Top 10 Albums of 2006, Part 2
Here's my set of choices ranked 5 to 1:
5.
Embrace - Urbandub- I've listened to this record this year at an average of about once a week. Gabby and his posse of musicians are really great with arrangements. They've matured much since Influence--and that album was already damn good as well. The only thing probably keeping this record from going all the way, IMO is the production work. It's been too compressed on tracks like Frailty, which needs that higher threshold to get the full effect of the bass frequencies.
Endless, A Silent Whisper (live) - Urbandub+++
4.
Fox Confessor Brings The Flood - Neko Case- This is the first Neko Case studio record I've picked up on release day. She continues to stretch her songwriting prowess by spinning more yarns about murderous families and animals in the wild. The production on this record has so much air which results in having her voice linger and ring in the vast space framed by sparse instrumentation. This is the production style that Urbandub should've used to give their album more air.
Hold On, Hold On - Neko Case+++
3.
Blood Mountain - Mastodon- Blood Mountain is perhaps the only metal album that mattered to me this year. The complex arrangements on this record twists and turns a lot more than what this foursome has accomplished with Leviathan. Like Leviathan, this album also has a storyline. This time it involves a man's quest for a crystal skull as he ventures into forest and tundra. There's nothing like a trippy narrative to go along with trippy stoner prog rock.
The Wolf Is Loose - Mastodon+++
2.
The Crane Wife - The Decemberists- It's good that Colin Meloy's songwriting can now be experienced by a wider audience. It's been years that this Portland group have toiled to bring their hyperliterate folk rock with, at least on this go-round, a heavy dose of prog that would make Roger Waters proud. They also haven't forgotten about using archaic terms and triple-word-score Scrabble winners either.
O Valencia! - The Decemberists+++
1.
Love Travels At Illegal Speeds - Graham Coxon- The former Blur guitarist continues to bring the rock on. This album has become an extension of 2004's Happiness In Magazines, another personal favorite. Musical and lyrical nods to classic punk in the vein of The Buzzcocks and Stiff Little Fingers abound here. It pretty much puts to shame whatever nth generation Hot Topic
punkilito is churning out right now.
Don't Let Your Man Know - Graham Coxon+++
Looking forward to next year dept:
2007 will so rule with these guys pushing new stuff
The Shins
Dream Theater
Porcupine Tree
The New Pornographers
The Cure
Portishead
Sandwich (?)
Urbandub (?)
I wonder which ones will tickle my fancy on the next go-round? We'll find out around this time next year.
Posted at 09:15 am by
volume-addict
