The 30 Best Albums of 2006: 10-1
Jan 27 '07
The Bottom Line The top ten albums of 2006. Here they are. Right here. All ten of them.
The following items numbered in descending order below are my ten favorite albums of 2006. Might the title of this review have given that away? I would hope so. None the less, I have no idea what to say in this little intro spiel but I feel my review would be starving and naked without one. This strikingly accurate list took me longer than any plausible reasoning could possibly explain so I’m not going to bother telling you about the fierce pack of bearded seals that held me hostage until I gave them the codes to the Starzabanger. Just enjoy please.
10. The Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium
Note: This selection comes at the risk of destroying my indie hipster cred which I’ve worked so hard to establish. Although I’ve become rather fond of said unparalleled hipness, it’s a risk I’m willing to take.
I’m not going to bother arguing most of the points made criticizing the veteran alternative/funk rockers double album. Even I have to admit the album is overwrought, occasionally derivative, and completely devoid of any lyrics with any significance at all. Just look at the album title. They seriously made up a word to rhyme with stadium (yes I realize it’s some sort of Latin trickery but this is America buddy). If they were so keen on having a stadium couldn’t they have gone with something more logical. You know, like radium, or…well…never mind.
Anyways, for fans of the Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium proves to possess all the qualities that have made the band great for many in the past. The hooks are nothing if not mind-infiltrating and guitarist John Frusciante absolutely rocks the socks off anything even capable of wearing socks. Yes, you have to weed your way through some filler and the occasional dud, but there are two hours worth of music here. It’d be a miracle if there weren’t duds and in my opinion the pros far outweigh the cons.
I’d now like to use this unnecessary third paragraph to retract any comparisons I may have made between this album and Blood Sugar Sex Magik in my earlier review. Blood Sugar is the Chili Pepper’s pinnacle and I can’t imagine them ever surpassing that apex.
Oh, and this probably goes without saying, but I no longer feel this is the album of the year. Just wanted to throw that out there.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Dani California, Snow (Hey Oh), Torture Me, Especially in Michigan, Turn it Again
9. Califone – Roots and Crowns
Roots and Crowns is easily one of the most complete albums of the year seeing as all thirteen tracks bleed together into one soothing, well-oiled machine. Califone’s wizardry in the studio is absolutely phenomenal and the production on this record is what sets it a cut above other, perhaps more hook-laden, material.
Most songs are comprised of bluesy acoustic guitars, which, although simple sounding, are given lush texture through the brilliant additions Califone meticulously implements throughout each song. Anyone out there looking for a laid-back portrait of relaxation will find Roots and Crowns very enjoyable. As for anyone out there looking for Bobby Fischer, I highly suggest you get a grip on reality.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Spider’s House, Black Metal Valentine, The Orchids, 3Legged Animals
8. The Roots – Game Theory
Despite my limited hip-hop experience, I feel it’s important to note I’ve never heard a rap album this cohesive or overall steadfast in its refusal to drop even a single dud. The tracks bleed splendidly into one another making it almost impossible to pull the plug on the album early.
On Game Theory The Roots are masters of mixing, especially evident from the samples of Sly and the Family Stone and Radiohead the band uses. At first I almost included this album entirely because of the band’s sampling of You And Whose Army? on Atonement but I thought that might be a silly reason. It’s a good thing I realized that would be ridiculous because it led me to listen to the rest of the album which is simply outstanding.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Game Theory, Don’t Feel Right, In the Music, Atonement
7. Islands – Return to the Sea
If I’m going to be completely honest with myself and my valued readers, Return to the Sea is not nearly as complete an album as the previous two discs. So why give it a higher ranking? Well for starters, The Unicorns offshoot manages to offer not only five or six of the best indie pop songs of 2006, but five or six of the best songs period. Plain and simple.
Hooks and clever song construction like this don’t appear out of thin air and I’d be crazy not to appreciate how much I’ve enjoyed them. For those who felt The Unicorns hectic, unstructured approach was a waste of great talent, Islands will be exactly what you hoped the brilliant pop melodies within Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? should be. For those who never experienced the mayhem that was The Unicorns and have no idea what I’m talking about just know that Neil Diamonds (who I think has changed his name recently) is an excellent song writer and proves his maturity on Return to the Sea.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Swans (Life After Death), Rough Gem, Where There’s A Will There’s A Whalebone, Volcanoes
6. Tapes ‘n Tapes – The Loon
I’m realizing now it’s difficult to exact why I like Tapes ‘n Tapes debut so much. If I have to try, and I realize that I absolutely do not, I suppose I might suggest they sound like a more sonically concise version of Pavement. The remarkably consistent The Loon plays like a freewheeling funhouse, except what may outwardly appear to be a slacker-esque approach to music making is clearly very conscious of its decision to remain concise. And that’s all I have for you. I’d say frankly that’s all you need, but every time I try to type that without a wink and a nudge I start convulsing.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Just Drums, Insistor, Jakov’s Suite
5. Malajube – Trompe L’Oeil
Malajube is a very Canadian band, which sings in a very French language. I am yet to understand a single lyric sung and can barely even familiarize myself with the song titles which are (you guessed it!) in French. Still, Malajube proves to be more parts fresh than French (you see what I did there) on their debut “Trompe L-Oiel” and all language barriers are completely overridden by the magnificence and tenacity of their slightly strange hybrid of indie rock.
