Lesser model.
I'll save the year-end catch-up and the uhhh, 'LiveJournal catching-up' for another day. Ahem.
Three weeks or whatever it's been is probably the longest I've gone without doing something on this stupid page but I won't lie, it's taken me a few days to do this. It's kinda sad maybe... Though perhaps "long" is just the word I'm looking for. But I dunno, I do this anyway for my own thoughts and their lack of collectivity so hopefully, at least a few of you will pick up on some of this and throw your two cents in. Or buy an album. Or even just download it or trade or something... Whatever.
Enjoy. Oh, and Merry fekkin' Christmas!!!!!!
The 20 Best Albums of 2006
by yours truly. (galen.)
20. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
The existence of this album was released mere months before the album came out, in the midsts of Radiohead's latest activity -- a quick, majorly sold-out tour and little-to-no information on their highly-anticipated 7th album, now only more hyped up after their series of ear-shattering concerts playing their catalogue of stunning new material. So yes, Thom Yorke fronts probably the best biggest band in the world at the moment, it figured he might get around to releasing a solo album like this.
It's exactly what I expected but that's not entirely a bad thing. Working with Nigel Godrich (longtime Radiohead producer), it's nice to imagine Thom coming into the studio with what must've been some very beautiful songs, both on piano and guitar. However, Yorke being a bit of a maniacal cynicist, it's also not entirely difficult to imagine the process of him tweaking those synthesizers and electronic drumsets to shit, fragmenting the questionative beauty of his ballads into gadget-chirping cries for humanity. Well, it's maybe not quite that dramatic, but Yorke knows his depressive heavy shit and that's what this satisfyingly comes across as.
In any case, it'll do a fine job of holding us off until Radiohead's next album. Just... cheer up, Thommy. Honestly. Yes, we're all fucked and Earth is where demons go to die, but life ain't always so bad.
LISTEN: "Cymbal Rush"
19. Deaf In The Family - For Those About To Rock
These guys not only earned their spot on my silly list but also deserved it. A generalization for the music I listen to could certainly be "indie" but as far as that goes, these guys hardly make it. The idea doesn't sound promising -- hip-hop remixes of classic rock hits -- but that's exactly why these New York undergrounders step right in and do the job. They do the job just right. For a group of no-name producers and emcee's, the quality of what they pulled with this free download album (because they couldn't secure rights to the many samples used) is stunning.
Cleverly put-together, eclectically produced, and well-designed are just a few ways to describe For Those About To Rock. The album flows together like one big cool mix that would undoubtedely grab some serious cred from your friends at any jam you blasted this at. The direction and subsequent creative elements each of the "covers" takes is always a surprise, the rappers' cutting rhymes often expanding on the context of the original lyrics, be it political or simply non-sensible. Just check out any one of their takes on "Little Wing", "Southern Man" or "Andy Warhol".
DOWNLOAD: The whole album for free!!!
18. Beck - The Information
I said it once, I'll say it again; it seems like only yesterday that Guero (and subsequently Guerolito) came out yet here we are, a full album of new Beck. Interestingly enough, this one was produced by Nigel Godrich, who formerly produced Beck's Mutations and Sea Change albums -- two that stick out from the rest of Beck's ever-growing catalogue. The former was written, recorded and mixed in 14 days (one song per day, as it goes) while the latter was a depressive, primarily acoustic record following an ugly break-up or something.
The Information definitely stands out from previous albums. Somehow, there is a certain degree of minimalism to the production on the record, despite its complete and coherent play-through. While the album was still being made, Beck had mentioned it was his most "hip-hop" record to date, which is largely true. You'll find that under the spacey hip-pop the album most definitely acquires, the beats are consistent and Beck's style cheeky but matured. Songs like "Cellphone's Dead", "Soldier Jane" and "No Complaints" should affirm the fact that Beck fucking rocks your socks. At the very least, with The Information, he's impressed me once again.
LISTEN: "Cellphone's Dead" - "Soldier Jane"
17. Easy Star All-Stars - Radiodread
When I first heard the Easy Star All-Stars' reggae version of Dark Side Of The Moon (umm... cleverly titled Dub Side Of The Moon), I was blown away. Though it's not an amazing reinterpretation of Pink Floyd's classic album, there were some perfect-pitch moments, on tracks such as "Money" and "Speak To Me/Breathe". The most impressive factor of the album was to just what extent they recreated the sounds and unique factors of the original. However, despite the All-Stars' talent for this, the album eventually lost its appeal simply for the lack of ingenuity and change.
For their follow-up effort, the band intelligently decided to cover Radiohead's OK Computer, which is what we have here -- hence the equally... "clever" title. The All-Stars definitely picked up where they left off, in terms of their own style. Thankfully, the band decided to change things around a bit more, bringing in a wide array of guests to the tracks to add their own vocals and elements to the final outcome. One track failed in this process (unfortunately, the normally beautiful "Subterranean Homesick Alien") but others come right out on top, like "Let Down", "Karma Police", and "Electioneering".
