ALBUMS
1. Kings of Leon - Because of the Times - 15
2. Down - Over the Under - 14
3. Against Me! - New Wave - 13
4. Explosions in the Sky - All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone - 12
5. Soilwork - Sworn to a Great Divide - 11
6. Blonde Redhead - 23 - 9
7. Satellite Party - Ultrapayloaded - 8
8. Machine Head - The Blackening - 7
9. Circus Diablo - Circus Diablo - 6
10. Stephen Marley - Mind Control - 5

TRACKS
1. Plain White Ts - Hey There Delilah
2. Fergie - Big Girls Don't Cry
3. The Kooks - She Moves in Her Own Way
4. Razorlight - America
5. Rihanna - Umbrella
6. Lily Allen - Smile
7. Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend
8. Nelly Furtado - Say It Right
9. Beyonce - Irreplaceable
10. Mark Ronson - Stop Me Medley

REISSUES
1. Sonic Youth - The Destroyed Room
2. Neil Young - Chrome Dreams II
3. Miles Davis - The Complete On the Corner Sessions
4. Black Sabbath - The Dio Years

ARTISTS
1. Arcade Fire
2. Amy Winehouse
3. Ghostface Killah
4. Bob Dylan
5. Jay-Z

COMMENTS
Aside from Kings of Leon and Down, I had a pretty difficult time coming up with my Top 10 Albums this year. Looking at it now, the list makes sense — to me at least — but it didn't come easy. Here's one to ponder: Does "In Rainbows" digital release make it eligible for the current year or does the hard copy date mean it will top of everyone's list in 2008?

The Singles list, on the other hand, came in a snap — and I could have included 20 more. I'm already being ribbed about these 10 but these were the ones that became inescapable and I still didn't hate by the umteenth time.

What else was notable in 2007? The Van Halen reunion was a lot better than anyone had reason to expect. The Smashing Pumpkins reunion (I'm listening to Zeitgeist as I type this) was the non-event of the year. Serves Billy Corgan right for trying to coast on the name of past accomplishment. Not nearly as bad but still largely unnoticed was Nine Inch Nail's "Year Zero." Strange considering all the good will thrown at "With Teeth."

Coachella was awesome and has replaced the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival as my definition of the ideal music-related vacation. Seeing Ghostface and Sonic Youth within an hour of each as the sun went down was a great reminder of how beautifully scattered we've become as collective listeners.
It's highly encouraging that heavy metal has made a respectable comeback. It felt good to include Down and Machine Head on a list of the year's best without hesitation and some weird feeling or trying to recapture a misspent youth. There's still a dearth of accessible guitar rock and with Foo Fighters sounding more and more like Nickelback (unfortunately the top sellers in that genre), things aren't looking so good for the months ahead.