Top of 2006

[Ars Sycro]

I'm starting this up to get everybody's opinion. I'm going to be putting mine together right before the new year, being that I have a ~12 hr drive home tomorrow, and back next week. So I have close to 30 CDs (narrowed down from 45 or so), with only 7 top 10s definitely decided. I may make my list the top 20 this year. Anyway, let's get everybody's thoughts.

[kata rokkar]

Keep in mind I don’t buy many CDs. These are just the ones I sucked up and bought on my own. I still have yet to buy the new Mastodon, Lupe Fiasco, Jeremy Enigk, and Brand New.


10. Cat Power – The Greatest: It had to grow on me and I had to listen to it during the summer on a hazy day to fully appreciate it. There’s such a wonderful raw sense of beauty and emotion coming out of this album.

9. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere: What a great way to make pop music fun, original, and interesting again.

8. Rocky Votolato – Makers: A great singer-songwriter album that paints pictures of lonely days and dirty roads. I hoped for a few more upbeat songs from the ex-lead singer of Waxwing, but I still got a great release that’s perfect for a lazy day.

7.  Division Day – Beartrap Island: This was such a great album for so many reasons. This took off from the very first song ‘til the last note. There are so many different concoctions of songs and songwriting that you can honestly listen to it over and over again and it’ll seem like the first time.

6. dredg – Live at the Fillmore: It was great that they put new songs and added more instruments to the mix of older songs. But it just failed to generate enough good songs onto one CD. Also with no remix or DVD, it had lost its promise. On the up side,  the music is clear and there are some great arrangements of Whoa is Me and Triangle.

5. Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist: I was pleasantly surprised by this release. It was like I discovered a new exciting band that made great sexy metal music. Minus one track, this CD is dynamite.

4. Maritime – We, The Vehicles: Probably the catchiest CD in my car right now. This album makes road-trips go by faster and happy moments brighter.

3. Cut Chemist – The Audience’s Listening: Every single song absolutely blows the new DJ Shadow out of the water. It’s the most fun I’ve had listening to a CD in a very long time.

2. Sean Hayes – Big Black Hole and the Little Baby Star: With his combination of Bob Dylan and Nick Drake and his landscape coating acoustics, this album is by far one of my favorite not only this year but in years to come. For those of you who don’t know this man; www.seanhayesmusic.com/

1. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife: I usually rate the #1 album as the album that I can listen to over and over again and never get sick of any song. And this is that album. There are just so many aspects of the album that make it timeless. Whether it’s the storytelling or the multi-instrumentals that cover the CD with such candor and talent, this album will be one of my favorites for a long long time.

Biggest Disappointments: Tool – It started awesome and …became…so….boring.
Thursday – I just can’t get into it. I love this band so much and it just hurt me to not love such a promising release. Oh well.
DJ Shadow – I don’t care what he said, “No one will see this one coming, I’ve made something completely different from anything I’ve ever done.” Yup, you did. Now go away.

[Gnomad]

Actually, this is pretty easy for me.

10. Daylight Dies - Dismantling Devotion
US Death Metal band taking on a lot of the same qualities as Opeth, though they don't quite reach that accessiveness or talent. Still, I listened to this album a lot this year, so it'd be hard for me not to mention it.

9. Windmills by the Ocean - s/t
Red Sparowes and Isis collaboration. Just awesome.

8. Jesu - Silver
I couldn't stop listening to this CD for a long time.

7. Cult of Luna - Somewhere Along the Highway
Just for the way the CD ends, this makes the Top 10. Great stuff.

6. This Will Destroy You - Young Mountain
Post-rock at it's finest.

5. Gojira - From Mars to Sirius
Brutal.

4. Aereogramme - Seclusion
If you don't know Aereogramme, pick them up.

3. Isis - In the Absence of Truth
Need I say more?

2. Isis + Aereogramme - In the Fishtank 14
This album has to make it this high up for the mere fact that it has my favorite song of 2006 on it.

1. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
This is one of the best metal albums I've ever heard. I didn't think they would top Leviathan, but after really absorbing the whole thing, I think they may have done just that. It's actually fairly recently that I've discovered that this is my favorite album of 2006.

Disappointments:

Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist: The Deftones have passed their prime.

Tool - 10,000 Days: Strangely, I like the album. It's just not what I hoped it'd be, which is better.

Incubus - Light Grenades: Bland.

Audioslave - Revelations: Better than Out of Exile, still not as good as their debut.

The Mars Volta - Amputechture: Loved it at first, but the love died real fast.

[evasivetear]

10. Army of Anyone - Army of Anyone
I thought this was a good debut record.  I think the main reason it's on my top ten is cause this is the closest I'm going to get to hearing Stone Temple Pilots again.  Let's be serious though, this is basically Stone Temple Pilots, swapping out the singer and the drummer, and honestly, with the way Weiland has been writing lyrics for velvet revolver, his presense isn't really missed. I wasn't expecting a lot from this band except a trip down memory lane, and i got that.  so here it is.