If the band continues this streak of good taste and a good knowledge of what they're doing, we might very well be hearing from these reggae-masters of reinterpretation soon. Take it from me, considering I hold OK Computer as pretty much the best album of all time.
LISTEN: "Karma Police" - "Let Down"
16. Chad VanGaalen - Skelliconnection
Chad's debut last year, Infiniheart, was an album that showed a great knowledge and love for music. The truth with Chad had always been that with so much material sitting around from his bedroom home-recording, his albums end up being moreso compilations of his work with little in flow or collective coherence. The strange brilliance of Infiniheart triumphed over that and made way for an important new independent songwriter who has since brought his Skelliconnection to the table.
The album definitely doesn't fair as well as his debut and unfortunately, it's no huge leap from the overall first impression either. But Chad VanGaalen is indeed a great songwriter and has definitely upped the ante at least a little bit when it came to his newest effort. The production stands more polished and it's nice to hear Chad still has no fear in treading over various genres and styles that suit his fancy. Opener "Flower Gardens" might be a bit of a put-off but in all its Yeah Yeah Yeahs-b-side glory, it grows on you. There's also a satisfying rise in his use of electronics and synths, like the pretty "Red Hot Drops".
The dude's a French Immersion grade-school teacher from Alberta so ya gotta hand it to him in any case. I could wait a little bit longer for his next LP if he can bring himself to pull things together a bit in terms of the album. He's already won my heart.
LISTEN: "Dead Ends" - "Red Hot Drops"
15. Sandro Perri - Plays Polmo Polpo
A CD like this comes as no surprise. As a primarily electronic musician and producer, Sandro Perri is a man who knows sound. It shows in his brilliant work as Polmo Polpo. His album Like Hearts Swelling (which the live folk renditions of this disc steal from) is one of practically infinite beauty. Although Polmo Polpo often has a focus in beat, resulting in a sound reminiscent of house music played half speed and underwater, his attention to texture and melody is also significant.
Though the disc is more of an EP than anything else due to its brief nature, Sandro's vision cuts across magnificently. As an obvious fan of his work, it's nice to finally put more of a face to his usual grand sound. Plays Polmo Polpo brilliantly exposes Sandro's amazing music at a skeletal level, which works perfectly with his often falsetto, wavery voice. It comes as no surprise that Perri's lyricism is top notch as well. I haven't even heard the original but songs like the beautiful "Dreaming" have become new favourites.
LISTEN: "Dreaming" - "Sky Histoire"
14. Calexico - Garden Ruin
It's no lie to say that their last EP with Iron & Wine changed some things around for their newest work. Joey's singing was definitely more hushed and polished this time around, as was the production, which I also think worked. Garden Ruin also stands apart from past albums for its design, which I believe was intentional. Gone are the experimental, instrumental interludes that were once often sprinkled throughout their releases.
It's a bit of a disappointment, yes, but Garden Ruin holds up anyway with a sweeping array of country-tinged ballads, some rock, some pop, etc. Songs like "Cruel" and "All Systems Red" undeniably brought the band to new territory; one that's going to keep me excited for at least one more release from these "old-timers".
LISTEN: "Cruel"
13. Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
Oh, Sufjan. I should be angry with you for putting on such a disappointing live show back in September 2005, shortly after the release of your brilliant album Illinois. I should be sick of you with just the sheer amount of crap you've been doing, with collaborations, extensive touring and special performances, this Illinois-outtakes collection and your most recent 5-disc Christmas boxset.
But ya know what? I gotta hand it to you, man. You always manage to pull it off. Yes, there have been some disappointments along the way but you've kept your credibility and it would appear you simply are quite a creative and productive kinda guy. The random-collection aspect of The Avalanche doesn't help the obscurity of the tracks and their background stories but your narrative lyrics, buddy, continue to do the trick. Bright and fluttery, these pop-folk songs continue to impress.
P.S. Don't give me your "Soov-yan" shit anymore, k? It's fuckin' SUFF-JAN and that's that. Thank you.
LISTEN: "The Henney Buggy Band" - "The Mistress Witch From McClure"
12. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
Before Food & LIquor, all I knew was Lupe's wicked guest-spot on Kanye West's "Touch The Sky" and a good guest host job on a late-night episode of Much Vibe while I was out west. At the end of the feature, he played the video for his new lead single, "Kick Push", which has gone on to garner Grammy nominations amongst a lot of great press and growing popularity.
Food & Liquor is a great lively album that incorporates Kanye's love of orchestration as well as eclectic styles and influences of samples. Fiasco is a man with an ego that he acknowledges and tries to challenge through means of his own work. The result is a strong communication of his views and beliefs through his playful but cutting rhymes and in turn, a really cool album.
LISTEN: "Kick Push" - "Daydreamin'"
11. Bonobo - Days To Come
Bonobo is truly one of those kind of musicians that I really wish I could aspire to. Mainly a producer, Simon Green uses his skills in a variety of instruments to pound out new melodical triumphs, wrapped in the cool, dance-ready production style he brings to the table.
