2006: Crap year, good music
Every year, I like to, when I can, figure out what records I liked best for the year and maybe why. I didn’t do it last year, but I figured that I could put something together this year.
I read a lot of lists (because it’s really hard to remember what came out during the whole year. A lot of my choices made their lists. And then there are a couple I am certain must have been just forgotten cause they truly rock and yet were left off.
I thought and listened and then thought some more, but I ultimately decided it was pointless to force myself to come up with just one number one. So there’s a tie. Don’t like it? I don’t care.
Best of 2006
1. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
Recommended tracks:
- The Eraser
- Black Swan
Sounds a bit like current Radiohead, but with one exception. Whereas in Radiohead’s current stuff, Thom’s voice is buried under layers of music and instrumentation, it’s here as the centerpiece. Nothing to obscure it, warts and all. It is the clearest, most honest Thom Yorke you could hear. No modifications. And it is good.
1. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
Recommended tracks:
- O Valencia
- The Crane Wife 3
Oddly enough, I had no taste for Her Majesty the Decemberists, and of their last album, I only really connected with 16 Military Wives. But this album did it. I love the Decemberists. They’re bookish, nerdy, and weird. But damn is this a good album.
2. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas
Recommended tracks:
- Deus Ibi Est
- Ramblin’ Man
Dude with a really rough voice and a chick with a really sweet sounding, high voice. It works. Simple songs and a lot of harmonies and intertwining melodies. A really well crafted album.
3. Morrissey – Ringleader of the Tormentors
Recommended tracks:
- You Have Killed Me
- The Youngest Was the Most Loved
I think a lot of people forgot this one because it’s not as good as You Are the Quarry, but it’s still really good. Morrissey is unique. No matter how many imitators and how good they might be, they always pale in comparison. He writes songs like nobody else and he’s really enjoying a career renaissance right now. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
4. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
Recommended tracks:
- You Are What You Love
- Rise Up With Fists
I still love Jenny Lewis with all my heart, but this year, she just didn’t do enough to claim the number one spot. This album was very good, but ultimately, too light and it didn’t really stick with me. Part of that could be that it came out in early January and part of it could be that I prefer pop Jenny.
5. Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint – The River in Reverse
Recommended tracks:
- Tears, Tears, and More Tears
- The River in Reverse
Elvis is always great. I didn’t love his last album, but this was a nice one. Toussaint is an important New Orleans jazz musician and most of the songs performed are his. But as harsh as his last album was, the return to melodies is nice.
6. The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth
Recommended tracks:
- You Only Live Once
- Vision of Division
After the success of Is This It, the world largely hated their second album, Room on Fire. Too similar, they said. I actually believe that one holds up better than the first one, but that aside, they reinvented themselves and despite all the crap people talked, most people had to admit that this is a good record.
7. Hot Chip – The Warning
Recommended tracks:
- Just Like Me (Breakdown)
- Colours
Not really sure how I came across this one. I have been getting more into electronic pop lately and downloaded this one because it was supposed to be good. And it is. It’s just a little off. Just a little weird. And that’s why I like it so much.
8. Tool – 10,000 Days
Recommended tracks:
- Vicarious
- Jambi
Any time Maynard James Keenan records something, it is good. And this new Tool record is no different. This really solidifies the difference between Tool and A Perfect Circle and they are both good.
9. The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics
Recommended tracks:
- The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
- Mr. Ambulance Driver
Not as good as Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, but still relevant. I like how Wayne Coyne’s lyrics are at times really serious and sort of depressing, but the music is almost always really whimsical and magical sounding. Nice contrasts and they make my ears feel good.
10. Josh Rouse – Subtitulo
Recommended tracks:
- Quiet Town
- Jersey Clowns
Not his best by any stretch of the imagination, Rouse has been releasing records more often of late and like all the rest of them, this one is very good. Very singer/songwriter, but also poppy.
