quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
I agree with a lot of what Mark said, but though I really like The Eraser it doesn't feel thick enough, if that makes sense. The electronic instrumentation is pretty minimal and, I think, inadequate and uninteresting. Thom's amazing vocals and the good melodies pull it through and make it a top 10 album for me though.

For me, Yorke's voice is just not enough to pull me through. The songs are just so simple and un-energetic... I agree with you that it seems very thinly produced, and as an electronic musician I can definitely say that giving a song nice lush electronic backing is not difficult -- quite the opposite.

While I didn't care for the songs, I'd love to be able to remix a few tracks off of the album and see if I could make them worth a few listens.

quote:

Originally posted by Daddyboy: (their live show was incredible...sold me on the album)

Did you hear the live set on KEXP in Seattle Washington? (I downloaded it.) Their performace of "Wolf Like Me" is incredible; somehow it manages to build up a striking intensity with what sounds like only a few keyboards and a bass -- along with Malone and Adebimpe's vocals and beatboxing. It's really amazing.

I wasn't too impressed with the Liars album either. I feel it lacked heart... it just felt fake and over-produced.

quote:

Originally posted by b0arder753:
I wasn't too impressed with the Liars album either. I feel it lacked heart... it just felt fake and over-produced.

Over-produced? I don't know about that. I always thought it was a pretty sparse sounding album. and I don't know if you can call an album where several songs are nothing but drums "over-produced". I like parts of it, but other parts are just devoid of melody. For me, I felt like they were more concerned with making something different than writing good songs. Like Sonic Youth, I think the Liars will eventually find a happy medium between experimentation and listenability.

quote:

I wasn't too impressed with the Liars album either. I feel it lacked heart... it just felt fake and over-produced.

I don't know about that one. Yeah, it was overproduced relative to their first two albums, but They Were Wrong So We Drowned sounds like it was recorded with a pillow wrapped around the microphones. I mean it's not early Elliott Smith, but I don't think over-produced is really the right way to describe Drum's Not Dead.

quote:

Originally posted by b0arder753:
Yay! I now can sleep at night!

You rang?

I know you're all wating with bated breath...I have my list from 45 down to 30, and should be posting this weekend. We have till Monday, right?

I'm only doing a top 10. I think that's within the rules to do.

Here it go:

1. Girltalk - Night Ripper

(I'm only going to write about this record on my list, even though I could write extensively about all of them.)

"Night Ripper" is beyond "essential" for 2006. Its a distillation of where we are, musically, in American culture. This record should be sealed off in the Smithsonian Folkways collection. Its information-age Americana. And its a helluva lot of fun, too.

2. Roseanne Cash - Black Cadillac
3. Juana Molina - Son
4. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
5. Goldfrapp - Supernature
6. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
7. Mastodon - Blood Mountain
8. Regina Spektor - Begin to Hope
9. Joanna Newsom - Ys
10. Band of Horses - Everything All the Time

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Yay!,

RIPLEY THANKS YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUTTASITE.

WOW. "Mad Props" as they [I?] would say, for Night Ripper. It is easily my favorite album of 2006, and my most played - if anything because it is one album that I can play that ALL my friends will love. I think I've made about 20-25 copies of this CD, to give to friends on request or to those whom I thought would love it. And it is undeniably the best party/dance album in a long time - (nope not Silent Shout -lol).

I was especially interested in your list, Yay! I can't say that I love #5-7, but I'll take another look at Rosanne Cash, and listen to Jason Molina, whom I've heard of, but haven't yet listened to.

Juana Molina = amazing and Argentinian

Jason Molina = prolific and Anglo

I didn't think I'd listen to enough '06 releases to be able to submit an eligible list, but here it is:

1. White Bread, Black Beer - Scritti Politti
Streets ahead of any other '06 release I've heard. Memorably melodic track after memorably melodic track. The vibe of the album comes closest to "Because" and "Sun King" from Abbey Road, with a bit of UK Squeeze (circa Argy Bargy) thrown in for good measure ("Dr. Abernathy"). Beautiful and sustaining.

2. Stadium Arcadium - RHCP
This album's like eating Chinese food - highly enjoyable, but one fart and you're hungry. I'm aware of Stadium's manifold shortcomings. They count for nought in the end. It's too addictively listenable.

3. Harmony in Ultraviolet - Tim Hecker
At first this seems to be The Album About Nothing until the soundscapes drag you in and you lose track of time. Too soon the album's over. So you play it again (and again). Bleak, majestic and surprisingly melodic. The album has one flaw, however. There are distinct breaks between tracks which disrupt the flow of the album. It spoils what should be a beautiful musical suite. Maybe this is an eMusic quirk. Does anyone own a "real" copy of this? Is it seamless?

4. On The Corner of Miles and Gil - Shack
I suppose the obvious 1960s referent is Love. Certainly the 60s vibe is all over this very English record (the guitar rave-up of "Black and White", for example) but vocally I also hear Ben Harper ("New Day") and Mark Knopfler ("Finn, Sophie, Bobby and Lance"). However, what makes On The Corner... outstanding is the songwriting. There's not a dud track on it

5.Critics Pass Away - Baby Dayliner
Did you ever wonder what happened to The Human League? Neither did I, but they're here in this terrific slice of synth-pop. Shades of New Order as well. Catchy, danceable, penetrating vocals, great lyrics Has a line like "Better guard your daughters 'cause I'm on a rampage" ever been sung with less menace?.

