quote:

Wow, 5 of my top 7 are Canadian artists. I didn't realise I was so biased

Case is from Arlington, VA, but lived in Canada for a few years. She records in Arizona.

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
3. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

Yes! I thought I'd be seeing this great album on at least a few more lists, but apparently not. It will be on at least one more, though...

I am a fan of pop, especially pop/rock and indie/pop. After hearing the samples, I really think I should get that Islands CD - sounds like great indie/pop. Do you think I'd love it?

quote:

Originally posted by MattD:
I am a fan of pop, especially pop/rock and indie/pop. After hearing the samples, I really think I should get that Islands CD - sounds like great indie/pop. Do you think I'd love it?

Matt, I don't know your tastes well enough and I've only listened to it once myself, but my impressions were very favourable. I found it more cohesive than Who Will Cut Our Hair When We're Gone. If you like the Unicorns, I reckon you'd like this, too.

My best of lists often contain singer/songwriters (like Anna Nalick, Cat Power, and Regina Spektor,) pop/rock (like Michelle Branch solo/The Wreckers, Alison Ray, Fountains Of Wayne, The Veronicas, Hope 7, Barenaked Ladies, Avril, Nina Gordon, Susan Cagle, Damone,) indie/pop and indie/rock (like The New Pornographers, The Shins, The Decemberists, Belle And Sebastian, Yo La Tengo, Hem, Camera Oscura,) heartfelt country (Alan Jackson, George Strait, Patty Loveless, The Dixie Chicks, Neko Case) and rock (Pearl Jam, Garbage, and CDs from classic rockers like Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty.) That might not be a big help since the list has different kinds of artists, but I assume that if I love the samples, I'd love Island's CD? I don't want to spend more time on this here, so I'll leave it at that. Thanks.

I highly recommend both the Unicorns and the Islands albums. WWCOHWWG is the better album. If flows better and is overall stronger. Its also much more juvenille and silly. Not recommended if you only like Radiohead or serious music. The Islands record is much more mature, but has the same wittiness and great pop song structures as Unicorns.

By the way, try searching on Youtube. There are videos from both of these albums on there. I've found that samples on Amazon or allmusic are terrible for getting a sense of a song. Myspace and Youtube are wonderful for getting a listen to full songs. Even obscure stuff like the Unicorns.

quote:

7. The Pipettes - We Are the Pipettes

WTF? Are my eyes broken or is that the first listing of one of the year's best? I figured it would be passed over by many because most of the indie kids aren't cool enough to listen to the Phil Spector box set or Motown.....did a lot of you actually listen to it?

And also, where the hell is I'm From Barcelona? I know it hasn't been released on CD here in the United States, but I figured many of you would have heard it....

quote:

Originally posted by Casper:
And also, where the hell is I'm From Barcelona? I know it hasn't been released on CD here in the United States, but I figured many of you would have heard it....

I saw that one video on Pfork a while back. It struck me as pure novelty. Fun, but not something I'd choose to listen to more than once every 5 years. They gave it rave reviews though. Is it just me, or does it seem like the greater number of people in a band, the more likely the Fork will love it? Let's get together a 1000-piece choir, record an album of kids' songs, and see what kind of review we get.

1. Subtle - For hero: For Fool
2. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls of America
3. Sparklehorse - Dreamt for Light Years.....
4. The Liars - Drum's not Dead
5. Guillemots - Through the Windowpane
6. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
7. Califone - Roots and Crowns
8. Decemberists - The Crane Wife
9. The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely
10. Joanna Newsom - Ys
11. Beirut - Gulag Orkestra
12. Man Man - Six Demon Bag
13. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
14. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
15. Cat Power - The Greatest
16. The Thermals - The Body, The Blood...
17. Chad Van Gaalen - Skelliconnection
18. Danielson - Ships
19. Beck - The Information
20. Built to Spill - You in Reverse

I picked Pipettes and I'm From Barcelona mostly because they were simple, good fun. Catchy melodies, even if both bands are somewhat gimmicky. (IFB kind of creeps me out, to be honest... but the album is still stellar pop.)

Well, I might as well post mine too:


Top 20 of 2006:
1. Ys ~ Joanna Newsom
2. For Hero: For Fool ~ Subtle
3. Silent Shout ~ The Knife
4. Bitter Tea ~ The Fiery Furnaces
5. Game Theory ~ The Roots
6. Boys and Girls in America ~ The Hold Steady
7. Harmony in Ultraviolet ~ Tim Hecker
8. Drum’s Not Dead ~ Liars
9. Donuts ~ J Dilla
10. The Life Pursuit ~ Belle and Sebastian
11. The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast ~ Matmos
12. Roots and Crowns ~ Califone
13. Return to Cookie Mountain ~ TV on the Radio
14. I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass ~ Yo La Tengo
15. Pink ~ Boris
16. The Eraser ~ Thom Yorke
17. Fishscale ~ Ghostface
18. Post-War ~ M. Ward
19. Modern Times ~ Bob Dylan
20. Hell Hath No Fury ~ Clipse

Close Calls:
1. Destroyer’s Rubies ~ Destroyer
2. The Last Resort ~ Trentemøller
3. Pieces of the People We Love ~ The Rapture
4. Return to the Sea ~ Islands
5. Shut Up I Am Dreaming… ~ Sunset Rubdown


Albums I LOVE but, sadly, are comprised of older material (I’ve chosen not to include them):
It’s a Feedelity Affair ~ Lindstrøm
Chosen Lords ~ Aphex Twin
Orphans, Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards ~ Tom Waits

quote:

Originally posted by Casper:

quote:

7. The Pipettes - We Are the Pipettes

WTF? Are my eyes broken or is that the first listing of one of the year's best? I figured it would be passed over by many because most of the indie kids aren't cool enough to listen to the Phil Spector box set or Motown.....did a lot of you actually listen to it?

