Some of you may know a certain ex-Station Manager of ours by the name of Ben Vaughn. Well, if you don’t, he looks like this:

Anyway, he released his official top 10 for the world to see, and we would just love to share it with you. You gotta respect it, even if he is dead wrong about Strawberry Jam.
We’ll be releasing our own official Best Of lists a little closer to the year’s end. Stay tuned!
The following contains profanity, so DON’T READ IT NO MATTER WHAT.

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I know it’s a little bit early and there might be a phenomenal December release, in which case this list might need rewriting but in any case I thought it was time to make my list for the top 10 albums of 2007. I want to preface that this is my personal list of favorite albums and while some people may be surprised that there are no lying quadruped talking girl collectives on here, each of these albums deserve recognition as being part of the creme de la creme.

Top 10 Albums Of The Year:

1. Dirty Projectors – Rise Above

I know a lot of people would disagree as this being the best album of the year, but with David Longstreth being, in my opinion, one of the most seminal artists of our time this choice was fairly easy. Rise Above is a re-imagining of Black Flag’s Damaged completely reworked from Dave’s memory. This album is the closest work to the unparalleled live show that he, and his rotating band consistently perform. Be sure you see them live as soon as you can, and remember, they don’t need no fucking delay pedal for this shit.

2. Radiohead – In Rainbows

I know it is fairly redundant to have a Radiohead album in a top ten list, but no matter what has already been said about them this album, this is one of the most infectious and addictive pieces released this year. Once again they have created a piece of work that while exploring new techniques of “pop” music could only have been created by Yorke, Greenwood, and co.

3. Dan Deacon – Spiderman of the Rings

Dan Deacon was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year. Spearheading Baltimore’s now almighty Wham City collective, this album, along with his absurdly fun live show creates a danceworthy experience that is just as beautiful as it is bootyshaking.

4. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala

Jens Lekman is one of the more complex musical arrangers in modern music. At first listen this album seems like a simple breezy pop album but with each listen each layer of musical styling becomes more apparent. Blending Soul samples with Free Design style pop-folk composure and adding at times almost hip-hop drum beats, Jens is able to croon his way into our hearts. Easily one of the best afternoon driving albums in quite some time.

5. El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead

By far my favorite hip-hop album of the year. It’s aggressive, trippy, and chock full of texture. A perfect blend for middle class white kids who fantasize about Spike Lee realities they learned about in film school.

6. The Twilight Sad – Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters

This album is so Scottish it’s almost ironic. From the thick accent of singer James Graham to the Mogwai like levels of thick textured noise. This album is a heartbreaker, but much more energetic and intense than the lethargic stylings of slightly similar country-mates Arab Strap. If I knew how to type a Scottish accent phonetically here is where I would say something funny here to accent my point.

7. Panda Bear – Person Pitch

While I get the feeling that Strawberry Jam will be highly placed on most similar lists, I feel that Person Pitch is by far the most dominant album from the Animal Collective crew this year. This is an album to get lost in with its melodic rhythms and beach boy vocal harmonies, all absolutely soaking with reverb of course. A phenomenal release that was not at all reliant on the gimmicky random noise loop overload that was Strawberry Jam.

8. White Williams – Smoke

Joe Williams is the kind of 23 year old that makes the rest of us look bad. Listening to this album (which was created/played/recorded/mixed entirely by Williams) gives us a chance to hear a true musical maven. Creating music that is just as much Roxy Music as it is Talking Heads or Gary Numan, it is very refreshing to hear an album with a beat and tons of electronics that doesn’t feel unnecessarily flashy.

9. Jose Gonzalez – In Our Nature

Perhaps the best folk album of the year and another reason why it was an excellent year for Swedish music. Gonzalez’s music is just as focused on the inherent textures and nuances of the acoustic guitar as he is with the music it can produce. With excellent lyrical phrasing and hypnotic melodies this album is sure to be stuck in your head for quite some time.

10. A Place to Bury Strangers – S/T

By far the loudest album of the year, this New York band has the distinct ability to keep you in a freak out bliss state while still crushing your eardrums. The band sounds like The Jesus and Mary Chain being cut to pieces with chainsaws by members of Ministry as Kevin Shields jerks off onto his guitar in the corner. Front man Oliver Ackermann splits his time between the band and his aptly named Death By Audio boutique guitar pedal company which helps to explain the level of audio chaos he’s able to create.

Honorable Mentions:

Land of Talk – Applause Cheer Boo Hiss EP
Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
The National – Boxer
David Vandervelde – The Moonstation House Band
Do Make Say Think – You’re a History in Rust
David Karsten Daniels – Sharp Teeth
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Bill Callahan – Woke on a Whaleheart
Battles – Mirrored
Deerhunter – Cryptograms

Best Album Name From A Band I Dislike:

Joanna Newsom – Joanna Newsom & the Ys Street Band EP