|
|
|
Written by Glenn BurnSilver
|
|
Thursday, 28 December 2006 |
|
|
|
|
Let’s face it, 2006 wasn’t exactly a glamour year for music.
Rap was as stale as week-old bread — everyone is tired of hearing about all that bling. Hard rock became a made for TV affair with Rock Star Supernova, which took away any real edge that might have been there in the first place.
There were, of course, more than a few protest albums, Neil Young’s and Michael Franti’s being the strongest statements. The Who also showed up after 27 years out of the studio. Even the Flaming Lips’ “At War With the Mystics” was, well, too much like the Flaming Lips. It lacked that crazy inventive spirit. And let’s not ignore the great grunge/metal hope Audioslave, which still can’t seem to tap into their potential.
Oh well.
On the bright side, at least Britney took the year off.
But that doesn’t mean great music wasn’t made in 2006 — it was just a little harder to find. Here are some of my top picks, in no particular order, of 2006:
The Killers
“Sam’s Town”
(Mercury)
The Killers recharge themselves after a breakout debut that, despite the acclaim, sounded too much like too many other bands, only faster and louder. “Sam’s Town” is instead all about The Killers’ love with hard, driving rock, power pop, and the need to make a statement. This time they really do.
Alejandro Escovedo
“The Boxing Mirror”
(Back Porch)
Few people look death in the face, and even fewer get to make an album about it. Musician/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo, after nearly succumbing to a bout with Hepatitis C, is one such person, and this is his stark reality check. Tracks like “I Almost Died Today” reveal his anguish over the harrowing events of his two-year illness. And while many of the songs have a dark overtone, others celebrate life and family. Whether grinding out borderline Tex-Mex, fringe-punk or punchy Texas rock, Escovedo reveals all in a way that makes the music shine.
Bob Dylan
“Modern
Times”
(Columbia)
Dylan once again proves that time doesn’t erode the mind, but leads to sharper insight. Perhaps a stronger album than the Grammy winning “Time Out of Mind,” this excellent effort is full of solid rock numbers that slide back to earlier times, yet are squarely set in the now. Dylan’s lyrics (often obscurely) address today’s issues — the world’s and his — with power and panache. Dylan shows he is still a musical force to reckoned with.
TV on the Radio
“Return to Cookie Mountain”
(Interscope)
This year’s completely fresh sound — and that in itself is a difficult achievement these days — comes from TVOTR who manage to merge punk with pop, dissonance with harmony, progressive with hip-hop and techno with, well, just about any other idiosyncratic sound they squeeze into the mix. “Cookie” isn’t always an easy listen, but it is one that makes you rethink the boundaries of music… and whether there should be any in the first place.
Bonnie Prince Billy
“The Letting Go” (Domino)
Bonnie Prince Billy, aka Will Oldham, has always been a dark and mysterious creature. His country-inflected ballads can be as sparse and haunting as an Old West ghost town, maybe even drier. Oldham lets his pants down a little here, adding strings or expansive instrumentation for a touch of orchestral backwoods rock. Even his mumbling vocals are almost understandable.
The Roots
“Game Theory”
(Def Jam)
Once the group decided to play their own instruments, they escaped the limitations of hip-hop, sampling and mundane beats. “Game Theory” shows what time on the road can do — make you a better musician. That seems to fire up the band that give a hard-charging performance with tight jams filled with tight beats and political lyrics too match.
Gnarls Barkley
“St. Elsewhere” (Atlantic/Downtown)
First, you’ve got to like the name. This collaboration of DJ Danger Mouse and rapper Dee-Lo Green starts in the past, but stirs up the future. “Crazy” was the big splash, but the whole album meshes ’60s wah-wah soul, delicious ’70s funk grooves, a hint of disco pomp, hip-hop beats and flowing vocals for a sound that is as infectious now as it was back then.
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan
“Ballad of the Broken Seas” (V2)
A little of the beauty and the beast as silky chanteuse, Isobel Campbell — formerly of Belle & Sebastian duets with gravel throated Mark Lanegan —formerly of the Screaming Trees. It’s a perfect match as Lanegan’s growl is smoothed off by Campbell’s ethereal wail on simple songs of passion, loss and hope. The bulk of the instrumentation is little more than acoustic guitar, occasional cello or bass, but with voices like these, even that is not required.
Neko Case
“Fox Confessor Brings the Flood”
(Anti)
No one has a voice to match Case, and here she finally shows the confidence to let it shine. Classic Americana sprinkled with hints of punk, grunge and pop makes for a great listen, but Case’s voice is the true instrument of note. Whether warbling like a back porch demon, or growling like a tiger, Case sounds simply stunning.
Cat Power
“The Greatest”
(Matador)
In this round Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, manages to hold herself together long enough to make a consistent and evocative album that easily tops any of her acclaimed indie-folk outings of lore. Here she takes a classic R&B approach as the backbone and turns it on an acoustic ear. There is nothing fancy about the production, just a straight-ahead bones and all session—and that makes her breathy vocals ring with intimacy and power. | Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. |
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