9. portugal the man - Waiter: "You Vultures"
This is a pretty good album with some interesting songs.  their album is a lot more subdued than their live presence...but i think it fits the over all mood of both settings...looking forward to their next release to see where they go with that

8. deftones - saturday night wrist
a lot of people didn't like this album.  and in looking at some of the songs, i can see why....however there are some songs on this album that i really enjoy, and i dont' find this any worse than their last release.  but, i don't know how many more albums these guys have left in them.  billy might be right, that the deftones have passed their prime....but fortunetly being past their prime is nothing like korn being past their prime...

7. Tool - 10,000 Days
This album was not what I wanted it to be....but it wasn't a total let down at all.  I think the biggest problem with this album is not that it's bad at all, but that with all previous tool albums, from each album to album, tool seemed to get better and go in a different direction.  This album is kinda just a parallel with their previous work...not bad, not worse in my eyes.  

6. Isis - In The Absence of Truth
I really enjoy this album & honestly I would never have had Isis on a previous top 10 list.  not that i never liked them, but i never liked them this much.  even though they're only #6 on my list, that's a pretty big #6 for this band.  A+

5. (the) Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
This is on the list for much of the same reason Isis is.  I was never a big fan or not a fan of this band prior to this album, and since hearing it I've been able to appreciate a lot of their past material more as well.  

4. Men, Women & Children - Men, Women & Children
Not a deep album by any means, but an entertaining one...and coupled with their live shows, this band sure knows how to put on a performance.  

3. Far-Less - Everyone Is Out To Get Us
I just find this to be a very energetic & fun album.  It's been getting a lot of plays from me recently, so that's why it's up so high.

2. Sans Seraph - After The Rain
My excitement has faded for this from when it first came out this year, but it's still a solid release and was my favorite of the year for quite awhile.  I'm highly anticipating their next album/them starting to tour

1. Man Man - Six Demon Bag
These guys took me by surprise this year.  When I first heard them I thought I hated them...but then my friend convinced me to go to one of their concerts & record it for them.  I'm very glad I did.  After seeing these guys live and the energy they have and antics they pull, you can't help but at least find a sense of fun in their music.  That translated back into me really listening to their album a lot and prefering it over many other releases this year.


Honorable Mentions:

Portugal The Man - Devil Say I, I Say Air - a good release...probably #11 on my list.  looking forward to the next album.

dredg - Live at the Fillmore - Whoa Is Me made the night/album for me....but some of the other better songs were cut.  eh...it's a live album, and a good one at that...but it's all stuff we've heard before....a lot

Incubus - Light Grenades - this album was A LOT better than A Crow...but after many listens, I have to say that half of this album is worthless to me.  I still think fondly of days of, and prior to, Make Yourself....but I don't think I'll ever see those days again.  oh well.  The b-sides for this album are great at least

Muse - Black Holes & Revelations - Fun and interesting album.  Nothing great enough to catapult it into a top 10 though

Mute Math - Mute Math - kinda sick of these guys actually....was really excited about them when their album came out the first time....then it came out again...and by that time I was kinda bored.  New material can/will probably revitalize my interest in them.  probably another potential #11 spot on my list though.

Opus Dai - Tierra Tragame - these guys have a lot of promise i think.  this album is solid but they're not doing anything really ground breaking in the rock world yet.  then again...not that many people are.  


Dissapointments:
Kaddisfly - Set Sail The Prarie - heh, only dissapointed that it's not officially out till 2007. when we do this next year, this album will be towards the top of my top 10

The Mars Volta - Amputechture - a lot better than Frances....but still dull over-all.  They should take a que from 10,000 Days and make another De-loused

The Sound of Animals Fighting - Lover, The Lord Has Left Us - there are good songs on this album....but they're smothered in so much pretensioius, pompus rock that I feel like an asshole of a person everytime i listen to this full album.  these guys went from an interesting, energetic and spontanious debut to an album that spends about an hour giving themselves oral.  Huge dissapointment

[One Second Clubber]

9. portugal the man - Waiter: "You Vultures"
This is a pretty good album with some interesting songs.  their album is a lot more subdued than their live presence...but i think it fits the over all mood of both settings...looking forward to their next release to see where they go with that

Honorable Mentions:

Portugal The Man - Waiter "You Vultures" - a good release...probably #11 on my list.  looking forward to the next album.

????

[evasivetear]

oops, that was supposed to be in response to their EP. Devil Say I, I Say Air - EP

will change that now, thanks

[One Second Clubber]

But I will forever have your goof qouted....

...MWAHAHAHA... *cough* *cough*

[evasivetear]

and i still have my response posted....so...who cares?  :P

[Kush42]

Portugal is the shit!!!!!
Cant wait till next month.
Two shows - two days.

