Finally...I have time to breath! I have promised this for awhile now, but I finally got around to finishing my list of my Top 10 fave recordings of 2006. Last year was pretty slow in the beginning, but it ended in a flurry of great music! My top 3 are pretty close and it was almost impossible to put one above another...but I did...and 4-10 are not really in any kind of order. Remember, these are CDs that appeal to me and I try to give good descriptions in case something peaks your interest. I know...you may not have heard of a few (or any) of these, but then again, you NEVER get to hear the really great stuff on the radio! Now...without no further delay:
10. Kasabian - "Empire" - This is the sophmore effort from this trippy British band and it was a late addition to Top 10, after much hype from my buddy who simply loves the CD. I must admit that their self-titled 2004 debut is probably better, but this recording seems to take a few more chances and I typically gives props to that. If you like the old Manchester sound from the late 80s, then give this a whirl.
9. Neko Case - "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood" - For those of you who do not know of the sultry Neko Case, then that is a faux pas you must remedy! This gifted singer-songwriter with a soaring voice cranked out a stunning piece of work with this offering. At times her voice is reminiscent of a young Loretta Lynn, only possessed with a rock-n-roll spirit. The music is not really country and not really rock, but somewhere in the middle of folk-pop sensibility and the daunting texture of the Velvet Underground. An amazingly profound record.
8. The Hold Steady - "Boys and Girls in America" - From the opening salvo of "Stuck Between Stations", The Hold Steady evokes memories of early Bruce Springsteen (you know, when Bruce rocked out songs like "Rosilita") and even a strong hint of seminal rockers Husker Du. To put it another way...this record IS flat out rock and roll at its finest! If you like either the greatness of Ted Leo or the genius of Spoon, then you must own this record.
7. Raconteurs - "Broken Boy Soldiers" - This may be the best power pop music album of the year and it features two incredible artists...the enigmatic Jack White of the White Stripes and the highly underrated Brendan Benson. The two combined to produce a virtual hook-laden feast of power pop at its finest and its nowhere more evident than in the opening track, the Brendan Benson led "Steady As She Goes" and the Led Zeppelin-inspired "Broken Boy Soldier" which features Jack White doing his best Robert Plant impersonation. Its good to hear White with a fleshed out band!
6. Badly Drawn Boy - "Born in the U.K." - This is easily the best Badly Drawn Boy record since the "About a Boy" soundtrack that Damon Gough penned. This record is filled with images of growing up in England and is wonderfully intelligent in both its lyrics and production. "Nothing's Going to Change Your Mind" is a beautifully structured and soaring song that just feels good when you hear it!
5. Grant Lee Phillips - "Nineteeneighties" - Typically I stay away from cover albums for my Top 10, but this collection of songs recorded by Phillips is just too powerful to leave off. Grant Lee Phillips lends his melancholic voice to some of the most endearing songs from the New Wave-era of the 80s! He manages to take songs like The Pixies "Wave of Mutilation" or New Order's "Age of Consent" and make them his own with his somewhat quiet arrangements and stark production. A great CD for any fan of oft-maligned 80s!
4. Band of Horses - "Band of Horses" - This band harkening from Seattle, WA is the two man operation featuring Matthew Brooke and Ben Bridwell. When someone first played this recording for me, it instantly provoked comparison to the truly inspiring My Morning Jacket (who occupied my number one spot last year) in both its shimmering production and echoey vocals and harmonies. If you love a big sound and a dramatic tone to your music, then this will be a great addition to your collection!
3. Destroyer - "Destroyer Rubies" - Destroyer is the brainchild of the quirky Dan Bejar, who along with the aforementioned Neko Case and Carl Newman also form the incredible indie supergroup The New Pornographers. This offering from Bejar is probably his most palatable to date, but his often bizarre lyrics still shine throughout the album. My favorite song of this album is the moody, yet soaring "A Dangerous Woman Up To a Point", but to honest, there is not a bad song on the album. Bejar seems to channel the voice of "Diamond Dogs"- era Bowie while creating a decidedly pop feel to the arrangement.
2. TV on the Radio - "Return to Cookie Mountain" - Suffice it to say that there is NOTHING like TV On the Radio...NOTHING. I cannot even begin to describe them. Moody...atmosphere-driven...sonic noise...literate...experimental...that is only a few words to paint the picture of an album so groundbreaking in its sound and production that it takes multiple listens to really wrap your head around it. There are times I hear the influences of Joy Division, The Pixies, Prince, Bowie, The Cure and Radiohead, but none of them are blatant and none of them are a real comparison. TV On the Radio are the most unique and engaging band to emerge in quite sometime...its weird and complex to explain...and that is a great thing!
1. Decemberists - "The Crane Wife" - As I said earlier, naming the top album of the year was a three horse race and any one of the three could be number one, but the newest offering from the Decemberists is an amazing amalgamation of literate songwriting, strong instrumentation and a lucid pop sensibility. The thing I love most about Decemberist leader Colin Meloy is that he does not simply write nice lyrics over great music...no...he is a true storyteller, if not an auteur of sorts. The songs are evocative and full of rich imagery soaked in conceptual storytelling. This album also sees the band exploring the theatrical prog rock of the 70s and 80s, replete with a couple of 12 minute songs that remind one of Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer and even a hint of Rush and King Crimson. Its about time someone brought back the concept record!!!
Man. I've heard of exactly none of these.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life | January 27, 2007 at 09:59 AM
Thanks. I've been waiting on your list. You have helped introduce me to some great music, through your lists and UzzTunes. I've rediscovered that there really is some great stuff out there and there's no need to strictly live in the past at all.
Love the Raconteurs, Badly Drawn Boy, Neko Case - of course, The Hold Steady, Spoon - and recently discovered TV on the Radio, Richard Hawley, Royksopp and the Decemberists.
Great stuff - all of it. I try to encourage more people to open their minds to the new stuff.
Thanks for sharing your list.
Posted by: fringe | January 27, 2007 at 11:42 AM
I wasn't too thrilled with the second Kasabian CD and I was soooo excited when it came out.
Where's Red Jumpsuit Apparatus? I'm listening to that one all the time now. That and HelloGoodbye (very reminescent of 80's pop - giving me flashbacks to high school). I've been meaning to pick up the Decemberists but I keep forgetting when I'm in the store/actually have money.
Love the Raconteurs. Anything Jack White touches turns to gold.
Posted by: Shell | January 28, 2007 at 11:18 AM
That's a GREAT list.
Posted by: Emily | January 29, 2007 at 08:29 AM