EAR FARM's Top 15 Albums Of 2007

This is a re-post of EAR FARM's Top Albums Of 2007 list. Regular posting will resume Wednesday, the 2nd of January. Be sure to read the reader-decided 100th 8+ if you haven't already. Otherwise, have a look at EAR FARM's Tops of '07 Lists below and feel free to share your thoughts, criticisms, and/or your own lists.

Here's hoping you have a very happy New Year, and we'll see you in 2008!

What you'll find below is a list of our "top" 15 albums released in 2007. What does this mean? Favorites? Bests? Both, yes. These are the bests of our favorites. The most favorite-bests. We worked together as a team to come up with a list we both agreed on, fought and clawed for our favorites, and had to let go of some of them for the greater good. Ultimately, we're extremely pleased with the list we've come up with. So, after you check out the teaser list below, have a look at the big list inside by clicking through to continue reading/view comments. Once there, click the title of the album to purchase it, click the artist's name to go to their site, click the (+) to read what a variety of critics have to say, and click on the song name to listen to an MP3 from the respective album. As always, we welcome you to comment, complain, leave your own "tops of '07" list, or tag the comments to this post with graffiti.

EAR FARM's Top Albums Of 2007 #'s 15-11
15. Let's Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav
14. Red Album by Baroness
13. Marry Me by St. Vincent
12. Autumn of the Seraphs by Pinback
11. Eardrum by Talib Kweli


EAR FARM's Top 15 Albums Of 2007

15. Let's Stay Friends by Les Savy Fav (+) - listen: "Patty Lee"
The real star of this album is guitarist Seth Jabour. Alternating between understated rhythms lurking at the back of the mix to insanely catchy lead lines dictating the entire direction of a given song, he gets my "Slash Award" for 2007. This isn't in recognition of technical virtuosity but rather for stuffing an entire album full of guitar parts that I can whistle along to from memory (except I can't whistle, so maybe just hum). Top to bottom, this is a really fun, uplifting, fist-pumping party album. - Mike

14. Red Album by Baroness (+) - listen: "The Birthing"
Red Album is 2007's finest metal album and one I'm pretty sure you'd love if you only gave it a chance. I know, you scoff. You're ready to skip over this album because you don't need metal in your life. Oh but you do! And on this record Baroness has crafted an album that's just as heavy as it is ethereal, just as balls out riff-rocking as it is accessible. A metal album that's not very far off from what you might expect to hear from Isis, and yet entirely "Southern" and even partially "indie rock-ish". Huh? Trust me. For those about to rock, look no further. - Matt

13. Marry Me by St. Vincent (+) - listen: "Now Now"
After spending time as a member of Sufjan Stevens' band and the Polyphonic Spree, Marry Me finds Annie Clark (St. Vincent) bursting into the music world like an excited child who's just returned from the zoo. While the record could've ended up sounding like an overly anxious artist's long awaited (messy) moment in the sun, Marry Me is anything but. Instead, it's a near-flawless debut and I can't wait for the follow up. - Matt

12. Autumn of the Seraphs by Pinback (+) - listen: "Good To Sea"
When I heard grumblings that this was just like every other Pinback album I thought, "you mean it's filled with interlocking rhythms executed with swiss-clock precision beneath a bed of minor-chord hooks and twisting harmonies?", before leaving a vapor trail in my midst on the way to the record store. Knowing Rob Crow's tastes, if their last album was titled Summer in Abaddon and this one Autumn of the Seraphs, what are the odds their next one will be Winter in Middle Earth? - Mike

11. Eardrum by Talib Kweli (+) - listen: "The Perfect Beat (feat. KRS-One)"
A two sided truth: I'm calling Eardrum 2007's best hip-hop album (yep, better than recent records from El-P and Pharaohe Monch) but it's possible that it could've been even better if Kweli (and his army of producers and guest stars) had been more stingy with the number of tracks included on the record. That's not to say there are bad songs dragging the album down, just that there was really no need to max out all 80 minutes on this CD by pumping it full of 20 tracks. It's perhaps the most disjointed and sprawling album on this list of great albums. So what I recommend is to split it in half, split it in thirds, listen to one song each day for the next three weeks - take it in in whatever way works for you, but whatever you do, don't miss it. The production and guest appearances are top notch and Kweli really goes above and beyond with his delivery/flow and, most of all, with his lyrics. The best in the business. - Matt

