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2007 Year in Review V: The Albums (part 4)
And we continue with albums 40-21 today...

40. Baroness - Red Album (Relapse)
After several highly respected EPs, this Georgia band blew a lot of minds with their debut full-length. Epic, progressive metal with a southern flair that is as original as it is mind-blowing.
Recommended tracks: "Rays On Pinion", "Wanderlust"

39. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)
Three albums in and I'm convinced these guys can do no wrong, several of these tracks are better than anything else they've done to date.
Recommended tracks: "Phantom Limb", "Black Wave"

38. Robert Wyatt - Comicopera (Domino)
This album is one of the reasons why the term "achingly beautiful" was coined. If Wyatt's poignant lyrics and heartrending voice don't move you, you must be one heartless bastard.
Recommended tracks: "Just As You Are", "A Beautiful Place"

37. Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold (Caroline)
Natasha Kahn is one of the most striking female artists to burst onto the scene in 2007. A quirky, creative mind and a distinctive voice invite comparisons to Bjork, but Kahn is her own woman.
Recommended tracks: "What's A Girl To Do?", "Prescilla"

36. Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian)
This Swede is an absolute joy to behold live, and his records aren't too shabby either. His second North American full-length is overflowing with candy-coated pop delights that cut straight to the heart.
Recommended tracks: "The Opposite of Hallelujah", "A Postcard to Nina"

35. Field Music - Tones of Town (Memphis Industries)
Thirty near-perfect minutes of energetic pop, that's really all there is to say about this album. I challenge anyone to sit through this without cracking a smile or tapping a toe.
Recommended tracks: "Give It Lose It Take It", "Working To Work"

34. High On Fire - Death is This Communion (Relapse)
This brutal album is all about Des Kensel's insanely massive drumming and Matt Pike's intense guitar shredding, their best full-length yet.
Recommended tracks: "Cyclopian Scape", "Death is This Communion"

33. Voxtrot - Voxtrot (Play Louder)
It doesn't quite live up to the promise of their unforgettable EPs, but this is a pop gem that too many wrote off without letting all of its charms sink it.
Recommended tracks: "Kid Gloves", "Real Live Version"

32. Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon (Beggars XL)
The hippie wunderkind fills out his sound with a full band, allowing him to shoot off in several new directions. His schtick may be a little stale, but the dude is a genius songwriter.
Recommended tracks: "Seahorse", "Rosa"

31. Black Lips - Good Bad Not Evil (Vice)
Garage rock's most notorious road warriors finally get it together to lay down the superb studio album we all knew they had in 'em.
Recommended tracks: "O Katrina!", "Cold Hands"

30. Jesu - Conqueror (Hydra Head)
One man band Justin Broadrick crafts one of the year's more beautiful releases - weightless, epic drone rock with a twist of metal edge.
Recommended tracks: "Weightless and Horizontal", "Brighteyes"

29. Menomena - Friend and Foe (Barsuk)
Inventive, hypnotic tunes that sound like pop music from another world. Creative arrangements and well-placed saxophone makes these guys an act worth checking out.
Recommended tracks: "The Pelican", "Wet and Rusting"

28. Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills (Merge)
More Swedish pop brilliance! This band filters the poppy side of 1980's Cure through the modern sounds of bands like The Shins on this unexpected delight.
Recommended tracks: "Tonight I Have To Leave It", "You Are Dreaming"

27. Liars - Liars (Mute)
The always exciting Liars confound expectations yet again - this time by releasing one of the most straightforward "rock" records of their career. And its just as intense as you might expect.
Recommended tracks: "Sailing to Byzantium", "Plaster Casts of Everything"

26. Apples in Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder (Simian)
Another left-field surprise for me, these Elephant 6'ers bounce back into the public eye with a album full of buoyant pop tunes.
Recommended tracks: "Can You Feel It?", "7 Stars"

25. Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City (Vice)
These Brits build upon their outstanding debut with this darker and more muscular pseudo-concept album dealing with work, life, and sex in the heart of the cold, impersonal city.
Recommended tracks: "A Prayer", "Hunting For Witches"

24. Caribou - Andorra (Merge)
Dan Snaith further explores the electronic sunshine psychedelica he has perfected over the last couple albums, emphasizing the poppier melodies this time around.
Recommended tracks: "Niobe", "Melody Day"

23. Okkervil River - The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)
The multi-talented Will Sheff continues to grow as a songwriter, turning out a cinematic masterpiece that details the trials and tribulations of the modern day entertainer.
Recommended tracks: "Savannah Smiles", "John Allyn Smith Sails"

22. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky (Nonesuch)
Fairweather Wilco fans demanding another Yankee Hotel Foxtrot are writing this off as boring, but they are completely missing this album's subtle beauty. This contains some of my favorite guitar playing of the year.
Recommended tracks: "Impossible Germany", "Hate It Here"

21. Justice - (cross) (Downtown/Ed Banger)
More than just "D.A.N.C.E.", Xavier and Guy prove themselves to be the most fun French duo since those two helmeted robots that make up Daft Punk.
Recommended tracks: "D.A.N.C.E.", "Waters of Nazareth"