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Full Archive of the Year's Best CDs

Explore dozens of lists on the best music of 2007, from NPR and stations. 

 

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NPR Listeners Pick the Year's Best CDs, From All Songs Considered

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Listen to show [1 hr 42 min 33 sec]

Tens of thousands of listeners voted in the All Songs Considered poll for the year's best CDs. It was tight for much of the race, but in the end, Radiohead's In Rainbows was an overwhelming winner as 2007's most popular album.

 

NPR Listeners Pick the Year's Best CDs, From All Songs Considered

Cover for Under the Blacklight

25.

Artist: Rilo Kiley
Album: Under the Blacklight

Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight was one of the year's most anticipated records. The band had built a huge following, but a major-label contract provided a chance for a lot more exposure. Judging from its poor showing in our poll, we're guessing that a lot of people heard a few good songs, but were generally disappointed.

Song: "The Moneymaker"

 
Cover for Alright, Still

24.

Artist: Lily Allen
Album: Alright, Still

Lily Allen's pop masterpiece was a smash when it was released in the U.K. in the summer of 2006. Most of her music was on MySpace then, as well. The U.S. release was a bit anticlimactic -- it wasn't released until January 2007 -- and by the time of this poll, the record felt old. Still, this is a great CD.

Song: "Alfie"

 
Cover for Con

23.

Artist: Tegan and Sara
Album: Con

Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie co-produced this album by the duo of twin sisters from Canada. The Con has a sound seemingly inspired by '80s power pop.

Song: "Hop a Plane"

 
Cover for Flying Club Cup

22.

Artist: Beirut
Album: Flying Club Cup

A lush and beautifully arranged album, The Flying Club Cup draws heavily on songwriter Zach Condon's love of Balkan music.

Song:"St. Apollonia"

 
cover for easy tiger

21

Artist: Ryan Adams
Album: Easy Tiger

Ryan Adams is so prolific that it's easy to lose track of his individual albums: One can easily blur into the next. But NPR listeners found a lot to love on Easy Tiger, one of the singer's strongest efforts in years.

Song: "Goodnight Rose"

 
Cover for The Stage Names

20.

Artist: Okkervil River
Album: The Stage Names

Okkervil River's The Stage Names is a stunning and soaring collection of songs that examine the consequences of celebrity and pop culture. Wonderful wordplay and cinematic tales from songwriter Will Sheff, with music that's upbeat and smart.

Song: "Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe"

 
Cover for Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

19.

Artist: Josh Ritter
Album: Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter

The sound of Josh Ritter's most mature album to date was as bold as the title. For Historical Conquests, he tossed his guitar aside and wrote songs on piano instead, hoping for something new. It worked, yielding some of Ritter's most inspired songwriting.

Song: "To the Dogs or Whoever"

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    • CD:
    • Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
    • Artist : Josh Ritter
    • Label: V2
    • Released: 2007
     
     
     
 
Cover for Cassadaga

18.

Artist: Bright Eyes
Album: Cassadaga

On Cassadaga, Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst further explores his love of roots and country-flavored rock, with more production polish than heard on previous records.

Song: "No One Would Riot For Less"

 
Cover for Cease to Begin

17.

Artist: Band of Horses
Album: Cease to Begin

Band of Horses moved from a grittier indie-rock sound to a more Southern feel on Cease to Begin. For many fans, it was a huge step forward from the band's 2006 debut, Everything All the Time.

Song: "Detlef Schrempf"

 
Cover for Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

16.

Artist: Of Montreal
Album: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?

The Athens, Ga., band Of Montreal continues to impress with its swirling synths and tangled wordplay. Hissing Fauna also boasts one of the year's best album covers, with packaging that unfolds like origami.

Song: "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse"

 
Cover for Kala

15.

Artist: M.I.A.
Album: Kala

This was a fan favorite and a favorite for NPR reviewer Will Hermes who notes that M.I.A. "manages to critique and celebrate modern hip-hop in a single indelible line. She understands full well that in America, as in the world over, audiences love a charismatic outlaw."

Song: "Paper Planes"

 
Cover for Challengers

14.

Artist: The New Pornographers
Album: Challengers

In a strong year for Canadian artists, The New Pornographers continued to stand out as a leader. Challengers' melodic and thoughtful pop masterpieces feature more textures and layers than ever.

Song: "Myriad Harbor"

 
Cover for Sound of Silver

13.

