I have a theory about music and years ending in 7. There is something special about it, something that brings out the best in artists. There are way too many albums to mention them all, but I’m going to talk about one of those years in particular, 2007, the only one I remember living through. But as I’ve researched other music that has connected with me, I’ve noticed something. So many great albums came out in years ending with 7. This year seems like a good year to talk about it.

It’s been 50 years since The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s and Magical Mystery Tour. 40 years since David Bowie’s Low and Heroes. 30 years since U2’s Joshua Tree. 20 years since Radiohead’s Ok Computer. 10 years since, well maybe nothing that compares critically to the seminal albums that came in the decades before. But 2007 still had a hell of a lot of good music. As much as I love all of the albums mentioned, I was alive in 2007 and was aware, mainly through school friends, about some of the music coming out.

I wasn’t into music in 2007, I was aware of some things but not much. Music is important to me now, and I listen to it all the time. But at that point only 2 bands had really made me take notice. Green Day with their 2004 album American Idiot and My Chemical Romance’s 2006 album, The Black Parade. Apart from that I didn’t care. 2009 was where music started to click for me. Around the time I was revising for my GCSEs I bought my first mp3 player from Tesco. I’ve always put albums on to devices rather than just songs, and one of the first albums I put on the cheap little thing was from 2007.

Linkin Park’s Minutes to Midnight. Still my favourite album from the band. While I love their earlier albums. Hybrid Theory will always be in my top 3 debut albums of all time, it’s Minutes to Midnight where I think they reached their peak. (On a side note, it’s 2017 where they reached their low with their dreadful One More Light. It’s so bad. I have listened to it the whole way through. It’s bad.) There are so many good songs. Bleed it Out, Valentine’s Day, Shadow of the Day, Leave Out All the Rest, Hands held high and of course What I’ve done. It’s the best the band has ever done, and probably ever will.

A quick side story, which is why I remember buying the mp3 player. Minutes to Midnight was one of the first albums I put on it. Because of What I’ve Done being on the Transformers soundtrack. I used to fall asleep listening to it, with science GCSE bitsize revision clips put in between songs. I bought the mp3 album to listen to anime soundtracks and ended up listening to the differences between polymers and monomers with snippets of nu metal.

Foo Fighters released Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, which contains The Pretender and my personal favourite song of theirs, Long Road to Ruin. A really strong album that set the bar high for any of their follow ups. It’s this album that made me listen to the band. I liked The Pretender and thought I would like other songs from the album, which I was right about. Their new album is my most anticipated album of this year. Run, the first single, just feels so good. So much energy. If it’s any indication of the whole album then it will be this years pick for adding 2017 to the list of 7s.

Fall Out Boy released Infinity on High, which in my opinion is a really strong album. I remember hearing This Ain’t a Scene, it’s An Arms race and something clicking inside. It’s such a good song with so much energy. It’s one of the few songs that I liked before I started getting into music. That’s why I bought this album, from a charity shop in Wellingborough, and why I still listen to it now. It’s not my favourite from the band though, that honour goes to Save Rock and Roll.

Paramore released Riot! in 2007, which is a really important album to me. I didn’t have a cd player or a laptop when I bought that. I listened to it on my PS3 while reading. That would have been in 2009. Paramore was one of the first few bands I got into, and it was through this album. So many good tracks. Not just the big hit Misery Business but the whole album is simply a really strong album. While the pop-punk genre isn’t for everyone, for me it’s perfect. Energetic guitars with a fast beat. It’s something I listen to quite often when I’m waking up and getting breakfast and getting ready for the

I know I’ve only spoken about 4 albums from 2007, but they are my favourite from the year. Maybe if I had more varied taste I would have done a top 7 from 2007, but I really only listen to rock music. As wide and non-specific that genre umbrella is. Earlier when writing 2467 I was listening to Nine Inch Nail’s The Downward Spiral. Later when I started writing this I was listening to Eric Clapton’s I Still do and am currently listening to Pollinator by Blondie. I don’t like genres, as much as I like categorising things.

Maybe I will look at the other years ending with 7, because I really believe there is something special about that number. Not just the cliché of it being lucky, but something that brings forward great music. I suppose any year can be seen that way, it’s just something I noticed and thought I could write about it. Let me know if you want me to write about any of the other 7 years. I love so many albums from the last 5 decades of 7 years. And many other years. Let me know. I want to write about music, it’s a massive inspiration to me while writing.

Thanks for reading,

Ashley

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