If I were making my end of year list today...

1. The Thermals – The Body, The Blood, The Machine
2. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
3. Built to Spill – You in Reverse
4. Califone – Roots & Crowns
5. The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
6. The Twilight Singers – Powder Burns
7. Tapes ‘n Tapes – The Loon
8. Eagles of Death Metal – Death By Sexy
9. Aloha – Some Echoes
10. Deadboy & The Elephantmen – We are Night Sky
11. The Walkmen – A Hundred Miles Off
12. Destroyer – Destroyer’s Rubies
13. Mates of State – Bring it Back
14. Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam
15. Phoenix – It’s Never Been Like That
16. Nelly Furtado – Loose
17. Oxford Collapse – Remember the Night Parties
18. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
19. Joseph Arthur – Nuclear Daydream
20. Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan – The Ballad of the Broken Seas

We'll see how it holds up. Nothing's set in stone yet.

I think I've definitely got my ten down. After that it gets hazy.

1. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
2. Decemberists - Crane Wife
3. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
4. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
5. Thermals - The Body, The Blood, the Machine
6. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
7. The Pipettes - We Are the Pipettes
8. I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends
9. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
10. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar

But then again, a lot of that might change.

Two quick notes about my 2006 release listening habits:

-I had a bit of a breakthrough with "Return to Cookie Mountain." First time I heard this record, and most of TVOTR's music, I thought "this is boring and atonal and my patience is wearing thin." Then I actually kind of... paid attention and really gave it pause. I wasn't doing much while it was playing (plus it was on a very good single speaker with a subwoofer and digital sound, which probably had something to do with the "breakthrough" thing). I think I "got it" sort of, but the band's songwriting and vocals... ehhh... still not converted. Maybe I'll come around soon. I look forward to giving this record a headphones listen. I like TVOTR's rhythms and guitar parts, too.

I should see them live again. Last time I was just bored, as much as I tried to get into it.

-"The Crane Wife." God, you know, the Decemberists try SO HARD and I want to give them due credit, but they're just Anglocentric I can barely relate to it sometimes (note to reader: I'm a Jew, so I could culturally relate to something Semitecentric, for example).

The fact that Colin Meloy now is on some prog shit doesn't make him look like any less of a tryhard, you know? Anyway, in theory (if you described it and didn't tell me who the band was) I would really really like this record (of which I've only given half a listen, really, since it doesn't grab me from the outset). Especially if it were done by Rush or Yes.

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
I think I've definitely got my ten down. After that it gets hazy.

Mine's pretty hazy after about 8, so don't feel bad.

Mine looks like this:

1 - J Tillman – Long May You Run
2 - Knife – Silent Shout
3 - Centro-matic – Fort Recovery
4 - Nathan Fake – Drowning In A Sea of Love
5 – Thom Yorke – Eraser
6 – Encre – Encre A Kora EP
7 - Ms John Soda – Notes and the Like
8 - Travel By Sea – Shadows Rise
9 - Elephant Micah – Embarrassment of Riches / Tropical Depression EP
10 – Richard Buckner – Meadow
11 - Espers – Espers II
12 – King Biscuit Time – Black Gold
13 - J. Tillman – Minor Works
14 - Ochre – Lemodie
15 - Mogwai – Mr. Beast
16 - Tenhi – Maaaet
17 - Ladyhawk – Ladyhawk
18 – Snowglobe – Oxytocin
19 - Phelan Sheppard – Harps Old Master
20 - Hot Chip – The Warning
21 - Hello Saferide – Would You Let Me Play This EP Ten Times A Day EP
22 – Chris Bathgate – Throatsleep
23 - Jason Molina – Let Me Go
24 – Margot and the Nuclear So So’s – The Dust of Retreat
25 – V/A - See You On the Moon: Songs For Kids of All Ages

RL, if we got stuck together on a cross-country trip, ocean to ocean, with only 20 discs each from 2006, we'd kill each other before we ever lost sight of the Atlantic.

quote:

Originally posted by m.leland:
RL, if we got stuck together on a cross-country trip, ocean to ocean, with only 20 discs each from 2006, we'd kill each other before we ever lost sight of the Atlantic.

At least if you're limiting it to 2006, you'd be keeping RL from busting out his Gordon Lightfoot discs. After living in Northern Michigan for about 6 years, nothing makes me want to punch someone in the face more than having to sit through "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

No way! "The Wreck of the ed Fitz" is classic!

Besides, I'd pull out some more obscure Gordy songs if it came down to it, like stuff from Shadows or Waiting For You, maybe even Dream Street Rose.

I suspect Leland's statement is nonetheless true.

Also, these 4 are likely to make my top 20-25, but need more listens to determine exactly where:

Eric Bachmann – To the Races
Bellwether – The Stinging Nettles
Harry and the Potters – And the Power of Love
Draco and the Malfoys – Draco and the Malfoys

quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
Eric Bachmann – To the Races

That's probably the most surprising album I've ever heard you say you liked. Maybe there's hope for you yet. I don't suppose you've ever listened to Bachmann's other bands, Archers of Loaf or Crooked Fingers though, right?

