We asked many of our favorite artists to tell us what they enjoyed listening to in 2006, and some were kind enough to take the time to reply. From Lupe to Joanna to Sonic Youth, here s what was on tour bus stereos in 2006: This is a fantastic record. There is a really ethereal quality to her work, and most times while listening to her records I find myself wandering off to some dusty corner of my mind or daydreaming til the record stops.
This may be a stretch, but her music for me is in many ways reminiscent of listening to a raga. There s kind of a droning quality to it with tones bending in and out, yet still an overarching direction to the music that unfolds in beautiful and strange ways. The fusion of her voice, acoustic guitar, hand drums, bells, blips, beeps, and birds, to name a few, is really unlike anything I ve heard and, all put together, a deep listening experience.
I saw the video for I Gotcha on music television in the UK recently, and it really knocked me off my chair and put me in a super giddy state. Hands were in the air, and I may have been dancing from bed to bed. Well, the record is pretty sweet as well.
It s slick and slammin at the same time but I especially like the natural production qualities-- live drums and horns in a really satisfying fun party-time record. This album blows my mind. From start to finish it s a complete emotional/psychological experience.
At times it makes me totally uncomfortable. At other times it s just fucking gorgeous. I can t ever listen to just one song off of it.
It would be like watching just one scene from a movie, totally out of context. It s brilliant. I loved The Milk-Eyed Mender, so I had high hopes for this record and I was not disappointed.
I really like the orchestration and allegorical lyrics. She is truly one of the important songwriters of our time. He is stepping up the bar for pop music and himself.
Timbaland s drum programming is clean, intelligent, and has an organic feel that is lacking in many types of music. Justin s phrasing contains hints of the great soul singers before him but does so in a way that is fresh and accessible to our generation. That makes this only a semi-guilty pleasure for me.
1. The Black Angels: Passover
2. Cadence Weapon: Breaking Kayfabe
4.
Johnny and the Moon: Johnny and the Moon
5. Lupe Fiasco: Food Liquor
6. Man Man: Six Demon Bag
8.
Subtitle: Terrain to Roam
9. Sunset Rubdown: Shut Up I Am Dreaming
10. Soul Position: Things Go Better With RJ and Al
12.
Tim Hecker: Harmony in Ultraviolet 1. The Bee Gees: The Studio Albums 1967-1968
2. Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band: Doc at the Radar Station
3.
Cat Power: The Greatest
4. Grizzly Bear: Yellow House
5. Joan of Arc: Eventually, All at Once
6.
Karen Dalton: It s So Hard to Tell Who Is Going to Love You the Best
7. Tom Waits: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers Bastards 1. Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
3.
Love Is All: Nine Times That Same Song
4. Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
5. CSS: Cansei De Ser Sexy 1.
Melvins with Big Business: (A) Senile Animal
3. The Mars Volta: Amputechure
5. Wolfmother: Wolfmother 1.
George Jones / Merle Haggard: Kickin Out the Footlights hellip;Again
2. Isis: In the Absence of Truth
3. The Mars Volta: Amputechture
5.
Converge: No Heroes 1. The Anomoanon: The Derby Ram and Joji
It is fucking bizarre that lots of people aren t hip to these guys. The best vibes.
2. Baby Dee: A Book of Songs for Anne Marie
3. Endless Boogie: 1 and 2
Endless Boogie provides pure insight.
Paul Major and Jesper Eklow are currently Earth s strongest guitar team. Mr. Major s vocals induce blushing.
4. Isley Brothers: Baby Makin Music
Puts Mr. Chavez in a great mood.
5. Slayer: Christ Illusion
King and co. serve up the fresh and tasty jamz.
Tom Araya s voice is on the extra strength, lyrics are smart and focused, guitars and drums sound like they re being played by dudes who are psyched. Inspirational. 6.
Andrew W.K.: Close Calls With Brick Walls
This is the music of dreams.
Highly advanced. The first track is the song of 2006. Sweendog plays some leads on here.
1. Badgerlore: Stories for Owls
2. Carla Bozulich: Evangelista
3.
