Best Of 2006
I haven’t posted anything in a while, but I’ve been busy, trying to finish the dissertation and figuring out what to do and where to go next. I’m getting there, but for now it’s time for my favorite music of 2006. First my favorite albums, in no particular order:

Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche/Songs For Christmas
I had been scared away from Stevens by all the folks calling him "Christian rock". That’s most definitely not the case, and he released two of my favorite records of the year. The Avalanche is supposedly a collection of outtakes from the recording sessions for last year’s Illinois, but I like it so much better than the original record (also known by the oh-so-much-better title of Come On Feel The Illinoise!). In particular, the "acoustic version" of "Chicago" on The Avalanche is far superior to the Illinois version. And in the case of Songs For Christmas, keep in mind that I despise holiday music, but Stevens reinvents the wheel with this collection of EPs he’d given as gifts to family and friends over the last few years, and it’s fantastic.

Lily Allen - Alright, Still
It won’t be released in the U.S. until the end of January, but I’ve been listening to this record nonstop for months. A pop masterpiece, honest, tender, witty, and fun.

Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Unquestionably the rap record of the year. Top-notch beats from the Neptunes, and these guys aren’t fucking around. Even with an anti-Semitic slur on the best track, "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)", I’m still digging it. Probably because if I challenged them about it, they’d just pistol whip me in the face.

Girl Talk - Night Ripper
The greatest mashup record EVER. Apparently Gregg Gillis hasn’t been sued, though I’m not sure how that’s possible. If you’ve got eclectic tastes, the nostalgia could injure you, so be careful.

Muse - Black Holes And Revelations
I didn’t really dig the new Muse record upon first listen, but it most definitely grew on me. Hearing "Knights Of Cydonia" live at the Tabernacle helped change my mind, it wasn’t cheesy anymore, it was epic.

Damien Rice - 9
Apparently Damien Rice learned the hard way that it’s not a good idea to date famous Hollywood actresses, but it results in a record that is raw, heartwrenching, and captivating – an acoustic record that absolutely rocks.

Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
L.A. indie queen makes a fantastic country-gospel album. Rustic and pretty, hearing this record makes me think of making pancakes with the family on a Saturday morning when I was 8.

Ghostface - Fishscale
It’s not as great as The Pretty Toney Album, but that’s a standard very difficult to match. A little Motown here, a little Schoolhouse Rock! there, on a record fueled by cocaine. His recent release More Fish ain’t bad, neither. Narcotics, yaaaay!

The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
They’re completely fabricated, but it’s a brilliant fabrication, Wall of Sound-era girl group meets 21st century post-feminism attitude. A delicious guilty pleasure.

Cat Power - The Greatest
Someone finally got Chan Marshall on the correct meds, and she’s getting accolades long overdue. That smoky voice backed by Muscle Shoals soul is a winning combination.

Honorable Mentions are reserved for Yo La Tengo’s I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass (it sounds kind of like a Michel Gondry movie, kind of like a Jack Kerouac novel, if that makes any sense, and it also nabs the prize for record title of the year), The Corrs’ lushly produced covers record Home, The Raconteurs’ Broken Boy Soldiers, Ratatat’s Classics, and The Roots’ Game Theory.

On to my favorite songs of 2006, in no particular order:

Ray LaMontagne - "Three More Days"
Far and away the best track off Till The Sun Turns Black, a soulful tune that very much stands out on a disappointingly mediocre record. "Three More Days" is on the soundtrack to that summer Saturday afternoon romp with your significant other where you get down to it on the couch, the kitchen counter, the living room floor, the shower, and the washing machine in the laundry room.

The Killers - "Read My Mind"
Sam’s Town is one of the worst records of 2006, but this one track is salvageable from that mess of an album. I guess because they’re only slightly imitating Bruce on this song.

Sufjan Stevens - "Adlai Stevenson"/"Did I Make You Cry On Christmas? (Well, You Deserved It!)"
If anyone can put a marching band theme together about a faded-into-obscurity mid-20th-century politician, Sufjan’s your man. And I won’t be getting a Christmas tree or a Santa hat anytime soon, but "Did I Make You Cry On Christmas?" is an instant holiday classic.

Regina Spektor - "Fidelity"
She reminds me a lot of the Wellesley girls I knew back in college. I think that’s mostly a good thing.

Damien Rice - "Rootless Tree"
And I thought I had been in some pretty terrible relationships. Acoustic but extremely intense. A note to the wise: if you’re thinking "Let me out, let me out, let me out/It’s hell when you’re around", a simple grudge fuck is not going to get the relationship back on track.

Paulo Nutini - "Jenny Don’t Be Hasty"
An ode to the dangers of cougars (kind of), this track tells the story of the Scottish singer/songwriter getting dumped because his girlfriend found out he was less than honest about his age. Truthiness leads to some enjoyable pop music – very 2006.

Beth Orton - "Shopping Trolley"
For some reason, her new album Comfort Of Strangers didn’t make too much of an impression with me, unlike all of her previous records (maybe it’ll grow on me eventually). This track, however, I’ve played incessantly. I really love the drums on this one.

The Decemberists - "O Valencia!"
Almost everyone else is falling all over themselves to praise The Decemberists and their new album The Crane Wife, and though I like it, I don’t really like it like it. I do very much dig this single, however. I also try to not overanalyze Colin Meloy’s lyrics, because it all just seems really friggin’ pretentious.

Ghostface - "Kilo"
Undeniably my favorite rap song of the year, with Clipse’s "Wamp Wamp" a distant second. The Schoolhouse Rock! sample is absolutely inspired, and there’s something about Ghostface’s verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown flow that is New York City to the bone.

Ratatat - "Wildcat"
I guess they call these instrumentalists "indietronica", Ratatat is the type of music you hear at those uber-trendy lounges where everyone is wearing clothes that cost more than my monthly paycheck. That would usually make me head for the door, but if this track is playing I’ll stick around and have a martini or boutique small-batch bourbon or six. I also really dig the opener on Classics, "Montanita".

Muse - "Starlight"/"Supermassive Black Hole"
The 1-2 combination of these tracks is absolutely the equal of "New Born" and "Bliss" off of Origin Of Symmetry. Grand, epic, and anthemic for "Starlight", naughty, sweaty, and sexy for "Supermassive Black Hole", it’s the bachelor party and the wedding – um, just kind of in reverse.

So there you have it, I think 2006 was a pretty decent year for music (except for Jay-Z, WTF Hova?). It’s looking like 2007 is going to be a very interesting year for me, I hope it is for you too. Happy New Year.
- posted by Liebs @ 11:03 AM 0 comments