is finally that time of year when music critics gather at the round table and debate over what albums stood out among the rest. This year marks a first for the Review: although we normally submit individual shortlists, this time around we created our very first compiled Best of 2007 list! Editors and contributing writers from the various sections of the Review sent in their votes for the top ten albums of the year, and the votes were then tallied to determine the

year’s best new music democratically. Here is a rundown of the results of this voting, written by some of the various editors and writers who found themselves listening to these albums on repeat all year round. Enjoy!

Battles — Mirrored Prior to the release of Mirrored, Battles fans were listening to four relatively short EPs that

only hinted at what Battles could be, leaving some unsatisfied. Mirrored clued audiences in to what the band had been building up to for so long. Introducing complicated, synthesized vocals and interweaving more instruments than ever before, Mirrored produces such a unique sound that one can’t help but be awed as four musicians take listeners through equally intense musical highs and lows that sound like the work of an entire orchestra. While 2007 may be remembered by music lovers as the year we saw the release of a long-awaited Radiohead album, one must also appreciate that this was the year that Battles finally presented their bigger picture.

—mike irenski

Animal Collective — Strawberry JamThis is it. Strawberry Jam is Animal Collective’s most cracked out album to date, yet at the same

time their most consistent and accessible. On the album, the band takes their eager attitude to-wards experimentation and applies it to electronics. “Peacebone” exemplifies this aesthetic, opening with disjointed electronic glitches which oscillate until rhythm and melody emerge. Furthermore, call-and-response vocals, steel drums, and Avey Tare’s warped falsetto help solidify the pop sensibil-ity first developed on Feels. As a result, the album alternates between rich melodies and abrasive vocals that sound like Tim Kinsella covering The Beach Boys (trust me, it works). Between this and Panda Bear’s Person Pitch, the collective has produced two of the best albums of the year.

—ben gross

The National — Boxer The National’s Matt Berninger has a voice as rich as the boldest of coffees and the darkest of

chocolates. It’s the kind of baritone that lends an immediate depth and warmth to the words it envelopes so that some how a line like “Sometimes you get up and bake a cake or something, some-times you stay in bed / Sometimes you go la de da de da until your eyes roll back into your head” is more poetic poured out of Beringer’s pipes than it would be coming from the slacker squawk of other indie vocalists. Of course, the rest of the band play their parts just as elegantly – the drum-ming in particular is worth noting and Sufjan Stevens even stops by for a piano part or two. At the end of the year though, it’s that voice that has kept this album in my rotation. Delicious.

—richard varall

LCD Soundsystem — Sound of SilverOn his sophomore effort, James Murphy builds upon past successes by releasing an album

that is significantly more consistent and engaging than 2005’s already confident debut. While “North American Scum” serves as “Daft Punk…” pt. 2 and “Us v. Them” effectively reconstructs “Yeah,” James Murphy’s greatest accomplishment is also his biggest departure: On the intro-spective “All My Friends,” Murphy creates layer after layer of piano, guitar, and synthesizer in a Reichian fashion for over seven minutes, creating one of the best songs of the year and helping revitalize an easily pigeonholed genre in the process. Thank you, James Murphy, for keeping our dance parties vibrant yet sarcastic as we bash ourselves for our own name-dropping vices.

—ben gross

Feist — The ReminderYes, you’ve heard “1234” nonstop since Mac used it to sell Ipod Nanos, and yes, your little

sister loves her ever since she heard The Reminder playing in the local Urban Outfitters, and yes, she’s real pretty and even more attractive since she’s an awesome singer/songwriter who plays her own instruments and hangs out with Broken Social Scene. But really, is there any reason not to like the music of Leslie Feist? I say no sir. No siree. I mean, unless you don’t have a soul. And for those who deem the album just another example of “chick” music, let me just say that speeding down the highway blasting “Sealion” out your window is just as intense as Prodigy’s “Firestarter.” Ok, that was a lie, but it comes close…ish. It will, though, please the heck out of your girlfriend, and really, isn’t that what really matters?

