Hangin' Out In 100b

•   15. Bloc Party, A Weekend In The City
          essential tracks: “The Prayer”, “I Still Remember”
•   14. Kings Of Leon, Because Of The Times
          “Ragoo”, “Fans”
•   13. Architecture In Helsinki, Places Like This
          “Heart It Races”, “Like It Or Not”
•   12. Elvis Perkins, Ash Wednesday
          “While You Were Sleeping”, “May Day!”
•   11. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible
          “(Antichrist Television Blues)”, “No Cars Go”
•   10. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Some Loud Thunder
          “Satan Said Dance”, “Underwater (You And Me)”
•   9. Feist, The Reminder
          “I Feel It All” (mp3), “1234″
•   8. Bonde Do Role, With Lasers
          “Geremia”, “Tieta”
•   7. Kate Nash, Made Of Bricks
          “Foundations”, “Mariella”
•   6. Pop Levi, The Return To Form Black Magick Party
          “Pick-Me-Up Uppercut”, “Dollar Bill Rock”
•   5. The Shins, Wincing The Night Away
          “Turn On Me”, “Australia”
•   4. Jamie T, Panic Prevention
          “Brand New Bass Guitar”, “Sheila”
•   3. Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
          “Dashboard”, “Parting Of The Sensory”, “Steam Engenius”
•   2. The White Stripes, Icky Thump
          “Icky Thump”, “300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues”
          “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn”
•   1. Patrick Wolf, The Magic Position
          essential tracks: all of them.

This list isn’t the same as my usual year-end lists. Normally, I carefully consider and mentally rank things like originality and impact and consistency. Those qualities are all present here but this list is probably more representative of myself than it is of 2007′s offerings. If you think of the albums you listen to as your own personal soundtrack, this list is the soundtrack of my 2007. This is the music I listened to while moving to a new country, the albums I still wanted to play while I went through a brief music slump, the artists that felt good to hear while I was missing my old home and exploring the new one. It’s quite possible that all music is at the mercy of your mindset right at the moment you first hear it – it’s not unreasonable to think that you might at first be unimpressed with a slow or sad album if you’re celebrating good news on a beautiful summer evening. But under different circumstances, you might have loved it instantly.

In any case, these are the albums I loved last year. There are probably others that are better and there a good number that might have appeared here if I had kept up with new releases better. But these are some great albums here, full of magnificent sounds and wonderful voices.

None more so than Patrick Wolf, who I’ve posted about a number of times and whose latest release is one of the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to. Perhaps not since the first time I heard The White Stripes have I been this enthralled with an artist. It is incredibly rare to find a musician with as unique a voice and outlook as Patrick Wolf – his use of industrial beats, electronica, and classical instrumentation still blows my mind ever time I listen to The Magic Position. His blend of music style and influence is unlike anything I’ve ever heard. His voice – his literal singing voice, that is – is absolutely captivating. His lyrics are beautiful yet deceptively simple. “The Magic Position” is, as I said back in May, is a joyous cacophony. “Magpie” is magically melancholy, a fairytale for the haunted. “Let’s Go (Get Lost)” is definitely the most real description of being in love that I’ve ever heard. The Magic Position is the kind of album that reminds you of all the most important things in your life, of both the beauty and the pain in the world, and of the profound effect music can have on you. And you just know that you’ll listen to it forever and never stop being amazed by it.

   Patrick Wolf – (Let’s Go) Get Lost