A Decade of Queens

Culture Bully asked me to contribute to their "best of the decade" lists from Twin Cities music people a few weeks ago.  Check out my favorite Queens of the Stone Age albums of the decade over at their website.

TOP 49 OR 50 MUSICSAL THINGS IN 2008

I have been going back and forth about this, but I have decided just to post it. Here is the list of all the music I liked best in 2008, with my favorites in bold, and excluding quite a few things I'm forgetting, and even more things I haven't listened to yet.

Aeroplane - "Whispers", Grace Jones remix, Allez Allez remix

Allez Allez – Best Of

A-Trak - DJ sets, "Shake It Down", "Say Whoa"

Beyonce – "Single Ladies"

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (not their live show), "Out There on the Ice", "Lights & Music" and Boys Noize remix

Duke Dumont – EP, Mystery Jets remix

Erol Alkan – He can do the psych thing (Beyond the Wizards Sleeve), he can do the disco thing (Disco 3000), and then when he does his own thing (which is now electro) he does it weirder, harder, and better than anyone. His label Phantasy is also releasing some good stuff, but I still have trouble getting into the bands he produces.

Fake Blood – "Mars", remixes for the Kills, Little Boots. A bit gimmicky, but is still undeniable over a good system.

Family Guy – I Dream of Jesus (Surfin’ Bird episode). This totally counts.

Fall Out Boy - Folie A Deux

Foals – Antidotes, live show

Free Blood – singles, live, being weird

Friendly Fires - album

Gang Gang Dance – Saint Dymphna, live

Glass Candy - Deep Gems compilation

Goldfrapp - "A&E" single and video

Hercules & Love Affair - "You Belong", "Blind", album, videos, remixes (of Yaz's "Situation" especially), live show

Holy Fuck – live show with only analog gear

Holy Ghost! – remixes which are basically original tracks, DJ sets

Hot Chip - "Ready for the Floor", "One Pure Thought", live

In Flagranti – "Codependancy", anything

Invisible Conga People - "Cable Dazed" (Italians Do It Better)

Jacques Renault – RVNG of the NRDS Vol. 6, DJ sets, Runaway, remix for Moby, mix with Justin Miller for FACT Magazine

Joakim – remix of Simian Mobile Disco's "Hustler", remix of DJ Mehdi's "Pocket Piano"

Katy Perry - "Hot N Cold"

Kelley Polar - "Entropy Reigns" (Environ)

Laidback Luke – production, remixes, DJ sets

Lil Wayne - "A Milli", "Got Money", being Lil Wayne

Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too

Metalocalypse – We need more TV about music. This was by FAR my favorite telvevision show, and probably my favorite pastime, of 2009.

Metro Area - Fabric 43

MGMT - "Kids (Soulwax Remix)", "Time to Pretend", Oracular Spectacular

Morgan Geist – "Detroit" (CC Remixes), Double Night Time, just in general

Nacho Lovers - "Acid Life" (Fool’s Gold)

Plastique De Reve feat. Ghostape - "Lost in the City" (Death From Abroad) - I could listen to this forever.

Poni Hoax – "Hypercommunication" original and Alter Ego remix

Raveonettes - live

Runaway - "Brooklyn Club Jam", edits, Wurst 12”, DJ sets

Simian Mobile Disco – Joakim and Cosmi Vitelli remixes, Deerhunter edit, live in Japan album, Fabriclive.41, Nike+ Run

Style of Eye – "Girls" (Pickadoll), some other singles

Syclops – I’ve Got My Eye On You

T.I. feat. Rihanna – "Live Your Life"

The Faint - "The Geeks Were Right (Boys Noize vs. DIM Remix)" – hate this band but adore this track

The Juan Maclean - live, "Happy House", "The Simple Life", "One Day"

The Kills – Midnight Boom, live, "Last Day of Magic"

The Presets - "This Boy's In Love (Lifelike Remix)", album, other remixes

Tiga - "Mind Dimension 2" - Completely unstoppable. Just SOUNDS so good. Makes Justice irrelevant. Biggest track of the year, and this is the same year Soulwax remixed "Kids".

Todd Terje – that fucking Chic edit, anything else

Vampire Weekend – I enjoy this band

YACHT - "Summer Song"

GET LIVE '08

Check out Culture Bully's Top Musical Moments of 2008 Guest List, and see my list of best shows I saw this year. Bam!

