Top albums of 2006

Well, I've finally done it. I've made a blog about music. I hope that you enjoy reading and experiencing it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I welcome any and all feedback, suggestions, comments and criticisms. If there is anything you want more information about, feel free to drop me a line. I will be posting album reviews, live concert reviews, interesting music links, tips on software, and anything else that I think the world (ok my own little world) should know about. Now on to the good stuff.

We're only a month into 2007 so it's not too late for another one of those ubiquitous "Best of..." lists. Of course the albums on the list must be picked from albums I have actually listened to. There are quite a few critically-acclaimed albums that I haven't heard (yet). Those albums (not for consideration) include:

Bob Dylan: Modern Times
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium
Cat Power: The Greatest
Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
The Roots: Game Theory
The Knife: Silent Shout
Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
J Dilla: Donuts
Beirut: Gulag Orkestar
Band of Horses: Everything All the Time
TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain (I've heard a lot of good things about this one)
JJ Cale & Eric Clapton: The Road to Escondido
Destroyer: Destroyer's Rubies
Bruce Springsteen: We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
Built to Spill: You in Reverse
Belle & Sebastian: The Life Pursuit
Drive-By Truckers: A Blessing and a Curse
Los Lobos: The Town and the City
Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury
Scott Walker: The Drift
Ali Farke Toure: Savane
Tom Ze: Estudando o Pagode


Ok, now, drumroll please... My top 5 albums of 2006!

5. Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

You can always count on the Brits to spit out a great new band at least once a year. Last year it was the Arctic Monkeys. Their sound is post-punk, but with a musicianship that puts them into progressive territory. The track "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" is irresistible.

4. The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America

Nothing really groundbreaking here. This is retro-rock, 70s-style. Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Rush, all the 70s rock influences are here. But boy is this album a lot of fun. What really makes this album Top 5 is the consistency. Pretty much every song has something to offer. Most will leave you humming or whistling for the rest of the day. Check out the video for 'Chips Ahoy'. Yes, that is actually Craig Finn, the leader and principal songwriter of the band.


3. Thom Yorke - The Eraser

Well, if we can't have a new Radiohead album, at least Thom Yorke eases our withdrawal symptoms. With a spare sound, a bit of electronic programming, and a handful of Radiohead studio castoffs, Yorke has made a leaner, meaner, Radiohead-ish album. Could this guy make a bad album? I don't think so.
Harrowdown Hill Video




2. Joanna Newsom - YS

There was a lot of buzz around this when it was released in November. I promptly went online and listened to some samples from the record and my initial reaction was "Harp, strings, mellow...it's ok." It seemed more appropriate for an elevator than as cutting-edge indie rock. I really wasn't that interested. Flash to December and I'm going through all of those year-end "best of" lists and the one album which seemed to be consistently placed in every list was, you guessed it, Joanna Newsom's "Ys". Well, I had to give it a second listen and after downloading the album I set to task. After the first listen or two I was still not impressed. It was a pleasant, sweet musical experience, but it didn't grab me. Keep in mind, this isn't your run-of-the-mill stuff. No verse, verse, chorus, verse here. The music is free and flowing, serving the lyrics rather than establishing a musical hook. Still, I found myself humming snippets of melodies to myself. But it wasn't until I went and took a look at her lyrics that I realized this was truly something special. The music, in the context of the words, became magical. The lyrics are beautiful, poetic, and the music complement the lyrics with just enough repetition to add cohesion and interest to the songs. This is one of those albums that just gets better and better with each listen. Now I'm finding that it is, indeed, one of the most rewarding listening experiences of 2006.

Listen to this song* while reading the lyrics here. Hopefully you'll see what I mean.
*You'll need RealPlayer for this



1. Califone: Roots & Crowns

Califone's sound consists of almost every musical element I am currently interested in; a strong melodic and lyrical foundation, driving rhythms, and that extra little bit of weirdness which keeps the disc spinning. Those are the elements that make "Indie" and "Alt-Country" so interesting (e.g. Wilco, My Morning Jacket etc..). These guys have it all going on here and this has proven to be my most listened to disc in 2006. The fact that I am still not sick of it makes it worthy of being #1.
Video: 'Spider's House'


Honorable Mention:

Grizzly Bear: Yellow House
The Black Keys: Chulahoma
Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere
My Brightest Diamond: Bring Me the Workhorse
Tom Waits: Orphans
Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs: Show Your Bones
Frank Black: Fast Man Raider Man
Jolie Holland: Springtime Can Kill You
M. Ward: Post-War
Gomez: How We Operate