Martedì 1 Gen 2008, 14:09
The year 2007 was extremely great for music. There are so many albums worth the TOP 10, thus making it very difficult to pick the best ones. Anyway, here it is:
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Untrue is definitely one of the most impressive albums I've heard so far. It's very dark and moody, but still retaining the uplifting bits (i.e. the ending of the track Shell Of Light). The vocal samples is the key element of this whole beauty. Comparing to the previous self-titled Burial's album, Untrue is more uplifting, brighter and seems greatly produced. Despite the insane popularity and comments about the mainstream thing, all I can say is that Untrue is a real masterpiece.
2. Emancipator - Soon It Will Be Cold Enough
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I got into trip-hop music this year and Emancipator caught my attention - the debut album Soon It Will Be Cold Enough is a really nice surprise. In fact, I might even nominate it as the best album of the year, together with Burial's Untrue. Those melodic downtempo, trip-hop sounds is a perfect match for a cold winter afternoon.
3. Underworld - Oblivion With Bells
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This album went far beyond my expectations. Frankly, I didn't like the direction Underworld was heading to these years. Regardless, Oblivion With Bells reached the quality of Underworld's early albums, particularly Dubnobasswithmyheadman. The track Holding The Moth appears very plain at first, starting with primitive beats, but combined with great vocals and beautiful strings it turns out to be a real masterpiece. Omitting a few tracks, Ring Road in particular, would make this album the No. 1 this year.
4. Blu Mar Ten - Black Water
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Black Water is a bit different from Blu Mar Ten's older stuff, yet a totally amazing album. Those warm downtempo melodic grooves mixed with drum & bass were spinning on my player this whole Summer.
5. Jap Jap - Wish For Impossible Things
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Jasper Boer comes with his newest album Wish For Impossible Things, which is an amazing addition to his discography. The whole album is more uplifting than the previous releases: the tracks The Symmetry of Leaves, Wish for Impossible Things always put a smile on my face and the groovy See Me Right has been catching my ears this whole year and I still haven't got bored of it.
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Daniel Ringström's solo project Sync24 is as strong as his collaboration with Johannes Hedberg in Carbon Based Lifeforms. The album Source has some great tracks: Memloop with amazing bass-lines, beatless Replicant, From A to A and groovy White Pixels make this album one of the best in 2007.
7. Ulrich Schnauss - Goodbye
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It takes time to get used to Schnauss' music, the album Goodbye isn't an exception either. It might look as if the album's tone is way too high, but after you get used to the whole atmosphere, it's not an issue anymore. And the vocals sound much better than ever before. An extraordinary album, as always.
8. Chicane - Somersault
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It's a wonderful news to hear from Chicane. It's been more than six years since the last release, and here we got Somersault this summer. The album was making fuzz for quite a while, and made me curious about how the newest album would sound like. Somersault is much more pop music oriented, but still a very strong album, although not as good as Behind the Sun or Far From the Maddening Crowds. The album features two tracks from the unreleased album Easy to Assemble: Spirit and Arizona. Together with Time Of Your Life those are the best tracks in the album. Personally, I don't like the vocals of Jack Starks in most of the tracks, except maybe Way I'm Feelin'.
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Copia is a magnificent ambient album, just like the music of Eluvium in general. The tracks Amreik, Prelude For Time Feelers and Requiem On Frankfort Ave. alone make this album one another masterpiece this year.
10. Sweet Coffee - Naked City
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I find it hard to put some house music in this list, but not with this album I don't. Naked City is a great downtempo, nu-jazz, house album.
Other albums that didn't make it to the TOP 10, but still worth mentioning (in no particular order):
Lusine ICL - Language Barrier
The Orb - The Dream
ST - People I Barely Know
Samantha James - Rise
Secede & Kettel - Perspeeks
Jean Michel Jarre - Téo & Téa
Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
Helios - Ayres
Index ID - Odyssee
Joris Voorn - From a Deep Place
Air - Pocket Symphony
Blank & Jones - Relax Edition Three
Iambic² - Under These Stars, We'll Sleep
Secede - Vega Libre
Sleepy Town Manufacture - Inspired By You
Christophe Goze - A Day in Ibiza
The Timewriter - Soulstickers
Parov Stelar - Shine
You can also check my top ten of the year 2006 in my previous journal entry.