Nostalgia is a strange beast. Sometimes, you’ll come across something that makes you feel old, and yet warm and fuzzy at the same time. Well, dear readers, we’re about to pull that trick on you. It’s 2017, and that means all these albums are ten years old this year. If they were babies, they’d now be walking, talking and coming into your room without asking to ‘borrow’ stuff. Instead, they’re a mix of solid gold classics and reminders of promises that once burned so bright we felt they’d be with us forever. Stick on the sepia specs, it’s about to get teary.
Radiohead – In Rainbows
Released: 10th October 2007
One of the most written about albums of the modern age, it’s arguable that the least remarkable part of ‘In Rainbows’ proved to be its music. That’s not to say it’s shabby – far from it – but it’s the ‘pay what you want’ release model that sent a pre-streaming world into a tailspin about the value of a band’s output. As the column inches piled up, the world seemed to forget this was Radiohead – a band so big, so legendary, so revered that they could do anything they wanted. Now, it all seems quite quaint. A decade ago, it was a revolution. SA
The Cribs – Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever
Released: 21st May 2007
While ‘The New Fellas’ may be the album where the Jarmans dropped some of their most iconic bangers, it’s the follow-up – 2007’s ‘Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever’ – that saw Wakefield’s finest reach their imperial phase. From ‘Our Bovine Public’’s intravenous drip of espresso through to the perfection of ‘I’m A Realist’, there’s a quiet confidence of a band who don’t know how to do anything but succeed.The British band with the highest bar of consistent brilliance (even Johnny Marr couldn’t keep up with them), this is where they planted the flag that still flies high today. SA
Klaxons – Myths of the Near Future
Released: 29th January 2007
In 2007, Klaxons were hailed as the next big thing in music – sure-fire festival headliners of the future. While that never quite came to pass, their platinum selling debut was and still is a monument in music history. With the iconic catchiness of ‘Golden Skans’ juxtaposed against the liberal use of the “DJ” sound effect on ‘Atlantis to Interzone’, it’s an album as weird and stitched together as its cover art. The new-rave scene spearheaded by the band never really gained traction, but ‘Myths of the Near Future’ is still as bizarre (and great) as it was when it was released a decade ago. JH
Jamie T – Panic Prevention
Released: 29th January 2007
For anyone who spent their formative years growing out a floppy fringe, spending Topman vouchers on flimsy plimsolls or stalking MySpace for their local Skins party, ‘Panic Prevention’ was a faithful pal to knock about with. Billed as ‘the Alex Turner of the south’, Jamie Treay’s debut was an ode to 00s Britannia, introducing us to a world of broken-toothed brawls and ill-advised dalliances via the medium of cheeky ska-pop. ‘Sheila’ can still be found throwing a pint across the room of pretty much every indie disco in the country, but there were softer moments too; the anxiety referenced in ‘So Lonely Was The Ballad’ and ‘Northern Line’ opened up a conversation about mental health with such nuance that its message remains relevant ten years on. Our generation may not have all the answers, but we know how to have fun trying to find them. JNW
Bloc Party – A Weekend In The City
Released: 24th January 2007
If you were to put 2007 East London indie into a microcosm, you wouldn’t need to look further than Bloc Party’s ‘A Weekend In The City’. From the moment the drums come in on ‘Song For Clay’ followed by its aggressive riff, this album was different from genre-defining debut ‘Silent Alarm’. Written and recorded in the aftermath of the 7/7 London bombings (referenced in the brilliant ‘Hunting For Witches’), there’s no surprise that there is a real siege mentality running through the album. It’s arguably guitarist Russell Lissack’s finest hour too with genius riffs such as on the aforementioned ‘Hunting For Witches’, the winding ‘The Prayer’ and the delicate ‘I Still Remember’. ‘Sunday’ is Bloc Party at their very best with Kele Okereke’s smooth voice, Matt Tong’s rhythmic genius, Gordon Moakes’ simplistic bass and Lissack’s crescendo towards the end. The addition of mega hit ‘Flux’ in a re-release only cemented the album’s iconic status. Ignore the critics; THIS is the best Bloc Party album. JW
Fall Out Boy – Infinity On High
Released: 6th February 2007
