The 411 Music Top Five 11.17.09: Top 5 Favorite Songs From 2007

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 11.17.2009

The Top 5 songs of the decade continues, heading down the home stretch. This week, the 411Music staff talks about their Top 5 Songs of 2007. They discuss everything from Ozzy Osbourne's "I Don't Wanna Stop" to Kanye West's “Stronger”, Justice's “D.A.N.C.E.” to Sixx AM's "Life is Beautiful", and Rihanna's “Umbrella" to Amy Winehouse's “Rehab”. Stop in, check it out, and leave your lists!

Aarón Mayagoitia

5. Ozzy Osbourne - "I Don't Wanna Stop".

Even though Ozzy is way past his prime, in 2007 he managed to deliver the enjoyable Black Rain, which would also become his last album to feature Zakk Wylde on guitar. The album's single was a crunchy, groovy chunk of hard rock called "I Don't Wanna Stop" that followed Osbourne's lyrical penchant for individualism and free thought, only this time it sounded as if he were sticking it to those who think his wife Sharon's been pulling his strings ever since he left Black Sabbath:"I don't know what they're talking aboutI'll make up my own decisionsThis thing that I found ain't gonna bring me downI'm like a junkie without an addiction."

4. Radiohead - "House of Cards".

The song that got me into Radiohead. Its soothing tone and cool video caught my attention instantly; I rushed to buy the album shortly after. Yes, I bought the physical version of the album that was originally offered as a pay-what-you-like download. The experiment the band pushed caused a lot of uproar among record labels because of what it meant to them: artists don't really need record labels that much anymore.

3. Dream Theater - "The Dark Eternal Night".

The band's Systematic Chaos album was their first for Roadrunner Records, a label known for carrying more heavy metal acts than prog acts. Some fans say that this caused Dream Theater to lean more towards its heavier side, leaving prog aficionados a bit put off. "The Dark Eternal Night" is a tour de force of both heavy metal muscle and prog dexterity. However, the pseudo-rapped vocals put both heavy metal and prog fans in a complete WTF state, but the goofiness of it all helped the song become a highlight instead of another flawlessly-executed display of instrumental flash.

2. Skeletonwitch - "Sacrifice for the Slaughtergod".

Oh my God. The first time I listened to this song, I wanted to tear shit up. The relentless energy put into this song can easily compete with the best thrash of the '80s. And not only is "Sacrifice for the Slaughtergod" awesome, the rest of the Athens, Ohio band's debut Beyond the Permafrost is. A lot of metal came out in 2007, but Skeletonwitch were special, and they still are. Listen to their sophomore album Breathing the Fire and you'll realize these guys have got gas for long.

1. Dinosaur Jr. - "Been There All the Time".

2007 was the year I discovered Dinosaur Jr., and I've been happier ever since. The moment "Been There All the Time" blasted through my speakers, I couldn't stop, I had to have more. I could go on saying how much I like this song and the band's music in general, but that would only end up sounding like fanboy verbiage. I'll just let the music do the talking.

 

Lucas Wesley

Honorable mentions:

M.I.A. - "Paper Planes," Justice - "D.A.N.C.E," Grinderman - "Honey Bee (Let's Fly To Mars)," the entirety of Life in Cartoon Motion, half of In Rainbows, Atlas Sound - "River Card," Beck - "Timebomb," Consequence - "Don't Forget Em," Paul McCartney - "Ever Present Past," Thurston Moore - "Wonderful Witches + Language Meanies," all of Yoko Ono's Yes, I'm A Witch

5. Kanye West – "Stronger".

It may have been all those earlier songs and productions and hits that made Kanye who he is today, but this is the one that made me finally look twice. It could be that this album was released during my freshman semester of college, so I heard it every time I went outside. But whatever the reason, this remains perhaps Kanye's greatest sample, and one of the greatest samples of all times. Some may have been more creative or clever, but none work quite to this power. So take this, haters.

 

4. Björk – "Wanderlust".

I've never hid my absolute adoration for Björk. She is perfect. As a human, as a woman, as a musician. I love her and always will. But Volta, man...not that great an album. It has a few pop singles, but overall, it's her weakest. Even so, right from the start, you have Wanderlust. Given a popular boost due to it's colorful (and rarely does the word so apply) video, Wanderlust features one of Björk's all time best vocal performances. The horns that sometimes overpower the music of the album are particularly lovely here. According to the artist herself, the song is about, "the state of looking for something and almost knowing you're never going to find it." I'm turning this into a metaphor for Volta itself - it could never be a good album, but this is as good as it she could make it. If only she could've been so consistent. Skip ahead to 1:29 to hear the song.

