We’ve been working hard to provide a staff list of our absolute favorite albums released in 2007 – something that was very hard to do considering how many new and amazing bands we were all introduced to and reminded of over the past year. Finally, after combining the scores of both how often an album appeared on our individual lists and how high up on each it was, we have put together our list of albums that you absolutely must hear from this past year. There are tons of bands that we wish could have been included as well, so be sure to check out all of our individual lists to see what just missed making this one. In the meantime, these are the bands that kept our collective heart beating and blood pumping in 2007.

Individual Staff Members Best Of 2007 List

	1. Anberlin (Cities) With the release of Anberlin’s “Cities”, many people were caught by surprise. In the past Anberlin had proven that they were capable of writing smooth pop songs (which is always a good thing) and interesting lyrics. Sticking with that set up would have been an undeniably easy and safe route to take, but instead Anberlin decided to raise the bar with “Cities” – taking those initial pop songs and developing them into something much, much larger. Filled with lush harmonies, drifting into industrial moments, and making even the simplest of songs tighter, faster, and smarter, “Cities” left a mark on much of our staff members, making it our number one album of the year.
	2. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone Explosions In The Sky have become the post rock love affair that invaded our stereos over the past couple of years. “All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone” just served to drive that love home even further – showing Explosions In The Sky’s ability to craft absolutely beautiful songs, turning minimalist moments into something that can tug at your heart for hours after listening. Explosions In The Sky are one of the bands out there that are proving to the world once again that instrumental music can be just as affective as music with vocals, and their rich orchestration did just that on “All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone” – running away with the hearts of much of our staff this year.
	3. Motion City Soundtrack - Even If It Kills Me How has Motion City Soundtrack not dominated the charts yet? “Even If It Kills Me” has done nothing but add to the increasingly obvious point that this band just cannot make a bad album. Mixing quirky lyrics, strong vocals, and the kind of hooks that send your head spinning in their wake, saying that it’s practically impossible to dislike “Even If It Kills Me” is a vast understatement. Motion City Soundtrack has been a steady fixture in the listening habits of many of us over the past year, making it one of our staff’s top albums of the year.
	4. Circa Survive - On Letting Go “On Letting Go” was the perfect follow up to “Juturna”. On this album, Circa Survive shifted their gaze from solely focusing on the somewhat off-kilter instrumentation that took the lead in the past, and instead mixed their constantly changing style with more personal, attention-grabbing lyrics – a move that led to “On Letting Go” being drilled into our minds and staying there since its release.
	5. Paramore - Riot! Paramore have had a really good year. Not only have they completely infiltrated the airwaves and MTV, they also released a strong pop punk album with a female vocalist who seems to be completely capable of keeping up with the boys. “Riot!” won over a lot of us – even forcing some of our stubbornly anti-pop staff members to take notice and admit that Paramore is really, really good at what they do – and they’re probably only going to get better with time.
	6. Yellowcard - Paper Walls Yellowcard left a lot of people scratching their heads with their previous release of “Lights And Sounds”. Because of that, there was a bit of doubt surrounding “Paper Walls” – we couldn’t help but wonder if Yellowcard would be able to successfully return to their lighter roots. Thankfully, they did just that on “Paper Walls” – surpassing expectations to make an album that picked up right where “Ocean Avenue” left off – mixing in their signature catchy pop songs with a new realization that serious tracks don’t have to be dark.
	7. Thrice - The Alchemy Index Vol. I & II: Fire and Water If there is one thing that Thrice has proven through the release of both “Vheissu” and “The Alchemy Index Vol. I & II: Fire And Water”, it’s that they aren’t afraid of taking chances on their albums. Paired up with an ambitious concept, soaring vocals, and tracks that could either induce mosh pits or help you sleep, “The Alchemy Index Vol. I & II” seemed to have a little bit of something for everyone.
	8. Radiohead - In Rainbows Seeing Radiohead on a “best of” list is nothing surprising. Love them or hate them (although hating them is kind of insane, to be honest), Radiohead has played a big part in revolutionizing the music of our generation. With the release of “In Rainbows”, they took it a step further – releasing the album in an entirely unique, progressive way. Between their creative release plans and the album’s contents themselves – swirling, experimental, and all around brilliant, Radiohead continued to blow us away on “In Rainbows”, just like they always do.
	9. Jimmy Eat World - Chase This Light Jimmy Eat World has been a scene darling for years now, and if “Chase This Light” is anything to go by, that won’t be changing anytime soon. Featuring tracks that are arguably some of the band’s best work and further developing their own brand of intelligent but catchy tracks, Jimmy Eat World gave a lot of us no choice but to stop and take notice with “Chase This Light”.
