I would be remiss in my duties as a music snob if I did not put together the requisite “best-of” list for the year. And in fact I was remiss last year. My apologies. I dropped the ball, let everyone down, fell asleep at the wheel, etc. So to make it up to myself, I have taken the liberty of expanding the list from Top 10 to Top 15. Mostly because 2007 was, at least for me and my weird tastes, an excellent year for new music. Hopefully you’ll discover some new favorites below. Many of these I have already posted full-length reviews for, so feel free to click over for the full scoop.

And here they are, in alphabetical order:

The Birthday Massacre – Walking With Strangers
You can read my full review here.

Crowded House – Time On Earth
For me, this might actually be their best album to date. Which is saying a lot, because Neil Finn is an absolutely brilliant songwriter and band front-man. Even though it’s been over a decade since their last proper album release, Time On Earth sounds like they haven’t missed a beat. This is Crowded House at their (new) prime.

Erasure – Light At The End Of The World
You can read my full review here.

Explosions In The Sky – All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
I have an admitted weakness for lush, instrumental post-rock. And Explosions In The Sky is one of the main reasons. This latest album continues their trend of dynamic and moving symphonic poems for indie rock. Even if you don’t think you’ve heard of them, you may have caught their work as the soundtrack for the movie Friday Night Lights.

Ferry Corsten – Passport: United States Of America
You can read my full review here.

Future Of Forestry – Twilight
Although I’m a Christian, I don’t really care for much of the Christian music scene. Mainly because, although I’m sure many artists’ hearts are in the right place, the music is more-often-than-not… well, boring and uninspired. And I refuse to cut slack for that simply because of their good intentions. Which is why a group like Future Of Forestry is so refreshing. Not only is it basically a worship album, but the music side of it is absolutely stunning. This is a talented rock band, writing some amazing songs, and I wish that more people would hear about them.

Hammock – Raising Your Voice… Trying To Stop An Echo
Speaking of gorgeous instrumental music… My other big weakness is dreamy shoegazer rock. Be it fast or slow, for me it captures an addictive and magnetic vein of music as dreaming. Hammock takes it on the slower side, and with this latest release has crafted one of the lovliest reverb-laden guitar albums you’re likely to find.

The Innocence Mission – We Walked In Song
You can read my full review here.

Michael Brook – BellCurve
You can read my full review here.

Nick Warren – Global Underground: Paris
This takes my vote for “DJ Album of the Year.” And that might be a little misleading because I consider it so much more than just a mix album. Nick Warren has always been an excellent styler of a mix, but this set takes it to a new level. It’s the mix-as-original-album concept, and Nick crafts and sculpts the set as something that these songs could not touch on their own. The first disc is largely more laid back, while the second disc takes the energy up a couple more notches. But overall, this is a great example of how careful selection, skillful remixing and top-notch editing can transport individual songs into a much greater whole.

Patty Griffin – Children Running Through
If you don’t like Patty Griffin, then you’re a dirty communist. (Oh, and you can also read my full review of her live DVD, which takes most of its source material from this album.)

Radiohead – In Rainbows
A very promising and enjoyable album from the ‘Heads. I had lost interest in them after the last couple of albums (they weren’t bad, they were just… very Radiohead). This one feels very creative and energetic, moreso than they’ve seemed in several years. Plus they get major kudos for their digital release model, which hopefully will become a precedent for future albums and artists.

Stars Of The Lid – And Their Refinement Of The Decline
Ahhh, Music For Insomniacs… This is nothing but slight and minimal ambiant ear-candy. It moves at a glacial pace, but contains real beauty. This has become my new soundtrack for walking through museums, but I sometimes use it as a sleeping aid as well.

Sunlounger – Another Day On The Terrace
Somewhere between the artist name, the album title and the cover art, you should get a pretty good idea for what style of music they’re going for. This is chillout electronica for sunsets on the beach. Not only that, but this is also the best “format” for an electronic release I’ve ever purchased. Not only does it contain both the chilled and more dance versions of all the album tracks, but both sets are then additionally included in both mixed and unmixed versions. A highly enjoyable release.

Ulrich Schnauss – Goodbye
I will admit a slight musical man-crush on Ulrich and all of his records. And this album didn’t help hide that feeling much, because for me it’s damn near perfect. For my money, music doesn’t get much more lush and gorgeous than this. Easily my top album of 2007.