Top albums of 2007: 13 & 11

Our relentless storm of year-end coverage continues today with our smallest set of reviews. In the interest of keeping the top 10 intact, we'll stop at 11. Two ties, for 11th and 13th place flesh out this post:


13. Seabear – “The Ghost That Carried Us Away”
7/16 on Morr
When people think of Iceland, they think of Sigur Ros. Nobody thinks of Seabear, an unknown band out of Reykjavik that has quietly released a better experimental folk album than hacks like Devendra Banhart can dream of. This is the very definition of a dark horse - surprise standouts await the listener at every turn. Tasteful, proper, charming, and moving. Absolutely beautiful in its unpretentiousness, “The Ghost That Carried Us Away” wears its heart on its sleeve, to captivating effect.
-PTC


13. LCD Soundsystem – “Sound of Silver”
3/20 on Capitol
Metacritic: 86
Q: 90
Pitchfork: 94
James Murphy is one of the "it" guys in music right now. Nike wants him, he's touring with Arcade Fire, and his name comes up just as quickly as Kanye West where omages to Daft Punk are concerned. From "Sound of Silver", it's hard to see why. Much of the punk flavor from his self-titled debut is gone as Murphy turns heavily toward electronica. For fans of electronica, this is a plus, as sprawling compositions with are embraced over more song-like tracks. Track length increased with additions of longer introductions and extensive codas. All but dropping both halves of his nearly singlehandedly created dance-punk genre has allowed James Murphy to become one of the great electronic composers on the scene.
-RJR


11. Iron and Wine – “The Shepherd’s Dog”
9/25 on Subpop
Metacritic: 84
Pitchfork: 86
NME: 70
Sam Beam has proven his mettle with “The Shepherd’s Dog,” cementing his place among the top echelon of musicians of this decade. Boldly eschewing his safe, finger-picking folk mould, he brings elements of rockabilly, jazz, and soul to this latest release, proving that he is making the music that he wants to make rather than just cranking out the music his fans want to hear. Artistic integrity aside though, it’s a hell of a record to listen to.
-PTC


11. A Place to Bury Strangers – “A Place to Bury Strangers”
8/7 on Killer Pimp
Metacritic: 84
Pitchfork: 84
Approaching the technical sophistication of Liars with twice as much verve and fabulous texture and atmosphere. Explosions in the Sky fronted by Ian Curtis with a shot each of My Bloody Valentine and Jesus and Mary Chain. All these things and more. One of the most visceral releases of the year and just outside the top 10, but damned if I'm going to call them the "loudest band in New York".
-RJR