6. The Town and The City - Los Lobos
There's nothing new here, it's just their best since Kiko. My wife's bumping Steve Earle from her iPod Shuffle for this. There can be no better recommendation.

7. Rockford - Cheap Trick. Rockford could easily have been CT's second album. Neither as guitar-heavy as Cheap Trick nor as melodic as In Colour, it still manages to combine the strengths of both of those records. Docked one place for the drippy instrumental.

8. S/t - Brightback Morning Light
Who'd have thought that Sly and The Family Stone would take 35 years to make a follow-up to There's A Riot Goin' On? The perfect album for Melbourne's oppressive summer nights. As repetitive as breathing and nearly as essential. The languid horns are an inspired touch.

9. A Blessing and a Curse - Drive-By Truckers. Great storytelling. Best Southern Rock since Shake Your Moneymaker.

10. First Impressions of Earth - The Strokes. I heard Is This It years ago, gave it a passing grade, and then forgot about it and the band. Picked this up at the library on a whim and enjoyed it from the start. The musicianship's no different but they're writing much better and more diverse songs. I hope for their sake that Barry Manilow doesn't listen to "Razorblade" or they might have to share their royalties.

Albums that didn't make it: - Ys Joanna Newsom (it's growing on me) and Citrus - Asobi Seksu (a contender. I just haven't spent enough time with it to do it justice)

Album that has fallen well and truly from favour: Return to the Sea - Islands. I can't shake the nagging feeling I'm being played for a sucker by these guys.

im compiling up my list tonight and tommorow. still have a few albums i have to listen to before i make my final decision.

but looking through most of these ive noticed(i dont think) that anyone has regina spektor's "begin to hope" anywhere on their list?

i thought the cd was briliant.

is it that not many of you heard this cd? or did you hear something i failed to? ha.

Regina Spektor - definitely talented but she tries a little too hard on the old 'me I'm so quirky but not as angry as tori amos' trip. But don't mind me, I can be a grumpy sod.

Well... I've waited much too long... my favorite 20 (or so) albums of 2006:

1. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say...
2. Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
3. Belle & Sebastian - The life Pursuit
4. Guillemots - Through the Windowpane
5. Hot Chip - The Warning
6. Drive-By-Truckers - A blessing and A curse
7. The Rapture - Pieces of the People...
8. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
9. Persephone's Bees - Notes From The Underworld
10. The Roots - Game Theory
11. Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
12. Clearlake - Amber
13. TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mt.
14. Editors - The Back Room
15. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
16. Midlake - Trials of Van Occupanther
17. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
18. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
19. Prince - 3121
20. Kasabian - Empire


21. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
22. Grand National - Kicking the National Habit
23. Wolfmother - ST
24. Built To Spill - You In Reverse
25. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

quote:

Originally posted by thomyorkeisgod:
im compiling up my list tonight and tommorow. still have a few albums i have to listen to before i make my final decision.

but looking through most of these ive noticed(i dont think) that anyone has regina spektor's "begin to hope" anywhere on their list?

i thought the cd was briliant.

is it that not many of you heard this cd? or did you hear something i failed to? ha.

I think I had her at #5.

question for whoever is monitering this thread.

im from barcelona realease a cd overseas already but is not available for another month in the us.

can it be included in top lists for 2006?

quote:

Originally posted by Sideshow Bob:
I didn't think I'd listen to enough '06 releases to be able to submit an eligible list, but here it is:

1. White Bread, Black Beer - Scritti Politti
Streets ahead of any other '06 release I've heard. Memorably melodic track after memorably melodic track. The vibe of the album comes closest to "Because" and "Sun King" from Abbey Road, with a bit of UK Squeeze (circa Argy Bargy) thrown in for good measure ("Dr. Abernathy"). Beautiful and sustaining.

Hallelujah! Finally someone who agrees with my assessment of what is the Album of the Year! (See my list, posted on Jan. 2.)

I am surprised that this masterpiece is so underrated on these boards!!

quote:

Originally posted by thomyorkeisgod:
question for whoever is monitering this thread.

im from barcelona realease a cd overseas already but is not available for another month in the us.

can it be included in top lists for 2006?

Yes. It'll just end up being one of those albums that may end up on this list and next year's as well.

1 Throatsleep - Chris Bathgate
2 And Now That I’m in Your Shadow - Damien Jurado
3 Long May You Run, J. Tillman - J. Tillman
4 Head Home - O’death
5 The Letting Go - Bonnie “Prince” Billy
6 Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go - Jason Molina
7 Shut Up I Am Dreaming - Sunset Rubdown
8 Embarrassment of Riches - Elephant Micah
9 From a Late Night Highrise - Matthew Ryan
10 Ys - Joanna Newsom
11 The Desperate Ones - Nic Garcia
12 Post-War - M. Ward
13 Skelliconnection - Chad Van Gaalen
14 Gulag Orkestar - Beirut
15 Minor Works - J. Tillman
16 Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case
17 Hezekiah Says You’re A-Ok - Hezekiah Jones
18 Fading Trails - Magnolia Electric Co.
19 Colour Green - Sibylle Baier

Re your #19 -- I really like that Sibylle Baier album too. Good call.

I'm loving the Glissandro 70 album which might have made it onto my top 20 if I had bought it in time.