The Best Albums of 2006
Introduction
Ascending the Mountain
Album of the Year:
Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Like my 2004 album of the year, this one was an absolute slam dunk from the second I heard it in late August. After all, when a phenom band exceeds expectations and puts out a potential classic like Mastodon has, it's automatic. The funny thing is, it's been quite a while since we've had a band in any genre come along and improve over the course of three albums at the rate these dudes have. Each release isa completely original one, from Remission's tightly-wound sludge, to Leviathan's increased progressive rock direction, and Blood Mountain turns out to be the band's most inventive, challenging, and thrilling album to date.
There was a lot riding on the band's highly anticipated major label debut, as wary fans fretted over the thought the band would water down its sound (much like Nirvana did on Nevermind) and skeptics wondered if such dense, lofty sludge-tinged progressive metal could achieve mainstream success. Not only did Blood Mountain enter the US charts at #32, but I think it's the most uncompromising major label debut by an American metal band since Slayer's Reign in Blood and Metallica's Master of Puppets 20 years ago, and we all know just how revered those records are. Everything has come together at the right time for the four musicians, as the album boasts massive improvements on all fronts. The songs are more adventurous than ever, but unlike the pretentious tedium of the Mars Volta, are disciplined and catchy, from the monster riffs of "The Wolf is Loose", "Siberian Divide", and "Crystal Skull", to the eccentric "Capillarian Crest" and "Colony of Birchmen", to the lugubrious melodies of "Sleeping Giant" and "Pendulous Skin", to the psychotic almost-grindcore of "Bladecatcher". Co-vocalists Troy Sanders and Brent Hinds have each found their own distinct voice, frenetic drummer Brann Dailor sounds like he has as many arms as Kali, combining brute force and lithe jazz fills, and Matt Bayles's massive production crushes 2004's superb Leviathan. We're witnessing something special here, as just three full-length albums in, Mastodon has created a musical hybrid all its own, emerging the unquestionable leader in American metal, which hasn't sounded this fresh, this invigorating, in two decades. It's a masterpiece everyone needs to hear.
2. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
For the second consecutive year, Minneapolis's the Hold Steady came close to claiming my album of the year title, but in the end, despite topping their last two albums, including last year's terrific Separation Sunday, I reluctantly had to pick between two truly great albums. After a 2005 that saw the band getting a ridiculous amount of hype from both the scenesters and mainstream publications, it was quite a surprise to see a new album put out so quickly, but the band certainly struck while the iron is hot, as Boys and Girls in America was greeted with an ecstatic reception among critics and the record-buying public alike. And they did it all with a musical formula that would never have flown with the indie hipster crowd, were it not for a lead singer who just happens to be arguably the best lyricist since Jarvis Cocker.
While the Killers might want to convince you otherwise, mimicking Bruce Springsteen isn't cool at all, but mimic the Hold Steady does. Unlike the Killers' over-the-top hamming, the Hold Steady take a simpler approach, making it less Born in the USA, and more Born to Run, from the majestic piano chords and glockenspiel of the glorious "Stuck Between Stations" to Craig Finn's eloquent, poetic character sketches of various misfits, the Twin Cities serving as his own Jersey shore. Of course, it's not all Springsteen, as there's always been a strong Guided By Voices influence in the band's sound, and in a cool move, twin lead guitar harmonies are brought in, adding a Thin Lizzy-style twist to the music. Although the music is exceptional (the coda in the title track gives me chills), it's Finn's presence that makes the album so memorable, his fictional depictions indelible, from the drug-addled, hose-betting girl in "Chips Ahoy!", to the adorable young couple in "Chillout Tent", to the barfly in "Citrus". Heavily influenced by Jack Kerouac's writing, Finn is beatific, tragic, and compassionate, a welcome change from so much irony and preciousness in American indie rock. This album is a treasure.
3. Boris - Pink
I was first introduces to Japanese power trio Boris in November of 2005, as an innocuous import album called Pink started making the rounds on the internet, garnering rave reviews from indie rock geeks everywhere. Over the course of the last thirteen months or so, the album has stuck with me, from those original MP3s with the unreadable (to me, anyway) Japanese titles, to the domestic version put out by Southern Lord this past May, growing on me slowly as the new year began, completely flooring me in early spring, and still captivating me as 2006 drew to a close. Easily the best album of the first half of the year, I have yet to tire of it.
Boris is an odd band, insanely prolific (they put out three other releases this past year), with a style that tends to meander from the drone of Earth and Sunn O))), to the muscular sludge riffs of the Melvins (Boris gets its name from a Melvins song), to the noise-drenched, yet mellifluous sounds of early 90s shoegazer, but on Pink, the threesome is extremely focused, the album enthralling, the pace unrelenting, giving us the full spectrum of the Boris sound. The dreamy "Farewell" treads the line between cacophony and tenderness in a way that would make Kevin Shields jealous, while "Pink", "Pseudo-Bread", and "Electric" channel Blue Cheer, the Stooges, and the MC5. "Blackout" is a vicious blast of that Melvins-inspired stoner/doom, guitar goddess Wata sounding more imposing than biker metal dudes twice her size. The tour de force "Just Abandoned My-Self", meanwhile, combines all those aforementioned elements into a thrilling epic piece. There's a reason indie kids and metal fans alike have been buzzing about this album online since late 2005: it's first-rate heavy rock 'n' roll at its most magnificent, absolutely essential music for those who like it loud.
4. Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain
A common misconception among people who know little about metal music but like to draw broad conclusions about metal music is that the music is too blunt, too lunkheaded, too cacophonous. Who says a metal band can't explore in more subtle, introspective, expansive directions? Isis are masters of injecting some understated, abstract mood pieces into their brand of heavy music, and so is Portland, Oregon band Agalloch, who has been combining the dark, atmospheric sounds of Norwegian black metal with more pastoral, folk-inspired sounds for the past eight years or so. Their third album and first in four years, Ashes Against the Grain, is deeply rooted in that dark, Scandinavian sound, but over those three albums, have created a sound that is not only completely original, not to mention drop-dead beautiful, but is guaranteed to surprise many people by just how accessible it is.
