Best Music of 2006: Part II (The Top 25 Albums of the Year)

25. Sound Team "Movie Monster"
This is an album that will most likely require a few listens before it all finally comes together, but when it does, it's really quite an experience. They definitely have more of a swagger live (not to mention rock harder than this album would leave you to believe), but that's not really the point of this particular album-- it's all in the subtleties. While it will take another solid release for me to make an official announcement, Sound Team is well on their way to being the next big Austin-based indie rock sensation.


24. Murs & 9th Wonder Murray's Revenge
Unfortunately, this album will probably be overlooked by most, but this is yet another great collaboration between Murs and 9th Wonder. While certainly not as good as 2004's 3:16 The 9th Edition, Murs & 9th Wonder are still tight as ever. If this album suffers from anything, it's that it's too short, clocking in at just over a half hour. Even if you're not necessarily a hip-hop fan, this is an album well worth checking out.


23. J Dilla/Jay Dee Donuts
If nothing else, J Dilla certainly went out on a high note with his posthumous release Donuts solidifying his status as being one of the best DJ's/producers around. It's a shame though that he would only be so widely publicized after his untimely death earlier this year, because J Dilla was a true talent in every sense.


22. Herbert Scale
Scale emerges as being one of the most provocative listens in quite awhile, particularly in the electronic genre. From beginning to end Herbert presents something that is truly unique while staying true to his eclectic trademarks. Particular highlights are the well-orchestrated opener "Something Isn't Right" and "Moving Like a Train." It may not be the best pick for a dance party, but Scale is definitely the album to get for your chillout moments.


21. Pearl Jam Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is the perfect example of what a highly talented veteran band can accomplish once they're completely refreshed and motivated to complete a project. This is the most inspired sound Pearl Jam has produced in years and somehow, they avoid any kind of formula on this album. If nothing else, Pearl Jam is solid through and through and offers up some of the best rock moments of 2006.


20. M. Ward Post-War
While M. Ward has been making quality albums on his own for some time now, Post-War is surely his most assured album yet, which can be seen particularly on songs like "Chinese Translation," and the title track. Moreover, M. Ward also throws in anthemic tunes like "To Go Home" and the ridiculously addicting "Magic Trick" (which features My Morning Jacket's frontman Jim James). Whether quiet or loud, M. Ward's latest is good at the very least no matter what.


19. Wolfmother Wolfmother
Like the opening shriek on their eponymous album, Wolfmother came to America with a bang-- and just in case you didn't hear them the first couple times via the festival stops and the "Love Train" iPod ads, they've been hard at work touring since. Nothing on here is particularly original (but these days, what is?), but they perform with a bravado that hasn't been seen since five plus years ago-- at least not this convincingly. At the very least that you'll get a huge kick out of listening to this album, especially when it comes to tunes like "Dimension," "Woman," and "Apple Tree."


18. Belle & Sebastian The Life Pursuit
Belle & Sebastian has been making catchy albums like this for so long, it's difficult to remember when these guys weren't good. Effortlessly delivering songs such as "The Blues are Still Blue" and the Motown-tinged "Funny Little Frog," The Life Pursuit manages to be all over the place without ever coming off as being totally unfocused or overwhelming. Instead it plays into the band's strength of their musical dexterity. It's not their best album, but it's definitely one that should be in heavy rotation.


17. Ghostface Killah Fishscale
Easily one of the best hip-hop albums of the year, and at its best, shows exactly why Ghostface Killah should be considered one of the best artists around right now, if not the most consistent. The only thing that prevented me from putting this album any higher is the fact that there's a bit too much filler that bog down an otherwise outstanding hip-hop album. That being said, there are too many highlights to mention, as Ghostface definitely kicks the energy up a few notches when he really does put out like on "Shakey Dog" and "Be Easy." Highly recommended.


16. Red Hot Chili Peppers Stadium Arcadium
As much as I loved both Californication and to a lesser extent By The Way, I really missed the rowdy Red Hot Chili Peppers of old. Here, on their two-disc effort, they combine the best of both worlds, providing lots of funky rollicking tunes that would satisfy any older Chili Pepper fan, while also having a number of ballads that have become the standard for newer albums. Yes, it's a mess like nearly all double-albums, but there are way too many good tracks on this album for it to be ignored.


15. Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
If it isn't difficult enough to have as much hype going into your debut as Lupe did, imagine having to overcome various internet leaks of your works to boot. Frustrated, Fiasco then retooled the album, wanting to provide his audience with a fresh perspective that would also lessen the demand for bootlegs. What turned into an incredibly tedious waiting period for all fans quickly turned into one of the few albums in recent memory that was well worth the delayed waiting time. As his hit single "Kick, Push" (which is centered around the life of skateboarding) would indicate, Lupe is hardly your typical rapper, and that's a very good thing. Careful narratives and thought-provoking works are the name of the game here, and there's lots of inspiration to go with it.


14. Beth Orton Comfort of Strangers
Beth Orton's latest is surely the best album of her career. She's always displayed immense
talent, but not until this album had she showed such consistency. Centered around the summery single "Conceived." Orton's Comfort of Strangers is folky pop at it's absolute finest-- and for the die-hard Orton fan, be sure to opt for the special edition of this release which features a bonus disc full of worthwhile b-sides and demos.


13. The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America
The world's greatest party band is at it again, and this time they've got even beefier lyrics to back up the riff-heavy instrumentals. No longer occupied with only sharing seemingly off-the-cuff observations about killer parties or shady friends, Craig Finn's vocals this time around are fully developed stories that often fringe upon becoming metaphor, and this album is a lot more fun to boot. The breakthrough album of The Hold Steady's short career, I'm betting their next album will be even better.


12. Mylo Destroy Rock & Roll
Who knew so much could be done on an old Mac computer? Mylo's Destroy Rock & Roll is this year's LCD Soundsystem, an electronic album that not only changes the way we think of the genre, but also remains accessible enough to those that fall outside of the core audience. Shamelessly blending 80's pop with more typical electronic beats, Destroy Rock & Roll feels a bit like a trip down memory lane. By far, this is the best electronic album to come out this year.


11. Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere
And I thought that DangerDoom would be as good as it gets. While "Crazy" is the song that gets all the attention, it's songs like "Go Go Gadget Gospel," "Smiley Faces," "The Last Time" and Violent Femmes' cover "Gone Daddy Gone" that really make St. Elsewhere shine. If I had to wish for anything on this album, it would've been interesting to see what would 've happened if Cee-Lo offered a bit more in the rap department besides the abbreviated "Feng Shui," but that just gives me something to look forward to when their second album comes out.


10. The Rapture Pieces of People We Love
"People don't dance no more, they just stand there like this. They fold their arms and stare you down and drink and moan and diss." These are the words spoken at the end of the delightful "Woo! Alright Yeah... Uh Huh," and reflect the consistent wry bravado that's exhibited by The Rapture throughout the album. Unlike Echoes, Pieces of People We Love is much more refined dance rock, and that's a very good thing. Songs like "Don Gon Do It," "Get Myself Into It" and "The Devil" are all examples at how far the Rapture have come sonically. Easily one of the most fun albums to come out this year.


9. Phoenix It's Never Been Like That
From the dance floor to the rock hall, Phoenix has finally come to releasing not only their most fully realized album, but also the first album that plays to all their strengths. As always, their singles are superb ("Consolation Prizes" and "Long Distance Call"), but it's on songs like "One Time Too Many," "Lost and Found," and most notably, "Sometimes in the Fall" that Phoenix shows that they are in fact a band capable of doing a lot more than noteworthy singles. It's Never Been Like That is easily one of my personal favorites of the year.


8. The Flaming Lips At War With the Mystics
Nothing can really prepare a person for a new Flaming Lips album. As a matter of fact, the only thing anyone can count on is that it will almost certainly be strange in one way or another. Perhaps it's excess, but At War With the Mystics is a beautiful album that takes time to allow for the band to develop each of the songs to the point that they all flow effortlessly within each other. While not the ideal concept album that Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was, At War With the Mystics still offers a lot to love.


7. TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain
Much like their debut album, Return to Cookie Mountain is an acquired taste that takes a number of listens before you really begin to fully appreciate what these guys have done. While they probably just could've rehashed what they did last time around, they've seriously pushed the envelope and kicked their musical aspirations up another notch this time around, something that holds true even for their single "Wolf Like Me." Hauntingly beautiful, TV on the Radio proves to be among the best once again.


6. Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
Yo La Tengo's latest is such a sprawling masterpiece, that it's hard to know even where to begin. Both their eleven minute opening and closing tracks are outstanding, as are their addictive pop pieces like their Belle & Sebastian-esque "Mr. Tough," "Beanbag Chair," and the quieter "Sometimes I Don't Get You." Who knew Yo La Tengo could kick ass so effectively?