TOP 15 MOST ANTICIPATED RECORDS OF 2008

1. The Black Ghosts - LP
This album is supposedly finished and I can't wait to see what's on it and finally hear it. The Black Ghosts were, in my mind, underrated and one of the best singles band of 2007 with "Some Way Through This", "Any Way You Choose To Give It", "I Want Nothing", and the Switch remix of "Face". I've started to assemble playlists of tracks from all their different releases and I'm very excited.

2. The Kills - Midnight Boom (Domino)
My favorite band produced by one of my current favorite producers, XXXChange. He says that the slower tracks turned out best.

3. Hercules & Love Affair - s/t (DFA)
I finally obtained a hi-fi copy of "Blind" featuring Antony. I waited to listen to it until I played it out at First Ave on Saturday. It sounded like god. It's the only track I've ever played twice in a set. That's how good it is. Can't wait for the LP which is supposedly life-changing.

4. Sinden & Count of Monte Cristal - LP (Domino)
These guys consistently put out bangers, but also often manage to surprise, so I'm especially anxious to hear how they go about making a full length instead of just a 12" or remix.

5. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours (Modular)
I was very surprised that "Hearts on Fire" wasn't on way more best of lists for 2007. It was definitely in my top 3 tracks of the year. Their first album always kind of underwhelmed me, but this Goldsworthy-produced long player shouldn't disappoint.

6. The Juan Maclean - "Happy House" or anything else (DFA)
I'm sick of reading about this track; I want to fucking hear it!

7. Dead Meadow - Old Growth (Matador)
This and a number of other records on this list have already leaked, but I'm waiting for hi-fi copies to come out and/or the right moment to listen to them. Dead Meadow added a fourth member for their last one and lost that fourth member before this one, so it might sound a bit different than Feathers, an album I adore.

8. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark (EMI)
Hearing a lot of mixed stuff about this one. I like "Shake A Fist" and "Ready for the Floor" but I guess I'm not totally nuts about them.

9. Black Mountain - In The Future (Jagjaguwar)
I will see this band at the 7th St. Entry for the third time on March 24th, and I can't wait. Fucking love this band.

10. The Futureheads - LP (Longest Mile)
Supposedly one of those "return to form" albums, released on their own label. Let's hope so.

11. Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
I'm actually nervous to listen to this one. I felt that Black Cherry made a lot more sense in context after hearing Supernature, so I'm sort of disappointed to hear they're ditching the glam.

12. R.E.M. - Accelerate (Warner Bros.)
I'm actually one of those people who LIKED Monster, so I want to hear this.

13. Deerhunter - Microcastle (Kranky)
I was extremely surprised, but despite Pitchfork constantly over-selling this band, Cryptograms was one of my hands-down favorites for last year. Maybe this will be as good.

14. Be Your Own PET - Get Awkard (XL)
I'm not sure why this band doesn't seem like my thing, but they don't, and they are. I would marry Jemina Pearl. Just sayin'.

15. Foals - Antidotes (Sub Pop)
I avoided these guys for a really long time, but when I finally heard them, ahhh they ain't so bad. Maybe they won't start sucking big time like Bloc Party. Gosh I'm eloquent.

THE FACTS

Pissed about Pitchfork's singles and albums lists? Of course you are, they're terrible! May I heartily recommend taking a look at FACT's albums and tracks lists, as they have a worthwhile take on music in 2007.

SINDEN BOY TELL'EM

Sinden has a 2007 year-in-review up at FACT. Uh, dude knows what he's talkin about, to say the very least. Although I'm not sure what's up with those lizards.

SINGLES SO FAR

I'm in obsessive mode lately, so why not run down my favorite singles (singles, not necessarily songs) of the year so far. In iTunes alphabetical order, with asterisks indicating favorite favorites, without quotation marks because I'm lazy:

!!! - Heart of Hearts
All Saints - Chick Fit
All Saints - Chick Fit (Kissy Sell Out's Excellent Adventure) *
Arcade Fire - Keep The Car Running
Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm

Avril Lavigne - Girlfriend
Basement Jaxx - Make Me Sweat
Battles - Atlas
Boys Noize - Feel Good (TV=Off) (Shinichi Osawa Edit)
Busy P - Rainbow Man

CSS - Off The Hook
DJ Mehdi - Signature (Thomas Bangalter Edit) *
Escort - A Bright New Life *
Fall Out Boy - This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race *
Fall Out Boy - Thnks Fr Th Mmrs

Faze Action - In The Trees (Carl Craig C2 Remix #1)
Good Charlotte - Keep Your Hands Off My Girl
Grinderman - No Pussy Blues
The Horrors - Gloves
Hot Chip - My Piano

