2008 Woodie Awards
Commentary: Best 2007 Albums
By Luke Bauerlein
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: Entertainment
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While most of this music flew a little below the radar this year, and admittedly, not everyone will find everything on this list enjoyable, I do think that there is something on this list that everybody can tolerate. And even if you only take my word for it, they're all worth listening to.
1. LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver." James Murphy's second full-length album under the name LCD Soundsystem is the dance record of the year, but to place "Sound of Silver" under just one banner would be to miss the point entirely. This is an album that doesn't just toe the line between rock n' roll and dance pop music, it obliterates it completely. The album is about growing up and confronting the adult world, but with a vocal performance that owes as much to Prince as it does to Jonathan Richman, Murphy's enthusiastic whoops, howls, and spoken barbs make sure everybody's still having a good time.
2. Feist - "The Reminder." Leslie Feist, you may know her best as that woman in the sparkling blue dress from the iPod commercial featuring her song "1,2,3,4" but those of us who have listened to her records, or seen her perform live, know her as one of the finest singers in pop music today.
The arrangements are spare, a sprinkling of piano, a dust of banjo even a splash of brass when it's called for, but the instruments are there to add color, not steal the show. The focus remains eternally on Feist's indelible voice, and indeed that is what holds the album together through its many shifts in tone. I wouldn't have it any other way.
3. The National - "Boxer." It's not surprising that since the release of "Boxer" The National garnered the opening gig on The Arcade Fire's North American tour, and were name dropped as one of Bruce Springsteen's favorite new bands.
"Boxer" is the group's fourth LP, and by all accounts is a deep and darkly beautiful record. The band's ethereal guitars and subtle chamber orchestration provide the backdrop for most of the songs, and a lot of the music's tension stems from the way Bryan Devendorf's propulsive drumming and complex polyrhythms drive the songs through those lush settings.
1. LCD Soundsystem - "Sound of Silver." James Murphy's second full-length album under the name LCD Soundsystem is the dance record of the year, but to place "Sound of Silver" under just one banner would be to miss the point entirely. This is an album that doesn't just toe the line between rock n' roll and dance pop music, it obliterates it completely. The album is about growing up and confronting the adult world, but with a vocal performance that owes as much to Prince as it does to Jonathan Richman, Murphy's enthusiastic whoops, howls, and spoken barbs make sure everybody's still having a good time.
2. Feist - "The Reminder." Leslie Feist, you may know her best as that woman in the sparkling blue dress from the iPod commercial featuring her song "1,2,3,4" but those of us who have listened to her records, or seen her perform live, know her as one of the finest singers in pop music today.
The arrangements are spare, a sprinkling of piano, a dust of banjo even a splash of brass when it's called for, but the instruments are there to add color, not steal the show. The focus remains eternally on Feist's indelible voice, and indeed that is what holds the album together through its many shifts in tone. I wouldn't have it any other way.
3. The National - "Boxer." It's not surprising that since the release of "Boxer" The National garnered the opening gig on The Arcade Fire's North American tour, and were name dropped as one of Bruce Springsteen's favorite new bands.
"Boxer" is the group's fourth LP, and by all accounts is a deep and darkly beautiful record. The band's ethereal guitars and subtle chamber orchestration provide the backdrop for most of the songs, and a lot of the music's tension stems from the way Bryan Devendorf's propulsive drumming and complex polyrhythms drive the songs through those lush settings.
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