	10. The Starting Line - Direction Many thought that “Based On A True Story” was an album of mis-steps for The Starting Line, but when the band returned this year with “Direction” it was quickly praised as one of the best pop punk albums of the summer. Working in favor of the album was The Starting Line’s willingness to get a bit rougher this time around – abandoning much of the dramatics of the past for grit. Because of this and the almost non-stop energy pushing “Direction” along, it ended up on quite a few of our staff members’ lists this year.
	11. Say Anything - In Defense Of The Genre Say Anything had their work cut out for them in writing a follow up to “…Is A Real Boy” that could possibly compare. Their response to this challenge was releasing a two-disc album, “In Defense Of The Genre”, saturated with guest vocalists and (of course) cameos of the initial semi-insanity that drew many to Max Bemis in the first place. The result was a release that resonated with many of us, reminding us of just how awesome Say Anything is when they’re not holding anything back.
	12. Chiodos - Bone Palace Ballet Chiodos left their mark on some of our staff this year with the release of “Bone Palace Ballet”. Reflecting a more mature sound for the band, Chiodos relied more heavily on their instrumentation this time around than they had in the past – siphoning strong guitar parts and piano in where screams would have normally occurred to provide the album’s intensity.
	13. The Academy Is... - Santi Between the release of “Almost Home” and “Santi”, The Academy Is… had grown up and developed into an almost new band entirely. Bringing in songs that picked up a more classic rock feel and even it’s fair share of moodiness, “Santi” showed us all a side of The Academy Is… that we hadn’t seen before, and some of us couldn’t help but take note and give credit for a pretty unexpected progression.
	14. Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High After “From Under The Cork Tree”, it wasn’t at all unusual to hear people swearing that Fall Out Boy had lost their touch. This year the band gave us “Infinity On High”, an album that showed that while they might not be the same band that we grew to love on “Take This To Your Grave”, they still know what they’re doing. Filled with tracks where Fall Out Boy were unafraid to bridge the gaps between several genres that may have seemed unfamiliar at first, “Infinity On High” kept us entertained and bouncing along all throughout this past year.
	15. Self Against City - Telling Secrets To Strangers Self Against City won us over this year with the upbeat pop of “Telling Secrets To Strangers”. Simple, catchy, and fun – Self Against City released their album early on in the year, but the tracks continued to stick with us for months to come, especially because of how smoothly it seemed to all flow together. “Telling Secrets To Strangers” kept us smiling long enough to earn Self Against City a place on several of our lists this year.
	16. The Rocket Summer - Do You Feel The Rocket Summer has been receiving quite a bit of praise for Bryce Avary’s latest offering, “Do You Feel”, and it’s no wonder why. “Do You Feel” has enough sugary, summery pop tracks to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth, as well as showing an increasing amount of skill from Avary in entirely utilizing whatever instrument he plays, and doing so with an admirable amount of energy and fervor.
	17. We The Kings - We The Kings We The Kings shamelessly submit to a genre that has long been filled with bands that no one really remembers a year later, but if the band’s debut self-titled album can be taken as a sign, that fate is very far from We The Kings. Jumpy, light-hearted, and sure to get stuck in your head – We The Kings had a good number of us excited this year, and we’re just as excited to see if they can keep up the same level of fun on their next release.
	18. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam There is something about Animal Collective’s particular breed of chaotic, weird music that we just can’t say no to. “Strawberry Jam” just served to remind us of this, with Animal Collective really settling into their own eccentricities and crafting an album that changes at every turn, keeping us eager for whatever it is that Animal Collective decides to throw at us next.
	19. Moving Mountains - Pneuma Moving Mountains seemed to appear out of nowhere, releasing an album in “Pneuma” that was so quick to embrace genres outside of just everyday rock that we couldn’t help but stop and pay attention. In just ten tracks, Moving Mountains paint such an impressive picture of their capabilities and how smart their songwriting can truly be – we had no choice but to include this album on our list.
	20. Minus The Bear - Planet Of Ice “Planet Of Ice” found Minus The Bear just where you’d expect them to be – letting loose in spacey, expansive, buzzing soundscapes and blending in smooth vocals in a way that by now seems entirely effortless for the band. “Planet Of Ice” was a lesson in interesting, angular arrangements, and because of that, several of us were left enthralled by Minus The Bear’s latest offering."