Drawing heavily from Norway's Ulver and Sweden's Katatonia, Agalloch has created a sound that accurately reflects the drearily pretty Pacific Northwest, rich in pastoral melodies, yet with an omnipresent undercurrent of foreboding, and that balance is near-perfect on this record. "Limbs" slowly draws us in with an hypnotic intro of E-bowed guitar melodies, and only when the growled vocals of John Haughm enter the fray are we reminded that this is a metal album. "Not Unlike the Waves" evokes the ancient Vikings, while coming close to topping Opeth with its acoustic interludes. The closing three-part suite "Our Fortress is Burning" shifts from piano, to Pink Floyd-esque progressive rock, to moody guitar drones. It's on "Falling Snow", however, that Agalloch outdo themselves, channeling 80s goth and dreampop (think the Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen), the guitars chiming, Haughm alternating between a growl and melodic singing, and the power chords tasteful and never overwhelming. An album this lovely deserves an audience wider than just the metal realm.
5. Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse
For the fifth year in a row, I contend that the Drive-By Truckers are the finest rock band in America today. They simply can do no wrong, in my opinion, even when they throw their fans a curveball like A Blessing and a Curse. Of course, when your band is led by three phenomenal singer-songwriters, your main weakness is a wealth of material from which to choose, and that has definitely been the case over the band's career, as their albums always had a tendency to meander. In the case of this superb sixth album, however, it's sharp, it's focused, and it's less than 50 minutes long, and that sense of immediacy and economy is a big reason why I've enjoyed this record all year long.
Actually, several reviews of this disc have been on the lukewarm side, but I think it's more a case of a reliable band being taken for granted instead of the music being subpar, because despite the fact that the band turns down the twang in favour of a more rock 'n' roll vibe, it's still some of their best work, on par with the last three albums. Jason Isbell continues to be a first-rate songwriter, proven by the Smithereens-like "Easy on Yourself" and the gorgeous "Daylight". Mike Cooley's acerbic sense of humour is intact on "Gravity's Gone" and he turns in his most tender performance on "Space City". It's Patterson Hood that dominates this album, though, his compositions ranging from Stones homages (the hilarious "Aftermath USA"), to raucous nods to the Replacements ("Feb. 14", "Wednesday"), to tender ballads ("Goodbye"), to his trademark storytelling ("A World of Hurt"), and turning in his finest vocal performance on an album in years. No band this decade has been as prolific and as reliable, and this road-hardened band has yet to show signs of slowing down.
6. Celtic Frost - Monotheist
2006 might have been a year dominated by many disappointments, but there were a lot of great stories on the metal side, with such veteran bands as Iron Maiden, Voivod, Slayer, and Motorhead, to name a few, releasing some of their finest work in years, proving yet again just how ageless a sound metal has turned out to be. As far as comebacks go, however, in any genre, none in 2006 compares to the astonishing, triumphant return of prodigal sons Celtic Frost. No, to call this a comeback doesn't do it justice…this is a Lazarus-like resurrection of a career that was left for dead nearly 20 years ago.
From 1984 to 1987, Celtic Frost was one of the most important metal bands at the time, hugely influential on the budding black metal underground, but ambition led to arrogance, as the band went in a blatantly commercial direction on the disastrous 1989 album Cold Lake, alienating fans worldwide. The damage was long perceived as irreparable, but guitarist Thomas Gabriel Fischer and bassist Martin Gabriel Ain have boldly rewritten the script with the shocking Monotheist. Simply put, it's one of the heaviest albums I have ever heard, as the band channels massive doom metal and dark, ethereal goth, taking us on a mesmerizing, 68 minute journey through metal's darkest side, one that's as disturbing as it is beautiful. Cathartic, bludgeoning compositions such as "Progeny", "Os Abysmi vel Daath", and "Ground" are answered by moments of stately beauty, soprano voices swirling around the devastatingly murky arrangements, Fischer's famous growl sounding wizened with age, but also surprising us with an eerie croon similar to that of Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy. This is what good metal is supposed to be: bigger than life, extreme, awe-inspiring. It's a thrilling piece of work, a baroque classic, and a long, long overdue return to form.
7. Love is All - Nine Times the Same Song
I say this every time I put one of these lists together, but the best thing about writing about new music is that jaw-dropping surprise a certain album has in store and the euphoric sense of discovery that results as you spin the CD for the twelfth time in a row without even knowing it. This year's biggest surprise belongs to Sweden's Love is All, whose debut album appeared in my mailbox in early October, and has had me smitten ever since.
These days, the idea of another post punk-inspired band isn't very appealing, but the energetic, fresh approach this band takes wins over even the biggest skeptic, as this insane little 30 minute CD channels the edgy sounds of the late-1970s, from New York no wave to the glorious Stiff Records singles in the UK, while tossing in elements of classic rock 'n' roll. With a sound so raw you're left wondering just how low-budget this project was, the music is actually enhanced, not hindered by the production limitations, sounding tetchy and intense one minute ("Used Goods"), and reflective the next ("Turn the TV Off"). Everyone from the Killers to the Hold Steady drew from classic Bruce Springsteen this year, but not with nearly as pretty a result as "Turn the Radio Off", as Josephine Olausson's reverb-drenched vocals are underscored by plaintive melodies by glockenspiel and saxophone. "Busy Doing Nothing" boasts the kind of furious danceability that dozens of post punk revivalists are completely incapable of effectively duplicating, a direct contrast from the thrumming sing-along of "Make Out Fall Out Make Up" and the sweetly catchy "Felt Tip". Maybe it's all in that saxophone; every time it enters, it lends an innocence and sincerity to the music that a guitar can't pull off as well. Sweden, the rest of the world thanks you. Yet again.