I've heard some Crooked Fingers songs, and I like some of them ("Man Who Dies of Nothing At All" and "Crowned In Chrome" come to mind). I tried a few tracks off of their latest, though, and didn't like them much at all. Which is their best album?

quote:

Originally posted by Yay!:
Two quick notes about my 2006 release listening habits:

-I had a bit of a breakthrough with "Return to Cookie Mountain." First time I heard this record, and most of TVOTR's music, I thought "this is boring and atonal and my patience is wearing thin." Then I actually kind of... paid attention and really gave it pause. I wasn't doing much while it was playing (plus it was on a very good single speaker with a subwoofer and digital sound, which probably had something to do with the "breakthrough" thing). I think I "got it" sort of, but the band's songwriting and vocals... ehhh... still not converted. Maybe I'll come around soon. I look forward to giving this record a headphones listen. I like TVOTR's rhythms and guitar parts, too.

I had the same breakthrough as you. Listened to it, threw it out, and then a month later picked it up again and "got" it. The only thing I can really compare it to is when I finally figured out Loveless. My only problem, the reason it isn't higher on the list is that it seems to drag on after a while.

quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
I've heard some Crooked Fingers songs, and I like some of them ("Man Who Dies of Nothing At All" and "Crowned In Chrome" come to mind). I tried a few tracks off of their latest, though, and didn't like them much at all. Which is their best album?

For Crooked Fingers, Red Devil Dawn is easily the best, though I enjoy last year's Dignity and Shame too, especially the song "Call to Love". For Archers of Loaf I'd go with Icky Mettle, because it's tough to find a song on any disc, anywhere that kicks as much ass as "Web in Front". A true indie rock classic.

Just picked up Boys and Girls in America and I have to say it's amazing definitely a candidate for the best album of the year... Reminds me of a drunken Bruce Springsteen who is rambling about something that's hard to hear because the overpowering music is killing him?!
I like the keyboard unlike many even though Boys and Girls in America is great, I can't tell you if it's as good as Almost Killed Me or Separation Sunday. Even though my favorite by them has always been Almost Killed Me ("Positive Jam", "Killer Parties", etc.).
Wow, probably kept that post going on for too long!

quote:

Originally posted by Illiniq:

quote:

My "New" List

1. J Dilla- Donuts
2. TV on the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
3. Mission of Burma- The Obliterati
4. Liars- Drum's Not Dead
5. Bob Dylan- Modern Times
6. Nellie McKay- Pretty Little Head
7. Built to Spill- You in Reverse
8. Ghostface Killah- Fishscale
9. Beck- Information
10. Yo La Tengo- I Am Not Afraid of You...
11. The Knife- Silent Shout
12. Ali Farka Toure- Savane
13. Beirut- Gulag Orkestrar
14. The Thermals- The Body, The Blood, The Machine
15. Black Keys- Magic Potion
16. Sunset Rubdown- Shut I Am Dreaming
- Could have been better albums(dissapointments) but still made the cut
17. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
18. Destroyer- Destroyer's Rubies
19. Lambchop- Damaged
20. Six Organs of Admittance- The Sun Awakens

Worst Albums-
Mastodon- Blood Mountain: I don't get it
Thom Yorke- The Eraser: It was fair at first but I'm not too sure?!
Sufjan Stevens- The Avalanche: I don't like it... He's got a great set of albums but out of all of them this one seems so incomplete.

Pretty much all of your choices are in my top thirty, except for Donuts, Liars, Beck, and Sunset Rubdown...which are all among my biggest disappointments of the year.

Donuts is my favorite album of the year because it's so emotional and at the same time you can see through Jay's music that he never standed for anything of rapacious value. It's definitely an interesting album but it also may help you to understand that I'm from Detroit and before Donuts came out Dilla meant much to me as a musician. Drum's Not Dead is just F#@ckin' crazy and it's understandable that you don't like it. Beck just punched me in the head, I don't know it's something about that album! Sunset Rubdown probably should be in the dissapointments but still made the cut.

Your list must be pretty good...
But yeah, I can understand why you didn't like those four albums...

quote:

Originally posted by Everyoneanindividual:
Drum's Not Dead is just F#@ckin' crazy and it's understandable that you don't like it.

It's not the easiest album to love right away. I hated most of it when it first came out. But, it oddly grows on you and if nothing else, it's pretty damn original. It's coming awfully close to breaking into my top 20.

The lack of love on this thread for The Knife's "Silent Shout" has me a tad distressed. Let's see some.

quote:

Originally posted by Yay!:
The lack of love on this thread for The Knife's "Silent Shout" has me a tad distressed. Let's see some.

You're really shocked that creepy atonal Swedish electronica doesn't have more mass appeal?

Actually I think they're quite tuneful and catchy, which is part of the reason I find them so fascinating.

quote:

Originally posted by Yay!:
Actually I think they're quite tuneful and catchy, which is part of the reason I find them so fascinating.

You're not the first person I've heard that from, but if there are catchy tunes on that album, I'm completely missing them. I actually liked "Heartbeats" from their last album, but I just found Silent Shout to be one of the least listenable things I've heard all year. I don't get the hype at all.