OK, this list was hard. Very hard. Oh well….here goes:

#5. Jonny Greenwood – There Will Be Blood [Soundtrack]

Usually it’s only after I see a film that I become interested in its soundtrack. However in this case, the soundtrack was one of the first things that interested me in this film (which I still haven’t seen). One of the things I’ve been finding myself more and more intrigued by is the so-called modern (or post-modern) leanings of contemporary classical composers of the last, say, 75 years or so. Mozart and Bach would probably be rolling over in their graves if they were to hear the dissonant and atonal aspects of this composition, but I find it strangely beautiful in its austerity.

#4. Field Music – Tones of Town

I first heard this band while driving and listening to KCRW right here in Los Angeles. It was one of those moments where I made an instant mental note of what time it was so when I got home, I could look up the band’s information. I love the pop melodies, the vocal harmonies that characterize this album. The word “fun” only begins to describe this album.

#3. Explosions in the Sky – All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

I’ve never been a fan of instrumental rock (especially when it one could describe it as experimental). Either intrinsically dull or else impossibly hard to follow, listening to guitars, drums, and synths has never really appealed to me. However, listening to the strangely atmospheric and at times even haunting solos made me fall in love with this album. It’s simultaneously an album that you can both sit and listen intently to or just play in the background as you study for upcoming exams (or create lesson plans).

#2. Elliot Smith – New Moon

What does indie/folk singer-songwriter Elliot Smith have to do with several rap stars of the late 90s? Not much except an uncanny ability to release albums posthumously. In this case, the album release comes from a period of time when Smith was writing and recording some magnificent work. Why most of these tracks were never released, I’ll never know, but I’m certainly grateful that someone finally got around to it.

#1. The Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

I’d been hearing about this album for weeks. I’d heard the hype, which honestly, kind of turned me off. And on first listen, I wasn’t that impressed. Yet, as I listened time and time again, I found myself drawn more and more into the floating chord progressions, the dynamic motif changes, and the simultaneously intricate and immense instrumentation. This is an album that I hope to find myself listening to much past 2007!

And there you have it, the five best albums of 2007! And you can listen to tracks from them right here!!!