The easiest comparisons would probably have to be RJD2 or Caribou but Bonobo certainly has a niche of his own. The catchy beats that soar from his gorgeous music only emphasize the organic and accessible workings of each track, blurring the line between electronic and samples.
Songs off of his new album like "Ketto" or "Nightlite" present a catchy exterior but run deep in their melodies and style, creating a usual sort of down-tempo, chill-out pastiche, with the help of perfectly treated pianos, womens' voices from foreign lands, and so on. Bonobo has one-upped himself and I couldn't be happier.
LISTEN: "Recurring"
10. k-os - Atlantis (Hymns For Disco)
I still laugh when I think back to the days when k-os was saying he was leaving the music business, hence the title of his "last" LP at the time, Exit. Yet here we are, two albums later, and what do you know, k-os is in top-form. The last one, Joyful Rebellion, went on to sell almost double platinum. Meanwhile, in reality, Kheaven Brereton has been running around doing all sorts of collaborations and side projects, basking in his creative glory.
And he knows it. He does. This new album, has a certain element of class. Though he delves into the mash-up of indie rock (a scene he is very much a part of these days), the riffs stay polished and slick, sliding nicely into the pop grooves throughout the album. Tracks like "The Rain" ring of classic soul, with a beat snuck so perfectly under the pressing fuzz of a buzzy piano and distorted guitars. "Born To Run" might just be the song of the year in terms of its pure abrasive awesomeness, which precedes another contender named "Valhalla", featuring stellar collaboration with Sam Roberts, Kevin Drew, and drummer Justin Peroff.
Take it this way, this album will most definitely end up being more successful than Joyful Rebellion, which is largely because of "Sunday Morning", the newest's lead single, which ain't even one of the better tracks on the disc.
WATCH: "The Seekwill"
09. Tortoise - A Lazarus Taxon
I'll never forget that Saturday night in Ottawa a few years ago when I laid down by an old radio and listened to CBC Radio 3 for the first time. The broadcast eventually came to include a live show recording of Tortoise. It was so mesmerizing, I went and turned the lights off.
Ever since that fine evening, Tortoise has been one of those bands I've been kicking myself for not listening to more. Well, this past year was finally MY year of Tortoise -- TNT (their near-flawless 1995 LP) might be the best buy I ended up making all year.
Though A Lazarus Taxon is in fact a compilation box set, it's fantastic packaging and solid design are key in making this a very special and unique release. The 3 CD + DVD covers a variety of rarities, remixes and b-sides that bring this tremendously groundbreaking and infinitely cool band to light. It shows them at their most creatively vibrant, with a wide variety of outcomes, all of which left me (at the very least) satisfied.
And, uh, speaking of which, Sean; can I have that back now?
LISTEN: "The Source Of Uncertainty"
08. Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
Another "late start", Vetiver is a band that I had heard of a long time ago but stupidly just never bothered to try and get into it. That's odd too considering I'm a fan of Devendra (yes, another one his connections). But yeah, I wasn't interested in some more weird freak-folk so I just didn't bother. How wrong was I.
A better way to describe Vetiver would be a pop band. I don't know why I'm feeling the need to categorize these guys, cos there isn't really, but essentially, they follow a very alluring and precise framework to their stuff. It is folk, it is indie, but over top of that, they've got amazing instrumentation, sweet melodic quirks all over and a radio-friendly vocalist who knows how to fill their songs up with summer love and that kinda crap.
But yeah, good crap. Very, very good crap. I can see myself being very into this band for quite some time.
LISTEN: "Been So Long" - "You May Be Blue"
07. Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light
As funny as it is, I kinda wish the members of this band didn't all try so hard to put on their image as pot-smoking hippies made of sweetgrass and love. Because, if I had been introduced to them without knowing their names or song titles or that there was going to be a pair of trippy glasses that came with their album, I probably could've just figured it out on my own.
Many people continue to lump them in with the folk scene they are connected to with Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, etc., but it doesn't really do them justice. This year's self-titled work is like a trip into a big forested valley. At night, maybe. The album flows together as well as their mellow sounds seemed to just materialize, note by note. To put it bluntly, it's beautiful, and it has a certain element of soul to the whole thing as well.
LISTEN: "Everybody Daylight" - "All We Have Broken Shines"
06. Glissandro 70 - Glissandro 70
This past year has been the year of Polmo Polpo for me. Polmo Polpo, or rather Sandro Perri, has had so many little projects in and around his native town of Toronto, it's hard to keep up. Most recently, he teamed up with another musician from the T-dot named Craig Dunsmiar, and together they formed Glissandro 70.
Rumors have it that the one show they played together (which Sean, Bruan and myself had the pleasure of seeing) could very well be a one-time deal. To be honest, I find that hard to believe and I'm close to categorizing such a notion complete bullshit. In any case, lets hope not because the two guys developed something beautiful with this. Strong roots in an African sentiment to the vibe of the music, their debut self-titled work was all too brief but displayed five very different ideas, all with an organic, intelligable sound.
