top albums of 2006?
I’m working on my top albums of 2006 list. I’ll have my list posted probably Thursday because I need to have it done Wednesday for my “Top Albums/ Releases of 2006” special on my radio show. In the meantime, though, here is a list of some good albums from 2006. Have I missed any? What are your favorites?
In no particular order:
- Eric Bachmann To the Races
- Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America
- Girl Talk Night Ripper
- Damien Jurado And Now That You’re In My Shadow
- Beirut Gulag Orkestar
- Sufjan Stevens Avalanche
- Sufjan Stevens Songs for Christmas box set
- Long Winters Putting the Days to Bed
- Cat Power The Greatest
- David Bazan Fewer Moving Parts EP
- Soft Drugs In Moderation EP
- Johnny Cash American V
- Mountain Goats Get Lonely
- Fionn Regan End of History (came out in england at least)
- Bishop Allen Month EPs
- ms john soda notes and the like
- Danielson Ships
- V/A Eccentric Soul 9: Big Mack Label
- V/A Eccentric Soul 11: Good God! a Gospel Funk Hymnal
- Elvis Perkins Ash Wednesday
- Built to Spill You in Reverse
- Album Leaf Into the Blue Again
- Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy The Letting Go
- Swan Lake Beast Moans
- Belle and Sebastian Life Pursuit
- Mates of State Bring it Back
- Mogwai Mr. Beast
- Centro-Matic Fort Recovery
Thoughts?
[Also, I’ve been rediculous this year in CD purchasing. The only albums among that list that I don’t personally own: Fionn Regan, ms john soda, Danielson, V/A Big Mack, Built to Spill, Belle and Sebastian, Centro-Matic. I’ve heard all of those extensively, though.]
December 11th, 2006 at 2:16 pm
The ones on this list that I immediately fell for: Beirut, Sufjan, Long Winters, David Bazan, Fionn Regan and Album Leaf.
I’m pretty excited to hear the Eric Bachmann, Cat Power and Mountain Goats, as there are songs from those albums that I am in love with.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
I see two good albums on the list. You’re missing the best album of 2006.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:48 pm
Jesse, which two good albums?
I did not particularly like this Flaming Lips album.
December 12th, 2006 at 9:18 am
Eh-hem. Fuck you.
December 12th, 2006 at 9:42 am
That’s not to say I disliked it, it just didn’t grab me.
December 12th, 2006 at 11:14 am
Well, you didn’t add it to your arbitrarily long unordered list of mediocre albums. So, allow me to repeat myself: fuck you.
December 12th, 2006 at 11:38 am
It’s nothing personal, Jesse, geez. Settle down, Mr. Foul Language.
My “arbitrary list” is albums I’ve listened to at least 5 or 10 times each this year and feel I know enough about to compare and order in a list of best albums.
How many of these “mediocre” albums have you listened all the way through that you can call all of them mediocre?
December 12th, 2006 at 12:54 pm
As has been the case all along, I am settled.
I said the list was arbitrarily long. I did not claim that the items on the list had been arbitrarily chosen. Since you decided to explain your selection critera I will point out the following: having a known ordinal is a peculiar requirement for membership to an unordered list.
And, just for good measure: fuck you.
December 12th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
I believe “Be Still Please” by Portastatic deserves a spot on your list. If you haven’t listened to it the requisite 5-10 times, then get listening. “Sour Shores”, “Black Buttons”, “I’m in Love (with Arthur Dove)”, “You Blanks” (despite the rampant use of the F-word), and “Cheers and Applause” are all excellent songs. The rest of the songs on the album are pretty good, too.
December 12th, 2006 at 2:19 pm
Colin, yeah, I should get listening–I’ve actually asked for that one for Christmas (based on your recommendation). I know my list is never going to be perfect. Like my list from last year is still pretty good, but since then some albums (like The Hold Steady’s Separation Sunday) have had a chance to grow on me.
There are a number of albums that I realize I’m not going to be able consider for the list because I haven’t had a chance to digest them yet, like the +/- album, the Early Day Miners record, and that Portastatic album. There’s just too much good music out there!
Also, the f-bomb can add to a song; for example, “The Blankest Year” by Nada Surf, in part because of it’s pretty melodic repeated use of that word.
December 13th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
I am as big a Flaming Lips fan as there is, and I don’t think the new album is that good. It certainly doesn’t hold up to Yoshimi or Soft Bulletin. But even if those albums never existed, I still wouldn’t think the new album was very good.
I really love the TV on the Radio record but wish it was about half as long.
I didn’t think it was that great a year for releases. I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head. I didn’t like the Cat Power, Built to Spill, or Bonny Prince Billy that much, and I like all three of them very much.