Staff List: Our Top 25 Albums of 2007

On Dec. 7 the Range Life staff huddled in a make-shift fort in my living room, drawing strips of paper from a Halloween candy basket. “Arcade Fire, 17 points,” someone would announce, and we’d write it on the board. We tallied the points, and after a few nips and tucks, this is what we had.

We’ll reveal five albums a day each day this week (It's like unwrapping five early Christmas presents!) Without further ado, we present Range Life's Top 25 Albums of 2007.





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Okkervil River - The Stage Names................

With catchy melodies and intricate lyrics, Okkervil River’s The Stage Names delivers a feeling of importance that so many albums lack. The prose is woven through the songs with few choruses, leaving every moment unique and rewarding to listen to again and again.

The Stage Names opens up with a one-two punch. “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe” starts simplistic and gains momentum to make way for “Unless It’s Kicks,” which keeps the energy high. Will Sheff is a force and it’s hard not to sing along. “A Girl in Port,” the album’s epic centerpiece, is backed by delicate piano and ends triumphantly, trumpets blaring. This album hasn’t left my brain since I let it in and I’m sure it will withstand the test of time. A great album in a grand year of music.

-Chad Pope

The Sea and Cake - Everybody...................

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In the ever-so-quotable film High Fidelity, John Cusack's character turns off his friend's obnoxious mixtape, maintaining, "I just need something I can ignore." While such a description sounds glum, any music lover knows the importance of the mood setting album. The Sea and Cake's Everybody is one such album.

Take our trip to the Pitchfork Music Fest this summer. After three days of fervent concert going including elbowing my way to the fronts of crowds, wrestling with my camera, and shying from less-than-showered concertgoers, I'll never forget sitting on a blanket under a tree during The Sea and Cake, passing a whiskey flask. The Sea and Cake are incredible because, while their music never jumps out and grabs you by the throat, it provides the perfect soundscape for lounging, for life.

-Nicole Pope

Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity...................

Deerhoof constantly reinvents themselves. Over the years their music has become increasingly listener friendly, yet they never "talk down" to their listeners. On Friend Opportunity you'll see more challenging tracks like "Kidz Are So Small" or "Whither the Invisible" mixed with more immediate favorites like "Believe ESP," "Cast Off Crown," or "Matchbook Seeks Maniac." Top it off with a 12-minute excercise in mind expansion, and you've got classic Deerhoof. Listeners who fell in love with The Runners Four might be disappointed by the less rockin' fare, yet the band proves they can command multiple genres. Deerhoof takes risks, but so far they have been all reward.

-Nicole Pope

The Clientele - God Save the Clientele................

This album was one of my biggest surprises of the year: not because I didn't expect it to be good, but because I didn't expect it to be so upbeat. Ordinarily I reserve The Violet Hour or Strange Geometry for dreary afternoons and somber moods. Suddenly, with God Save the Clientele, a new Clientele has emerged.

The first time I heard "Bookshop Cassanova" I was blown away. And "Winter on Victoria Street." And "The Dance of the Hours." And "The Garden at Night." Sure, your old Clientele staples are all here: Alasdair MacLeans's reverbed vocals, ringing guitars, a wistful violin. The band's just discovered what a little pep could do for their already remarkable sound.

-Nicole Pope

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha................

Most people know that birds can whistle and sing. This bird is a notch above the rest with the added ability to play instruments. The March 20^th release date made Armchair Apocrypha the perfect addition to the springtime weather.

This album may possibly be the defining release of Bird’s career, as he uses each song to further the definition of his sound. What his earlier albums hinted at Bird brings forward with Armchair Apocrypha. No longer holding back, his diverse style becomes solidified as the “Bird sound,” a distinct flair recognizable even to the amateur Bird connoisseur. Armchair Apocrypha is up-tempo (for the most part) and cleaner than his previous albums, displaying his wide vocal range and versatile instrumentation. His sound is a layered concoction of vocals and string instruments with a dash of drums and a twist of the occasional back-up singer. Andrew Bird is Mmmm Mmmmm finger-picking good!

-Jenna Marchant

Continue with Albums 20-16.