It's the little underappeciated projects like this that too often sink into idle existence. Things like this are built on a relatively fragile context and should be encouraged to grow further. Wider. Meatier.
Mmm. Just like that.
LISTEN: "Bolan Muppets"
05. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Right around Halloween, this CD played to me so perfectly. Its haunted sounds chill me right down to the bone in the right context. It's funny, its dusty mysterious nature serves as a nice atmosphere for this time of year (whatever this is, I'm hesitant to call it winter), but I'm sure another half year from now, it'll still play just as marvelously as it did the first time. After all, it's essentially a folk record and this one has the makings of a classic.
Coooolllooorrrraaadoooooooooo...
LISTEN: "Knife" - "Easier"
04. The Roots - Game Theory
Haha, I love this band. Seriously though, me and buddies at work blast their shit so loud sometimes, I'm surprised the studio hasn't crumbled. It's fun. And my sisters-in-arms B and M can represent when I say that show (back in the golden days) near blew my head off. This was The Root's big debut release on Def Jam (they signed this year) that marked a career spanning over a decade and many albums along the way.
Their last LP, The Tipping Point, was pretty much just that; a very "mainstream" feel to the whole thing held it in grandeur for a bit but soon tapered off as time went. It got stale. Naturally, everyone was nervous about the new album but I don't think anyone was expecting anything this fresh. I mean sharp.
Game Theory steps up their production's focus, admist a very socio-political theme running fluently throughout the album. The often grim but wise nature of the content brings Black Thought's growl to a perfect light, and they've opted for some very interesting, eclectic samples too. Basically, it smashed my worries away and produced a somewhat ground-breaking piece of hip-hop.
LISTEN: "In The Music" - "Game Theory"
03. The Most Serene Republic - Phages [EP]
This is a band of kids from small-town Ontario that probably pretty much had their sweet little prayers answered back in early 2005 when they got signed to Arts & Crafts. Later the same year, they re-release their debut album on that bigger, pretty cool Canadian record label. All of a sudden, they were recognized by quite a significant (and rising) fanbase across the country. This first effort, entitled Underwater Cinematographer, was an ambitious, sometimes noisy pop effort that was a vastly under-funded release which turned up with little press or buzz. Anyway, this year's "Phages" marked a wicked development in the technicality, noise-pop-coolness, and production of this relatively young and promising band.
It just didn't help the band's current, rather-dead status that it was a tour-only EP. Hopefully the next LP will bring these guys to......... "new heights" or something. Or rather. This is done.
LISTEN: "You're Not An Astronaut" - "Anhoi Polloi"
02. M. Ward - Post-War
Whoa, this album was a late start. ...Is that retarded that I consider this an album a 'late start'? Does that make any sense? 'Cause all I'm really trying to say is "if love... if love is... a poison cup, then drink it up." <--------[lyric from first track]
Hm. Well, I fell in love with this album so I guess I drank this poison cup Matt Ward (aka M. Ward) spoke of. Well, it obviously didn't kill me or anything but yeah, I finally heard this album less than a month ago, which is just enough time to say that this a very, very, very good record. A variety of styles and influences break out in beautiful forms upon this primarily-folk venture. And he seems like a cool guy.
The best way to describe this album would be saying that (to me, anyway) it's the 2006 equivalent of the Arcade Fire's Funeral. Yes.
LISTEN: "Chinese Translation" - "Poison Cup"
01. Califone - Roots & Crowns
I'm ashamed to admit this, but Pitchfork said it best;
"Califone have always been stupidly underappreciated, and the further we stumble into the 21st century, the more this music starts to feel both familiar and necessary: Roots and Crowns is bluesy and soulful without reverting to revivalist schtick, and experimental without relying on blind cut-and-pasting. It is old and new, dirty and clean, alienating and accessible, sweet and ugly, organic and industrial, doting and vicious. It is one of the most quintessentially American records imaginable."
Um, yeah.
LISTEN: "Spider's House" - "The Orchids" - "Black Metal Valentine"
SHORTLISTED:
Islands - 'Return To The Sea'
The Hylozoists - 'La Fin Du Monde'
Cat Power - 'The Greatest'
Fink - 'Biscuits For Breakfast'
Animal Collective - 'People' [EP]
Yo La Tengo - 'I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass'
Ghostface Killah - 'Fishscale'
LIVE SHOWS OF THE YEAR:
01. Broken Social Scene, January 21st @ The Kool Haus
02. Feist, June 23rd @ Olympic Island
03. The Constantines, December 2nd @ Lee's Palace
04. Glissandro 70, March 31st @ The Tranzac
05. Bell Orchestre, September 16 @ The Harbourfront
06. Andrew Whiteman (Apostle Of Hustle), February 2nd @ The Social
07. Jason Collett & Paso Mino, December 2nd @ Lee's Palace
**I should add this year was an extremely terrible year in terms of live shows. Due to my lack of a fake ID, I missed out on José González, Califone, The Books, Caribou, Calexico and many others. Good god. Just thinking about it...