5. Spank Rock YoYoYoYoYoYo
From the moment I first heard "Backyard Betty," I knew this Baltimore-area duo was something special. Upping the ante from British acts such as the Streets and Dizzee Rascal, Spank Rock presents a hip-hop that is built around a mosh-posh production filled with video game effects and gritty beats to create a sound that is unmistakably original. To make it all the more effective, the witty humor of the rhymes, especially on "Sweet Talk," make the album even more fun to listen to. It's not all fun and games though, as "Bump" shows off the lyrical skills that Spank Rock provide.


4. My Chemical Romance The Black Parade
I'm still amazed to this day by the leap this band took from their previous effort. In addition, I'm still surprised by how good The Black Parade is from beginning to end-- whether it be quiet or loud, fast or slow, there is certainly no dead weight here. Songs like "Teenagers" and "Mama" shine as My Chemical Romance has really upped the ante this time around.


3. Muse Black Holes and Revelations
Muse has been one of those bands that has always had the pieces in place, but have never been able to click on all cylinders long enough to create the masterpiece they're capable of. Finally, on Black Holes and Revelations, they've done just that, and it just so happens to be good enough to easily be among the top albums of the year. The influence of 80's rock is a lot more heavy-handed on this album than it has been previously, but it helps in generating the darker tone that the album attains. Always having a flair for the dramatic, Muse now also has the musicality to back it up.


2. The Roots Game Theory
Game Theory is not only the darkest album the Roots have ever made, but it's also their most pertinent. Black Thoughts rhymes are as tight as ever, and Malik B. is finally back on a few tracks as well to provide even more hard-hitting lyrics. ?uestlove and the rest of the band are as tight as ever, collectively stirring the listener into a paranoid musical universe that hasn't been uncovered in quite some time (if ever). If you're one of the many that are tired of the trivialized cliché most hip-hop has become, do yourself the favor of at least buying this one album and immerse yourself in the smartest hip-hop act around.


1. Bob Dylan Modern Times
Accusations of plagiarism notwithstanding, Modern Times is yet another incredible achievement in Bob Dylan's epic career. Love him or hate him, there's no denying his ability as not only a songwriter, but a storyteller. Even with his raspier-than-ever voice there is still so much beauty to be had in his songs that you can easily forgive it and Dylan and his backing bands musicianship has certainly not lost a single step either over the course of time. It may not necessarily stand out as being the best album this year, but you'd be hard pressed to think of a good reason for it not to be.

Best Music of 2006: Part I

As usual, since it is coming up to the end of the year, I've finally come up with my top 25 albums of 2006, along with a few other lists for your enjoyment. If nothing else, it will give you Christmas gift ideas if you're the last minute-shopper type. Look for the top 25 list to pop up sometime tomorrow, but in the meantime there's plenty else to look over. Before getting to that though, here's a quick look at who made it to my top 25 last year (if you'd like to revisit the whole list please feel free to browse the archives):

25. Art Brut Bang Bang Rock & Roll
24. Erin McKeown We Will Become Like Birds
23. Atmosphere You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having
22. One Be Lo S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M
21. Of Montreal The Sunlandic Twins
20. Bright Eyes I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
19. Nic Armstrong & The Thieves The Greatest White Liar
18. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Howl
17. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals Cold Roses
16. Sleater-Kinney The Woods
15. Beck Guero
14. Common Be
13. Wolf Parade Apologies to Queen Mary
12. Dangerdoom The Mouse and the Mask
11. Stars Set Yourself on Fire
10. Gorillaz Demon Days
9. Andrew Bird The Mysterious Production of Eggs
8. The Go! Team Thunder, Lightning, Strike
7. Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene
6. Bloc Party Silent Alarm
5. Kanye West Late Registration
4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3. Sufjan Stevens Illinois
2. Spoon Gimme Fiction
1. My Morning Jacket Z

After reviewing last year's list, it's pretty easy to see that 2005 can (and should be) remembered as being one of the better years music-wise in quite some time. The class of 2006 unfortunately isn't as strong as last year, although there are certainly a fair share of very noteworthy albums. That being said, here are my categorical winners and losers of the year 2006:

Best Rock Album

Muse Black Holes and Revelations
Honorable Mentions: The Flaming Lips At War With The Mystics, The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America


Best Indie Album
Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
Honorable Mentions: TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain, The Rapture Pieces of the People We Love, Phoenix It's Never Been Like That


Best Mainstream Album
My Chemical Romance The Black Parade
Honorable Mentions: Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere, John Mayer Continuum


Best Hip-Hop Album
The Roots Game Theory
Honorable Mentions: Spank Rock YoYoYoYoYoYo, Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, Ghostface Killah Fishscale


Best Electronic Album
Mylo Destroy Rock & Roll
Honorable Mentions: Herbert Scale, Nightmares on Wax In a Space Outta Sound


