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“What really matters is what you like, not what you are like… Books, records, films — these things matter.”
— High Fidelity

Etcetera

Best Songs of 2007

In January 2008, for my still-growing mix CD club, I compiled a special 40-track, 2-CD mix of my favorite songs of 2007. Ten years later, I’ve reshuffled that original mix, added 60 new tracks, and put it, not on CD(s), but on a streaming service for all to hear.

The contrast between delivery methods is a great reminder that—in human terms, at least—ten years is actually a long time, despite the fact that I can remember quite well the life I lived a decade ago. Ten years is enough for music to move back from permanent to ephemeral as it also moves from physical to digital.

This is one of the first lists of mine where a handful of these songs weren’t just discovered via digital means, but never even appeared on physical media. I wonder if ten years from the time I write this, in 2017, whether that could be said of most music. I would be sad if that were true, but I certainly would not be surprised.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available, but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.

  1. Guns Babes Lemonade

    Ice Cream

    Muscles

    Guns Babes Lemonade

    Modular

    Notes

  2. UGK (Underground Kingz)

    Int’l Player’s Anthem (I Choose You)

    UGK featuring Outkast

    UGK (Underground Kingz)

    Jive

    Notes

  3. Good Girl Gone Bad

    Umbrella

    Rihanna featuring Jay Z

    Good Girl Gone Bad

    Def Jam

    Notes

  4. Shock Value

    Give It to Me

    Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado

    Shock Value

    Blackground

    Notes

  5. Lovework

    Do U

    Gabriel Teodros

    Lovework

    MassLine

    Notes

  6. Back to Black

    Rehab

    Amy Winehouse

    Back to Black

    Universal

    Notes

  7. 100 Days, 100 Nights

    Be Easy

    Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

    100 Days, 100 Nights

    Daptone

    Notes

  8. What Is ?!

    Welfare Bread

    King Khan & The Shrines

    What Is ?!

    Vice

    Notes

  9. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

    You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb

    Spoon

    Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga

    Merge

    Notes

  10. Plague Park

    What We Had

    Handsome Furs

    Plague Park

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  11. Icky Thump

    Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn

    The White Stripes

    Icky Thump

    Third Man

    Notes

  12. Children Running Through

    No Bad News

    Patty Griffin

    Children Running Through

    ATO

    Notes

  13. Cassadaga

    Four Winds

    Bright Eyes

    Cassadaga

    Saddle Creek

    Notes

  14. Invitation Songs

    Dancing on Our Graves

    The Cave Singers

    Invitation Songs

    Matador

    Notes

  15. Glory Hope Mountain

    Flood

    The Acorn

    Glory Hope Mountain

    Paper Bag

    Notes

  16. The Moonstation House Band

    Nothin’ No

    David Vandervelde

    The Moonstation House Band

    Secretly Canadian

    Notes

  17. Wild Mountain Nation

    Wild Mountain Nation

    Blitzen Trapper

    Wild Mountain Nation

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  18. Two Gallants

    The Hand That Held Me Down

    Two Gallants

    Two Gallants

    Saddle Creek

    Notes

  19. Sky Blue Sky

    Hate It Here

    Wilco

    Sky Blue Sky

    Nonesuch

    Notes

  20. The Stage Names

    Unless It’s Kicks

    Okkervil River

    The Stage Names

    Jagjaguwar

    Notes

  21. I Can't Go On I'll Go On

    Down in the Valley

    The Broken West

    I Can’t Go On I’ll Go On

    Merge

    Notes

  22. Nine Ships

    Nine Ships

    The Voom Blooms

    Nine Ships

    Fabtone

    Notes

  23. Dan in Real Life

    To Be Surprised

    Sondre Lerche

    Dan in Real Life

    Virgin

    Notes

  24. Dropping the Writ

    Pregnant Pause

    Cass McCombs

    Dropping the Writ

    Domino

    Notes

  25. Anytown Graffiti

    The Trouble With River Cities

    Pela

    Anytown Graffiti

    Great Society

    Notes

  26. Moonbabies at the Ballroom

    Take Me to the Ballroom

    Moonbabies

    Moonbabies at the Ballroom

    Hidden Agenda

    Notes

  27. Loney, Noir

    Carrying a Stone

    Loney, Dear

    Loney, Noir

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  28. Lon Gisland

    Elephant Gun

    Beirut

    Lon Gisland

    Ba Da Bing!

