The best 3 albums out this year so far for Frances.

Tori Amos - American Girl Posse
Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero
The White Stripes - Icky Thump

Grinderman is really the only stand-out thing I've heard so far this year. There were a couple other new releases that caught my eye but that I didn't follow up (Throbbing Gristle maybe?) so if anyone has any recommendations I'd be happy to take them.

If the second half is like the first, we'll be doing great.

Modest mouse was great
White Stripes were great
QotSA came out with 2 or 3 decent songs
I think Beale Street to Oblivion came out this year and that was solid

Just got that one of Saturday. From the reviews I had read I was expecting a faster, more aggressive album, but it does seem pretty good. It may take a while for me to fully digest by that's how I am with Nick Cave in general. He's one of my favorite musicians but I don't generally fall in love with his albums on the first listen.

A couple other strong 2007 releases are:

Jesu—"Conqueror"
The Book of Knots—"Traineater"
Tin Hat—"The Sad Machinery of Spring"
Panda Bear—"Person Pitch"

Well I'm pretty behind this year, I liked Modest Mouse and Stephen Marley, I'm considering getting NIN or the White Stripes

of montreal - hissing fauna are you the destroyer
modest mouse - we were dead before the ship even sank
tokyo police club - a lesson in crime (believe it was 2007)

many more.. these just popped into my head

4 winds - Bright Eyes
The Shins Phantom Limb
+44- When your heart stops beating
Bad Religion

is 4 winds a track from the casadaga album?

It was an EP too with like, three good songs on it. It was better than the actual album.

right, the album this year that i am pretty much digging would have to be...
modest mouse - we were dead before the ship even sank.

saw them last month.
the energy in the room was amazing.
and jonny marr ! yes yesss.