Life > September 6, 2007

By Blake Brittain | Staff writer

So far, 2007 has been a great year for music. Earlier this year, highly anticipated new releases from bands like Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, Bloc Party and Arctic Monkeys did not disappoint. However, the summer offered some exciting new releases that you may have missed. Here’s my top picks.

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

Yes, this is the actual title of Spoon’s latest album, which came out in July. The title may sound dumb, but the album itself is anything but. Spoon has been one of the most consistent bands in rock music for the past five years or so, and Ga x5 is the best CD that they have made during that run. Spoon is a relatively stripped down band that doesn’t try to cram too many different sounds into a song. This makes touches like the driving piano of “The Ghost of You Lingers,” the Motown vibraphones of “You Got Yr Cherry Bomb” and the funky bass lines of “Don’t You Evah” and “Eddie’s Ragga” that much more effective. The lyrics are also great, with the political metaphors in “Don’t Make Me a Target,” and “The Underdog,” which sounds like they were written for a Will Ferrell movie (“You have no fear of the underdog/That’s why you will not survive”).

» Watch "The Underdog"

The White Strips - Icky Thump

Speaking of consistent bands, the White Stripes wrote three of the best albums of the 2000s with White Blood Cells, Elephant and Get Behind Me Satan. But Icky Thump, released in June, just might top all of those. The Stripes rock just as hard as they ever have, as evidenced by full-on rockers like “Bone Broke” and “Little Cream Soda.” The title track stomps like Led Zeppelin and might be the first rock song to directly deal with immigration (“Why don’t you kick yourself out?/You’re an immigrant too”). Icky Thump is also the most sonically adventurous Stripes album, with mariachi horns in “Conquest,” and bagpipes in “Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn,” and a trippy Meg White-sung companion track, “St. Andrew (This Battle Is In The Air).”

» Watch "Icky Thump"

The New Pornographers - Challengers

This huge Canadian rock group may not get as much press as some other huge Canadian rock groups (see: Arcade Fire), but the New Pornographers have been building a solid catalog in their own right. They already have three great up-tempo rock albums under their belt, but they tone it down a little with their most recent effort, Challengers. This album, released in August, is easily their most mellow and subtle. However, it is just as rewarding and fun to listen to as their other efforts are. Fleetwood Mac might be the best point of reference for the New Pornos, as seen in the opening track, “My Rights Versus Yours.” Ranking among the band’s best are songs like “Myriad Harbour” (note the Canadian spelling) and “Entering White Cecilia,” both about looking for girls in New York City.

» Download "My Rights Versus Yours" | Watch "Sing me Spanish Techno"

M.I.A. - Kala

M.I.A. (real name: Maya Arulpragasam) has gotten more attention for her politics than her interesting brand of hip-hop music. Her father was a member of the Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger rebel group, and she’s gotten into some hot water in the United States for songs like “Sunshowers,” about a young Palestinian suicide bomber. However, none of this would be relevant if the music wasn’t good. And it is. M.I.A. uses a wide range of samples, such as Bollywood theme songs (“Jimmy”) and 80s hits like “Blue Monday” and “Where Is My Mind?”. This diverse sound goes along well with her politically charged lyrics to create a truly unique voice in modern music that doesn’t really fit into a single genre, and celebrates that fact.

» Watch "Boyz"

This year has already been one of the best for music in the 2000s, and it’s only a little more than half over. New music from great artists such as Kanye West, Animal Collective and Bruce Springsteen is on the horizon, and there’s also the possibility that the long-delayed new Radiohead album could be released this year and top everything the year has had to offer.