In any ongoing quest for mind-blowing music, each year brings an assortment of new left-field discoveries. Sometimes, you find brand-new bands like Vampire Weekend. Other times, you chance upon artists who have been around a while but went largely unnoticed until now, like The Avett Brothers. Some years, you might even discover or grow an appreciation for an entirely new genre of music. Chances are, you've already heard many of this year's best, including releases from LCD Soundsystem, Feist, Band of Horses, The National, Iron & Wine and Wilco. There's plenty more great music to enjoy, so if any of the albums below slid under your radar in 2007, give them a listen. One of these fine CDs could easily end up being your favorite of the year.
Copyright 2007 KEXP