Amanda's top albums of 2006:
Band of Horses: Everything All the Time
According to my iTunes play counter, I have listened to three tracks from this album over 60 times since I bought this in April. "Our Swords," "Great Salt Lake," and "St. Augustine" are like comfort food, like great garlic mashed potatoes; I can listen to any of the three at any time of day in any place and enjoy them as much as the previous play. Band of Horses should patent their vocal effect (maybe it's just a load of reverb)...it's Jim James in an echo chamber...it's familiar, but haunting...it's painfully addictive.
Beirut: Gulag Orkestar
If somebody had told me at the start of the year that I'd fall in love with a klezmer influenced experiment, complete with horns, waifish, ragged vocals, and generally bizzaro orchestration, I'd have been all "Vat kind of Mishegas is that?" Give "Prenzlauerburg" a listen and see if some old-timey Eastern Euro futz is worth the tsimmes.
Midlake: The Trials of Van Occupanther
This band sounds like an amalgamation of some personal faves of the past...I hear Magnetic Fields, Travis, The Cure, Queen, good Steely Dan, even Billy Breathes era Phish. This band is too talented for their own good. They seem to fit so much into each track that it becomes a burden to plow through the whole album at once. But pick a track or two at a time you'll marvel at their knack for hooks and ladders.
Voxtrot: Three EP's
Why do they tease with this slow EP syrup? I've ranted about how much I love their stuff to anyone who would listed too many times already to explain this pick away, but those who haven't caught on yet, shame on you and yours. Not really, I just wanted to fit 'you and yours' into this "holiday" post.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltzin: Broom
What would a year-end list of mine be without at least one artist shamefully channeling the Beach Boys? This is pop hook magic; a great Christmas gift to tide loved ones over until The Shins finally reenter the kingdom Pop. Think Weezer, Irving, and, yes, the fearsome foursome.
The Silent League: Seaside Sessions
Okay, this is a 2005 release which is cheating, but I love this little 5 track job too much to leave it off. It's sappy and sweet and anthemic...enough to make Kristen vomit syrup.
Kite Flying Society: Where is the Glow?
As much as I liked The Boy Least Likely To in person, I think their album was a tough listen all the way through. KFS's album is a more user friendly cousin...peppy and harmonious in all the same ways, but with fewer songs to skip. "6000 Shipwrecks" was my MySpace theme song for a few months...very catchy. If you ever find yourself pining for the lollipop simplicity of The Monkees, lick away.
The Elected: Sun,Sun,Sun
I overplayed this one, but I was full-on obsessed with the first 8 tracks of this album Feb-May. Fine, you don't like Blake Sennett's mousy rasp, and you think the songs are derivative, but some of the lyrics on this album are straight up brilliant.
Field Music: Field Music
This pick took me months to appreciate. I was annoyed to no end by the quick rhythmic changes on this album. It seemed that just when a melody was firmly established in a given track, it would be abruptly cut, or the song would do a u-turn. When those quick licks started to become familiar and expected, I started to get it. This album is all over the freakin place, but I love it pieces.
Mates of State: Bring It Back
Can't quite find the words...too amazing.
Others:
Islands: Return to the Sea
Flaming Lips: At War with the Mystics
Page France: Hello, Dear Wind
The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
Disappointed with:
French Kicks
Golden Smog
The Long Winters
That's that...bring on '07
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