—dave rothstadt

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MUSICvolume 35, issue 5 the rutgers review page 9Kanye West — Graduation It may be difficult, but if you can overlook Kanye West’s brash arrogance and over the top self-promotion you may able to see Graduation for what it’s really worth: an innovative album that sheds new light on the future possibilities of hip-hop. While Kanye has been at the top of his field for years, such an eclectic collection of different styles has never before been successfully put together. High notes range across a vast spectrum of influences, from electronic (“Stronger”), to symphonic (“The Good Life”), to Kanye’s trademark chipmunk production (“The Glory”). While naysayers may point to simplistic lyrical style and poor delivery, this is more than made up for with production that rivals any hip-hop album in the past decade, let alone year.

—joe jaxsonSpoon — Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga After six studio albums I’m finally able to articulate how Spoon are always able to make albums that initially please and eventually astound. On the more molecular level, Britt Daniel’s perfection-ist attitude in the studio hides layers of noise and samples in his music — little aural treats in the nooks and crannies of his songs that make them record nerd favorites. Of course, these recording tricks would be all for naught if the songs didn’t work on a larger scale and its here that Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is more successful than any other Spoon album to date. The bittersweet horns of “The Un-derdog”, the down and out defensive attitude of “Don’t Make Me A Target”, the Motown shuffle of “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” – it’s clear that Britt Daniel brings the same love to making music that his fans bring listening to it. Considering Spoon’s rich and rewarding focus on detail, I would call this album a grower, but really, it’s great from the very first spin. —richard varallOf Montreal — Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? Of Montreal’s latest offering marks the band’s break with the cutesy Elephant 6-isms of their past into more dark and introspective territory. Despite coming on the heels of frontman Kevin Barnes’s divorce, the music itself remains upbeat and undeniably catchy. The album overlays the somber lyrical content on top of bouncy electronic beats and infectious melodies in a way that seems less about ironic juxtaposition than it does of Barnes trying to dance himself out of de-pression. The latter half of the album is markedly less serious, where we find Barnes channeling Prince with songs about “soul power” and the “booty patrol.” Besides these few excesses, Hissing Fauna has a gravity about it that’s unique to their catalog, and deserves a closer look by those who had shrugged off Of Montreal as an inconsequential twee band. And while Of Montreal isn’t im-mune to accusations of being a novelty act, it’s a novelty act that should now be taken seriously. —frankie dintino

The Arcade Fire — Neon Bible The Arcade Fire overcame the sophomore slump with their intense and resonant Neon Bible. Throughout the album, the band appeals to a broad audience without abandoning their signa-ture style. Laced with both energy and a sadness also apparent in their first album, each song has an aura of its own, tied together by Win Butler’s emotive and distinct voice. The group uses choral arrangements and organ in songs such as “Intervention” and the result is a clever juxtaposition of pop and ecclesiastical sounds — a perfect nod to the album title. Meanwhile, the slightly more conventional “Keep the Car Running” sounds pleasantly familiar but equally effective. Neon Bible earned its spot as one of the year’s best, and the band will undoubtedly grace shortlists in years to come.

—louise finnell

Radiohead — In Rainbows Radiohead?! Our number one album of the year? Are you surprised? Well, you should be, because even though In Rainbows appeared on every editor and writer’s shortlist, hardly any contributors put the album at number one. However, by the nature of voting systems, Radiohead got the most votes. So what made every person on our staff choose In Rainbows as one of the best albums of the year? One possibility may be the method in which the album was released, allowing fans to download the tracks for whatever price they wanted (I got it for free, did you?) Or maybe because it was the anticipation looming from being Radiohead’s first studio effort since 2003’s Hail to the Thief. Whatever the reason, Radio-head has shifted from electronic/synthesizer-based tracks back to more guitar-based (read: traditional) songs. Frontman Thom Yorke’s lyrics can even be described as uplifting…it’s nice to see Radiohead in a good mood again. However, the band has not simply returned to straightforward rock, as they combine electronic and organic elements through the use of both a drum machine and Phil Selway’s percussion on the dub-influenced “15 Step.” Other highlights include the soulful “Reckoner,” Broken Social Scene-sounding lead single “Jigsaw Falling into Place,” and the climatic “All I Need.” As of press time, the 40 euro special discboxes (including a second disc with eight outtakes and b-sides) began shipping. The band is also starting to firm up dates for a tour starting in spring of next year. Based on all of this, 2008 could be even better to Radiohead than 2007 was.

—lisette m. voytko

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