Artist: LCD Soundsystem
Album: Sound of Silver

Rock and dance pop intermingle with a sense of humor on LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver. "North American Scum" is a hilarious example of body-shaking, head-rattling music.

Song: "North American Scum"

 
Cover for Shepherd's Dog

12.

Artist: Iron & Wine
Album: Shepherd's Dog

Iron and Wine's Shepherd's Dog was a surprising turn from the whispery folk of earlier albums. Frontman Sam Beam explores his eclectic side with forays into psychedelic rock and lush instrumentation

Song: "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car"

 
Cover for Back to Black

11.

Artist: Amy Winehouse
Album: Back to Black

It's been a wild year for Amy Winehouse. A tumultuous personal life has some fans questioning her staying power, but there's no doubting her artistry or her voice on the Motown-inspired Back to Black.

Song: "Rehab"

 
Cover for Armchair Apocrypha

10.

Artist: Andrew Bird
Album: Armchair Apocrypha

Andrew Bird made one of the year's most subtle works of art. Not as brash as other albums, Armchair Apocrypha features delicate, handmade songs built around Bird's trademark violin work and world-class whistling.

Song: "Imitosis"

 
Cover for Boxer

09.

Artist: The National
Album: Boxer

The National wins the prize for clever time-signature trickery, setting different rhythms against one another on Boxer's opening track, "Fake Empire." It sets the tone for a near-perfect collection of introspective late-night rock songs.

Song: "Green Gloves"

 
Cover for Wincing the Night Away

08.

Artist: The Shins
Album: Wincing the Night Away

The Shins returned this year with what many considered a long-overdue album. Four years after releasing the incredibly popular Chutes Too Narrow, the band survives the pressure and expectations by picking up where it left off. Wincing the Night Away is full of jangly, heartfelt pop.

Song: "Phantom Limb"

 
Cover for We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

07.

Artist: Modest Mouse
Album: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

On We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Modest Mouse stands its ground as one of the most original bands making music today. It's filled with surprising music and words, led by the distinctive voice of Isaac Brock and the addition of Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr.

Song: "Parting of the Sensory"

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    • CD:
    • We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
    • Artist : Modest Mouse
    • Label: Epic
    • Released: 2007
     
     
     
 
Cover for Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

06.

Artist: Spoon
Album: Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Spoon frontman Britt Daniel makes meticulously crafted pop songs. His attention to detail results in a tight, if oddly titled, album that bounces and sways from track to track, and even surprises every now and then.

Song: "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb"

 
Cover for Icky Thump

05.

Artist: The White Stripes
Album: Icky Thump

Some critics dismissed Icky Thump as a hit-and-miss minor work for The White Stripes. But NPR listeners loved Jack White's jagged guitar solos and Meg White's elemental drum work enough to put the band in the Top 5.

Song: "Icky Thump"

 
Cover for Sky Blue Sky

04.

Artist: Wilco
Album: Sky Blue Sky

Much less experimental than recent work, Sky Blue Sky shows Wilco returning to the more straight-ahead, folk and country-flavored rock of the band's earlier days. The addition of guitarist Nels Cline for this recording attracted as much attention as Jeff Tweedy's laid-back songs.

Song: "Hate it Here"

 
Cover for Reminder

03.

Artist: Feist
Album: Reminder

Few singers can hold listeners' attention as effectively as Leslie Feist. TV ads for Apple made her song "1 2 3 4" (co-written by New Buffalo's Sally Seltmann) a huge hit. But collectively, The Reminder runs much deeper, both in its mysterious sound and in its soulful meditations on love and loss.

Song: "I Feel it All"

 
Cover for Neon Bible

02.

Artist: Arcade Fire
Album: Neon Bible

Arcade Fire spent much of the poll swapping with Radiohead for first place before settling in at second. But Neon Bible is no less impressive in its majestic wall of richly orchestrated sound. Political and passionate, it shines light on the darker side of humanity without seeming overly overt or self-righteous.

Song: "Antichrist Television Blues"

 
cover for in rainbows

01.

Artist: Radiohead
Album: In Rainbows

They're the biggest band in the world for some and the most overrated for others. But with In Rainbows, Radiohead did something no other major player did this year. It wasn't just the group's decision to more or less give the album away as a download, or its decision to work without a record label. It was the care Radiohead took to produce In Rainbows, sculpting a three-dimensional sonic landscape unlike any other.

Song: "Nude"

 

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View all archived episodes

 
 

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