Honorable Mentions:
Belle and Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
Recommended tracks:
- Another Sunny Day
- Sukie in the Graveyard
Always good, this is just a really great indie pop album. A lot of people see the last album as a misstep, but I enjoyed it a great deal and felt that this one was a step in the right direction.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones
Recommended tracks:
- Gold Lion
- Cheated Hearts
Never a big fan of theirs, though my wife loves them, this album is their most accessible. Songs tend to have more of a structure and are a lot easier to listen to. This is the one record of theirs that I will listen to even without my wife.
Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere
Recommended tracks:
- Crazy
- Just a Thought
The rest of the album at times seems like an afterthought to the undeniable song of 2006, Crazy. It was a great pop single because it’s catchy, memorable, and pretty much everyone liked it. Rap fans, indie fans, moms, kids. I look forward to seeing what’s next.
Wolfmother – Wolfmother
Recommended tracks:
- Dimension
- Mind’s Eye
A lot of people compare this band to the Darkness and wrote them off, which I think is really unfair and inaccurate. The Darkness is largely a joke, whereas there isn’t even a trace of humor here. It’s not tongue in cheek and it’s really not all that ridiculous. At times sounding like Led Zeppelin and at others sounding like the White Stripes, they’re a good, young trio and as long as they don’t self destruct, they should do some interesting things.
Camera Obscura – Let’s Get Out of this Country
Recommended tracks:
- Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken
- Dory Previn
They sound like The Concretes and The Legends, but so what? Who said you had to be original to be good? This is just a really good indie pop record and I listened to “Lloyd” over and over.
Other stuff that made me happy
- The Twilight Singers w/ Mark Lanegan – Live With Me
- Nintendo Wii and Zelda
- Covers of “Crazy” - I have more than 10 unique versions
- Max Brooks’s book, World War Z
- House became my favorite show
- Gears of War = What’s Halo?
- Discovered a love of crime novels
- EC Comics hardcovers – very pretty and it’s history too!!
I read a lot of lists (because it’s really hard to remember what came out during the whole year. A lot of my choices made their lists. And then there are a couple I am certain must have been just forgotten cause they truly rock and yet were left off.
I thought and listened and then thought some more, but I ultimately decided it was pointless to force myself to come up with just one number one. So there’s a tie. Don’t like it? I don’t care.
Best of 2006
1. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
Recommended tracks:
- The Eraser
- Black Swan
Sounds a bit like current Radiohead, but with one exception. Whereas in Radiohead’s current stuff, Thom’s voice is buried under layers of music and instrumentation, it’s here as the centerpiece. Nothing to obscure it, warts and all. It is the clearest, most honest Thom Yorke you could hear. No modifications. And it is good.
1. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
Recommended tracks:
- O Valencia
- The Crane Wife 3
Oddly enough, I had no taste for Her Majesty the Decemberists, and of their last album, I only really connected with 16 Military Wives. But this album did it. I love the Decemberists. They’re bookish, nerdy, and weird. But damn is this a good album.
2. Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan – Ballad of the Broken Seas
Recommended tracks:
- Deus Ibi Est
- Ramblin’ Man
Dude with a really rough voice and a chick with a really sweet sounding, high voice. It works. Simple songs and a lot of harmonies and intertwining melodies. A really well crafted album.
3. Morrissey – Ringleader of the Tormentors
Recommended tracks:
- You Have Killed Me
- The Youngest Was the Most Loved
I think a lot of people forgot this one because it’s not as good as You Are the Quarry, but it’s still really good. Morrissey is unique. No matter how many imitators and how good they might be, they always pale in comparison. He writes songs like nobody else and he’s really enjoying a career renaissance right now. Let’s hope he keeps it up.
4. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat
Recommended tracks:
- You Are What You Love
- Rise Up With Fists
I still love Jenny Lewis with all my heart, but this year, she just didn’t do enough to claim the number one spot. This album was very good, but ultimately, too light and it didn’t really stick with me. Part of that could be that it came out in early January and part of it could be that I prefer pop Jenny.
5. Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint – The River in Reverse
Recommended tracks:
- Tears, Tears, and More Tears
- The River in Reverse
Elvis is always great. I didn’t love his last album, but this was a nice one. Toussaint is an important New Orleans jazz musician and most of the songs performed are his. But as harsh as his last album was, the return to melodies is nice.
6. The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth
Recommended tracks:
- You Only Live Once
- Vision of Division
After the success of Is This It, the world largely hated their second album, Room on Fire. Too similar, they said. I actually believe that one holds up better than the first one, but that aside, they reinvented themselves and despite all the crap people talked, most people had to admit that this is a good record.
7. Hot Chip – The Warning
Recommended tracks:
- Just Like Me (Breakdown)
- Colours
Not really sure how I came across this one. I have been getting more into electronic pop lately and downloaded this one because it was supposed to be good. And it is. It’s just a little off. Just a little weird. And that’s why I like it so much.
8. Tool – 10,000 Days
Recommended tracks:
- Vicarious
- Jambi
Any time Maynard James Keenan records something, it is good. And this new Tool record is no different. This really solidifies the difference between Tool and A Perfect Circle and they are both good.
9. The Flaming Lips – At War with the Mystics
Recommended tracks:
- The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song
- Mr. Ambulance Driver
Not as good as Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, but still relevant. I like how Wayne Coyne’s lyrics are at times really serious and sort of depressing, but the music is almost always really whimsical and magical sounding. Nice contrasts and they make my ears feel good.
10. Josh Rouse – Subtitulo
Recommended tracks:
- Quiet Town
- Jersey Clowns
Not his best by any stretch of the imagination, Rouse has been releasing records more often of late and like all the rest of them, this one is very good. Very singer/songwriter, but also poppy.
Honorable Mentions:
Belle and Sebastian – The Life Pursuit
Recommended tracks:
- Another Sunny Day
- Sukie in the Graveyard
Always good, this is just a really great indie pop album. A lot of people see the last album as a misstep, but I enjoyed it a great deal and felt that this one was a step in the right direction.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones
Recommended tracks:
- Gold Lion
- Cheated Hearts
Never a big fan of theirs, though my wife loves them, this album is their most accessible. Songs tend to have more of a structure and are a lot easier to listen to. This is the one record of theirs that I will listen to even without my wife.
Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere
Recommended tracks:
- Crazy
- Just a Thought
The rest of the album at times seems like an afterthought to the undeniable song of 2006, Crazy. It was a great pop single because it’s catchy, memorable, and pretty much everyone liked it. Rap fans, indie fans, moms, kids. I look forward to seeing what’s next.
Wolfmother – Wolfmother
Recommended tracks:
- Dimension
- Mind’s Eye
A lot of people compare this band to the Darkness and wrote them off, which I think is really unfair and inaccurate. The Darkness is largely a joke, whereas there isn’t even a trace of humor here. It’s not tongue in cheek and it’s really not all that ridiculous. At times sounding like Led Zeppelin and at others sounding like the White Stripes, they’re a good, young trio and as long as they don’t self destruct, they should do some interesting things.
Camera Obscura – Let’s Get Out of this Country
Recommended tracks:
- Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken
- Dory Previn
They sound like The Concretes and The Legends, but so what? Who said you had to be original to be good? This is just a really good indie pop record and I listened to “Lloyd” over and over.
Other stuff that made me happy
- The Twilight Singers w/ Mark Lanegan – Live With Me
- Nintendo Wii and Zelda
- Covers of “Crazy” - I have more than 10 unique versions
- Max Brooks’s book, World War Z
- House became my favorite show
- Gears of War = What’s Halo?
- Discovered a love of crime novels
- EC Comics hardcovers – very pretty and it’s history too!!
posted by Grant Alter at 1:39 AM
1 comments