 

3. Tegan and Sara – "The Con".

I already know a few people are furious with me for not making this an all Tegan and Sara top five. I'm sorry. While "The Con" is the finest example of twin lesbian twee pop ever assembled, the highest song ranks at three. Oh well. I'm calling the title track the best, though honestly, that accolade could go to a few tracks. "Knife Going In", "Hop A Plane", "Dark Come Soon", "Like O", "Like H", "Nineteen", "Back In Your Head"...these are all top five songs of the year in some parallel universe. Everyone should hear this album, and in any other world it would receive the entire top five. But I'm being fair and 2007 was a good year for singles, so what are you going to do?

 

2. Public Enemy – "Harder Than You Think".

Rolling Stones of the rap game, not braggin'. If that's the case, this is probably Tattoo You. The ultimate comeback in the midst of a few bad albums, with their acceptable singles. But this song, man. This is no "Start Me Up". This reinvents the game they've been playing for 20 years and does so by injecting the new school with their perfected old school bombast. And my God, Flavor Flav. After becoming etched into the popular lexicon as a fool of the lowest caliber, he comes back on this track to deliver the performance of a lifetime. Sure, he said those words twenty years ago, but did you believe him them? I don't know. But I definitely believe him now.

 

1. Jens Lekman – "Sipping on the Sweet Nectar".

Night Falls Over Kortedala is unquestionably the best album of 2007 and one of the finest pop albums of the decade. However, the opening track, "And I Remember Every Kiss", is not a track that offers that great promise. It isn't bad, but it's hardly fast and fun and silly like Jens is known to be. However, ten seconds into track 2, it's all validated and justified. This song is just so perfectly poppy and beautiful. And really, in the context of the album, the first track is equally worthwhile and fitting. But on to this song...it's just really beautiful and great and fun. Listen to it.

 

Paul Schofield

5. A Fine Frenzy – "Almost Lover".

A stunning song, Alison Sudol has a fantastic voice and this song is the perfect vessel for it. It's a song of heartbreak, of loss, of doubts and fears, but more importantly it's something that all of us can somehow relate to. We've all had heartbreak, and it's never been nice to listen to- until now. Everyone should have A Fine Frenzy in their lives.

 

4. Justice – "D.A.N.C.E."

One of those all out fun songs that make you want to do exactly what the title suggests. Justice turned the dance world upside down, boy you turn me, inside out and round and round with an album full of great moments, but this is their best. Plus the video is nothing short of brilliant.

 

3. Radiohead – "Bodysnatchers".

Say what you want about Radiohead giving an album away for free to those who chose not to pay for it (I downloaded it for nothing, then bought it for full price on release, go figure), but for me In Rainbows is their best album since OK Computer, and "Bodysnatchers" is the track that is most like Radiohead at that time. Just a brute of a track, instantly classic.

 

2. Arcade Fire – "No Cars Go".

Probably the hardest choice for a top 2 of any year in this decade means that this is only number 2. Shock horror. Neon Bible is a noticeably darker album than its predecessor, but "No Cars Go" is an undoubted highlight. It captures the magic of everything that makes Arcade Fire great – astounding music, superbly written with a delicateness that cannot be replaced. Any other year this would be a winner.

 

1.  White Stripes – "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues".

The best White Stripes song on what is undoubtedly their worst album. It's not bad, but Jack, bagpipes have no place in rock. To be honest, bagpipes have no place anywhere. If ever a song got the quiet/loud balance right, it's this one. A gentle stream at one point, a tsunami at another, it's sonically brilliant. And it wasn't even a single off the album. Shameful. This song should be the template for any modern band trying their hand at blues from now on.

