best albums of 2007: 3. loney, dear

3. Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir
What sets this band apart from #1 and 2 above is its bare, blatant sense of hope. Perhaps because of this, it was the only concert to make me cry this year. With their slightly precious vocals and hyper-melodic songs, loving this band is almost too easy, too sweet on the ears, but their tendency towards communalist din at least prevents it from being too saccharine. The opening number, “Sinister in the State of Hope”, is evidence of Loney’s great sence of pace and orchestration, creating an solemn paean to elusive hope. Beautifully and subtly laced with buzzy or hissy electronics, Loney, Dear’s best songs waltz up to a frantic, even squeaky climax that, through sheer joy and faith in change, reached into my heart this year and rewired it in the best of ways.