Mike: Project Manager

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  Dinosaur Jr. — Beyond

  There was a significant amount of big indie acts that released serviceable records in 2007 but did not live up to past glories. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, New Pornographers, the National, Spoon, Okkervil River, Band of Horses, the Arcade Fire, the Shins, Wilco--none of them made the album of their career so far, and that's kind of sad. In contrast, the original Dinosaur Jr. lineup of J Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph put aside all past differences (of which there were many) and surprised everyone by releasing an album that easily lives up to its past glories (of which there were many). Just as potent, explosive, and expressive as they were back in the late '80s when the band rewrote the American underground, Dinosaur Jr. has made one of the classiest comebacks of all time. Whether Beyond is the album of their career so far is up for debate--I say it is. Husker Du, you're next.

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  Blitzen Trapper — Wild Mountain Nation

  Casio keyboards and cowbells collide! Dig that alliteration, word nerds. Blitzen Trapper gave country rock a much-needed kick in the nads this year with Wild Mountain Nation. Completely disregarding traditional arrangements, stylistic cues, and any sense of cohesion, this could have been messy. Thankfully, the songs come through all the guitar fuzz and digital trickery fully formed. It's beyond eclectic, sounding at once crazily ambitious and kind of lazy (in a good way), and lesser bands would have tripped over their instrument cables and knocked out some teeth attempting such an impressive feat.

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  Besnard Lakes — The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse

  At the 3:55 mark in "For Agent 13," from Besnard Lakes' The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse, the song takes off like a rocket. It's one of those "wait for it... wait for it" moments that does not dull with repeated listens. The same thing happens at 2:10 in "Ride the Rails," and at 4:41 in "Because Tonight." Full of long songs with big payoffs, this album fulfills Canada's quota for exporting epic music by bands with lots of members.

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  Bottomless Pit — Hammer of the Gods

  In July 2005, Michael Dahlquist and two friends were stopped at a traffic light when a mentally unstable woman crashed into their car going 70mph in an attempt to kill herself. All three died instantly, and the woman is currently on trial for murder. It's an unfathomable tragedy made even sadder by the fact that in that moment of impact the band Silkworm was no more. Dahlquist was the drummer, and over the course of 18 years and 10 albums his singular, explosive style was the foundation for one of the most impressive yet criminally overlooked bands of the indie-rock era. Surviving members Andy Cohen and Tim Midgett formed Bottomless Pit with ex-Seam drummer Chris Manfrin and ex-.22 bassist Brian Orchard in 2006, and the band's debut, Hammer of the Gods, has Dahlquist's memory hanging over it like a chandelier about to fall. It's no coincidence the album's title was lifted from Led Zeppelin's autobiography, given that Zep too was a band that could not go on after the death of its drummer (the occasional and recent reunion notwithstanding). Lyrically and vocally, Midgett was always the sentimental one, whereas Cohen traded in caustic barbs; however, on this album both treat loss and despair with brutal, straightforward honesty. When Cohen sings on the song "Dead Man's Blues," "I lie in the street/cars they run over me/I wanted to die/but I'm a tough piece of meat," it is both heartbreakingly sad and powerfully cathartic.

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  Jens Lekman — Night Falls Over Kortedala

  This guy's got a lot of nerve coming across like a Swedish Bobby Darin meets a Swedish Jonathan Richman and singing stuff like "every heartbeat needs a reason." Add on some lush horns and strings that he sampled from Return of the Instro-Hipsters Vol. 2 - Groovy Instrumentals from the UK 1965-1973 (not true, actually), and you can almost see the "proceed with caution" sign. The thing is, the album slays because Jens Lekman's an impossibly clever songwriter/arranger and comes through the initial pretense as very approachable and down to earth. I want to be his drinking buddy and talk about our favorite movies.