Music: Best Albums of the Year Series: 2006

[Saturated Fats]

1965: The Beatles - Rubber Soul
1966: The Beatles - Revolver
1967: The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
1969: The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970: Black Sabbath - Paranoid
1971: Led Zeppelin - IV
1972: Neil Young - Harvest
1973: Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
1975: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
1976: Eagles - Hotel California
1977: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours
1979: Pink Floyd - The Wall
1980: AC/DC - Back in Black
1982: Iron Maiden - The Number of the Beast
1984: Metallica - Ride the Lightning
1985: Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair
1987: Guns 'n Roses - Appetite for Destruction
1988: Metallica - ...And Justice for All
1989: Pixies - Doolittle
1991: Nirvana - Nevermind
1992: Alice in Chains - Dirt
1995: Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
1996: (TIE) Soundgarden - Down on the Upside // Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
1998: (TIE) Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill // System of a Down - System of a Down
1999: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
2000: Radiohead - Kid A
2001: The Strokes - Is This It
2002: Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
2004: (TIE) Madvillain - Madvillainy // The Killers - Hot Fuss // Green Day - American Idiot
2005: Coldplay - X & Y
2007: Radiohead - In Rainbows
2010: The National - High Violet
2011: No definitive winner
2012: (TIE) Kendrick Lamar - good kidd, M.A.A.D. city // Deftones - koi no yokan
2014: Behemoth - The Satanist

1981: Rush - Moving Pictures (15 votes)

2nd Place (TIE): Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman (10 votes)
2nd Place (TIE): The Police - Ghost in the Machine (10 votes)
4th Place (TIE): 4 albums tied with 8 votes

So I went back and listened to Moving Pictures, and I actually really like it. I'm not much of a Rush fan, nor am I much for the harder side of prog-rock... But this album is undeniable. The musicianship is stellar, and the songs don't miss. Glad I gave it another listen, because it is absolutely worthy of this spot - despite my favourite album on the year being Echo and the Bunnymen.

For 2006, I could see this as being a polarizing year. It's a great year for critical indie successes, like J. Dilla, Joanna Newsom, and The Decemberists - but it's also a big year for popular music. Very little of which I'm crazy about, to be honest.

10/25: 1974
10/27: 1997
10/29: 2009

Click to read more...

 

[plank]

a pretty damn good year.

1. Garden Ruin - Calexico
2. Fading Trails - Magnolia Electric Co.
3. Everything All the Time - Band of Horses
4. Broken Boy Soldiers - The Raconteurs
5. s/t - Pearl Jam
6. Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins
7. All the Roadrunning - Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris
8. Comfort of Strangers - Beth Orton
9. Let Me Go, Let Me Go, Let Me Go - Jason Molina
10. Black Cadillac - Rosanne Cash
11. The Devil You Know - Todd Snider
12. Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Neko Case
13. How We Operate - Gomez
14. Death Songs for the Living - Gob Iron
15. All This Time - Heartless Bastards
16. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
17. s/t - The Little Willies
18. Yours to Keep - Albert Hammond Jr.
19. Highway Companion - Tom Petty
20. Triple Deuces - The Chop Tops

 

[Cas]

I'm really glad you put Celtic Frost - Monotheist on this poll. I'm just going to outright nominate it as metal album of the year at the start.

Other good albums from my high school graduation year (which is of course always a good year for music):

Ahab - The Call of the Wretched Sea
Archgoat - W**** of Bethlehem
Darkthrone - The Cult is Alive
Melechesh - Emissaries
Pagan Altar - Mythical and Magical
The Ruins of Beverast - Rain Upon the Impure
Vader - Impressions in Blood
Wolf - The Black Flame

Runner-up would be Melechesh - Emissaries - a very strong blackened folk death metal album.

The Black Flame could have challenged Emissaries, but the drumming, while completely competent, missed an opportunity - it's like listening to Holland-era Priest after listening to Binks/Travis material. There are very few albums I think this about, but for some reason I always feel like the drumming on The Black Flame is a let-down.

 

[Oxbow Lakes]

Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury

J Dilla - Donuts
The Knife - Silent Shout
The Roots - Game Theory

Top-2 is the best 1-2 punch hip hop could offer this decade.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I don't know what to think of this year... Far from the top ones...

