Here’s what your favorite musicians were listening to in 2007

We recently dropped our list of 20 albums we can’t believe turn 10 this year, and that was just scratching the surface of what was blaring through speakers in 2007. We thought it would be a fun experiment to ask some musicians what they were listening to a decade ago. While not all of these albums dropped in ’07 (Hey, you try to remember 10 days ago, let alone 10 years), the responses give you a peek into the past. 

TJ Horansky, Sleep On It

The ones that come to mind are Four Year Strong, Rise Or Die Trying. I really love Paper Walls by Yellowcard, which came out in 2007—that was an album that really defined that year for me and is one of my favorite Yellowcard albums. I think Infinity On High, that’s another. We all really like Fall Out Boy, especially Jake [Marquis, guitar/vocals] and Zech [Pluister, vocals], that’s their favorite band. Also Mayday Parade’s A Lesson In Romantics, that’s big influence on the guys in the band, that’s another big one. 

Taka Moriuchi, ONE OK ROCK

Ten years ago? Nickelback, Linkin Park, Good Charlotte and the Used—kind of emo stuff.

Becca MacIntyre, Marmozets

Queens Of The Stone Age’s Era Vulgaris.

Chris Loporto, Can’t Swim

My favorite record in high school? I was such a loser. I was listening to older stuff. I would say It’s A Shame About Ray and the band is called the Lemonheads. I was pretty into that band when I was graduating high school. It was definitely in my CD Walkman on the bus ride. [Laughs.]

Cory Lockwood, A Lot Like Birds

Manipulator by the Fall Of Troy.

Cody Quistad, Wage War

As I Lay Dying’s An Ocean Between Us. 

Jade Puget, AFI

There were a lot of good records that came out that year. The first Blaqk Audio record came out, but I can’t say that. [Laughs.] I would have to say Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails.

Brandon Gallagher, Old Wounds

Silent Treatment by the Bled.

Lynn Gunn, PVRIS

Jimmy Eat World’s Chase This Light.

Spencer Charnas, Ice Nine Kills

Lyrically, I grew up admiring bands like Brand New and Boys Night Out. Those are the kind of bands that utilize clever wordplay and interesting metaphors and double entendres and alliteration. I think for those reasons I return to those records to this day. 

JB Brubaker, August Burns Red

Deliver Us by Darkest Hour.

Matt Tuck, Bullet For My Valentine

Definitely Machine Head’s The Blackening. It was an amazing return to form that shut up all the doubters, and still an incredible record.

Ryan Locke, Seaway

This is going to be a bit of a wildcard. 2007, I was in high school, I was probably in grade 10, and I was listening to a lot of metalcore. I'd have to check the date it was released, but maybe the Acacia Strain's Continent was in heavy rotation in 2007. We were all big metalcore fans in high school. 

John O’Callaghan, the Maine

It might have been 2006 or 2007, I don’t know—I’m really into a band called Rogue Wave. They’re one of my favorite bands. 2007 was the start of our band, but before that, I remember being in college—I went to college for a year—and I remember there were a few things that we circled through. There was: The Devil And God by Brand New had just come out—which was huge for me—Rogue Wave [Asleep At Heaven’s Gate] had come out. I would probably say Rogue Wave were my favorite album from that year. Or Cassino. Cassino put out an album [Sounds Of Salvation] that was really important—that was the singer of Northstar, who had put out a side project. I’d probably say that one.

Patty Walters, As It Is

I’m going to say Direction by the Starting Line. When we were writing Never Happy Ever After and we had some writer’s block, we did this thing called “Album Club” where we all just sat around in a circle and somebody would choose the record that we’d listen to and deconstruct and critique. And my contribution was Direction by the Starting Line because I think it’s not only a great record, but a brave record for a band in our scene and of that genre. I think it’s easy for pop punk and pop rock to be a very safe genre and to really get comfortable and write formulaic songs. And Direction by the Starting Line cannot be further from a safe record. 

Anthony Green, Circa Survive

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver.

Brent Walsh, I The Mighty

In Defense Of The Genre by Say Anything. The double disc with guest vocals and 20-whatever songs, but there’s not a single track I skip. 

Eddie Hermida, Suicide Silence

Machine Head’s The Blackening really struck a chord with me. They’re from the Bay Area and so am I, and they gave me a lot of pride when they put that out, especially because so many people thought they were done at the time. 

Ben Barlow, Neck Deep

[Four Year Strong’s] Rise Or Die Trying was huge for me. [Paramore’s] Riot was also a really sick album.

Kellin Quinn, Sleeping With Sirens

I don’t remember much specifically about the year 2007, but I think the Used, Underoath, the Starting Line—that whole time in music for me was huge. 

Brian Sella, the Front Bottoms

I discovered an album by Defiance, Ohio called Share What Ya Got [2004] in 2007 and that was a big moment for me. That didn’t come out in 2007; I don’t know when it came out, but I found it in 2007.

Shane Told, Silverstein

I’m going with Gaslight Anthem, Sink Or Swim.

Tom May, the Menzingers

New Wave by Against Me!. 

Chadwick Johnson, Hundredth

I think for the majority of the year I was probably still listening to a record from 2006, which is Brand New’s The Devil And God. That year, I was listening to that, but my favorite record from that year is Boxer by the National. 

Tyler Ross, Being As An Ocean

My favorite music documentary ever came out in 2007. It’s called Heima, and it’s by a band called Sigur Rós. 

Justin Sane, ANTI-FLAG

Attack In Black released a great album called Marriage.

Machine Gun Kelly

What was 16-year-old Kells listening to? Fuck. Oh man, yes, I listened to that album like crazy—Stadium Arcadium for sure. John Frusciante has insane guitar licks on that—sick. Okay, I’m going with Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Ash Costello, New Years Day

Oh, easy, AFI and My Chemical Romance. [AFI’s] transition from [2000’s] The Art Of Drowning to [2003’s] Sing The Sorrow, I’m sure we can all agree is what pushed them into the top tier of bands in the world, and they took a lot of chances on that album. Coming from The Art Of Drowning, which is very punk rock, to songs on Sing The Sorrow really they took a huge leap of faith and it really worked out for them. And then My Chemical Romance with [2004’s] Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and [2006’s] The Black Parade took a lot of bravery to do what they did, and obviously it paid off.