“Welcome. It’s here.” The last line of Jay-Z’s opening salvo on ‘Thriller’ was at the time intended to mark Fall Out Boy’s first album since the unexpected success of ‘From Under The Cork Tree’. However, as we look back on ten years of ‘Infinity On High’, it’s clear that this was the moment that emo became more than a flash-in-the-pan, with the album going straight to Number 1 around the world. ‘This Ain’t A Scene’ and ‘Thnks fr th Mmrs’ have imprinted themselves into the consciousness of those of a certain age, screaming until their lungs give out. But the album also offers softer moments in the likes of ‘The Take Over, The Breaks Over’ and ‘The (After) Life of the Party’, as well as the harsh guitars of ‘The Carpal Tunnel of Love’ and ‘Fame < Infamy'. For many, this is the album that has inspired them, helped them, or defined a period of their lives. It's no surprise either; it's a hugely important record. JW
Patrick Wolf – The Magic Position
Released: 26th February 2007
‘The Magic Position’ is a proper record. There’s a defined beginning, middle and end. ‘Overture’ fills the listener with the start of a story; perhaps autobiographical, perhaps not. But it sets the stage for a luscious record. One filled with sounds, sights, and stories. Indeed, it’s the first time Wolf embraced his “pop moment”, as he’s come to call it – the way he combined pop with his classical influences is nothing short of magical. The title track is joyous pop, while ‘Bluebells’ is the closest Wolf gets to his previous work, but the lyric “I’m going nowhere fast / the darker day has hold at last” is something still capable of grabbing disillusioned teens today. ‘Magpie’ sees Wolf show off his ballad skills with backup from Marianne Faithfull in what is possibly the most beautiful song of 2007. Finishing with ‘Finale’, you feel like you’ve been on a journey listening to ‘The Magic Position’. Perhaps 2017 will see him return with his first album since 2012’s pseudo-greatest hits collection, ‘Sundark & Riverlight’. We can only hope so. JW
Arcade Fire – Neon Bible
Released: 3rd March 2007
Building from the sense of loss and introspection that defined ‘Funeral’, Arcade Fire’s second album looks outwards at the world it finds itself in with an acute sense of self-perception. Imbued with a ceaseless forwards motion, ‘Neon Bible’ is the record that catapulted the group to commercial success. Driving ever onwards – though always at its own pace – the album spirals from grand crescendos to intricate melodies and back again, ebbing and flowing with an innate grace. From the undercurrent of fear that runs through ‘Keep The Car Running’ to the rousing escapism of ‘No Cars Go’, Arcade Fire tackle the world around them with a uniquely sprawling ingenuity. Not afraid to give voice to thoughts that both plague and save, ‘Neon Bible’ is a manifestation of the resilient spirit that is now seen as synonymous with the band’s very name. JG
The Horrors – Strange House
Released: 5th March 2007
It seems almost ridiculous that The Horrors of 2017, only ten years ago, could have been the art punk rabble introduced on ‘Strange House’. Their rapid and revelatory reinventions have made a decade feel like several lifetimes, but there’s still a lot to love in the band’s more incendiary early steps. Opener ‘Jack The Ripper’ and former MTV2 staple ‘Count In Fives’ have enough nuclear energy to power a Delorean, and thought two years later ‘Primary Colours’ would see them stride out as a radically different band, this version still has a charm hard to ignore. SA
LCD Soundsystem – Sound of Silver
Released: 12th March 2007
Of all 2007’s amazing albums, one has the right to sit above all its peers. ‘Sound of Silver’, LCD’s second full-length, feels as fresh and amazing today as it did on its release. From the saccharine shot of ‘North American Scum’ to the perfect combination of ‘Someone Great’ and all time hall of famer ‘All My Friends’, it remains as close to perfect as it’s possible to comprehend. As the final woozy notes of ‘New York I Love You…’ fade, it’s easy to see why a decade on, their next album is among the most anticipated of 2017. SA
Arctic Monkeys – Favourite Worst Nightmare
Released: 23rd April 2007
Eighteen months after they first appeared with the declaration of “don’t believe the hype,” Sheffield’s favoured four-piece rose above the frenzy that surrounded their debut album with a record that was exactly what they needed to be to survive – something different. If ‘Whatever People Say I Am…’ was the sound of their city streets, ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’ was a glimpse through the eyes that beheld them. Riffing on a dreary sex life at middle age with ‘Fluorescent Adolescent’ and raging after tumultuous thrills with ‘Balaclava’, this is the album that saw the band truly come into their own – with no uncertain amount of poignancy. ‘Do Me A Favour’ pounds through a separation with emotion as weighted as the drumbeats that drive it, while ‘Only Ones Who Know’ offers lingering hope in the face of the unpredictable nature of reality. ‘505’ still stands as a landmark, a staggering ode to romance that revels in every ounce of complex emotion that comes with falling in love. This is the record that cemented Arctic Monkeys as a force of permanence. With work on their sixth album reportedly underway, it’s a force that shows no signs of fading. JG
