Taking a cue from Bryan Wawzenek it seems fitting for a first column to hedge between a Slim Shadian “Hello, my name is…” piece, and launching full on into a piece that ignores its obvious novelty. And given the quantity and quality of 2007 releases, the first six months have positioned the year to stand up as one of the best of the decade, if not a bit longer. Although there have been some tragic missteps – Wilco, Paul McCartney, Fountains of Wayne – the otherwise lofty expectations that have been met by a crop of acts’ follow-up outputs has made for a thoroughly enjoyable half-year.

So without further hesitation, the mid-year top 20.

01. Arcade Fire, “Neon Bible” (Merge)
A resounding urgency runs through these 11-song’s baroque pop. The sweeping theatrics and grandiose melodies have a degree of closeness, while also sounding larger than life.
Try: “The Well and the Lighthouse” and “Keep The Car Running”

02. Bloc Party, “A Weekend in the City” (Wichita)
Had this been the London quartet’s debut, the group never would have been lumped in with the post punk, dance-rock revival alongside Franz Ferdinand, The Futureheads, etc. Instead, these brooding guitars and bellowing vocals would have plopped them head on in arenas and stadiums even earlier.
Try: “I Still Remember” and “SRXT”

03. Loney, Dear, “Loney, Noir” (Sub Pop)
Swedish singer/songwriter Emil Svanangen wrote and recording this entire 10-song release, sans the female vox, by himself. While tracks grow from simple acoustic guitars into all-out crescendos of horns, strings, keys and multi-tracked falsettos, the epic nature never feels overwhelming or exhausting.
Try: “I am John” and “Saturday Waits”

04. The Shins, “Wincing the Night Away” (Sub Pop)
As James Mercer matures into one of America’s top songwriters – building his vocal arrangements in the style of Brian Wilson and Paul Simon – his band solidifies itself a delicately endearing pop force.
Try: “Sleeping Lessons” and “Phantom Limb”

05. Noisettes, “What’s The Time, Mr. Wolf?” (Vertigo)
Front woman Shingai Shoniwa’s R&B-at-times-screeching-at-others vocals rest on top of razor-sharp guitar notes and caveman-like percussion, while this trio riffles through fuzzy blues distortion.
Try: “Don’t Give Up” and “Bridge to Canada”

06. Andrew Bird, “Armchair Apocrypha” (Fat Possum)
This former Squirrel Nut Zipper sashays through sultry, lo-fi lounge tales with the seductive secrecy of an after-hours piano player.
Try: “Imitosis” and “Heretics”

07. LCD Soundystem, “Sound of Silver” (DFA)
James Murphy tops his LCD debut by sounding less like a guy referencing the world’s hippest record collection, and more like a songwriter that knows how to mold that collection into undeniably catchy dance beats.
Try: “Watch the Tapes” and “Time to Get Away”

08. Modest Mouse, “We Were Dead Before This Ship Even Sank” (Epic)
With each of the Seattle scenesters’ major-label outputs, it becomes clearer that Isaac Brock’s lyrical genius can most flourish when his challenging-for-the-sake-of-challenging musical tendencies are kept slightly in check.
Try: “People as Places as People” and “We’ve Got Everything”

09. The Polyphonic Spree, “The Fragile Army” (TVT)
For a band with more than 20 members, the Spree has never utilized the sheer potential of its vast soundscapes – until now. For the first time, the Tim DeLaughter-fronted outfit’s joyous arrangements sound long reaching from start to finish.
Try: “Section 22 (Running Away)” and “Section 25 (Younger Yesterday)”

10. Peter, Bjorn & John, “Writer’s Block” (Wichita)
The Swedish trio’s unassuming throwbacks to 1960′s power pop and 1970′s jangle chords had to be top notch to overcome such a dreadful moniker. Luckily it is, and this 11-song release stands as one of the quirkiest and most intriguing of the year.
Try: “Young Folks” and “Paris 2004″