1. Won James Won – Theorist Attack
2. Andrew Douglas Rothbard – Abandoned Meander
3. Natural Snow Buildings – The Dance of the Moon and the Sun
4. Haino Keiji/Yoshida Tatsuya – New Rap
5. The Matches – Decomposer
6. Agaskodo Teliverek – Agaskodo Teliverek
7. Damien Rice – 9
8. Officerfishdumplings – Finds Your Way Home
9. Janet Feder & Fred Frith – Ironic Universe
10. East West Blast Test – Popular Music for Unpopular People

HMs:
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova – The Swell Season
The Goslings – Grandeur of Hair
John Zorn – Moonchild / John Zorn – Astronome (first two albums of the Moonchild project, which is to me, considering the lineup, Zorn's most disappointing project – it's good, it just should have been better)
Peeping Tom – Peeping Tom
Planningtorock – Have It All
T Bone Burnett – The True False Identity
Fred Frith, Carla Kihlstedt & Stevie Wishart – The Compass, Log, And Lead
Vincent Delerm – Les piqûres d'araignée
Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae (thx to @kihei for the reminder)
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
Volcano the Bear – The Shy Volcanic Society at the Bear And Bird Parade
The Legendary Pink Dots – Your Children Placate You From Premature Graves
Tim Hecker – Harmony in Ultraviolet
Jean Leloup (Jean Leclerc) – Mexico
Cex - Actual f***ing
LO Moda – Gospel Store Front
Aidan Baker – The Sea Swells a Bit...
Kaada – Music For Moviebikers
Belong – October Language
MewithoutYou – Brother, Sister
Anthony Coleman – Pushy Blueness / Anthony Coleman – Shmutsige Magnaten: Coleman Plays Gebirtig (Pushy Blueness is a good album by Coleman, Shmutsige Magnaten would have been an amazing album had it not been recorded live, no idea how they managed to f*** it up that bad, at times it feels like you're hearing people move around or twist their asses in their seats)
Feu Thérèse – Feu Thérèse
Albert Fish Is My Hero – Aileen (fell in the ranking because of its juvenile themes – Aileen is the female serial killer that inspired the movie Monster, Fish is another earlier killer, makes you roll your eyes – but the music is pretty efficient)

Curiosities:
Carla Bozulich – Evangelista (this is brilliant, I don't know why it doesn't work more for me)
The Golding Institute – Final Relaxation
Subtle – For Hero: For Fool
TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
Subliminal – Coping
Wayne Horvitz – Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur
Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (no direction or clear intention, but lots of good stuff just nicely done)
Dub Trio – New Heavy (I should really like this more, it's kind of “my style”, it just lacks some edge – one of the songs ended up remixed on the Peeping Tom album)
Thanatoloop – Música a la muerte infinita
Arditi – Standards of Triumph (for the Nazi in you, I guess)
Zukanican – Horse Republic
Agnivolok – Cherries
Birchville Cat Motel – Our Love Will Destroy the World
Colleen – Mort aux vaches
Lifelover – Pulver
Coil – Black Antlers
The Black Heart Procession – The Spell

This is not from one of the listed album, it's Mike Patton singing Bob Dylan from Jamie Saft Trio's Trouble.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Hmmm, it's a first. There's no album from either my ranking or my HMs in the poll. I know I'm supposed to pick at least one. I'll think about it!

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Under The Iron Sea by Keane and it wasn't even close for me. I really liked the Arctic Monkeys debut, it felt rejuvinating and I think The Kooks and Franz Ferdinand also released a couple really solid albums that year that I still listen to a lot.

 

[Langdon Alger]

The only albums I think I listened to that came out that year were Stadium Arcadium by the Chili Peppers and Pearl Jam’s self titled or Avacado album, so I’ll go with those.

 

[frisco]

Other:
Uninvited, Like The Clouds-The Church
We Shall Overcome: The Seegar Sessions-Bruce Springsteen
American V: A Hundred Highways-Johnny Cash
The Sweet Escape-Gwen Stefani

My Best-Carey

 

[kihei]

Cibelle: The Shine of Dried Electric Leaves
Corinne Bailey Rae: Corinne Bailey Rae
Metric: Live It Out
Muse: Black Holes and Revelations
Thom Yorke: The Eraser
Keane: Under the Iron Sea
Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglova: The Swell Season
Metheny/Mehldau: Metheny/Mehldau
Ray Davies: Other People's Lives
Marisa Monte: Universo ao meu rader

 

[Teemu]

Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Black Keys - Magic Potion
The Killers - Sam's Town
TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations
Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing and a Curse

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Corinne Bailey Rae: Corinne Bailey Rae

Oh, completely missed that one, thanks.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I don't know what to think of this year... Far from the top ones...

