2006 was a great year for me, and the main reasons are mostly related to music. I decided to do this list in December because i wanted to learn about as much music as possible, and what I thought would take a few days ended up taking almost 2 months, but it was extremely educational for me and i feel very good about this list. There were so many albums that I would like to give props to and cutting it down to 50 was hard. On a technical note, I went by U.S. release date with the exception of Laura's
Radio Swan Is Down (It was released in Australia over a year ago and has no U.S. release date). Feel free to blast it:
50. Casey Dienel : Wind-Up Canary
Sounds like
When the Pawn... era Fiona Apple with a sunnier disposition. But unlike how Fiona is almost hiding in Jon Brion's production, Casey Dienel's voice/piano are the forefront of the mix.
Wind-Up Canary is very timeless and you should check it out.
49. The Benevento-Russo Duo : Play Pause Stop
The Duo went from relative obscurity to Phish Jr (BRAG) in 2006 and maybe only Tea Leaf Green had a better year in the jamband scene. Those two bands represent the 2 different directions that that scene can take. Either get innovative like these guys or copy yourselves into irrelevance.
Play Pause Stop is a well-produced statement that proves you can make
good studio work and smell like patchouli.
48. Asobi Seksu : Citrus
Japanese dream pop plus shoe gaze (this genre name always makes me laugh) equals awesome. Citrus is an album you must go listen to.
47. Carla Bozulich : Evangelista
From The official website: "Evangelista is a sound that you can open your chest with, pull out what's inside and make it change shapes. make it open more times and even more...til the sound inside has finally sealed the hole where your vile/beautiful heart belongs...loved and safe even when you think you're totally alone. even if you believe in nothing. good or bad, i must report: there's really no such thing as empty space. even inside this void there is sound. you will hear it. you will see. you will be cradled and never deafened by love and mercy sounds and the sound of your own pulsing blood which used to drive me mad as a child when i would try to go to sleep." Yeah, that pretty much sums the album up.
46. From Exile : Crushing Reality
I had a lot of trouble figuring out what to do with this album because I'm friends with these guys and i want to keep this top 50 as objective as possible. But, this album is that good that I just can't leave it off this list. A very accessible album under the vocals that's probably more prog than metal. Check it out.
45. Man Man : Six Demon Bag
You get silly drunk on wine, pass out and have dream about flying around on a magic carpet with Tom Waits and the Muppets. This is the best way I can describe this album. If that sounds interesting to you, check this out because it is awesome.
44. OOIOO : Taiga
This Japanese all-female incarnation fronted by The Boredom's Yoshimi P-We ties together a lot of unlikely genre matches for a fun musical romp. Taiga is a marvelous example of what blending very different styles can achieve.
43. Grandaddy : Just Like The Fambly Cat
With grandaddy beginning the year with a breakup,
Just Like The Fambly Cat is a forgotten gem of 2006. Grandaddy was always an underrated band but that's part of their charm. 10 years from now when they sellout amphitheatres with a reunion, this album will have hopefully achieved the cult classic status it deserves.
42. J Dilla : Donuts
J Dilla has been one of the biggest stories in hip-hop in 2006 and this album will probably be how most identify with him despite his vast catalog. It and
The Shining were a helluva way to go out. RIP
41. ISIS : In The Absence Of Truth
2006 was a great year for "post-rock" albums.
In The Absence of Truth is the metal version of this trend and it's right on.
40. Cat Power : The Greatest
After seeing Chan Marshall's triumphant Bonnaroo show, I'm convinced that this album is one elaborate joke. The band, the stage act, the lyrics, all lead to one inevitable punchline that only she really gets. it's either one of the most ambitious and unique albums ever or I was just really high.
39. Shearwater : Palo Santo
This album is a straight descendant of Jeff Buckley. It's amazing how much influence one album can have. Especially after you die. Do your ears a favor.
38. Mogwai : Mr. Beast
This album is a focused and purposeful incarnation of Mogwai. If there is such a thing as pop post-rock, this would be it.
37. The Knife : Silent Shout
Music for the sophisticated raver. Electronic music is growing up and adapting to more organic music and this is 2006's best example.
36. The Decemberists : The Crane Wife
I had high expectations after
Picaresque and feel like the Decemberists mostly delivered.
Crane Wife seems to find the Decemberists tackling much more diverse styles and sounding more like a band than the Colin Meloy show.
35. Band Of Horses : Everything All The Time
Band of Horses sound like My Morning Jacket at their best. The song structure is a little tighter and there's less variation in styles but it tastes like another flavor from the same brand. That's not to say that this isn't a great album because it is.
34. Matthew Friedberger : Winter Women / Holy Ghost Language School
The Fiery Furnaces' brother drops two amazing albums together.
