2006 - Albums of the Year

[Doug Gilmour]

I was reluctant to do this so soon (at risk of being a bit premature), but seeing that the release schedule for the rest of the year is rather weak, I've decided to start compiling my "top 50 albums of 2006" list. When I'm done, I'll have it posted to my blog, along with several mp3s for each entry. To prepare, I've been listening to an ungodly amount of music (10h+ for the past 4-5 days), going through my entire '06 catalogue.

Here are some of my picks, not yet ordered, and not yet complete with about 20 more to add.

Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of this Country
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
The Roots - Game Theory
Aceyalone and RJD2 - Magnificent City
Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
J. Dilla - Donuts
The Pipettes - We Are the Pipettes
CSS - Cansei de Ser Sexy
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
The Grates - Gravity Won't Get You High
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson In Crime EP
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP
Islands - Return to the Sea
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends
Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
The Radio Dept. - Pet Grief
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your ###
Asobi Seksu - Citrus
The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love
LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
The Knife - Silent Shout
Hot Chip - The Warning
kid606 - Pretty Girls Make Raves
Venetian Snares - Calvacade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms
VA - Marie Antoinette OST

Overall I think this has been a fairly good year in music. Lots of impressive releases, no one standout classic. A great return from Yo La Tengo and some promising new artists.

Thoughts? Which releases have been your favourites?

 

[Nader172]

It has been a good year for music, and so far 2007 is looking good too. Some older bands are coming back for reunions too. Cannot wait for what’s ahead.

Nate

 

[MellowTone41]

In no particular order:
Bob Dylan - Modern Times
Damien Rice - 9
Ray LaMontagne - Till the Sun Turns Black
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones - The Hidden Land
Gomez - How We Operate
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - All the Roadrunning
Neil Young - Living With War
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

Honorable Mentions (live albums, compilations, double albums, and various other types that I don't associate with normal full length releases of new material):
Ben Harper - Both Sides of the Gun
Ben Folds - Supersunnyspeedgraphic
My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
Jack Johnson & Friends - Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George

 

[mjmoonwalker]

I haven't really listened to many of the new albums this year. The only two I've started listening to are:
Prince - 3121
John Mayer - Continuum

 

[Kristiano]

Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Bob Dylan- Modern Times
Belle & Sebastian- The Life Pursuit
Dirty Pretty Things- Waterloo to Anywhere
Dixie Chicks- Taking The Long Way
Fergie- The Dutchess
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan- Ballad Of The Broken Seas
Jennifer O'Connor- Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars (favorite album of year)
Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins- Rabbit Fur Coat
Pearl Jam- Pearl Jam
Some Girls- Crushing Love
Sonic Youth- Rather Ripped
Stone Sour- Come What(ever) May
Thom Yorke- The Eraser
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- Show Your Bones

 

[Adam]

Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist
Placebo - Meds
Tool - 10,000 Days
The Butterfly Effect - Imago

In that order, for me.

+ many other notable mentions which were damn good, but not album of the year material.

 

[RatherPlayHalo]

I'm kind of disappointed this year. Thought there would be more. Here are the candidates:

Thursday - "A City By the Light Divided"
Deftones - "Saturday Night Wrist"
Tool - "10,000 Days"
Thom Yorke - "The Eraser"
Evanescence - "The Open Door"
Breaking Benjamin - "Phobia"
Pearl Jam - "Pearl Jam"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Stadium Arcadium"
Stone Sour - "Come What(ever) May"
Wolfmother - "Wolfmother"


10,000 Days is made up of many great songs, but they don't flow together as well as previous Tool albums. I had very high expectations for Thom Yorke and he met them. A City By the Light Divided is still growing on me. The Open Door is pretty bad overall. Every song sounds samey and uninspired. The same is true for Come What(ever) May. Phobia has too many extremes. Some songs are awesome, others are barely good. There's nothing too special on Pearl Jam. Wolfmother was really good, but not the best. Stadium Arcadium was awesome, but just a bit too much filler over the 2 discs. The Deftones CD however, totally blindsided me. I'm a huge Deftones fan, but even I wasn't expecting something of this caliber. "Saturday Night Wrist" wins.

 

[camille]

top 10 of '06

1 - Ys -- Joanna Newsom (no question about it. IMO one of the best of this decade)

2 - The Greatest -- Cat Power
3 - Moon Over The Freeway -- The Ditty Bops
4 - Rabbit Fur Coat -- Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
5 - Begin To Hope -- Regina Spektor
6 - ULTRA BLUE -- 宇多田ヒカル
7 - I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your ### -- Yo La Tengo
8 - Bitter Tea -- The Fiery Furnaces
9 - Taking The Long Way -- Dixie Chicks
10 - Thumbelina's One Night Stand -- Melissa McClelland

*Nellie McKay's album, "Pretty Little Head" would be one the list as well, if it weren't delayed week after week in Canada...

