Slowcore sensations Low returned this year with Drums and Guns, one of the strongest releases of their 14-year career. Good as it was, it was overshadowed by 2007’s slew of quality albums

The end of the year has arrived, and with it comes the annual barrage of best-of lists from music fans the world over. Luckily for critics, 2007 produced some of the most exciting releases in recent musical memory. It may be hard to narrow them down, but at least there’s plenty to choose from.

Several seasoned artists came out with the strongest albums of their careers this year. Though it was critically slept on, Low’s Drums and Guns showcases a band that understands the appeal of the slow, dark rock tunes they’ve been writing for years, without getting locked in a rut. The band sounds refreshed on the new album, and they haven’t lost the qualities that make them a staple of any sad bastard’s record collection. After taking a break to record solo albums, the duo Stars of the Lid got together to release the long-awaited followup to 2001’s drone masterpiece, The Tired Sounds of Stars of the Lid. Though it has been a long time coming, their Kranky records release would have been worth waiting another six years for. Also returning from a mini-hiatus, former Washington, D.C. residents Trans Am came back with an album that captures their “we don’t give a shit” sound to a tee, making up for past misfires.

Label-wise, there was a lot of branching out by some of the most established and well-respected. Take Warp Records, for example, known for showcasing the best in experimental electronic music, selling discs by Aphex Twin and Autechre, among others. This year it released the astounding tech-rock behemoth Mirrored, by New York’s Battles. This growth in diversity in the Warp catalogue could be seen as an extension of previous forays in new directions (the label also released the Grizzly Bear’s folk epic in 2006), but the trend is carried on by other taste-makers in the business, too. Indie rock stalwart Merge Records had a strong year, with fan favourites Spoon and Arcade Fire both releasing records to great acclaim. However, the label's most recent signing seems an odd match for its historical sound. Releasing Caribou’s latest long-player, Andorra, Merge sidestepped their historical role as purveyors of the best in indie rock and showed the world one of the greatest players on the electronic side of the fence. And let us not forget the always-stunning Stones Throw Records. Known for releasing some of the best records hip hop has to offer, the label had an amazing year with records by Madvillian and Percee P, but its release of the self-titled record by Tortoise side-project Bumps also saw praise from camps on both sides of the rock-rap spectrum.

Speaking of genre crossover, 2007 continued the trend of artists making music that doesn’t easily fit into a specific section in your local record store. Metal heavyweights Dillinger Escape Plan rounded out the end of the year with a stunning release that sees them pushing further into the use of electronic glitches and real singing than they ever have before. Vancouver’s Andy Dixon has once again proved himself to be a man of infinite talent, releasing a second disc on his own Ache Records under his pseudonym Secret Mommy. On Plays, Dixon samples some of his local scene’s best players, cutting and processing the bits into a beautiful electronic-meets-indie-rock collage. Fairly new on the scene, Le Loup released a disc on new Sub Pop subsidiary Hardly Art that mashes together folk meanderings, bad drum loops and field recordings with stunning results. With Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations’ Millennium General Assembly’s quality, it's uncertain whether Le Loup’s Sam Simkoff has already reached the pinnacle of his career or will go on to even greater highs.

While some of 2007’s best music destroyed the boundaries between genres, some of the strongest releases this year fit all too tidily into their respective categories and verged on being complete throwbacks. Finland’s Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators released an album that rivalled Sharon Jones for sounding like a re-release of some forgotten soul gem. Wooden Wand joined the ranks of Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace! label, and with the change in homes came a move towards a more stripped-down, straightforward approach to his folk rock. Tracks like “The Pushers” and title track “James & the Quiet” set his songwriting abilities snugly beside Bob Dylan and Neil Young’s best. On the other side of the musical spectrum, French duo Justice released an album of non-stop dance party hits that reminded everyone how much fun it can be to dance like it’s still 1990-something. In fact, if the grooves of their symbol-titled album, †, don’t get your arms in the air and your bum shaking, you probably haven’t enjoyed a single dance track in the past two decades.

Taking an entirely different spin on getting crowds flailing, the Brooklyn noise rock scene exploded this year with some of the strongest releases the genre has ever seen. From the drum circle magic of Big A Little A to the skronky ruckus of These are Powers to the constant harmonic tension of ZS, the mouldy part of the Big Apple has produced a catalogue that makes new-age hipsters drop to their knees. Even Magik Markers, best known for their live recordings of walls of feedback, passionate drumming and incomprehensible girl-screaming, showed that noise can have pop sensibilities on their record Boss. Throw in some fantastic releases by Brooklyn rockers Parts & Labour and the jarring spasms of Pterodactyl and this New York City borough is a hot spot on the musical map for 2007.

While Brooklyn’s artists did some amazing things this year, Calgary’s own scene produced no small number of great releases. The Consonant C delivered on all the hype with Capes & Crowns, a masterpiece that captures the childlike glee of their songs in a beautiful little package. Recently on the rise, both Lint and Snake Mountain unleashed self-titled debuts, full of instrumental rock of epic proportions. Sudden Infant Dance Syndrome’s debut full length shows that some of the year’s best songs are only a minute long.

This roundup could go on and on and on. If you haven’t caught on already, 2007 was a music fan’s wet dream. The new year is just around the corner and if this year was any indication, it’s going to be a doozy.