quote:

Originally posted by philosopherEric:
I don't know how many people who live in my neighborhood in suburban Atlanta listen to, say, the Pernice Brothers, but if I go into any of a dozen record stores in Atlanta, I'll bet 9 out of 10 people in there know TVOTR, Joanna Newsom, the Knife, or all three. You just have to look for like-minded folks.

Ahh, the neighborhood record store. Sadly, the last one of those went out of business about a year ago in my town. Now all we have are chains. Boy, it used to be nice to talk to someone at a record store who actually knew something about music. As FKA pointed out, the pimply-faced know-nothings at Best Buy and FYE are useless. I miss the fat, bespectacled guy in the CBGB's T-shirt.

Best of 2006

1) The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
2) NY Dolls - One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
3) TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
4) Bob Dylan - Modern Times
5) Tom Waits - Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
6) Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
7) Beck - The Information
8) Black Keys - Magic Potion
9) Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
10)Wolfmother - Wolfmother
11)Now It's Overhead - Dark Light Daybreak
12)Richard Ashcroft - Keys To The World
13)Robert Pollard - From A Compound Eye
14)Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Affraid Of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
15)Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
16)Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
17)The Whigs - Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip
18)Built To Spill - You In Reverse
19)Blowoff - Blowoff
20)Neil Young - Living With War

Here's my list:

1) Built To Spill - You In Reverse
2) Ali Farka Toure - Savane
3) Danielson - Ships
4) The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
5) Over The Rhine - Snow Angels
6) Bob Dylan - Modern Times
7) The Gothic Archies - The Tragic Treasury
8) Strays Don't Sleep - Strays Don't Sleep
9) Starflyer 59 - My Island
10) Pajo - 1968
11) Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You
12) Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
13) Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
14) Violet Burning - Drop-Dead
15) Moros Eros - I Saw The Devil Last Night And . . .
16) Woven Hand - Mosaic
17) The Black Heart Procession - The Spell
18) Extra Golden - Ok-Oyot System
19) El Perro Del Mar - El Perro Del Mar
20) Annuals - Be He Me

quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
Well, believe me, Cockburn is no fan of Ford or any president for that matter. I thought it was a pretty funny article. I'm certain he wrote it to piss off moderate liberals and to point out how much he despises American presidents in general. Oftentimes he'll pick out some Republican that's not that bad to praise in order to point out how atrociously Democrats are behaving. That's pretty much what he's doing here, too, I think.

The Counterpunch articles I've read in the past have all been deadly serious (plenty of "deadly serious" around so far this century) and I read it in that vein. Re-reading it, I can appreciate the humourous side of it.

quote:

Originally posted by onFire:
RL... can we get an update anytime soon?

I'm planning on waiting until Jan. 15 to post the final one. It'll be at least a little bit of a surprise then

quote:

Originally posted by TOPMAN:
C'mon kids...

Just between us grownups (...who really SHOULDN'T be concerned with impressing others...), let's be honest. The records by Joanna Newsom, The Knife ... and even most of TV On The Radio are virtually unlistenable. And I GUARANTEE you, you will not be listening to any of them with regularity when you are 50...


And... ELEVENTH DREAM DAY have been making records for almost [U]25 years[/U], not with the expectation of becoming "stars", or selling millions, but because of their clear and simple love of making and sharing their art.

So is the above "GUARANTEE" guaranteed with money because if it is, son, you owe me some mullah. Age has nothing to do with what music one enjoys, I can speak from expierence and GUARANTEE you that. I like most of the TV On the Radio and Joanna Newsom's albums (though I prefer Joanna's debut album most and love it to death) and I'm being honest and why would I care about impressing anyone, hmmm?

I also love Eleventh Day Dream who've been recording close to 20 years now. Though personally I enjoy Freakwater's albums even more as Janet Beveridge Bean is sure heaven on earth.

quote:

Originally posted by TOPMAN:
C'mon kids...
And I GUARANTEE you, you will not be listening to any of them with regularity when you are 50...

I'm 51, and because I eat well I listen to all of my records with "regularity".

