The Best of 2006
Here's the music I've been driving my fiance nuts with by playing in the car constantly over and over again for the past year. If you want to list your favorite new albums and why you think your taste in music is superior to mine (even though it isn't), feel free to contribute here.
A brief intro: My taste in music continues to evolve in the direction of hip hop, something that I would have considered unfathomable just three or four years ago. If I were to construct a timeline between my high school years to present, it would go as follows: Smashing Pumpkins and nothing else > depressing, heavily layered 90's alt rock (with a sprinkling of Led Zepplin and classic rock) > discovering "trip hop" such as DJ Shadow and Portishead > learning there's much more to jazz than Kenny G, thanks in part to a jazz musician roommate and that Cowboy Bebop cartoon that kids seem to like > underground hip hop.
The trip hop and jazz periods are probably the turning point for me, where I began to explore outside my cradle of hard rock into a much more complex and diverse world that I had never noticed before. "Underground hip hop" can mean a lot of things, but for me, it's the artists who themselves are heavily influenced by jazz and who use unconventional samples and melodies that impress me the most. As cheesy as it sounds, it took a big black guy wearing a gladiator mask rapping about comic books for me to realize just how amazing the world of rap music can be. I still don't give two shits about 50 Cent or Ludacris, but time has a way of changing things. Right now I'm basking in the diversity and originality that lies just beneath the surface of hip hop.
Wow, that was a lot longer than I meant it to be. Ok, here's my list, more or less in order of "MOST AWESOME YOU NEED TO OWN THIS RIGHT NOW" to "NOT AS AWESOME BUT CHRIS IS SO AMAZING HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT SO I SHOULD GET THIS ANYWAYS." I also link to their Myspace pages when possible, because Myspace is soooooo cool lol ^_^v
Enjoy!
J Dilla - Donuts
This is essentially an instrumental hip hop mix CD, but arguably one of the greatest ever composed. Dilla has made a genre-defying masterpiece that will oftentimes leave you wondering, "How the hell did he do that?!" Songs are created out of jumbled assortments of motown, jazz, classical elements. If you watch Adult Swim on any regular basis, you've probably heard portions of this album, as it seems to be a favorite for those bumper segments. Simply amazing.
Count Bass D - Act Your Waist Size
The first time I heard this, I said something like, "This is... different." This isn't going to be something you'll fall in love with the first time you hear it, but after a few listens, you start to fully appreciate just how different this album sounds compared to just about anything. When was the last time you heard a rap album that featured the artist singing a 19th century standard? Well, Count Bass D has two of them on this album. The album also features more of his trademark instrumentals and his habit of making songs under two minutes long... just short enough to leave you thirsting for more. There's no mistaking it: Count Bass D is one of the most talented musicians you've never heard of.
The Advantage - 2006 Tour EP
Holy crap, not a hip hop release! No, this is instrumental indie rock mixed with the Nintendo NES. As the name implies, this CD was available only at the band's concerts (and on the Internet, if you know where to look), and even though it's only about 20 minutes long, it features perhaps some of the band's best work to date. I mean, these songs just completely ROCK from the start to finish.
Various Artists - Chrome Children
I've been a huge fan of Stones Throw Records ever since I discovered Madlib and Quasimoto about three years ago. They have perhaps some of the most diverse label lineups out there, from new wave to jazz and just abotu anything in between. Chrome Children is one of the label's two compilations they put out this year (the other, a 10-year anniversary album, is also highly recommended). But this one happens to be a "collaboration" of sorts with Adult Swim. It features mostly new material from most of the label's artists, sort of a cream of the crop, although there are a few weak tracks here and there. Once again, the strongest musician seems to be the late J Dilla, as his work as a producer pops up in song after song. This album will tide me over until the new Madvillain comes out next year.
Beck - The Information
This album kind of came out of nowhere. After all, Beck just put out the album Guero last year. Apparently, Beck is feeling the hip hop vibe too, and this is his bounciest album since Midnite Vultures. While I prefer my hip hop grounded more in soul and jazz, Beck's gone in a European electronic direction. Basically, it sounds like Beck wants to be on the next Dance Dance Revolution game, although he still keeps a taste of rock and blues in the beat. It's easy to get addicted to this album.
Honorable Mentions (because I'm getting sick of writing)
Rjd2 - The Magnificient City Instrumentals One of my favorite producers, this is the instrumental version of his collaboration with Aceyalone. A few songs don't work too well without vocals, but damned if there isn't some great stuff on this album.
Thom Yorke - The Eraser Thom Yorke of Radiohead is still sad and slightly disturbed. When I say this is "Kid A Lite," I mean it in the most flattering way possible. Kid A is my favorite Radiohead album, after all. This is a haunting, desolate album that seems to meld the angsty music of my youth with the solid beats of today.
