It's December, and that can only mean two things. One, is the constant reminder that Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, and two, is that if you're a blogger, it's a time for multiple wrap-up posts of the previous twelve months of events, posts and subject matter.

So here we are, with my three favourite albums of the year to start us off. Certainly it's more conventional to knock out ten or even five, but my indecisive nature kinda limits me somewhat, and besides, anything more than a top three is filler anyway, right?


LCD Soundsystem- Sound of Silver
Building on the success and core sound of the self-titled debut release, Sound of Silver is a follow-up with substance. Instrumentals of the previous album are given the backseat to make space for altogether more anthemic tracks, with sophomore single All My Friends being an obvious example. Someone Great follows a similar foundation, but that's not to say that the instrumental doesn't make an appearance or two throughout the album. Opening track Get Innocuous!- a cool seven minutes of synth pop (and possible the song of the year as far as i'm concerned)-helps provide what would otherwise seem like a long forgotten element of the band's sound, while the title-track also helps reinforce this. Punk is also given less record time for something altogether more chillout, but despite this, the band continue to merge indie and dance sub-genres to obvious success like no others can. Certainly this emphasis on new sounds to begin may seem a little alienating to those who fell in love with that previous recording, but the band's willingness to adapt, re-create and mature is an attitude only to be applauded and not faulted.

Bat for Lashes- Fur and Gold
Okay, so i'm obviously cheating by including this, but it's undeniable that probably the majority of the sales of this record occured in this year rather than last, when it was originally released in September. Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize 2007 and subsequently the favourite to win, 2007 has easily been the band's rise to exposure in the public eye- an end result somewhat long overdue as this album shows. With vocals from Brit-born Pakistani Natasha Khan, Fur and Gold is an emotional journey of the exotic, stepping aside from a conventional sound into something altogether more romantic and exciting. Straight up, the album was seemingly robbed of the prize, each full listen of it always enchanting and unique, and most importantly, somewhat unconventional throughout. This alone is shown through the pacing of the album and the differences between tracks, in a playlist that is always changing, but always remaining pleasantly surprising. From the frantic and upbeat Prescilla to the softly calming Sad Eyes, the album is a full forty minutes of adventure through sound and song.

Radiohead- In Rainbows
Due for release on traditional CD format at the end of the month, In Rainbows is almost more famous for it's download-only exclusivity and pricing than the the music itself. After all, Radiohead are one of the biggest bands in the world, and allowing fans to download the album for whatever price they want is pure scandal, at least in an industry far too-used to CD releases. But Radiohead are innovators, and stunts like this only reinforce that. The seventh album from a band who's past albums regularly slide into "best album ever" lists, In Rainbows has a lot to live up to, and thankfully, it does. Firstly for me it corrects many of the problems found within it's predecessor, the 2003 release Hail to the Thief. Obviously there's not much change in the band's sound, and still everything sounds very much Radiohead-esque, but the arrangement and pacing of the songs present on this recording make it the success it is, as well as, as ever, the band's continuing urge and emphasis to go further. Simplifying, the sound of this record is typically old, but expectedly fresh.

15 Step captures this ideology perfectly, following on from the beat-happy electronics of 'Thief while still acting as a promise of the remaining tracklisting, moving on, almost perfectly to Bodysnatchers, an evolved combustion of past glories, and certainly, an early highlight on the album. Nude slows things down again before making way for the subsequent Weird Fishes/Arpeggii, an upbeat soft pacing of synth and melody, so perfectly soft and dynamic it's just perfect, with accompanying strings and soft vocals (while mixed with awesome percussion) making for the most luscious musical combination ever imagined. Tracks #5 & 6 bring the intermission-and the piano, and the acoustic- before setting up for the remaining songs on the tracklisting. The soulful, open-ended Reckoner, the comfortable and bouncy House of Cards, and the progressive, moving forward Jigsaw Falling Into Place- the lead single, and, interestingly, the penultimate lead-up track to the big album finale. Videotape. The closing track, and the perfect finale for a great record. Starting slowly it builds up as the minutes pass, going from a mere piano/vox combination, before bringing the drum and the beat, before leaving the same way it entered, simple and easy.

The simple definition of In Rainbows is that yes, it does live up to the hype, and yes, it is another fantastic album from a band already renowned for creating them. It is exciting, sombre, aspirational and cohesively enjoyable. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the album of 2007.