My list doesn't count cause i just joined... But i just wanted to mention a few albums that i think have been TOTALLY overlooked... and some that are getting way too much praise

WAY Overlooked albums
1) Brazilian Girls - Talk to la Bomb
Not on anyones top ten that I saw, and a great album. It still escapes my mind why Brazilian Girls get so little attention in the press... even though they are a great act.

2) Elbow - Leaders of the Free Worls
Came out in the US this year, awesome album that isn't getting on any top tens

3) The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
I admit this album shouldn't be a competator for top album... but i think it should get some mentions

4) Serena Maneesh - s/t
I saw a few lists in the begining have it, but less and less as I went on. I personally feel this is the best album deemed a "shoegazer" album since Loveless (Airiel is up there too).

5) Airiel - Winks and Kisses
Another great shoegazer album that hasn't really been in the public eye... Granted most people havn't heard of these guys, thats why its 5.

6) The Flaming Lips - At War with The Mistics
This was a really good album by a very well known band. Why isn't this in more top tens?

WAY overrated albums
1) Joanna Newsome - Ys
I hate this album and hearing it convinces me more that pitchfork rules the world.

2) The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls of America
Not sure why everyone loves this so much... I think its tollerable, but nothing special.

3) The Knife - Silent Shout
F*ck you pitchfork (for the record i respect pitchfork for bringing back indie culture... i just hate how because pitchfork likes a band they are in the public and critics eye as a great band)

4) Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am,That's What I'm Not
Fun dance album... something to listen to and forget... nothing special

5) Peter Bjorn and John- Writer's Block

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ek CrIsp,

quote:

Originally posted by TOPMAN:
C'mon kids...

Just between us grownups (...who really SHOULDN'T be concerned with impressing others...), let's be honest. The records by Joanna Newsom, The Knife ... and even most of TV On The Radio are virtually unlistenable. And I GUARANTEE you, you will not be listening to any of them with regularity when you are 50...

that is pretty honest. and while i do consider said albums to be among the 'most remarkable' of '06, you make a good point. i don't think the majority of these egregious records will stand the test of time. i mean, Ys? are its adulators DAFT? don't get me wrong, i love little miss newsom and her precocious animal/celestial fixated heart, but her latest release isn't so much an album as it is a 'happening.' i admire its ambition and surely the world of music is a richer and braver place for it, but i sure as **** won't be spinning it again any time soon.
so i guess that poses the crux of 'greatness.' how are we defining 'great'? to me, a great album is one i can't get away from, one that drills itself into my brain with no plans of exiting, and even after extended loops can still give me chills or stick a smile on my face.
i refuse to believe this is what Ys does for the majority of its supporters. if you're still listening to Ys a week after your first exposure, find the nearest very tall thing to nose dive off and spare the world your pretentious affinities.
i'm with mr. sour grapes on this one. i'll go one further and posit that this is by and large representative of hipster susceptibility to elitist flag waving. it's sorta like raggin on the president, regardless of party bias. always the indie/cool/scene posture. [bush and his gop suck by the way *wink*]

quote:

Originally posted by Ek CrIsp:

WAY Overlooked albums
2) Elbow - Leaders of the Free Worls
Came out in the US this year, awesome album that isn't getting on any top tens.

well... correct me if i'm wrong, but most folks that frequent here probably picked up the Elbow album in '05. i know i did, and it was my second or third favorite album of 2005.
come to think of it, i wasn't really aware the U.S. release was in 2006... ???
i know the Cardigans record suffered a similar lengthy delay...

quote:

Originally posted by ninjasper:
if you're still listening to Ys a week after your first exposure, find the nearest very tall thing to nose dive off and spare the world your pretentious affinities.

That's nice.

Btw, I've sampled the Newsom album on iTunes and I don't "get it." But hey, that doesn't mean that others can't.

quote:

C'mon kids...

Just between us grownups (...who really SHOULDN'T be concerned with impressing others...), let's be honest. The records by Joanna Newsom, The Knife ... and even most of TV On The Radio are virtually unlistenable. And I GUARANTEE you, you will not be listening to any of them with regularity when you are 50...