Three weeks or whatever it's been is probably the longest I've gone without doing something on this stupid page but I won't lie, it's taken me a few days to do this. It's kinda sad maybe... Though perhaps "long" is just the word I'm looking for. But I dunno, I do this anyway for my own thoughts and their lack of collectivity so hopefully, at least a few of you will pick up on some of this and throw your two cents in. Or buy an album. Or even just download it or trade or something... Whatever.
Enjoy. Oh, and Merry fekkin' Christmas!!!!!!
The 20 Best Albums of 2006
by yours truly. (galen.)
20. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
The existence of this album was released mere months before the album came out, in the midsts of Radiohead's latest activity -- a quick, majorly sold-out tour and little-to-no information on their highly-anticipated 7th album, now only more hyped up after their series of ear-shattering concerts playing their catalogue of stunning new material. So yes, Thom Yorke fronts probably the best biggest band in the world at the moment, it figured he might get around to releasing a solo album like this.
It's exactly what I expected but that's not entirely a bad thing. Working with Nigel Godrich (longtime Radiohead producer), it's nice to imagine Thom coming into the studio with what must've been some very beautiful songs, both on piano and guitar. However, Yorke being a bit of a maniacal cynicist, it's also not entirely difficult to imagine the process of him tweaking those synthesizers and electronic drumsets to shit, fragmenting the questionative beauty of his ballads into gadget-chirping cries for humanity. Well, it's maybe not quite that dramatic, but Yorke knows his depressive heavy shit and that's what this satisfyingly comes across as.
In any case, it'll do a fine job of holding us off until Radiohead's next album. Just... cheer up, Thommy. Honestly. Yes, we're all fucked and Earth is where demons go to die, but life ain't always so bad.
LISTEN: "Cymbal Rush"
19. Deaf In The Family - For Those About To Rock
These guys not only earned their spot on my silly list but also deserved it. A generalization for the music I listen to could certainly be "indie" but as far as that goes, these guys hardly make it. The idea doesn't sound promising -- hip-hop remixes of classic rock hits -- but that's exactly why these New York undergrounders step right in and do the job. They do the job just right. For a group of no-name producers and emcee's, the quality of what they pulled with this free download album (because they couldn't secure rights to the many samples used) is stunning.
Cleverly put-together, eclectically produced, and well-designed are just a few ways to describe For Those About To Rock. The album flows together like one big cool mix that would undoubtedely grab some serious cred from your friends at any jam you blasted this at. The direction and subsequent creative elements each of the "covers" takes is always a surprise, the rappers' cutting rhymes often expanding on the context of the original lyrics, be it political or simply non-sensible. Just check out any one of their takes on "Little Wing", "Southern Man" or "Andy Warhol".
DOWNLOAD: The whole album for free!!!
18. Beck - The Information
I said it once, I'll say it again; it seems like only yesterday that Guero (and subsequently Guerolito) came out yet here we are, a full album of new Beck. Interestingly enough, this one was produced by Nigel Godrich, who formerly produced Beck's Mutations and Sea Change albums -- two that stick out from the rest of Beck's ever-growing catalogue. The former was written, recorded and mixed in 14 days (one song per day, as it goes) while the latter was a depressive, primarily acoustic record following an ugly break-up or something.
The Information definitely stands out from previous albums. Somehow, there is a certain degree of minimalism to the production on the record, despite its complete and coherent play-through. While the album was still being made, Beck had mentioned it was his most "hip-hop" record to date, which is largely true. You'll find that under the spacey hip-pop the album most definitely acquires, the beats are consistent and Beck's style cheeky but matured. Songs like "Cellphone's Dead", "Soldier Jane" and "No Complaints" should affirm the fact that Beck fucking rocks your socks. At the very least, with The Information, he's impressed me once again.
LISTEN: "Cellphone's Dead" - "Soldier Jane"
17. Easy Star All-Stars - Radiodread
When I first heard the Easy Star All-Stars' reggae version of Dark Side Of The Moon (umm... cleverly titled Dub Side Of The Moon), I was blown away. Though it's not an amazing reinterpretation of Pink Floyd's classic album, there were some perfect-pitch moments, on tracks such as "Money" and "Speak To Me/Breathe". The most impressive factor of the album was to just what extent they recreated the sounds and unique factors of the original. However, despite the All-Stars' talent for this, the album eventually lost its appeal simply for the lack of ingenuity and change.
For their follow-up effort, the band intelligently decided to cover Radiohead's OK Computer, which is what we have here -- hence the equally... "clever" title. The All-Stars definitely picked up where they left off, in terms of their own style. Thankfully, the band decided to change things around a bit more, bringing in a wide array of guests to the tracks to add their own vocals and elements to the final outcome. One track failed in this process (unfortunately, the normally beautiful "Subterranean Homesick Alien") but others come right out on top, like "Let Down", "Karma Police", and "Electioneering".
If the band continues this streak of good taste and a good knowledge of what they're doing, we might very well be hearing from these reggae-masters of reinterpretation soon. Take it from me, considering I hold OK Computer as pretty much the best album of all time.
