December 19th, 2006
Noel Murray
1. Phoenix, It's Never Been Like That (Astralwerks)
2. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Anti-)
3. The Hold Steady, Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant)
4. Midlake, The Trials Of Van Occupanther (World's Fair/Bella Union)
5. M. Ward, Post-War
6. Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Letting Go (Palace/Drag City)
7. Figurines, Skeleton
8. Field Music, Field Music
9. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love)
10. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (Capitol)
11. Lambchop, Damaged
12. Built To Spill, You In Reverse
13. American Princes, Less & Less
14. Lilys, Everything Wrong Is Imaginary
15. Destroyer, Destroyer's Rubies (Merge)
Sean O'Neal
1. The Knife, Silent Shout (Rabid)
Swedish duo The Knife uses all of the trappings of electro, but with this loosely conceptual, creepily paranoid record, the brother-sister team achieves a singular sound all its own. Shout is a disturbing, undeniably catchy record, with an otherworldliness that's closer to Bjork's twisted experimentalism than the icy-cool posturing of Adult. It's also one of the most haunting things heard this year—or any other.
2. TV On The Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain (4AD/Interscope)
3. Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury (Jive)
4. Lansing-Dreiden, The Dividing Island (Kemado)
5. The Dears, Gang Of Losers (Arts & Crafts)
6. Matmos, The Rose Has Teeth In The Mouth Of A Beast (Matador)
As with previous Matmos records, the group's use of unusual instruments and ambitious themes may seem like a critic-baiting approach, designed to outweigh all questioning of its musicality, but the surprising thing about Rose is how truly engaging it all is, full of moments as exhilarating as they are amusing. "Rag For William S. Burroughs" is so expertly plotted, his estate should commission it as an official biography.
7. Cold War Kids, Robbers & Cowards (Downtown)
Detractors have bemoaned the fact that Robbers' jagged rock essentially sounds like an amalgam of Spoon, The Walkmen, and The White Stripes, but so what? They just named three of the best bands of the last decade. Besides, pop this sinister and smart doesn't need to apologize. From the Raymond Carver-evoking "We Used To Vacation" to the rousing closer "Rubidoux," Robbers is an audacious, hook-filled debut that promises good things to come. Blogs don't know everything.
8. The Hold Steady, Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant)
9. Ghostface Killah, Fishscale (Def Jam)
10. Liars, Drum's Not Dead (Mute)
Okay, so Liars don't really care about making you dance anymore, and they've released yet another album full of droning soundscapes and difficult, pretentious lyrical concepts. Listen to it again, cranky-pants: Under all that supposed art-school wankery is a record full of eerie beauty, and, with "The Other Side Of Mt. Heart Attack," a final payoff of pure, breaking-the-waves majesty.
11. Country Teasers, The Empire Strikes Back (In The Red)
B.R. Wallers' ironic, epithet-filled screeds aren't for everyone, but in an age where PC landmines abound, there's something strangely cathartic about a cranky misanthrope singing songs about how "all human life must be destroyed." Wallers even wrings considerable pathos from a Star Wars metaphor on "Mos Eisley."
12. Scott Walker, The Drift (4AD)
13. Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Letting Go (Palace/Drag City)
14. The Thermals, The Body The Blood The Machine (Sub Pop)
15. Erase Errata, Nightlife (Kill Rock Stars)
Keith Phipps
1. TV On The Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope)
2. Regina Spektor, Begin To Hope (Sire)
3. Belle & Sebastian, The Life Pursuit (Matador/4AD)
4. Midlake, The Trials Of Van Occupanther (World's Fair/Bella Union)
5. Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love)
6. The Hold Steady, Boys And Girls In America (Vagrant)
7. Mates Of State, Bring It Back (Barsuk)
8. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife (Capitol)
9. Rhymefest, Blue Collar (J)
10. Destroyer, Destroyer's Rubies (Merge)
11. Ghostface Killah, Fishscale (Def Jam)
12. Sonic Youth, Rather Ripped (DGC)
13. The Dears, Gang Of Losers (Arts & Crafts)
14. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Anti-)
15. Tom Waits, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards (Anti-)
Nathan Rabin
1. Ghostface Killah, Fishscale (Def Jam)
2. Rhymefest, Blue Collar (J)
3. Lupe Fiasco, Food & Liquor (Atlantic)
4. The Coup, Pick A Bigger Weapon (Epitaph)
5. Pigeon John, And The Summertime Pool Party (Quannum)
6. Georgia Ann Muldrow, Olesi: Fragments Of Earth (Stones Throw) Stones Throw chanteuse Georgia Ann Muldrow released a lushly organic debut of hypnotic soul, wiggy jazz, and blunted soundscapes that was inexplicably ignored by critics and fans alike.
7. The Roots, Game Theory (Def Jam)
8. John Legend, Once Again (Good)
9. Lupe Fiasco, Touch The Sky Mixtape (Mixunit)
The year's best mix-tape.
10. Snoop Dogg, Blue Carpet Treatment (Geffen)
Call it a comeback: Blue Carpet is Snoop's best album since 1999's underrated No Limit Top Dog.
11. RJD2 and Aceyalone, Magnificent City (Decon)
12. Bubba Sparxxx, The Charm (Purple Ribbon)
13. Mr. Lif, Mo Mega (Definitive Jux)
14. Busta Rhymes, The Big Bang (Aftermath)
15. J-Dilla, Donuts/The Shining (Stones Throw/BBE)
Beloved producer Jay Dee went out on a high note with the revelatory beat odyssey Donuts and the stellar, star-studded production showcase The Shining, in addition to landing beats on huge releases from Ghostface Killah and Busta Rhymes.
Kyle Ryan
1. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (Anti-)
2. The Dresden Dolls, Yes, Virginia (Roadrunner)
A creeper album if ever there was one, Yes, Virginia gets better with each listen. Pianist-vocalist Amanda Palmer and drummer Brian Viglione reek of affectation at first, but their "cabaret punk" has real soul; Palmer's performances are always intense, giving her searing, literate lyrics the presence they need. And live, The Dresden Dolls are completely mesmerizing.
3. TV On The Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain (Interscope)
4. The Thermals, The Body The Blood The Machine (Sub Pop)
5. Cursive, Happy Hollow (Saddle Creek)
It's a little surprising that Cursive's most ambitious album yet missed a lot of year-end lists. Perhaps the "emo" tag is still stifling, though the Omaha band has long since blossomed into one of the indie scene's most vital post-punk groups. Cursive added horns to the fold on Happy Hollow, a sort of concept album about life and deceit in Anytown, USA, with excellent results.
6. Converge, No Heroes (Epitaph)
Sure, Converge's blistering mix of punk, metal, noise, and hardcore sounds like unlistenable cacophony to 99 percent of the population. But for the remaining 1 percent, Converge is the best of the best, a band whose songwriting and craftsmanship can be overlooked because of its sheer intensity.
7. The Coup, Pick A Bigger Weapon (Epitaph)
Were there better hip-hop songs this year than "We Are The Ones" or "Laugh/Love/Fuck"? Answer: No.
8. The Roots, Game Theory (Def Jam)
A sadly overlooked gem from hip-hop's best collective, Game Theory is a succinct, straightforward album in a genre that doesn't know what those words mean.
9. We Are Scientists, With Love And Squalor (Virgin)
10. Rhymefest, Blue Collar (J)
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