College Times

Media Credit: Courtesy Rhymesayers Entertainment)

1. CLUTCH

From Beale Street to Oblivion (DRT Records)

On their eighth studio album, Clutch doesn’t reinvent the wheel, nor do they try to. All they do is serve up some of the best blues-tinged hard rock since Led Zeppelin called it quits in 1980. Beale Street is the sound of a band that has found its groove, both literally and figuratively.

2. THE NATIONAL LIGHTS

The Dead Will Walk, Dear (BloodShake Records)

Singer/songwriter Jacob Thomas Berns crafts delicate, low-fi folk songs with shockingly dark lyrics about sadness and love, murder and regret, deep scars and shallow graves. Sonya Cotton’s ethereal harmonies make the contrast even starker.

3. JESU

Conqueror (Hydra Head Records)

Justin Broadrick has already left his mark through his work with grindcore legends Napalm Death and Godflesh, but with Jesu he branches out yet again, showing us his softer side. His almost timid singing is complemented by soaring, majestic guitar riffs reminiscent of early Smashing Pumpkins.

4. BROTHER ALI

The Undisputed Truth (Rhymesayers Entertainment)

Kanye vs. Fiddy? In the immortal words of Chuck D, “Don’t believe the hype.” The best rap album of 2007 comes from Brother Ali , who easily eclipses any commercial rap competition with his political rants and poignant tales of a broken family.

5. WEEN

 La Cucaracha (Rounder Records)

On their ninth studio album, the brothers Ween bounce back from 2003’s disappointing Quebec. Ween is frequently dismissed as a joke band but their humor is wittier and subtler than true joke bands like Tenacious D. Plus, it’s the occasional sincere moments of Beatles-esque pop perfection that truly set them apart.

6. COHEED & CAMBRIA

Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow (Columbia Records)

Combine three of the most lamented genres in rock – prog, pop punk and hair metal – and you’d expect a train wreck. Instead, you get the year’s best guilty pleasure. There’s no denying that these guys have a knack for writing catchy hooks.

7. RYAN ADAMS

Easy Tiger (Lost Highway Records)

Adams’ latest might be his strongest work to date. His takes on lost love and broken hearts are genuinely heart-wrenching. Few modern country artists have the depth and substance that Adams displays on this album.

8. FAIR TO MIDLAND

Fables from a Mayfly: What I Tell You Three Times Is True (Serjical Strike Records)

One of the year’s best debuts. This Texas prog rock quartet have found a comfortable niche between the Mars Volta’s tripped-out weirdness and Coheed & Cambria’s pop sensibility.

9. JOHN FOGERTY

Revival (Fantasy Records)

Fogerty’s first album of new material on Fantasy Records in nearly 25 years proves that he still possesses one of the strongest and most distinctive voices in rock music. His songwriting chops are still as strong as ever.

10. DOWN

Down III: Over the Under

(Warner Bros. Records)

Rising from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans-based metal supergroup Down deliver another slab of blues-drenched metal. Phil Anselmo proves that he’s still one of the most versatile singers in metal, tempering his Pantera screams with a melodic, gravelly baritone.

11. KEN ANDREWS

Secrets of the Lost Satellite (Dinosaur Fight Records)

The former Failure frontman combines the moody alt-rock he helped pioneer in the 1990s with drum machines and synthesizers to create a catchy, compelling album.

12. PIG DESTROYER

Phantom Limb (Relapse Records)

Pig Destroyer’s unrelenting blend of grindcore, thrash metal and hardcore punk might not be for everyone, but its raw aggression is unrivaled in the world of extreme metal.

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