LISTEN: "Karma Police" - "Let Down"
16. Chad VanGaalen - Skelliconnection
Chad's debut last year, Infiniheart, was an album that showed a great knowledge and love for music. The truth with Chad had always been that with so much material sitting around from his bedroom home-recording, his albums end up being moreso compilations of his work with little in flow or collective coherence. The strange brilliance of Infiniheart triumphed over that and made way for an important new independent songwriter who has since brought his Skelliconnection to the table.
The album definitely doesn't fair as well as his debut and unfortunately, it's no huge leap from the overall first impression either. But Chad VanGaalen is indeed a great songwriter and has definitely upped the ante at least a little bit when it came to his newest effort. The production stands more polished and it's nice to hear Chad still has no fear in treading over various genres and styles that suit his fancy. Opener "Flower Gardens" might be a bit of a put-off but in all its Yeah Yeah Yeahs-b-side glory, it grows on you. There's also a satisfying rise in his use of electronics and synths, like the pretty "Red Hot Drops".
The dude's a French Immersion grade-school teacher from Alberta so ya gotta hand it to him in any case. I could wait a little bit longer for his next LP if he can bring himself to pull things together a bit in terms of the album. He's already won my heart.
LISTEN: "Dead Ends" - "Red Hot Drops"
15. Sandro Perri - Plays Polmo Polpo
A CD like this comes as no surprise. As a primarily electronic musician and producer, Sandro Perri is a man who knows sound. It shows in his brilliant work as Polmo Polpo. His album Like Hearts Swelling (which the live folk renditions of this disc steal from) is one of practically infinite beauty. Although Polmo Polpo often has a focus in beat, resulting in a sound reminiscent of house music played half speed and underwater, his attention to texture and melody is also significant.
Though the disc is more of an EP than anything else due to its brief nature, Sandro's vision cuts across magnificently. As an obvious fan of his work, it's nice to finally put more of a face to his usual grand sound. Plays Polmo Polpo brilliantly exposes Sandro's amazing music at a skeletal level, which works perfectly with his often falsetto, wavery voice. It comes as no surprise that Perri's lyricism is top notch as well. I haven't even heard the original but songs like the beautiful "Dreaming" have become new favourites.
LISTEN: "Dreaming" - "Sky Histoire"
14. Calexico - Garden Ruin
It's no lie to say that their last EP with Iron & Wine changed some things around for their newest work. Joey's singing was definitely more hushed and polished this time around, as was the production, which I also think worked. Garden Ruin also stands apart from past albums for its design, which I believe was intentional. Gone are the experimental, instrumental interludes that were once often sprinkled throughout their releases.
It's a bit of a disappointment, yes, but Garden Ruin holds up anyway with a sweeping array of country-tinged ballads, some rock, some pop, etc. Songs like "Cruel" and "All Systems Red" undeniably brought the band to new territory; one that's going to keep me excited for at least one more release from these "old-timers".
LISTEN: "Cruel"
13. Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
Oh, Sufjan. I should be angry with you for putting on such a disappointing live show back in September 2005, shortly after the release of your brilliant album Illinois. I should be sick of you with just the sheer amount of crap you've been doing, with collaborations, extensive touring and special performances, this Illinois-outtakes collection and your most recent 5-disc Christmas boxset.
But ya know what? I gotta hand it to you, man. You always manage to pull it off. Yes, there have been some disappointments along the way but you've kept your credibility and it would appear you simply are quite a creative and productive kinda guy. The random-collection aspect of The Avalanche doesn't help the obscurity of the tracks and their background stories but your narrative lyrics, buddy, continue to do the trick. Bright and fluttery, these pop-folk songs continue to impress.
P.S. Don't give me your "Soov-yan" shit anymore, k? It's fuckin' SUFF-JAN and that's that. Thank you.
LISTEN: "The Henney Buggy Band" - "The Mistress Witch From McClure"
12. Lupe Fiasco - Food & Liquor
Before Food & LIquor, all I knew was Lupe's wicked guest-spot on Kanye West's "Touch The Sky" and a good guest host job on a late-night episode of Much Vibe while I was out west. At the end of the feature, he played the video for his new lead single, "Kick Push", which has gone on to garner Grammy nominations amongst a lot of great press and growing popularity.
Food & Liquor is a great lively album that incorporates Kanye's love of orchestration as well as eclectic styles and influences of samples. Fiasco is a man with an ego that he acknowledges and tries to challenge through means of his own work. The result is a strong communication of his views and beliefs through his playful but cutting rhymes and in turn, a really cool album.
LISTEN: "Kick Push" - "Daydreamin'"
11. Bonobo - Days To Come
Bonobo is truly one of those kind of musicians that I really wish I could aspire to. Mainly a producer, Simon Green uses his skills in a variety of instruments to pound out new melodical triumphs, wrapped in the cool, dance-ready production style he brings to the table.