 

Mark Ingoldsby

Honorable Mentions:

Throwdown "Holy Roller", El-P & Trent Reznor "Flyentology", Static X "Forty Ways", Primer55 "Side2Side", Scorpions "Humanity", Social Distortion "Far Behind", Public Enemy "Black Is Back", Exies "Different Than You", Katatonia "My Twin", Mute Math "Typical", Jesse Malin "In The Modern World"

5. Porcupine Tree - "Fear Of A Blank Planet".

Take the coolest elements of Pink Floyd, Tool, and Rush and you can begin to understand the coolness that is Porcupine Tree. A friend introduced me to the band using their amazing 2005 album Deadwing, so when "Fear Of A Blank Planet" dropped, I was primed and excited for new material from this excellent band - and they did not disappoint. The album of the same title tells a cohesive story from the point of view of a "terminally bored kid, anywhere between 10 and 15 years old, who spends all his daylight hours in his bedroom with the curtains closed, playing on his PlayStation, listening to his iPod, texting his friends on his cell phone, looking at hardcore pornography on the Internet, downloading music, films, news, violence..." This track takes us deep into the bleak world of this lost soul and details the calculated apathy he insists on offering the world he has disconnected from.

"X-box is a god to me,
A finger on the switch,
My mother is a bitch,
My father gave up ever trying to talk to me."

"Planet" is an amazing prog-influenced hard rock song with a powerful message of the times, reminding us that medicating apathy in children only serves to create up more apathy until a breaking point is reached, resulting sadly at times in events like the Columbine school shooting and Virgina Tech massacre. The video for this song is incredibly good, and the images of it still haunt my memory even though I haven't watched it on over a year.

4. Serj Tankian - "The Unthinking Majority".

Not as blatant as Lily Allen's "Guess Who Batman" (later renamed as "Fuck You"), but still a fairly obvious shot at the George W. Bush Administration and their hoodwinking of the American public into attacking Iraq. By insisting they had weapons of mass destruction (that never turned up), Bush and Co. were able to generate enough worry to achieve their ultimate goal - "clearing the way for the oil brigade," and jacking the price of gas up to $4/gallon using fear-mongering techniques. Former System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian accuses the American public of being gullible sheep, easily controlled because so many of them are being chemically altered not to care, or more importantly, to resist.

"Anti-depressants,
Controlling tools of your system,
Making life more tolerable,
Making life more tolerable...
I believe that you're wrong,
Insinuating they hold the bomb,
Clearing the way for the oil brigade."

"Majority" is another powerful song from 2007 that uses a Zack De La Rocha-style of verse intended to wake up the American public into seeing they have been bamboozled. This song also has a very intense and memorable music video.

3. Static X  - "Cannibal".

Here is yet another strong political statement made in 2007, this time by Static X lead vocalist (and vegetarian) Wayne Static. "I was thinking of how, when I see people eating these big pieces of meat, it's really disgusting to me. It's like they could be cannibals; that you could give somebody a piece of a human and they'd eat it and not know the difference." Despite not agreeing with his view on eating meat, Static did an excellent job of letting us meat eaters know how a vegetarian views us with graphic descriptions of watching us rip these animals apart with our teeth that impressed me.

"Sleeping beast,
Rest in peace,
Far too primal,
Rip the flesh,
Taste of death,
Bite the gristle...
Chop it up,
Peel the skin,
Slow dissection,
Sick minds,
I'm blind to the reason."

The music was a long-awaited and highly-celebrated return to the band's cold, dark, machine-line style of music. Static X had pretty much lost me with the material released after their second album. But with the release of 2007's Cannibal the band won me back in full force. Be sure to also check out other song from this album like "Forty Ways," "Destroyer," and "No Submission" to hear the band's best work since their debut Wisconsin Death Trip.

2. Sixx AM - "Life is Beautiful".

I read Nikki Sixx's collection of diary entries titled The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star  twice. The book is an amazing read (as you are told at the beginning, he actually died twice) and serves as one more vivid reminder to me as why I have never gotten high or even been drunk in my entire life - and have no plans do either in the future. Sixx formed a band and released an accompanying soundtrack to the book and the lead single from that album was "Life Is Beautiful."

"I know some things that you don't,
I've done things that you won't,
There's nothing like a trail of blood to find your way back home,
I was waiting for my hearse,
What came next was so much worse,
It took a funeral to make me feel alive."

If you already like the song, but haven't read the book, it's a bit like hearing "Don't You Forget About Me" without watching Breakfast Club - you don't fully get it yet. I highly recommend reading the book from cover to cover twice, like I did. You will truly understand that life is beautiful, don't waste a moment.

