26. Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High (Fueled By Ramen)
Although the first single made me fear a post-stardom freakout and shark jumping even worse than My Chemical Romance's, it turned out they made a better album than their breakthrough, or at least one that better suits Patrick Stump's great voice and puts less emphasis on Pete Wentz's ridiculous lyrics.
Fall Out Boy - "I've Got All This Ringing In My Ears And None On My Fingers" (mp3)



27. The Nels Cline Singers - Draw Breath (Cryptogramophone)
Nels Cline played on 3 good albums I heard this year, and none of them was Sky Blue Sky.
The Nels Cline Singers - "Confection" (mp3)



28. Swizz Beatz - One Man Band Man (Full Surface/Universal)
Fuck Timbaland, this is the best goofball barely rappin' producer-rapper album of the year.
Swizz Beatz - "The Funeral" (mp3)



29. Keyshia Cole - Just Like You (Geffen Records)
Sure, she belts out every song the exact same way, but this time, most of the songs actually justify that drama.
Keyshia Cole - "Was It Worth It" (mp3)



30. Alicia Keys - As I Am (J Records)
Her "raw and intense new vocal style" (which kinda makes her sound like a wannabe Keyshia) makes the plodding serious songs even more of a chore than they were before, but there are a handful of tracks that do live up to the singles from Diary.
Alicia Keys - "Teenage Love Affair" (mp3)



31. Mary Timony Band - The Shapes We Make (Kill Rock Stars)
Although I remember liking a couple Helium songs back in the day, and seeing Mary Timony open for Sonic Youth during that weird period when she was wearing a cat mask, but I'd never really actively followed her career. Having members of Faraquet and Medications as her current backing band was just enough motivation for me to finally pick up one of her albums, though. I'm still getting used to the weird valley girl tone of her vocal delivery, though, I can't tell if she's doing that on purpose or what.
Mary Timony Band - "Rockman" (mp3)



32. Styles P. - The Ghost Sessions (Streetcore)
Shame about those rock remixes at the end, but just about everything else on here is great.
Styles P. - "The Lessons" (mp3)



33. Eddie Vedder - Music For The Motion Picture Into The Wild (J Records)
It's a short, deliberately minor record that's designed to fade into the background as a film score, and two of the only songs with vocals are covers. But it's still a really lovely aesthetic exercise that succeeds on its own terms better than the last two Pearl Jam albums.
Eddie Vedder - "Far Behind" (mp3)



34. Playaz Circle - Supply & Demand (Disturbing Tha Peace/Def Jam)
A solo album from Tity Boi would be better, but I fuck with this. And I like the fact that one of the best songs on this album is randomly produced by Kon Artis from D12 and features Phonte from Little Brother singing the hook.
Playaz Circle - "Paper Chaser" (mp3)



35. Consequence - Don’t Quit Your Day Job (GOOD Music/Columbia)
At first I dismissed this album as being unjustifiably underproduced, considering that it's on Kanye's label and all. And it still is, but the thing is that Cons has punchlines for days, and I'm pretty much fine listening to him drop constant wordplay even if both the beats and his voice are pretty monotonous.
Consequence - "Uptown" (mp3)



36. Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long (A&M/Octone)
Their first album had a nice aesthetic going for it but sounded way too thin and unconvincing, but Mike Elizondo does a great job of filling out the bottom end on this one. And it's nice to finally hear the song Adam Levine wrote that he ended up cannibalizing for Kanye's "Heard 'Em Say."
Maroon 5 - "Nothing Lasts Forever" (mp3)



37. T.I. - T.I. Vs. T.I.P. (Grand Hustle/Atlantic)
Urban Legend was, as an album, as much of a disappointment as this was, but there were lower stakes and better singles to help look past it. Dude just kinda dropped the ball with most of this, although maybe we'd be comparing it favorably to King if there were a few Toomp tracks (or more of those great Danjahandz tracks).
T.I. - "Respect This Hustle" (mp3)




38. Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (RCA)
I still think it's weird that this is the album they got all the big Grammy noms for, and I wish it rocked as hard as disc 1 of In Your Honor, but I still enjoy just about everything they do to some extent.
Foo Fighers - "Summer's End" (mp3)



