I must apologize. I realize you thought the flurry of "Best Of 2007" lists was over. And believe me, I know how sick you must be of reading about Justice, Amy Winehouse and Feist. But I'd be doing both you (as a reader of this mag) and myself (as this magazine's music editor) a disservice if I didn't have a final rattle about some stuff that you might have overlooked. Some of this stuff came out too late in 2007 to register on a lot of lists and some of it just plain got missed...



Yeasayer
All Hour Cymbals
(We Are Free)

All Hour Cymbals was released in October to a couple of solid reviews but with little fanfare. Hopefully throughout 2008 this Brooklyn quartet will get some attention. On All Hour Cymbals Yeasayer wield a re-worked brand of art-rock that melds ethnic (African, Celtic, Arabian) inflections with warm, harmonized vocals. The brilliant single "2080" is a mystical trip into groovy vocals (think Rumours-era Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac) and bears a levity that is vacant from so much of today's self-serious indie rock. Yeasayer are unafraid to reference the music they love, and possess the ability to transcend with gorgeous melodies that communicate their true creative spirit.








The National
Boxer
(Beggars Banquet)

With their bold sound of thirty-something white-collar malaise, The National quietly made one of 2007's most enjoyable records. Summing up everyone's distaste with, well, everything, these New Yorkers seemed to block out the static and make a directly affecting rock album. Inspired by Springsteen, vocalist Matt Berninger croons over driving baroque rock. Top notch instrumentation and attention to rhythmic detail propel tracks like "Mistaken For Strangers" and "Apartment Story" past the rest of what 2007 had to offer. Think Leonard Cohen doing post-punk.







Deerhunter
Cryptograms and Fluorescent Grey EP
(Kranky)

Lead vocalist Bradford Cox was nothing short of a media whore in 2007; much writing about Deerhunter covered Cox's bizarre stage antics and his tendency to put his foot in his mouth. Regardless, nothing can deter attention from the gleaming noise on Cryptograms and Fluorescent Grey. Droning shoegaze pop spills from Deerhunter's mouth, while delays, distortion and shimmering spaces of static illuminate the dark caverns that My Bloody Valentine left dark. "Octet" is one of 2007's best moments in music: a simple throbbing bassline loops and loops under clouds of melody, with drums building up around it until finally, the snare kicks in and you picture yourself dancing amidst the haze.








Burial
Untrue
(Hyperdub)

Burial's true identity is unknown and his fans like it that way. Sitting firmly atop the UK's vibrant dubstep scene, he meshes affected soul vocals with skittering, loosely-strung breaks and thick, submerged dub-reggae basslines. Untrue's tracks are blanketed in a moody, atmospheric haze that articulates the grim, dilapidated scenery of South London. "Archangel" opens the album with an inviting rhythm that reveals a soulful vocal pitched up and down - it's a deep, dark version of R&B, minus all the commercial posturing. A brilliant mix of great production and emotional connections - 2007's best electronic record.







Robert Wyatt
Comicopera
(Domino)

62-year-old Robert Wyatt's Comicopera takes a creative gander at personal struggles, love, companionship, politics and mortality. Wyatt's seeming ability to reflect all he feels within Comicopera's three acts is a touching example of how potent his honest-beyond-truth voice really is. Paul Weller and Brian Eno (among others) show up to help and the styles embodied are impressive - jazz, world, acoustic and modern composition are all here, accompanied by electronic embellishments and drones that give Comicopera the quirk that is Wyatt's stamp. "Just As You Are" is a moving heartbreaker. Written by Wyatt's wife, Alfie, it laments Wyatt's struggle with alcoholism over the last two years. With help from Mônica Vasconcelos (singing as a solemn Alfie), it's a tender ballad that illustrates the broken, but universal beauty of Comicopera.







The Ponys
Turn The Lights Out
(Matador)

The Ponys released the best Dinosaur Jr. album of 2007 (Sorry J. Mascis & co., Beyond was good but not great). Fuzzed-as-fuck guitars, a healthy dose of the old reverb and non-stop 1-2 driving drums propel this album back to '93 for a solid reminder of what made Dinosaur Jr. and classic Sonic Youth not only great, but fun as well. Just listen to "Exile On My Street" or "1209 Seminary", this is textbook rock with great hooky riffs and the kind of vocals that you sing along to and make up the words to because a) you can't understand them and b) you don't give a shit, you just want to join in. "Poser Psychotic" and "Turn The Lights Out" are highlights.







Beasts and Superbeasts
Beasts and Superbeasts
(Self Released)

Victoria's sleeper album this year belonged to Beasts and Superbeasts. Led by the intricate finger-picked guitar patterns of vocalist Michael Baker, B&SB sound like the lullaby from a music box built by Will Oldham, Cat Power and Lenny Breau. There are delicate things going on between Baker and Callianne Bachman's vocals, a type of subtle friction that draws you in closer. Opener "Magnesium" sees the two coo over dancing guitar rhythms, eventually unfolding into jazzy post-rock passages that make the song simmer with urgent, peaking rhythms. B&SB are in control of some great ideas on this record - the intro chord phrasing of "If I Was A House" at first sounds quaint with accompanied guitar, but returns with a piano to sound near-menacing. A beautifully intimate introduction of one of Victoria's most promising groups.