best albums of 2006? - Page 2

[quote=FLMountainMan]
Fergie The Tranny? Who doesn't really sing music so much as recite catch phrases?

ROCk ROCK

Still 1/12th of the year left!

This would probably get more views in the entertainment section.

1. Hold Steady -- Boys and Girls in America. I loved Separation Sunday when it came out, and this drops some of the forced-theme of that one, which maybe tried too hard. Best song: Massive Nights.

2. Mountain Goats -- Baylon Springs (e.p.). Their album this year was kind of a downer, but this e.p. makes the list on the strength of "Alibi."

3. Thermals -- The Body, the Blood, the Machine. Rockin! Political! But not immature! Some of it is kind of same-y, but you could call that coherence!

4. Hot Chip -- The Warning. Though I admit I really didn't get it until I saw them live. Which means it's probably not a great album.

5. Man Man -- Six Demon Bag. Crazy good. As in crazy, and good.

Here's where I start betraying my objectivity with albums I wanted to like (and did! and did!)
6. Phoenix -- It's Never Been Like That. Not as good as I'd hoped, but still better than a lot of crap.

7. The Lemonheads -- The Lemonheads. Seriously. It's good. The band behind Dando is the guys from the Descendents, and J Mascis shreds on a few tracks. Liking it makes me feel old, not only because Evan Dando is old, but this really is an adult album alternative kind of album, and I'm sad that it appeals to me.

Hon mentions. Haven't really had a chance to sink my teeth into Tom Waits new one. Only recently, after listening to the Lon Gisland thing, did I start to get Beirut (only six months late on teh coolness!). I think the Long Winters album, Putting the Days to Bed, was really underrated. I thought the Rapture album was great. I really like the Elvis Perkins album I have, but I'm not sure when it came out/comes out. I have a soft spot for any Guster/Twilight Singers/Radiohead-related/ album. MMJ's Okonokos is pretty fricking amazing, but it's a live album. The reissue of Wowee Zowee is awesome, but similarly disqualified. I'm sure I've forgotten something.

Disappointments: Raconteurs (I like everything Brendan Benson and Jack White have done separately more than this). Pernice Brothers (meh). Tapes n' Tapes (everyone told me this was awesome). Decemberists (just wasn't in the mood). Beck (same). TVOTR (liked this a lot when it came out. Very fresh. But I haven't listened to it much lately). Rhett Miller (too treacly). No hip hop really grabbed me this year. Sorry.

I'm going to include re-issues and list a vast amount of albums because I deserve to (pairing it down from 1,000+ takes some effort):

American Primitive Vol. II: Pre-War Revenants
Animal Collective: Hollinndagain
Asobi Seksu: Citrus
Band of Horses: Everything All the Time
Barbara Morgenstern: The Grass Is Always Greener
Beach Boys: Pet Sounds 40th Anniversary Edition
The Beatles: Love
Beirut: Gulag Orkestar
Belle & Sebastian: The Life Pursuit
Belong: October Language
Bert Jansch: The Black Swan
Be Your Own Pet
Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Letting Go
Booka Shade: Movements
Boris: Dronevil Final
Boris: Pink
Califone: Roots & Crowns
Chihei Hatakeyama: Minima Moralia
Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury
Clogs: Lantern
Danielson: Ships
David Thomas Broughton: The Complete Guide to Insufficiency
The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
Destroyer: Destroyer's Rubies
DJ Drama & Lil Wayne: Dedication 2
Dust-to-Digital (The Entire 2006 Catalogue)
Ellen Allien & Apparat: Orchestra of Bubbles
El Perro Del Mar
Final Fantasy: He Poos Clouds
Flying Canyon
Fujiya & Miyagi: Transparent Things
Ghostface Killah: Fishscale
Girl Talk: Night Ripper
Gregor Samsa: 55:12
Grizzly Bear: Yellow House
Herbert: Scale
His Name Is Alive: Detrola
The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America
Isis: In the Absence of Truth
Islands: Return to the Sea
Isolee: Western Store
Jesu: Silver
Joanna Newsom: Ys
Johnny Cash: American V
Jukebox Buddha
Junior Boys: So This Is Goodbye
Keith Fullerton Whitman: Lisbon
Klaxons: Xan Valleys
The Knife: Silent Shout
Liars: Drum's Not Dead
Lindstrom: It's A Feedelity Affair
Lupe Fiasco: Food & Liquor
Malajube: Trompe L'oeil
Man Man: Six Demon Bag
Mastodon: Blood Mountain
Matmos: The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
Max Richter: Songs From Before
Mew: And the Glass Handed Kites
Miles Davis: The Cellar Door Sessions 1970
My Brightest Diamond: Bring Me the Workhorse
Mylo: Destroy Rock & Roll
Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Nomo: New Tones
Numero Group (The Entire 2006 Catalog)
Peter Bjorn & John: Writer's Block
R. Keenan Lawler: Music for Bluegrass States
Scott Walker: The Drift
Serena Maneesh
Shogun Kunitoki: Tasankokaiku
Sparklehorse: Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain
Sunn O))): White Box
Sunset Rubdown: Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Swan Lake: Beast Moans
Talkdemonic: Beat Romantic
Tapes 'n Tapes: The Loon
Tim Hecker: Harmony in Ultraviolet
TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
Various: The World Is Gone
Vince Guaraldi: A Charlie Brown Christmas
Wolves In the Throne Room: Diadem of 12 Stars
Xiu Xiu: The Air Force
Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