PS Merry Christmas every1.  )

[Ooga]

(no order)

Bob Dylan
Tom Petty
Thursday
TV on the Radio
We Are Scientists
The Living End


Disappointments:

Deftones - close to half of it is great, but the rest is some of the worst shit they've ever written.

Tool - Why did it take them 5 years to record this?  Did it take that long to get the proper takes out of the studio time or what?

Dredg - Yay..  compression and a half-assed set with dominating vocals.  Diehards eat this stuff like there's no tomorrow.

The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute was drawn out with random noise..  now this album is drawn out with lame solos and riffs that were probably previously recorded somewhere around the 127 minute mark in "Cassandra Gemini" on Frances.

Incubus - I no longer anticipate Incubus records because of this.  Oh, and don't call Brandon gay...  I heard he's been lifting weights these days.

:shock:

[zah]

I never have anything to contribute to these lists, especially because I've fallen out of buying a lot of new CDs. However, I will throw The Format's Dog Problems out there. Great album.

Edit: Oh, and Local H's ninety-nine-double-oh demos. What an awesome gift to fans.

Also, the Little Miss Sunshine ST (score by Devotchka) was wonderful.

The Mountain Goats: Get Lonely
The Paper Chase: Now You Are One Of Us
Daniel Johnston: Welcome to My World
Space Needle: Recordings 1994-1997
Shake My Hand: An unsigned band from England who sent me a homemade CD of a bunch of their songs.

And I'm sure if I had the new Detachment Kit and Chicago Farmer CDs, those would both be on the list.

All right. Looks like I had more to say than I thought.

[Spectre1982]

Here is my 2006 reveiw:

http://mediumofmusic.wordpress.com/2006/12/24/the-best-albums-of-2006-part-ii/

You'll find everything I have to say about those albums in there.

The abridged version:

40 The Black Angels - Passover
39 Sparta - Threes
38 The Knife - Silent Shout
37 Tool - 10,000 Days
36 Audrey - Visible Forms
35 Jeniferever - Choose a Bright Morning
34 The Velvet Teen - Cum Laude
33 Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
32 Thursday - A City By The Light Divided
31 Lacuna Coil - Karmacode
30 Joanna Newsom - Ys
29 Agent Sparks - Red Rover
28 Sparklehorse - Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain
27 Zero 7 - The Garden
26 Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
25 Hundred Year Storm - Only When It Is Dark Enough Can You See the Stars
24 Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
23 Emily Haines - Knives Don't Have Your Back
22 Maritime - We, The Vehicles
21 The Static Age - Blank Screens
20 Dropping Daylight - Brace Yourself
19 Grandaddy - Just Like the Fambly Cat
18 The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
17 Opus Dai - Tierra Tragame
16 The Dears - Gang of Losers
15 In Reverent Fear - Stomacher
14 TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
13 The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine
12 The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
11 The Paper Chase - Now You Are One of Us
10 Cire - Wholesale Buyout
9 Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance
8 Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
7 The Mars Volta - Amputechture
6 Incubus - Light Grenades
5 Mute Math - Mute Math
4 Placebo - Meds
3 The Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist
2 Ever We Fall - We Are But Human
1 Pure Reason Revolution - The Dark Third

That's a lot of enjoyment for one year.

[darshun]

between the buried and me - the anatomy of
built to spill - you in reverse
channels - waiting for the next end of the world
dredg - live at the fillmore
envy - insomniac doze
the gossip - standing in the way of control
isis - in the absence of truth
mogwai - mr. beast
muse - black holes & revelations
the undercurrent - ghost
wired all wrong - break out the battle tapes

[Ventrio]

I'm Too Lazy so I'm gonna do a Top 3 Albums

3. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Danger Mouse is Officially a master at his craft, between the Grey Album and Demon Days, he established himself as a force to be reckoned with. But with Cee-Lo, he made the craziest Hip-Hop album of the year, and also one of the best

2. My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
Probably one of (if not the) greatest live musical expieriences available to see, My Morning Jacket brought their Radiohead-meets-lynnard skynnard (or however the fuck you spell it) live sound to CD.

1. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Not only is this THE GREATEST METAL ALBUM I HAVE EVER HEARD, it is also a gateway album for me. After getting my face melted by math-metal licks, I now need harder music...I find myself listening to deicide and goatwhore. Thank you Mastodon, for making the best fucking album of 2006

WORST ALBUM OF 2006

Mars Volta - Amputechture
I know some of you are going to want to hang me for saying this, but please, take the LSD out of your coffee and actually listen to the album, it sucks. Unless their next album ends up sounding as good as (if not better than) De-Loused, I am done with the Mars Volta.

AND A NOTE
Tool- 10,000 Days
So, it wasn't Aenima, big fucking deal. I still enjoy the album, with particualr favorites being Wings For Marie/ 10k days, Jambi, The Pot, Lost Keys/ Rosetta Stoned, and Vicarious.

[Spectre1982]

What is so different between De-Loused and Amputechture? I think Amputechture is even better than De-Loused, and a lot better than Frances.