Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
Mid Year 2006: Top 16 AlbumsJun 13, 2006 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line The Very Best 16 Albums of 2006. Well, we’re about half way through another year and this one certainly hasn’t let down musically. Below are what I consider the best sixteen releases thus far, and I’d recommend giving each and every one of these albums at least one listen. I admittedly am missing several albums many might champion due to the fact that I haven’t heard them yet. These unjustly left off albums include: The Fiery Furnaces’ Bitter Tea, Pearl Jam’s self titled release (although I’m quite sure I won’t find that to be any better than three stars), The Strokes First Impressions of Earth, and Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood among many others. 16. Born Again in the U.S.A.- Loose Fur This side project consisting of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Glen Koetche along with Jim O’Rourke, of Sonic Youth credentials, create a semi-provocative romp through Tweedy’s alt-country musings. The melodies, along with the half-hearted lyrical slap at Christianity, fall short too often for Born Again to be great, although it merits a listen based on its bright spots. 15. At War With The Mystics - The Flaming Lips I tend to prefer this near return to a more standard rock and roll sound, more often than not songs are driven by guitars, bass, and drums, than the fruity pop-fest of The Soft Bulletin. At the same time, Mystics is very inconsistent in its texture and determination to provide worthwhile music. 14. Just Like the Fambly Cat – Grandaddy This is my introduction to the Grandaddy catalogue, which is somewhat disillusioning considering this is the band’s swan song. Fambly Cat is an atmospheric chill-out, in the same vein as Yo La Tengo’s I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One. 13. Ten Silver Drops - The Secret Machines It pains me to even have this album on this list knowing what the Machines were capable of. While Ten Silver Drops is by no means awful, it just can’t compare to Now Here is Nowhere. Many might argue Drops is superior due to its lush harmonies and fuller sound, but its predecessor will always be this band’s pinnacle of space-meets-forceful rock. 12. Show Your Bones – Yeah Yeah Yeahs I missed out on the Fever to Tell hype train so Karen O and company certainly entered Bones with a clean slate. They definitely have their moments of unbridled catchiness, see Gold Lion or Way Out, but by the latter half of the album it becomes redundant. 11. Love Travels at Illegal Speeds – Graham Coxon The guitarist of Blur fame releases this return to Britpop roots, and ends up with a sound not so far removed from a mid-90’s British Green Day. Nearly every song here could be considered a summer anthem unless of course Coxon’s showing his softer side with a drawn out acoustic number. 10. Fishscale – Ghostface Killah The Wu Tang Clan members solo album which, while occasionally outstanding in its production and rhythms, resorts too often to clichéd “gangsta” rap to be considered anything more than better than your average hip-hop album. It’s a shame because songs like Whip You With a Strap and The Champ show Ghostface knows better. 9. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not - Arctic Monkeys The thick layer of hype is hard to see through, but if you listen to this album avoiding the “greatest album of our generation” tags you’ll be very satisfied. Arctic Monkeys without a doubt have a special knack for angular riffs and mind-infiltrating melodies. If they’re able to avoid the self-implosion all the hype could lead to, and find a way to dodge songs that sound eerily similar to one another, these guys could be on many best of lists for years to come. 8. St. Elsewhere - Gnarls Barkley An eclectic blend of hip-hop, R&B, and soul makes Gnarls Barkley one of the more interesting acts of 2006. 7. Destroyer’s Rubies - Destroyer Dan Bejar, of the New Pornographers, uses this solo effort to indulge a little in lush, often grandiose arrangements. The musicianship here is brilliant and Bejar’s highly intellectualized lyrics are, at their very worst, thought-provoking. 6. Broken Boy Soldiers - The Raconteurs Jack White’s collaboration with power pop maestro Brendan Benson doesn’t rewrite any rules of rock, but it certainly is an enjoyable tablet of palatability. In fact, The Raconteurs effort is so consistently strong if White were to abandon his White Stripes cause and focus entirely on this new project… actually now that I think about it, I’d rather just have him continue with both bands. The more music we have from White, the better. 5. The Loon - Tapes ‘n Tapes The debut from this freewheeling indie upstart, which may have actually been released in 2005, borrow heavily from some of Pavement’s best traits while differentiating themselves enough to be considered original. They’re like the New Originals. 4. Shut Up I Am Dreaming - Sunset Rubdown Spencer Krug’s solo release, fresh off the heels of Wolf Parade’s Apologies to the Queen Mary (the best album of 2005), focuses mightily on Krug’s Frog Eyes influence. It’s no surprise Krug picked up some of Casey Mercer’s vocal tics considering he played keyboards on The Golden River, and they do say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In my opinion, the melodies from Sunset Rubdown are a tad easier to pick out than Frog Eyes, and I wonder if Krug has already usurped his master. 3. You in Reverse – Built to Spill Alright, I admit ranking this album this high might be slightly influenced by my current infatuation with Built to Spill’s 90’s resume, but I can say semi-confidently that this album would be up here no matter my biases. 2. Skeleton - Figurines If you took Modest Mouse and meshed ‘em all up with Built to Spill, you’d probably get this Danish indie rock troupe. Of course somewhere in that mixing all the penchant for elongated jamming and classic rock style soloing would be lost, leaving you entirely with the bare pop and catchiness found in abundance on Skeleton. 1. Stadium Arcadium - The Red Hot Chili Peppers The naysayers of my number one album in 2006 so far leave me with a sick feeling deep in my stomach. It might be the batch of taquitos I just ate, but I’m assuming it has something to do with the fact that the Chili Peppers have blessed us with two discs of outstanding tracks. Granted there are some blotches, as so often happens with two freakin’ hours of music, and the songs can seem a tidbit derivative. Although it upsets me that some may this double disc as such, I really don’t have much problem understanding it. Regardless, I see Stadium Arcadium as the definitive Chili Peppers career statement, with them combining all of what’s made them great over the years. If you at any time have enjoyed the sounds of Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik or Californication I highly recommend purchasing this album. And believe me when I say I don’t recommend actually paying for music without serious conviction.  |
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