2006

Okay, here's another year.  I would say it's pretty weird, but I say that about all of them,  almost.  This yeah had a lot of good albums.  Few that go above good, as my big secret list has a lot on reserve.  Unfortunately, what defined the music of 2006, both at the time and looking back seven years later is that it was full of highly anticipated, but disappointing albums by great bands.  Some make this list, some do not.  The top is pretty tops though.

10.  Loose Fur -Born Again in the USA

By now supergroups are pretty unfashionable, but with Glenn Kotche and Jeff Tweedy from Wilco teaming up with Jim O'Rourke, it is hard to find a better power trio.  It is a perfect blend of their talents with the hard rocking experimental musicianship blending seamlessly with the laid-back roots.  "The Ruling Class" is the best song with its hypnotic whistles, but they all have the folk/country feel with the O'Rourke atmosphere.  Both vocalists sound great, and while this may have been the end of an era, it is a a crucial part of it, showing that O'Rourke was far from done after leaving Sonic Youth, maybe...

9.  The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth

Of course, this list starts with one of those albums, I needed some convincing on this one too.  It deserves some looking back following much more disappointing Strokes releases and the band's ambitions to expand their sound as more successful than ever on this release.  As other members begin to contribute to mixed results the five function as an organic group better than ever, even if the material is the darkest of their career.  The change in producer is noticeable, and I would say not to positive effect, but you can't blame the band for trying.  Though there are some classics, it falls short of the first two, but considering the band's talent, it is still quite good, and that's the best I can give.

8.  Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
B&S were simply not what they used to be ever since the dawn of the new millennium, despite a trio of excellent EPs that rank as their best work.  Still, they were one of the better bands around and this album, while no Tigermilk, is pretty good.  Perhaps I think of it so fondly because I saw them on this tour.  They played with the New Pornographers, who I was actually more excited to see at the time, and were on fire.  Some might have been turned off by the more hard rock-inspired sound on this album, but in truth that is its greatest strength.  The heavier rhythms make "Sukie in the Graveyard" and "White Collar Boy" standout tracks that would definitely earn their spot on a best-of.  They as always prove themselves masters of the opening track with "Act of the Apostle" which keeps in their classic sound.  While there are some stinkers, it is still a good album and when it's on it's the best they've done since Waking Up to Us.

7.  The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
Also, a strong album derided.  It is easy to see why this album put a bad taste in people's mouths with opener/lead single "The Yeah Yeah Song."  The good news was it at least managed to extend their commercial peak.  It did indicate that this album, despite its title(s) and a few songs is lighter fare than the previous two monuments.  It is a welcome break, especially considering what came next even if the political themes get more explicit, but is definitely not one of their best works.  Despite this it is a strong album, as it is hard for this band after all their years and adventures together can't go too wrong.  Their dynamics and musical creativity is as strong as ever and makes the instrumental "The Wizard Turns On..." one of the album's best pieces.

6.  Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
O'Rourke's old band was fine without him too.  A friend of mine has even said that this is so clearly their best album anyone who disagrees is lying.  He does have a point.  As accessible as it is, the band is at their best, showing that they have learned a lot from their former member.  It is the closest thing Sonic Youth made to a pop record, but remains truer to their usual vision than their more mainstream 90s work.  Foreshadowing their collaboration with Mark Ibold, it's more like a 90s indie rock album songs like "Incinerate" show that the band can play clean and calm as well as dense and frenetic and "Pink Stream" shows that their organic instrumentals can achieve that same sound.  Sonic Youth shows that the end of their career together may have been as strong as the other period, with the maturation of their sound coming the most rapidly since their late 80s peak.

5.  Peter Bjorn and John -  Writer's Block
For a minute there it seemed like Sweden was the best country for music at the time.  From Dungen to the Knife, to Jens Lekman to this modern pop group.  It was a major success with "Young Folks" being an inescapable pleasure for the next couple years.  The track, while as distinct as the others is a good representation of the band's sound with all its twists and turns.  The thick guitars of "Objects of My Affection" really gets the album moving and goes into such different territory as the rhythmic "Amsterdam" and the sparse romance of "Paris 2004."  Even with the extended "Up Against The Wall" this is a sweet little pop record and a rarity for its time keeping all the charm of classic pop without being revivalist, rather having a distinctly fresh contemporary sound.  The perfect modern European record for the whole world.

