100th Post Spectacular!
Holy crap, it's my 100th Live Journal Post... Actually I think I'm not really on LJ that much, so it's that much more of an acheivement I guess? Either way, it's perfect timing as I've just completed my top of 2006 list.
The Top:
My three favourite albums happen to be from three different countries, so I thought that it wouldn’t be fair to pick one favourite from them, and chose to pick each as my album from Canada, the U.S, and U.K, respectively. I only liked one Canadian album to put it on my list, so I’ve made two top Four U.S and U.K lists. I only bought two albums that come from outside Can/U.K/U.S, and neither of those were original studio albums, so “international” doesn’t deserve much mention.
This is a short list, maybe I was being too stringent, but I only found nine.
Please note, I've only mentioned albums I own-
American Album of the Year
4. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - Show your bones
*sigh, it took me a really long time to warm to this. It was just so different from their last one, it wasn’t as raw or as exciting; maybe I should have expected that, it is a sophomore album right? I hope I didn’t just put this on here because I felt guilty, I do like it now, really I do!
3. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House;
Wow, this has to be the most interesting album of the year just because it’s so different from anything else I’ve heard lately. If you like King Crimson, or early Genesis, and you’re at least familiar with Brian Wilson… Imagine them being all tragically melded into one- then make them gay, and from Brooklyn- and you have Grizzly Bear. At least that’s my interpretation of what they sound like, I may be wrong. I love these guys, and this is definitely the best Sunday album I can think of from 2006, it’s very relaxing and such and it’s number 7 on Pitchfork's list, and if you know pitchfork, you know this album is good.
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
I think if this wasn’t such a huge amount of music, I’d actually have listened to the whole of this album much sooner… it basically took this list for me to listen to it fully, but that’s what’s great about these lists, you get to take a big look at everything from the past year and take it all in again! So yeah, loved this album, I think the RHCP’s went back to their roots with most of these songs in their blunt, thrusting “suck-my-kiss” style only they know how to do; I have to mention though that they did blend this with progressive sounds also, to quote my friend Aaron, “Great bands are great bands because they stay the same”(for the most part). This is a big serving of music and it ain’t for the faint of hearted.
1.Beck - The Information
I love it, it’s innovative yet retro in some parts and Beck all the way. Ya gotta dig the $5 music videos too, he’s included a video for every track on a bonus disk, they’re lame but they’re worth watching at least once for kicks. This album also features a ‘make your own’ cover and booklet, as it’s virtually all white and comes with a large set of stickers for you to put on all over the place. Why didn’t we think of that? This is a great layered set, great for headphone listening to catch every little quirk.
British Album of the Year
4. Whitey - The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train
This guy toured with Beck during his American tour, and has been noted to sound quite a bit like him too, though quite a bit stripped down. This is a pleasant and laid back listen for the most part and well worth the check out.
3. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
This album had my favourite artwork of 2006, I thought that the “knights of cydonia” cover was pretty damn cool, and it’s political message was neat-o, check it out if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
I think Muse is just getting better and better. Say what you want about them, I know they’re not so popular here as they are at home, but they’re getting more commercial without selling out I think, and isn’t that every bands dream (Besides U2)? No song is really the same on here, which is new for Muse…I love them to death, but that’s always been their main criticism in the past, that most of the album has repeats and the like… Either way, this is a pretty exciting album, full of fun, esp. the last track, with it’s pseudo-spaghetti western guitar riff. I love it.
2. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I am, that’s what I’m not
This band broke the time record The Beatles set for selling out in stores back in England. I don’t know what that time was, but it’s impressive I’m sure. That’s not why I like them. The Arctic Monkeys are a fun bunch of blokes and I can’t help but start to dance and/or laugh whenever I hear their jovial lyrics and bouncy rhythms… Extra points for being the cheekiest release of the year.
1.Thom Yorke -The Erasure
Sonja asked me “did you put that on your list because it’s a good album, or because it’s Thom Yorke?”. Okay, I have to admit I love the guy, but that’s not the reason I put this thing right here. This is a genuinely interesting piece of work right here and it was entirely made on his laptop as a side project for fun, you can kinda tell seeing as how basic everything is in here, but I love it all the same. It’s no Radiohead, and I don’t think it’ll make anyone else’s number one spot, but it’s mine and I adore it.
Canadian Album of the Year
1.k-os - Atlantis (Hymns for Disco)
Solid, solid, solid. Up to par with his last two releases, what can I say, k-os is the man. This man can put together poetry like it’s nothing, and all without cussing.