Ches Smith: Congs for Brums
4. Final Fantasy: He Poos Clouds
5. Larsen: SeieS 1.
Mary Halvorson and Jessica Pavone: Prairies
2. Shelley Burgon/Trevor Dunn: Baltimore
3. Melvins: Houdini Live 2005
4.
Nels Cline: New Monastary: A View Into the Music of Andrew Hill
5. Curtis Hasselbring: New Mellow Edwards 1. Pink Mountaintops: Axis of Evol
2.
Fireball: Blessed Be
3. Black Dice: Broken Ear Record
4. Extra Golden: Ok-Oyot System
5.
Broadcast: The Future Crayon
1. February: Neu! meets Bob Seger in the locker room.
It s the middle of February, and the middle school hockey team I coach is 1-4-1. Now sure, that tie should ve been a win, but even so it s clear my guys need a little inspiration, so I bring in some music for locker-room pump up jams. It seems like the nonstop AC/DC we ve been rocking so far is, while serviceable, maybe going a little stale.
I make a killer mix, including some Chrome, some Neurosis, and most importantly, Hallogallo by Neu!. You know, for focus.
Anyway, some of the guys on this team, which is 11-13-year-old boys, are real rockers-- and Charlie (a tremendous bass player, by the way) hears that Krautrock chug for about 15 seconds, a grin splits his face, and he starts singing Bob Seger s Hollywood Nights along with it. And, lo and behold, it works-- perfectly. We go on to lose our final two games, but I ve never been prouder of my team.
2. May: Liars at All Tomorrow s Parties in Camber Sands, England
This amazing performance, the huge crowd totally buying what Liars are selling, and the seaside arcade atmosphere somehow combine for the best live rock moment of the year for me. There aren t many bands that I ve seen at least 10 times and still want to see over and over again-- maybe just these guys, Oakley Hall, and Dirty Faces.
How often do we get a tight, simple, soulful pop song that does the hucklebuck all over the line between the psychedelic and religious understanding? Not often enough, I realize. 4.
October: Sinoia Caves: The Enchanter Persuaded
The most powerfully dislocating musical moment of the year for me-- walking in an urban wilderness during the New England autumn, transported by drones and blips to some cosmic harvest festival. I walk around, lost among trees that don t grow naturally on this continent as fall sunshine reassures me that I ll get home eventually, though it s not quite up to me when. I return home and reread Alice in Wonderland later this afternoon.
Musical retrenchment. My idol and greatest inspiration creeps out of the creaking woodwork of my mind, and the next thing you know my living room is piled with LPs I haven t listened to in a lifetime. I m inspired to read an article about Monk online, which instantly reminds me why I despise so much jazz and so many of its fans.
Sorry, losers, I m taking back Monk for our side. 1. FM3: The Buddha Machine
2.
Lupe Fiasco: Food Liquor
3. Bill Wells Maher Shalal Hash Baz: Osaka Bridge
4. Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale
5.
Benni Hemm Hemm: Benni Hemm Hemm 2. The Similou: All This Love
3. Brakes: The Beatific Visions
4.
Hood: (The) Weight
5. +44: When Your Heart Stops Beating 1. Mystery Jets: Making Dens
2.
Noisettes: What s The Time Mr. Wolf?
4.
Acoustica: Alarm Will Sound Performs Aphex Twin
5. Joanna Newsom: Ys 1. Yo La Tengo: I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
I love this band, the fact that they ve been going on for 20 years, but still manage to feel fresh and come up with even greater stuff all the time.
I love that they re just a trio and make the most out of it, and that they go from cute lullabies to totally trashing guitar strings. Everybody should take a lesson out of that diversity. But the albums are a bit to long, I admit.
They re also fantastic live. These past few years I ve been reaching back to old folk and blues for genuine kicks. I guess I m getting old.
Of course M. Ward fits nicely into this, but with new fantastic songs. This new album is just as good as Transistor Radio.
It feels and sounds totally natural and unfettered in a laidback way. 3. Camera Obscura: Let s Get Out of This Country
Some people said our album was their album of the summer, which is really kind.
