It seems like only a long time ago that I was writing about The Best Records of 2007 (The Halfway Mark) and now here we are at the the second half, or “The Home Stretch”. We all know no good records are going to be coming out between now and January 1st so lets get to it. Shall we?

Against Me! - “New Wave”
I was pretty sure this record was going to rule and boy was I right. Absolutely my favorite record of the year. So much so the title of the post right below this one was named after one of my fav tracks. Against Me! is one of the few bands around that reminds me why punk rock was such a big part of my life. Their lyrical commentary on everything from the state of the music industry to the state of the world is just as important as anything the Dead Kennedy’s, Bad Religion, Crass, or anyone else said in their day. A++ (gold star) on this one boys.

Bishop Allen - “The Broken String”
Bishop Allen is a band I discovered way too late. Unique witty lyrics, and poppy melodies; it’s pretty much everything I love about music. Built from some of the best tracks of their E.P. a month project of last year re-recorded and re-worked this album is solid all the way through and is hard to wear out. I’ve probably listened to the song “Rain” about 1,000 times and still every time I hear it I get a little spring in my step. Fans of the Beatles, Belle & Sebastian, Quasi, or pretty much any good rock n’ roll band centered around solid songwriting will LOVE this record.

The Weakerthans - “Reunion Tour”
The Weakerthans are another band I didn’t discover until this year. For some reason I always thought they were some shitty ska-core band. Then Jonah started saying “Dude, you’d really like them they’re one of my favorite bands” and i would say “Yeaaaaaah.” So when this record came out I got it for him and gave it a listen and went “whoa. They’re really good.” It’s like a pop punk Death Cab For Cutie. I almost don’t even care that they are Canadian. How anyone could write a song about curling that I am interested in is beyond me, but they pulled it off. (I totally like Canadians by the way).

Maritime - “Heresay & the Hotel Choir”
“Very Emergency” is the only Promise Ring album I really liked, and I didn’t just like it, I LOVED IT. So after the disappointment of “Wood/Water” I wasn’t too interested in Davey’s new project Maritime. But last year when I was out of things to download with my E-Music credit I decided to give their last album a try. Being more than pleasantly surprised by that record I was eagerly awaiting this one. After you’ve listened to the opening track “Guns of Navarone” a million times, try the rest of the record. It’s good.

Justice - “Cross”
I know what you’re thinking, “Ben, a dance record? Really?” What can I say? It’s a great driving record. Maybe It’s the brilliant artwork and marketing, maybe it’s a better dance record than any other dance record I’ve heard. I don’t know. Have you seen the video So-Me did for the single “D.A.N.C.E.” ? FUCK it’s good. And the rest of the album kept me tapping my toes. So sue me, I like a dance record.

And finally, the award for the MOST OVERRATED RECORD OF 2007 goes to Radiohead - In Rainbows. I wouldn’t even pay 0.00 for it. I’ve been sick of people treating this band like gods for the last 8 years. They made two good records, get over it.