Art Brut – It’s A Bit Complicated
Released: 18th June 2007
With most releases, you’ll be left pondering how they could possibly have dropped ten years ago. With Art Brut’s second album, you’re more likely to wonder if it wasn’t a lifetime ago. They don’t make frontmen like Eddie Argos anymore, and while ‘It’s A Bit Complicated’ may lack the iconic ‘Emily Kane’, this was still the oddball troupe at their fearsome best. ‘Direct Hit’ especially still feels like it does exactly what it says on the label. A love letter from a different world. SA
White Stripes – Icky Thump
Released: 15th June 2007
What would end up being The White Stripes’ final studio album, ‘Icky Thump’ is rife with political and social commentary that reigns supreme as much now as it did back then. It’s so timeless, the lyrics to the savage lead single and album title-track recently came back as anti-Trump merchandise for Jack White’s Third Man Records. From the Spanish flavoured ’Conquest’ to the aptly titled, blues-soaked ‘300 M.P.H Torrential Outpour Blues’, it’s everything The White Stripes were and stood for. SL
Jack Penate – Matinee
Released: 8th October 2007
Armed with his guitar and taking on the stance of a lovelorn troubadour, Jack Penate was a key player in the 2007 indie party. Shuffling and skiffling with heartbroken joy, it was hard not to find yourself dancing to tracks such as ‘Spit At Stars’, ‘Have I Been A Fool?’ and ‘Torn On The Platform’. If ever there were a perfect encapsulation of the period, this would be it. SL
Paramore – Riot!
Released: 12th June 2007
Everyone has their favourite Paramore album – but there’s little to argue about which record firmly accelerated Hayley Williams and co. into the brightest of limelights. Ten years on since ‘Riot!’ first dropped, and it still seems like an album to deliver the knockout blows. From the soaring refusal of defeat ‘Hallelujah’ to the iconic ‘Misery Business’ and the gloriously claustrophobic ‘crushcrushcrush’, it’s packed wall-to-wall with scene-defining bangers. The spark that lit the fire, that the band are set to return with a new record in 2017 feels as poetic as it does exciting. SA
Biffy Clyro – Puzzle
Released: 4th June 2007
This is where it all started. Well, not literally, but for Biffy Clyro, their fourth album saw them take an almighty leap from quirky weirdos who knew how to write a hook to arena contenders who took hooks and placed them next to other hooks. The bloody geniuses. Tightening all of the parts, delving deeper into the human condition and getting straight to the point (for the most part), this album realigned the band’s trajectory from growing to glowing. It wasn’t quite an instant revolution, but ‘Puzzle’, from the heartbreak of ‘Folding Stars’ through *that* introduction of ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’, saw Biffy Clyro bigger, bolder and more attentive than ever before. Who’s Got A Match ‘cause this album is on fire. AS
The Maccabees – Colour It In
Released: 14th May 2007
With the outpouring of grief that followed the Maccabees’ announced breakup last year, it’s clear the band had a pretty big place in a lot of people’s hearts. While later albums cemented their place as a headline act, it was ‘Colour It In’ that lay the foundations. From the opening off-kilter quirkiness of ‘Good Old Bill’ through to the closing notes of touching love song ‘Toothpaste Kisses’, it still holds up admirably today. And while the band may have gone, Latchmere’s still got a wave machine. JH
Kate Nash – Made of Bricks
Released: 6th August 2007
Entrenching herself in everything that’s quintessentially British and indie, including referencing drinking “cups of tea” in ‘Mouthwash’, Kate Nash played her piano straight into the hearts of the 2007 indie echelons. Playful, witty and heartfelt, tracks like ‘Foundations’ soundtracked an entire generation’s romantic entanglements – along with cries of “I’d rather be with your friends mate, ’cause they are much fitter.” At the time it was divisive, but ten years later, you can’t deny Nash could write classic indie-pop songs. SL
And for a real mind-twister…
Yep. This is 10 years old this year too.
LIAR! CHEATER!
No, honestly, we’re telling the truth….