The easiest comparisons would probably have to be RJD2 or Caribou but Bonobo certainly has a niche of his own. The catchy beats that soar from his gorgeous music only emphasize the organic and accessible workings of each track, blurring the line between electronic and samples.
Songs off of his new album like "Ketto" or "Nightlite" present a catchy exterior but run deep in their melodies and style, creating a usual sort of down-tempo, chill-out pastiche, with the help of perfectly treated pianos, womens' voices from foreign lands, and so on. Bonobo has one-upped himself and I couldn't be happier.
LISTEN: "Recurring"
10. k-os - Atlantis (Hymns For Disco)
I still laugh when I think back to the days when k-os was saying he was leaving the music business, hence the title of his "last" LP at the time, Exit. Yet here we are, two albums later, and what do you know, k-os is in top-form. The last one, Joyful Rebellion, went on to sell almost double platinum. Meanwhile, in reality, Kheaven Brereton has been running around doing all sorts of collaborations and side projects, basking in his creative glory.
And he knows it. He does. This new album, has a certain element of class. Though he delves into the mash-up of indie rock (a scene he is very much a part of these days), the riffs stay polished and slick, sliding nicely into the pop grooves throughout the album. Tracks like "The Rain" ring of classic soul, with a beat snuck so perfectly under the pressing fuzz of a buzzy piano and distorted guitars. "Born To Run" might just be the song of the year in terms of its pure abrasive awesomeness, which precedes another contender named "Valhalla", featuring stellar collaboration with Sam Roberts, Kevin Drew, and drummer Justin Peroff.
Take it this way, this album will most definitely end up being more successful than Joyful Rebellion, which is largely because of "Sunday Morning", the newest's lead single, which ain't even one of the better tracks on the disc.
WATCH: "The Seekwill"
09. Tortoise - A Lazarus Taxon
I'll never forget that Saturday night in Ottawa a few years ago when I laid down by an old radio and listened to CBC Radio 3 for the first time. The broadcast eventually came to include a live show recording of Tortoise. It was so mesmerizing, I went and turned the lights off.
Ever since that fine evening, Tortoise has been one of those bands I've been kicking myself for not listening to more. Well, this past year was finally MY year of Tortoise -- TNT (their near-flawless 1995 LP) might be the best buy I ended up making all year.
Though A Lazarus Taxon is in fact a compilation box set, it's fantastic packaging and solid design are key in making this a very special and unique release. The 3 CD + DVD covers a variety of rarities, remixes and b-sides that bring this tremendously groundbreaking and infinitely cool band to light. It shows them at their most creatively vibrant, with a wide variety of outcomes, all of which left me (at the very least) satisfied.
And, uh, speaking of which, Sean; can I have that back now?
LISTEN: "The Source Of Uncertainty"
08. Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
Another "late start", Vetiver is a band that I had heard of a long time ago but stupidly just never bothered to try and get into it. That's odd too considering I'm a fan of Devendra (yes, another one his connections). But yeah, I wasn't interested in some more weird freak-folk so I just didn't bother. How wrong was I.
A better way to describe Vetiver would be a pop band. I don't know why I'm feeling the need to categorize these guys, cos there isn't really, but essentially, they follow a very alluring and precise framework to their stuff. It is folk, it is indie, but over top of that, they've got amazing instrumentation, sweet melodic quirks all over and a radio-friendly vocalist who knows how to fill their songs up with summer love and that kinda crap.
But yeah, good crap. Very, very good crap. I can see myself being very into this band for quite some time.
LISTEN: "Been So Long" - "You May Be Blue"
07. Brightblack Morning Light - Brightblack Morning Light
As funny as it is, I kinda wish the members of this band didn't all try so hard to put on their image as pot-smoking hippies made of sweetgrass and love. Because, if I had been introduced to them without knowing their names or song titles or that there was going to be a pair of trippy glasses that came with their album, I probably could've just figured it out on my own.
Many people continue to lump them in with the folk scene they are connected to with Devendra Banhart and Joanna Newsom, etc., but it doesn't really do them justice. This year's self-titled work is like a trip into a big forested valley. At night, maybe. The album flows together as well as their mellow sounds seemed to just materialize, note by note. To put it bluntly, it's beautiful, and it has a certain element of soul to the whole thing as well.
LISTEN: "Everybody Daylight" - "All We Have Broken Shines"
06. Glissandro 70 - Glissandro 70
This past year has been the year of Polmo Polpo for me. Polmo Polpo, or rather Sandro Perri, has had so many little projects in and around his native town of Toronto, it's hard to keep up. Most recently, he teamed up with another musician from the T-dot named Craig Dunsmiar, and together they formed Glissandro 70.
Rumors have it that the one show they played together (which Sean, Bruan and myself had the pleasure of seeing) could very well be a one-time deal. To be honest, I find that hard to believe and I'm close to categorizing such a notion complete bullshit. In any case, lets hope not because the two guys developed something beautiful with this. Strong roots in an African sentiment to the vibe of the music, their debut self-titled work was all too brief but displayed five very different ideas, all with an organic, intelligable sound.
