Top 10 Records of 2006

I was listening to All Things Considered Podcast from NPR today and they were all discussing their top 10 CDs of the year. So, after my X-mas hiatus, I thought I'd come back prior to the New Year to share MY personal Top 10 CDs of 2006. Hopefully, some of you will use your gift cards to purchase some of these albums and either a) dance in the dark. b) do the twist. c) conduct some one handed pushups a la Justin Hart. d) practice your gymnastics or e) put on your mother's lipstick. And heeeeeeere we go.

10)

The Blue Scholars - The Blue Scholars (Re-Release) - This happens to be the only rap group on the list and I must say that it has an old school rap type feel to it. More Jurassic 5 than Ghostface and I recommend everyone pick it up if they get the chance. Just a duo from Seattle. This happens to be a re-release of a 2004 album with 3 extra songs on it, but I found it in 2006, so I'm stretching it a bit. Still, it's good. Nod your head to this.

Favorite Tracks - The Ave. (one of my favorite rap songs ever) and Blue School

9)

Islands - Return to the Sea - What's left of the Unicorns? Well, whatever's left is still pretty damn good b/c the remnants are the Islands. I have to say that Rough Gem and Jogging Gorgeous Summer have made it on about 15 mixes I've made this year, so I guess that would classify this as one of my Top 10. Very lighthearted pop music. In fact, it's the epitome of pop. I should put in a thanks to Meena for "supposedly" introducing me to this band. Although there is a great deal of speculation regarding this claim. :)

Favorite Tracks - Rough Gem, Jogging Gorgeous Summer, and Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby. (I guess she wants him to call her Miss Houston, but only if you're nasty).

8)

Ratatat - Classics - Normally, you wouldn't see an all instrumental band make my Top 10 for a month, much less a full year, but I have to say EVERY single time I hear anything off of this CD, I tap my foot and stomp my feet. (you remember back in the day saying, "I can clap my hands and I can stomp my feet, I might be retarded, but I can say PEACE!") Anyways, check it out if you ever want some absolute great background music at a party. It's absolutely CLASSIC. Get it???!?

Favorite Tracks - Loud Pipes, Tropicana.

7)

Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Don't get me wrong. I love B&S's stuff from the early days while Isobell Campbell still provided a nice change up to Stuart's voice, but something about this CD makes me want to dance. And the only thing that the old stuff did was make me want to turn the lights off in my room and cut myself (again, don't get me wrong, I love it). But you can definitely tell the Isobell influence as ever since she left, the two records they've made (Dear Catastrophe Waitress and The Life Pursuit) have been danceariffic and although I have never been anywhere where people were dancing to anything but rap (that's what happens when you live in Yorktown), I would think it would be fun to bop around to. Oh wait, I saw them live and I DID bop around to them. So there, rap dancers. Take that like the British boy band.

Favorite Tracks - We are the Sleepyheads (by far my favorite and a great one live!) and For the Price of a Cup of Tea

6)

M. Ward - Post-War - I really think this could be higher if I had gotten it earlier in 2006. This is a phenomenal album and I was really turned onto it by the KCRW Morning Become Eclectic Video Podcast (if you have a video iPOD, go sign up for this right now). Through a variety of outlets, I have been lucky enough to been turned onto some of the best streaming radio stations known to man (KCRW, KEXP, WOXY, and NPR, specifically). Thanks to those who turned me onto these. You know who you are and I love you. All of you. So, back to Post-War. This is such a great album and I have to say that I really love Matt's voice. Unfortunately, I haven't jumped in headfirst into the back catalog yet, but I will and at that point, I'll be sure to throw some reviews up here. But, I find this album to be a great roadtrip album. I'm not really sure why, but something about it is great for driving. Also, if you get a chance, grab the podcast off KCRW.

Favorite Tracks - To Go Home, Poison Cup, and Chinese Translation

5)

Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country - A phenomenal album. Singer sounds a bit like The Concretes lead singer but a bit softer. "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" could be up for BK Song of the Year, but I believe that will come later. This band also happens to have a video podcast on KCRW, so I would have to suggest you check that out if you get the chance. Again, it's free. I think I might actually go see them at the Satellite Ballroom in January with the Essex Green, so I'll report back to you on how good they are. Hard to explain their sound. I guess The Essex Green, Pretty Girls Make Graves, and maybe some Jenny Lewis would be comparable. Oh, but their Scottish. And that makes them even greater. No, they do not wear kilts. No there are no bagpipes. Yes, you are a dick.

Favorite Tracks - Tears for Affairs (I've listened to this approximately infinity times) and Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken

4)

Tapes N' Tapes - The Loon - Woo hoo! Insistor and Cowbell rawked my face off on more than one occasion. Very hard to classify this as anything other than indie rock. Probably the most rocking of any of the bands on this list as I decided to leave off The Thermals, The Hold Steady, and The Arctic Monkeys. "Just Drums" has such a distinct beginning that I think I could hear it if it was played backwards over a Danzig record. Yeah, I am that good. "Cowbell"s "So sure, so sure, so sure" is the best part of any song that came out this year. No doubt.