The style of music on Trompe is difficult to portray exactly, but for the most part the tracks adhere to a fairly mysterious, ominous sense of exultant euphoria. For a debut album, Malajube is more ambitious than they probably deserve to be, utilizing overdubbed vocals and constantly changing song structures to great effect on most tracks. The group does seem to resort to the same over the top triumphant vocal eruption in its quest for the jugular more times than necessary, but if you find yourself enjoying it as much as I did the first time, you won’t mind the repetition.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Montreal -40c, Ton Plat Favori, Casse-cou
4. The Thermals – The Body, The Blood, The Machine
I’m a sucker for any concept that could be labeled Orwellian. It should go without saying then, that Hutch Harris’ lyrical plotline and subsequent polarizing assault centered around a fascist Christian regime dominating America (one that Harris perhaps feels is not so fanciful as we would hope) is the most enthralling storyline devised in music for 2006. Of course, the scatterbrain narrative presented by The Thermals borrows way too heavily from Big Brother clichés to be considered strikingly original. Still, the lyrics are insightful and vicious enough to at least make us ponder the state in which America currently abides and the dangerous waters we may already be treading in.
Naturally though, all the lyrical graffiti is irrelevant if the tunes can’t match up. Fortunately, that is not at all the case and The Thermals provide some of the absolute best pop-punk protest of recent memory. The Body, The Blood, The Machine is basically a politically conscious, more difficult to digest version of Green Day’s American Idiot. Although the melodies are every bit as memorable as the aforementioned 2004 mainstream success story, Harris’ vocals are almost as polarizing as his scathing lyrics. This will turn away many at the gates, but if you keep an open mind heading into the latest from The Thermals, I assure you’ll walk away better for it.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- A Pillar of Salt, Returning to the Fold, Test Pattern, Power Doesn’t Run on Nothing
3. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
Heading into 2006 I didn’t see how I could be held captive by an album like Return to Cookie Mountain. I mean Wolf Like Me may very well be the only track on the album that can be classified as undeniable rock and roll. As great as that song is though, the rest of the album is equally as mind blowing with harmonies and vocals that just make you happy to be alive and able to listen to music. I occasionally question why exactly I find myself obsessed with music as often as I do, and the answer was provided by TV on the Radio this year. It’s so I can find bands like this. Innovative, fresh, and well-executed Return to Cookie Mountain is a necessary addition to any collection of music. No matter where your traditional palate may lie.
2. Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming
By all means, Spencer Krug has no right to be this productive and efficient. The man was a part of my favorite 2005 project (Wolf Parade), and in 2006 managed to pen some of the best songs for indie supergroup Swan Lake alongside releasing this outstanding solo debut. Krug’s vocal tics find a steady middle ground between Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock and Frog Eyes’ Carey Mercer and consequently aren’t for everyone. None the less, Krug’s witty, introspective one liners layered on top of dense, magnificently constructed music leaves him with my favorite actual new album released in 2006. Here’s to Wolf Parade and Krug keeping the title for a third straight year in 㤏.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Stadiums and Shrines 2, Us Ones In Between, The Men Are Called Horsemen There, Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings
1. Pavement – Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinals
You could make the argument that this album doesn’t deserve a place on a best of 2006 list considering the original Wowee Zowee was released in 1995. For all intents and purposes pertaining to common sense you would be correct. None the less, Pavement’s reissue of their third album has enough new bonus material in the form of live tracks and rarities that it’s essentially like releasing a new album. Couple brilliant tracks like Kris Kraft and Sensitive Euro Man on top of the original excellence of Wowee Zowee and we have ourselves the finest piece of compact disc(s) released in 2006.
Not ready for this kind of investment? Download these tracks- Easily Fooled, Kris Kraft, Give it a Day, Sensitive Euro Man, No More Kings
Hope you enjoyed the list, and to the four or so of you that have been following, sorry I took so long to complete it. I figure if I get to work on a best of 2007 list now I'll have something for you by the summer of 08.
Albums 30-21
Albums 20-11
Honorable Mentions, Intentional Omissions, and New Releases
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