1. Machine Head - "Now I Lay Thee Down".

Machine Head's first album Burn My Eyes is a metal classic to me. Songs like "Davidian," "None But My Own," "I'm Your God Now," and "Block" sit very high on my list of best metal songs ever written. But after their first album, the band seemed to lose their touch. They moved into a rapcore feel for a bit, they did some heavy rock, an embarrassing cover of The Police's "Message In A Bottle," and never impressed me again - until 2007's The Blackening. When I kept reading review after review of how The Blackening was a return to the glory for Machine Head, I finally gave in and listened. Amazing. And "Now I Lay Thee Down," in my opinion, was the album's crowning achievement.

"What have I done?
I've gone and killed the only one I love,
How could I do this?
I'm screaming at God,
'Why do you curse me?'
Fuck it, load it, sever the day"

The song is a harrowing account of being asked to perform euthanasia on a loved one, accepting the request, and being so traumatized by the event, committing suicide afterward. Its haunting chorus of "Dream over. Grieve no more" has you first sympathizing with both parties in their brave efforts to end an unbearable misery (terminal cancer?). But by the end, the madness that consumes the obliging life-taker haunts the listener over and over as the song explodes into overwhelming emotion. The music of "Now I Lay" shows that Machine Head had regained their ability to make mind-blowing melodic metal that can jump quickly from thunderous thrash into soft, quiet, haunting single notes, and then back into absolutely brilliant heavy metal again.

Michael James

Honorable Mentions:

50 Cent- "Ayo Technology (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland); OneRepublic- "Apologize"; M.I.A- "Paper Planes"; Jay-Z- "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is)"; Kanye West- "Stronger"; Devin the Dude- "What a Job (feat. Snoop Dogg & Andre 3000)"

5. Alicia Keys – "No One". 

Alicia Keys is usually good for one or two amazing songs from every album she releases, and 2007's As I Am was no exception.  "No One" has the feel of a classic R&B ballad, and Keys' vocal is more polished and refined than on some of her other singles.  As a result, it's more effective, particularly when combined with the lush instrumentation.

4. Linkin Park – "Shadow of the Day".

Linkin Park was in a strange place musically when they released Minutes to Midnight.  As rap-rock had become basically passé, the group could no longer rely on the yin and yang of Chester Bennington's tortured vocals and Mike Shinoda's MC-ing.  While the greater on emphasis on Bennington found on "Shadow of the Day" was expected, the fact that the result was such an excellent ballad was a surprise.  Some may fault this song for lacking any discernable edge, but I'm impressed by the progress it demonstrated for the band.

3. Band of Horses – "Detlef Schrempf".

I have no idea why this song is named after a 90's NBA sharpshooter, and to be honest, I don't much care.  The song is woozy and meandering song which really showcases lead singer Ben Bridwell's trademark otherworldly vocals.  Band of Horses is really a phenomenal band, and it's refreshing to turn on their music and let yourself drift away…

2. Rihanna – "Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z)".

I might catch some flack for this one, but after last week's Michael Jackson remix flap, I think I can handle whatever you all throw at me.  Since I don't listen to the radio much, the fact that most mega-hits get played to death doesn't affect me.  As a result, I never got tired of this song (and others of its type).  The boom-bap of the percussion and a solid Jay-Z cameo give this track more edge than a lot of pop hits.  And while Rihanna had achieved some previous success, this "Umbrella" really shot her off into a new stratosphere of superstardom. 

1. Lupe Fiasco – "Hip-Hop Saved My Life (feat. Nikki Jean)".

Lupe shows off a real flair for narrative storytelling with this tale of the rise of a struggling rapper and the impact on his creative process.  Lupe focuses on what might seem like minute details, like using his baby mama's debit card to buy gas while on his grind.  As a result, Lupe's verses have an almost cinematic vividness. 

Dan Haggerty

5. Nightwish – "The Poet and the Pendulum".

A lot of good symphonic albums came out in 2007.  Symphony X, Dream Theatre, etc....  But go figure, this song from one that was led by pop singles turned out to be the one to run ear worm through my mind.  This is the definition of classical muse as it rolls and roils to life as a piece of contemplation.  Anette might not have the pure voice of Tarja, but she makes up for it in the emotional delivery department.  She is on fire but rained in as well here, blending like another instrument in a walk through classical literature. 