10. Strawberry Jam by Animal Collective (+) - listen: "Derek"
As they've gotten more popular, the fidelity of Animal Collective albums has improved drastically. Listen to Spirit They're Gone, Spirit They've Vanished next to Strawberry Jam and the difference is startling. I always identified the lo-fi soupy sonics of their previous albums as just another signature element of their sound, and when the sparkling-clean production of Strawberry Jam power-washed these imperfections away, it left me a bit cold. BUT, coming back to this album recently I realized that all along I guess I secretly wanted their older albums to sound better and bigger to do their songs proper justice. Guess what? Strawberry Jam does just that, and the album cooks as a result. It's also perhaps their most accessible effort as well. - Mike

9. Fort Nightly by White Rabbits (+) - listen: "While We Go Dancing"We considered doing a nerdy list of best song sequences within albums, and for me that idea was partially born from listening to tracks 3-7 on Fort Nightly on continuous loop. And this isn't to suggest the album is front-loaded either, it's just THAT good. From songwriting and arrangements to instrumentation and delivery, this is an incredibly strong full-length debut. Good songs prevail. - Mike

8. All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone by Explosions In The Sky (+) - listen: "It's Natural To Be Afraid"
I'm not a long-time fan of this band, but I know people who are. And I know they probably don't consider this the "best" album from Explosions In The Sky, but I'll tell you what: they're wrong. All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone is Explosions at their pinnacle, they've totally perfected their signature dramatic post-rock formula to create one of the most solid and complete works of art of any kind to come out in 2007. With tonal and melodic themes that seamlessly run throughout, it flows almost more like a symphony than a rock record. Listen to this alone, listen to it while driving, listen to it with headphones on, or listen on your stereo and wake up the neighbors. However you chose to experience this record, beware. Because if you let it, it will completely take over. - Matt

7. Friend Opportunity by Deerhoof (+) - listen: "The Perfect Me"
Possibly better than The Runners Four, possibly Deerhoof's finest album, but not my favorite of theirs. It is, however, much better than most of the records released this year and has more than its fair share of fantastic/genius moments. - Matt

What a shame this was released way back in January. If they had pushed it to coincide with "blog awards season" like Oscar contenders do every fall, Friend Opportunity would probably be at the top of most lists, EAR FARM included (and c'mon, inclusion on these lists is comparable to winning an Oscar, right?). As it stands, this is just another run-of-the-mill Deerhoof album, meaning it's a kaleidoscopic cocktail of ingenious time shifts, starts, stops, freak-outs and childlike melodies that will knock you flat on your ass. I will always be anxiously awaiting whatever Deerhoof does next. - Mike

6. Friend And Foe by Menomena (+) - listen: "The Pelican"
I've been told to check out this band in the past, I didn't listen. But for some reason one day at work I threw this album on and was hooked immediately. By what? By the rhythm and melody, rhythm... and melody. And also by the fact that this is one of the finest (pure) indie rock records I've heard since Funeral. Tops. And also, gotta love the sax work. - Matt

Two of my closest friends whose taste in music I will never question had been oohing and ahhhing about Menomena - and this album in particular - for quite some time. Late to the party as always (I also had cable tv taken away from me as a kid), the high expectations I already had for Friend And Foe increased even more upon nerding out to their incredible album art. So basically I was sold before I even pressed play. Turns out the album sounds incredible too. My friends are smart. - Mike

5. Person Pitch by Panda Bear (+) - listen: "Take Pills"
Unlike most of the music dork world I didn't fall for this album in a big grand 'love at first listen' moment. I knew it was great, but I avoided overdoing it for the most part and took it in small doses. I'm glad for that. And though seeing Lennox perform (and by perform I mean ruin) Panda Bear material live nearly destroyed my appreciation of what he's accomplished here, it simply couldn't because the album is so damn good. - Matt