8. Junior Boys - So This is Goodbye
I was so knocked out by the Hamilton duo's 2004 debut Last Exit, that had it not been for a certain Arcade Fire album, just might have been my number one pick from that year. It was absolutely gorgeous pop music, minimal in structure, yet rich in hooks, the soulful crooning of Jeremy Greenspan contrasting with synth melodies so chilly and bare, you could call them skeletal. By juxtaposing such warmth amid such a stark landscape, the Junior Boys have constructed a distinctly Canadian sound, one that seems directly inspired by both this country's vastness and its own humility amidst such harsh environs.
So This is Goodbye doesn't seem like such a huge departure at first, but the deeper you dig, it soon becomes apparent how significant a departure it is. Instead of the clicking, stuttering beats that dominated Last Exit, the new album is much more varied, bringing in hints of microhouse, soul, warm, full-sounding house beats, and even a hint of Morrissey in the obsessive, self-loathing tune "Count Souvenirs". "In the Morning" is a fantastic single, featuring the duo's densest production to date as well as a cracking synth hook, and if that wasn't enough, they toss in a Sinatra cover (the achingly desolate "When No One Cares") near the end. This album might still sound minimal, but the songwriting and arrangements are so precise, it's as if every beat, every hum and thrum by a synthesizer has meaning. Nothing is wasted. It's the finest Canadian album of the year, and the most soulful Canadian album in ages. I said it in my review, and I'll repeat it here, because I mean it, if the Junior Boys' level of creativity keeps going at this rate, the Junior Boys' "indie darling" tag could very well be replaced by the much more deserving title, "national treasure".
9. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
In recent years, something about Brooklyn indie darlings well, they're not indie anymore) TV on the Radio didn't click with me, I just didn't buy into the eccentricity of their sound, perceiving the music as being perhaps a touch on the precious side. Like Liars, another Brooklyn hipster band, I didn't understand what made these guys so great. When I heard the new single "Wolf Like Me", however, the music did click, a roaring, ferocious rocker that had a hundred times the intensity and passion of any other mainstream rock tune this past year, and that highly accessible song served as a gateway drug, compelling me to pick up the CD, and lose myself in this band's highly varied, multi-hued musical palette.
The eccentric quality is still there on Return to Cookie Mountain, but there's a cohesiveness that was sorely lacking in the past, the many musical departures held together by huge, grandiose production. You get touches of hip hop ("I Was a Lover"), blues, electronic, doo wop ("A Method"), Tom Waits-esque kitchen sink rock ("Let the Devil In"), and even a little sitar on "Wash the Day"; coupled with the stellar vocal work of Tunde Adebimpe and lyrics that appear to be derived from the cut-and-paste genius of William S. Burroughs, it's enthralling. For all the album's oddball departures, though, it's the more straightforward material like "Wolf Like Me", "Blues From Down Here", and the lovely, elegiac "Tonight" that show how great this band can be when all that ambition is reined in just enough to not let the song become overwhelmed by instrumental accoutrements. This is as much of a grower album as you'll ever come across, but if you just sit back and enjoy the ride, TV on the Radio will take you places you would never had dreamed of.
10. Malajube - Trompe L'Oeil
I found 2006 to be a considerable letdown when it came to Canadian indie music, as there just didn't seem to be much out there at all worth getting excited about after several breakthrough years for Canadian bands. When I had to submit my ballot for the Polaris Music Prize this past summer, most of my choices were from late 2005, but when I got the shortlist compilation CD in the mail a couple months later, I was in for a serious revelation. The CD had all the expected artists, like Final Fantasy (the eventual winner), Broken Social Scene, and the New Pornographers, save for one French band with a funny name. I hadn't heard a single thing about Montreal's Malajube, and seeing them in the final ten made me wonder if they were just the token Francophone entry, but when I heard those slide guitars in "Pâte Filo", any doubt was instantly erased.
It took some searching, but once I heard Trompe L'Oeil, it quickly became apparent that it was the easy choice for the best Canadian indie rock album of 2006. People might be tempted to call the band a French-speaking combination of Broken Social Scene and the Arcade Fire, but the one band Malajube reminds me most of is the Sleepy Jackson, whose debut album won me over in a big way four years ago. Both bands revel in cramming as many sounds into a mix as possible and underlying it all with some of the catchiest hooks you will ever hear, and there are hooks aplenty, highlighted by the effervescent "Montréal -40°C", the rambunctious "Ton Plat Favori", and the luminous ballad "Étienne D’Août". As you can probably guess, the band sings strictly in French, but when the music is this good, there's no language barrier to speak of whatsoever.
11. Converge - No Heroes
Hardcore fans and metal fans are often very divided (go to any Sounds of the Underground show to see it firsthand), but no band has the ability to galvanize both sides as well as Converge, who continue to be the undisputed masters of bridging the gap between intense hardcore punk and intricate modern heavy metal. 2001's Jane Doe is one of the most acclaimed extreme albums of the decade so far, and 2004's You Fail Me was a very radical departure, so it only seems logical that the next album finds a comfortable middle ground between the two, which No Heroes does, and very well, I might add. In fact, the first eleven minutes is some of the most blisteringly fast material the band has done in years, six tracks of absolute insanity. For all their expertise at the fast stuff, I consider Converge to be one of the very best bands when it comes to slower songs, and when Kurt Ballou's screeching chords kick in during "Plagues", it signals a thrilling change in mood for the rest of the album, highlighted by the insanely catchy "Trophy Scars", the skronky "Lonewolves", and the astounding nine and a half minute epic "Grim Heart Black Rose". Truly exhilarating.
12. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Neko Case doesn't just take her time putting out new albums, she takes forever. Stopgap live album The Tigers Have Spoken notwithstanding, it had been four long years since Blacklisted blew us away, but as always has been the case since 2000, her albums are always well worth the wait. The first thing that strikes you upon hearing Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Case's fourth solo outing, is that nothing has changed, production-wise, since the last record, her sumptuous voice awash in reverb, with steely accompaniment by Calexico and the Sadies. What quickly becomes apparent, however, is just how accomplished a songwriter Case has become, as she delves more into personal territory, either sounding enigmatic (as on the haunting title track), confessional ("Hold On, Hold On"), or introspective, as heard on the lovely "The Needle Has Landed". Still, traditional folk songwriting remains her forte, as the lilting "Maybe Sparrow" sounding like a fable, "Dirty Knife" resembles an old murder ballad, and the brilliant "Star Witness" is as heartbreaking a teen death ballad as you'll ever hear. Neko Case has proven to be a major talent ever since the breakthrough Furnace Room Lullaby six years ago, but today, she's arguably the finest female country singer-songwriter of her generation.
13. Isis - In the Absence of Truth
I was really taken with Isis's 2004 album Panopticon, giving it a spot in my top 20 list, but admittedly I didn't really revisit the album very often during 2005 and 2006. A big reason was because I'd been inundated with CDs by other like-minded "post metal" bands to the point where I started to tire a little of the same spacious, epic sounds. It was one of those situations where you hear so many albums by similar bands that you wind up forgetting just how great the band is that they're all imitating. In the Absence of Truth was a stirring reminder of just how great a band Isis is, and that no matter how many other bands try to offer their own take on the sound, nothing beats the original. And what a gorgeous CD it is, heading into slightly more melodic, cleaner territory than ever before, guitars chiming and clearly defined, Aaron Turner singing more than screaming. The same huge crescendos are still there, but instead of arriving like overwhelming tidal waves, there's a sense of restraint, best exemplified by "Not in Rivers, But in Drops". Ever the "thinking man's" metal band, right now Isis is a band at the top of its game.
14. Marit Larsen - Under the Surface
It's one thing to have a former member of a pop act to put out a respectable solo album; it's another to have a former pop singer completely reinvent herself and display a level of singer-songwriter talent that her previous gig showed absolutely no hints of whatsoever. Formerly one half of the likeable but bland Norwegian pop duo M2M, Marit Larsen set out on her own, and proceeded to record one of the most winsome, pleasant, charmingly quirky, unpretentious albums I have heard in a long while. Armed with an acoustic guitar and brazenly using such patently unhip instrumentation as mandolin, harmonica, and banjo, Larsen channels everything from Fiona Apple (sans the flaky insecurity), to XTC, to hippy-dippy folk, and she simply makes it all work, her charisma holding everything together. The upbeat "Don't Save Me" and the clap-along tune "Only a Fool" boast a pair of hooks that are impossible not to give into, while the title track is gorgeous orch pop. The brazenly rustic "The Sinking Game" encapsulates Larsen's irresistible appeal, eccentric enough to sound original, yet always mindful of giving us an unforgettable melody. This album bowled me over early in the year, and has stuck around ever since. It's an absolute joy.
15. Jarvis Cocker - Jarvis
In the five years since We Love Life, I've missed Jarvis Cocker's songwriting brilliance, and although Cocker's kept himself busy while Pulp has been on permanent hiatus (remember his Harry Potter cameo?), we haven't heard any of the real Jarvis, the guy who made me stop dead in my tracks and compelled me to play Different Class on practically a daily basis during 1996. Until now, that is, as he surprised us all with his first solo outing. While it's not quite as musically rich as a Pulp record, there's an unmistakable Pulp quality on such gems as "I Will Kill Again", "Tonite", and "Big Julie". However, the best tracks are the ones that pull the rug out from under us, like the swooning pop of "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time", the "Crimson and Clover" sampling "Black Magic", and the beautiful country ditty "Heavy Weather". If there was any doubt that Cocker had lost his lyrical bite, it was obliterated instantly with the astonishing "Running the World", the most acerbic protest song to come along in recent memory, his verbal bile rising during the memorable, highly profane chorus. Yeah, Jarvis is back, and he still has something to say about this lousy world of ours.
16. Intronaut - Void
One of the biggest surprises of this past year as finding out about California's Intronaut. Early in the year, around January, I received the band's four song EP called Null, and not only was this a confident first outing, combining such elements as Mastodon's massive sound, Meshuggah's dizzying musical chops, and the primal intensity of Neurosis, but this in fact was their very first demo from 2005. So good was it, that it was picked up by a label and released on its own, which speaks volumes about the band's potential. Needless to say, the hype started to slowly build in anticipation of the band's first official full-length album, and when Void hit, I was among many who were blown away. Overflowing with punishing riffs and rhythms, atmospheric interludes, and melodic, jazz-inspired departures, drummer Danny Walker, guitarists Sacha Dunable and Leon Del Muerte, and bassist Joe Lester all display the kind of taut, versatile musicianship one would expect, and the more you delve into this record and let it settle, the more striking it becomes, highlighted by the restrained "Nostalgic Echo". It's the stunning work of Lester, that clinches it, his thrilling touches of fusion and funk to his basslines making the album even more enthralling.
17. Katatonia - The Great Cold Distance
Over the last four decades, the majority of heavy metal music has always been about extremes, about bands that played louder, played faster, screamed higher, growled lower, but a select few have been able to introduce subtlety to the genre, from the Gathering, to Isis, to the Deftones, but none moreso than Sweden's Katatonia, who bring a decidedly sombre mood to the already melancholy doom metal sound. The deterioration of singer Jonas Renske's voice has a lot to do with it; increasingly unable to sing in a guttural death growl, he chose to adopt a softer croon, the tactic yielding superb results on 2003's lauded Viva Emptiness, and working even better on the stately The Great Cold Distance. The doom metal backdrop and melodic vocals merge impeccably on the album, meeting halfway instead of sounding like two extremes juxtaposed with another, and the overall effect is often devastating, as Renske's sombre voice sounds detached at first on songs like "My Twin", "leaders", and "In the White", only to pull the rug out from under us with themes ranging from politics to matters of his own darkened heart. This album succeeds in every way that Tool's 10,000 Days did not, a gorgeous, accessible piece of work.
