About This List:
I've recently started working on a program that will take my iPod song ratings and roll them up into album and artist ratings (note: it's way more complicated than just taking a simple average), then display that information on a web page. Look for that in early 2008, hopefully. But for now, here are the top 10 albums of 2007, as determined by those calculated album ratings. If you think I missed anything, or if you have any suggestions for bands you think I might like, please let me know.

Click on the song titles to hear a 30-second clip; or you can download a zip file with all of the songs here.

1.  Chevelle - Vena Sera  (Rating: 9.48)
Favorite song: "Midnight to Midnight"
Chevelle's previous releases always struck me as somewhat generic, but Vena Sera just consistently rocks.

2.  Far-Less - A Toast to Bad Taste  (Rating: 9.04)
Favorite song: "Gentlemen (Go to Sleep)"
An incredible album from a really great band... if you've been thinking "I haven't heard any good new rock bands lately", you owe it to yourself to check this album out.

3.  Smashing Pumpkins - Zeitgeist  (Rating: 8.63)
Favorite song: "Bring the Light"
When I heard that the Pumpkins were putting out a new album, I was afraid that it would be just a poor imitation of their previous work. Turns out I was wrong... Zeitgeist is right up there with some of their best material.

4.  Strata - Strata Presents the End of the World  (Rating: 8.43)
Favorite song: "Hot/Cold (Darling, Don't)"
Definitely a more mature sound than their self-titled debut; good lyrics, too.

5.  Fall Out Boy - Infinity on High  (Rating: 8.32)
Favorite song: "Thnks fr th Mmrs"
Okay I admit it, Fall Out Boy is kind of a guilty pleasure...

6.  Clouds - Legendary Demo  (Rating: 7.90)
Favorite song: "Guardian's Eyes"
This is a really fun album to listen to; there's so much energy in each song. The name of the fourth song is also a good way to describe their sound: "Party Grunge".

7.  Zozobra - Harmonic Tremors  (Rating: 7.63)
Favorite song: "Kill and Crush"
Definitely the heaviest album on this list, a lot of low-end; you can tell it was written by a bassist. A very cool album.

8.  Yellowcard - Paper Walls  (Rating: 7.61)
Favorite song: "The Takedown"
Nothing fancy, just a solid pop-punk album (with a violin, of course).

9.  Telescreen - The Solar Sea EP  (Rating: 7.48)
Favorite song: "Individual"
I just found out about this album a couple of weeks ago, and I've been playing it ever since. Reminds me a lot of Keane, which is a good thing. I can't wait for them to put out a full album.

10.  Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace  (Rating: 7.44)
Favorite song: "Erase/Replace"
Another good, if somewhat inconsistent, album from the Foos.