the wait is over

The moment you wait anxiously for all year (don't lie): Anna's favorites of the year.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed in terms of having a list of full albums I was in love with this year, save for a very select few. Maybe it's because I spent a lot of time this year getting turned on to music that was already years old, or maybe it's because very few albums were actually that great. Either way, while the albums might not have been all that great for me, there were quite a few amazing songs, singles or otherwise. Thus, a list, my favorite thing to write. Click the songs to hear 'em, if you haven't. These are all YouTube links, so I can't vouch for the quality of some of those "slide show" things.

Anna's Favorite Songs of 2007 (in no order)
1. "The Good Life"--Kanye West, feat. T-Pain This song starts parties. I've seen it happen.

2."Umbrella"--Rihanna, feat. Jay-Z. Absolutely flawless pop. Hate away...I'll be over here dancing and wanting an actual Rihanna-brand umbrella for Christmas.

3."Dizzy"--Jimmy Eat World. Jimmy Eat World has the capacity to create really epic-sounding songs without slipping into too much bombast. Though not quite as soul-destroyingly perfect as "23" of their last disc, Futures, this final track on Chase This Light continues the tradition nicely.

4."Sea Legs"--The Shins. One of the comments on this video mentions wanting to snorkel to this song, which is actually perfect. This song sounds just like it's title--off-kilter and rhythmic--but is much more fun.

5."Let Me In"--Hot Hot Heat. The production on this track is stellar--the strings could have been too much, but instead they add a layer of gloss to an already solid song by the underrated Hot Hot Heat.

6."Last Night"--Motion City Soundtrack. I love the slow way this song builds. So catchy.

7."Keep The Car Running"--Arcade Fire. Perhaps the most accessable Arcade Fire has been? Either way, this song's beat makes me smile.

8."Roc Boys"--Jay-Z. Jay-Z fans are happier than anyone about the release of American Gangster--honestly, it was a bit hard to justify the love with Kingdom Come as the most current album. Thank God for this. Returning to his roots, be it the verses about drug deals or the sampling of old-soul horns, returned Hova to his full former glory.

9."Baby Girl, I'm A Blur"--Say Anything. You might know them only as "that band that sang about phone sex," but Say Anything has crafted some damn good songs on In Defense of the Genre. They're able to work within a bunch of different types of music--compare this danceable number with the more rocking "Shiksa (Girlfriend)."

10."My Moon, My Man"--Feist. Feist's music is sexy as hell. The bass and piano lines in this one makes you want to make out.

11."Hi-Definition"--Lupe Fiasco, feat. Snoop Dogg and Pooh Bear. Lupe and Snoop could have been a huge misstep for both of them. It wasn't, and it's one of the best off The Cool, an album released late enough in the year that it might be unjustly forgotten.

12."Break The Ice"--Britney Spears. I love Britney so much more now that's she's given up on being a pop star (seriously, vocals were never her strong point). This is Britney: Dance Diva, and we're better for it.

13."Hallelujah"--Paramore. Emo-pop needs more girls as fiesty as Hayley Williams, though finding one with quite such a set of lungs (not to mention the hair I not-so-secretly covet) might be a challenge.

14."Fluorescent Adolescent"--Arctic Monkeys. This was so the year for the Arctic Monkey's so-called "difficult" second album. Though perhaps not as definitive as Whatever You Think I Am, That's What I'm Not, the band's Favorite Worst Nightmare proved they're still a band to watch. They tell great stories, and this is one of their best.

15."Don't You Know Who I Think I Am?"--Fall Out Boy. I often like Fall Out Boy most when they make it obvious that they can comment on their situation in the music scene with some humor. Plus, Patrick Stump's vocals on "I'm just a painter..." are unreal. These guys know how to write a solid pop song, even when, like this, it probably won't make it to radio.

You guys post your lists of stuff, or come argue with me in the comments!
-Anna