18. Voivod - Katorz
The fact that Voivod was able to piece together a new album from the demo tracks by guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour, recorded shortly before his death from cancer, is a small miracle in itself, but to have that album emerge as an unmitigated triumph, the Quebec band's best since the legendary Nothingface in 1989…well, that's another level of miracle entirely. I've loved the band for two decades, and I enjoyed their 2003 comeback album as much as anyone, but in all honesty, I wasn't expecting this at all, a bold, extremely catchy album, but one that still remains true to the classic Voivod sound. Piggy's trademark wonky riffs are as brilliantly idiosyncratic as ever, but it's more about simplicity and economy this time around, as the majority of the tracks all cruise comfortably, propelled by Michel "Away" Langevin's percussion, bringing a gracefulness to the groove, his beats sounding powerful, yet lithe and effortless. It's all good…really, really good, from the rocker "The Getaway" to the more progressive "Polaroids", and even better, there are enough leftover demos for a follow-up. In an awesome, not to mention Voivodian tribute to the dude's legacy, thousands of kids are now playing Piggy's tres formidable riffs from "The X-Stream" on Guitar Hero II.
19. The Gathering - Home
During the three years between the Gathering's last two albums, I became a huge, huge fan of the Dutch band, from their groundbreaking, hugely influential mid-90s albums Mandylion and Nighttime Birds to their more recent work, which has shed the band's metal roots in favour of a more progressive rock sound. With full artistic control over their music (they own their own label), the Gathering has flourished over the last seven or eight years, getting more adventurous with each release, but one constant has always been the stunning voice of Anneke van Giersbergen. Originally, it was all about the striking contrast between her striking voice and the band's goth/doom arrangements, but while those elements do linger from time to time, the music has become richer and more varied, van Giersbergen's singing more restrained, and both trends continue here. The insistent "Shortest Day" is their catchiest song in years, "Waking Hour" and "Forgotten" are two effective ballads, and the Kate Bush-like coda in "Alone" shows just how bold this band can get. The easy choice for the best track, "A Noise Severe" contains a powerhouse performance by van Giersbergen, as subtle hints of doom metal darken the mood like clouds cooling off a summer day.
20. The Drams - Jubilee Dive
For years, my American friends have been telling me how great the band Slobberbone was, about how the Denton, Texas band was one of the finest roots rock/Americana/alt country acts in the country, how they performed with the frequency and the tenacity of the Drive-By Truckers, but with only a fraction of the acclaim and album sales. After the band broke up in 2005, three members formed the Drams, igniting great interest among devoted Slobberbone fans, but the music that resulted had many up in arms. After years of gritty country and folk-tinged rock delivered with a punk attitude, this new band went in a more accessible direction on its debut album, prompting angry exchanges between the fans and the band on its message board. Truthfully, Jubilee Dive is nowhere near as rough-edged as any Slobberbone album, but the Drams prove to be just as capable of hooky songs as they are dark character sketches, ranging from the downright buoyant ("You Won't Forget", "Unhinged", "Fireflies"), to moments that evoke early REM ("Truth Lies Low"), to beautiful epic ballads ("Holy Moses", "September's High", "Wonderous Life"). This album proves that it's sometimes better for a band to simplify instead of trying to sound eccentric all the time.
Honourable Mentions of 2006:
(The best of the rest, in alphabetical order)
All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals
The easy choice for metalcore album of the year, the Boston band grew by leaps and bounds on its third album, with tighter musicianship, stronger songwriting, and an incredible vocal performance by Phil Labonte, who delivers plenty of attention-grabbing vocal melodies.
Essential tracks: "This Calling", "Not Alone"
Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist
One of the year's biggest surprises, the Deftones show renewed life, their distinct style finally sounding fully developed, blending alt-metal riffs with shimmering post punk melodies, and singer Chino Moreno finally putting that fine voice of his to good use.
Essential tracks: "Hole in the Earth", "Cherry Waves"
The Dresden Dolls - Yes Virginia…
The second album by the kooky cabaret punk duo doesn't abandon the eccentricity of their debut, but it does tone the histrionics down, the songs sounding more dynamic, pianist/singer Amanda Palmer developing a real talent for memorable musical character sketches.
Essential tracks: "Backstabber", "Sing"
El Perro Del Mar - El Perro Del Mar
Gothenburg, Sweden singer-songwriter Sarah Assbring is a revelation on this excellent debut, combining the lo-fi indie pop of her countryman Jens Lekman with a healthy preoccupation with 60s Motown and Phil Spector, her lyrics devastatingly downbeat, her voice achingly fragile.
Essential tracks: "God Knows (You Gotta Give to Get)", "Here Comes That Feeling"
Enslaved - Ruun
Enslaved might have started out as a black metal band, but they're anything but one now, having transformed into one of the world's finest progressive metal acts, focusing more on groove and concise song structure, along with that unmistakable majestic Nordic influence.
Essential tracks: "Path to Vanir", "Essence"
The Forecast - In the Shadow of Two Gunmen
They always had the potential, but 2006 was the year they knocked one out of the park, brilliantly bringing an Americana influence to post-hardcore and emphasizing their fantastic boy-girl dual lead vocals, which has always been the band's secret weapon.
Essential tracks: "West Coast", "Some Things Never Change"
Emily Haines - Knives Don't Have Your Back
Talk about a grower, as this one took several months to win me over, but the Metric singer's much-anticipated solo turn charmed me in the end, her laconic, piano-driven tunes alternating from the heartfelt to the enigmatic. Top marks for the art design.
