Top 10 Albums of 2007

[Streets]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

I still play The Bar Exam non-stop.

Royce and Premo are the truth!

[X*Cell]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

I still play The Bar Exam non-stop.

Royce and Premo are the truth!

me too... Feelin' It '07's first verse is one of the best verses ever dropped in history.

I'm Strapped, Street Hop, Keep on Pushin... and more and more...

along with you, I listen to the mixtape non-stop. It's actually my most-played Mixtape on itunes with 354 plays. Prince Ali's "I Miss 1994" is 2nd with 347.

[Streets]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

me too... Feelin' It '07's first verse is one of the best verses ever dropped in history.

I'm Strapped, Street Hop, Keep on Pushin... and more and more...

along with you, I listen to the mixtape non-stop. It's actually my most-played Mixtape on itunes with 354 plays. Prince Ali's "I Miss 1994" is 2nd with 347.

I gotta ask you,

Do you like non-mainstream music, just because it is not mainstream? Like if an album is good, but gets a lot of spins on the radio, does it knock it down a couple of points. Or does an album that 3 people in the universe have heard about make it more appealing? I ask this mainly because you have a lot of underground MC's on your list, and I noticed Consequence got a top 10 nod, but Graduation didn't. Graduation is a damn good album, mainstream or not, and I imagine if Consequence dropped it as his rookie effort instead of DQYDJ, it'd get top 5 status. I've only heard one song by Big Shug (Punchout) and the Consequence album, but wasn't impressed with Shug as an Emcee or Consequence's album as a whole (it was ehhh). I thought all of Chicago's big three (Common, Kanye, and now that I'm giving it a lot more spins, Lupe) deserved to be on the list along with Kweli. Just wondering if their mainstream appeal hurt them in your ranking.

Eminem: King Mathers

Yeah, when did this drop?

[skitch]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

No love for I-Empire by Angels & Airwaves?

[X*Cell]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

I gotta ask you,

Do you like non-mainstream music, just because it is not mainstream? Like if an album is good, but gets a lot of spins on the radio, does it knock it down a couple of points. Or does an album that 3 people in the universe have heard about make it more appealing? I ask this mainly because you have a lot of underground MC's on your list, and I noticed Consequence got a top 10 nod, but Graduation didn't. Graduation is a damn good album, mainstream or not, and I imagine if Consequence dropped it as his rookie effort instead of DQYDJ, it'd get top 5 status. I've only heard one song by Big Shug (Punchout) and the Consequence album, but wasn't impressed with Shug as an Emcee or Consequence's album as a whole (it was ehhh). I thought all of Chicago's big three (Common, Kanye, and now that I'm giving it a lot more spins, Lupe) deserved to be on the list along with Kweli. Just wondering if their mainstream appeal hurt them in your ranking.



Yeah, when did this drop?

lol, umm... that's a good question man. And I get it a lot.

I don't try to hold bias against mainstream artists, but I would be lying if I said I don't give it as much as a chance to even sit down and listen to.

I have Common and Kanye's albums... two SOLID albums... but this is what happened. Kanye's album got real old fast. When everyone in your dorm hall is playing "Good Life" at a constant rate, it loses appeal really quickly. Common's album has been a little more tolerable, but there isn't a single song on that album that brings me back frequently. It's just an overall solid album.

Consequence's album is kind of the same although it is flawless from front to back, and the skits are hilarious. Kanye produces a lot of the album too, so it's a definite fact that I don't hold prejudices against mainsteam artists... its just that the radio and everyone else who searches for music half-assed overplay guys like Kanye until you can't take listening to any song on the album anymore.

I don't like Lupe Fiasco... Food & Liquor was NOT good. I still have to listen to "The Cool" but I'm not hard-pressing myself to do it...

btw... SoulStice is from Chicago too... check out "Dead Letter Perfect"

[Streets]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

lol, umm... that's a good question man. And I get it a lot.

I don't try to hold bias against mainstream artists, but I would be lying if I said I don't give it as much as a chance to even sit down and listen to.

I have Common and Kanye's albums... two SOLID albums... but this is what happened. Kanye's album got real old fast. When everyone in your dorm hall is playing "Good Life" at a constant rate, it loses appeal really quickly. Common's album has been a little more tolerable, but there isn't a single song on that album that brings me back frequently. It's just an overall solid album.

Consequence's album is kind of the same although it is flawless from front to back, and the skits are hilarious. Kanye produces a lot of the album too, so it's a definite fact that I don't hold prejudices against mainsteam artists... its just that the radio and everyone else who searches for music half-assed overplay guys like Kanye until you can't take listening to any song on the album anymore.

