Best albums of 2007?

I should really be turning in my music-geek credentials, looking over the albums I've gotten from this year.

Three great albums from 2007:

Bloc Party: A Weekend in the City - charming, androgynous, politically-acute rock. A lot angrier than their previous outings, and...well, I like it that way. This isn't the 'perfect album' where every song is always listenable, but it came close.

Nine Inch Nails: Year Zero - I love new NIN releases, if just to hear the fans moan about how terrible the new one is and how much better the previous one was. Seriously. Every time. Year Zero, a concept album that actually works, has great songs, and has its musical references practically worn on its sleeve. And it wasn't as murky and introspective as With Teeth ended up being.

Skinny Puppy: Mythmaker - Like Greater Wrong of the Right, but, you know, more consistently good. "Politikil" is one badassed song at eardrum-bursting decibel level. This is as musically-interesting as their previous albums, and a natural progression and refinement of their style. Still, I can't help but wonder how good this album would be if Dwayne Goettel was still around.

(honorable mention: Ministry - The Last Sucker, a seriously badassed album for their last one.)

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Three albums I should be listening to:

Radiohead: In Rainbows - You can, like, decide how much you want to pay for it! It's all easy and stuff! And I just never did it. I've seriously liked every Radiohead album, even moody ones like Kid A that everyone seems to hate.

Neurosis: Given to the Rising - Just found out about this, like, today. The song on their website kicks ass, though.

Shellac: Excellent Italian Greyhound - No one told me there was a new Shellac album! Waaaaaah!

(honorable mention: Einsturzende Neubauten - Alles wieder Offen - anyone listening to this? cr0wgrrl was telling me it seemed actually pretty good. True?)

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Three incredible fucking disappointments (what, only three?)

Queens of the Stone Age: Era Vulgaris - While Lullabies to Paralyze was one of those albums that on first listen to kinda sucked, but the more you listened to it, the more interesting it got, Era Vulgaris still sucked. Two good songs. Points for some social criticism in the lyrics. But not many points. Dull. And it shouldn't have been.

Saul Williams: The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust - god, what an awesome album title. Saul Williams veers wildly for me from genius lyrics and catchy beats to preachy, sonorous, and kind of dull. Despite Trent Reznor's production, this stuff goes too much into The Saul I Find Kinda Dull. And I really, really wanted to like this one.

The Shins: Wincing the Night Away - Well, they were right about the wincing part.

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Three bands/artists I discovered and want more of:

Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip - A new duo from England, some of the most interesting lyrics I've heard backed up by some great beats. But don't take my word for it, here's two youtube videos:

The Beat My Heart Skipped

Thou Shalt Always Kill

Numinous Eye - experimental, psychedelic rock from San Francisco, just a guitarist and a drummer, but really just a drummer. I downloaded The Farthest Thing from emusic.com - and like most experimental stuff, my impressions are pretty mixed. It goes from brilliant songs like "Chasing the Farthest Thing" (& "Trees Have an Ulterior Motive") to earachy near-unlistenable ones like "Apparitions in Smoke", but it's worth hearing the whole album from beginning to end, just to take the whole thing in. Reminds me a lot of the Japanese band Boris. Their website on this link has mp3s of some of the live stuff. I need to hit one of those shows. I really do.

Dethklok - Man. A fake band based on an animated Adult Swim series. But still, the album rocks!


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Here's a list of 2007 releases from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_in_music

What am I missing? What were your favorites?