I must have listened to this for three weeks straight when it first came out. I listened to it in the car, on the subway, at my desk and even while watching NCAA March Madness (on mute) on television. Therefore, it's entirely my fault and not Noah Lennox's that Person Pitch gradually lost some of its magic as the year wore on. Listening to it again, traces of its original irresistible charm still come through, and if we were making this list according to how we felt upon first hearing an album this would no doubt be my numero uno. - Mike

4. Sky Blue Sky by Wilco (+) - listen: "You Are My Face"
Whoa whoa whoa, what's with all the "dad-rock" hullabaloo surrounding this album? Really? Guess what? If this is "dad-rock" then fuel up my minivan and put socks under my Birkenstocks because it KICKS ASS. Yes, I too was head-over-heels in love with "experimental phase" Wilco and I kinda sorta feel your pain, but how did Sky Blue Sky become labeled as a simple, paint-by-numbers album? Tweedy may have traded in some of the overt weirdness of his previous two albums for a more coherent and band-oriented sound, but in doing so he managed to capture for the first time on record Wilco's standing as the tightest and most musically gifted rock band in America. - Mike

3. We Are Him by Angels Of Light (+) - listen: "We Are Him"
We Are Him is the best album released in 2007 that nobody is talking about. It's exactly what I'd always hoped for when listening to other Angels Of Light records, what Michael Gira has always hinted at but never quite achieved. It's frightening, difficult, droning, hypnotic, intimate, sprawling, lonely, paranoid, communal, unique, confrontational, abrasive, beautiful, and perfect. It's a good step or ten darker than most Goth rock you'll find kids with black fingernails listening to - it's what The Doors must've sounded like in their peyote fueled dreams, hoping for a sound they never quite realized. It's like Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, but better. The song posted here is simply to offer you a taste; however, this is truly a record to be experienced as a whole. Like a great book, you must work through the album with patience and fortitude and get familiar with its landscape before it will really payoff. And when it does payoff (multiple times throughout the album), I'll betcha dollars to donuts that you end up agreeing with Gira's proclamation that he is, indeed, “the god of this fucking land”. - Matt

2. Boxer by The National (+) - listen: "Mistaken for Strangers"
Alright, go ahead and check me in to hyperbolics anonymous. "Hi, my name is Matt and I like to exaggerate." Right? Oh wait, I haven't offered the proof yet. Here: Boxer is a perfect record. Yeah? Is that good enough? I've only said 'perfect' some 35 times in the last hour. So it seems. Actually, I've only said 'perfect' twice, but then my hyperbolic statement regarding how many times I've recently said the word 'perfect' should be proof enough that I've got an exaggerating problem. We all do. Look, I know it's not going to blow your mind when I tell you this, because it's being said in so many places, but what The National have achieved on Boxer is nothing short of a masterpiece. They one-upped themselves; no actually, they've plain and simply blown Alligator right out of the water. I tried my damnedest to not be one of the many who love this record, thinking that I might retain some fraction of individuality by doing so. How idiotic. You know what? You're right. Boxer is not as good as all of us weenies are saying... it's better. - Matt

I don't have quite the obsession that Matt does with this album and I attribute that to being a bit underwhelmed by seeing them live and having that taint Boxer just in the slightest. That being said, I still spun it on repeat for a 10-hour round-trip car ride and didn't even consider listening to anything else. This is like The Blob of 2007 albums. It slithers and oozes forth and seeps into you and wraps itself around you until you have no choice but to submit and be one with it. - Mike

1. In Rainbows by Radiohead (+) - listen: "House of Cards" + "Up On The Ladder" (from disc 2)
Are you excited to read yet another yokel's opinons about In Rainbows? Gooood. I'll try to keep it somewhat short...and in doing so will go back to 1995. That year a new tradition started with The Bends in which I would try to buy every subsequent Radiohead album on the day of its release (including hunting down Kid A in Australia in 2000). That mini-streak ended with In Rainbows. Not only did I not "buy" it on its "release day", but I didn't even pay anything for it when I did get it. Charlatan! I know I know, let me explain. Having been disappointed all year with the efforts of other heavy-hitters (cough cough Arcade Fire) I couldn't bring myself to be let down by another big band's big release. Now, two months later I can breathe easy again. Isn't it nice and orderly when the best band in the world also delivers the best album of the year? It makes me think all is momentarily right. Now excuse me while I go redeem karma points by purchasing this on vinyl. - Mike

