Year End Stuff (does this make me official?)

So while it was happening, I thought that this was one of the best years for music. Looking back, I'm more "meh" than "yaaa!". Not saying there isn't stuff to be yaaa! about, but just not as much after the fact. Whatever I'm probably just trying to detach myself from it because I'm bad at goodbyes. I need to stop getting emotionally attached to these years, they just keep changing.

Here's my favoritest albums from the year 2006, otherwise known as the future a year ago:

2006 (Albums)

1. Subtle - For Hero: For Fool
My only complaint: so very underrated. All these year end lists are coming out, and my number one is nowhere to be seen on them. This record is as close to flawless as I've heard in a long time (actually not since Subtle's friend of the indie rock persuasion Why?'s Elephant Eyelash in 2005, also underrated!). For Hero: For Fool is an assaulting force of genius wordplay, talent, and just perfect pop that doesn't let up on me every time I listen to it. This is the record that was so fantastically weird it was just begging to be heard, and as true with the best art, it only got better with time. It's a shame more people aren't digging this. (Are they? Am I not counting heads right?) With the indie cultures more recent that not attempt to embrace hip hop as one of its own, indulging themselves in the (albeit talented) coke raps of Clipse and Ghostface, it's a shame to see such equal talent go unnoticed in the mc skills of Dose One just because he's heading just as hard, if not harder, in a more abstract direction. The amount of vocal layers on this thing is beastly, the ability to change up melodies, perfectly catchy melodies, for even more perfectly catchy melodies reminds me of a hip hop equivalent of a Fiery Pornographer. This album is riddled with things that I'm still trying to figure out, even when looking at the lyrics on their website, and just doesn't get worn or overplayed. It is how a record should be done, and thank God someone is doing it. Seriously, this is that awesome, and seriously, you should give it a chance.

2. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
How do I express how amazing this album is. I've tried before and it's just so hard. I don't think I'm in the minority here, every review I've read about the Rubies is always close, but not getting any of the how-you-say the cigar. No matter how many themes someone who talks about this album can nail, they still don't get it all. It's not their fault, it's not my fault, it's not the limits of the English dictionaries fault, it's no ones fault but Dan Bejars. He created something that only he can truly understand in his little Bejarian universe, and no matter how much I and many others can admire the beauty of the galaxy at face value, shiny stars are appealing after all, he is the only astronomer nuanced in the consolations and formations of the heavenly bodies. Still we try to grasp all of it, we try to understand the references Bejar drops every other word to the point of wiki-dom, but no matter how much context we get, there is still parts of Destroyer that we can never unlock or fully understand. The fact that with these limitations, these handicaps, Destroyer's Rubies still stands as one of the most rewarding listening experiences of the year, both sonics wise and lyrically, is amazing. Sometimes I feel when I am awed and mezmorized by this CD I am just at the tip of the iceberg, and only time and effort can make the waters become any more shallow. Still with hundreds of listens under my belt to these songs, lyrics memorized, and even little dance moves to scatter the instrumental parts, I still feel like I'm learning from and discovering new bits of this record. It's quotable, challenging, and it teaches, Rubies is a one of a kind.

3. Man Man - Six Demon Bag
I was inspired to grow a Moustache based solely on Six Demon Bag. Really. It's worth besides this is that it is one of the most sadly honest album's recorded about heartache as well as one of the easiest to swallow on any level. This is not an easy task to accomplish, having damn infectious lines about how depressed you are and how torn up and bitter your life feels is by no means a cake walk, but Honus Honus makes it seem like a joyous romp. It's like what The Mountain Goat's did with "Dance Music" only waaaaay more extreme, and waaay more catchy. This album is the type of thing that rewards you with new sounds, lyrics, and meaning each time you listen to it, and can work for so many people on many different levels. This has been by far the easiest thing to recommend to people this year, mainly because I can guarantee they have heard nothing like it before, but at the same time they will only want to hear more like it by the time Ice Dogs doo woops away. Either Man Man with their gypsy flair is going to be the start of a big trend, or remain their own separate entity of bliss and originality. Either way they were the first to do this so well, and they are the best live act around if you haven't seen them.

4. Joanna Newsom - Ys
Sometimes it feels like there is only so much you can say about a great album. The first time listening through this album I knew was amazing and like nothing else I'd every heard. It sounded timeless.








