25 For 2006

I am not claiming that these are the best 25 albums of 2006; in fact, I know there are some very crappy albums on this list. These are simply my favorite 25 albums of year to listen to. I am sure very few people will agree with my selections, but very few people ever do...


Firstly, the honorable mentions (in artist-name alphabetical order):


The Decemberists- The Crane Wife: I have only just begun listening to this album so time will tell whether I will enjoy this album later as much as I do now. This album was the closet of the honorable mentions to make the list.

Meg & Dia- Something Real: Halfie-sisters who have potential, but honestly cannot write lyrics for shit. The main reason I mention them is because, despite the piss-poor lyrics, I think they will be very popular in 2007.

The Raconteurs- Broken Boy Soldiers: It is Jack White x 4, if Jack White was no longer trying to be really weird. The good songs on this album are very good and the bad songs on this album are very bad.

Rihanna- A Girl Like Me: Rihanna gets honorable mention because she looked so goddamn gorgeous in the S.O.S. video. This is a good R&B album that incorporates more guitar/rock samples than other recent R&B albums.

Tool- 10,000 Days: I really wanted to love this album. I listened to this a lot. It is a good album, but it is not what I expect out of a Tool album. Maybe one day I will revisit this album and understand what Maynard was trying to get at.


And now onto the list...


25: Lady Sovereign- Public Warning
Released October 31, 2006

The first lady of the British Grime scene and internet sensation finally released her first album after a year delay; I think it has lived up to the hype. I think people expected more just because she is now with Def Jam.

Too bad she is not my favorite British female solo act on this list.


24: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus- Don't You Fake It
Released July 18, 2006

This is the only angry alt-rock album to make my list this year. The album reminds me a lot of Chevelle, one of my favorite newer angry alt-rock bands.

I do not like the lack of good angry alt-rock albums being released. What am I going to listen to when I want to smash someones face in?


23: The Zutons- Tired of Hanging Around
Released September 19, 2006

I first heard The Zutons while playing MVP Baseball 2005, as they appeared on the soundtrack for the game. The Zutons definitely took the more enjoyable aspects of their first album and ran with it on the second, making this album very listenable.

Even since the Bosstones, I have loved the horn in rock music.


22: Tapes 'n Tapes- The Loon
Released July 24, 2006

Originally released in 2005, I am taking the liberty of considering this a 2006 album because the album was released on their own label in 2005. I figured out why Tapes 'n Tapes appeals to me. They sound a lot like Pavement.

This band may actually sound better if they replaced the electric guitar with an acoustic.


21: TV on the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
Released July 6, 2006

I feel like people thought this album was going to be the best of the year when it first came out, but the sticking power of the album is zero. It is amazing the first time you listen to it, but, at least for me, I did not find any thing special to make me want to listen to it over and over again.

But kudos for having David Bowie as your #1 fan.


20: Cat Power- The Greatest
Released January 24, 2006

Sadly, The Greatest is not the greatest, but it does not mean it is not a great album. This album is best when you are staring out of the window of your 15th floor apartment, with the lights off, at lightening flashing in front of your eyes.

By the way, what is up with Chan Marshall doing DeBeers commercials?


19: The Wreckers- Stand Still, Look Pretty
Released May 23, 2006

I liked these girls as solo pop artists, and as much as they claim to be a country duo, I do not buy into it. These two girls are still pop artists at heart, which shows on the better tracks of this album. The title track is hauntingly good.

Michelle Branch has tattoos on her forearms now, making her even hotter. Too bad she is a milf now.


18: Gym Class Heroes- As Cruel As School Children
Released July 25, 2006

It is hard to be a hip-hop band when two of your members are white, but I guess it is okay when the white guys play instruments only. The lead singer has won a MC battle on MTV and has appeared in a video with Styles P, but he raps about life as a 20-something-year-old--if you grew up in suburbia.

I like to think of GCH as white people hip hop.


17: Dashboard Confessional- Dusk and Summer
Released June 27, 2006

Emo is very dear to me so I had to include Dashboard. Chris Carrabba has come a long way from being the face of emo. He went from obscurity to cult hero to emo-sellout and now somewhat back to his old roots.

Personally, I think he needs to have a serious break-up before he can return to his old form.


16: Hot Chip- The Warning
Released June 13, 2006

When I first listened to this album, I thought it was alright--not worth putting onto on iPod. After reading more and more from musicians about how great they thought this album was, I gave it another try.

I still do not see the supposed genius of the album, but it is worth listening to.


15: Thom Yorke- The Eraser
Released July 11, 2006

Thom Yorke is only a part of Radiohead so I did not expect Radiohead. OK, computer made music does not sound as good as music made on in a studio, but that does not take away from the lyrical genius of Thom Yorke.

By the way, when is Radiohead releasing another album?


