Top Albums of 2006
By: Music Staff |
Sunday January 28, 2007 |
| Counting down #25 - #11. |
| 2006 - Am I just a "the glass is half-full" guy? I don't know. What I do know is that I found the state of music in 2006 to be uninspiring overall. I feel a great cleansing coming on to shake everyone out of their doldrums. Like the arrival of rock 'n roll, of punk, of hip-hop, of alternative rock…something big to shake people awake. Maybe that's being a little too general. After all, I found great pleasure in Pop, R&B and Hip-Hop this year. And quite honestly, my year was filled by the arrival of Howard Stern on SIRIUS satellite radio (as well as Stern's counterpart on his Howard 101 channel, Bubba the Love Sponge). Perhaps if music had been a more intriguing alternative, I would have sought a balance.
It is really rock music that needs a wake up call. Indie rock in particular. If ever there was a genre of music that was playing it safe, it's what is commonly referred to as "college rock." Save for a narrow field of instances (Silversun Pickups, The Decemberists, Arctic Monkeys are some that come to my mind), indie rock has grown complacent and dull. A blueprint was made and pale white guys copied the shit out of it in 2006. Making challenging, vibrant music has been replaced by a need to sustain a business model. You can be a mildly successful band for potentially decades now if you are savvy enough business-wise (pimp yourself on You Tube, Friendster & MySpace!) and don't ruffle the feathers of indie-rock fans (who have officially become the same as the punk fans of old--all in the same outfit, all of the same mindset and all judgmental of anyone who dares move outside of their precious circle). This is probably just a cyclical thing, but if ever there was a time for a musical enema, 2007 is it. Below is the beginning of our Year-End Countdown to 2006 (#'s 25 to #11). Due to a tie at #25, I decided to make it "one louder" as Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnell once said. Some of these albums I am personally overjoyed to see make our list. Others? Not so much. But that's what's great about democracies. We'll try to set 2007 off on the right foot. We hope you join us. Brett Hickman Managing Editor Static Multimedia's Top Albums of 2006 (#26 - #11) 25. (tie) Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops (Reprise) 
The Secret Machines are prog-rock's gateway drug. They lure you in with their tight hipster pants, their Brooklyn-via-Dallas good looks, and epic yet strangely accessible sound. Next thing you know, you're listening to songs that are eight minutes long but not meant for dancing and going to see a band whose light show is the most important part of their stage show. And as if that weren't enough, they toured the US this year…in the ROUND. If that's not prog, I don't know what is. Now excuse me whilst I go buy some King Crimson records. - Donna Brown
25. (tie) Eagles of Death Metal - Death By Sexy (Downtown) 
Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme may have been kicked off of Guns 'n Roses' tour after only one show (with the puffy faced Axl Rose dubbing them "Pigeons of Shit Metal" and firing them right then and there), but I'm sure they're not hurting too much. Hughes and Homme have crafted one of the most endearing, tongue in cheek rock records of the year. One that mines the depths of male immaturity while somehow being, well…sexy. Thrusting, pounding and rock hard, Death By Sexy is what makes for both great physical intimacy and great rock 'n roll. Take that one to heart, Axl. - Brett Hickman
24. Nelly Furtado - Loose (Geffen) 
Furtado's flirtations with the R&B world in the past, contributing vocals on songs by Missy Elliot and The Roots, rose like oil in water this year with the stellar Loose. Timbaland returned to his rightful perch on the producer front and almost stole the show on Furtado's "Promiscuous Girl" (we'll forget about her saying Steve Nash). The real genius, though, comes through the album of live instruments, ones you can feel in your hand, the lack of computer vocal pitch correcting, which has gone horribly wrong in today's world of pop starlets. It's comfortable saying that this album is top 40 music with a soul. Not only did Loose shed her of the folky-Canadian image, it burst her onto the "sexy" level of the rest of popular music (even though it's a wary lust for some, like when you realize your sister is kind of hot). - Nate Roth
23. CSS - Cansei der Ser Sexy (Sub Pop) 
You always wonder with CSS - when is the other shoe going to drop? One day, live on stage, Lovefoxx will rip off her head to reveal that she is, in fact, John Ashcroft, and lead the indie-hipsters present in a rousing chorus of "Let The Eagle Soar". But until then, we have songs like "Meeting Paris Hilton", "Fuckoff Is Not The Only Word", and, of course, the year-defining "Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above", a sexy song that sees DFA's Losing My Edge, trumps it in hipster cache, and then proceeds to make out with all of the audience. Tremendous. In you can, though, get hold of the original Brazilian release as well; "Computer Heat" and different versions of the tracks on the American album are worth seeking out. - Ian Pointer
22. Tom Petty - Highway Companion (American Recordings) 