Okay computer, please don't let me mention how Mike needs to hurry up with buying In Rainbows on vinyl before the karma police come after him with knives out; because, I might be wrong but, that would be a bit of a let down for me to pun so poorly... shit, is this thing on? Damn. Remember how awful peoples' puns and references to Radiohead used to be back in the late '90s? I do. It was "ok computer this" and "karma police" that. Ugh. I remember. I also remember how good Pablo Honey was, how great The Bends was, how (here I go again) perfect Ok Computer and Kid A were, how great Amnesiac was, and how Hail To The Thief saw Radiohead (in my mind) return to just simply "pretty great". That's what happens when you set impossibly high standards as a band. Each time Radiohead drops an album I expect perfection, and while I'm not yet 100% sure that In Rainbows is "better" than Boxer, I WILL be sure in mere minutes when I open this package sitting in front of me and finally get to hear this sucker on vinyl with headphones on. UPDATE: No joke, I'm writing this now an hour and a half later. Today I received my special edition In Rainbows box set (all kinds of awesome artwork and packaging along with the album on vinyl (2 discs) and a bonus CD of b-sides) in the mail and it turns out that it was worth the wait, and worth every penny I paid for it. In Rainbows, on vinyl, with proper headphones on, my goodness. Also, disc 2 contains at least four tracks well worth checking out. As a test subject in the great Radiohead marketing/distribution experiment of 2007 I must say that I'm completely satisfied on all levels. But most importantly, the music... In 2007 Radiohead proved, once again, that they're simply in a league of their own. - Matt
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And there you have it. EAR FARM's Top 15 Albums of 2007. Sure, the top two spots might not have shocked anyone, but when there are albums out there as good as Boxer and In Rainbows, what do you expect? That we ignore the truth and force something else into the top spot just to be different? Yes? Okay, well maybe next year. For now you'll have to deal with the list above. Or, if you're still thirsty for even MORE list action, check out the extra bonus lists below.

Beyond that - now it's your turn. Go ahead and offer up your criticisms and questions and name calling and all the whatever you call it... Mostly we'd like to see YOUR "tops of '07" lists, or links to your lists elsewhere, or whatever else you've got for us - so let us have it/them. And, as always, thanks for reading.


10 albums (5 from each of us) that nearly made EAR FARM's top 15

5. Dandelion Gum by Black Moth Super Rainbow - From the first note this album pulls you, floating and weightless, past tangerine trees and marmalade skies as if you're a character in one of Timothy Leary's dreams. My God, the SYNTHS! - Matt

Listen: "They Live In the Meadow"

4. In Advance Of The Broken Arm by Marnie Stern - I'm not the first person to say so, but if this album were 6 songs shorter it'd be a masterpiece of an EP. 'Addition by subtraction' is my key phrase of suggestion to musicians for 2008. - Matt

Listen: "Every Single Line Means Something"

3. I'll Sleep When You're Dead by El-P - Paranoid, introspective, sci-fi infused, a near-masterpiece, and the perfect hip-hop soundtrack for nerds who live in the city. - Matt

Listen: "Tasmanian Pain Coaster"

2. Untrue by Burial - An icily stark (in a Martin Hannett kind of way) and dark "dance" record that truly furthers trip hop/garage/dubstep by shining a soft light on what made the genres such underground favourites in the '90s. - Matt

Listen: "Raver"

1. Ire Works by Dillinger Escape Plan - Combining their ferocious chops with a fearless desire to explore elements of prog and hardcore, metal and math-rock, jazz (?!) and (at long last) pop-rock (see the song below), Dillinger Escape Plan have made one of the very best albums of the year. Easily. - Matt

Listen: "Black Bubblegum"

