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| From | Sam Smith <sam@lullabypit.com> |
| Subject | Top 15 for 2k6 |
| Date | Sun, 24 Dec 2006 12:23:16 -0700 |
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1: Jets Overhead – Bridges: What if shoegazer had happened in San
Francisco in 1965? What if that marvelous swirling, ethereal, atmospheric
guitar sound had emerged from a slightly less dissonant context, infused
with psychedelia and driven by an explicit commitment to melodic
songwriting? Jets Overhead is what if. Simply transcendent. Bridges is
one of those records that's so rich and textured I feel like I could
listen to it 100 times in a row without it getting old. And you can
download it free off their Web site: Jetsoverhead.com
2: VAST – Turquoise and Crimson: We’ve heard some of these
songs before – this 2-CD collection essentially comprises the demos
from which 2004's Nude was derived. A bit rawer than the polished,
finished Nude, of course, although nothing Jon Crosby does is ever really
raw. You can hear the U2 influence throughout everything VAST does, and
as badly as it pains me to say it, it’s been 15 years since U2 was
anywhere near as good as any of Crosby’s four releases. Over the
last eight years VAST has been one of the two or three greatest artists
in the world of rock, and this release demonstrates that even his
outtakes are better than most of what you hear from other bands.
3: The Strays – Le Futur Noir: A little hard to classify. Neo-punk
in a very Clash sort of way, but less fawning over the influences than
some nu wave bands of the last couple years. Really, just an
extraordinary record top to bottom – great songs, great
performances.
4: Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not:
This band generated the biggest hype in the UK since Oasis, and for once
the hype is deserved. I keep waiting for the next big thing to come
along, but all I usually get is a rehash of the thing that happened 20
years ago. With Arctic Monkeys, though, the sound is genuinely fresh,
pulling influences from all over the place without it seeming labored at
all. Sort of like if Jet were more concerned with 2006 than with 1976.
5: The Killers – Sam's Town: Wow. For their second record they go
all homage on Born to Run? Didn't see that coming. I'm still not sure
they're quite as grand as they think they are – not yet, anyway
– but it's really nice to see a band trying for something epic. All
those iconic bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s became legends
because they tried for it. Sam's Town features more consistent
songwriting than the debut, and aside from the fact that it doesn't quite
have the killer (if you'll pardon the term) hit that Hot Fuss did ("When
You Were Young" is a great track, but probably isn't quite the single
that "Somebody Told Me" was), an all-around better effort. I'm now
anxiously waiting for the third CD – once upon a time, in the
ancient land of Artist Development, that third record was the one where
you learned the ultimate truth about a band. I'm starting to think The
Killers may be a throwback to that era. Of course, back in the day you
had to be able to play live, too, and every time I've seen these guys
trying to perform it's been a trainwreck...
6: Don Dixon – The Entire Combustible World in One Small Room: A
nifty concept album, with all the songs being about rooms, more or less.
Don's last outing was more pensive than his previous work, and this one
is even more so. It's not that it's without hooky moments, but the focus
is on a deeper exploration of character and place, and as such it's most
assuredly not Most of the Girls Like to Dance...
7: Electric Six – Switzerland: This is big, dumb rock at its most
gloriously, cleverly big and dumb. My wife wants to hate it so badly,
thanks to the lyrics in songs like "I Buy the Drugs," but she can't
because the songs are so damned catchy. Like this, from "Infected Girls":
"I gave you my heart/I gave you my soul/Now I'm just another number at
the Center for Disease Control." Yeah, what kind of drooling genius comes
up with this sort of magic? This is what Barenaked Ladies would be like
if they could somehow get over themselves.
8: Goldfrapp – Supernature: Ooh la la, indeed. I have a weakness
for electro/trip-pop (Hooverphonic, Mono, Saint Etienne, Frou Frou,
Imogen Heap, etc.) and Goldfrapp is the latest train to come pulsing down
those tracks. Equal parts Portishead lounge vibe and T. Rex glam stomp,
and easily the sexiest disc of the year. (In fact, I hear the name
"Goldfrapp" and think it sounds like something from a 007 film –
and how incredibly perfect this disc would be as a Bond soundtrack.) If
it has a weakness, it's that the first three tracks are so incredibly
strong that it makes the rest of the record seem a little anti-climatic
by comparison.
9: Shiny Toy Guns – We Are Pilots: Yet another neo-'80s act
reviving the sounds of their youth. And this time, somebody's been
listening to Alphaville. Soaring harmonies, lots of expensive production,
and oh, the synthesizers. Strong male and female vox lend the sound an
added dimension and depth, and Carah Faye has the it (although Jeremy
Dawson seems to be the brains in the outfit). This is probably my
favorite 2006 release to listen to – just too much fun to turn off.
10: Razorlight – Razorlight: Although they're a tad lighter in the
critical substance department, these guys sort of remind me of Marah. A
little slicker, maybe. A little prettier. But still, a real rock band. I
guess some people want to lump them in with the nu wavers, but that's not
quite apt. While I hear some pub rock echoes in spots ("Who Needs
Love?"), their overall sound has evolved past any debt to a particular
moment in musical history.
11: She Wants Revenge – She Wants Revenge: Two LA
producer/musician/DJs with a hard-on for Joy Division. Only unlike Joy
Division, this is listenable. Very funny in spots, too – at least
they don't take their neo-post-punk angst too seriously.
12: The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers: Praise Jebus – Jack
White finally got a band around him. And he's collaborating with Brendan
Benson? Sweet! White has always been talented, but given to some
extremely self-limiting tendencies (like insisting on a band with nothing
but a guitar and a bad drummer, for instance). His songwriting has always
been a bit limited, as well. The White Stripes' best moments were always
derivative of Zep (no truth to the rumor that the band selected this name
because White thought raconteur was the French word for "Led Zeppelin").
and the rest of their moments were, well, less. So hooking up with a
legit pop/rock talent like Benson opens a lot of doors – for both
of them. BB has needed the sanction that White's name represents and
White has desperately needed someone who could drag him out of the very
small box in which he'd chosen to conduct his career so far. I still
don't know if this is intended as a band or a project (hoping for "band,"
fearing that it's a one-off) but what I'm hearing here suggests that the
whole is potentially a lot greater than the sum of the parts. Let's hope
White and Benson recognize a really good thing when they see it.
13: The Streets – The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living: I don't
know enough about hip-hop to comment intelligently, but this is unusual
in its intelligence. Frankly, there's too much damned critical fawning
over rap artists who aren't smart enough to craft a coherent thought, so
I'm always appreciative when I trip across a hip-hopper with something
useful to say.
14: Matthew Sweet & Susannah Hoffs – Under the Covers Vol. 1: Two
performers who respect rock tradition doing reverent takes on a variety
of classics. I especially like Sweet's version of "The Kids Are All
Right," and Hoffs was just about born to sing "Different Drum."
15: Scissor Sisters – Ta-Dah: It's clear that this crowd liked the
Saturday Night Fever era more than a rational person should have, but I
guess that's to be expected in a sub-culture where genre and gender are
so obviously...fluid. The nice thing is that they also seem to have
revered ‘70s-era Elton John, and that influence inspires some truly
wonderful moments.
--
_______________________
Sam Smith
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