Many of those listed below, plus most definitely:

The National - Boxer

A beautiful album of slightly maudlin but ultimately uplifting melodies. 
"Joy Division wrapped in velvet" say Mojo magazine.

Lavender Diamond
Marillion
Bruise

Early listens to Interpol, Spoon and Ryan Adams are promising.

I'm also listening to the new Crowded House. Despite Neil Finn's assertion 
that it felt like a band album, it still sounds like a Neil Finn solo album 
to me, with a few of his old mates helping out. No bad thing, it's still a 
good album, but it ain't in the same category as Woodface or Together Alone.


Mike.




>From: "Mike Bennett" <mrhonorama@hotmail.com>
>Reply-To: audities@smoe.org
>To: audities@smoe.org
>Subject: Tops of 2007, so far
>Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:12:56 -0500
>
>This is sort of in order, but not, and I'm sure I've forgotten a few things 
>--
>
>Wilco
>Ted Leo
>The Arcade Fire
>Frisbie
>Queens Of The Stone Age
>Effigies
>Amy Winehouse
>Field Music
>Crowded House
>LCD Soundsystem
>Feist
>The Pillbugs
>Sloan
>Field Music
>Porter Wagoner
>Ian Hunter
>Lily Allen
>Maximo Park
>The White Stripes
>Grand Atlantic
>Blue Aeroplanes
>Mary Weiss
>Mark Ronson
>Jason Falkner
>
>A pretty good year so far --
>
>Mike Bennett
>
>
>
>Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/mrhonorama
>Record reviews and more at http://fufkin.com
>Find out about Chicago shows: 
>http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/chicagopopshowreport/
>
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