11. Spoon, “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” (Merge)
Continuing its ever-growing shift toward slightly more vague and progressive piano pop, the Austin, Texas foursome disguises its guitars among driving rhythms and a blanket of percussion, never allowing rock’s most conventional instrument to take center stage.
Try: “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” and “Rhythm & Soul”

12. Arctic Monkeys, “Favourite Worst Nightmare” (Domino)
Having set more Billboard records (three) than they have releases (two), the Arctic Monkeys will forever be blessed (cursed?) with astronomical expectations, astounding backlash and abounding resilience. On the band’s sophomore output, the always-airtight musicianship is matched only by more thoughtful lyrics and fewer herky-jerky tempos.
Try: “Fluorescent Adolescent” and “If You Were There, Beware”

13. Klaxons, “Myths of the Near Future” (Polydor)
The “nu-rave” association – based more on their fan’s affinity for drugs and dayglo than the Londoners’ music – is absurd. The breathy tales of outer space, and the band’s aloof brand of live dance tunes leaves the upstart group’s debut LP more closely linked to the 1980′s mass romanticism than its warehouse parties.
Try: “Golden Skans” and “As Above, See Below”

14. The Good, The Bad & The Queen, “The Good, The Bad & The Queen” (Parlophone)
Featuring an afro-beat legend, ex-members of The Clash and The Verve, and most notably Damon Albarn of Blur/Gorillaz, no matter how much the limelight is shared, this project wreaks of Albarn. From the faux electronics, to the tales of London’s underbelly, the rainy day soundtrack has the front man’s fingerprints on every element of these dozen songs.
Try: “80s Song” and “Nature Springs”

15. Art Brut, “It’s a Bit Complicated” (Downtown)
As much tongue-in-cheek as rock’n'roll, the strategically casual rock thumbs its nose at star pretentiousness. Almost-spoken vocals sit disjointedly over downright catchy hooks, as the English ensemble entertains itself through these 11 tunes.
Try: “Direct Hit” and “People in Love”

16. Datarock, “Datarock, Datarock” (Yap)
The Norwegian multi-instrumentalists duo’s odds-and-sods singles stemming back to 2005 get properly collected and released on this official debut LP. With all the synthetic novelty of New Order and the refined club sensibility of The Rapture, the pair recorded the best entirely dance-centric discs of the year thus far.
Try: “I Used to Dance With My Daddy” and “See What I Care”

17. The High Llamas, “Can Cladders” (Drag City)
Having worshipped at the Beach Boys’ temple for his entire musical career, front man Sean O’Hagan furthers his one-man “Pet Sounds” revival on his band’s eighth LP. With hints of Oceanside daydreaming peaking out from behind this 13-track collection of studio whimsy, the songwriter stakes his claim to prime harmonious real-estate.
Try: “The Old Spring Town” and “Bacaroo”

18. Deerhunter, “Cryptograms” (Kranky)
The epitome of a back-loaded album, the first seven tracks on the Georgia band’s second LP sound like the theatrical score to a hard-to-follow art film – distant and instrumental. But the final four tunes delve into the basic conventions of psychedelia that the band’s hometown Elephant Six has revived so flawlessly.
Try: “Strange Lights” and “Heatherwood”

19. The Fratellis, “Costello Music” (Interscope)
After several changes to the original track listing, the record officially was rolled out in early 2007, and all but topped the UK charts with the Scottish trios brash glam and self-assured swagger.
Try: “Chelsea Dagger” and “The Gutterati?”

20. Mando Diao, “Ode To Ochrasy” (Mute)
The Swedish band’s third release – a 14-song revival of 1960′s garage rock and early 1970′s proto punk – was shelved, shelved and shelved again before getting its long-overdue release in April. And by doing so, co-front man Bjorn Dixgard’s throaty croon sounds even more refreshing after the delay.
Try: “You Don’t Understand Me” and “Long Before Rock’n'Roll”

Northwest Herald, July 13 2007