best pop music of 2007

Music: VNV Nation: Judgment (2007)

Okie dokie, I'm a little late on my best-of list this year, but other writing obligations and deadlines got in the way. I spent this morning banging this one out, so here goes. If I turn you onto something, please return the favor and recommend me something!

And Also the Trees: (Listen For) The Rag and Bone Man: Jangly-noir deliciousness from the former goth croonmeisters (former like, oh, twenty years ago). Since coming out of retirement, these guys have put out some of the most distinctive and enjoyable albums with a very unique sound. Dramatic, to be sure, a kind of soundtrack for a detective western.

Arcade Fire: Neon Bible: This album has been so critically acclaimed this year anything I write will be superfluous. Even so, one reason to own this album is the song "Intervention": captured in one shot in some famous church with some fabulously old pipe organ, the apocalyptic tone is maintained throughout, building to massive crash: "working for the church while your world falls apart" is pretty much a critique of the ideology of consistency. This album is fucking fantastic, smartly written, interrogates deity but does not dismiss it, is well executed, and for me is tied with the next album for the best of the year. Besides, live these guys sound just as good; this band is phenomenal on all counts.

Blonde Redhead: 23. : Uh, I don't know how to say it, so I'll go down to the least common denominator: FUCKING BRILLIANT. It's certainly derivative of My Bloody Valentine, but much less muddy in production, the vocals are sublime, and the lysergic wafts of sound are thick with God. This album is simply pop divinity, and I worship at it when I need to be reminded why I am such a music junky, to bring me back into the fold. How after that first terrible album this came out I'll probably never know, but when they got born again, so did my ears.

Burial: Untrue: There is a newer, London-based genre of electronica termed "dubstep" that has got my attention: it's broody, it's bass-y, and you can even dance to it. The reclusive artist behind Burial, however, does something really different in the dubstep genre, a kind of ambient dance with moving sound-bites of voice manipulated into a kind of soulful moan or squeal. I cannot quite describe this stuff except to say it's moving, low-key, soulful, and unlike other dubstep artists Burial somehow manages to sound distinctive (you know, like it doesn't come out of a machine, fully formed). It's intricate music.

Cherry Ghost: Thirst for Romance: Although it's hard to admit, I sometimes have a soft spot for moody folk rock (think David Gray). Simon Aldred's relatively new band (the name of which was taken from a Wilco song) pits smart and interesting lyrics up against piano riffs and thick slices of fuzzy, whining guitars. His voice is interesting, a bit gravel-like, but expressive in that earnest sort of way. They probably won't make it big (the lyrics are too interesting and they're British), but they're certainly worth a listen.

Chromeo: Fancy Footwork: You probably already have heard this band, since for a good six months their song "Needy Girl" was featured in a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup commercial. They're sound is decidedly 80s (think of Eddie Grant or Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me), with heavy, up-front bass and supercheesy refrains. They're our contemporary equivalent of Hall and Oates (only they don't sing as well and are not as gay). Fancy Footwork is synthlicious, and if you listen to it for too long you'll be overcome by an irresistible urge to crimp your hair and wear leg-warmers.

De/Vision: Noob: After 2006's disappointing Subkutan I had thought De/Vision had finally turned the corner toward adult contemporary; the god-awful lyrics of the opening track, "I'm movin', when I'm on the mic/we're gonna rock you, we're gonna rock you right" has all the signs of cluelessness about cultural idioms. On Noob, however, they retreat to their synthesized sweet spot. Yes, this means they've abandoned the interesting but not-quite-right experimentation with percussion and gone back to Violator-era Depeche Mode, but it sounds more like them. The reworking of the romantic "Love Will Find a Way" is dancefloor delicious.

