Best 2006 Albums Of 2007

Before I inundate you with all of my best of 2007 stuff, I want to do a little addendum to my 2006 top 50 Albums list. Over the course of this year I discovered some albums that came out last year but wasn't aware of because I wasn't blogging and researching obsessively then. These albums here should all have deserved to be on my top 50 list because they are all amazing. Despite being released in '06, though, these albums will always make me think of this year because of all the great times I had with them as the soundtrack. Pick up these essentials:

Beach House : Beach House



Final Fantasy : He Poos Clouds



Midlake : The Trials Of Van Occupanther



Portugal The Man : Waiter: "You Vultures!"



Silversun Pickups : Carnavas



Snowden : Anti-Anti



Untied States : Retail Detail

What The Hell Am I Listening To?!?

Some really good stuff:

Menomena


This Portland 3-piece's Friend And Foe is quickly becoming one of my favourites of the year. Describing this band is difficult for me, a little Clouds Taste Metallic era Flaming Lips, maybe a touch of old school Modest Mouse, maybe a touch of Morphine. I don't know. Give these tracks a listen, and if you like, go get the album because every song on this thing is great.

• The Pelican
• Wet And Rusting

Buy Menomena : Friend And Foe


Explosions In The Sky


Their new album, All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone, is a great example of a band that just does their thing, and gets better and better. Many may think that this album sounds very much like most of their others, and that's somewhat true, but some bands just do what they do masterfully, and that's all they need to do. Sometimes a band just doesn't have to head off into another direction (Modest Mouse comes to mind). Give a listen to a great band in their prime:

• The Birth and Death Of The Day
  
• It's Natural to Be Afraid
  

Buy Explosions In The Sky : All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone


Do Make Say Think


Another great post-rock album i've been listening to is DMST's You, You're a History In Rust. Part of the Broken Social Scene extended family, these guys are really awesome. Where the new Explosions In The Sky record works to perfect an already "classic" style of post-rock, this album takes alot more liberties and avoids any derivative labels. Enjoy:

• The Universe!
  
• Herstory Of Glory
  

Buy Do Make Say Think : You, You're A History In Rust


Final Fantasy


I knew when I did my top 50 List of 2006, that i would miss some albums that deserved to be on it because I had only a limited amount of time and resources. He Poos Clouds is the first one. Final Fantasy (aka Owen Pallett) is a violinist/vocalist who played with Arcade Fire on tour and even did some of the string arrangements on their new album, Neon Bible. This second full album as Final Fantasy is just simply phenonemal. You really need to get this:

• This Lamb Sells Condos
  
• Song Song Song

Buy Final Fantasy : He Poos Clouds

Torrent Of The Day: Final Fantasy (2-23-2007)

I have been listening to He Poos Clouds alot lately so here's a very recent live show:



Final Fantasy / 02.23.07 / Tranzac, Toronto, Canada / Flac

Final Fantasy
Tranzac
Toronto, ON
February 23, 2007

Recorded and uploaded by Winter.
Recorded on a Sharp MD using a Sony digital microphone
Recorded from the front, stage centre-right

Transfered using Total Recorder
Normalised and balanced using Sound Forge
Tracks cut using CD Wave (24-bit but saved backwards compatible)
Converted to Flac, tested and fingerprinted using Flac Frontend.


Audio notes:
Levels slightly exceeded levels part way through, they were adjusted on the fly (sample shows this)
The clicks you hear is the artist's foot hitting his pedals.
The vocals are somewhat low in the mix, but that's how they were meant to be. The artists requested such during the show.
Tracks with question marks are new songs. Titles are based on a blurry setlist photo.

1) Blue Imelda?
2) Do You Love
3) Bass Hit?
4) Hey Dad
5) CN Tower Belongs to the Dead
6) Flare Gun?
7) It took 2 years to break your heart
8) Paris 1919
9) This Lamb Sells Condos
10) Song Song Song
11) Lewis Takes Off His Shirt 1
12) Lewis Takes OFf His Shirt 2
13) Arctic Circle
14) Theme from Castlevania
15) This is the Dream of Win and Regine