Adam’s World Top 25 of 2007 Part II of V
Part two of my five part Top 25 of 2007 series features albums 20-16. Included in this list are a Warped Tour fav, something ambient, an MC exploring his own identity, a pioneering rapper and paralyzing rock group.
20) Paramore – Riot!
Hooray for pop punk making a comeback and hooray for Paramore for bringing it back. The Warped Tour favorites made a huge splash with the single “Misery Business,” a song that had people comparing lead singer Hayley Williams to a young Gwen Stefani, but there’s a lot more to Riot! than simply the lead single. Riot! is jam packed with the kind of rock music the pop scene has been craving for quite a while now. Armed with a powerful lead singer whose talent belies her age and a band that knows how to rock out, Paramore proves on Riot! that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Song you need to hear: crushcrushcrush
Website: paramore.net
19) Dirty Elegance – Finding Beauty In The Wretched
When it’s late at night, when you’re done with the club scene and you just want to chill out to something that isn’t going to shout at you or command you to dance, the choice of music a lot of twenty to thirty-somethings go with is oftentimes ambient / electronic. This year Dirty Elegance jumped into that scene and created a fantastic album titled Finding Beauty In the Wretched. Featuring 19 soul searching tracks, the album illustrates that there are still plenty of interesting places to go in the realm of production. Being a grown up has never sounded so appealing.
Song you need to hear: Leaves Of Autumn
Website: dirtyelegancenyc.com
18) Dyalekt & DJ MilkMoney – Square Peg Syndrome
Most people ponder the idea of their personal identity at some point during their lives, Dyalekt deals with his publicly on Square Peg Syndrome, an album which features music from his one man Hip-Hop theater show of the same name. The idea behind Square Peg Syndrome is that there are plenty of people who can’t find a way to categorize themselves into one of society’s pre-determined groups, but they should be embraced just as much as those who “fit in.” Square Peg Syndrome is the sound of one man discovering himself, we’ve just been lucky enough to be invited on the journey.
Song you need to hear: Froze Up Meltdown
Website: dyalekt.com
17) KRS-ONE and Marley Marl – Hip-Hop Lives
Formerly the bitterest of rivals, KRS-ONE and Marley Marl buried the proverbial hatchet to create an album many of us never imagined would happen in a million years. The end result was exactly what Hip-Hop fans would have hoped for as the two legends came with straight fire on every track, including “Rising to the Top” where KRS breaks down why he and Marley Marl had such a huge rivalry. In terms of MCs very few can match KRS’ skills, add in Marley Marl’s production and it’s a wrap, a Hip-Hop head’s dream. Hip-Hop Lives reminds people of why this dynamic duo are still held in such high esteem.
Song you need to hear: Kill a Rapper
Website: krs-one.com
16) Finger Eleven – Them vs. You vs. Me
“Paralyzer,” the lead single off of Finger Eleven’s 2007 effort Them vs. You vs. Me, almost single-handedly revitalized modern rock radio. From the riff to the lyrics to the vocals there was nothing one could possibly dislike about it. Although it’s tough for a complete album to live up to such a single Them vs. You vs. Me does as good a job as one could hope for. The band slows it down at times with some ballads, but no matter the speed they play at the best aspect about Finger Eleven is their songwriting, which is something that makes every track worth a listen.
Song you need to hear (other than Paralyzer): Gather + Give
Website: fingereleven.com
Adam’s World Top 25 of 2007
Part I: Albums 25-21
Part II: Albums 20-16
Part III: Albums 15-11
Part IV: Albums 10-6
Part V: Albums 5-1
20) Paramore – Riot!Hooray for pop punk making a comeback and hooray for Paramore for bringing it back. The Warped Tour favorites made a huge splash with the single “Misery Business,” a song that had people comparing lead singer Hayley Williams to a young Gwen Stefani, but there’s a lot more to Riot! than simply the lead single. Riot! is jam packed with the kind of rock music the pop scene has been craving for quite a while now. Armed with a powerful lead singer whose talent belies her age and a band that knows how to rock out, Paramore proves on Riot! that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Song you need to hear: crushcrushcrush
Website: paramore.net
19) Dirty Elegance – Finding Beauty In The WretchedWhen it’s late at night, when you’re done with the club scene and you just want to chill out to something that isn’t going to shout at you or command you to dance, the choice of music a lot of twenty to thirty-somethings go with is oftentimes ambient / electronic. This year Dirty Elegance jumped into that scene and created a fantastic album titled Finding Beauty In the Wretched. Featuring 19 soul searching tracks, the album illustrates that there are still plenty of interesting places to go in the realm of production. Being a grown up has never sounded so appealing.
Song you need to hear: Leaves Of Autumn
Website: dirtyelegancenyc.com
18) Dyalekt & DJ MilkMoney – Square Peg SyndromeMost people ponder the idea of their personal identity at some point during their lives, Dyalekt deals with his publicly on Square Peg Syndrome, an album which features music from his one man Hip-Hop theater show of the same name. The idea behind Square Peg Syndrome is that there are plenty of people who can’t find a way to categorize themselves into one of society’s pre-determined groups, but they should be embraced just as much as those who “fit in.” Square Peg Syndrome is the sound of one man discovering himself, we’ve just been lucky enough to be invited on the journey.
Song you need to hear: Froze Up Meltdown
Website: dyalekt.com
17) KRS-ONE and Marley Marl – Hip-Hop LivesFormerly the bitterest of rivals, KRS-ONE and Marley Marl buried the proverbial hatchet to create an album many of us never imagined would happen in a million years. The end result was exactly what Hip-Hop fans would have hoped for as the two legends came with straight fire on every track, including “Rising to the Top” where KRS breaks down why he and Marley Marl had such a huge rivalry. In terms of MCs very few can match KRS’ skills, add in Marley Marl’s production and it’s a wrap, a Hip-Hop head’s dream. Hip-Hop Lives reminds people of why this dynamic duo are still held in such high esteem.
Song you need to hear: Kill a Rapper
Website: krs-one.com
16) Finger Eleven – Them vs. You vs. Me“Paralyzer,” the lead single off of Finger Eleven’s 2007 effort Them vs. You vs. Me, almost single-handedly revitalized modern rock radio. From the riff to the lyrics to the vocals there was nothing one could possibly dislike about it. Although it’s tough for a complete album to live up to such a single Them vs. You vs. Me does as good a job as one could hope for. The band slows it down at times with some ballads, but no matter the speed they play at the best aspect about Finger Eleven is their songwriting, which is something that makes every track worth a listen.
Song you need to hear (other than Paralyzer): Gather + Give
Website: fingereleven.com
Adam’s World Top 25 of 2007
Part I: Albums 25-21
Part II: Albums 20-16
Part III: Albums 15-11
Part IV: Albums 10-6
Part V: Albums 5-1
Comments
Jebbica
For potentially confused readers, the reference to Hudgens came from a story I commented on on another site. I think I said I'd like to have her under my tree on Christmas Day, but yes, Hudgens can sit on my lap and tell me what she wants for Christmas anytime she wants.