I’m winding down the Listless in 2007 project for the holidays, so it’s finally time to address every writer’s least favorite year-end task: the Top Ten Albums list. I don’t think I know one scribe who looks forward to compiling it, but some are more honest than others in including records that really affected them and not those that were heaped with other critics’ praise. I’m hopefully of this ilk, as I incorporate the album’s place among other releases this year, it’s potential to resonate for years to come, AND how often it was spun on my iTunes. Tomorrow I’ll reveal the best ten, but for today let’s look at the “best of the rest” - records that *just* missed tomorrow’s list.

White Rabbits/Fort Nightly (Say Hey) - These Brooklyn-by-way-of-St. Louis lads also made my top live shows list for 2007, and they’re on both lists with good reason - the two-drummer attack and perfectly crafted, catchy-slash-quirky pop songs should serve as a “how to make indie rock” guide for the rest of Brooklyn’s basement bands.

Spoon/Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge) - I really, really liked this record, but it’s not tops in the Spoon catalog…and as I’ve declared before, you can only judge Spoon albums against other Spoon albums. That said, had I taken the time to do a “top tracks” list for ‘07, “The Underdog” would have made it easily.

The National/Boxer (Beggars) - I can appreciate everything about this record, I really can - “Apartment Story” is a kick ass song, and the album is a demonstration in humility for a band that’s carried major expectations almost its entire career. But while other outlets praise the muted restraint, that’s the main issue I take with Boxer - I wanted some more goddamn emoting, man. Still ten times better than most of 2007.

The Depreciation Guild/In Her Gentle Jaws (self-released) - I’ve waxed on and on about this pretty, talented dude + pretty, talented dude + ugly, talented Nintendo “trio” from New York, but if you aren’t one of the 20,000+ (!!!) people who have visited the above link and downloaded this excellent walk through a shoegazy, atmospheric electro-pop world…well, you’re just nuts. Ask Pitchfork.

Ryan Adams/Easy Tiger (Lost Highway) - As you know, dear reader, I’m an avid RA watcher. I also admitted that I’ll probably like just about anything he puts out on one level or another, and while I probably listened to this more than anything else all year (helped by the fact that I share an office with another Ryophile), I’ll admit that it wasn’t his most triumphant. “Halloween Head” and “Oh My God, Whatever, Etc.” are the jams, though. Did I just call two Ryan Adams songs “the jams?”

Richard Hawley/Lady’s Bridge (Mute) - I’ve sort of stroked Sir Hawley a lot lately, but I can’t apologize for it. Like White Rabbits, he makes both my top shows and top albums list. Good on ya, mate - keep shining the lovely, nostalgic pop of a bygone era and PLEASE, come back to the U.S. soon.

David Vandervelde/The Moonstation House Band (Secretly Canadian) - This 7-song mini album got probably more spins on the old iTunes than any other during the dormant months of January/February 2007. Because I often marry a band’s live show to its releases, The Moonstation House Band was probably hurt by David’s relatively mortal live shows (aside from an absolutely blistering set at Lollapalooza - nothing gets suburbanites’ attention like hearing “Cocksucker Blues” as loud as death). He did inspire one of the my favorite Superbird lines (for the Onion A.V. Club), “…this 22-year-old songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist is an easy mix of self-effacing good humor and a swagger that’s less brash arrogance and more precocious devotion to rock ‘n’ roll.”