Essential tracks: "Doctor Blind", "Crowd Surf Off a Cliff"
Genghis Tron - Bad Mountain Mouth
Grind, noise rock, hardcore, and IDM violently collide on the Philadelphia trio's genre-defying full-length debut, but for all the chaos, the Philadelphia trio is remarkably restrained, teetering on the precipice of insanity, but never toppling. The tension is often thrilling.
Essential tracks: "White walls", "Asleep on the Forest Floor"
In Flames - Come Clarity
Another veteran band that keeps improving with age, the Swedish greats expertly combined the fury of their early sound with more accessible songwriting, making for a fantastic record, featuring a pair of songs that deserved to be mainstream rock hits here.
Essential tracks: "Come Clarity", "Dead End"
Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death
Not only did the ageless wonders not disappoint on their 14th album, but it turned out to be their best in nearly two decades, an impassioned, confrontational, musically dark examination of today's war-dominated world highlighted by their best single in 22 years.
Essential tracks: "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg", "The Longest Day"
Jesu - Silver
The latest musical project by Justin Broadrick got off to a great start with Jesu's enjoyable debut a year ago, but this four-song CD trounces it, the band incorporating a richer sound, with plenty of gorgeous melodies amidst the shoegaze-inspired chords.
Essential tracks: "Silver", "Star"
Melvins - A Senile Animal
Not only do the sludge legends make a triumphant return with some of their most concise music to date, but they do so on a massive sounding album, made all the more punishing by a two-drummer performance that will have your head reeling.
Essential tracks: "Blood Witch", "Civilized Worm"
Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom
After overseeing his fine record label and fronting numerous, highly eccentric projects, Mike Patton put out his most accessible music in years, mashing rock, hip hop, and R & B into a cool hybrid. Welcome back to the land of the living, dude.
Essential tracks: "Mojo", "Caipirinha"
Slayer - Christ Illusion
Five years after the intense God Hates Us All, Slayer returned with their most focused album in a very long time, with original drummer Dave Lombardo back in the fold, the band playing with the fervor of musicians half their age.
Essential tracks: "Cult", "Jihad"
Sunn O))) & Boris - Altar
Two of the most hyped bands of the last year joined forces, and unlike most supergroup collaborations, this one actually yielded exciting, and surprising results, the album streamlining Sunn O)))'s sound, intensifying Boris's music, and even venturing into acoustic and electronic territory.
Essential tracks: "The Sinking Belle (Blue Sheep)", "Etna"
The Best Ineligible Releases of 2006:
(collections of previously released material, like live albums, reissues, compilations, and music DVDs)
1. Pavement - Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition
When this double-disc deluxe reissue was announced earlier this year, I knew right then and there it would be the easy and obvious choice for reissue of the year. After all, the previous two Pavement reissues by Matador in 2003 and 2004 rank as a pair of the greatest deluxe editions to ever be compiled, and this treatment of the 1995 album Wowee Zowee ranks right up there with them. Critically panned when it came out a decade ago, and viewed at the time as a commercial failure, the album was the classic definition of a "grower", and went on to have a very strong shelf life, to the point where it is now regarded not only as one of Pavement's finest works, but one of the best albums of the 90s alternative rock era. Packed to the gills with extras, the album portion remains the star, as the band displays both audacity and confidence, seemingly changing styles with each track, but still sounding like the Pavement we always loved. A sensational album, and an even better re-release.
2. Iron Maiden - Death on the Road DVD
This highly anticipated live concert DVD, recorded and filmed in 2003, was fraught with delays, technical problems, and more delays, to the point where it wasn't even released in the US. It did make it to Canada, however, and thankfully, the three-DVD set is flawless. Nobody puts out DVDs like Maiden, and this sucker is fantastic on every level. The Dortmund concert is thrilling, centred around a highly theatrical stage set, heavy on material from the Dance of Death album ("Paschendale" being the big highlight), with plenty of classics tossed in, like "Hallowed Be Thy Name" and "The Trooper", all filmed in crystal clear high definition, and witht e requisite superb surround mix. If that wasn't enough, there's an enthralling DVD that focuses on the behind the scenes stuff, going over all the preparations in great detail. A total Maiden geek-fest, it was everything I had hoped it would be, and then some.
3. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend (Legacy Edition)
These spiffy Legacy Edition CDs never fail to impress, so it's no surprise that this deluxe reissue of Matthew Sweet's seminal power pop masterpiece lives up to expectations. One of the most pleasantly surprising commercial success stories of the early 1990s, Girlfriend is a fascinating album, one that offers a stark contrast between Sweet's boyish vocals and winsome pop hooks and the screaming, screeching lead guitars by 70s punk legends Robert Quine and Richard Lloyd. The blend of commercialism and cacophony is impeccable, and back in 1991, it was perfectly timed for the wave of alternative rock that would crest later in the decade, highlighted by such tunes as "Divine Intervention", "I've Been Waiting", "Evangeline", and of course, that classic title track that barnstormed radio in early 1992. The second CD of alternate versions, demos, and live cuts only helps accentuate this album's great lasting power. Timeless, glorious melodic rock.
4. Motörhead - Stage Fright DVD
Filmed in Germany during the band's huge 30th anniversary world tour two years ago, what started as a simple concert DVD turned into the best live Motörhead recording since No Sleep 'til Hammersmith, and incredible performance, professionally filmed and edited, with a flashy, blinding light show, and presented in massive five-channel surround sound. The concert is quintessential Motörhead, as the trio tears through classics like "Overkill" and "Ace of Spades", as well as underrated gems like "Just 'cos You Got the Power" and "I Got Mine", with the kind of ear-destroying fury you'd expect, and which I witnessed firsthand during that very tour. Appended with an hilarious commentary by the band, as well as a second disc of supplemental features, it’s a fitting souvenir for anyone who has lived through the Motörhead experience in the past, and a good indication that Lemmy and the boys will never, ever stop performing such timeless rock 'n' roll.
