It was certainly a year of quantity, wasn't it? With the popularity of MySpace, torrents, music blogs, and Oink, music lovers had more access to new music than ever before in 2007, and it became hard to process it all. Was it really that 2007 didn't have as many great albums as 2006? Or were there just so many things to listen to in 2007 that it became impossible to spend enough time with an album to grant it some sort of elite status? Regardless of what your thoughts are on that matter, 2007 offered pretty much anyone with ears something they'd like. Here's what we at The Music Lobby enjoyed the most in 2007. From dubstep to indie to tech-house to hip-hop, The Music Lobby has you covered.

50

St, Vincent, Marry Me [Beggars Banquet]

A former member of both the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens’ touring band, newcomer Annie Clark has created (at the tender age of 22) one of the most beautifully quirky albums released this year. A guitar virtuoso, Clark also has one of the most excruciatingly beautiful singing voices I’ve ever heard, and a knack for perfect song arrangements. Baroque pop perfection!

~ playbynumbers

MySpace  Buy from Amazon  Download from eMusic

Download: Apocalypse Song

49

Agnès, Dumbles Debut [Resopal Red]

Out of a crowded bunch of familiar minimal techno albums, Dumbles Debut was the one that stood out this year. Dumbles Debut by no means creates its own style;indeed, it operates very much under the principles using the already existing patterns of minimal techno. But the way each track is composed is significant in that they really use minimal amounts of beats and glitches, still managing to be very catchy. Look out especially for Lowdown Cycle, one of the best techno tracks of the year.

~ acidtongue

MySpace  Buy from Amazon

Download: Lowdown Cycle

48

Vladislav Delay, Whistleblower [Huume]

Easily one of the best ambient albums of the year, and definitely Sasu Ripatti's best under the Vladislav Delay moniker. If we're to believe in progression, Whistleblower does just that after its predecessors. Subtle ambience reminiscent of vast fields, with layers of drumbeats echoing aggressively at the top... Whistleblower is a passive-aggressive expression of deep feelings, with the power to grow with each hearing.

~ acidtongue

MySpace  Buy from Amazon  Download from eMusic

Download: I Saw A Polysexual

47

Monomen, Monomen [Trust Me]

Not to be confused with Menomena, Monomen have perhaps created the best pop/new wave album released in 2007. This young band from Norway have perfected a precise and crisp production style, and combined it with insanely catchy songwriting, channeling everyone from New Order to Fujiya & Miyagi. They have yet to find a US distro for this album, which is a shame, but nevertheless I’m very curious to see what direction this band will go in next.

~ playbynumbers

MySpace  Buy from Insound  Download from eMusic

Download: Music For TV-Shop

46

Epic45, May Your Heart Be the Map

Make Mine Music is a great label. There, I said it. They know their ambient shoegaze, as Epic45 are one of the best bands to produce under that label. This album is pretty much made for listening to while lying down in a field in the middle of the summer as you recall memories of your childhood. Like labelmates July Skies, Epic45 use acoustic guitars and simple drum patterns to convey beautiful sunny landscapes that have a sort of sad aura around all of it, like a sort of longing.

~ Neveryan

MySpace  Buy from Amazon

Download: The Stars In Spring

45

 DJ Hidden, The Later After [Ad Noiseam]

Just when I thought that drum'n'bass became too commercial, and rather dead, out comes Noël Wessels, grabbing me by the throat and slicing through my insides. Evil and jazzy, dark and atmospheric, angry and drooling, The Later After awakens my primordial essence that has been lurking in the shadows. Producing out of Goes, The Netherlands, Wessels revolves around not only the d'n'b circles, but he has also contributed to the hardcore techno scene as The Outside Agency. Crystal clear production, in-your-face beats, and deep rolling bass, are all of the essential elements of the thrust that Wessels so eloquently lands inside your ribcage. However, darkness is not the only staple of the record - groaning echoes are replaced by longing sighs, clawing screeches by soft murmurs, as if one traversed the five discrete stages of grief. At one point, I almost felt that I saw the light, but I was convinced, that if I turn around...

~ Headphone Commute 

MySpace  Buy from Amazon 

Download: Straightjacket

44

White Rainbow, Prism of Eternal Now [Kranky]

Adam Forkner is a very busy man; he is (or has been) a member of at least four Portland-area bands, as well as White Rainbow, his solo project, which lies at the hazy intersection of ambient, post-rock, and psychedelic folk. This album follows upon a massive box set of ambient music, much in the same vein as ‘Eternal Now,’ though this albums is condensed and beautiful where the box set was meandering and occasionally uninspiring. A great record from an ambitious musician.

~ playbynumbers

MySpace  Buy from Amazon  Download from eMusic

Download: Mystic Prism

43

Pantha du Prince, This Bliss [Dial]

One of the unique sounds coming from Hamburg's Dial label, Pantha du Prince delivers a techno album of amazing indie integration with no guitars but instead Detroit synths full of emotional melodies. Perhaps the hidden gems of this great album will be discovered a few years later from now, but Pantha du Prince's sound most definitely brings a fresh outlook on techno and pop.

~ acidtongue

MySpace  Buy from Amazon 

Download: Asha

42

The Fiery Furnaces, Widow City [Thrill Jockey]

Could this be the Furnaces most straight-forward record? I guess that’s not saying much, but the Friedbergers have, for the most part, ditched the gimmicks and focused on the core of their sound, the detuned pianos and whimsical lyrics that offered more than enough charm in the first place, and they’re better for it. A newfound love for the guitar only enhances their palette, and gives the songs more room to breath. The Furnaces have quickly cemented themselves as one of the most exciting indie acts of the decade, and their rapid output suggests they show no signs of slowing down. Good for us.

~ onecaseman

MySpace  Buy from Amazon  Download from eMusic

Download: Japanese Slippers

41

The Voices, Sound of Young America [My Kung Fu]

This relatively unknown nu-gaze band recalls My Bloody Valentine (in their later phase), Slowdive, and Mojave 3, without ever seeming like a pale imitation. Deceptively simple songwriting, ethereal melodies, and waves of echoing feedback; at just seven tracks, this Cardiff-based band have purged all the dross and left us with one of the best albums released this year.

~ playbynumbers

MySpace  Buy from Amazon  Download from eMusic

Download: Love