Best Debut Album
Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
Honorable Mentions: Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Bailey Rae, Wolfmother Wolfmother, Kenn Starr Starr Status


Most Overrated Album
Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Honorable Mention: The Raconteurs Broken Boy Soldiers


Biggest Surprise
My Chemical Romance The Black Parade
Honorable Mention: Bob Dylan Modern Times


Biggest Disappointment
The Strokes First Impressions of Earth
Honorable Mention: The Streets The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living

There are two burning questions that I've had for the majority of this year that have still not been answered: First, what the hell were The Strokes thinking when they released First Impressions of Earth? Two, who managed to convince millions of people that the Arctic Monekys are any good? I suppose I can understand The Strokes move, you can only remake Is This It? so many times and they pulled a Radiohead and came out with the album that made every rock mag claiming these guys to be the savior of good music cry. For the record, I'm not comparing these guys to Radiohead,. Rather, they did what Radiohead did when they released Kid A after OK Computer (a move which served as a mindfuck to just about everyone, even those previously unfamiliar with Radiohead). The problem is that since The Strokes have far lesser talent (which isn't a slight to The Strokes, you could really take most of the music today and still not add up talent-wise) they were only able to come up with First Impressions of Earth. Still with me? Good. The Arctic Monkeys on the other hand seemed to be a case of the world (and by world, I mean England, which in turn effects the music snobs in America, which in turn effects... you get the idea) searching for a sign of life after watching The Libertine's frontman Pete Doherty singlehandedly destroy his band. Presumably finding the first set of blokes walking down the street, we were greeted with the Arctic Monkeys and forced to like them, whether we liked it or not. That's not to say that all hope is lost, as I've actually enjoyed a couple of their b-sides (the couple being "Chun Li's Spinning Bird Kick" and "Settle For a Draw"). Really though, any band that generates this much hype should be something more than what the listener is left with when listening to the Arctic Monkeys. Maybe that's why they named the title of their debut Whatever Everyone Says I Am, That's What I'm Not-- despite what everyone else said, they already knew they sucked.

Continuing with lowlights before I get to the highlights, I would like to say that the other band (or I suppose pseudo-supergroup in this case) that people need to get over is The Raconteurs. Yes, I love Jack White and nothing makes me happier than hearing him shred a guitar until your ears aren't sure if they should bleed or orgasm. Yes, I've even heard of and love Brendan Benson, a man that not only has a knack for, but actually seems comfortable with the idea of, writing good pop songs. Somehow amongst all that talent, including a couple of members from the Greenhornes to boot, Broken Boy Soldiers felt like an awkward demo tape that perhaps would've been better left an EP. Speaking of supergroups, Gnarls Barkley was originally going to make it to my overrated list, and judging by how many times these guys have already appeared on top 10 of 2006 charts, I probably wouldn't be far off in that assessment. After all, having one hit song (one hit song I should note that was played so many times by so many different bands that if it weren't for the fact that it's actually good would be frowned upon in a few years the same way the "Macarena" and "Who Let The Dogs Out?" are today) doesn't mean squat for an album. However, I look at Gnarls Barkley as being the way in which both of these guys (that being Napoleon Dy-- I mean, Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo) finally get their due. Danger Mouse has easily been one of the hottest producers around, and Cee-Lo has finally broken into the spotlight after making two really solid solo albums and previously spending time with the Goodie Mob.

Speaking of guys getting their due, I'm not sure how much longer it's going to take before The Roots get theirs-- but I hope it's soon. Outkast finally broke through bigtime when they released Stankonia, and many others have followed suit, but the Roots are still stuck in the shadows. Game Theory is not only one of the best albums to come out of 2006, but also next to Things Fall Apart is the best album of their career. It's about time more people take notice because these guys are making some serious music. Other artists/bands that are surprisingly being looked over this year are Mylo, M. Ward and Wolfmother, all of whom churned out exceptional albums this year and were initially very well received.

Getting off of my high horse, I will say that this has been one of the more interesting years in recent memory of music. While the big stories last year involved a lot of DIY indie-rock fairy tales come true and hip-hop artists proving their worth, this year involves a lot of veterans kicking ass once again-- whether it be The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Roots, Bob Dylan or Yo La Tengo. Even more interesting however, is that this is probably the first year where there was really no definitive #1 album-- I've honestly reshuffled my top 5 about five or six times before coming to a decision, and that's something I've never had to do before. All in all though, this has been a very good year for music, and I can't wait to see what 2007 has to offer. Once again, be sure to check back tomorrow for the full list of my top 25 albums of 2006.