Best Albums of '06

[NachoHat]

I don't know if we already had a thread about this. I'm guessing no. Anyway, we have one now. Good.

Here's my top 25.

#25 Phoenix - It's Never Been like That
#24 Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
#23 Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
#22 Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
#21 My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me The Workhorse
#20 Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
#19 Danielson - Ships
#18 Plastic Constellations - Crusades
#17 Cursive - Happy Hollow
#16 Mates of State - Bring It Back
#15 Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
#14 The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
#13 Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
#12 Maritime - We, The Vehicles
#11 Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
#10 Islands - Return to the Sea
#9 Mission of Burma - The Obliterati
#8 Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
#7 Murder By Death - In Bocca al Lupo
#6 Man Man - Six Demon Bag
#5 TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
#4 Destroyer - Rubies
#3 Liars - Drum's Not Dead
#2 The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
#1 The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America

[Marklar]

Here's my Top 20:

20. The Loved Ones - Keep Your Heart
19. Lucero - Rogues, Rebels and Sworn Brothers
18. Bad Astronaut - Twelve Small Steps, One Giant Disappointment
17. The Slackers - Peculiar
16. Crazy Baldhead - Has a Posse
15. Defiance, Ohio - The Great Depression
14. No Trigger - Canyoneer
13. Bomb the Music Industry! - Goodbye Cool World
12. Riverboat Gamblers - To the Confusion of Our Enemies
11. The Falcon - Unicornography
10. The Draft - In a Million Pieces
9. The Roots - Game Theory
8. Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness
7. The Aggrolites - The Aggrolites
6. Westbound Train - Transitions
5. Strike Anywhere - Dead FM
4. Dead to Me - Cuban Ballerina
3. The Bouncing Souls - The Gold Record
2. The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
1. None More Black - This is Satire

[SirLemming]

Ah yes... I've been preparing my list.



Coming soon. I don't think there will be any big surprises.

[Tapout]

Man, I remember the days when I would not only buy 20 albums in a year, but actually listen to them enough to rank them.

The 2006 albums I've got, in no specific order because they were all good.

Rob Zombie - Educated Horses
Slayer - Christ Illusion
Powerman 5000 - Destroy What You Enjoy
Ministry - Rio Grande Blood
Wolfmother - Wolfmother

and two comedy albums which kind of count
Brian Posehn - Live in Nerd Rage
Norm MacDonald - Ridiculous

[Chrono1995]

This was copy-and-pasted from some other site. I'd turn it upside down, but quite frankly, I'm a lazy slob at 3:30 in the morning.

1. subtle - for hero: for fool
2. tv on the radio - return to cookie mountain
3. count bass D - act your waist size
4. j dilla - donuts
5. joanna newsom - ys
6. the black keys - chulahoma
7. califone - roots & crowns
8. clipse - hell hath no fury
9. destroyer - rubies
10. ghostface - fishscale
11. belle & sebastian - the life pursuit
12. cat power - the greatest
13. the roots - game theory
14. the thermals - the body, the blood, the machine
15. OOIOO - taiga
16. camera obscura - let's get out of this country
17. junior boys - so this is goodbye
18. the knife - silent shout
19. the hidden cameras - AWOO
20. bob dylan - modern times
21. akron/family - meek warrior
22. lupe fiasco - food & liquor
23. murs & 9th wonder - murray's revenge
24. sonic youth - rather ripped
25. ned collette - jokes & trials
26. danielson - ships
27. rhymefest - blue collar
28. dr. dog - takers and leavers
29. the hold steady - boys and girls in america
30. neko case - fox confessor brings the flood

[The Myst]

Good albums I've heard this year...

Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death (Tied for best)
David Gilmour - On An Island (Tied for best)
Amon Amarth - With Oden On Our Side
Tenacious D - The Pick Of Destiny
Sammy Hagar - Livin' It Up
Danger Doom - Occult Hymn
Bob Dylan - Modern Times

And albums I've only heard a few songs from but those songs are good...

Beck - The Information
Ian Gillan - Gillan's Inn
Weird Al Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood

[Condiment King]

01. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
02. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country
03. Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche
04. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
05. Danielson - Ships
06. Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas Sing Along
07. Amy Millan - Honey from the Tombs
08. Destroyer - Rubies
09. Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
10. The Flaming Lips - At War with the Mystics
11. Calexico - Garden Ruin
12. Islands - Return to the Sea
13. The Decemberists - Picaresqueties EP
14. Mock Orange - Daniels EP
15. The Books - Music for a French Elevator
16. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side

That's all the albums I've heard this year though I wanna check out Boys and Girls in America and hear the rest of the albums from Brand New, Placebo, and Beirut. Might check out Thom Yorke's solo album too.