1. Won James Won – Theorist Attack
2. Andrew Douglas Rothbard – Abandoned Meander
3. Natural Snow Buildings – The Dance of the Moon and the Sun
4. Haino Keiji/Yoshida Tatsuya – New Rap
5. The Matches – Decomposer
6. Agaskodo Teliverek – Agaskodo Teliverek
7. Damien Rice – 9
8. Officerfishdumplings – Finds Your Way Home
9. Janet Feder & Fred Frith – Ironic Universe
10. East West Blast Test – Popular Music for Unpopular People

HMs:
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova – The Swell Season
The Goslings – Grandeur of Hair
John Zorn – Moonchild / John Zorn – Astronome (first two albums of the Moonchild project, which is to me, considering the lineup, Zorn's most disappointing project – it's good, it just should have been better)
Peeping Tom – Peeping Tom
Planningtorock – Have It All
T Bone Burnett – The True False Identity
Fred Frith, Carla Kihlstedt & Stevie Wishart – The Compass, Log, And Lead
Vincent Delerm – Les piqûres d'araignée
Corinne Bailey Rae - Corinne Bailey Rae (thx to @kihei for the reminder)
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
Volcano the Bear – The Shy Volcanic Society at the Bear And Bird Parade
The Legendary Pink Dots – Your Children Placate You From Premature Graves
Tim Hecker – Harmony in Ultraviolet
Jean Leloup (Jean Leclerc) – Mexico
LO Moda – Gospel Store Front
Aidan Baker – The Sea Swells a Bit...
Kaada – Music For Moviebikers
Belong – October Language
MewithoutYou – Brother, Sister
Anthony Coleman – Pushy Blueness / Anthony Coleman – Shmutsige Magnaten: Coleman Plays Gebirtig (Pushy Blueness is a good album by Coleman, Shmutsige Magnaten would have been an amazing album had it not been recorded live, no idea how they managed to f*** it up that bad, at times it feels like your hearing people move around or twist their asses in their seats)
Feu Thérèse – Feu Thérèse
Albert Fish Is My Hero – Aileen (fell in the ranking because of its juvenile themes – Aileen is the female serial killer that inspired the movie Monster, Fish is another earlier killer, makes you roll your eyes – but the music is pretty efficient)

Curiosities:
Carla Bozulich – Evangelista (this is brilliant, I don't know why it doesn't work more for me)
The Golding Institute – Final Relaxation
Subtle – For Hero: For Fool
TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
Subliminal – Coping
Wayne Horvitz – Whispers, Hymns and a Murmur
Yo La Tengo – I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (no direction or clear intention, but lots of good stuff just nicely done)
Dub Trio – New Heavy (I should really like this more, it's kind of “my style”, it just lacks some edge – one of the songs ended up remixed on the Peeping Tom album)
Thanatoloop – Música a la muerte infinita
Arditi – Standards of Triumph (for the Nazi in you, I guess)
Zukanican – Horse Republic
Agnivolok – Cherries
Birchville Cat Motel – Our Love Will Destroy the World
Colleen – Mort aux vaches
Lifelover – Pulver
Coil – Black Antlers
The Black Heart Procession – The Spell

This is not from one of the listed album, it's Mike Patton singing Bob Dylan from Jamie Saft Trio's Trouble.

I mean this in the best of ways but how do you know so much music from any given year?

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Not too familiar with most of those full albums but I think this is the best song of that year that I know of:

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I mean this in the best of ways but how do you know so much music from any given year?

In the 90s / early 2000s, I was trading stuff with different groups of collectors (mostly by mail at first) and I have a huge collection of music and films. Always listened to a lot of music, and the COVID is drilling my ass home most of the time, so it's x200 now. Even bought new headphones because these threads are the perfect excuse to go back to some of my favorite stuff, and listen to things I meant to go through.

 

[belair]

David Gilmour - On An Island, Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones, Beck - The Information are a few OP is missing.




Return to Cookie Mountain was a solid album.

