Top 10 Of 2007
There's been such a lot of great music coming out in '07 that I feel compelled to make a "top of the year" list for the first time in my life. |
| 1 |  | Battles
Mirrored
Breathtaking, organic integration of rock of the post/math variety with modern electronica. Atlas is the silly robot dance moves song of the year! |
| 2 |  | Om
Pilgrimage
The contemplative metal duo's best album as of yet. Read my a review for a detailed opinion. |
| 3 | | Einsturzende Neubauten
Alles Wieder Offen
The best album of the "pop phase" to date. Intelligent songwriting meets balanced arrangements, metal percussion and subtle, glitchy electronics. Refreshing and great. |
| 4 | | Harmonia
Live 1974
Not really a new album, but an unearthed long-lost live gig from these Travelling Wilburys of Krautrock. Every bit as good as their first album, plus the sound quality is near-studio. |
| 5 | | KTL
2
Sunn O)))'s Stephen O'Malley forms an uneasy alliance with British-Austrian laptop music pioneer Peter Rehberg (aka Pita) for this release. The result is creepy, spacious ambient music of the highest order. |
| 6 | | Pan Sonic
Katodivaihe
A rounded, thought-out album from the Finnish analogue techno avantgardists. Heavy beats and obscure ambient soundscapes are augmented by surprisingly pretty melodies and even a (live) cello on two tracks. |
| 7 | | Merzbow
Coma Berenices
Masami Akita dusted off his VCS3 synth and guitar and processed them both through his laptop. What came out was an album full of heavy distortion and shifting textures that even comes close to being tonal(!!!) in some moments. |
| 8 |  | Fennesz Sakamoto
Cendre
Austrian guitarist/electronicist Christian Fennesz and Japanese electropop innovator Ryuichi Sakamoto combine their talents for the most beautiful ambient album of the year. |
| 9 | | Vibracathedral Orchestra
Wisdom Thunderbolt
A great album by this British psych/improv ensemble featuring lots of undefined-origin fuzz, chiming synths and drums by Chris Corsano! |
| 10 |  | Radiohead
In Rainbows
Granted, it's a more rounded album than either Amnesiac or Hail To The Thief, but it's also a lot lighter and a lot less inerteresting. Even Radiohead's knack for generally uneasy atmospheres can't save it. But then again, this practictally free, so get it! Now! |
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