Tom Petty is aging gracefully. He makes astute rock music for the Rolling Stone set, but doesn't fall into the bland traps that other Rock Hall of Fame luminaries such as Eric Clapton fall into, like taking safe turns for Grammy's sake. He gets the Grammys anyways, but that's beside the point. On Highway Companion, Petty's third solo outing (never understood why someone with their name in the title of the band's would need to make a solo album, but I digress), he finds his "Saving Grace" taking him back to "Square One" with equal measures dignity and pathos. He may not be a "Rebel" anymore, but Petty has grown stoic, a beacon of how rock 'n roll can age and still remain vital. - Brett Hickman
21. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (Reprise) 
Known for their fondness of quasi-concept albums, My Chemical Romance's third album, The Black Parade, blows any of their past efforts out of the water. The album is dark and somewhat morbid, as has come to be expected of MCR, but it isn't simply a rehashing of old material. The fourteen tracks range over variety of genres, from the jazz-inspired "House of Wolves" to good old rock and roll on songs like "Dead!" and even to ballads such as "Cancer." What is consistent though, is that Gerard Way and company prove that they are not only willing to try new things, they show they are completely capable of succeeding at those endeavors. Long-time fans of MCR might initially balk at their latest reincarnation which reaches back into past rock eras, but The Black Parade is the kind of album that gets better every time you listen to it and is well worth taking the time to do so. - Evelyn Miska
20. Boris - Pink (Southern Lord) 
In a year where the Southern Lord record label received unprecedented attention from both the indie rock press and mainstream outlets (including an extensive profile in the New York Times Magazine), the one band that generated the majority of the praise was a previously obscure Japanese trio named after a Melvins song, that doesn't speak English, and has a diminutive female guitarist who has a sound punishing enough to obliterate metal dudes twice her size. Esoteric, yes, but hugely accessible, as their umpteenth album (these kids redefine the word "prolific") runs the gamut of guitar-drenched rock, from brilliantly-executed, gorgeous shoegazer ("Farewell"), to the cathartic rock 'n' roll of the Stooges and the MC5 ("Pink", "Electric"), to the blunt power of the Melvins ("Blackout"), to the atmospheric drones of labelmates Sunn O))). For a band that has tended to let its albums meander, Pink shows remarkable focus throughout, even on the 18 minute opus "Just Abandoned My-Self", sounding both challenging and instantly likeable at the same time, making it one of the most significant crossover successes in indie rock this year. - Adrien Begrand
19. Thom Yorke - The Eraser (XL Recordings) 
This album practically dropped out of the sky. Radiohead were finishing up a brilliant tour (seriously…I caught them at Chicago's Auditorium and was mesmerized by their awesomeness) when singer Yorke delivered this batch of glitch-y, esoteric, electronic tracks. Musically, The Eraser sounds more claustrophobic and tense than he ever has in Radiohead. This was a scary year and no album better captured the uncertainty of a world on the brink of an impending apocalypse than Yorke's. But in Yorke's vocal emoting there is the glint of hope, that we still have a chance at salvation. We may be bruised and battered, Yorke implies, but we're still alive and as long as we breath and bleed, we'll fight for humanity. - Brett Hickman
18. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Anti-) 
That voice. Sultry, gorgeous, like sitting on a porch somewhere in the South drinking a bottle of whiskey with your friends as the sun goes down, it's always a pleasure listening to Neko Case sing. Fox Confessor Brings The Flood, though, also shows off her deft lyrical ability with phrases like "the girl with the parking-lot eyes" and the amusing correction of "a Falcon sedan 1969 / The paper said '75" in "Star Witness". There are some stunning performances on this record, in particular "John Saw That Number" and "A Widow's Toast" (Case's vocals are ably backed up throughout the record by the lovely Kelly Hogan), proving once again that Neko Case is one of the finest artists around. - Ian Pointer
17. Ghostface Killah - Fish Scale (Def Jam) 
Kickin' it in Davy Jones' locker with Sponge Bob Squarepants, urging crack whores to clean up and go back to school, bumrushing a pal's place to relieve him of his cash and illicit weight - it's all in a day's work for (former?) Wu-Tang Clanner Ghostface Killah. And it's de rigueur in crit-klatches to declare every single last album by Dennis Coles a dazzling work of genius that deserves a slot atop every single Top 10 list for whatever year it's released, Fishscale is the first Ghostface record since 2000's heralded Supreme Clientele to actually earn that distinction by slathering grimy drug/street tales, spitting so hungry you'd think the man had a hell of a lot to prove, and viciously cinematic imagery on soul-sample bread. Ridiculous, profane, and emo as all fuck, Fishscale proves that NYC's most famous underselling rapper has miles to go before he sleeps, or hosts his own reality show, or whatever. - Raymond Cummings
16. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House (Warp) 