Aside from "Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me" and "Pull Shapes", The Pipettes don't hold a candle to anything on Back to Mono or any of the better Motown singles.

quote:

Originally posted by Dork:

quote:

Originally posted by Chamberk:
3. Muse - Black Holes and Revelations

Yes! I thought I'd be seeing this great album on at least a few more lists, but apparently not. It will be on at least one more, though...

That is truly a great album, it will be on my list as well. This time of year is tough because it is rather difficult to make a good order that I agree with. I often change it a bunch of times and it never looks even close to how it started. The Cat Power album, along with the Muse, Islands, J Dilla (both of them,) and the Tom Waits' albums are all very strong for me right now. I am especially really liking Cat Power and Muse, and that Islands album blew me away--it is very solid. Whoever is thinking of listening to it really should. Good luck to everyone on making their lists, mine wont be ready until maybe the end of the month.

One thing is for sure, TV on the Radio will not be on my list--all of the Return to Cookie Mountain haters should band together and try to get as many people that dont have them on their lists to post so that it wont be number one!

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
One thing is for sure, TV on the Radio will not be on my list--all of the Return to Cookie Mountain haters should band together and try to get as many people that dont have them on their lists to post so that it wont be number one!

The only album that appears to have the numbers to possibly overtake it is The Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America, which I know you also hate. But if you want to band together to propel that album to #1, feel free.

quote:

The only album that appears to have the numbers to possibly overtake it is The Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America, which I know you also hate.

That's what I was thinking too. I'm guessing the current top rankings are something like this:

TV on the Radio
The Hold Steady
Joanna Newsom
Liars
The Thermals
Islands
The Knife
Yo La Tengo
.
.
.

Yeah, something like that.

quote:

Originally posted by Yay!:

quote:

18. Dosh - The Lost Take (what an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist. Like the Books meets Four-tet)

Totally checking this record out now.

Let me know what you think. By the way, if it was my "Books meets Four-Tet" comment, I'd say that the song O Mexico is the best example.

quote:

Originally posted by less_success:

quote:

The only album that appears to have the numbers to possibly overtake it is The Hold Steady's Boys and Girls in America, which I know you also hate.

That's what I was thinking too. I'm guessing the current top rankings are something like this:

TV on the Radio
The Hold Steady
Joanna Newsom
Liars
The Thermals
Islands
The Knife
Yo La Tengo
.
.
.

Yeah, something like that.

I was keeping my own tally for laughs, but I'm at work right now. You're right about the first three. I think the Decemberists are #4 and the Thermals are #5.

I don't think the Knife or YLT are in the top 10, but I know Band of Horses are up there, as well as M.Ward and Beirut.

Incidentally, last time I checked, TVOTR had about 100 points on Joanna Newsom, so they'd have to be omitted from a lot of lists for her to take first place.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
One thing is for sure, TV on the Radio will not be on my list--all of the Return to Cookie Mountain haters should band together and try to get as many people that dont have them on their lists to post so that it wont be number one!

TVOTR won't make my list either, but I don't really hate them. The Hold Steady won't make it either for reason I explained somewhere else.

I'm surprised Built to Spill's You In Reverse isn't landing on more lists. I think it's probably the most solid album they've made, and it seems like the type of music most people around here would really be into.

quote:

Originally posted by mejis:
Here goes:

1. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife
2. Midlake, Trials of Van Occupanther
3. M. Ward, Post-War
4. Yo La Tengo, I am not Afraid of You....
5. The Hold Steady, Boys & Girls in America
6. Richard Buckner, Meadow
7. Sol Seppy, The Bells 1 2
8. Josh Ritter, The Animal Years
9. Nathan Fake, Drowning in a Sea of Love
10. The Thermals, The Body The Blood The Machine
11. Howe Gelb, 'Sno Angel Like You
12. Band of Horses, Everything All the Time
13. Shack, The Corner of Miles & Gil
14. The Twilight Singers, Powder Burns
15. Adem, Love and Other Planets
16. Guillemots, Through the Windowpane
17. Sufjan Stevens, The Avalanche
18. The Brother Kite, Waiting for the Time to be Right
19. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, Rabbit Furcoat
20. Bob Dylan, Modern Times

notice omissions TVOTR and Liars. just couldn't get into either.

I like this list a lot. Easily my favorite one so far. I especially like the inclusion of Richard Buckner, Nathan Fake, Adem, Josh Ritter, and Brother Kite. Who is Shack, Mejis, and what kind of music do they play?