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From The Independent:

Q: Do you regret that there’s nothing left of the alleged, or actual, wild and revolutionary spirit that rock music represented in the 1960s and 1970s?

Yorke: No. Music is always a reflection of its time. We are living in a world of consumerism. That’s why, first and foremost, the purpose of music is to accommodate demand. For many people, the decision about a particular type of music is a lifestyle commitment, they are kind of associating their existence with the music they are listening to, without being touched by it too deeply.

In addition, there will always be people who interact passionately with music, people for whom there are songs that indeed change lives; songs that open their eyes about the state of the world.

Q: Do you condemn pop fans who acquire your music merely as a consumer product?

Yorke: No, I pity them. For them there is no real satisfaction, they have to gather more and more and more songs, as if the endless accumulation could ensure them immortality.

The top 10 albums of 2007, by Spencer Ross. I welcome comments/feedback, although I’m quite satisfied with my current list.

First of all, let me say that I think this year was the year that alternative music made it big into the mainstream of music publications. If you take for instance, Rolling Stone’s top 25 songs of 2007, there are quite a few surprises. The trend continues as most of those songs were not meant to be one-hit wonders. They may have used iPod and Volkswagen commercials to “sell out,” but they finally slapped the non-audiophiles in the face and made it much more difficult to choose only ten.

I don’t buy into the Amy Winehouse fad, I don’t buy into the Yung Joc fad, and I most certainly don’t even comprehend the Hannah Montana fad–I think real music finally came back this year…

1 (tie). In Rainbows – Radiohead
For the first year that I’ve been writing a top ten list, I had great difficulty giving the top spot to just one band. Quite frankly, I expected Radiohead to head any list I would write, but nobody had a clue as to when their next album would be released until 10 days prior. Their pricing model aside, the quintet showed sonic improvement from their past two albums and rivaled their greatest achievement since OK Computer. “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” is easily the best song since “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “15 Step” shows the sonic progress with Thom Yorke’s electrodabbling on last years The Eraser. Equally impressive: disc 2 in the limited edition discbox, which features the subversive “Down is the New Up” and the biting “Bangers and Mash.”

1 (tie). Neon Bible – Arcade Fire
My fellow McGillians came out with an stellar debut and succeeded in pulling the follow-up. I have a very difficult time with Win Butler’s voice. If you discount that, the music is genius and early in the year I figured it would be a hard album to catch for the number one spot on my list. I was right. The title track is easily one of the best songs on the album due to the sweetness of its lyrics and the simplicity of the melody. “No Cars Go” channels U2 and The Smiths. “(Antichrist Television Blues)” is an homage to Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. Yet the songs are uniquely Arcade Fire. Who says multiinstrumental is a bad thing?

3. Sky Blue Sky – Wilco
Like Radiohead, I’m wondering when the “new” Wilco will ever make a bad album. Yet that question is simply answerable: they wont. Why? Because like Radiohead, Jeff Tweedy is manic-obsessive when it comes to his music. Thus, any listener can hear a cheery glow on this album, now that he’s supposedly found the missing pieces to his band. Nels Cline rocks it out on “Impossible Germany” and “Walken” (the latter of which is such a jovial romp of a song).

4. Armchair Apocrypha – Andrew Bird
I’ve a difficult time with singer/songwriters – even Sufjan Stevens. Yet for some reason Andrew Bird’s music is very soothing. By the end of the year, this was easy for me to like. Formula: Beck + Wilco + Rufus Wainright. And I’ll be damned if the hook in “Heretics” isn’t great, even while he’s singing about how “thank god, it’s fatal.”

5. The Reminder – Feist
If I’ve got a problem with male singer/songwriters, it’s even worse with females. However, Feist seemed to top her performance on Let it Die and completely come into a friendlier sound on this album. Whether she’s only recognized for her iPod commercial or not, she deserves the Grammy nods for having a complete album. “So Sorry?” Excellent ballad. “The Park?” Excellent girl-and-her-guitar simplicity. I wonder what her third solo album will be like…

6. Boxer – The National
This album was also a tough sell on me because I find it sounds a lot like Interpol. However once stripped down, it’s really the vocals that sound like Interpol (who also tend to be consistently good). “Squalor Victoria” and “Gospel” even bring in tinges of Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie, but in a Joy Division type of way. Again, more clever song writing.

7. Tricot Machine – Tricot Machine
A friend of mine was heading back to Montreal. Before she went, I found a couple of hit Francophone discs and told her to pick one for me and bring it back. This ended up as an amazing disc with definite Montreal music influence, yet many of the songs are so simple. “Roman Savon” is a simple piano ditty (sounds like it’s a hidden track). Or the delightful track “Pas Fait en Chocolat.” It will sadly go unnoticed by most of the anglophone world and never make it to the U.S. They will make no money and thus never come out with a sophomore effort.

8. Favourite Worst Nightmare – Arctic Monkeys
I loved what these guys did on their first album and I honestly think they followed up strongly. The rawness of the first album still plies through the sophistication of songs like “D is for Dangerous.” How about the double-bass beat in “Balaclava” or the Knight Rider hook in “Old Yellow Bricks?” My favourite track: “Flourescent Adolescent” (“That boy’s a slag/The best you ever had”).

9. Because of the Times – Kings of Leon
These guys took their time with U2 to make themselves mainstream. However I agree with Ludovic Hunter-Tilney in the Financial Times–these guys are “The Lynyrd Strokes.” Caleb Followhill’s squeaky voice isn’t necessarily accessible to the masses, yet “Charmer” and “McFearless” get the bass and drums going and “Ragoo” and “Camaro” are riff-intensive. For those looking for something a little lighter, there’s “Fans” and “Arizona”–neither of which stray too far from the KoL course of action. These guys truly are perfecting their rough cut diamond.

10.Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga – Spoon
Personally, I liked Gimme Fiction better than this album. I think “The Underdog” was an overrated song for this album. I think Britt Daniels’s group excellently showcases Austin music. “Finer Feelings” is a great funk song; “Don’t Make Me a Target” is a great Spoon song. Part of me wonders if John Lennon would have evolved into these guys if he wasn’t shot. However, that’s a big “what if.”

Runners-up: Grand National- John Butler Trio, Zeitgeist- Smashing Pumpkins, Everybody- Sea & Cake, Under the Blacklight- Rilo Kiley, Graduation- Kanye West, Friend or Foe- Menomena.