5. Danielson - Ships
Listening to this album does things to me. I can drive around listening to this and know that love isn't a concept, its a functional boat being steered by Chirpy Mc Chirpster Danielson. And honestly, if he would have me, I would hop off of my ol' Blueberry Boat (Bitter Tea disappointed :/) and hop into his ranks submitting in a heartbeat. I've never been happier about hype going to someone as when everyone was a flutter with the fluttery Ships (sorry Tapes n' Tapes ... yah I know, I forgot about them too). No joke, it seemed like peace on earth was attainable, happiness around the corner, the grass green everywhere, and the skies a new even bluer shade of blue for that good week when Danielson ruled the web. He went from glowing Coke Machine Glow write up, to blog buzz for stepping on a trumpet, to Best New Music, all in like 5 days. Names were being dropped (Sufjan, Deerhoof, Why?, etc.) and the reins were being rightfully claimed, at least by my twee standards. Then something happened: the general indie rock consensus of shit realized they didn't want to be happy, that a solution, which Danielson offers up in his epic Ships, would be too much. So the rain clouds formed in the sky, the green grass died, the musical surface became flat and lost all corners, and as for peace, well I think there has been three new wars since Ships came out. One thing that didn't die with the buzz is my admiration for this album, its ability to be friendly and inviting on the surface yet inside full of meaning and loaded with the kind of stuff that makes even puddles seem deep, is a talent not lost on me. This is a feel good / think good album that draws on many influences (relationships, God, family, falsettos) and in turn draws from the listener just as much throughout its relentless pace. A rewarding, if not draining, experience.

6. Akron/Family - Meek Warrior
I plan to write something profound and/or half assed here. This is because this is a very profound album, and the majority of critics treated it half assed. No I will really come back later and talk about all the ways this album helped mold my life for the better, and get through some rough nights of studying.

7. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
8. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
9. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
10. The Knife - Silent Shout


11. Islands - Return to the Sea
The main reason I drifted into the atmosphere of this record was because the Islands “rose like a phoenix from the ashes of the Unicorns”; I’m quoting because I think I’ve read that on every website since the former behemoth pop band collapsed. Nick Diamond and J'aime Tambeur lost Aldan Penner and grew a horn, string, oboe, and bass section, and a tad bit of epicness. It would not be mistaken to say that the Islands pick up where the death focused Unicorns left off. The last track of Who Will Cut Our Hair When We’re Gone? finds the former band waking up thirsty on an Island literally 'Ready To Die', and The Islands pick up with Diamonds proclaiming on Swans (Life After Death) “I woke up thirsty on the day I died” confirming the Unicorns really have passed. With that death the band gained a new lease on life, have grown out of the sense of immature fun that is shmeared over Who Will Cut Our Hair… and gained a deeper reflective eye on the same themes that The Unicorns began to explore. The 9 minute Swans gives us the gateway into the new realm that the Islands inhabit which is drifty, sea encapsulated, sandy, and makes them something that the Unicorns never acknowledged they were: Mortal.
Return To Sea finds the rag tag band trying to get life started again, and all the struggle that goes into recreating civilization is matched with the all-encompassing music itself. While Diamonds has no doubt grown as a lyricist he and his flock have also gained a couple of inches as musicians. The melodies themselves put you in the sand, up against crashing waves, shift around like the fickle weather, put you on a tiny raft in the vast sea, all the meanwhile the rhythms rattle you about (hear Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby) and jerk you any which way. Another bonus is The Islands retain the Unicorns sense of a fucking catchy song. These are the gems that you’ll be humming when you get out of the car, watch a movie or take a test. This replaces the jingles from the Unicorns that, while catchy, you can’t recreate without screeching or feeling like you’re on an out of control roller coaster and puking all over innocent bystanders. No, this is something greater, this is smart pop.

12. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
I can't read anything from the Bible anymore without singing songs from this album. Just like the text it evokes, Neko Case has staying power. This is one of those records that really hit me way too long after loving the album already. I mean I was really familiar with the lyrics, the melodies, the a cappala moments, all before I got hit. I had read the critical acclaim as well, and while I appreciated it, I didn't understand it. Now I get it, I can feel the power, and the subsequent goosebumps, every time I heard this record. Neko Case has a talent, a true gift, and on every note of this album she is being a philanthropist by giving away that gift to us. Her lyrics take flight with the vessel of her voice, and every fraction of the tragedy she displays as real life is felt. Most of these tracks are heart breaking, but while that happens, it becomes clear that you wouldn't want your heart to broken by anybody else. Neko Case steps up to every ounce of potential she has ever given us a taste of before, and has proven to be as powerful in her own solo regard as her porno counterparts. Tre whimsical.