I'm missing a lot of electronic, I know, but it becomes redundant after a while (Villalobos, Villalobos, Villalobos). The albums in bold are my top 10, with Return to Cookie Mountain reigning as my favorite of the year (even though we saw a re-release of my favorite album ever, Pet Sounds). The White Box, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Air Force, Scott Walker, Talkdemonic, etc. would have all made my top 10 on a different day.

Top Three Performances of the Year:

1. Jens Lekman w/ Beirut at The Bowery Ballroom
2. Wolf Parade at The Black Cat
3. TV on the Radio at 9:30 Club

My artist of the year is hands-down Spencer Krug. From the amazing Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown shows to the Sunset Rubdown and Swan Lake albums the guy could do no wrong. He's hyper-talented.

2006 was a great year for music, both mainstream and indie. Probably the best since 99-2000. Next year is going to be even better though, what with the Animal Collective flood, hopefully a new Sufjan and all the mini-goodies Souther Lord is putting out now that they have money.

I agree with you, in fact. Many of the demos blow away the album versions and many of my faves didn't make the album. But the album still blows away most of the other crap out there this year. And the live show....wow

Corrine Bailey Rae.

Self titled debut.

Awesome stuff from a gal out of Britain who can really do old school R&B

Someone's a DC kid...

I can't think of one great album this year. Unfortunately. And I have heard over 100 given one of my best friends is a music reviewer. many of the above I would classify as "mediocre" to good at best. Just MO.

Heh, that's odd. I write about music also and I thought this year was an astounding year for music. Besides the disappointments (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Flamings Lips, anything Bob Pollard touches), this has been the best year for music in quite a long time.

And whodini: yeah. I went to a lot of great out of town performances this year, but I'm really biased towards Black Cat. Such a fun venue.

Black Cat is just a very welcomed addition to the DC scene.

I 2nd that.. I have also had the red hot chilli peppers, stadium arcadium, in my car's cd changer since it came out.

Good call on these; in fact, the collaborative album -- Altar -- between Sunn O))) and Boris should have made my top 10 list for the year.

I saw Sunn O))) live last month, and it was probably the best show I've ever seen. One chord at 160dB lasting for 90 minutes. Awesome.

I have to give this one to Gnarls Barkley with St. Elsewhere. What an amazing and listenable album. I also loved Regina Spektor's Begin to Hope.

Asobi Seksu's Citrus gets my vote. I have to say I was hugely disappointed by the Raconteurs as well. I'm not a big Jack White fan, but I dig Benson, and the Greenhornes... this album was just shite. Oh yah, and really good albums this year from Mando Diao, Sloan, Black Angels, You Am I, Blue Van, umm... forget who else.