Spring Break
Hill and Rice present the best albums of 2007
Issue date: 12/10/07 Section: Entertainment
7. Iron and Wine, "The Shepherd's Dog"
No one was quite sure what to think when Iron and Wine frontman and songwriter Samuel Beam announced that his group's latest effort would be a politically-charged album. And while that may have been the initial intention behind some of "The Shepherd's Dog," you probably won't find much. But with tracks like the serenely beautiful "Carousel" and the driving, dark magic of "House by the Sea," there are clearly more intriguing concepts at work here.
8. Dizzee Rascal, "Maths + English"
Plenty of people will tell you that hip-hop begins and ends with the artists in the U.S. Even more will localize it to scenes like L.A. and New York. But the truly enlightened will do the right thing and see U.K. grime/hip-hop performer Dizzee Rascal for what he truly is: a visionary. On "Maths + English," the east London rapper's third record, Rascal is as raucous and brilliant as some of hip-hop's greats. Tracks like "Where Da G's" with rappers Pimp C and Bun B of Houston legends UGK sizzle and surprise in all the right places. From its infectious and original beats to its humorous, intelligent and surprisingly conscious rhymes, "Maths + English" finally creates a determined and fully realized sound for Rascal.
9. Meneguar, "Strangers In Our House"
With a name that sounds like it's straight out of black-metal folklore and an age of less than four years, Meneguar is quite the odd beast. But, scary sounding or not, these Brooklyn kids have used their intense indie-rock understanding and the raw energy of punk to create the incredibly catchy and imaginative "Strangers In Our House." Every song sounds like the makings of a drunk sing-a-long with your best friends to the catchiest song you haven't heard yet. Tunes like the "Freshman Thoughts" jerk and spasm and threaten to careen out of control at times but continue forward in a continuous challenge. Just wait to see what this band does next.
10. Patton Oswalt, "Werewolves and Lollipops"
No one was quite sure what to think when Iron and Wine frontman and songwriter Samuel Beam announced that his group's latest effort would be a politically-charged album. And while that may have been the initial intention behind some of "The Shepherd's Dog," you probably won't find much. But with tracks like the serenely beautiful "Carousel" and the driving, dark magic of "House by the Sea," there are clearly more intriguing concepts at work here.
8. Dizzee Rascal, "Maths + English"
Plenty of people will tell you that hip-hop begins and ends with the artists in the U.S. Even more will localize it to scenes like L.A. and New York. But the truly enlightened will do the right thing and see U.K. grime/hip-hop performer Dizzee Rascal for what he truly is: a visionary. On "Maths + English," the east London rapper's third record, Rascal is as raucous and brilliant as some of hip-hop's greats. Tracks like "Where Da G's" with rappers Pimp C and Bun B of Houston legends UGK sizzle and surprise in all the right places. From its infectious and original beats to its humorous, intelligent and surprisingly conscious rhymes, "Maths + English" finally creates a determined and fully realized sound for Rascal.
9. Meneguar, "Strangers In Our House"
With a name that sounds like it's straight out of black-metal folklore and an age of less than four years, Meneguar is quite the odd beast. But, scary sounding or not, these Brooklyn kids have used their intense indie-rock understanding and the raw energy of punk to create the incredibly catchy and imaginative "Strangers In Our House." Every song sounds like the makings of a drunk sing-a-long with your best friends to the catchiest song you haven't heard yet. Tunes like the "Freshman Thoughts" jerk and spasm and threaten to careen out of control at times but continue forward in a continuous challenge. Just wait to see what this band does next.
10. Patton Oswalt, "Werewolves and Lollipops"
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