4.  Jay Reatard - Blood Visions

As with the album cover, it was hard to tell when the late Jay Reatard was serious about his violent psychotic tendencies and when he was having a good laugh.  After all, it takes either a comedic genius or  a real sicko who happens to be a genius songwriter to make "time may heal wounds, but I will kill you," a sing-along or creates the catchy nightmare of "My Family."  Reatard's talent is unquestionable in writing such classic pop tunes as "Not A Substitute" and creating the gigantic guitar attack that concludes "Oh It's Such A Shame."  Reatard recorded this and played every instrument on his own, and still manages to keep it all concise and tasteful with most songs clocking in under two minutes and making sure that the longest track "My Shadow" at 3:18 is unquestionably an epic.  When it seemed like there was nowhere "punk" could go Jay did it.  Even as his influences in the Clean, Tall Dwarfs, and most explicitly ("We Who Wait") the Adverts are obvious, Reatard made something all of his own.  Luckily he did a lot of work in his short lifetime.

3.  Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - House Arrest
Again bending the rules, but in my defense, the Paw Tracks Ariel Pink releases are different from their original forms and are what most people have heard exclusively.  I would say this is pink's strongest set of all with the best pop songs of his career like the opening pair "Hardcore Pop Are Fun" and "Interesting Results."  It also has his two best love songs "Helen" and "Alisa" - the latter being for his (future) wife, if you can believe that.  This one is not only most accessible, but also has the widest range with the bizarre "Every Night I Die I Miyagi's" and the jerky prog of "Flying Circles."  His prog influence rears its head again on the epic "The Netherlands" joining "Oceans of Weep" for the dark and deep tail end of the album.  It does end with quite an upper, though - the coke party anthem "Higher And Higher," surely one of his best and most inspiring songs, even with it's 70s AM hit roots.  For many this is his breakthrough, and he put it best in "Almost Waiting," "Hey girl, you're gonna regret it if you don't remember my name."

2.  Robert Pollard - From A Compound Eye
F.A.C.E., like the cover.  Get it?  On his first album since the Electrifying Conclusion Pollard shows that he might not need anyone other than Todd Tobias to help him make great music on this double album.  He picks up on what Half Smiles left off in many ways, embracing his influences that go far beyond the typical indie rock pantheon (as it existed at the time).  This probably has the most synthesizers of any Pollard record and the singer's love for Peter Gabriel/Genesis is heard all over the place.  Songs get longer too such as on "The Numbered Head," and "Love Is Stronger Than  Witchcraft," but his unusual song structures make length an unnecessary element in creating epics such as "US Mustard Company" and "Lightshow," two of the best songs out of the 26.  As usual, it is still largely odd pop and the ELO-influenced "Dancing Girls and Dancing Men" and the Monument Club theme "I'm a Strong Lion" deliver what Pollard does best in brand new ways.  With so much attention on his as an individual, Pollard put everything he had into this one and showed that in truth Guided by Voices was just another of his many projects.  It's all here.

1.  Starling Electric - Clouded Staircase
Un-bending the rules on self-release here.  This is the third album from the project of Traverse City native Caleb Dillon, and the first with the full band.  It has a lot in common with Pollard's solo album, as the group are all Official Iron Men and this album goes just about everywhere.  The story is on Pollar's solo tour he was given a copy of this album, and loved it so much he invited the band to open for him at the Bowery Ballroom.  It was their first show outside of Michigan and got Bar/None to reissue the album in 2008.  Unfortunately, with a falling out with the lead guitarist, a none-too-flattering Pitchfork rating, and the Hoboken label's famously poor distribution, not even a spot on Veronica Mars got this band the notice they deserve and little has been heard from them since.  Shame as this is an incredible album with a rare cohesive autumnal atmosphere, thanks to its traditional, yet complex arrangements and recurring themes.  These points hit their peak on the delicate suite "She Goes Through Phases," which is then followed by the gorgeous riffs of the instrumental "British Boots."  Dillon's folk-pop song craft is even greater with catchy songs like "New Era" and "To Flunker, With Love."  Their midwestern roots only add to their charm with opener "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" capturing the best of the region's rock, and "A Snowflake" a vivid image of the  white Michigan winter.  This is a horribly overlooked album, and one of the best of the last decade, so I recommend it more highly than most, it will not disappoint, and I know the band has a lot more ahead of them, if they can get the support the deserve.

This year was kind of a chore.  Glad it's over with.