    Notes

  29. Imagine Our Love

    Open Your Heart

    Lavender Diamond

    Imagine Our Love

    Matador

    Notes

  30. Sticking Fingers Into Sockets

    You! Me! Dancing!

    Los Campesinos!

    Sticking Fingers Into Sockets

    Arts and Crafts

    Notes

  31. Datarock Datarock

    Princess

    Datarock

    Datarock Datarock

    Nettwerk

    2005 Norway release

  32. Fancy Footwork

    Waiting 4 U

    Chromeo

    Fancy Footwork

    Vice

    Notes

  33. Make Sure They See My Face

    Out of Control (State of Emotion)

    Kenna

    Make Sure They See My Face

    Interscope

    Notes

  34. Justice cross

    D.A.N.C.E.

    Justice

    Ed Banger

    Notes

  35. The Mixtape Volume One

    I’m a Flirt (Shoreline)

    The Hood Internet

    The Mixtape Volume One

    self-released

    Digital-only release

  36. The Reminder

    I Feel It All

    Feist

    The Reminder

    Interscope

    Notes

  37. New Magnetic Wonder

    Sun Is Out

    The Apples in Stereo

    New Magnetic Wonder

    Yep Roc

    Notes

  38. Version

    Amy

    Mark Ronson featuring Kenna

    Version

    RCA

    Notes

  39. Untrue

    Archangel

    Burial

    Untrue

    Hyperdub

    Notes

  40. Eardrum

    Soon the New Day

    Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones

    Eardrum

    Blacksmith Music

    Notes

  41. Finding Forever

    The People

    Common

    Finding Forever

    G.O.O.D.

