MIster Trend's Best of 2006

This is way overdue, I'm afraid. This list was finally finished on the afternoon of Deecember 29th, and it was this very post that led to the discovery that, for reasons beyond my understanding, the blog was down. So here, on January 13, I give you my best of 2006 (which, as with any list, is totally arbitrary).

1. TV on the Radio – “Return to Cookie Mountain” – I had a horrible time deciding between this and number 2, but my gut went with this phenomenal album as number one (after all, it is the one I’ve listened to more this year). Not a single bad song from top to bottom, and Sitek’s production is unlike anything else out there (in a good way).

2. Joanna Newsom – “Ys” – This one took a little time to grow on me, but it’s a remarkable feat. Nobody does anything like Newsom, and the touches O'Rourke and Albini bring are perfect. As my review said, it's not for everybody, but it's fucking great.

3. Liars – “Drum’s Not Dead” – Hands down the most haunting album of the year. The press and fans alike killed them for making the misunderstood and underrated “They Were Wrong So We Drowned”. While the Liars continue their streak of bizarre quasi-concept albums (this time, the songs revolve around the characters of Mt. Heart Attack and Drum, who metaphorically reflect stress and stifling, and creativity, respectively), their exploration into unsettling guitar ambience, and the culmination in the fragilely-peaceful closing track, “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack,” makes this another amazing effort from them. Check them out, if you haven’t already.

4. …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – “So Divided” – The best straightforward rock album of the year. It’s great to see them expanding their sound to incorporate blues, orchestra, tahitian drumming, and other sounds.

5. The Decemberists – “The Crane Wife” – I just really like this, the ELO comparisons be damned (it sounds nothing like bad 70s rock to me). Melloy’s songwriting and understanding of the nuances and interplay of voices and instruments keeps getting better over time.

6. Neko Case – “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” – Nobody has a voice like hers. Nobody. And it’s nice to see some of the subtle changes she adds to her repetoire here. And no single track was as beautiful as “Hold On, Hold On” this year.

7. The Long Blondes – “Someone to Drive You Home” – Still the sexiest album of the year.

8. Cat Power – “The Greatest” – Everybody mentions Chan Marshall’s/Cat Power’s new, upbeat look on life on this album, yet I fail to see how lines such as “Once I wanted to be the Greatest” or “I hate me, myself, and I” really mark a shift. It’s probably due to the use of her Memphis studio band. This is standard sheer beauty from Marshall once again.

9. Scott Walker – “The Drift” – Still the scariest album of the year. Quite a shift from a 60s teen idol. If you haven’t heard it yet, check it out. You may not like it, but you’ve never heard anything like it.

10. Sonic Youth – “Rather Ripped” – Yes, it’s not “Sister” or “Daydream Nation,” but it’s still damn good. There’s nothing wrong with trying out new things (like melodic songs that come in under 4 minutes) in the course of your 25 year career.

11. Beck – “The Information” – This one kind of flew under the radar for reasons unknown. However, it’s a remarkable little gem, fully of catchy songs, fascinating textures that reveal themselves over time, and some of the most direct and impressive lyrics in Beck’s already-great career.