Winter Women is relatively more poppy and accessible than
Holy Ghost Language School, but these albums are only recommended to those who welcome a challenging listen.
33. Mew : And The Glass Handed Kites
Mew take parts of prog-rock, pop, shoe gaze, and alt-rock and blend them together in a great album. The vocal arrangements and execution are just mind blowing and the band is pretty good too.
32. Islands : Return To The Sea
A happily dark album that embodies the greatness of Canadian indie rock. From the ashes of The Unicorns comes a new chapter just as entertaining.
31. Belle And Sebastian : The Life Pursuit
Belle and Sebastian is a band that I've tried to like for a long time but could never get into. That might change with this album. There is just no denying this album is great and I dig it.
30. Outkast : Idlewild
I've yet to see this movie but have listened to this album constantly. It may not be as perfect as the first three albums from that 'kast, but then again what is? Still innovating hip-hop after all this time.
29. Laura : Radio Swan Is Down
This Australian band has officially made it to the Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai level with this album. Post-rock with more texture and intensity.
28. Indian Jewelry : Invasive Exotics
Invasive Exotics is a collection of dark psychedelic anthems that are constantly falling apart but never lose momentum. Indian jewelry is a great representative of the cross-genre movement and throw down the unfathomable possibility that comes with not boxing yourself inside musical conventions.
27. Destroyer : Detroyer's Rubies
Listening to this album makes me laugh at everyone who thinks Bob Dylan's
Modern Times is one the years best albums of the year.
Destroyer's Rubies is fundamentally the same style, but like 100 times better. Seriously, shouldn't Bob have called it "Post-Modern Times"? At least he's still hip with the old folks. Anyways, this album is great and you should be listening to it.
26. Camera Obscura : Let's Get Out Of This Country
This album is just straight up beautiful. The music has such a visual character to it's sound. Utterly timeless and stunning.
25. David Gilmour : On An Island
I guess if we can't have another Pink Floyd album, this is the next best thing. The album feels a notch below
Division Bell and
Momentary Lapse of Reason but is still a great listen from front to back. It sucks you in and makes you feel amazing things.
24. Gnarls Barkley : St. Elsewhere
Being a long-time Danger Mouse and Cee-lo fan, I was really excited about this album and it blew away my expectations. The fact that "Crazy" is the best pop song since Outkast's "Hey Ya" and everyone from Kanye West, to The Racounters, to Cat Power, to Of Montreal are covering it may lead some to think of this album as a one-hit wonder, but every song on this thing is solid gold.
23. M Ward : Post-War
M Ward was a breakthrough artist of this year with alot of other artists singing his praises. Just pure, good music that is uniquely 2006.
22. Built To Spill : You In Reverse
This was a weird album for me because i had been listening to live versions of most of these songs since 2004. It's cool to watch a band develop songs for an album and get to hear the songs evolve, especially a band as dedicated to music as these guys.
21. Serena-Maneesh
If you're a fan of My Bloody Valentine, you have to get this album. If you're not, catch up rookie. Norway's Serena-Maneesh's first LP takes shoe gaze to a new level.
20. Danielson : Ships
Christian musical artist Daniel Smith collaborates with the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Serena-Maneesh, Deerhoof and many more to create this epic album. Listening to this is truly a journey that you will not regret.
19. Girl Talk : Night Ripper
A superhero of music who by day is a biological engineer named Greg Gillis, and by night Girl Talk, the mash-up master who just created the greatest party album of the decade. Imagine creating an album this fun and artistic and your co-workers at you day job will never know. Find a copy of this.
18. Swan Lake : Beast Moans
Canada is sure churning out an ass load of quality music these days. This album takes the pieces of this artist collective (they don't like the word "supergroup") and puts them together in a way which highlights each's talents while mismatching styles interestingly.
17. Ghostface Killah : Fishscale
The Wu-tang Clan are one of hip-hop's greatest and this instant classic is another reason why. Ghostface was always my favourite and it's great to see him put together another amazing experience.
16. Sonic Youth : Rather Ripped
Returning to a four piece without Jim O'Rourke, Sonic Youth create maybe their most pop album ever, and it's damn good. Although this is more
Dirty than
Daydream Nation, it has a sound unique to itself, and has instant classic moments such as the jam at the beginning of "Pink Steam", the amazing "Or", and some of Thurston's best songwriting on songs like "Incinerate" and "Do You Believe In Rapture?". There is no band ever that has been able to
continuously put out high quality albums and amazing shows for as long as Sonic Youth has and maybe no band more influencial on music today than these guys. I hope their still rocking hard when they're 70.