In Flagranti - Intergalactic Bubblegum
Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around... Comes Around
Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby
Kasabian - Me Plus One (Jacques Lu Cont Mix) *
Kavinsky - 1986 EP

Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow (Soulwax Remix) *
Klaxons - Golden Skans *
LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum
Maximo Park - Our Velocity
Muse - Map of the Problematique

My Chemical Romance - I Don't Love You
My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words *
New Young Pony Club - The Bomb
Peter Bjorn and John - Objects of my Affection
Punks Jump Up - Dance to Our Disco

Reverso 68 - Especial *
Scissor Sisters - She's My Man (Goose Remix)
Scissor Sisters - She's My Man (Mock & Toof Remix)
Simian Mobile Disco - It's The Beat *
Speaker Junk - Foxxy
Timbaland feat. Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake - Give It To Me

2006 YEAR-END LISTS

I am crazy obsessive about lists, so I'm just going to bite the bullet and post some. Adding Peter Bjorn & John is kind of cheating since I didn't like them until yesterday or the day before, because I read another year-end list. Plus all this will change once I make it through the metaphorical piles of records I have to go through. Blah blah blah anyways:

LPs (excluding compilations)

28. Awesome Color - Awesome Color
27. Tussle - Telescope Mind
26. The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
25. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
24. The Emperor Machine - Vertical Tones and Horizontal Noise
23. Liars - Drum's Not Dead
22. Cat Power - The Greatest
21. Kasabian - Empire
20. Booka Shade - Movements
19. Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops
18. Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYo
17. Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon
16. Lo-Fi-FNK - Boylife
15. Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
14. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
13. Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
12. Erase Errata - Nightlife
11. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Orchestra of Bubbles
10. White Rose Movement - Kick
9. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
8. Be Your Own PET - Be Your Own PET
7. My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
6. Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
5. LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
4. The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love
3. Hot Chip - The Warning
2. Goldfrapp - Supernature
1. The Knife - Silent Shout

Singles (in a rather ridiculous, at least partly meaningless order)

68. CSS - Alala
67. Cassius - Toop Toop
66. The Sounds - Song With A Mission
65. White Rose Movement - London's Mine
64. Booka Shade - In White Rooms
63. Booka Shade - Night Falls
62. Uffie - Ready to Uff
61. Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push
60. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California
59. The Knife - Marble House
58. The Bronx - Histrory's Stranglers
57. Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone
56. The Vines - Don't Listen to the Radio
55. The Strokes - Heart in a Cage
54. The Juan Maclean - Love is in the Air
53. The Knife - Like A Pen
52. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Turbo Dreams
51. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Way Out
50. Girls Aloud - Somethin Kind of Ooh
49. Be Your Own PET - Adventure
48. Muse - Starlight
47. The Futureheads - Skip to the End
46. Van She - Kelly
45. Tiga - (Far From) Home
44. Kasabian - Empire
43. Phoenix - Consolation Prizes
42. The Killers - When You Were Young (Jacques Lu Cont remix)
42. Mark Ronson - Just
41. Simian Mobile DIsco - Hustler
40. The Pipettes - Pull-Shapes
39. Kasabian - Shoot the Runner
38. The Strokes - You Only Live Once
37. The Horrors - Sheena is a Parasite
36. Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow
35. White Rose Movement - Girls in the Back
34. Shit Robot - Wrong Galaxy/Triumph
33. DJ Mehdi - I Am Somebody
32. Spektrum - Don't Be Shy
31. Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
30. Hot Chip - Boy From School
29. Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance
28. The All-American Rejects - Move Along
27. CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above
26. Rihanna - S.O.S.
25. Fox N' Wolf - In Yr Underwear
24. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
23. The Knife - Silent Shout
22. Goldfrapp - Ride A White Horse
21. Goldfrapp - Fly Me Away
20. Scissor Sisters - I Don't Feel Like Dancin'
19. Arctic Monkeys - The View From the Afternoon
18. Secret Machines - Lightning Blue Eyes
17. Digitalism - Jupiter Room (Martian Assault edit)
16. White Rose Movement - Alsatian
15. Phoenix - Long Distance Call
14. The Rapture - Get Myself Into It
13. Be Your Own Pet - Bicycle, Bicycle, You Are My Bicycle
12. Franz Ferdinand - The Fallen (Ruined by Justice)
11. Justin Timberlake - My Love
10. Justin Timberlake - SexyBack
9. Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - Relevee
8. The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health
7. My Chemical Romance - Welcome to the Black Parade
6. Hot Chip - Over and Over
5. The Knife - Neverland
4. Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends
3. The Rapture - Whoo! Alright - Yeah... Uh Huh
2. Nelly Furtado - Maneater
1. Justice - Waters of Nazareth (part 2)


Hah wow. I guarantee you won't find lists like these anywhere else. It's like, "What if Pitchfork, Stylus, NME, Fluokids, ILM and TRL were all actually the same person?"