Yeah, Grizzly Bear hail from NYC, but there's nothing twee or freak-folkish or ramshackle about Yellow House - these dudes got signed to Warp for their sophomore record for a reason. It's all about gorgeous, kinda-wistful sunset pop seemingly arranged by servotrons - as though these songs were whole machines carefully assembled piece by piece, their designs so intricate and their harmonies so exacting that the whole thing comes off sort of rote and dull when you first sit down with it, and the impulse is "Maybe I'll just give this to Dad for Christmas." But then a few days later Grizzly Bear's perfectionist, ornate tunes are stinging the cerebellum like lye injections and you can't stop babbling about the band to everybody you know. - Raymond Cummings
15. Christina Aguilera - Back To Basics (RCA) 
This 2-disc album stands out as a metaphor for the precious dichotomy that is life; melancholy and elation, thought and action, honesty and deceit. The secret behind the authenticity of the music is Aguilera's sincerity, she is emotionally stripped when unveiling skeletons and this in turn produces tracks that are relatable to anyone. With a plethora of topics ranging from faith in "Makes Me Wanna Pray", to teasing sex in "Candyman", to exculpation in "Mercy on Me" to jonesing love in "Without You". There is a span of gospel, hip-hop and funk from beginning to end that would not be complete without the personal touch by Aguilera. Back to Basics is the result of a confounding journey for a budding virtuoso who is finally exactly where she belongs: as an artist who no longer compromises; and better yet, invites us all to join the sweet ride. - Hydah Walker
14. Justin Timberlake - Future Sex/Love Sounds (Jive) 
I used to fucking abhor *NSYNC, Justin Timberlake's big entry into the world of music. Man, they were just the fucking worst. But then the five cleanly scrubbed guys wrote and recorded with BT and produced a gem of a pop song, oddly enough called "Pop" and I saw a glimmer of potential in this Timberlake kid in particular. He went solo and delivered an okay-ish album that had some amazing singles. After that, the band pretty much ceased to exist and it was all Justin, all the time. On FutureSex/LoveSounds, Timberlake's musical roots dig in deeper and his blossoming here is something extraordinary. Here's a guy who dares to say he's both going for a David Bowie-vibe and bringing "Sexy Back" one minute, croons with the best of R&B's past on "My Love" (a song that makes me understand finally why people like guest TI), and ends the whole thing on one of the most beautiful and elegiac "All Over Again (Another Song)", a tune so stirring it has the potential to make grown me cry. Here, Timberlake manages to make pop music of substance, merging a pop sensibility with an artist's desire to do something more with the form. This is the start of a new era for Timberlake, I predict. He has the potential to reach 70s-era Stevie Wonder heights on his next projects and that ain't no joke. - Brett Hickman
13. Mastodon - Blood Mountain (Reprise) 
Expectations were decidedly lofty as the metal world awaited the major label debut by underground sensation Mastodon. The band's third full-length didn't just exceed expectations, it marked yet another quantum leap by the Atlanta quartet. Not only is the music unflinching, challenging, and at times brutally intense, but it's also very accessible, oddball vocal hooks and crushing-yet-catchy riffs drawing our attention, in preparation for the stylistic intricacy that awaits us. Blood Mountain tops 2004's stellar Leviathan in every way: the production is huge, the dual vocals of Brent Hinds and Troy Sanders are more dynamic, Brann Dailor's drumming is awe-inspiring, and the arrangements are concise and disciplined. Ignore the groans accusing it of being the "token metal album" of 2006. So what if it is? This is a landmark album, the mark of a band fully realizing its potential, the likes of which we haven't seen since Master of Puppets and Reign in Blood 20 years ago. - Adrien Begrand
12. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America (Vagrant) 
Boys and Girls in America, the Hold Steady's third album and arguably its best, showcases something that many people ignore—that the group is one damn good rock band. Sure, leader Craig Finn is an excellent songwriter and his lyrics on this CD are among his best but the rest of the band does not get the respect it deserves. That should change because guitarist Tad Kubler, bassist Galen Polivka, drummer Bobby Drake, and keyboardist Franz Nicolay give Finn's songs on Boys and Girls in America an exhilarating, intelligent sonic backdrop. It is nearly impossible to pick out the disc's best cuts but "You Can Make Him Like You" and "Chips Ahoy!" deserve to be played on rock radio for years to come. - Todd Sikorski
11. Beck - The Information (Geffen) 
You know, maybe the Beatles were really onto something; maybe love really is all you need. Ever since Beck Hansen courted, banged, and married Wooderson's red-headed leftovers - and they had a kid - the California sunchild's Dada-esque pop pasitches have tended towards the pluckily palatable, a welcome change over the 1998-2002 no-man's land when Beck albums were like well-executed readymade to be admired a couple times, then shelved and forgotten forever. Last year's Guero was a step in the right direction, but The Information is flat out fantastic, with our eclectic hero moving into new realms of meta by riffing on his own kitchen-sinkisms and keeping the party moving and grooving and throoming and string-sectioning - a long, long party, mind you - so successful that by the end, everybody's already making plans to come back next year, or the year after that. Love is all, Chris Farley! - Raymond Cummings
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