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5. Armchair Apocrypha by Andrew Bird - Haunting, shimmering, contemplative, dramatic, and just out-and-out purrty. This album really surprised me and is certainly worthy of all the hype and praise it's received. - Mike

Listen: "Imitosis"

4. The Good, The Bad & The Queen by The Good, The Bad & The Queen - Perhaps unfairly dismissed for failing to sound like a proper "supergroup", the disarmingly relaxed and casual vibe of this album actually works in its favor and throws a relaxed and casual middle finger at those who feel differently. - Mike

Listen: "Green Fields"

3. The Stage Names by Okkervil River - A wonderfully ambitious and rock-solid album that also contains some of my favorite lyrics of the year. You had me at "hundredth luftballon" Mr. Sheff. - Mike

Listen: "Plus Ones"

2. Shaky Hands by The Shaky Hands - Largely ignored, this self-titled debut is an endearingly messy pop postcard from the Pacific Northwest and winner of the "Sounding the Most Like a Sub Pop Album Without Actually Being on Sub Pop" award. - Mike

Listen: "Maker Make"

1. Random Spirit Lover by Sunset Rubdown - A mini masterpiece and overall my favorite record not on the big list above. Spencer Krug has the productivity of Lil' Wayne and the mad genius vibe of Brian Wilson. - Mike

Listen: "The Mending of the Gown"

EAR FARM's Top 7 EPs Of 2007
Arizona - Frameseeker and the Mono
British Sea Power - Krankenhaus?
Dead Confederate - Dead Confederate
Goes Cube - Beckon The Dagger God
Grizzly Bear - Friend EP
The Muggabears - Night Choreography
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - IS IS


10 albums that just aren't our thing, no matter how good everyone else says they are
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Beirut - The Flying Cub Cup
Dan Deacon - Spiderman Of The Rings
Deerhunter - Cryptograms
Dirty Projectors - Rise Above
Justice - †
Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
LCD Soundsystem - Sound Of Silver
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Kanye West - Graduation


10 albums from this year that let us down
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Art Brut - It's A Bit Complicated
Band Of Horses - Cease To Begin
Brakes - The Beatific Visions
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Some Loud Thunder
Dungen - Tio Bitar
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Liars - Liars
Of Montreal - Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga


15 artists whose 2008 album we're really excited about
Ambulance LTD.
The Breeders
British Sea Power
Built To Spill
The Cure
Goes Cube
Guns N' Roses (nudge nudge wink wink)
Islands
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks
Morrissey
Nine Inch Nails
The Secret Life of Sofia
Silver Jews
Tapes 'n Tapes
Wolf Parade

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See also:
- EAR FARM's Top 8+ Posts Of 2007
- EAR FARM's Top Songs Of 2007
- EAR FARM's Top Ten Bands To Emerge in 2007 & Ten To Watch Out For in 2008
- EAR FARM's Top Concerts of 2007

EAR FARM's Top 15 albums of 2006 (and more)

This is a re-post of EAR FARM's top albums list. Regular posting will resume tomorrow.

Last year, I posted EAR FARM's Top 15 albums of 2005 on December 1st and then returned at the end of the year to re-post the list with some comments and links to songs. This year I've decided to give you all of the goods at one time, dig? What you'll find below are my "top" 15 albums released in 2006. What does this mean? Favorites? Bests? Both, yes. These are the bests of my favorites. The most favorite-bests.

Click the title of the album to go buy it, click the artist's name to go to their site, click the (+) to read what some critics have to say, and click on the song name (songs no longer available here - sorry) to listen. As always, please feel free to comment, complain, leave your own "tops of '06" list, or tag the comments to this post with graffiti.

15. A New Dope by 7L & Esoteric (+) - listen: "Daisycutta"
The songs here are filled with influences both underground and old school while the beats and production are adventurous and interesting enough to whet the appetite of most rap fans. It's a solid album from first song to last with a refreshing lack of throwaway tracks (such as "skits" and the like) and a guest appearance by Kool Keith, but what really makes this album stand out for me are the clever lyrics and smart samples.

