1. The National - Boxer

I don't think there's an album released this year (now or upcoming) will compare to 'Boxer'.

Radiohead may or may not release an album this year.

cool man. if it caught your attention early, i'd say you'll definitely like it more with time. and how did i forget Animal Collective's impending?! yes yes! this year is amazing especially if/when R A D I O H E A D aaahhhhh!!

regarding Neon Bible: i saw the last gig of their tour last night and of course that always makes songs sound better, but i really believe these guys deserve the hype. for a sophmore album with the pressure after the brilliance on Funeral, i give them big time credit. there are a couple of stinkers on it for sure, but the good tracks are phenomenal.

now that said, tracks off of Funeral played best. the energy was sick and people were going fucking bananas. such a good show all in all really.

I have to say that after loving Funeral I was slightly underwhelmed by Neon Bible and couldn't understand why it was so universally acclaimed. I dont feel like they've moved on a great deal from the Funeral formula and, without a clear idea of where they wanted to go, they just made an album that sounded much the same.

I don't hate it, I just don't love it.

Emporers new clothes and all that.

In no particular order:

!!! - Myth Takes
Malcolm Middleton - A Brighter Beat
The Twilight Sad - Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters
Kubichek - Not Enough Night
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
Maps - We Can Create

And, way out in front of the pack, Boxer by The National.

actually I don't accept that Funeral is better than Neon Bible - There are a couple skippable songs on Funeral - especially when Regine sings. Of course this is a all personal preference, but I think the blow back the cd has received is very short sighted and reeks of a hipster sweater being worn too tight.

I think that Funeral’s a better album than Neon Bible, though I love them both. Neon Bible has too many duff tracks to be the classic it’s being hailed as, but KTCR, Windowsill, Antichrist TV Blues and No Cars Go stand up to anything on the debut.

I think a lot of critics who were late getting into Funeral realise they’d missed an ‘important’ album, and are trying to correct the error.

I guess a sign of a great album is that you don’t get tired of it. I played Neon Bible to death for two weeks, and have hardly been back to it. I’ve been playing Boxer to death for 2 months (and Alligator for 18 months) and still love them both.

I agree with some of the choices mentioned here, and I know no one needs my opinion on anything, but that Bloc Party album a few have mentioned, Christ on a bike. I hate that album in its face. a fella I know was a big fan of the last one, which I didn't mind as it goes, not really my bag and that, he brough it round to my gaff and literally made me listen to it as proof that a band can have "it" one minute, then completely spew "it" the next. much like the Arcade Fire I suppose. still, as the song goes, if everbody looked the same etc etc.

personally, I think Panda Bear and Ola Podrida are neck and neck.

It's too early for me to start thinking of my best, especially with so many that are still due out from good bands. I've been watching some youtube videos of the smashing pumpkins today in germany playing some of the new stuff from their record that comes out in july. Back in the day I was a massive pumpkins fan and I was convinced that this album was going to be horrible. The title is dodgy and I like the single but not that much - BUT I reckon its going to be a good record and from what I've heard might make my best of this year easily.

I've had Andrew Bird's Armchair Apocrypha playing practically non-stop since I got it, along with Fingerlings 3. It's easily my fourth, maybe even third favourite record this year so far, my favourite song changes every day. I wrote a quick review here. I don't like the opening paragraph, but I'm reasonably happy with it. That used to be a reasonably active music blog, by the way, until a few days ago when I decided I didn't like any of the reviews I'd posted and deleted everything. Yeah. No prizes for guessing what the blog name references, anyway.

Surprisingly, The Field's From Here We Go To Sublime is an album I'm really enjoying right now. I bought into the hype (best-reviewed album this year on Metacritic) and checked it out, and was completely baffled. 'It's shit,' I thought. Six minutes of the same loop, over and over? But I can't help but keep going back to it. I don't know what it is about it that makes me feel so warm and relaxed, but I've gone from hating it to loving it. It's such a simple, bold album. It feels kind of pure, I don't know.

I agree with most of albums already mentioned.

I'm also a sucker for the Brits, and I've been rather enjoying the new Maximo Park, Travis, and Editors albums. The Peter, Bjorn, and John album is also pretty good.

There's still plenty more coming out. Hell, Robert Pollard has two albums coming out the same day later this year.

NO Clap Your Hands Say Yeah love on here?? I thought that album was pretty good. Spotty sure, but good. I say, anyway.

There was a thread on here a while ago about them and that album ... I think generally people were either dissapointed with it or just flat out thought the band was overrated.

- M

nice review, Elliot. i can't write about music at all, aside from my infamous "dude, you should hear this" texts and emails. keep it up. you should try Bird's previous lp, Mysterious Production of Eggs, if you haven't already.

mine (in no order)

The National - Boxer
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
Field Music - Tones Of Town
The Good, The Bad And The Queen
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

My favourites albums of 2007 so far:

1. The National - Boxer

2. Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday

3. Modest Mouse - We were dead before the ship sank

4. Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Elvis Perkins is fantastic live, i would defin recommend him and its a very good album as well.