Best Albums of 2006

These are in no particular order.

Annuals – Be He Me

This debut album, from North Carolina band Annuals, caught me off guard at the end of 2006. Be He Me is full of well crafted arrangements that are extremely polished for a debut album. It’s orchestral pop on an abstract plane…for lack of a better description. Without a doubt, my under the radar indie pop album of the year.

Evangelicals – So Gone

Like their Oklahoma brethren The Flaming Lips, Evangelicals make a joyous, freaky, experimental noise. With a righteous mix of psych-pop, American indie rock and contemporary freak folk, Evangelicals will convert you to follow with blind faith.

The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America

Boys and Girls in America will take you back to your partying, drunken, drug dabbling teenage youth. It’s a raucous mix of early E Street Band, Thin Lizzy and beat generation poetry. These guys are the best bar band in America, so get ready for an all night bender.

TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain

This Brooklyn quintet’s second full length is a dark dense transmission of offbeat, decaying horns, swirling guitars and jagged electronics. TVOTR’s art rock is the most ambitious, original music you’ll hear this year.

Bound Stems – Appreciation Night

Teeming with fuzzy guitars, tape loops, experimental sounds and elaborate songwriting, the full length debut from Chicago’s Bound Stems is an indulgent, complicated joy. The songs shift tempo and tone frequently without ever sounding pretentious. Appreciate this ambitious aural experience.

Danielson – Ships

With a band consisting of 20 musicians, including members of Deerhoof and Sufjan Stevens, ringleader Daniel Smith has created his most satisfying, accessible work to date. Smith’s voice may be an acquired taste for some but the music and song-craft is undeniably brilliant. The album is a balancing act of dissonance and melody that Smith navigates with perfection.

Islands – Return to the Sea

Formed by two former members of the now defunct band The Unicorns, this seven piece Canadian import dispenses with the sloppiness of that band for more melodic, polished arrangements. It’s a quirky mix of psych-pop, space rock, prog, indie rock and hip hop….yes hip hop, just listen and you’ll hear.

Mission of Burma – The Obliterati

For a band that until 2004′s OnOffOnhad not released a record in 20 years these guys can still make a beautiful noise. The music is layered and complex with lyrics that are full of biting, topical, black humor. MoB can lay down more quality riffs and hooks than bands half their age.

Tapes ‘n Tapes – The Loon

There is nothing strikingly original about Tapes ‘n Tapes but I still found myself thoroughly enjoying the angular, opaque sounds of The Loon. Tapes ‘n Tapes wears its Pixies/Pavement fixation on its sleeve but still manages to sound fresh.

Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming

Sunset Rubdown is a side project of Spencer Krug, keyboardist for Wolf Parade. Although there are obvious similarities to Wolf Parade, Shut Up I Am Dreaming manages to maintain its own identity. The album evokes the glam pop perfected by the Bowie/Eno collaborations of the 70′s mixed with a Spectoresque wall of sound.

Tom Waits – Orphans

This is a 3 CD collection of over 30 tracks compiled by Waits ranging from his versions of songs given to other artists, to his interpretations of songs by other artists, to songs recorded with his kids in Waits’ garage. Each CD is sub-titled and the songs follow a common theme: Brawlers (blues, juke joint, honky tonk), Bawlers (Celtic and country ballads, torch songs) and Bastards (experimental). Quite simply, a stunning collection from one of the most creative songwriters in American music.

Robert Pollard - From a Compound Eye and Normal Happiness

Keene Brothers – Blues and Boogie Shoes

The ever prolific Robert Pollard released no less than five albums under various monikers in 2006. Of the five, these three albums maintained the quality 2 minute pop songs, brilliant melodies and memorable choruses that Pollard mastered with Guided by Voices. This is not to say that the other two albums (under the band names Psycho and the Birds and The Takeovers) are not good, they are just less accessible and lo-fi.

Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies

Dan Bejar’s latest release under the moniker Destoyer has more of a full band, ensemble sound than his previous efforts. Bejar’s lyrics are as clever and literate as ever and the music nods to the early glam-folk of Marc Bolan and David Bowie.

Mew – And the Glass Handed Kites

This Danish quartet’s sound is a mix of obvious touchstones such as Radiohead and My Bloody Valentine blended with the 70′s prog sensibilities of bands like Yes, Pink Floyd and Genesis. Like those bands, the album follows a conceptual continuity that may make its complexity difficult to digest for the casual listener. If you are a patient listener, who appreciates the art of the album as a whole, you will be justly awarded with all its sonic beauty.

Jeremy Enigk – World Waits

Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate, Fire Theft) has crafted a stunningly beautiful solo album in World Waits.  Enigk has always had one of the most remarkable, confident voices in rock and it’s his voice that carries the melodic, bold arrangements found on World Waits.  With it’s orchestral flourishes, prog leanings and expressive lyrics, Enigk has created some of the most sophisticated pop music of 2006.

More to come…

Now for a few of my favorite hard rock/heavy metal albums of 2006…

Motorhead – Kiss of Death

Lemmy Rules!!!! These guys pretty much invented speed metal almost 30 years ago and they are still at it today. Just put this on and feel the booze, drugs, sex and cigarette smoke ooze from your speakers.

Slayer – Christ Illusion

Christ Illusionis Slayer’s first album with original drummer Dave Lombardo since 1990′s Seasons of the Abyss and it’s their darkest, fastest and heaviest album since. Throw up the devil horns, bang your head and all hail Satan!

Mastadon – Blood Mountain

With their major label debut Blood Mountain, Mastodon continue to lead the way in revitalizing the current metal scene. Mixing metal, rock and prog into a melodic, sludgy, experimental force of nature, Mastodon take another giant leap forward.

Wolfmother – Wolfmother

Take equal parts Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple and mix them with some QOTSA, Soundgarden and White Stripes and you’ll have a sound close to the retro hard-rock of the Aussie band Wolfmother. While it’s sound relies heavily on a throw back, FM radio, stadium rock vibe, Wolfmother’s debut still manages to sound fresh.

Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death

A Matter of Life and Death, Iron Maiden’s 14th studio album, is a stunning return to form and their strongest outing since 1998′s Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. 25 years after climbing to the top of the 80′s British heavy metal scene, Iron Maiden proves it is still as creative and vital as ever.

Witch – Witch

J Masics, of Dinosaur Jr. fame, feeds his jones for sludgy, fuzzed-out, psychedelic, 70′s inspired, stoner rock behind the drumkit for his side project Witch. Nods to Blue Cheer, Sabbath, Zeppelin, Kyuss and Saint Vitus abound as these guys lay down a monstrous, rifftastic, bongwater drone on their self-titled release.

The Sword – Age of Winters

If you like your music full of crunchy riffs, thunderous bass and pounding drums then Austin based band The Sword may be the band for you. Age of Winters, the band’s debut album, is full of super heavy, Sabbath inspired riffs and melodic vocals that will certainly satisfy any fan of classic heavy metal.

Priestess – Hello Master

Montreal based classic rock/metal revivalists Priestess mix solid songwriting, catchy hooks and ballsy choruses that recall the bygone days of album oriented rock from the 70′s. Hello Master brings nothing new to the table musically but its infectious mix of Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Uriah Heep and countless other influences is pure retro bliss.

Early Man – Closing In

With a reverence for early 80′s trash/hardcore and British heavy metal, Closing In is a riff heavy, guitar driven album in the classic sense. Early Man builds its hard rock assualt around explosive power chords and galloping riffs that recall Kill Em All era Metallica as well as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. There is definately a hint of hardcore punk in Early Man’s sound as well, namely Black Flag and The Misfits.

More to come…