 

4. Dimmu Borgir – "The Serpentine Offering".

This so over the top it borders on camp, but then again Dimmu left the cult black metal scene to make it accessible a long time ago with their symphonic layers and in your face stories.  This one is the intro to their concept album and builds like an epic soundtrack before derailing into an orgy of blackened traditional rants at convention wisdom (in this case the Crusades).  Sometimes you got you have fun and Dimmu does it here by walking up to the line of selling to the masses without crossing that line. 

 

3. Melechesh – "Deluge of Delusional Dreams".

Ah yes, with their patented blend of black, death, and middle-eastern folk poured over legends of Summeria, Melechesh took the underground by storm and became a name with this album.  Here the band shows off a brilliant and technical combo of lightning fast riffs that rip with ancient flare and traditional brutality.  The tales binding the song while the chanting verse puts you right there in the middle of history.  Well, history if the cradle of civilization kicked your ass at 256 bpm.  Here Melechesh makes it cool and wicked.  

 

2. Down – "Three Suns and One Star".

Hands down the best thing Anselmo did in my book, hooking up with the guys from the mighty Crowbar and taking southern bog land sludge and firing it out of a shot gun at the mainstream.  Make no mistake, this is mainstream sludge with its doomy blues and bong hits, but the combo is brilliant.  You can feel the moonshine as Bower's drums fire off like cannon shots across the swamp while Pepper and Kirk real you in with those NOLA grooves - Makes me want to pour a drink just writing about it. 

 

1. Primordial – "As Rome Burns".

One of the best songs of the decade, hands down.  It's tough, epic, timeless, and filled with the brim by a stellar performance.  You can feel the history roll out of the speakers and feel the fall of empires as Nemtheanga rains apocalypse down.  You're carried through the ages as O'Laoghaire owns the drums left, right, and center.  The axes don't rip so much as provide a lush tapestry, but make no mistake they rip.  The central part with the percussion rumbling while the band chants "Sing to the slaves as Rome burns!" is tremendous.  Easily the best song from one of the best albums of 2007.  

Paul Hollingsworth

Honorable Mentions:

Arcade Fire – "No Cars Go", Spoon – "You Got Yr Cherry Bomb", Prince – "Guitar"

5. The Black Lips – "Veni Vedi Vici".

The Lips aren't doing anything that hasn't been done a million times in millions of garages around the world since The Beatles first appeared back in the 60's. For some reason, though, the Lips manage to always make good, and sometimes even great, rock tunes. While "Katrina" was the more popular song from the Good, Bad, Not Evil record, this track is my personal favorite.

 

4. The Shins – "Phantom Limb".

There are other songs on Wincing The Night Away I like more than this tune, but none of them were released as singles. Still, its better than 99 percent of the crap that was on Top 40 radio during the year. (If I never, ever, ever hear "Umbrella" again, I will be a very happy man.)

 

3. Amy Winehouse – "Rehab".

Before it (and Winehouse) became a sad punch line to an even sadder joke, this was a great, great song. Again, there are other songs on the album that are better, but this was the biggest single, and lots of people's introduction to a great singer. Maybe, she'll pull her shit together before she cracks out, because pop music needs truly talented people like Winehouse around more than ever before.

 

2. The White Stripes – "Conquest".

Every list I've done has included a White Stripes song, and like all the rest of them, this one is my favorite. Most of Jack White's songs sound instantly familiar on first listen, as though they'd be around for years. I'm not sure what room he keeps all his songs locked up in, but I'd love to take a peek. This one gets extra bonus points for featuring a bull fight and a horn section.

 

1. Band of Horses – "Is There A Ghost".

If Band of Horses had released one or two more albums during the decade, they would make it a three way tie in my vote for band of the decade. (Along with The Stripes and Outkast) However, this song and the entire album are as good as anything released in the last ten years. Just a fantastic, amazing tune from a band that's really just getting started.

 

The Final Word

As always, the last thoughts come from you, the reader. We're merely unpaid monkeys with typewriters and Wikipedia. Here's what you need to do: List your Top Five for this week's topic on the comment section using the following format: 5. Artist - "Song from 2007": Why you chose it. 4. Artist - "Song from 2007": Why you chose it. 3. Artist - "Song from 2007": Why you chose it. 2. Artist - "Song from 2007": Why you chose it. 1. Artist - "Song from 2007": Why you chose it.