39. Statik Selektah - Spell My Name Right: The Album (Showoff Records)
A better mixtape DJ album than the Khaled or the Drama, not because of any pro-NY bias on my part but because the DJ actually produced all the tracks, and most of the guests aren't guys who phoned in 50 other cameos this year.
Statik Selektah f/ Uncle Murda, Sev-One, Termanology and Jadakiss - "G Shit (Showoff Mix)" (mp3)



40. Bruce Springsteen - Magic (Columbia)
If Bruce had done a full-on retro E Street record, or a lean, guitar-driven modern rock album produced by Brendan O'Brien, I'd probably be down with either. But the way he tries to do both at once here is kind of a mess, aside from a few really strong songs.
Bruce Springsteen - "Gypsy Biker" (mp3)



41. Trill Entertainment presents - Survival Of The Fittest (Trill Entertainment/Asylum Records)
Lil Boosie is pretty much the only guy who was on XXL's 'leaders of the new school' cover this year who I think has a good chance of actually becoming a major mainstream star anytime soon, and he inched a little closer to that spot with this record, although it probably won't fully happen until a solo album or two down the road.
Foxx, Lil Boosie and Webbie - "Got Me Bent" (mp3)



42. Enon - Grass Geysers...Carbon Clouds (Touch & Go)
Still probably the best indie band of their kind working today, but I think I'm just enjoying that kind less and less, if that makes sense.
Enon - "Labyrinth" (mp3)



43. Twista - Adrenaline Rush 2007 (Atlantic)
Twista was never gonna stay on the mainstream radar for very long, and I'm glad that he spent maybe the last gasp of his major label career making a record that's mostly really faithful to his classic sound, even if when all is said and done I like the splashy pop moves of Kamikaze more.
Twista f/ R. Kelly - "Love Rehab" (mp3)



44. Rasputina - Oh Perilous World (Filthy Bonnet)
The show I went to when Robbie was in town was one of the best concerts I saw this year, but Rasputina's new record doesn't quite size up to their live show. They do have a live album, though, I need to check that out.
Rasputina - "1816, The Year Without A Summer" (mp3)



45. They Might Be Giants - Cast Your Pod To The Wind (Idlewild)
TMBG released an album this year called The Else that, though it included a handful of memorable tunes, was a dishearteningly bland 13-song collection. The bonus disc included in initial retail pressings of the album, however, is much more in the spirit of the band's first 5 albums with 20-something goofy, tossed-off outtakes and rarities and alternate versions.
They Might Be Giants - "Brain Problem Situation" (mp3)



46. Redman - Red Gone Wild: Thee Album (Def Jam)
Fuck LL, Redman is the former franchise player that Def Jam should feel guilty about failing when he turned in a solid record that got delayed half a decade.
Redman - "Gilla House Check" (mp3)



47. Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars (Geffen)
Rufus Wainwright's self-titled 1998 album has always been a sentimental favorite of mine, but I kinda lost track of him for a few records before picking his latest up. And the appeal is more or less the same, even if the arrangements are a bit schmaltzier now.
Rufus Wainwright - "Between My Legs" (mp3)



48. Kelly Clarkson - My December (RCA)
After all the controversy and hubbub, this was probably as good an album as Breakaway, and just about as accessible, too, minus a surefire single or two.
Kelly Clarkson - "How I Feel" (mp3)



49. Hurricane Chris - 51/50 Ratchet (Pologrounds Music/J Records)
The Mr. Collipark beats could stand to be better, but the Phunk Dawg beats pretty much make up for them.
Hurricane Chris - "Beat In My Trunk" (mp3)



50. Elliott Smith - New Moon (Kill Rock Stars)
I haven't thought about or listened to Elliott Smith much in the years since his death, but then, I didn't in the year or two before his death, either. Still, I have a mild interest in hearing his posthumously released material, particularly this one from the period when he made his best albums. I'm not sure if the material isn't as good as what made it on those albums, or if I'm just not as easily drawn in by his songs anymore, though. There are some enjoyable moments, though, particularly hearing alternate versions of a few songs from other albums and Heatmiser's Mic City Sons.
Elliott Smith - "See You Later" (mp3)

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