14: Wolfmother- Wolfmother
Released May 2, 2006

This band reminds me of AC/DC, maybe because they are also from Australia. This band has a modest fan base, should be bigger than they are. One of the best new bands of their genre, it was no surprise to me that critics initially compared their sound to Led Zeppelin.

Maybe it was the iPod ad that led to their demise.


13: Girl Talk- Night Ripper
Released May 9, 2006

I find it hard to believe that Girl Talk actually tours. His mixing is so intricate that he has to do it on a laptop. Maybe he is a genius. All he has to do is play a mp3 file and pretend to tap away on his laptop while dancing around like an idiot (which is apparently what he does at his shows).

Nothing like Young Jeezy over a Nirvana sample.


12: The Killers- Sam's Town
Released October 3, 2006

Let us face it, Hot Fuss was so good that it really is very hard to come back with something just as good. Not saying that this album is bad, but it took a while for me to like any songs. I wanted Hot Fuss, but it is not Hot Fuss.

I am sure their next album will be nothing short of amazing. I expect nothing less.


11: Muse- Black Holes and Revelations
Released July 3, 2006

No, Muse has not come up with a new sound. Maybe a little more rock-ish than the past and a little less dark, but still the same format. And as always, very good.

Interestingly enough, Muse can chart relatively well (Number 9 on Billboard) and still play at a place like 930 club and apparently not sell out.


10: Nas- Hip Hop Is Dead
Released December 12, 2006

Nas samples In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida once again in one of the best singles of the year (Hip Hop is Dead) and sets the bar even higher. This is the best Rap album of 2006 and his best since Illmatic.

This album may have been ranked higher if it were released earlier. I have listened to this album more so than any other album in the past two weeks.


9: Snow Patrol- Eyes Open
Released May 1, 2006

When some girl at work asked me if she could get the new Snow Patrol from me, I thought it was weird since she is the type of person to know about Snow Patrol. Leave it to Grey's Anatomy to make a relatively obscure band popular.

Drunk and loud singing of Chasing Cars in a cab with your friends is amazing. Try it.



8: Morningwood- Morningwood
Released January 10, 2006

Any band which releases, as a single, a song where the name of the band is spelled at least two dozen times deserves to be on my list. The songs are very catchy and the band features former members of the Wallflowers and Spacehog.

Plus having a moaner like Chantal Claret beg to "take off your clothes" is really hot.


7: Justin Timberlake- FutureSex/LoveSounds
Released September 12, 2006

Anyone who says they do not like Justin is just lying to themselves. People need to let go of the stigma of his boy band past. What we have here is a fantastic R&B album with some of the best beats I have heard all year. My Love with T.I.? Absolutely sick. Try not to move your body when you listen to it.

'N Sync is dead. Long live Justin.


6: Lily Allen- Alright, Still
Released July 14, 2006

I hate how the critics bash her because she comes from a well-to-do family and is not as "hard" as Lady Sovereign. She sings about revenge on ex-boyfriends! I think the critics need to admit that they all have a major crush on her and move on.

This is the best pop album of 2006, and she has yet to release her album in the US. Scary.


5: Shiny Toy Guns- We Are Pilots
Released October 17, 2006

Given that this is the third version of the same album this band has released, it better be good. An interesting fuse of electronica and indie rock, with a male and female lead vocalists, I like their sound.

It is too bad that the lead singer is rumored to be the singing voice of Paris Hilton, but I will give her a mulligan for that. Everyone needs to get paid.


4: Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Released January 23, 2006

I was surprised to see that so many top-whatever albums lists of the year left out Arctic Monkeys. Maybe it was released too early in the year or maybe it is backlash for what is perceived as them selling out right when they hit it big.

I didn't want to like them in the beginning, but their songs are so catchy, it was hard to resist.


3 : The Dresden Dolls- Yes, Virginia
Released April 18, 2006

Being my favorite band from Boston, the Dresden Dolls hold a special place in my heart. I cannot say I loved this album from the beginning (unlike their first release), but it has certainly grown on me and has become one of my favorites.

It is a shame they now have teeny-boppers fans. Panic! cannot hold a flame to the Dolls.



2: The Sounds- Dying To Say This To You
Released March 21, 2006

Overtly sexual songs with a good beat, this Swedish band has come back with an impressive sophomore album. Quite possibly the most danceable indie rock album of the year. The songs are just fun to listen to and you just cannot help but want to bob your head (or even break out in dance).

Plus Maja Ivarsson, the lead singer, is fucking hot.



1: She Wants Revenge- She Wants Revenge
Released January 31, 2006

Something about dark albums speaks to me. An Interpol-sounding duo with songs about jilted lovers, stalkers, misogyny, S&M, rejection, and obsession, how can anyone not like this album?

Plus they shot a video that starred Shirley Manson (of Garbage fame) playing a stalker, which is bad ass for a band no one has heard of, but should.