Digitalism: Idealism: "Glitchy" has finally taken over the electronic dance world, and the best of 2007s crop of dance CDs is Digitalism's new disk, full of hard-beats and crunch highs, with that cool rewind/fastforward/kill-switch sound that will definitely sound dated in two years, but it's so "now" now. "Home Zone" is definitely the stand-out groove here, old school Meat Beat Manifesto meets some mean dude who chants he is "the biggest party ever." Second runner-up is Simian Mobile Disco's new one, which is an uneven treat. Digitalism is solid from start to finish, with nice little transitions between the songs (nothing beats an internal summary!).

Duran Duran: Red Carpet Massacre: Astronaut was a ton of fun (the bedroom toys song is priceless), but Red Carpet is definitely the most stupid, kitschy, and fun DD album to date. What started out as a mediocre band with a fairly pretty and decent singer has now become the slickest pop machine around; even the beats glisten with face polish. Yet the overproduced sound of this album suit the bands new embrace of all things kitsch, which includes a collaboration with Mr. Sexyback himself, Justin Timberlake. Red Carpet thus features some beat-boxing on a couple of tracks; it sounds weird but it works. As artistry goes, this album will not recommend the band to the Hall of Fame. But as pure, delicious trash: you cannot beat it. "Night Runner" is such a stupid song you'll want to work-out to it. Lots of fun, sleazy, ambiguously gay.

Grand National: A Drink and a Quick Question: No one has discovered Grand National in the states, which is a shame because these guys make perfect, late night, relaxed pop melodies. Jangly guitars, funky up-in-the-mix bass lines, a synth line here and there (and on one song, even a Caribbean percussion jive). They sing in hushed tones, and one of them always in falsetto, which gives each track an unexpected punch. Sort of moody, but with a tongue-in-cheek feel. Love this band.

iLiKETRAiNS: Elegies to Lessons Learnt: Slow, somber, ever-building, a soundtrack for the postgoth mope. Slow piano riffs and three-chord strums build, build, build, with strings, sometimes cello, often with a mournful chorus, to the crescendos you expected, but somehow stop just short of satiation. Everything is delightfully predictable, the lyrics, you know, predictable, but still there's something of a continued sweet spot, somewhere between the For Carnation and Mogwai, more instrumentation than the former but less catharsis than the latter. Very British, foggy, resigned. Delightfully depressing.

Interpol: Our Love to Admire: Consistency may be the hobgoblin if little minds, but when you're a band that puts out a good groove, you ought not change it up until you absolutely have reached the end. With Our Love Interpol's brooding, Joy-Division-esque ditties have probably exhausted what's possible (they're going to have to experiment more on the next one), but god, how darkly and gloriously consistent this album is! As the cover demonstrates (a take on the primal scene), what's new here is the humor. With songs like "There's No I in Threesome" and "Rest My Chemistry" its obvious Interpol had a blast writing these songs; most of them are about the death drive beneath the impulse to screw. Good album to have sex to.

Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd: After The Night Falls/Before the Day Breaks I'm a big fan of ambient music, and lately Budd and Guthrie have been going nuts. This is pretty piano/synth and guitar jangly music, no vocals, subtle. Unlike the bulk of music albums these days, this one is mixed and produced the old fashion way (with highs and lows, as opposed to a full on blast for the duration of the song). It sounds best with headphones. And listening intensely may put you to sleep—and that's precisely what they're going for. Brilliantly sleepy.

Nine Inch Nails: Year Zero/Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D Certainly an improvement on Reznor's paean to blow jobs gone bad, With Teeth, his new psy-fi concept album is interesting, enjoyably experimental, and sometimes even steps away from the marching cadence delivery and chants that Reznor has pounded into the ground. I would not have added this album to my best of list, however, were it not for the companion remix album, which is delightfully diverse. What's really cool is that the remix album is coupled with a data disk with all the mix tracks so that you can remix the album yourself on Garage Band or some other computer mixing program. The little-known German industrial outfit Haujobb did this with an EP many years ago, but to my knowledge this is the first time a major recording artist has provided free stuff for DIY experimentation. This stroke, no doubt controversial with the music company, was simply brilliant and earns Reznor many brownie points.