Well, this was my album of the summer. Some people, I guess, see them as the new Belle Sebastian, but I prefer CO any day. I guess it s the combination of Tracyanne Campbell s vocals, the lyrics, and maybe even our Bjorn s string arrangements.
I m not a sucker for any old twee, and even though CO have the qualities of good twee, they have so much more. Maturity, soul, and refrains among other things. Me and my girlfriend plugged the iPod into mini-mini-speakers and brought this with us to the sea and watched the July sunset.
Lovely. We re touring with CO (and Yo La Tengo and Love Is All) next year in Australia, and we re gonna ask Tracy to do Young Folks with us some night, which would be great. 4.
Love Is All: Nine Times the Same Song
I saw Love Is All for the first time a couple of years ago, and it was a total energizer and buttkick. This album makes me feel the same. They have the qualities of the good new post-punk bands, but also something even rawer, rock n rollish even.
And also great indie-ballads like Turn the Radio Off . I m so glad they have made it and like us after they have passed 30. It s the best age really.
5. Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
I m gonna swear in the indiechurch and admit I have never been a huge SY-fan. I ve heard them ever so often and liked it just fine, but never felt the urge to seek out all their back catalogue.
But this album is just so beautiful. Our sound engineer Thomas lent it to me during a ride in the bus during a UK tour, and I was totally captured. (Thanks, Thomas!
) The way the guitars interact and collide, they way there s always something going on under the surface, getting prepared to attack, but never really doing it. Letting the melodies have their say. It s really subtle and makes guitar rock feel like the future.
Also I like that the songs are, in comparison to some of their work, quite brief. 1. VERT: Some Beans and an Octopus
2.
Markku Peltola: Buster Keaton Tarkistaa L a nnen ja Id a n
3. Sun OK Papi K.O.
: Orchestre Philharmonok
4. Candie Hank: Groucho Running
5. Mr.
Oizo: Half a Scissor
6. Uske Orchestra: Niko et la Berlue
7. DJ Sombrero the Santa Experience: Bootlegs
8.
Holger Hiller Thomas Fehlmann: Wir Bauen Eine Stadt
9. Jason Forrest: Shamelessly Exciting
2. Beach House: Beach House
3.
Broadcast: The Future Crayon
4. Scott Walker: The Drift
5. Growing: Color Wheel 1.
House of Hiss: Greatest Hiss
2. Loose Fur: Born Again in the USA
3. Phoenix: It s Never Been Like That
4.
Elvis Costello: My Flame Burns Blue
5. Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
1. Joanna Newsom: Ys
2.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones
3. Mastodon: Blood Mountain
4. Woven Hand: Mosaic
5.
Converge: No Heroes 1. Christine Fellows: Paper Anniversary
Because I am a sad music-obsessive whose condition just gets worse every year, I spent a lot of time in 2006 debating whether Paper Anniversary qualified as a 2006 release. After all, it was released in Canada-- to much acclaim-- in 05.
In the end, I had to conclude that this question was moronic. Christine Fellows is writing better songs than anybody else. Everybody else is actually quite pathetic next to her.
2. Om: Conference of the Birds
Completely owned my spring. If anybody ever talks to me at a party using words like the Om dude uses to describe his interest in light and forms and stuff, I ll punch him.
But this isn t a party. It s a big-ass drone, man. 3.
Anouar Brahem Trio: La Voyage de Sahar
You will get clowned if you tell people that an album of Tunisian oud music is what s totally slaying you lately, so just say it s jazz. The album is incredible, anyhow. 4.
DJ Drama Lil Wayne: Dedication 2
Lil Eazy E s Cali Untouchable Radio 14 is sorta my favorite mixtape overall this year, because that West Coast sound will always reach me. But lyrically Lil Wayne is perched on a throne made out of skulls, overlooking a desolate plain across which his innumerable inferiors crawl, unable to tolerate the incandescent light of his raw skill. Even his lesser couplets dazzle.
5. Amon Amarth: With Oden on our Side
These guys muscled past Regurgitate (barely) and Krisiun and Gorelord and Planes Mistaken for Stars and a whole mess of other great metal albums, and with what? Songs about goin to war on behalf of the Swedish king.
