2006's Top Songs 1.0 Jul 04 '06    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line : 2006 Top Songs, January-June DANCING SHOES by ARCTIC MONKEYS "With its Mammoth bass timbre and tongue-in-cheek vocals, it's a spirited joke. It invites your mind to the next dancefloor before exploding in unease of self-containment. Guitar is flawlessly fluid, protean and effective. It will always (until the next record, period) be my favorite ARCTIC MONKEYS tune. Sounds as much as good as any old 1980's Post-Punk favorite" Whatever People Say That's What I'm Not http://www.epinions.com/content_239878639236 FORMED A BAND by ART BRUT "The perfect 3-minute missile addressed to the charts and dancefloors alike. It encapsulates to perfection ART BRUT's urgency/irony/arty package. Composed in 5 minutes only, once the band was formed. Urgency. "We formed the band/Look at us/We formed the band". Irony. "Yes/This is my singing voice/This is no irony/This is no Rock N'Roll". Arty: "We'll be the band/The band that writes the song/That makes Israel and Palestine/Get along"" Bang Bang Rock N'Roll http://www.epinions.com/content_236694310532 FUTURE LOVERS by MADONNA "Anywhere between PET SHOP BOYS and THE LORDS OF ACID, it is the quintessential MADONNA of the set: sexy, sassy and savoy. Void as anatomic cavities, ready to be filled by the languished sweaty voice from the Mother of all teasers. Spiritual carnality in its barest" Confessions on a Dancefloor http://www.epinions.com/content_236122640004 GONE by PEARL JAM "Stripping the roots of Seattle, it unveils PEARL JAM as JOHNNY CASH and LEONARD COHEN heirs - singing the death of American Dream, albeit with a much lighter musical backdrop that quickly translates into a rejubilating desert-search rhapsody akin to Daughter. Vedder finds his ancestral wailers and gives them voice. This is what RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS would have done if they were born in Oklahoma. PEARL JAM is all about redemption ("give me one last rhyme"), only U2 can challenge them on these fair grounds (the Irish also reserved this name for a track). I hope this one to be released as a single..." Pearl Jam http://www.epinions.com/content_233371111044 RIDING TO VANITY FAIR by PAUL MCCARTNEY "It oddly resembles fellow Liverputians ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN in the slightly psychedelic electronic arrangement (my favorite overall, check out ECHO's Supermellowman for the matter) sided by ornamental strings and spare orchestration. That's a vague platform from where Paul ponders on love lost, getting older and what-are-you-going-to-do-with-your-life. This is the magnum opus of this record, deservedly. Paul and Godrich fulfill the promise" Chaos and Creation in the Backyard http://www.epinions.com/content_231057231492 DIMENSION by WOLFMOTHER "Loosier than JET, more paced than THE KINGS OF LEON, WOLFMOTHER open their recording career with a stomp. Frenzied, ludicrious wailing lifted from Ozzy are joined by Iommian-like guitarwebs until the inevitable chorus-bridge-chorus brings back the dynamics of SABBATH to the mind of this fervorous admirer. It could have been a very good Paranoid B-side, embedded in the right mood. Many bands find the sound of the 1970s and quite not the dynamics. For this, I'm hands down for this guilty pleasure" Wolfmother EP http://www.epinions.com/content_230834671236 BLUE VEINS by RACONTEURS "It closes the retro party with YARDBIRDS blues finesse. Indeed, this is the closest to Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton one can get these days. Even if White and Benson don't have the pipes to match old bluesers, guts are another story. They have the white man's bluesy burden. Somewhere between Since I've Been Loving You and Bell Bottom Blues you'll find this gem. A contemporary classic!" Broken Boy Soldiers http://www.epinions.com/content_230144904836 OFF THE HOOK by CANSEI DE SER SEXY "Five New Wave girls (especially exotic Luiza Lovefoxxx, the main singer, constipated Siouxsie Sioux on Prozac) join the former guitar of Brazilian DEMOLITION DOLL RODS (THEE BUTCHERS ORCHESTRA, check out the name) who picks up the drums. The chirurgical production depicts CANSEI DE SER SEXY as the bastard bipolar disfunctional heir of DEPECHE MODE and SONIC YOUTH". Maybe their best song yet, it will deservedly become a hit single. You'll have to go Soulseek or Kazaa to find it. It's worth your time...More than the lyrics" Cansei de Ser Sexy http://www.epinions.com/content_4737835140 OVER THE STAIRS by GUILLEMOTS "It bookends the conceptual EP in stratosphere. Dream Pop with a capital "D", worth of PINK FLOYD glory days, those of Syd Barrett and David Gilmour on supporting role, the celestial organ and wondrous harmonies find everything BLUR and THE VERVE were reaching for during their prime. It trends sensitive guys out of the water - this is transcendent, timeless, treasured inspirational Pop. I think of THE BEACH BOYS, I think of MARVIN GAYE, I think of sugar-coated "Us and Them". I don't think at all anymore. Thanks God...:) This is THE song to be sung. No. I can't sing to this. I'm all ears. Just listen to Fyfe. See ya. In stratosphere." I Saw Such Things In My Sleep EP http://www.epinions.com/content_227851669124 IF YOU TALK TOO MUCH (MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE) by PEOPLE IN PLANES "It fuses the frustrated expectations of several renowned names of the decade, to reach a higher outcome. COLDPLAY's inability to gave away emotions, TRAVIS lack of grit, KEANE's naivete, THE RAKES' uneveness are redeemed by this golden craft of a song. Acoustic intro, as if ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN was ressurected in another body of songs. Evolving melodies, as if New Rock could not only rock, but carry on the mood as well. Hands-down confident vocals, turning into personal the whole universe. Anthemic, youthful, refreshing choruses. This said, the track still bears fragility and delicacy. I haven't heard this kind of thing since early-1980s U2. Got the message?" People In Planes EP http://www.epinions.com/content_225803275908 TIED UP TOO TIGHT by HARD-FI "It was their second UK single (featuring Middle Eastern Holiday on the flipside). All the melodic grandeur missed in much of their contemporaries comes to full fruition, as if COLDPLAY could be once in a lifetime a great, organic, meaningful band. This is the grandiosity of a band unafraid to unleash their feelings upon the world and the feedback is something akin to BRITISH SEA POWER, with guts. That's much more to inexorability than OASIS. If you prefer, if a younger, bolder PULP's released their The Queen Is Dead, it would sound sometimes like HARD-FI. Even this said, the track unveils some terrific grit. Compulsive listenable. Archer is never overbearing and Philips displays all his versatility. Unmistakeably British. This is the next THE KINKS, bar none" Tied Up Too Tight (single) http://www.epinions.com/content_222561799812 EDDIE'S GUN by THE KOOKS "Leading track packs more dynamics than your usual LIBERTINES. Although not as crafted as, say, MAXIMO PARK, they have spontainty. From a deceptive acoustic intro, they burst dubbing melody after melody until the arrival of a charming guitar solo (young Harris is worth his pants). Pritchard is a busy, kinetic frontman. Rafferty cuts with a vengeance. But the real deal is Garred's frantic assault and seamless pulse" Eddie's Gun (single) http://www.epinions.com/content_222466051716 APPLY SOME PRESSURE by MAXIMO PARK "The singalong hit, the percolating dance-sprinkling guitar gem. This time vocals are freed and the weight is reduced for the sake of pace and melody. The consistence increases for the second half to meet a power ballad of sorts (and Paul Smith keep hitting the bull's eye). They subverted the "new rock" formula. It delivered in spades" A Certain Trigger http://www.epinions.com/content_221859188356 JUICEBOX by THE STROKES "It was not the best of both worlds. It meant THE STROKES were trending waters, while their contemporaries were eclipsing their legacy. While Julian couldn't be bothered while singing, Albert kept his angular riffing intact, Fabrizio gave away a taste of Brazilian percussion and the remainder kept things thoughter, the sound has aged quite a bit, beyond the catchy, compressed intro (reminiscent of THE RAKES?). Odd vocal bridges don't disguise the whole thing, an uneven melange of Room On Fire's heady side and Is This It? urgency. Still, it is gritty, forceful. It satisfices" Juicebox (single) http://www.epinions.com/content_221427961476 THE MAN WHO CAME TO STAY by BAYSHAMBLES "This self-referential number is another story – it could have been a highlight on Up The Bracket. It is the frantic, naïve and sincere power ballad THE LIBERTINES were always about to record. Pete-Mark II is a more confident frontman, freed from the inner competition. Even if his voice is not on par with young Pete, after so many grit on his throat. The guitar man is more textured than his (former?) friend Barat – and he doesn’t share vocal duties. The other ones are baggy beggars just like him" Killamanjiro (single) http://www.epinions.com/content_220787674756 RETREAT (Paul Epworth Remix) by THE RAKES -> 2006's Best Song Yet "Famous indie produced PAUL EPWORTH remixed their leading single, and the results were so good THE RAKES included it here. Remember THE KNACK? My Sharona? The compression and fuzz bring a good song to even greater heights. The best song on this EP, by the way. THE STRANGLERS loved remixes as well. "Everything is temporaty these days" sings Donahoe, but this band displays they have long-lasting power. Check out this sleeper hit!!! After throwing out your STROKES records and posters, of course. See ya" Retreat EP http://www.epinions.com/content_216097328772 BONUS TRACK DEJA-VU by YEAH YEAH YEAHS Karen O & Cia recap their savageness amidst the reflective gems of their second album Show Your Bones. A humble B-Side to the Dudley single, it encapsulates everything relevant about this carnal intelligent urgency from NYC Coming soon...My new YEAH YEAH YEAHS review! See ya

Read all comments (2)|Write your own comment

Write an essay on this topic.

Ads by Google Fiction on the iBookstoreSpring Fever by Mary Kay Andrews arrives 6/5. Pre-order it on iTunesibookstore.apple.com/SpringFever 100 - 11 x 17 Posters $99Full Color printed 1 Side - 4/0 100# Matte or Gloss Book Stockwww.indieprinting.com/store.php The Art Of FictionFind The Art Of Fiction at Half.com. Shop Now & Save!www.half.com/Books