Justice † (Vice/Ed Banger)
I really wanted to hate it. I really wanted to think the hype was just too much (which, by the way, it is) but the album is fucking great. The only way to make it better would be to permanently delete the Uffie track from their hard drive.
Jason Forrest, Cock Rock Disco

It sounds beyond contrived at this point to even mention their name, but that record pretty much ran a train on everything else in music this year.
Mike Davis, Burlesque Design

Enough bashing now. They are good. Fact is, they have just developed a very fresh and defining formula for club music without being cheesy, and that’s not too easy. It’s not their fault they’re being copied all over the place.
Paul Beller, Ben Mono

M.I.A. Kala (Interscope)
I really enjoyed her first album and the second one expands further on this super-fun, super-smart mix of art, music, fashion and politics. Sonically solid, lyrically brash, and full of punchy beats, clever messages, and 11-year-old aborigine rappers–can’t go wrong.
Gordon Hull, Surface to Air

Digeridoos, rapping children, gunshots, and a blazing hot Sri Lankan ringmaster. Viva M.I.A.!
Derek Morris, Trophy Graphics

I listened to this on repeat for three weeks. Once again, Dave Taylor reigns as king.
The Captain, Trouble & Bass

My expectations were high for this one as I loved “Galang” so much, but she delivered once again.
Shaun Roberts, Fabric

The beats on this are huge!
El Carnicero, Slit Jockey Records

The Field From Here We GoSublime (Kompakt)
My favorite album of the year has my favorite track of the year, “Everyday.” Such a beautiful and understated gem that is littered with small moments of brilliance.
Peter Berard, Domino

After I heard this dude’s remix of Gui Boratto’s “Hera,” I kinda flipped. Axel Wilner can be as dark and repetitive as OM, but can keep any stoney dude on the dancefloor. This is how techno needs to be.
Fred Miketa, XLR8R

Burial Untrue (Hyperdub)
In true Hyperdub style, Burial has produced an album awash with soundscapes haunted by ghosts and memories. Deeper, brighter, more vocal and even more ground-breaking than his first album.
Georgina Cook, photographer

The sound of the world ending in one explosion of pure bliss.
Tim Saputo, XLR8R

Battles Mirrored (Warp)
They are so good at making you think that they’re all going in different directions, and the moment when all those noises cascade into a beautiful song it’s sonic happiness.
Celeste Tabora, Modular

Panda Bear Person Pitch
This album makes everything bad in the world disappear for the 30 minutes or so it goes for. It’s more like a trance record with all the repetitive loops and harmonies. Completely hypnotic and beautiful.
Tim Hoey, Cut Copy

Apparat Walls (Shitkatapult)
Berlin’s Apparat knows good production, writes good songs, and I have 10 tracks that I like from the album, which is quite rare.
Boys Noize

Deerhunter Cryptograms (Kranky)
I always expect a few things from Kranky releases: extended periods of noise, drones, and some schizo guitar work perhaps. This little gem takes all of that, adds some melody, and voila! They’ve just re-invented shoegaze.
Mikhail Bortnick, Mishka

Turf TalkWest Coast Vaccine(The Cure)(Sick Wid It)
This album knocks! Fools outside of the Bay are sleeping, but this is some of the realest shit to drop in a long time.
Lydia Popovich, Quannum

Worst Albums of 2007

Soulja Boy Tellem (Collipark Music)
How the fark is this selling? Each track on this album sounds exactly the same–same tempo and cadence, just different words.
Lydia Popovich, Quannum

Justice † (Vice/Ed Banger)
A collection of previously released singles and mostly uninspiring new tracks that combined to create a disjointed and poorly flowing “album.” Works if you didn’t buy any of their EPs or singles, but otherwise this is just a collection of songs burned onto plastic, not an album proper.
Passions, Kitsuné

Underworld Oblivion With Bells (ATO)
It’s soo bad! I don’t know what they want to express with this bullshit.
Dirt Crew

More Best of 2007
Switch: Artist of the Year
Sage Francis’ Top Five Albums of 2007
Best Artists of 2007
Best of 2007 by Cameron Bird
Best Singles of 2007
Best of 2007 by Busy P
Best Live Events of 2007
Best of 2007 by Dust La Rock
Best Visual Artists of 2007
Best of 2007 by Dirt Crew
Best Music Trends of 2007
Best Style of 2007
Best of 2007 by Mochipet
Best of 2007 by DJ Ulysses
Best Music Technology of 2007