My Top Five Albums of 2007

Ok, it's about a month too late for "best of " lists, and the idea of "best albums" seems so 20th-century in this Age of Shuffle. But I still wanted to note some of my favorites from this year.

Surprisingly, some of my favorite bands' eagerly anticipated new albums didn't make the cut (Arcade Fire, the Shins, Wilco). Instead, my list is headed by two bands I found out about just this year:

• The Broken West: "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On" - Americana/roots rock a la Tom Petty, but full of pure pop sunshine.
  
• O'Death: "Head Home" - Saw these guys at the Hideout Block Party. Full-on country-punk madness from this New York band.
  
• Modest Mouse: "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" - The one highly anticipated album that actually lived up to the hype.
• Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: "Raising Sand" - I never thought I'd like anything Robert Plant did this much, but these are beautiful songs.
  
• Josh Ritter: "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (with Bonus EP)" - My Oberlin College classmate finally starts rockin' out.