14. Rabbit Fur Coat by Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins (+) - listen: "The Big Guns"
This was the first album that I got in 2006 that made me think "hey, this just might show up on my year end list". Well here we are and here it is. Rabbit Fur Coat is a triumphant solo debut for Jenny Lewis and is easily one of the best country/folk records of the year. I really like every song on the album and "The Big Guns", "You Are What You Love", and "Rabbit Fur Coat" are three of my favorite songs of the year by any artist.

13. Let's Get Out Of This Country by Camera Obscura (+) - listen: "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken"
This is the sound of Camera Obscura fully growing into themselves. The sound of a band looking back to '60s pop while constantly moving forward along the fine line between happy and melancholy. It's an album full of "I Will Survive"s for the quiet and cute book nerd set and it's an album you're going to have a hard time saying no to.

12. Show Your Bones by Yeah Yeah Yeahs (+) - listen: "Phenomena"
Great live shows tend to center my focus on a band, and/or an album, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs show I saw at Bowery in February did just that. I was blown away by the band (and mesmerized by Karen O) and spent much of the Spring listening to Show Your Bones. In my opinion, it's a better album than Fever To Tell and a fine portent of what lies ahead for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

11. Blood Mountain by Mastodon (+) - listen: "Colony Of Birchmen"
Was 2006 the year of metal? For me it was. I dusted off albums by Slayer, Metallica, and Sabbath and headbanged my way home from work to great new releases from Isis, Tool, and Ministry. However, if I had to pick just ONE metal album to put on this list...just one that's a bit better than all the others...it would easily be Blood Mountain. With this album Mastodon has restored my faith in new (not nu) metal bands continuing to release really excellent rockyourfuckingfaceoff music. If you ever wake up from your Beirut/Cat Power/Joanna Newsom coma, give this album a listen to remind yourself what it feels like to be alive. I dare you.

10. Jarvis by Jarvis Cocker (+) - listen: "Black Magic"
When I first listened to this album only two tracks really stood out. Now, the more I listen the more I can hear how brilliant the entire record is - it's almost like the proper follow-up to This Is Hardcore that we all had hoped We Love Life was going to be. Sure, there aren't any old school Pulp anthems for the posers to hang their hats on but there's more than enough on Jarvis to get the crowd gasping at Cocker's masterful control of all things musical.

9. Yellow House by Grizzly Bear (+) - listen: "On a Neck, on a Spit"
Grizzly Bear's album Yellow House is a master class in songwriting, production, and the creation of an album (rather than just a collection of songs). It's beautiful and near the top of my list of best headphone albums of the year.




8. Six Demon Bag by Man Man (+) - listen: "Van Helsing Boombox"
Perhaps you have to be of a certain type (open to oddity) to fully enjoy the Man Man experience but I can think of few other bands that kicked so much ass, both live and on record, in 2006 the way Man Man did. The only reason this album is at #8 instead of in the top three is that I might've overdone it and listened to Six Demon Bag a bit too much.

7. Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse (+) - listen: "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)"
Times like these are when I feel like a lemming/robot. YES, I LIKE CLIPSE BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE LIKES THEM. I MUST PUT ONE RAP RECORD ON MY LIST TO SEEM OPEN TO OTHER KINDS OF MUSICS. THE WHOLE WORLD SAYS THIS IS GOOD - I AGREE. It's not like that though. I love rap when it's good and this is great. Seriously. It's as good as they all say. Shit, it's better. And yes, I think it's quite a bit better than Ghostface's Fishscale. Come on, WAMP WAMP...what it do, what it do...WAMP WAMP.

6. Ships by Danielson (+) - listen: "Did I Step On Your Trumpet"
This was the first album I heard this year that got me thinking "damn, this is a masterpiece". I've stepped back a bit from that assessment but there's no question in my mind that Ships is one of the best albums of the year. It might take a certain kind of open-mindedness to music to fully enjoy what Daniel Smith and crew have achieved here but I think it's near perfection.