 

[mrdantownsend]

Razorlight - Razorlight
Milburn - Well Well Well
Belle & Sebastian - The Life and Pursuit
Beck - The Information
The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

 

[Emultion_Rawks]

Well, these would be my picks...

Milburn --- Well Well Well
The Arctic Monkeys --- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Babyshambles --- The Blinding EP (Still to come out, but is amazing...)
The Kooks --- Inside In/Inside Out (Lyrically pretty bad, but some nice tunes...)
The Blizzards --- A Public Display Of Affection

I was hoping The View would release their Album before the end of the year, but that's not going to happen... Oh well, quite a few more I could have mentioned!

 

[ctg115]

The 2 that stand out the most for me:

Boys and Girls in America- The Hold Steady
The Crane Wife- The Decemberists

There are a few others that were good, but overall I thought 06 was weaker than 05.

 

[papayaninja]

Belle And Sebastian for me, but honestly, Weird Al's new one is top notch...

 

[antiditz]

All in all, it wasn't the best year in music for me. Some of these are less awesome and ground-breaking than the others, but still made the best-of-2006.

• Mates of State - Bring It Back
• Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
• Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
• Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
• Dirty Pretty Things - Waterloo to Anywhere
• Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
• The French Kicks - Two Thousand
• +/- (PlusMinus) - Let’s Build a Fire
• The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
• Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Ballad of the Broken Seas
• Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - The Dust of Retreat

And, saving the best for last:

My Latest Novel - Wolves

 

[bdb]

Top 5, in no particular order
Juana Molina - Son
Sparklehorse - Dreamt For Lightyears in the Belly of a Mountain
Califone - Roots & Crowns
Margot & the Nuclear So and So's - The Dust of Retreat
My Latest Novel - Wolves

Honorable mentions
Guillemots - Through The Windowpane
Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
Rocky Votolato - Makers
Michael Talbott and The Wolfkings - Freeze-Die-Come To Life
The Weepies - Say I Am You (still a bit new to me)

 

[enjoilax]

Top Albums:
Klaxons - Xan Valleys (EP)
Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
Modill - Midnight Green
Oh No - Exodus into Unheard Rhythm
Peter, Bjorn and John - Writer's Block
The Futureheads - News & Tributes
Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson In Crime (EP)
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives (EP)
¡Forward, Russia! - Give Me A Wall
Basement Jaxx - Crazy Itch Radio
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards
CSS - Cansei De Ser Sexy
Ellen Allien & Apparat - Orchestra Of Bubbles
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Herbert - Scale
Islands - Return To The Sea
Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
Kashmere Stage Band - Texas Thunder Soul
Lily Allen - Alright, Still
People Under The Stairs - Stepfather
Murs & 9th Wonder - Murray's Revenge
Madlib - The Beat Konducta: Vol. 1-2: Movie Scenes
J Dilla - The Shining
J Dilla - Donuts
RJD2 - Magnificent City Instrumentals
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your ###
TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine
The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
The Knife - Silent Shout
Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Rhymefest - Blue Collar
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
Lupe Fiasco - Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor

 

[maddMorten]

I've been unlucky with music this year...I really only have two that stands out...of all those I bought this year...Justin - Futuresex... probably my favourite of this year. And on a close second John Mayer - Continuum.
I kinda like the "new" Beatles album too, but it isn't that remarkable.

And Stadium Arcadium is easily the biggest dissapointment this year.

 

[Jackonicko]

Compared to 2005 (Supergrass, Beck, Coldplay, 18th Day of May, Fried, Gorillaz, Jamiroquai, Lakeman, Oasis), I think 2006 has been disappointing. Lot's of good and patchily good albums (probably more than in 2005), but very few solid end-to-end great CDs, and nothing to compare with Road to Rouen (Supergrass), Guero (Beck) and Dynamite (Jamiroquai).

But top CDs this year?

Lily Allen: Alright Still (OK, classes as great)
The Answer: Rise
Arctic Monkeys: Whatever people say I am....
Chris Difford: South East Side Story (great but no-one will ever hear it!)
Dixie Chicks: Taking the Long Way
David Gilmour: On an Island
Gomez: How we Operate
The Like: Are you thinking....
Primal Scream: Riot City Blues
Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers
Razorlight: Razorlight
Rifles: No Love Lost
Sunshine Underground: Raise the Alarm
The Zutons: Tired of Hanging Around

 

[papayaninja]

The Zutons: Tired of Hanging Around

Sorry for being off-topic, but I wasn't really impressed with it, especially in comparison to "Who Killed..." because it seemed less interesting and diverse. I classified it as yet another bad sophomore effort, but maybe I'll have to listen again?

 

[Jackonicko]

Don't get me wrong. Not a classic, but in my top 20 from 2006.

And it did have some great tracks

Valerie, Why Won't You Give Me Your Love? and Hello Conscience were ring-a-ding.....

But only Lily Allen and Chris Difford come anywhere close to the consistency of 2005's top three picks, for me.

 

[Petary791]

I think it's gonna be Robert Randolph and the Family Band's Colorblind.