15. TV On The Radio : Return To Cookie Mountain
Return to Cookie Mountain is a great example of the potential underground and cross-genre music has to be triunphant. TV on The Radio could emerge from this decade as a truly great band and if they accomplish that, this album will be the turning point
14. Sparklehorse : Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain
It seems everything Danger Mouse touches turns to gold. This album takes the best of Neil Young's
Harvest Moon and Beck's
Mutations and adds electronic rock sounds reminecent of Grandaddy.
13. Ratatat : Classics
Everytime I play this album on a play list, people ask about it. The sound that Ratatat owns is just kickass good sounding. Maybe the best driving album of the year.
12. Califone : Roots And Crowns
Califone is a band that i'm coming to very late, but enjoying alot. This album just makes me physically feel better when i put it on. It's just that great.
11. Liars : Drum's Not Dead
A concept album about the eternal struggle between percussion and mountains. If that's not enough to interest you, the music is badass too.
10. Beck : The Information
After proving he could master every genre since breaking through,
Guero was supposed to be Beck returning to just being Beck. But something about it just didn't amaze like every other album. It was good, but it felt like something was missing. At first I thought maybe our expectations were so high from his previous conquests that an album that didn't push boundaries felt lacking. But now i think he was just a little rusty at doing his own style because
The Information is stunning and a perfection of the "Beck sound". If you thought he had run out of tricks and you didn't listen to this, give it a chance, you'll be surprised.
9. Grizzly Bear : Yellow House
It took me a while to get into this album, because there is so much to take in. A carefully crafted, complex and picturesque piece of work that is more enjoyable with each listen.
8. Peter Bjorn and John : Writer's Block
Peter Bjorn and John do pop music right.
Writer's Block is enormously catchy and playful, while establishing a fresh sound with alot of depth.
7. Thom Yorke : The Eraser
Probably the year's most underrated album. The problem with it is instead of blazing new territory like Radiohead does, it's perfecting an older style of music. Thom Yorke breathes life into cold and soulless IDM beats and riffs that create a mood unattainable in any other music. When you think about it, Radiohead is the popularization of progressive music and bears certain expectations that are at odds with creating a perfect progressive pop album such as this. i think Aphex Twin would be proud.
6. Mastodon : Blood Mountain
Mastodon took off in a direction that I love with
Blood Mountain. This piece trandscends metal and is metal as fuck all at the same time. I hear there's a pretty good view of Altanta on top of Blood Mountain.
5. Loose Fur : Born Again In The USA
Where the first album sounded like a compilation,
Born Again... is a perfect blend of Tweedy, O'Rourke, and Kotche. The strengths of these brilliant musicians are multiplied by each other creating a one of kind album that is near perfect. Loose Fur is the crown jewel in a great year for "supergroups".
4. ...And You Will Know Us From The Trail Of Dead : So Divided
This band can blend catchy with nuance like no other.
So Divided just takes off and wows from beginning to end. I feel like this album is very 2006 and representative of what's happening in music and the world.
3. Yo La Tengo : I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
This is arguably Yo La Tengo's best album, and that's saying a lot. The album opens and closes with long, psychedelic jams surrounding the core of the album that boasts more styles of music than Beck's entire catalog. Yo La are music giants and there's really nothing more I can say about this album other than it is the shiznit. Go buy it now!
2. Joanna Newsom : Ys
If you took an average of every best albums of 2006 list out there, this would be no doubt the album of the year. There's is really nothing like this album and it takes art and epicness to new heights. Joanna Newsom challenges the listener but with the most minimal of tools. On top of all that it's suped up with the bling that is music legends Van Dyke Parks, Steve Albini, and Jim O'Rourke. If you haven't given this album a good listen all the way through, now is the time. The scary part is this is only her second album.
1. The Mars Volta : Amputechture
When I first heard
De-Loused in the Comatorium I thought that if the next two albums could get better, then TMV would would emerge as one of the greatest bands of the '00s. Now it's official, they are. The first time I listened to
Amputechture, it was hard to believe an album this good could exist, so many twists and turns. What's very fascinating to me is that many people do not like TMV. In fact, they hate them. It's something I cannot understand. Critics I normally line-up with very closely in opinion trash this album, and my gut reaction is they just don't get it, but I hate to give myself that much credit. I think in a lot of ways this album parallels with the movie
The Fountain. Both are extremely ambitious and earnest and serious. Both are two of the most amazing pieces of art to come out this decade, but are relatively unappreciated. In a time where underground music is slowly gobbling up the world of pop and bands that had lived in obscurity are gaining large audiences because of the increased access to music which technology has produced, one can get a little too optimistic about what is happening. What this album proves to me is that no matter how progressive pop music gets and no matter how many people start broadening their horizons, there will always be music and art that is just too ahead of its time, too much for everyone to handle. I will hope for the day that this album gets the credit it deserves, but if that day never comes, at least I got to enjoy it immensely.