    Notes

  42. Happy Birthday

    The White Flash

    Modeselektor featuring Thom Yorke

    Happy Birthday

    Bpitch Control

    German-only physical release

  43. The Good, The Bad and The Queen

    Herculean

    The Good, The Bad and The Queen

    The Good, The Bad and The Queen

    Virgin

    Notes

  44. All Hour Cymbals

    2080

    Yeasayer

    All Hour Cymbals

    We Are Free

    Notes

  45. Weirdo Rippers

    Neck Escaper

    No Age

    Weirdo Rippers

    Fatcat

    Notes

  46. Timebomb

    Timebomb

    Beck

    Timebomb

    Interscope

    Notes

  47. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

    Florida

    Modest Mouse

    We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

    Epic

    Notes

  48. Let's Stay Friends

    Patty Lee

    Les Savy Fav

    Let’s Stay Friends

    Frenchkiss

    Notes

  49. Living With the Living

    The Sons of Cain

    Ted Leo and The Pharmacists

    Living With the Living

    Touch & Go

    Notes

  50. The Broken String

    Middle Management

    Bishop Allen

    The Broken String

    Dead Oceans

    Notes

  51. Fort Nightly

    The Plot

    White Rabbits

    Fort Nightly

    Say Hey

    Notes

  52. A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation

    Moving to New York

    The Wombats

    A Guide to Love, Loss and Desperation

    14th Floor

    Notes

  53. Asleep at Heaven's Gate

    Lake Michigan

    Rogue Wave

    Asleep at Heaven’s Gate

    Brushfire

    Notes

  54. Cease to Begin

    Is There a Ghost

    Band of Horses

    Cease to Begin

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  55. Because of the Times

    McFearless

    Kings of Leon

    Because of the Times

    RCA

    Notes

  56. Endless Highway: The Music of The Band

    It Makes No Difference

    My Morning Jacket

    Endless Highway: The Music of The Band

    429 Records

    Notes

  57. Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

    Lover

    Devendra Banhart

    Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

    XL Recordings

    Notes

  58. Lifeline

    Put It on Me

    Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

    Lifeline

    Virgin

    Notes

  59. The Shepherd's Dog

    Boy With a Coin

    Iron & Wine

    The Shepherd’s Dog

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  60. In Camera

    The Ghost of Old Bull Lee

    Arthur & Yu

    In Camera

    Hardly Art

    Notes

  61. I'll Follow You

    Marine Life

    Oakley Hall

    I’ll Follow You

    Merge

    Notes

  62. Country Mouse, City House

    London Bridges

    Josh Rouse

    Country Mouse, City House

    Bedroom Classics

    Notes

  63. Leaves in the River

    You’re a Wolf

    Sea Wolf

    Leaves in the River

    Dangerbird

    Notes

  64. I Was Submerged

    Shaker

    Tulsa

    I Was Submerged

    Park the Van

    Notes

  65. Fireflies

    Timeflies

    Peter and The Wolf

    Fireflies

    self-released

    Notes

  66. The Wind and the Swell

    I Won’t Look Back

    Port O’Brien

    The Wind and the Swell

    American Dust

    Notes

  67. Ash Wednesday

    While You Were Sleeping

    Elvis Perkins

    Ash Wednesday

    XL Recordings

    Notes

  68. Grand Forks

    Here Come the Water Now

    Tom Brosseau

    Grand Forks

    Loveless

    Notes

  69. Guilt By Association

    From This Moment On

    Mark Mulcahy

    Guilt By Association

    Engine Room

    Notes

  70. New Moon

    Whatever (Folk Song in C)

    Elliott Smith

    New Moon

    Kill Rock Stars

    Notes

  71. In Our Nature

    Teardrop

    José González

    In Our Nature

    Mute

    Notes

  72. Satellite EP

    Rise & Shine

    Guster

    Satellite EP

    Reprise

    Notes

  73. Ripe

    Hungry

    Ben Lee

    Ripe

    New West

    Notes

  74. I'm Not There

    You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere

    The Swell Season

    I’m Not There

    Sony

    Notes

  75. Song of America

    Peg and Awl

    Freedy Johnston

    Song of America

    31 Tigers

    Notes

  76. Into the Wild

    Hard Sun

    Eddie Vedder

    Into the Wild

    J Records

    Notes

  77. Beyond

    We’re Not Alone

    Dinosaur Jr.

    Beyond

    Fat Possum

    Notes

  78. Let's Just Be

    Precious One

    Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts

    Let’s Just Be

    Lonely Astronaut

    Notes

  79. Guilt By Association

    Straight Up

    Luna

    Guilt by Assocation

    Engine Room

    Notes

  80. Autumn of the Seraphs

    Good to Sea

    Pinback

    Autumn of the Seraphs

    Touch & Go

    Notes

  81. Sound of Silver

    Someone Great

    LCD Soundsystem

    Sound of Silver

    DFA

    Notes

  82. The Daydream

    The Daydream

    Tycho

    The Daydream

    self-released

    Notes

  83. Marry Me

    Now, Now

    St. Vincent

    Marry Me

    Beggars Banquet

    Notes

  84. Boxer

    Start a War

    The National

    Boxer

    Beggars Banquet

    Notes

  85. A Weekend in the City

    On

    Bloc Party

    A Weekend in the City

    Vice

    Notes

  86. In Rainbows

    Reckoner

    Radiohead

    In Rainbows

    self-released/XL Recordings

    Notes

  87. Neon Bible

    No Cars Go

    Arcade Fire

    Neon Bible

    Merge

    Notes

  88. Friend and Foe

    Wet and Rusing

    Menomena

    Friend and Foe

    Barsuk

    Notes

  89. Armchair Apocrypha

    Plasticities

    Andrew Bird

    Armchair Apocrypha

    Fat Possum

    Notes

  90. Challengers

    Challengers

    The New Pornographers

    Challengers

    Matador

    Notes

  91. Wincing the Night Away

    Phantom Limb

    The Shins

    Wincing the Night Away

    Sub Pop

    Notes

  92. Writer's Block

    Young Folks

    Peter Bjorn and John

    Writer’s Block

    Almost Gold

    Notes

  93. The Con

    Back in Your Head

    Tegan and Sara

    The Con

    Sire

    Notes

  94. Nighttiming

    West Coast

    Coconut Records

    Nighttiming

    Young Baby

    Notes

  95. City Beach

    Lazy Girls

    Jill Cunniff

    City Beach

    Militia Group

    Notes

  96. Woke on a Whaleheart

    The Wheel

    Bill Callahan

    Woke on a Whaleheart

    Drag City

    Notes

  97. White Winter Hymnal

    Fleet Foxes

    Mountaineers

    self-released

    Digital- and Demo-only release

  98. Emotionalism

    The Weight of Lies

    The Avett Brothers

    Emotionalism

    Ramseur

    Notes

  99. Easy Tiger

    I Taught Myself How to Grow Old

    Ryan Adams

    Easy Tiger

    Lost Highway

    Notes

  100. Rise Above

    Rise Above

    Dirty Projectors

    Rise Above

    Dead Oceans

    Notes