Hell yeah. Truly, Johan Hegg is the Lil Wayne of war metal. 1.
Scott Walker: The Drift
2. Wyrd Visions: The Half Eaten Guitar
3. Jakob Olausson: Moonlight Farm
5.
The Handsome Family: Last Days of Wonder 1. Snax: Love Pollution
2. Mocky: Navy Brown Blues
3.
Max Turner: Purple Pro
4. Schneider TM: Skoda Mluvit
5. Herbert: Scale 1.
Spank Rock: YoYoYoYoYo
I have no idea why a hip-hop record this inventive didn t make a bigger dent in the public consciousness. Whilst it is still a bit drum-machine heavy, you can forgive it when the breadth of style and cheek extends this far. 2.
Tom Waits: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers Bastards
He s almost the Madonna of the leftfield, he s so ubiquitous. I m sure this overlong but suitably brilliant record will appear in many end-of-year charts. My excuse is that I first heard him aged 11 and have grown pubic hair whilst listening to his voice creak up and down the scales like the rusty car springs in Eddie Grace s Buick.
3. Mica Levi: Blank Blank Blank
Not quite a fair addition as it s not out yet, but it falls neatly in my 2006. Amongst many other sonic ticks, it has a little of Spank Rock and Tom Waits.
Spank Tom, I suppose. Britain produces its first grime/singer-songwriter crossover. Not fair to be this interesting at 19.
4. Holden: The Idiots Are Winning
Just sneaking in before the end of the year. Predictable in a way, since dance music has long needed a decent, inventive artist album.
Listening to twelve inches in record shops, and waiting for the genres to inch forward has become akin to wading through treacle. This one has both dance floor gunt and brain twitching noises to push it head and shoulders above the soggy mass. 5.
Matmos: The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
A record with extraordinary noises on it. Sonic surprise is a harder and harder trick to pull off, but Martin and Drew manage it with aplomb here. Some ballsier production might help one or two tracks lift off from their conceptual moorings, but churlish to suggest that this is anything other than the next in a series of vital, purposeful and considered albums.
1. MV EE With the Bummer Road: Green Blues
3. Magic Markers: A Panegyric to the Things I Do Not Understand
4.
Believers: Lost Tracks
5. GHQ: Cosmology of Eye 4. CSS: Alala (Bonde do Role Remix)
5.
The Gossip: Standing in the Way of Control (Soulwax Version) 1. Anna Ternheim: Separation Road
2. The Knife: Silent Shout
3.
I m From Barcelona: Let Me Introduce My Friends
4. Marit Bergman: I Think It s a Rainbow
1. Hot Chip: The Warning
I ve worn this CD out twice and gotten a third copy.
I just like to sing along to it, and I love their harmonies and videos. If I could, I d hit the road and be a Hot Chip groupie. 2.
Final Fantasy: He Poos Clouds
Okay, I m a little biased here, but this is a fine, fine album from a fine, fine man. 3. TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
Quite obviously the album of the year, across the board, for everyone.
There s a reason why: It s just simply excellent and endlessly listenable. 4. The Knife: Silent Shout I ve been in love with this band for a few years now, and when all the sudden success hit them this time around for Silent Shout, I was beyond excited, as I just think they rule all around.
5. The last spot is a tie between Girl Talk s Night Ripper and Chad VanGaalen s Skelliconnection. 1.
Thom Yorke: The Eraser
2. Shinedoe: Different Faces
3. Sascha Funke: In Between Days 12
4.
Schubert: Don t Believe the Cord Pop-Hype (A-Side)
2. The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers
5. Klaxtons: Xan Valleys EP
6.
CSS: Cansei De Ser Sexy
1. Sparklehorse: Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain
2. Derek Bailey: To Play: The Blemish Sessions
4.
TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
5. Chris Watson BJ Nilsen: Storm
6. Lost in Hildurness: Mount A
8.
aMute: The Sea Horse Limbo
9. Polwechsel: Archives of the North
11. Leafcutter John: The Forest and the Sea
1.
