Top 100 Albums of '07: #61 - 70

61. !!! Myth Takes; Listening to !!!'s Myth Takes should be reserved for areas with big open spaces, because listening anywhere else may lead to the destruction of personal property. This album is so full of infectious rhythms and beats that it is truly difficult to stand still for even a minute while listening. Listen to it on a crowded elevator or subway will lead to dirty looks and possibly even a slap or two if you wind up gyrating next to the wrong person. Like their past albums, !!! roll out the hooks a plenty on this album using their plethora of influences to produce some ridiculously catchy tunes. Try and not dance to this album, I dare you.
!!! - "Heart of Hearts"

62. Simian Mobile Disco Attack Decay Sustain Release; The title of Simian Mobile Disco's debut is entirely aprapos. On Attack Decay Sustain Release the band does just that, in that proper order, without fail throughout the entire album. The tracks start off by attaching themselves to your brain. The beat is built into you and you start to feel it. Then they break it down, add in an extra sample or beat here, and force you to adjust to the slightly different sound. Then the keep on you for the next three or four minutes, before finally letting you out of their hypnotic grasp.
Simian Mobile Disco - "Sleep Deprivation"

63. Love of Diagrams Mosaic; Matador sure was busy snapping up bands late last year picking up a host of new bands to drive the label for another decade or so, well at least they will if Love of Diagrams debut LP is any indication of what these bands are capable of. Mosaic is a careful fusion of the post-punk and New Wave worlds, combining the break neck pace of its rhythm section and its angular guitar riffs with lyrics that wreak of apathy. It's a fantastic, angst filled record, that just motors its way into your ears and mind. But above all the fantastic beats and guitar work what I love most about this album is the hollowness found in the vocal deliveries on it. It provides a distance that gets you to almost believe the band doesn't care about anything, but then you here the music and know they most certainly do care.
Love of Diagrams - "The Pyramid"

64. Future of the Left Curses; Combining the worlds of Mclusky and Jarcrew was a pretty brilliant idea. We all wanted more from both camps, but it didn't look like we were getting any anytime soon. So former members of the bands joined forces to create Future of the Left, and their debut album Curses is the remarkable result of that fusion. Like the previous bands this is straight up rocking punk music, with keyboards that are used as brittle, jarring parts of the songs. It's a thrilling, fast paced, short ride through Curses but one that should leave fans of both bands pretty satisfied with what they are hearing.
Future of the Left - "Manchasm"

65. Art Brut It's A Bit Complicated; I honestly expected more from Brit rockers Art Brut on their follow-up to Bang Bang Rock & Roll. Not that It's A Bit Complicated is a bad album, it just follows a little too closely in its predecssor's footsteps. There are some true rocking tracks on this album, "Post Soothing Out" for example is one of the year's finest tracks, but overall I was left wishing they had tweaked the sound a bit, or tried something just a little different. Whatever, they are still one of the most rocking bands around and that alone propelled them higher on the year end list, plus I still listen to the record on a fairly regular basis.
Art Brut - "Nag Nag Nag Nag"

66. Field Music Tones of Our Town; The running theme on Field Music's Tones of Our Town seems to be that working sucks. As one who couldn't possibly argue with that I'd have to say I felt a certain affinity to this album and its dreamy pop hooks when it was first released. The tunes feature an array of quirky instruments melded with lush vocal harmonies to produce some terribly catchy indie pop music. If more people spent their days working with this music on, well then this album probably wouldn't exist.
Field Music - "A House Is Not A Home"

67. Jesu Conqueror; I have to confess here that I was never the biggest fan of Napalm Death, so how I found myself listening to Justin Broadrick's work as Jesu I will never really know. That said, Jesu is no Napalm Death, duh. Instead of elaborate flashes of death metal, Broadrick prefers to layer guitars and guitar effects on top of more layers to create a droning, shoegaze like feel to the new music. It must drive the metal heads nuts to listen to one of their own drift in this type of etheral world where the sound is closer to pop then to visions of Satan, but I'm certainly not complaining about it.
Jesu - "Transfigure"

68. Mannequin Men Fresh Rot; Mannequin Men are a bunch of nice guys that bring their A-game to rock your faces off when they hit the stage. What does this have to do with this album? Well, I really have no idea I just felt it needed to be said. Perhaps I'm saying that because as good as their album Fresh Rot is, what with all its punk influences, their live show blows the album out of the water. I guess that's not what I'm really here to talk about, but once you have your face rocked off seeing them live pick up the album at their merch table and take a listen to remember the face you once had.
Mannequin Men - "Weekender"

69. R. Kelly Double Up; You gotta hand it to R. Kelly, for every count of child pornography he faces he has a song that keeps R. Kelly looking like one of the good guys in a lot of people's eyes. On Double Up Kelly is once again blazing some fresh R&B hooks, mixed with his unmatchable humorous lyrics, and guest spots that are second to none. No this is not the best R. Kelly album, but its about time that he got back to doing what he does best, making humorous songs with a fresh ass beat.
R. Kelly (feat. T.I. & T-Pain) - "I'm A Flirt (Remix)"

70. Marissa Nadler Songs III: Bird on the Water;Listening to Marissa Nadler sing about love lost on this album is one of the most heartbreaking experiences I have ever had listening to music. There is so much sadness in her voice here and the lyrics and gentle finger picking certainly don't do anything to add any happiness to the album. But sometimes art is best at it's saddest points, and this album certainly makes a strong case for that.
Marissa Nadler - "Diamond Heart"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Albums #71 - 80
Top Albums #81 - 90
Top Albums #91 - 100