or : let's just talk about albums and stuff that have been released this year.

so what albums are forerunners for your best of '07, thus far? this is a preliminaries thread and nothing is binding for the final announcement at the end of the year, of course. just thought it would be interested to see where peoples are at. ;}
no pictures, here are a few of my preferred albums thus far (no order):

panda bear - person pitch
I have been listening to this compulsively for about 4 months. Started off as background music around my exams and now there is rarely a day goes by that I don't listen to it. I am trying not to overlisten to it and sort of spoil it, but anyways. Really fantastic stuff. I would be very very (pleasantly) surprised if anything can knock it from the top spot

of montreal - hissing fauna, are you the destroyer?
it's a pretty fun poppy album. in the end i did not like it as much as satanic panic in the attic, but it is pretty grand all the same.

animal collective - strawberry jam
leaks, huzzah. this is pretty great. i really like peacebone, fireworks, derek. but some of the album seem too similar to feels for comfort. still quite a lot of good new stuff and the track derek is very different and if anything too short. very unlikely that it won't make the best of '07 (if it does there are an awesome 5 months in store), but not quite as awesome as i would have liked. still awesome, though.

other stuff which is pretty good but which i do not currently think will be in the running unless theres nothing rly awesome:

dan deacon - spiderman of the rings (fun)
deerhoof - friend opportunity (i havent listened to this enough because i had it ripped then the laptop got fuxored, so i dont know what i think of it right now)
von sudenfed - tromatic reflexions

nothing, this year's music sucks.

But I think Ratatat and Minus the Bear might be releasing new albums this year, and the Dresden Dolls have one slated for 2008 (or so it is rumoured.)

(animal collective rules though. Nice taste.)

Yellowcard--Paper Walls. A great return to form after Lights and Sounds.

The Ataris--Welcome the Night. Beautiful change of pace and tone for these guys.

Fall Out Boy--Infinity on High. Unless something MAJOR crops up this is my vote for best of the year. Easily their best album. I've listened it into the ground 2 or 3 times already.

i haven't heard very many of this year's albums at all, really. a lot's been released, just i haven't got around to actually listening to any of it.

from what i have heard, though, the three i'm really impressed with are:

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible.
a solid album from beginning to end, really. intervention and my body is a cage are incredible songs and the rest of the album lives up to them. funeral was a bit eclectic in places, but neon bible takes its mood and sticks with it all the way through. even the pointless remake of no cars go sounds darker in context.

John Cale - Circus Live
not only is john cale god, but this live album shows that even at the age of 65 he can blow most other performers out of the water. whereas others of his generation are either trying to cling to their former glory with the same old stuff (rolling stones) or going radically left-field (lou reed), cale isn't afraid to experiment and play with his old songs, and keeps them very much up to date. listening to this album is a revelation; he does modern rock better than modern rock bands.

The National - Boxer
it's similar to alligator in form and style but that's no bad thing - alligator was incredible. although boxer seems a little less focused at times, this is still a great album from a band who should be more famous than they actually are.

Unlovables - Heartsickle
Melt Banana - Bambi's Dillemma
Bleach 03 - The Head That Controls Both Right and Left Sides Eats Meat and Slobbers Even Today (technically a 2006 release in Japan but I'm counting it as this year because the western release just came out)
Ergs - Upstairs/Downstairs

I haven't heard the new Methadones album yet but judging by the samples I'd say it's a contender, and there are still new albums coming out from Teenage Bottlerocket, Be Your Own Pet, Eisley (I'm super dubious about this one though), and the Weakerthans, all of whom are favorite bands of mine. This is a pretty packed year. X_X

Man, didn't realise the Methadones album was out already. Night Windows is a nice song on the Weakerthans' myspace, but it isn't mega brilliant or anything so I dunno ;o

I have liked Interpol's new album, Our Love to Admire, Neon Bible and the Bravery's new album is pretty good. I think I have heard more 2007 albums than that, but off the top of my head I am a bit clueless at the minute.

The new Weakerthans album is the contender for me.

But I don't think I have bought any albums this year that have been released this year, yet? =o

'Ithyphallic' by Nile is a solid album, but still nothing compared to 'In Their Darkened Shrines'.

'The Apostasy' by Behemoth is a very good follow-up to 2004's Demigod, some very, very brutal stuff here.

The new Porcupine Tree (Fear Of A Blank Planet) is really good, they've turned up their metal side even more (I'm guessing this is due to Steven Wilson's work with Opeth)

But there is more coming later in the year, the one I'm most excited about is the new Opeth album, but I'm guessing that it'll be a tad different to their previous few albums due to the leaving of two core members.

Sin�ad O'Connor - Theology
Initially I wasn't crazy about the idea of Sin�ad adapting scriptures from the Bible and making them into songs, but she clearly pulled it off as she demonstrated with her recent album "Theology". Sin�ad has always been one of the most influential singers in the Alternative area, and she is highly respected, so I knew she would be able to pull it off, and she did.

Shirley Bassey - Get the Party Started
What is this? The greatest female vocalist of the century that's what it is. Shirley Bassey is the most successful female recording artist in England for the past 50 years, and she re-visits her old hits on this album, remixed and remodeled by some of the business' most succesful DJ's.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible.
a solid album from beginning to end, really. intervention and my body is a cage are incredible songs and the rest of the album lives up to them. funeral was a bit eclectic in places, but neon bible takes its mood and sticks with it all the way through. even the pointless remake of no cars go sounds darker in context.


Agreed with this choice, though I didn't realise No Cars Go was a remake... This is my favourite track off of the album.

I haven't bought much music this year... Kaiser Chiefs would be my other album of note, and possibly Avril Lavigne, but the rest has been average to good rather than awesome. Kind of disappointing after Muse and Lostprophets produced some excellent work last year...

no cars go is originally from their first EP, released in 2003!

it isn't mega brilliant or anything

I totally disagree. I think that he has lost the ability to write songs that aren't brilliant.

If anything can make me like slow indie rock again, this is it.

Panda bear - Person Pitch

and

Marnie Stern - In Advance Of The Broken Arm

(Come to think of it, this album quite reminds me of Animal Collective :D)
She pretty much stands out out of all the bands in the somewhat same style of music, and I can tell for sure that this is my #1 of this year already (same style as Battles, Liars, all the experimental noise rock bands of now).

canibus - for whom the beat tolls
common - finding forever
everything else sucked this year