 

[plank]

Other:
Uninvited, Like The Clouds-The Church
We Shall Overcome: The Seegar Sessions-Bruce Springsteen
American IV: A Hundred Highways-Johnny Cash
The Sweet Escape-Gwen Stefani

My Best-Carey

The Johnny Cash album would have made my list if it wasn't mis-labeled as a 2004 release.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Other:

Hatebreed - Supremacy
Suffocation - Suffocation
Deicide - The Stench Of Redemption
Lamb Of God - Sacrament

 

[Ouroboros]

Giacinto Scelsi - Natura Renovatur [MKO/Poppen] [Modern Classical/Microtonal]
Dolorian - Voidwards [Metal/Ambient]
Wolfgang Mitterer - Coloured Noise [Klangforum Wien/Rundel] [Modern Classical/Electroacoustic]
Negative Plane - Et In Saecula Saeculorum [Black Metal]
Katharsis - WorldWithoutEnd [Black Metal]
Horațiu Rădulescu - Intimate Rituals [Royer/Caussé] [Modern Classical/Spectralism]
Steffen Basho-Junghans - In The Morning Twilight [American Primitivism]
Tristan Murail - Winter Fragments [Argento Chamber Ensemble/Galante] [Modern Classical/Spectralism]
Arktau Eos - Mirrorion [Ambient]
Forteresse - Métal Noir Québécois [Black Metal]
James Blackshaw - O True Believers [American Primitivism/Folk]
Mgła - Presence [Black Metal]
Zoät-Aon - The Triplex Bestial [Ambient]
Troum and All Sides - Shutûn [Collaboration] [Ambient/Drone]
Pedestrian Deposit - Fatale [Noise]
Akitsa - La Grande Infamie [Black Metal/Punk]
Bone Awl - At The Ellipse's Arc [Black Metal/Punk]

 

[Roo Returns]

Shout out to Days To Come by Bonobo. It's not perfect like Black Sands but a monster of an album.

EP B/C by Battles.

Huge year for Tool, Muse peaked critically before they'd have a three album commercial run, Ghostface with a great album.

Stadium Arcadium is an interesting one; on one hand it has some of the finest moments of Frusciante Era 2.0, on the other hand, some very forgettable numbers. Around this time is when I started to notice Rick Rubin's best days as a producer are behind him.

Overall an excellent year for music. I think around this time was far enough removed from the Limp Bizkit/Brittney Spears and even Eminem era so all that pollution was washed away. This is also when a lot of classic bands started reuniting and putting out new music so all the worlds came together for about a five year run before music became about charismatic models with autotune.

Gogol Bordello was very big this year. They put out an album in late 2005 but they were everywhere live in 2006.

 

[Saturated Fats]

I love this year. Far superior to 2005, and a sneaky excellent year for alternative. I have 3 albums that feature in my top-50, and one that I currently place in my top-10 of all time. That one is the the sweeping, magisterial melodrama of Texas folk-rock afterthoughts Midlake, with their album The Trials of Van Occupanther. Not only does this record have perhaps the greatest cover art of all time, but its blend of traditional Americana, folksy riffs, and upbeat pop arrangements are every bit as uplifting, warm, and nostalgic as a Fleet Foxes or Joni Mitchell album are to me. If you haven't heard the album, and like the sounds of what I described, I cannot recommend it highly enough. Much of that is nostalgia (the album hit me when I was in my early-20's, the peak of one's musical maturity), but much of it is also clever songwriting and arrangement.

Great year for metal, too

1. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther

2. Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me
3. Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet
4. mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister

5. Drudkh - Кров у наших криницях (Blood in Our Wells)
6. Joanna Newsom - Ys
7. J. Dilla - Donuts
8. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
9. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
10. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
11. Celtic Frost - Monotheist

 

[Ceremony]

I voted for Sam's Town and Other, with Other being The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child by Manchester Orchestra and Pearl Jam by Pearl Jam.

 

[Saturated Fats]

I voted for Sam's Town and Other, with Other being The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance, I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child by Manchester Orchestra and Pearl Jam by Pearl Jam.

Black Parade is on there, friend!

 

[Ceremony]

Black Parade is on there, friend!

I read that f***ing list three times and when I got a notification for this quote I clicked on it and my eyes immediately finally saw it as the page loaded

FFS

 

[Saturated Fats]

I just wanted to mention that I finally got around to listening to Scott Walker's The Drift, and... Wow. I'm not really sure what to say. An experience. Like a David Lynch film put to album.