5. The Gathering - Mandylion
Holland's the Gathering is one of the most important metal bands to come out of the mid-90s, paving the way for such goth-tinged, female-fronted melodic metal acts as Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, and even Evanescence, but while those bands have stuck to that same formula, the Gathering went on to flourish artistically, venturing more towards progressive rock. This is the album that started it all in 1995, combining elements of doom metal with the flat-out gorgeous singing voice of a young Anneke van Giersbergen, and the result is jaw-dropping, the dark chords meshing beautifully with her angelic, soaring vocal melodies on such songs as "Strange Machines" and "Leaves". This terrific reissue comes with a second disc crammed with previously unreleased demo tracks as well as liner notes, affording us a deeper look into a classic album. Tragically overlooked, save for a small worldwide following, it's about time the Gathering got some respect.
6. Rush - Replay x 3 DVD
If you've read this page, if you know me at all, you know I'm a total Rush nerd, and that I am absolutely bananas over Rush DVDs. The fact is, the Canadian legends have perfected the music DVD medium, and this collection of three 1980s concert films continues the trend. The four-disc set gives us the original 1981 Exit Stage Left film, the long-lost Grace Under Pressure Tour show from 1984, a bonus audio CD of the same show, and 1988's splendid A Show of Hands. Many people like Rush's 70s work, but I've always preferred their more accessible, much more musically vibrant 80s output, and this splendid set affords us a detailed look at that musical second wind they experienced during that decade, when progressive rock met artful pop rock. If that wasn't enough, the band tossed in reproductions of the tour books from each show, making an already enjoyable set even swankier.
7. Sugababes - Overloaded: Singles Collection
The greatest pop act of this decade, Sugababes revolutionized the form over the course of the last seven years, most notably with the groundbreaking single "Freak Like Me", the first mainstream pop song to employ the "Mash-up", combining the vocals of the Adina Howard original with Gary Numan's electro tune "Are Friends Electric?". The trio has had five different members over the years, but the music has always been consistently great, avoiding schlock and staying classy all the way, making for a literal bevy of ace tunes. Their first single "Overload" came out when the 'babes were mere babes, but its smooth R & B was far more mature than either their fellow pop tarts or their more mature contemporaries. "Round Round", "Hole in the Head", and "Push the Button" are all smart and saucy, while "Ugly" is the kind of adorable ballad that doesn't pander to audiences. Impeccable, extremely catchy, and unforgettable.
8. Motörhead - Another Perfect Day
One of the most overlooked and unfairly maligned gems in heavy metal history, this 1983 album is an oddity, but a highly fascinating one. After the great "Fast" Eddie Clark left the band in 1982, Motörhead quickly hired former Thin Lizzy axeman Brian Robertson, who proceeded to put a highly unique spin on the trio's raging, rampaging sound, his melodic riffs and lithe lead solos contrasting greatly with Lemmy's ravaged roar and Phil Taylor's primal percussion. It's a combination that works extremely well, though, Robertson's versatile musicianship tightening the band's sound, marking a great improvement over the tired-sounding 1982 record Iron Fist, best exemplified by "Dancing on Your Grave" and "I Got Mine". In addition, the bonus disc features an incredible 1983 live recording with Robertson, who refused to play such staples as "Overkill" and "Ace of Spades". The dude was a jerk, and was soon fired, but Robertson's impact was undeniable.
9. Girls Aloud - The Sound of Girls Aloud: Greatest Hits
The fact that Girls Aloud didn't make a huge splash on this continent boggles the mind. Although they were created on a UK reality TV show, these ladies (whose voices I have yet to tell apart after four years) have surrounded themselves with top-notch songwriters and inventive producers, giving us a refreshing take on modern pop, something uK audiences went nuts over, netting the five girls 13 consecutive top ten singles. You have the surf guitar of "Sound of the Underground", the skiffle shuffle of the great "Love Machine", and the oddball blues/80s pop combo on "Biology" interspersed with shamelessly cornball singles like covers of the Pointer Sisters' "Jump" and the Pretenders' "I'll Stand By You". Toss in the propulsive dance pop of new tune "Something Kinda Ooooh, and you've got a winning combination, as good a pop disc as you'll find anywhere. Now if only they'd release it domestically…
10. Mansun - Legacy: Best Of
Arguably the most underrated band to emerge during the great Britpop wave of the mid-90s, Mansun had a brief flirtation with mild North American popularity with the fantastic epic single "Wide Open Space" in 1996, but the band's moment in the sun was fleeting at best, as they went on to enjoy modest UK success for a few years, and had to endure total anonymity in North America. This compilation offers a welcome look at this highly talented, often misunderstood foursome, compiling their finest singles, from the stunning trifecta of the aforementioned "Wide Open Space", "Stripper Vicar", and "She Makes My Nose Bleed", to selections from its ambitious 1998 album Six (highlighted by the shimmering "Legacy"), to latter-day tracks like "I Can Only Disappoint U". Theirs was an edgy style, singer Paul Draper's sharp tenor contrasting with the often harsh guitars, a formula Muse would cash in on in subsequent years.
Introduction
Well, another year has flown by, so it's time to kick off my sixth annual month-long look back at the year in music, a yearly ritual that always makes December more enjoyable (hope it is for y'all out there, too). It was a strange year, that's for sure, but another good one, both on a personal level, and musically speaking. First and foremost, 2006 (well, late December 2005) was when I was asked to join Decibel magazine as a contributing writer. It's been nothing short of fantastic, as I've dabbled more in feature writing than I ever had before, and learned a completely different form of criticism, one that requires a bit more discipline than internet writing, and I think I'm the better for it. The magazine gig led to the absolute highlight of my year, my crazy two day trip to Sweden to meet the band Therion. I can't imagine ever topping an assignment like that! I also was asked to be on the jury for the Polaris Music Prize, which was a real honour. On the PopMatters side, my fifth year with the great site kept me as busy as ever, my only regret being that I wish I had more time to write about all the music I got. And in 2006, I got a lot of new music.