Notable Mentions:
EP of the Year
The d’Urbervilles -“The D’Urbervilles”
- This is a great band from Guelph which I first heard when they played live during o-week of 2005. If you are pro-indie rock, especially in a retro flavour, you’d most likely love these guys.
Compilation of the Year
Massive Attack - Collected (special edition)
- Massive Attack is just plain and simple an awesome electronic group. This spans their career with all their hit singles on the first disk, and six new releases along with a handful of non-album releases on the second; on the flip side of the second disk are all of their videos. The artwork on this is pretty classy, as is the music.
Remix Album of the Year
The Beatles - Love
I really thought this was gonna be silly... but really it's just plain awesome, listen to this please!
Let Downs of the Year
The Flaming Lips - at War with the Mystics
Has anyone else heard this? I can’t listen to this! Either this is just too experimental for me to understand, or I’m crazy… I loved Yoshimi and I loved the Soft Bulletin, so what happened here? Maybe they went back to their erratic roots, but I really expected more.
DJ Shadow - The Outsider
Ok, he said “There're songs on this album that I think blow away almost anything else I've ever done. I think song for song it's the best album I've ever made”. I can’t agree with him, especially not when he brought in bay area rap which included lyrics such as “we need freaks”. To his defence, he also said he wanted to make music that was different and close to him rather than just the same sampled sounds from previous… Either way I was shocked when I heard this and I can’t really listen to it.
Others that I got from 2006- no disrespect
(UK)Kasabian - Empire
(UK)The Streets- The hardest way to make an easy living
(US)The Killers - Sam’s Town
(CA)Sam Roberts - Chemical City
(US)She wants revenge - She wants revenge
(CA)The Dears - Gang of Losers
(UK)Keane - Under the Iron Sea
(CA)MSTRKRFT - The Looks
(US)The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
(US)The Dresden Dolls - Yes Virginia…
(US)The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
(CA)Leonard Cohen - I’m your Man (motion picture soundtrack)
(CA)Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Knives don’t have Your Back
(DE)Rammstein - Völkerball
(CA)Ill Scarlett - Epdemic (ep)
(FR)Daft Punk - Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005 (Special Edition)
(CA)2006 Polaris Music Prize Album of the Year Nominees (for 2005)
(US)Easy star all*stars - Radiodread (tribute to ok computer)
The Top:
My three favourite albums happen to be from three different countries, so I thought that it wouldn’t be fair to pick one favourite from them, and chose to pick each as my album from Canada, the U.S, and U.K, respectively. I only liked one Canadian album to put it on my list, so I’ve made two top Four U.S and U.K lists. I only bought two albums that come from outside Can/U.K/U.S, and neither of those were original studio albums, so “international” doesn’t deserve much mention.
This is a short list, maybe I was being too stringent, but I only found nine.
Please note, I've only mentioned albums I own-
American Album of the Year
4. Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs - Show your bones
*sigh, it took me a really long time to warm to this. It was just so different from their last one, it wasn’t as raw or as exciting; maybe I should have expected that, it is a sophomore album right? I hope I didn’t just put this on here because I felt guilty, I do like it now, really I do!
3. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House;
Wow, this has to be the most interesting album of the year just because it’s so different from anything else I’ve heard lately. If you like King Crimson, or early Genesis, and you’re at least familiar with Brian Wilson… Imagine them being all tragically melded into one- then make them gay, and from Brooklyn- and you have Grizzly Bear. At least that’s my interpretation of what they sound like, I may be wrong. I love these guys, and this is definitely the best Sunday album I can think of from 2006, it’s very relaxing and such and it’s number 7 on Pitchfork's list, and if you know pitchfork, you know this album is good.
2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
I think if this wasn’t such a huge amount of music, I’d actually have listened to the whole of this album much sooner… it basically took this list for me to listen to it fully, but that’s what’s great about these lists, you get to take a big look at everything from the past year and take it all in again! So yeah, loved this album, I think the RHCP’s went back to their roots with most of these songs in their blunt, thrusting “suck-my-kiss” style only they know how to do; I have to mention though that they did blend this with progressive sounds also, to quote my friend Aaron, “Great bands are great bands because they stay the same”(for the most part). This is a big serving of music and it ain’t for the faint of hearted.
1.Beck - The Information
I love it, it’s innovative yet retro in some parts and Beck all the way. Ya gotta dig the $5 music videos too, he’s included a video for every track on a bonus disk, they’re lame but they’re worth watching at least once for kicks. This album also features a ‘make your own’ cover and booklet, as it’s virtually all white and comes with a large set of stickers for you to put on all over the place. Why didn’t we think of that? This is a great layered set, great for headphone listening to catch every little quirk.