I don't like Lupe Fiasco... Food & Liquor was NOT good. I still have to listen to "The Cool" but I'm not hard-pressing myself to do it...

btw... SoulStice is from Chicago too... check out "Dead Letter Perfect"

I appreciate the honest response. I wasn't trying to be an *** about it or anything, I was really curious. I know some people get real touchy when you ask about their music tastes.

I head this group "Kids in the Hall" who are apparently from Chicago. I heard a song from them on Pandora radio and really liked it. I want the album "school was my hustle" but don't know where I can get it. I guess I can request it at my usual site (I'll request a SoulStice album and give it a spin too). It seems like Chicago, is really holding Hip Hop down both mainstream and underground, and I'm not just saying that because of the location under my avatar .

I'm curious about what it is you don't like about Lupe. His voice, beats, hooks, flow? Does he just not make good songs? Lupe is probably in my top 5 dead or alive off of the strength of Food and Liquor alone. Like I said in another thread, his wordplay alone does it for me.

Edit: As far as my musical tastes (I know you didn't ask), being an underground fan is alot more work than being a mainstream fan, and I don't have the time to listen to mainstream albums as it is. I have about 5 albums that I still haven't listened to all the way through (some I haven't listened to at all). Beans, Free, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Ghost, Cam double disk, new Budden mix, etc.

[jmood88]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

I appreciate the honest response. I wasn't trying to be an *** about it or anything, I was really curious. I know some people get real touchy when you ask about their music tastes.

I head this group "Kids in the Hall" who are apparently from Chicago. I heard a song from them on Pandora radio and really liked it. I want the album "school was my hustle" but don't know where I can get it. I guess I can request it at my usual site (I'll request a SoulStice album and give it a spin too). It seems like Chicago, is really holding Hip Hop down both mainstream and underground, and I'm not just saying that because of the location under my avatar .

I'm curious about what it is you don't like about Lupe. His voice, beats, hooks, flow? Does he just not make good songs? Lupe is probably in my top 5 dead or alive off of the strength of Food and Liquor alone. Like I said in another thread, his wordplay alone does it for me.

Edit: As far as my musical tastes (I know you didn't ask), being an underground fan is alot more work than being a mainstream fan, and I don't have the time to listen to mainstream albums as it is. I have about 5 albums that I still haven't listened to all the way through (some I haven't listened to at all). Beans, Free, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Ghost, Cam double disk, new Budden mix, etc.

School Was My Hustle was a nice album and their mixtape with Mick Boogie is really good.

[X*Cell]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

I appreciate the honest response. I wasn't trying to be an *** about it or anything, I was really curious. I know some people get real touchy when you ask about their music tastes.

I head this group "Kids in the Hall" who are apparently from Chicago. I heard a song from them on Pandora radio and really liked it. I want the album "school was my hustle" but don't know where I can get it. I guess I can request it at my usual site (I'll request a SoulStice album and give it a spin too). It seems like Chicago, is really holding Hip Hop down both mainstream and underground, and I'm not just saying that because of the location under my avatar .

I'm curious about what it is you don't like about Lupe. His voice, beats, hooks, flow? Does he just not make good songs? Lupe is probably in my top 5 dead or alive off of the strength of Food and Liquor alone. Like I said in another thread, his wordplay alone does it for me.

Edit: As far as my musical tastes (I know you didn't ask), being an underground fan is alot more work than being a mainstream fan, and I don't have the time to listen to mainstream albums as it is. I have about 5 albums that I still haven't listened to all the way through (some I haven't listened to at all). Beans, Free, Alicia Keys, Chris Brown, Ghost, Cam double disk, new Budden mix, etc.

Kidz in the Hall are promising, and I know Chicago has held it down ... I've expressed that to more people than I can count. I don't mind Lupe's voice. My friend compared his voice to Median and it's very similar so I can't hold that against him obviously.

I don't dislike Lupe, I just don't enjoy his songs like a lot of other people do. Another thing with Lupe and it kind of reverts back to your first question to me. When people ask me what kind of music I generally listen to, I say underground Hip-hop, and then they immediately ask if I've heard of or like Lupe Fiasco or Immortal Technique. It annoys me because there are plenty of underground rappers IMO that make better stuff... I don't like I.T. at all, but his protege Akir is tremendous... check out "Legacy" if you can as well.

I hear what you are saying. Underground hip-hop was hard at first to keep track of, but at this point to me, I've become so accustomed to looking at sites that bleed underground rap, that's its really hard for me not to know whatsup.

Not to mention it sure is great to have the new Bishop LaMont and Black Milk album to listen to rather than Chris Brown. GROSS!