There was an absolute ton of good music, from all genres, but one thing about 2006 that really sticks out is just how many high profile disappointments there were. It's actually quite stunning: Flaming Lips, the Streets, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Delays, Grandaddy, Carina Round, Lansing-Dreiden, controller.controller, Richard Ashcroft, Elefant, Sleepy Jackson, Tool, Calexico, Kasabian (no wait, they already sucked), Mars Volta, Basement Jaxx, Nina Gordon, Morrissey, the Magic Numbers…they either underachieved, or just plain tanked. By far the biggest disappointment, and my nod for worst album of the year, though, is none other than Sam's Town, by the Killers, who after showing so much promise with the lead-off single, delivered a record that was a spectacular failure. Despite the inordinately high number of mediocre releases, it was pretty easy to find the good stuff, as is always the case, and a good 45 or 50 will be announced here in the days and weeks to come.
As for live shows, it was a slow, slow year. Stars played a captivating set in February, and the more I see them, the bigger fan I become. Akron/Family played a very memorable, loud, highly confrontational show in March, one that started off with a packed club, but a half hour in, had cleared the room, save for a few enthralled music geeks (myself included) and some angry hecklers. I saw a lot of screamo. A ton of screamo…Taste of Chaos was an eye-opener, with Thrice being a massive revelation for yours truly, Dredg reigniting my interest in the band, and the Deftones showing me firsthand why they're so darn good. Later in the year, Underoath was solid but gratingly preachy, Moneen was charming, Every Time I Die was insane (as was the crowd), Alexisonfire showed why they're one of Canada's best rock bands, and for some reason, I saw Silverstein on two separate occasions. Metric played a triumphant, sold-out show, but seemed a bit on the chilly side after so many earnest performances in the past. Sounds of the Underground was great fun, especially the sets by In Flames, Behemoth, and Cannibal Corpse, all of whom I was thrilled to see. Raising the Fawn was as reliable as ever, and In-Flight Safety thoroughly impressed me.
Four shows in particular were of the special variety. The New Pornographers played a joyous show in October in front of a jubilant crowd, and seeing the crowd not stop cheering, encouraging the band to turn the house lights back off so they could play a second encore of "Letter from an Occupant" was something I'll never forget. Swedish metal gods Opeth played a masterful set in March, an enthralling, technically stupendous, extremely intense, and oddly charming headlining set. Seeing the Rolling Stones perform on a pleasant October night in Regina was a big thrill, as they showed just how great they are at pulling off a huge stadium show. The biggie for me, though, was FINALLY seeing Slayer after 22 years at the incredible Holy Alliance Tour stop in Edmonton, featuring such incredible openers as Mastodon, Lamb of God, and Children of Bodom. It was one of the most punishing live sets I have ever seen, and it was also one of the most fun.
Be sure to watch for my top 20 singles countdown in the right margin, which will commence at the same time as my album countdown…there will be MP3 links posted for each track, so don't hesitate to sample (and then buy)! The 20 I picked are all fantastic. So anyway, thanks for reading this silly page for another year, and I hope you have as much fun reading this stuff as I do writing it. If I can turn you on to some music you might have otherwise missed out on, or might not have even considered trying, then that makes it all the more worthwhile. Enjoy!
Before I start this year's massive list of great albums, as always, I have to confess my lack of coolness, and mention some albums from 2005 that I was ignorant enough not to fully appreciate until this year:
Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike
This was one of those moments where I went, "Why didn't anyone tell me about these guys?" After all, who can resist lively Balkan polka-punk performed by a band led by a raving lunatic from the Ukraine? It's absolutely insane, and extremely contagious, highlighted by the strange "Start Wearing Purple". And just how stupid am I? After I heard the album in January, I chose not to go to their show, because I was tired. My biggest concert regret of the year.
Thrice - Vheissu
If you dismiss this band just because some people call them emo or screamo, you're making a huge mistake. Arguably the most creative post-hardcore band out there, they're on the verge of the big time, thanks to a rabid following among the kids, yet the music is challenging, with a lot more range and variety than any of their peers. The way they straddle genres on the album is remarkable, evoking the Cure, Radiohead, and Isis, among others.
Trivium - Ascendancy
I was slow catching on to this young metal band, at first underwhelmed with by what I thought was some capable but ordinary metalcore, but the music started to settle in as the year went on. The album is loaded with contagious clean vocal melodies, anthemic songs like "Pull Harder on the Strings of Your Martyr" ("TWIGADEE!") and "A Gunshot to the Head of Trepidation" showing just how much potential this band barely out of its teens possesses.
My top ten albums of 2005:
1. Opeth - Ghost Reveries
2. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday
3. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
4. Clutch - Robot Hive/Exodus
5. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
6. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem
7. Rachel Stevens - Come and Get It
8. System of a Down - Mezmerize/Hypnotize
9. Between the Buried and Me - Alaska
10. M.I.A. - Arular
Past albums of the year (uh, please bear in mind I was sixteen when I started this):
1986: Iron Maiden - Somewhere In Time
1987: Def Leppard - Hysteria
1988: Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime
1989: Voivod - Nothingface
1990: Megadeth - Rust In Peace, Led Zeppelin Box Set (tie)
1991: Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger
1992: R.E.M. - Automatic For The People
1993: Nirvana - In Utero
1994: Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
1995: Elastica - Elastica
1996: Pulp - Different Class
1997: Bob Dylan - Time Out Of Mind
1998: Monster Magnet - Powertrip
1999: Metallica - S & M
2000: Yo La Tengo - ...And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out
2001: Bob Dylan - Love And Theft, The Langley Schools Music Project - Innocence & Despair (tie)
2002: The Streets - Original Pirate Material
2003: Manitoba - Up in Flames
2004: Arcade Fire - Funeral
2005: Opeth - Ghost Reveries
