ihavebeenfloated

So, here is my Top 10 for 2006. Last year I did something like a top 26 because I just ended up listing everything I liked from 2005. That was bad of me, I think. This year I’m going to actually limit myself to a top ten list and mention a few things. But first, a little summary on my thoughts for the year.

2006 was a terrible year for music. 2005 was fairly awesome and we had a lot of good releases from acts that have been around a while and some really nice new stuff, not that I can think of any of it off the top of my head. 2005 just felt really great. I was well into 2006 and I was still discovering great stuff that came out last year. This year, not so much. There really weren’t any significant releases that I was looking forward this year, and it seemed that the majority of releases populated the realm of indie vomit and overhyped shit on par with The Arctic Monkeys from last year. Bad year for music, really bad year, I feel. Obviously. I can’t say it enough. 2006 sucked for music.

Edit – Three Days Later: Yeah, so to prove how little I know about anything, The Arctic Monkeys were a release from this year. Whatev!

There was some good stuff however, and here it is.

10. Josephine Foster – A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

I’m actually surprised to see this make it into my top 10. When I was arranging them I didn’t even think this would make the cut, and I’m a little torn as to whether Bruce Springsteen should come before it, but I’m fairly confident in this one. Very different from Foster’s other work, A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing has her singing (with her extremely unique voice) in German over very sparse, but deeply layered and atmospheric arrangements, and it folds together to create an extremely unsettling experience. Very ghostly, very ethereal, it is a good listen.

9. Yusuf – An Other Cup

Cat Stevens just belongs on this list. It’s fairly low, because the album is not perfect by any means, but it’s Cat Stevens, and I can’t help but love the man.

8. The Essex Green – Cannibal Sea

This poor album is overshadowed by releases that came later in the year that were much more of a homage of the 1960’s than the Essex Green decided to be on this album. I can’t really fault them for that, and it’s not fair for me to lament the passing of their original influences. It is still a fantastic album, and the songs really shine in a live setting.

7. The Dresden Dolls – Yes, Virginia

I’ve listened to this maybe more than any other release of ‘06, but generally it is individual songs. It’s a strong album of individual songs, despite the misstep of “Sing”, and I enjoy certain tracks greatly. It is certainly a fantastic follow up to their debut, despite the fact that I was originally turned off by it. The Dresden Dolls can only go up from here, and this is technically an up point from their debut, so I can’t complain.

6. Cat Power – The Greatest

I never really listened to Cat Power before this album, and I still don’t really listen to much of Cat Power’s stuff from before this album, so take that however you want. Regardless, The Greatest has a great mood across it. It’s leisurely, and for most of the album you are simply swimming in her voice and the music that backs her up. It’s beautiful.

5. The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America

Though not as strong of an album lyrically as Separation Sunday, the Hold Steady don’t disappoint at all here. The singers vocals are really high in the mix, and after listening to them live with the vocalist mixed fairly down, I have to say I would much prefer the album that way. Regardless, they rock really hard, and incorporate more singable tunes into this record. They’re much more of a bar band on this album, in a way, and I love it.

4. Peeping Tom – Peeping Tom

Mike Patton never ceases to amaze me. This is an album full of dance-able songs that are coated with Patton’s usually very sinister edge. All the tracks on this record are amazing, but Mojo is certainly the star of the show here. If you listen to one song from 2006, make it Peeping Tom’s Mojo. Seriously. I think, in a way, it could sum up the whole year, musically.

3. The Black Angels – Passover

I was pretty sure for the while that this album would take number one, which is odd considering I just discovered it a few weeks ago. Heavily inspired by The Velvet Underground and other droning acts of the 70s, including The Doors in certain ways, The Black Angels nearly pull all of their style from the ‘70’s, and they do it to such a fantastic excess that it’s impossible to not fall in love with them. Also, their keyboardist is a hot lady. How can you argue with that?

2. Viva Voce – Get Yr Blood Sucked Out

Another band with very heavy psychedelic influences. Viva Voce takes a turn toward stoner rock on this one, and mixing it with their already epic psychedelic sound was a brilliant decision. The opener Believer, and the mid-album track We Do Not Fuck Around, are two of the best songs from this year.

1. Clint Mansell, performed by The Kronos Quartet and Mogwai – The Fountain (OST)

I loved the film, and a lot of the strength from the film came from the fantastic score composed by Mansell. This is some of the most beautiful music you’ll ever hear, and it was so perfect to accompany the visuals and feeling of the film that it reaches heights that would be unattainable otherwise. I feel a bit like I’m copping out by picking this as my best album of 2006, but I feel that I would be doing a great disservice to Mansell and Co. if I did not do so. So here it is.

Honorable Mention: The Polyphonic Spree – Wait (EP)

I couldn’t bring myself to let a five track EP take a spot on my Top 10 from a full length album, so I’m putting this down here. Mainly a strong release for the two new tracks that will be on their forthcoming album this year, which are simply amazing and show off a new sound for the Spree which still sounds utterly familiar. The three covers, one of which I heard before, are strong tracks… but they’re covers, and they don’t fully make the songs theirs entirely. They’re fairly straight, even though they are being performed by the Spree, and I think they could have done a lot more with them.

The End.