AGF 3 SUE.C: Minimovies AGF is one of the most active and adorable female electronic musicians. She keeps on working on her sound like a scientist, and that s what I like about her music.
Her album with short films by SUE.C is totally inspiring to me. She s creating soundscapes but never finishes the idea, which makes it so interesting.
The short films by SUE.C are made of photo stills, very beautiful and perfectly fitting to the music. 2.
Hot Chip: The Warning
Hot Chip is the new thing-- I know, but after I saw them live this summer I fell in love with them. A bunch of good dance-energy! And of course I love their latest album.
3. The Books: Thought for Food
The Books invented their own music - the new album just follows this idea. I will go to see a concert on December 16-- I can t wait!
4. James Figurine: Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake
5. Super 700: Super 700
Super 700 is a young band from Berlin.
Their single Here Goes the Man touched me the first time I heard it on the radio. They combine pop guitar music with strange harmonies-- a thing in music I m absolutely looking for all the time. 1.
TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
2. Miss Violetta Beauregarde: Odi Profanum Vulgus et Arceo
3. Spank Rock: YoYoYoYoYo
5.
Madlib: The Dudley Perkins Expressions Instrumentals
6. Crystal Skulls: Outgoing Behavior
7. Dr.
Dog: Takers and Leavers
8. Girl Talk: Night Ripper
10. The Raconteurs: Broken Boy Soldiers If you don t have much time to check out 12 s this one is a quick reminder of how much good stuff is coming out of this genre.
[Shinehead s] Billie Jean is awesome...
2. The Roots: Game Theory
Not as good as some of their records but still keeping the bar high. My favorite hip-hop group?
3. Wayne Shorter: Beyond the Sound Barrier
Excellent jazz album, recorded live. One of the most inspiring records of the year.
4. Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
I m a huge fan of the group, and they don t disappoint even after all these years. 5.
Hanoi Rocks: Up Around the Bend: The Definite Collection
Hmm hellip;I guess I m homesick or something. Old Finnish glam rock. Have no explanation for this.
6. Me Shell NdegeOcello: Dance of the Infidel
Quite interesting stuff. Always been a fan of her stuff.
1. Metallic Falcons: Desert Doughnuts
2. Kevin Barker: Ghost Man on First Reissue
3.
Joanna Newsom: Ys
4. Joan as Policewoman: Real Life
5. Cocteau Twins: Lullabies to Violaine 1.
Sam Roberts: Chemical City
2. Sonic Youth: Rather Ripped
3. Avec Pas d casque: Trois Chaudi res de Sang
5.
...
Trail of Dead: So Divided
6. Vulgaires Machins: Compter les Corps
7. The Dears: Gang of Losers
8.
The Beatles: Love
9. Pawa Up First: Introducing New Details
10. Thom Yorke: The Eraser 1.
Arthur Russell: First Thought Best Thought
2. Various Artists: Tomorrow People: Rare Original Television Music
3. Belbury Poly: The Owl s Map
4.
Gas Shepherds: Gas Shepherds
5. Wooden Wand The Vanishing Voice: Gipsy Freedom 1. Whispertown 2000: Livin in a Dream
If Randy Newman and Lucinda Williams did it in a New York minute, it might sound like this.
This record has some of my favorite lyrics, ever. 2. Bob Dylan: Modern Times
Somehow, this sounds like a Christmas record.
Santa, you ain t gonna work for me no more! 3. Lil Wayne: Tha Carter II
I feel a kinship with Lil Wayne, because we both made our first mil before we were 17.
Fuck bitches, get money...
This record puts me in a trance. Not an evil or murderous trance, but a happy, old-timey one. 5.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium
1 for the now, 11 for the later? John Frusciante s guitar tone and background vocals are dreamy. I didn t see it, but apparently these guys tore up Fuji rock.
1. Test Icicles: For Screening Purposes Only
2. Cecil Otter: Rebel Yellow
3.
The Velvet Teen: Cum Laude
4. The Plastic Constellations: Crusades
5. Birdman Lil Wayne: Like Father, Like Son
6.
Lupe Fiasco: Food Liquor
8. TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain
9. Mel Gibson and the Pants: w/Guitar
10.
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