Favorite Tracks - Insistor, Cowbell, Just Drums (#1 side 1, track 1 of the year)

3)

Girl Talk - Night Ripper (click on the link and it will give you a play-by-play on all of the samples on the CD) - Seriously, this is unlike anything I've ever heard. When I heard the Avalanches record a few years ago, I thought, "This is the best sampling that will ever be done". And then Gregg Gillis comes and literally 'rips' that to shreds. To be able to use Ludacris, Elton John, Salt N' Pepa, CCR, and Neutral Milk Hotel in one CD and never miss a 'beat', that is talent. And although that suckered me into wasting money on his first CD, I will have to say that it was worth it. His live show is also considered to be unbelievable. If you EVER want a CD to play at a party, this is the CD you MUST get. I've made probably 20 copies for friends and every single one of them can't take it out of their CD player. Biggie Smalls over Tiny Dancer. Wow.

Favorite Tracks - Smash Your Head and Bounce That

2)

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife - I waited with great anticipation for this CD to come out and I was not disappointed. This was #1 from the NPR listeners and #3 in John Richards list from KEXP. I was deathly afraid this would be the undoing of Colin Meloy and the Decemberists as they were moving to a major label, but it ended up being better than their three previous efforts (Picaresque, Castaways and Cutouts, and Her Majesty, the Decemberists). It is one of those records that (like Girl Talk and Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea) should be played from beginning to end without breaking it up in mixes and things of that nature (not that that has stopped me from putting Summersong and Yankee Bayonet on a few choice mixes). On a side note, did anyone see Chris Funk (the Decemberists's guitarist) the other night on The Colbert Report. He wailed. And personally, I think he was better than Peter Frampton. Maybe because Frampton looked like a fidgety old codger that is over the hill. Long live Funk and long live The Decemberists!

Favorite Tracks - Yankee Bayonet, Summersong, Shankill Butchers

DRUMROLL PLEASE!!

1)

Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche (Outtakes from the Illinois Album) - WHA-WHA-WHAT??? A B-side album as the best album of 2006? Yes. It had my favorite song of the year by far on it, "The Henney Buggy Band". Sufjan Stevens might as well be King Midas. Every single song he sings on, plays on, or in any way participates in is absolute beauty to me. I do have a tendency to fall in love with an artist, but not like this. This guy is magic. And this album is magic. Paired with the actual Illinois album (by far the best album of 2005), it is such an amazing collection of songs. I don't know if he'll actually try to finish the 'states' project, but I have to admit, if he stops now, I would be satisfied. The Michigan album and the Illinois album will be framed on my wall one day (right now, I have Wire's Pink Flag, Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, REM's Murmur, and The Shins's Oh Inverted World framed). The horns and the amount of texture he puts into every song has the ability to make me feel the music and as lame as that sounds, it's the truth. It's the same way I felt when I fell in love with NMH. It's like an epiphany. Anyways, I'll stop raving about Sufjan and just tell you that if you were afraid of this album b/c it's B-Sides, please don't be. Please go buy it and hold it tight to your bosom and dream of gorgeous Sufjan melodies while you kiddies sleep.

Favorite Tracks - The Henney Buggy Band (Favorite song of the year), Dear Mr. Supercomputer, Adlai Stevenson, and Pittsfield

So, that's the list. I would like to take this time to also mention a podcast I heard today that was automatically downloaded from KEXP and that was Michael Franti (the leader of Michael Franti and Spearhead). This live podcast could eventually change my life. It speaks of interaction with the human race and fighting the feeling of exclusion in a day where war, isolation, consumerism, and detachment all beat us down each and every day through TV, radio, newspaper, politics, etc. Anyways, this guy went and took some buddies to Iraq barefoot with only an acoustic guitar and visited troops, Iraqi people, Palestinians, Israelites, etc. and spoke with everyone and recorded these adventures on a DVD called "I Know I'm Not Alone". It sounded like it could be an unbelievable DVD that really reaches the heart of the people that are affected by these conflicts and provides a different perpsective than what we see on the news. He suggested this website to everyone as it tells true stories from Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have served and give you an opinion on what they saw from their own mouths. I read a few of them and I definitely recommend taking the time to just check a story or two out if you get the chance. www.optruth.com.

Did anyone get that Twisted Sister Christmas album yet? It's getting rave reviews. Seriously. I'm not lying. This isn't a joke. Dee Snider rocks my Jingle Balls off.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Please feel free to leave comments with your Top 5, Top 10, let's just say top albums, moments, or movies or whatever of 2006. I'd love to hear some opinions.

We'll end with a lyric from Michael Franti and that would be, "You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace". Ain't that the truth. I challenge all my friends that read this blog to do something philanthropic in 2007. Reach out to someone else and connect with them. I don't do it enough and I think I'm going to try. Let me know if you have any ideas. I'd love to help.

I love you all. Here's to a great 2007.

- Brad