You know what you're right. When I'm 50, I probably won't be listening to either the Joanna Newsom or Tv on the Radio records on a constant rotation. HOWEVER, I will recognize the fact that they were extremely unique and complex albums. I may not ever listen to them when I'm 50, but I WILL remember them. Honestly though, what will you ever remember Gomez for? You may like an album by them now, but what do they have to offer that a million other indie bands don't? What will make them stand out over all other bands in 20 years? The answer is nothing. All the classics we look back on now had something to make them stand out, usually uniqueness or ambition, Gomaz, however, have neither.

quote:

so i guess that poses the crux of 'greatness.' how are we defining 'great'? to me, a great album is one i can't get away from, one that drills itself into my brain with no plans of exiting, and even after extended loops can still give me chills or stick a smile on my face.
i refuse to believe this is what Ys does for the majority of its supporters. if you're still listening to Ys a week after your first exposure, find the nearest very tall thing to nose dive off and spare the world your pretentious affinities.

Well you are a stubborn one. I think it's been made pretty obvious that people do in fact listen to this more than once. I've listened to Ys more than any album this year, and I still feel like I haven't explored the album as a whole and need to spend even more time with it. However I will get back to you on the whole nosediving thing.

quote:

If gomez ever do become the "flavor of the month," it will probably be sugar-free vanilla.

And c'mon, that's just funny.

quote:

Originally posted by the wuss:

quote:

Originally posted by Ek CrIsp:

WAY Overlooked albums
2) Elbow - Leaders of the Free Worls
Came out in the US this year, awesome album that isn't getting on any top tens.

well... correct me if i'm wrong, but most folks that frequent here probably picked up the Elbow album in '05. i know i did, and it was my second or third favorite album of 2005.
come to think of it, i wasn't really aware the U.S. release was in 2006... ???
i know the Cardigans record suffered a similar lengthy delay...

The Elbow record got a limited release in US stores in 2005. It was an indie store exclusive late in '05, but got a wide release in '06.

quote:

Originally posted by ninjasper:
i refuse to believe this is what Ys does for the majority of its supporters. if you're still listening to Ys a week after your first exposure, find the nearest very tall thing to nose dive off and spare the world your pretentious affinities.

It's nice to know that there at least two people out there (ninjasper and TOPMAN) who know indie rock fans better than they know themselves.

I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who pretend to like something just to fit in, but it seems silly to assume that it is simply not possible for someone to think Ys (or any other record) is great simply because of 'hipster susceptibility.'

quote:

Originally posted by ninjasper:
i mean, Ys? are its adulators DAFT? don't get me wrong, i love little miss newsom and her precocious animal/celestial fixated heart, but her latest release isn't so much an album as it is a 'happening.' i admire its ambition and surely the world of music is a richer and braver place for it, but i sure as **** won't be spinning it again any time soon.

I infer from this that you "loved" The Milk-Eyed Mender but you hate Ys. Are the two albums so radically different that this is possible? I've only heard Ys. Anyone?

Yeah, they are pretty different. Milk Eyed Mender is made up of short pop songs with just the harp to back Joanna. Milk Eyed Mender is catchier and and simpler than Ys. It's more accesible, but her voice is much worse and squeakier than in Ys.

quote:

Originally posted by ninjasper:

quote:

Originally posted by TOPMAN:
C'mon kids...

Just between us grownups (...who really SHOULDN'T be concerned with impressing others...), let's be honest. The records by Joanna Newsom, The Knife ... and even most of TV On The Radio are virtually unlistenable. And I GUARANTEE you, you will not be listening to any of them with regularity when you are 50...

that is pretty honest. and while i do consider said albums to be among the 'most remarkable' of '06, you make a good point. i don't think the majority of these egregious records will stand the test of time. i mean, Ys? are its adulators DAFT? don't get me wrong, i love little miss newsom and her precocious animal/celestial fixated heart, but her latest release isn't so much an album as it is a 'happening.' i admire its ambition and surely the world of music is a richer and braver place for it, but i sure as **** won't be spinning it again any time soon.
so i guess that poses the crux of 'greatness.' how are we defining 'great'? to me, a great album is one i can't get away from, one that drills itself into my brain with no plans of exiting, and even after extended loops can still give me chills or stick a smile on my face.
i refuse to believe this is what Ys does for the majority of its supporters. if you're still listening to Ys a week after your first exposure, find the nearest very tall thing to nose dive off and spare the world your pretentious affinities.
i'm with mr. sour grapes on this one. i'll go one further and posit that this is by and large representative of hipster susceptibility to elitist flag waving. it's sorta like raggin on the president, regardless of party bias. always the indie/cool/scene posture. [bush and his gop suck by the way *wink*]

Heh.