[Tay the Cat]

1. RHCP - Stadium Arcadium
2. Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May
3. Switchfoot - Oh! Gravity.
4. BNL - Barenaked Ladies Are Me
5. Wayman Tisdale - Way Up!

and I can't remember the rest.

Note: While Flyleaf's album came out in October '05, I didn't start listening to them until this year... so I'd list them if I could.

[Draft]

Weird Al Yankovic: "Straight Outta Lynwood"

EDIt: And Endless Wire by the Who. Those were the only 2006 albums i bought

[Wonderwall]

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium

It was the only album I bought and it entertained me a lot.

[Carolina Red]

My top 20:

1. the Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
In all honesty, if you are a fan of Bruce Springsteen odds are very good you'll like them. If you're a punk fan you'll like them too. Finally, a punk band that is original!
Favorite tracks: First Night, Party Pit, You Can Make Him Like You, Chillout Tent
2. Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
You can really feel the emotion in the eight songs here.
Favorite tracks: Lightning Blue Eyes, I Want To Know If It's Still Possible, 1000 Seconds
3. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
This trio really did well with so many styles on one disc.
Favorite tracks: Pass the Hatchet I Think I'm Goodkind, Black Flowers, I Should Have Known Better, Point and Shoot, the Story of Yo La Tengo
4. Tool - 10,000 Days
5. Comets on Fire - Avatar
6. Pearl Jam - s/t
7. Electric Six - Switzerland
The second record they put out in the US in 2006. It's very organized and hits the 80s vibe of the band very well.
Favorite tracks: Night Vision, Slices of You, Germans in Mexico
8. TV on the Radio - Retrun to Cookie Mountain
9. Wolfmother - s/t
I heard someone call them "the Darkness with credibility." Sounds good!
Favorite tracks: White Unicorn, Woman, Colossal, Love Train
10. Built to Spill - You In Reverse
11. the Mars Volta - Amputechture
12. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
13. the Who - Endless Wire
Let's face it, you won't see any Who albums as good as the original lineup's records. But at least it's got the typical anthem-like feel that Pete Townsend loves to use.
Favorite tracks: It's Not Enough, God Speaks of Marty Robbins, Tea and Theatre
14. Neil Young - Living With War
15. Electric Six - Senor Smoke
16. Robert Pollard - Normal Happiness
17. the Early November - the Mother, the Mechanic and the Path
Very creative. They also got some bonus points for making the three disc set cheap.
Favorite tracks: Money in His Hand, Hair, 1000 Time a Day, You Don't Know What It's Like
18. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
19. Flower Kings - Paradox Hotel
20. Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist

[The_Goblin_Queen]

1. Blind Guardian: A Twist in the Myth

2. Armon Amarth: With Oden on Our Side

3. Meat Loaf: Bat Out of Hell III

Hmm I know there is more but these are my favorites.

[The Myst]

2. Armon Amarth: With Oden on Our Side

Another Amon Amarth fan. Nice.

[RD!]

15. Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
14. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
12. Rock Plaza Central - Are We Not Horses?
11. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
10. Tapes 'n Tapes - the Loon
9. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
8. Oh No! Oh My! - Oh No! Oh My!
7. Danielson - Ships
6. Girl Talk - Nightripper
5. Loose Fur - Born Again in the USA
4. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time
3. the Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
2. Destroyer - Rubies
1. Decemberists - the Crane Wife

[The_Goblin_Queen]

Another Amon Amarth fan. Nice.

Yes. :) I love them expecially their Viking Lyrics.

Most people think I am strange liking them. *shrugs*

[Noukon]

I didn't keep up with music very well this year, so my picks are relatively slim:

Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth
DragonForce - Inhuman Rampage
Dream Theater - Score
Evanescence - The Open Door
Iron Maiden - A Matter Of Life And Death
Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime II
Stream of Passion (Ayreon) - Live in the Real World
Tool - 10,000 Days
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Straight Outta Lynwood

[SirLemming]

Man, this took me forever. You can thank Switchfoot for releasing their album the last possible week of 2006, which prevented me from figuring out my final verdict until now. I'm still not completely sure about the order of this list, but here goes...

Oh also, since I can't exactly say I listened to a huge amount of albums that I didn't expect to like this year, I will refrain from calling this "the 10 best albums of 2006". It's more an ordering of the albums I bought or listened to this year. So here is...