[Misfit]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

This has been kind of a funny year for music for me. I didn't buy a lot of new music, but some of the new stuff I did pick up were albums I couldn't wait to get my hands on.

Most notably, and my pick for best of 2007, is...

Danzig - The Lost Tracks of Danzig

I'm a big Glenn Danzig fan so for me this album was like Christmas morning. The songs on it dated back to 1987/88 and as recent as 2004, and with just a couple of exceptions, had never been heard before. There are some tracks that never made it to any previous Danzig albums for a reason, but there are plenty that are stellar and some that I would consider top 10 or 20 Danzig tracks. And with 24 tracks you're certainly getting a ton of Danzig. The best tracks (in order of appearance): Pain is Like an Animal, Angel of the 7th Dawn, Cold Cold Rain, Warlok, Crawl Across Your Killing Floor, Bound by Blood, Dying Seraph.

That is really the only album I picked up that I would consider worthy of being a top 3 or 5 album (and for me, a clear number 1, but I'm biased). Another interesting album (and certainly worthy of top 10 status) would be...

Devin Townsend - Ziltoid the Omniscient

It's a quirky concept album where everything is done by Townsend, a true one-man show. He did use a drum machine for it but everything else is played by him and the characters are all voiced by him. The album tells the story of Ziltoid the 4th dimensional being coming to earth to seek out their finest cup of coffee. It's corny humor but effective. Some standout tracks include: Hyperdrive, Planet Smasher, and Color Your World.

The other stuff I was really looking forward to were the two Avantasia EP's Lost in Space part 1 and 2. While both contain some killer tracks (Promised Land would be my pick for metal song of the year), in the end they're both EP's and not really worthy of being a top album of the year or anything like that. They just serve as a nice sampling of what's to come next year when the full length Scarecrow album hits.

I have not heard the new 3 Inches of Blood or Lake of Tears yet, which are both bands I enjoy, so my 2007 is still incomplete.

[eXperiment63]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

Haha... hahahahahaha. I just went and listened to Promised Land because of your post. Power Metal? Hahahahahaha.

Now, I do appreciate the musicianship, and just the raw natural ability required to make that music, but it isn't my cup of tea. Unless, of course, you're talking Sabaton because they have a bass vocalist... And his voice with that music is just HILARIOUSLY entertaining!

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

Avantasia is a decent band. They aren't on my preferred list, but they are very listenable.

[Gibbz]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

I didn't really like any '07 albums. The Avenged Sevenfold album was garbage and it's probably the best I've heard this year.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

I personally think both 2005 and 2006 were far superior to 2007, but here's my list:

10) The Noisettes - What's The Time Mr. Wolf?
9) Brother Ali - The Undisputed Truth
8) Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
7) The White Stripes - Icky Thump
6) Jason Isbell - Sirens of the Ditch
5) NIN - Year Zero
4) Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
3) El-P - I'll Sleep When You're Dead
2) Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
1) Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga


A handful of albums that I was looking forward to at the beginning of the year were disappointing: Wilco, Chris Cornell, Feist, The Good, The Bad & The Queen, etc.

[Misfit]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

Haha... hahahahahaha. I just went and listened to Promised Land because of your post. Power Metal? Hahahahahaha.

Now, I do appreciate the musicianship, and just the raw natural ability required to make that music, but it isn't my cup of tea. Unless, of course, you're talking Sabaton because they have a bass vocalist... And his voice with that music is just HILARIOUSLY entertaining!

I love "good" power metal, Edguy being my preference (who's lead singer is behind the whole Avantasia project). Like any genre, most power metal bands are bad and tend to be overly cheesey and cliche, but the good ones usually have great melodies and hooks and I appreciate a singer with some pipes. Avantasia is kind of the exercise in excess when it comes to power metal, with no better example than the opening track on Avantasia II, "The Seven Angels", clocking in at over 14 minutes with 5 or 6 different lead singers. The new EP's are pretty straight forward though, with the title track being more pop-metal than power metal, but they're enjoyable. "Promised Land" is really one of just two power metal songs to appear across both EP's, the other being "Another Angel Down."

[CM1847]

Re: Top 10 Albums of 2007

10. Feist : "The Reminder"
9. Iron & Wine : "The Shepard's Dog"
8. The Shins : "Wincing The Night Away"
7. The White Stripes : "Icky Thump"
6. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists : "Living With The Living"
5. Radiohead : "In Rainbows"
4. Spoon : "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
3. Modest Mouse : "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank"
2. Arcade Fire : "Neon Bible:
1. The National : "Boxer"

I think it was a pretty good year overall, my top 6-8 of this year are all better than all but 3 albums I heard from 2006, and "Boxer" is my favorite release since 2004.