British Album of the Year
4. Whitey - The Light at the End of the Tunnel is a Train
This guy toured with Beck during his American tour, and has been noted to sound quite a bit like him too, though quite a bit stripped down. This is a pleasant and laid back listen for the most part and well worth the check out.
3. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
This album had my favourite artwork of 2006, I thought that the “knights of cydonia” cover was pretty damn cool, and it’s political message was neat-o, check it out if you don’t know what I’m talking about.
I think Muse is just getting better and better. Say what you want about them, I know they’re not so popular here as they are at home, but they’re getting more commercial without selling out I think, and isn’t that every bands dream (Besides U2)? No song is really the same on here, which is new for Muse…I love them to death, but that’s always been their main criticism in the past, that most of the album has repeats and the like… Either way, this is a pretty exciting album, full of fun, esp. the last track, with it’s pseudo-spaghetti western guitar riff. I love it.
2. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I am, that’s what I’m not
This band broke the time record The Beatles set for selling out in stores back in England. I don’t know what that time was, but it’s impressive I’m sure. That’s not why I like them. The Arctic Monkeys are a fun bunch of blokes and I can’t help but start to dance and/or laugh whenever I hear their jovial lyrics and bouncy rhythms… Extra points for being the cheekiest release of the year.
1.Thom Yorke -The Erasure
Sonja asked me “did you put that on your list because it’s a good album, or because it’s Thom Yorke?”. Okay, I have to admit I love the guy, but that’s not the reason I put this thing right here. This is a genuinely interesting piece of work right here and it was entirely made on his laptop as a side project for fun, you can kinda tell seeing as how basic everything is in here, but I love it all the same. It’s no Radiohead, and I don’t think it’ll make anyone else’s number one spot, but it’s mine and I adore it.
Canadian Album of the Year
1.k-os - Atlantis (Hymns for Disco)
Solid, solid, solid. Up to par with his last two releases, what can I say, k-os is the man. This man can put together poetry like it’s nothing, and all without cussing.
Notable Mentions:
EP of the Year
The d’Urbervilles -“The D’Urbervilles”
- This is a great band from Guelph which I first heard when they played live during o-week of 2005. If you are pro-indie rock, especially in a retro flavour, you’d most likely love these guys.
Compilation of the Year
Massive Attack - Collected (special edition)
- Massive Attack is just plain and simple an awesome electronic group. This spans their career with all their hit singles on the first disk, and six new releases along with a handful of non-album releases on the second; on the flip side of the second disk are all of their videos. The artwork on this is pretty classy, as is the music.
Remix Album of the Year
The Beatles - Love
I really thought this was gonna be silly... but really it's just plain awesome, listen to this please!
Let Downs of the Year
The Flaming Lips - at War with the Mystics
Has anyone else heard this? I can’t listen to this! Either this is just too experimental for me to understand, or I’m crazy… I loved Yoshimi and I loved the Soft Bulletin, so what happened here? Maybe they went back to their erratic roots, but I really expected more.
DJ Shadow - The Outsider
Ok, he said “There're songs on this album that I think blow away almost anything else I've ever done. I think song for song it's the best album I've ever made”. I can’t agree with him, especially not when he brought in bay area rap which included lyrics such as “we need freaks”. To his defence, he also said he wanted to make music that was different and close to him rather than just the same sampled sounds from previous… Either way I was shocked when I heard this and I can’t really listen to it.
Others that I got from 2006- no disrespect
(UK)Kasabian - Empire
(UK)The Streets- The hardest way to make an easy living
(US)The Killers - Sam’s Town
(CA)Sam Roberts - Chemical City
(US)She wants revenge - She wants revenge
(CA)The Dears - Gang of Losers
(UK)Keane - Under the Iron Sea
(CA)MSTRKRFT - The Looks
(US)The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
(US)The Dresden Dolls - Yes Virginia…
(US)The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
(CA)Leonard Cohen - I’m your Man (motion picture soundtrack)
(CA)Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Knives don’t have Your Back
(DE)Rammstein - Völkerball
(CA)Ill Scarlett - Epdemic (ep)
(FR)Daft Punk - Musique Vol. 1 1993-2005 (Special Edition)
(CA)2006 Polaris Music Prize Album of the Year Nominees (for 2005)
(US)Easy star all*stars - Radiodread (tribute to ok computer)