10 ALBUMS YOU SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT IN 2006



Mute Math - Mute Math
This should be absolutely no surprise to anyone who knows me well. I'll probably rave about everything these guys do until they're done. 2006 was the year of Mute Math, the year they finally started to get the recognition they've deserved ever since 3/4 of them were in Earthsuit. They fought a long battle with WB Records over this album and it seems to have payed off. As for the album itself, I've already said so much about it ever since its independent January 2006 release (September was its WBR release) that I'm pretty burnt out. But this is definitely a landmark album, and the start of what's bound to be a landmark career.
Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire
Now here's more of a surprise. When I saw this at my college radio station and decided to pop it in, I was more than pleasantly surprised. The Force is strong with this one. While Sean may not have quite as dynamic a voice as his father, he's definitely picked up quite a bit of his songwriting talent. Every song on this album is an excellent example of how to write simple (but not predictable), well-structured, strongly melodic pop songs. (Although there is one cover, "Would I Be The One".)
Aside from the aforementioned tameness of Sean's vocals, the only other problem I can find with this album is that there's not any really interesting overall structure to it; it's basically 10 great songs. But they are great. Of course, there's also the fact that you can't buy it without the DVD, which drives up the price for something that you'll probably only watch once. (Most of the music videos are pretty ridiculous.) Between this and the excellent Love mash-up compilation, 2006 was a great year to be a Beatles fan.
The Elms - The Chess Hotel
Anyone who'd ever seen The Elms live knew they had an album like this somewhere in them, and now it's here. This is pure rock. Old-fashioned, gritty, no-nonsense rock. Not really retro, though. Aside from another mild case of "a bunch of great songs" syndrome and some structural repetitiveness between tracks, this is a perfectly enjoyable burst of rock energy.
Audioslave - Revelations
I really did like Out of Exile, but I'm still willing to say that Audioslave is "back" with this album. I mean, y'know... they really do need to keep it rockin'. And they do it here with a more unique, diverse sound than on their self-titled debut. I look forward to their future albums, which supposedly will be plentiful; I think this is the kind of band that needs to just keep making music, because they seem to have everything figured out already, and they'll probably stumble upon innovations without even realizing it.
Switchfoot - Oh! Gravity
I'm still not sure where I rank this next to Nothing Is Sound; however, it is still at least the second best Switchfoot album so far, and I enjoy the more stripped-down feel. In fact, if there's one thing this album does better than just about any other, it's finding that perfect balance between high production values and raw, spontaneous energy. I think it could've benefited from some changes in track order ("Amateur Lovers" is a weak follow-up to the show-stopping "Circles", and after that there are three mellow songs in a row), but there are no weak spots quite as glaring as those on Nothing Is Sound (where the two worst songs, "Golden" and "We Are One Tonight", bordered the climactic "The Fatal Wound"). And I really do love the production. And "Dirty Second Hands" and the aforementioned "Circles" are really great experimental tracks, and also some of the darkest stuff the band has done. And "Faust, Midas, and Myself" has some of the best lyrics I've heard in a long time. Overall, I think what's great about this album is how much it reminds me of early Switchfoot, while still being... better. Anyone who still claims they "sold out" is just using that as an excuse for why they don't like the music anymore.
Eagles of Death Metal - Death By Sexy
EODM prove they're more than just a joke-y band on their second album. Not that it's any less light-hearted and fun than the first, but they definitely step up the plate here and prove that they're not just a one-trick pony. I could find other ways to rephrase that basic thought, but I guess I'll stop there. This kind of music really doesn't need to be explained.
Deadsy - Phantasmagore
A more energetic album than their first, which was full of impressive material but a bit bloated with too many droning, slow-paced songs. They use that style more sparingly here, to better effect, while also branching out into other sounds that remain true to that definitive Deadsy sound. Even the acoustic guitar-driven "Carrying Over" (great song, by the way) retains that sound -- and how could it not, with P. Exeter Blue's unmistakable baritone leading the way?


Newsboys - GO
While this is largely notable for being a "return to form" for the Newsboys, I more enjoyed how much it wasn't a return to form. They've fused some of their "worship" style into their classic pop-oriented songwriting. I think they still need to figure out exactly who they are, and perhaps this album's identity crisis comes from the fact that it started out as a double album (one "worship" disc and one "pop" disc) and went through a bit of a Development Hell. But whatever the case, it's still a fine bunch of songs. And "Your Love Is Better Than Life" is an exciting new direction for the band, although they've never stuck to one direction for long.
P.O.D. - Testify
When I heard that P.O.D. was going "back to their roots", I was worried that they'd ditch everything they learned from the experimental Payable On Death. Fortunately, that wasn't the case, and they made a much tighter album that still doesn't sound exactly like their old stuff. And I think the pairing of Sonny Sandoval and Matisyahu is the most pleasant surprise of the year. Here's hoping we get to hear more from them; maybe even some sort of collaborative project.*. The Beatles - Love
While not a new album, exactly, this was definitely one of the best musical experiences of 2006, and a great surprise, too. Rather than just another half-hearted compilation, this is an essential item for any Beatles fan. If you don't buy it for the excellent mash-ups, buy it for the shockingly clear re-mastered audio; these songs literally sound like they were recorded yesterday. And if that's still not enough, then buy it for the 5.1 mix. This is 74 minutes of Beatle bliss. (Except for the DVD version -- it's slightly longer.)