13. The Blow - Paper Television
Future Sex/Lovesounds would have had this spot for sure if i hadn't found out about The Blow. While Justin delivers pop that I can feel like a dirty dancer listening to, the lyrical content, no matter how hard I try for him, just isn't there. Enter Portland duo The Blow. I might be developing a Northwest biased, but I honestly think this is some of the best flat out pure pop music I've ever heard. The diet after taste that Justin left me with is completely gone, I feel like every one of these songs was written about me, about an ex-girlfriend, or about me as told by an ex-girlfriend, and I've never felt so honored because the writing is just brilliant. The Blow take seemingly bland metaphors at the start of each song and craft them in depth for the whole song, thus creating a whole world in the context of the metaphors each track, and it really works. They employ this little trick on almost every track on this CD, and I've never been happier with the art of the simile. The Blow take relationships and put them in terms of the abstract like physical hearts, grocery stores, the economy, or my personal favorite deep sea diving. I don't think I've smiled so hard listening to a CD, or left with such a high expectation from other people's pop when done listening. Just so you know, this really doesn't blow.

14. Hot Chip - The Warning
I don't know when it happened. I think it was maybe one day when I was showing Hot Chip to one of my friends who was looking for some good dance music, but the when doesn't really matter, it's the what and why. What happened, and I'm sure will happen to anyone that actually listens to these guys, is at one point or another Hot Chip will suddenly stop being novelty and start being meaningful. Not to say that there isn't any value in novelty (proof), but novelty isn't gonna make you feel the way that this record has the ability to, and Weird Al isn't popping up in anybodies top tens anyhow. It is an interesting arch to take with the band, an arch that spanned the greater part of my 2006, but a journey well worth it. Hot Chip went from a band I would throw carelessly on a dance mix to get some hips shaking to a band that I would painstakingly fit into mixes for loved ones. A lot of that has to do with the strength of this album, while the lyrics are never hidden, more diverted by the great loops and synth break downs, when they come out to the listener they have a heavy impact. This same band that made me bust-a-move in January had me in uncontrollable tears on a rainy day in November, and I love them for it. The equivalent of seeing the old lady in the painting and not being able to see the young girl anymore even if you want to, Hot Chip is a chameleon of both shallow beauty and beautiful wisdom. Okay, I'm gonna end with another corny pun: It's not like they didn't try to warn me.

15. Girl Talk - Night Ripper
Imagine this dude getting his hands on all Top 40 from the past four years, alternative radio from the 90s, and some of indie rock's sacred cows. Now imagine that instead of coming out as a powdered shit pile at the end it was one of the most fun albums/experiences produced by anyone this year. That's what somehow happened with Girl Talk's Night Ripper, an album too engaging to actually judge on any finite scale of artistic merit or grade in a way that attaches a real value. This is a CD that is just too fun to do any of that political music stuff with. The first time through Night Ripper is a sonic mind fuck/adventure like no other, the hundredth time through is just for kicks and showing off. The great part, every time in between is still somehow enjoyable on a different level each time. Some may argue whether or not it's music, whether it's worth the fuss, all I know is I'm to busy rapping words that I would have never been embracing before and trying to figure out if that is Le Tigre or The Gossip to really care any which way. Put this on at your next family function, heads will turn.

16. Beach House - Beach House

17. Casey Dienel - Wind-Up Canary
You can take yr Regina Spektors, you can love yr Jenny Lewisi, you can eat yr Fionna Apples, but not I, for I have my Casey Dienel. I don't know where in the hell she came from, and at this point I don't care, now that I have her I am not letting her go. It doesn't matter that I missed spelled her last name countless times in search for her debut Wind-Up Canary, or that said debut was unfindable on the interwebs for months, and no record stores seemed to have a copy, it doesn't matter that I found her by chance in a random record store in Portland on a weekend visit after giving up my search, none of this matters because now she is mine. All of her competence, pianist skills, confidence, sorrow, joy, and love that she poured into Wind-Up Canary is for my listening pleasure over and over. And I do just that, I put this album on and somehow still get startled by how great it is and repeat several songs after they are finished. I fall into the same routine each time: I laugh at Doctor Monroe, I get rallied behind the overwhelming Everything, I swoon (yes swoon) at Cabin Fever, I sing along to the pain of All or Nothing, and a little bit of me falls in love each time. I'm the first to admit that I might be blinded by love, that my objectivity might be skewed, but I argue there is a reason I fell in love, and that is because, while not universally attainable, Casey Dienel is universally great.
p.s. It also kinda helps that she recorded the best cover of the year for daytrotter. Did you see the drummer's hair?!

18. Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
19. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House