Rilo Kiley: Under the Blacklight: My buddies in the music writing biz have already given me shit for liking this album, but I don't care. They see it as pandering for cash. I see it as fun pop. Rilo Kiley have ditched the alt-country authenticity on this album for synthesizers and bloops and bleeps, but the guitar is still there. It's the kind of album you can imagine being played at a roller skating rink—there's a disco back-beat to a number of tracks (such as the bridge in "Breakin' Up"). Jenny's voice is, again, characteristically delicious and her lyrics are snarky. This is a fun album and a piece of pop perfection. Mean at times, but it's a good-hearted mean.

MSusanna: Sonata Mix Dwarf Cosmos: Norway's Susanna Karolina Wallumrød could probably be compared to Bjork on sedatives, but since she never really screams or shrieks I won't. Instead, I'll tell you that her subtle voice reeks of intimacy and personableness in way that Joni Mitchell's used to (think Blue), a comparison which is more apt because of the dominant piano accompaniment. These songs are so personal and touching, so loving, so smooth, its perhaps one of the best 3 a.m. albums of all time (right up there with Ray Wylie Hubbard's Snake Farm and opposite in mood). It's genius and more pared down. Sonata, frankly, is not as sublime as her previous two albums with the Magical Orchestra---but those are tough acts to beat.

Tegan and Sara: The Con: The harmonies these twin sisters make are so different and so interesting just about anything they do together sounds great. This album, however, hits a level of obscure but nevertheless reflective maturity and musical complexity that the previous do not. They sound like they're singing out their souls---and more than a few songs are rallying cries for the queer in this country: it's tough to be gay, even though it's easier to get along in the world. Even so, with this angry and sweet con, these sisters blow open the closet door (with a nod to mother). Perky, jittery, angular, and stick-in-your-head humable.

Ulrich Schnauss: Goodbye: Schnauss' signature sound is slowly undulating but building waves of electronic, ambient noises that sort of wash over you and then slowly crescendo to heavily treated choral voices. He does this over-and-over in interesting patterns, alternately placid and then jarring. It's the best ambient music out there with popular appeal (as opposed to, say, Between Interval, which is my personal favorite). He'll be scoring the next IMAX movie on the universe or something, so check him out before he becomes the next Boards of Canada.

Underworld: Oblivion with Bells: Hands down this is the bet thing these guys have put out since Dubnobass. It's complex, multi-layered, not all mixed for the dancefloor hypnotic goodness, and this time around they even let themselves go back to those super long mediations and sing through vocoders! This album needs to be played VERY LOUD, great grooves for housecleaning.

VHS or Beta: Bring on the Comets: Pop with disco-beats! Yay disco beats. This one sounds a lot like their second album (which, you know, sounds like their first). I'm running out of reviewing steam, so, suffice it to say if you liked their earlier work, or last years The Rapture album, you'll dig this: synth, cheesy 80s guitar riffs, and handclaps!. Gotta love handclaps.

VNV Nation: Judgment: The only misstep on VNV's return to pre-experimental EBM is "The Farthest Star," which really does sound like one of those Josh Grobin motivational songs set to a dance beat. Ewww. But barring this track (which, I suppose, they wrote in order to pay the bills and justify the other excellent tracks), the album is universally excellent with ballads punctuated by real boot-stompers. The angry "Nemesis" is the filter-sweep dance-floor hit, while "Descent" is that brooding spoken-word song they do. Again, this album is expertly produced and meant to be played LOUD. It's nice to know that as the industrial music scene continues to shrink, there are some quality hold outs: this album still has hammer sounds and random machine noises!

There are many more albums that deserve mention, but this blogging gig is a labor of love and now I must labor for, you know, food in the pantry. If you want more good recommendations, you can check out the best of 2006 list and the best of 2005 list.