The Top 25 of 2007, Part 4 (10-6)

10. ERA VULGARIS-Queens of the Stone Age (Interscope)

While not quite paying off as immediately and decisively as other QOTSA efforts, Era Vulgaris is a labor of love that you will ultimately warm up to if you have some patience. Mastermind Josh Homme is still churning out fuzzy guitar riffs and cool vocal lines with reckless abandon and while the songs are a little less sophisticated than some of the band's prior work, they still show the band as being one with few equals in sound and performance. "Into the Hollow" has a fantastic groove, exhibiting Homme's surprisingly strong vocals and the more simplistic songs, like "Sick Sick Sick" and "Battery Acid" pummel with brawn, rather than brains. The production seems a little bit off, perhaps purposely, and tunes like the cool "3's and 7's" and the dreamy "Suture Up Your Future" may have benefitted from something a little cleaner, but Era Vulgaris ultimately is a very good Queens release. The string of #1 albums is broken, but this one is still worthy of praise.

Official site

Hear it

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(Previous list appearances: RATED R (#1 in 2000), SONGS FOR THE DEAF (#1 in 2002), LULLABIES TO PARALYZE (#1 in 2005)

9. EASY TIGER-Ryan Adams (Lost Highway)

Easy Tiger is further proof of the prolific Adams fully embracing his alt-country roots. With his incredible backing band, the Cardinals, Adams forges thirteen tracks that are all crisp, mature, and complex. "Goodnight Rose" is wonderfully constructed and the radio-friendly acoustic shuffle of "Two" is insanely catchy. The goofy bombast of "Halloweenhead" is completely forgivable because it's so damn well-done and the more delicate tunes, like "Everybody Knows", the piano-driven "The Sun Also Sets", and "Rip Off" cement Adams as one of the more amazing songwriters in music today. There might be times where you want something like a rocking Gold track or one of the more uptempo numbers from Cold Roses, but Easy Tiger manages to satisfy in virtually every way despite this because of just how brilliant Adams and the Cardinals meld together, the latter fully orchestrating Adams' challenging musical vision.

Official site

Easy listening

Easy money

Previous list appearances: 29 (#14 in 2005), JACKSONVILLE CITY NIGHTS (#11 in 2005), COLD ROSES (#6 in 2005)

8. THE HAIR, THE T.V., THE BABY, AND THE BAND-Imperial Teen (Merge)

A shockingly consistent and fun pop record. Check out my full review here.

Official site

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7. ASH WEDNESDAY-Elvis Perkins (Xl Recordings)

I'm telling you this right now. If you like Neutral Milk Hotel, you will love this disc. If you don't like being spoonfed generic, formulaic crap, you will love this disc. If you appreciate musical talent and tremendous songwriting, you will love this disc. If you enjoy being a bit challenged by what you hear from time to time, you will love this disc. Perkins tells some amazing stories here: the wonderful acoustic nature of "While You Were Sleeping" is spellbinding and his use of strings propel "Moon Woman II" and "Emile's Vietnam in the Sky" and the glorious title track. Perkins' vocal style might take some getting used to, but once you accept it, you open yourself up for complete enjoyment. Few discs are this refreshing and emotional, true and powerful. Some tunes are fabulously simple and others more substantive, but the end result is one of the more impressive offerings from a songwriting standpoint in quite some time.

Official site

Hear here.

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6. LEARN TO SING LIKE A STAR-Kristin Hersh (Yep Roc)

Kristin Hersh's latest effort may be the most well-balanced release of her career. Known for her quirky lyrics and recognizable vocals, Learn to Sing Like a Star should make people notice her for something they should have been paying attention to all along: her sharp songwriting and excellent arranging. What makes this disc so striking is the perfect mesh of acoustic guitar, rocking elements, and strings, provided by the McCarricks. "In Shock" is nearly perfect in showcasing these strengths. But pretty much all of the songs here are flawless: the string-infused "Nerve Endings" is beautiful and the haunting simplicity of "Vertigo" are standout tracks. But the rockers here are every bit as potent as the down-tempo numbers. "Day Glo" is glorious in its melody and "Sugarbaby" a textbook example of what a great, edgy, and unconventional pop song should sound like. The only slight missteps are the brief musical interludes sprinkled throughout. They're not bad at all, but if including them meant leaving off another song as fantastic as "Winter", then I would be disappointed. With this disc, Hersh continues to solify herself as an amazing songwriter and criminally underrated artist.

Official site

Learn to listen like a star

Learn to spend money like a star

Previous list appearances: STRANGE ANGELS (#8 in 1998), SKY MOTEL (#3 in 1999), SUNNY BORDER BLUE (#1 in 2001), THE GROTTO (#15 in 2003)