It's the little underappeciated projects like this that too often sink into idle existence. Things like this are built on a relatively fragile context and should be encouraged to grow further. Wider. Meatier.
Mmm. Just like that.
LISTEN: "Bolan Muppets"
05. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Right around Halloween, this CD played to me so perfectly. Its haunted sounds chill me right down to the bone in the right context. It's funny, its dusty mysterious nature serves as a nice atmosphere for this time of year (whatever this is, I'm hesitant to call it winter), but I'm sure another half year from now, it'll still play just as marvelously as it did the first time. After all, it's essentially a folk record and this one has the makings of a classic.
Coooolllooorrrraaadoooooooooo...
LISTEN: "Knife" - "Easier"
04. The Roots - Game Theory
Haha, I love this band. Seriously though, me and buddies at work blast their shit so loud sometimes, I'm surprised the studio hasn't crumbled. It's fun. And my sisters-in-arms B and M can represent when I say that show (back in the golden days) near blew my head off. This was The Root's big debut release on Def Jam (they signed this year) that marked a career spanning over a decade and many albums along the way.
Their last LP, The Tipping Point, was pretty much just that; a very "mainstream" feel to the whole thing held it in grandeur for a bit but soon tapered off as time went. It got stale. Naturally, everyone was nervous about the new album but I don't think anyone was expecting anything this fresh. I mean sharp.
Game Theory steps up their production's focus, admist a very socio-political theme running fluently throughout the album. The often grim but wise nature of the content brings Black Thought's growl to a perfect light, and they've opted for some very interesting, eclectic samples too. Basically, it smashed my worries away and produced a somewhat ground-breaking piece of hip-hop.
LISTEN: "In The Music" - "Game Theory"
03. The Most Serene Republic - Phages [EP]
This is a band of kids from small-town Ontario that probably pretty much had their sweet little prayers answered back in early 2005 when they got signed to Arts & Crafts. Later the same year, they re-release their debut album on that bigger, pretty cool Canadian record label. All of a sudden, they were recognized by quite a significant (and rising) fanbase across the country. This first effort, entitled Underwater Cinematographer, was an ambitious, sometimes noisy pop effort that was a vastly under-funded release which turned up with little press or buzz. Anyway, this year's "Phages" marked a wicked development in the technicality, noise-pop-coolness, and production of this relatively young and promising band.
It just didn't help the band's current, rather-dead status that it was a tour-only EP. Hopefully the next LP will bring these guys to......... "new heights" or something. Or rather. This is done.
LISTEN: "You're Not An Astronaut" - "Anhoi Polloi"
02. M. Ward - Post-War
Whoa, this album was a late start. ...Is that retarded that I consider this an album a 'late start'? Does that make any sense? 'Cause all I'm really trying to say is "if love... if love is... a poison cup, then drink it up." <--------[lyric from first track]
Hm. Well, I fell in love with this album so I guess I drank this poison cup Matt Ward (aka M. Ward) spoke of. Well, it obviously didn't kill me or anything but yeah, I finally heard this album less than a month ago, which is just enough time to say that this a very, very, very good record. A variety of styles and influences break out in beautiful forms upon this primarily-folk venture. And he seems like a cool guy.
The best way to describe this album would be saying that (to me, anyway) it's the 2006 equivalent of the Arcade Fire's Funeral. Yes.
LISTEN: "Chinese Translation" - "Poison Cup"
01. Califone - Roots & Crowns
I'm ashamed to admit this, but Pitchfork said it best;
"Califone have always been stupidly underappreciated, and the further we stumble into the 21st century, the more this music starts to feel both familiar and necessary: Roots and Crowns is bluesy and soulful without reverting to revivalist schtick, and experimental without relying on blind cut-and-pasting. It is old and new, dirty and clean, alienating and accessible, sweet and ugly, organic and industrial, doting and vicious. It is one of the most quintessentially American records imaginable."
Um, yeah.
LISTEN: "Spider's House" - "The Orchids" - "Black Metal Valentine"
SHORTLISTED:
Islands - 'Return To The Sea'
The Hylozoists - 'La Fin Du Monde'
Cat Power - 'The Greatest'
Fink - 'Biscuits For Breakfast'
Animal Collective - 'People' [EP]
Yo La Tengo - 'I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass'
Ghostface Killah - 'Fishscale'
LIVE SHOWS OF THE YEAR:
01. Broken Social Scene, January 21st @ The Kool Haus
02. Feist, June 23rd @ Olympic Island
03. The Constantines, December 2nd @ Lee's Palace
04. Glissandro 70, March 31st @ The Tranzac
05. Bell Orchestre, September 16 @ The Harbourfront
06. Andrew Whiteman (Apostle Of Hustle), February 2nd @ The Social
07. Jason Collett & Paso Mino, December 2nd @ Lee's Palace
**I should add this year was an extremely terrible year in terms of live shows. Due to my lack of a fake ID, I missed out on José González, Califone, The Books, Caribou, Calexico and many others. Good god. Just thinking about it...