Ino Hidefumi - Satisfaction Because you've always wanted to hear "Billie Jean" reinvented as a keyboard-driven jazz song by a Japanese musician.
A brief intro: My taste in music continues to evolve in the direction of hip hop, something that I would have considered unfathomable just three or four years ago. If I were to construct a timeline between my high school years to present, it would go as follows: Smashing Pumpkins and nothing else > depressing, heavily layered 90's alt rock (with a sprinkling of Led Zepplin and classic rock) > discovering "trip hop" such as DJ Shadow and Portishead > learning there's much more to jazz than Kenny G, thanks in part to a jazz musician roommate and that Cowboy Bebop cartoon that kids seem to like > underground hip hop.
The trip hop and jazz periods are probably the turning point for me, where I began to explore outside my cradle of hard rock into a much more complex and diverse world that I had never noticed before. "Underground hip hop" can mean a lot of things, but for me, it's the artists who themselves are heavily influenced by jazz and who use unconventional samples and melodies that impress me the most. As cheesy as it sounds, it took a big black guy wearing a gladiator mask rapping about comic books for me to realize just how amazing the world of rap music can be. I still don't give two shits about 50 Cent or Ludacris, but time has a way of changing things. Right now I'm basking in the diversity and originality that lies just beneath the surface of hip hop.
Wow, that was a lot longer than I meant it to be. Ok, here's my list, more or less in order of "MOST AWESOME YOU NEED TO OWN THIS RIGHT NOW" to "NOT AS AWESOME BUT CHRIS IS SO AMAZING HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT SO I SHOULD GET THIS ANYWAYS." I also link to their Myspace pages when possible, because Myspace is soooooo cool lol ^_^v
Enjoy!
J Dilla - Donuts
This is essentially an instrumental hip hop mix CD, but arguably one of the greatest ever composed. Dilla has made a genre-defying masterpiece that will oftentimes leave you wondering, "How the hell did he do that?!" Songs are created out of jumbled assortments of motown, jazz, classical elements. If you watch Adult Swim on any regular basis, you've probably heard portions of this album, as it seems to be a favorite for those bumper segments. Simply amazing.
Count Bass D - Act Your Waist Size
The first time I heard this, I said something like, "This is... different." This isn't going to be something you'll fall in love with the first time you hear it, but after a few listens, you start to fully appreciate just how different this album sounds compared to just about anything. When was the last time you heard a rap album that featured the artist singing a 19th century standard? Well, Count Bass D has two of them on this album. The album also features more of his trademark instrumentals and his habit of making songs under two minutes long... just short enough to leave you thirsting for more. There's no mistaking it: Count Bass D is one of the most talented musicians you've never heard of.
The Advantage - 2006 Tour EP
Holy crap, not a hip hop release! No, this is instrumental indie rock mixed with the Nintendo NES. As the name implies, this CD was available only at the band's concerts (and on the Internet, if you know where to look), and even though it's only about 20 minutes long, it features perhaps some of the band's best work to date. I mean, these songs just completely ROCK from the start to finish.
Various Artists - Chrome Children
I've been a huge fan of Stones Throw Records ever since I discovered Madlib and Quasimoto about three years ago. They have perhaps some of the most diverse label lineups out there, from new wave to jazz and just abotu anything in between. Chrome Children is one of the label's two compilations they put out this year (the other, a 10-year anniversary album, is also highly recommended). But this one happens to be a "collaboration" of sorts with Adult Swim. It features mostly new material from most of the label's artists, sort of a cream of the crop, although there are a few weak tracks here and there. Once again, the strongest musician seems to be the late J Dilla, as his work as a producer pops up in song after song. This album will tide me over until the new Madvillain comes out next year.
Beck - The Information
This album kind of came out of nowhere. After all, Beck just put out the album Guero last year. Apparently, Beck is feeling the hip hop vibe too, and this is his bounciest album since Midnite Vultures. While I prefer my hip hop grounded more in soul and jazz, Beck's gone in a European electronic direction. Basically, it sounds like Beck wants to be on the next Dance Dance Revolution game, although he still keeps a taste of rock and blues in the beat. It's easy to get addicted to this album.
Honorable Mentions (because I'm getting sick of writing)
Rjd2 - The Magnificient City Instrumentals One of my favorite producers, this is the instrumental version of his collaboration with Aceyalone. A few songs don't work too well without vocals, but damned if there isn't some great stuff on this album.
Thom Yorke - The Eraser Thom Yorke of Radiohead is still sad and slightly disturbed. When I say this is "Kid A Lite," I mean it in the most flattering way possible. Kid A is my favorite Radiohead album, after all. This is a haunting, desolate album that seems to meld the angsty music of my youth with the solid beats of today.
Ino Hidefumi - Satisfaction Because you've always wanted to hear "Billie Jean" reinvented as a keyboard-driven jazz song by a Japanese musician.