[Chrono1995]

*. The Beatles - Love

While not a new album, exactly, this was definitely one of the best musical experiences of 2006, and a great surprise, too. Rather than just another half-hearted compilation, this is an essential item for any Beatles fan. If you don't buy it for the excellent mash-ups, buy it for the shockingly clear re-mastered audio; these songs literally sound like they were recorded yesterday. And if that's still not enough, then buy it for the 5.1 mix. This is 74 minutes of Beatle bliss. (Except for the DVD version -- it's slightly longer.)

[/center]

I disagree, actually.

Love I consider to be both a symbol of how poorly treated Beatles recordings are and a wasted opportunity. For the most part, the songs were just served straight up, and while I love the mash-up elements since it shows just much they grew as a band, the mash-ups could've been crazier than they were. And some of the mash-ups, namely the one between "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Within You Without You" were no-brainers. Anyone who knows The Beatles could've thought of that one. But the chorus of "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" slamming into the riff of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"? Genius. It sounds like the two were made for each other. There needs to be more of that if something like Love is going to be done. Love seemed less than a new experience and more like a quick way to package all the psychedelic Beatles recordings together.

You have a point, though...the remastered audio sounds great. But another problem about Love that I realized about four or five spins of it is this: why waste time remastering snippets of audio, when the bare-bones, piss-poor sounding CD edition of Revolver has been sitting on shelves for almost two decades? If you're going to bother with fragments of recordings, why not just go the whole ten yards and give the albums the royal treatment (since they deserve it, especially Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper), instead of a promotional piece for Cirque de Soleil?

Love is a cash-in, which is only consumed by those fueled for nostalgia and those wanting to make a quick buck.

[Tay the Cat]

Deadsy - Phantasmagore
A more energetic album than their first, which was full of impressive material but a bit bloated with too many droning, slow-paced songs. They use that style more sparingly here, to better effect, while also branching out into other sounds that remain true to that definitive Deadsy sound. Even the acoustic guitar-driven "Carrying Over" (great song, by the way) retains that sound -- and how could it not, with P. Exeter Blue's unmistakable baritone leading the way?

I disagree with the bolded part. I love Deadsy and the CD for the most part, but "Carrying Over" is terrible. The fact they chose it for the Family Values Tour DVD is sad. They should've picked a better song like "Razor Love". Thankfully they chose not to bore the Phoenix concertgoers with "Carrying Over".

Oh, and I do believe Elijah Allman Blue refers to himself by his real name nowadays, if not on their album, then in interviews.

[SirLemming]

For the record, I wasn't sure about "Carrying Over" at first, but I've come to like it a lot. It's not an accurate representation of Deadsy or the album, but I think it's a good song. On the other hand, I've always found "Razor Love" extremely unimpressive. I don't like it or dislike it; I just feel nothing towards it. Sometimes I'm not crazy about a song yet can see its merit as a single, but I feel that "Razor Love" doesn't even really have any good hooks in it.


I disagree, actually.

Love I consider to be both a symbol of how poorly treated Beatles recordings are and a wasted opportunity. For the most part, the songs were just served straight up, and while I love the mash-up elements since it shows just much they grew as a band, the mash-ups could've been crazier than they were. And some of the mash-ups, namely the one between "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Within You Without You" were no-brainers. Anyone who knows The Beatles could've thought of that one. But the chorus of "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" slamming into the riff of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"? Genius. It sounds like the two were made for each other. There needs to be more of that if something like Love is going to be done. Love seemed less than a new experience and more like a quick way to package all the psychedelic Beatles recordings together.

You have a point, though...the remastered audio sounds great. But another problem about Love that I realized about four or five spins of it is this: why waste time remastering snippets of audio, when the bare-bones, piss-poor sounding CD edition of Revolver has been sitting on shelves for almost two decades? If you're going to bother with fragments of recordings, why not just go the whole ten yards and give the albums the royal treatment (since they deserve it, especially Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper), instead of a promotional piece for Cirque de Soleil?

While I agree that they need to go ahead and re-master everything, I still can't get over how great the ones they did re-master sound.

So the way I see it, at worst it's a really good compilation.

[Sdpman]

1. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
2. Gojira - From Mars to Sirius
3. Isis - In the Absense of Truth