2007: The Year in Indie Rock

Indie rock was on top in 2007, with a number of great albums released by a variety of artists. Here’s a look back at the year in indie rock.

Best Albums

It was a great year for indie rock, with a wide variety of sounds and styles represented in the best albums of 2007. From the classic guitar-based sound of Arcade Fire’s “Neon Bible” to the more experimental approach of Modest Mouse’s “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank,” there was something for everyone. Here are our top picks for the best indie rock albums of 2007.

Arcade Fire – Neon Bible

Arcade Fire’s ‘Neon Bible’ is often cited as one of the best albums of 2007. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.

Beirut – The Flying Club Cup

Beirut’s second album, The Flying Club Cup, was inspired in part by French singer Serge Gainsbourg, and it showcases the band’s transportive powers even better than Gulag did. (It also confirms front man Zach Condon as one of the most promising young songwriters in recent memory.) As with Gulag, The Flying Club Cup nods to various global traditions — in this case, accordion-driven French pop and waltzes — but rather than feeling like an affected pastiche, it feels like an entirely new genre that Beirut has singlehandedly created. It’s the kind of album that makes you want to drop everything and travel the world.

Feist – The Reminder

It’s been almost five years since Feist’s breakthrough album, Let It Die, was released, and in that time Leslie Feist has become a pop star. But The Reminder is the sound of an artist returning to her roots, with mostly stripped-down arrangements that draw on the singer/songwriter tradition. The result is an album that’s both more intimate and more universal than Let It Die, with songs like “1234” and “My Moon My Man” that rank among Feist’s best.

Best Songs

Arcade Fire – “Keep the Car Running”

“Keep the Car Running” is a song by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on September 3, 2007 as part of the album Neon Bible. The song peaked at number 39 on the UK Singles Chart, number 33 on Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.

Beirut – “Nantes”

Beirut’s “Nantes” is one of the most gorgeous, heart-wrenching songs you’ll ever hear. The track, which was released in 2007 on the album The Flying Club Cup, is a perfect example of Zach Condon’s masterful songwriting. The lyrics are wistful and nostalgic, and the melody is absolutely gorgeous. “Nantes” is a song that will stay with you forever.

Feist – “1234”

Sarah Slean – “Sweet Ones”
Arcade Fire – “Keep the Car Running”
The New Pornographers – “Myriad Harbour”
Jay Reatard – “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me”

Best New Artists

It was a banner year for indie rock, with new artists like Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, and LCD Soundsystem breaking through to the mainstream. But there were plenty of other great new bands that didn’t get quite as much attention. Here are some of the best new artists of 2007.

Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of Win Butler, Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, William Butler, Tim Kingsbury, Sarah Neufeld and Jeremy Gara. The band’s debut album, Funeral, released in 2004, received widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. The album won the 2005 Grammy for Best Alternative Album. Arcade Fire’s second album, Neon Bible, was released in 2007 to similar acclaim.

Beirut

Beirut is an American indie rock band that was formed in 2006 by frontman Zach Condon. The band’s music combines elements of indie rock, world music, and chamber pop. They have released three studio albums, the most recent of which, No No No, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.

The band’s first album, Gulag Orkestar, was released in 2006 to critical acclaim. The album included the singles “Postcards from Italy” and “Elephant Gun”, both of which were moderate commercial successes. The band’s second album, The Flying Club Cup, was released in 2007 and included the single “Nantes”, which was a moderate success in the United States. In 2011, the band released their third album, The Rip Tide, which received positive reviews from critics.

Feist

2007 was a breakout year for indie rock, with several new artists making a big splash on the scene. One of the most successful and acclaimed new artists was Feist, a Canadian singer-songwriter who found mainstream success with her album The Reminder.

Feist first came to prominence as a member of the indie rock band Broken Social Scene, but she soon struck out on her own with The Reminder. The album was a critical and commercial success, spawning the hit single “1234” and earning Feist multiple Grammy nominations.

With her whimsical folk-pop songs and charming stage presence, Feist quickly won over fans around the world. She has since become one of indie rock’s most popular artists, and her 2007 album The Reminder is considered one of the best albums of the 2000s.