Well, I typed up a big "Holier than thou" post about how much you're disrespecting honest folks' opinions and stereotyping everyone on this forum, and then I just threw it away. There's no point in trying to convince someone that something is "good". (I haven't heard anything by Joanna Newsom except for a small snippet, by the way.) What I can do is try to let you know that, well, not everyone likes the music that you do! I consider Return to Cookie Mountain an instantly accessible album with tons of hooks, and I loved it on my first listen. Yet ericg75 thinks it needs a few listens, and FragileKidA just hates the thing and thinks it's "all filler no killer" (so to speak). The wrong thing to do here is to say that one of us is definitively correct or incorrect; in a sense, we are all correct because tastes are subjective. Preaching to someone about how pretentious they are for enjoying something is, well... pretentious.

So, cozy up with some good music and keep in mind that not everyone cares about being cool, and not everyone has the same definition of a great record, and not everyone is you.

And please don't do a nosedive off a snowman when you realize that you just posted the most pretentious thing I've read all day.

Took some time out to see what I may have overlooked (high ranking selections on various lists).....but ultimately, my Top 20 wasn't affected and I only kept a few of these albums. Initially, I was disappointed in '06......certainly an overwhelming abundance of good albums, but only a handful that were great. Compare that to '05 where there was close to thirty practically flawless albums, then you can see where my sadness stems. However, after hearing the new (leaked) releases from The Shins, LCD Soundsystem and Of Montreal, '06 isn't looking so bad.

But hey, that new Deerhoof rules.

01. I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends
02. The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
03. Peter Bjorn and John - Writer's Block
04. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
05. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
06. The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
07. Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
08. The Knife - Silent Shout
09. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
10. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

11. The Thermals - The Body The Blood The Machine
12. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
13. Califone - Roots And Crowns
14. Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
15. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
16. Liars - Drum's Not Dead
17. Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
18. Jason Collett - Idols Of Exile
19. Xiu Xiu - The Air Force
20. Islands - Return To The Sea

quote:

Originally posted by grabblegarrr:
Yeah, they are pretty different. Milk Eyed Mender is made up of short pop songs with just the harp to back Joanna. Milk Eyed Mender is catchier and and simpler than Ys. It's more accesible, but her voice is much worse and squeakier than in Ys.

Thanks. That part of ninjasper's post makes sense now. Makes you wonder what her third album'll be like.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:

Also, I can't get over just how good The Crane Wife is. I think that The Decemberists have finally made their best album and I hope they only get better from here. You have to love the first four songs--especially the second one--so much.

I am so disappointed by The Crane Wife! I think that Picaresque is leagues ahead, because it is the epitome of what The Decemberists are trying to do: each song tells a highly interesting story, and apart from that, offers great instrumentation and epic, building choruses, so even if you don't like the story-telling, you can get into the catchiness and momentum of the song.
The Infanta, We Both Go Down Together, Eli the Barrow Boy....Note: I just tried to pick my favorite songs from "Picaresque", and realized that I LOVE the first 10 songs, and just think the last song (Of Angels and Angles) is merely ok.

The Crane Wife befuddles me. I love the first song, but am confused by their switch from their terrific instrumentation to the long-winded progressive nonsense! I like the first song but it loses my attention; on the other hand, I can easily follow the 7 minute "Bagman's Gambit" or 6 minute "On the Bus Mall". Both are from Picaresque.
To me, The Crane Wife is just sugary folk-pop, with catchy tunes, but with less impressive lyrics, very little of the epic quality, and more experimental instrumentation that I can't get into.