5. The Life Pursuit by Belle & Sebastian (+) - listen: "Another Sunny Day"
When Eric up and told me that The Life Pursuit is Belle & Sebastian's best album yet I laughed in his face. Ha ha silly tall man, no WAY it's better than If You're Feeling Sinister. Wrong I was to taunt so quickly. While I'd not go as far as to say this album is better than If You're Feeling Sinister I will say it's gotten me loving Belle & Sebastian again. In fact, I was downright shocked at how good The Life Pursuit is, considering how much I disliked their previous two efforts.

4. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio (+) - listen: "Wolf Like Me"
I've said it before but, TV On The Radio pushes boundaries and challenges listeners and I love them for that. They're creatively creating music in a world full of mindless mimicry, so bravo to them. The only thing keeping this album from being higher on my list is that I don't want to have it at number one like everyone else. Noooo, that's not it. It's that I find it a bit tough to listen to in one sitting. It's true. In fact, I find it better to listen in three song spurts...small doses. Like that extra spicy Sriracha.

3. Classics by Ratatat (+) - listen: "Wildcat"
"The Laker girls need to be taken down a peg or two..." If there's someone following me around every day shooting a secret movie with me as the star, I sure hope this whole album is the soundtrack. I'm not being paranoid or anything I'm just saying. Just in case. Because it's perfect for that. Perfect for any situation. Perfect.

2. Return to the Sea by Islands (+) - listen: "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby"
The Unicorns made one of my favorite albums of the '00s and then split up. Assholes. Then Nick and J'aime formed Islands and put on a show at Knitting Factory last year that got me super excited for the Islands debut album. Turns out, the album is everything I could've wanted and more. Perfect pop songs, an opening song over eight minutes in length, a song named for Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, and an overall sound that's akin to Graceland era Paul Simon. Add the fact that they picked artwork by one of my favorite artists for the cover (and a have a soundbyte from an Art Bell show leading off the song "Volcanoes") and it's really a no brainer for Return to the Sea to show up here at number two.

1. The Crane Wife by The Decemberists (+) - listen: visit The Decemberists on MySpace
For their major label debut I expected The Decemberists to (perhaps) phone it in a bit. I mean, it would've been forgiven if they just took the big bag of cash and handed Capitol some tape of Colin singing sea shanties in the shower but that's not what this is. No, this is something else. It's...it's...loss for words, I cannot say. Let's look to Tiny Mix Tapes for some help: "The Crane Wife is God damn amazing. Have I used "amazing" too many times for you? Here's some more adjectives: astonishing, astounding, bewildering, breathtaking, extraordinary, impressive, magnificent, marvelous, remarkable, spectacular, staggering, stunning, stupendous, terrific, wonderful. That should cover it." Yes, okay, I've got it. The Crane Wife is the best album released in 2006. All year I was waiting for a band to put out that one record that totally blew me away. In October, The Decemberists did just that.

There you have it. A pretty gosh darn great year for new music if you ask me. There were quite a few albums that just barely didn't make it into my top 15, some of which you'll see mentioned below. I had a hard time trying to balance between albums that I consider to be very good and the ones that dominated my own ipod/stereo in 2006 but I think I finally got everything sorted nicely. So, go ahead and offer up your criticisms and questions and name calling and all the whatever you call it... Mostly I'd like to see YOUR "tops of '06" lists, so let us have them. Or, if you still need more lists from me, keep reading below.

10 albums that nearly made EAR FARM's top 15:
Annuals - Be He Me
Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Luke Haines - Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
Tool - 10,000 Days
The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off
M. Ward - Post-War

10 albums that just aren't my thing, no matter how good everyone else says they are:
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Beirut - The Gulag Orkestar
Cat Power - The Greatest
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
Girl Talk - Night Ripper
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
The Knife - Silent Shout
The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards

5 albums that let me down:
Built To Spill - You in Reverse
The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics
The Futureheads - News And Tributes
Morrissey - Ringleader Of The Tormentors
The Streets - The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living

18 artists whose 2007 album I'm really excited about:
Animal Collective
Art Brut
Arcade Fire
Blur
British Sea Power
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Cornelius
The Cure
Deerhoof
PJ Harvey
Mancino
M.I.A.
The National
Nine Inch Nails
Other Passengers
Portishead
Radiohead
Wilco