Re: Ghostface: I really like Mr. Killah, but everytime I hear him all I can think is, "Heyyyy man... chill out. Let's go smoke. Take a chill pill. It's gonna be ok."

YEAR IN RIFFS

[after Riff Market's 2006 Year in Riffs]

This year I lost all concept of "taste in music." There are different combinations of things that can do this to a person, like going out to see bands every week, and getting all your music for free legally and illegally, and getting paid to play recordings of other peoples' music. Anyways it happened. Like I got in a big fight with a friend of mine (girl) over an acoustic cover of "Toxic" because I thought it was insulting to the original, or it had no point, or something ridiculous like that. What does that even mean, or say about me as a person?

This year I wanted more than anything to trek to the desert and see Daft Punk in a giant pyramid, and then it was trek to my cousin's place in Miami to see Daft Punk in said pyramid. Instead I trekked on a bus to Chicago and saw Justice in a small box. It sufficed and I went crazy and felt like they were my friends. I never be alone again come on.

This year I got more sick of blogs than before, which happens every year and I can't belive it keeps getting worse. I now really want music blogs to die, whatever that may mean. Maybe everyone will stop writing, or everyone will stop reading, or maybe yousendits will become felonies. It just needs to stop. Oh wait but if it stops how will I get that Kitsune release of the Van She remix of Klaxons covering Simian Mobile Disco's remix of Digitalism's b-side to their collab with Justice on a track for a comp featuring Pony Club Teenagers whoever's remix of the MSTRKRFT remix of Boys Noize's cover of that one new band on Modular, or was it Ed Banger?

This year I plan on spending New Year's getting drunk on someone else's tab and then getting paid to try and play other peoples' music in a continuous mix while trashed. I feel like the way I should really be spending it is flying to Eastern Europe and meeting up with Fox N Wolf and going out with them to Russian night clubs. They'd be all, "HEY you blockin my way to the dance floor," and fight with the bouncer, and steal bottles from behind the bar, and wear giant fox/wolf masks with glowing eyes, and rap in their cute accents about getting down and getting off and all that, and hi-jacking the DJ booth and putting on a ghetto tech remix of "Maneater." And I'd be standing there at the bar watching with one hand (left) up in the air and one hand (right) down in my underwear, and it'd all seem like a very appropriate way to close out 2006.

COMPLICATIONS: 2006 COMPILATIONS

I was having a hell of a time putting together a year-end record list until I realized how many of my favorite releases from 2006 were compilations. Separating these out made the process a lot easier. I'm not sure if it means anything about the year in general, such as a focus on producers or singles, but these compilations were better than most artist LPs that came out this year.



Kitsuné was definitely an influential part of my year, as it changed a lot about how I think about DJing and record labels in general. These two compilations were the biggest part of that influence. Once you weed past the crap remixes (Bloc Party, I'm looking at you) and the shit indie rock (can someone explain to me why Lovely Feathers released anything on Kitsuné?) there is some excellent stuff on these. Maison 2 is worth it just for the one-two punch of Digitalism's "Jupter Room" and Simian Mobile Disco's "Hustler," which alone really shaped some of my DJ sets, not to mention work from Joakim, Brennan Green, and Todd Terje's take on Fox N' Wolf. Maison 3 ups the ante with more Fox N' Wolf, a trippy SMD ballad, Klaxons vs. Van She, Boys Noize, Gossip vs. Soulwax, I could keep going but I won't. Maybe these should be higher than #5, since I will definitely think of Kitsuné when I think of 2006.



Led by DC's current star The Emperor Machine, this is a winding tangle of psyched out disco, dub, and dance music. And boy, is untangling it fun.



Having been a bit let down initially -- er, maybe not as let down as much as weirded out -- by Rub-N-Tug's aNYthing mix CD earlier in the year, I wasn't sure what to expect from their Fabric mix. Cut Copy tried to compile as much of the electro-punk et al movement as they could on their contribution to the series, and it made for a solid but rather boring collection of well-known tracks from the past couple years, many of which had worn out their welcome.

Maybe Rub-N-Tug took that as a challenge of sorts, because this mix just fucking KILLS it. It's an incredible blend of tracks with a uniform sound that is anything but boring. The guys bring together well known tracks and remixes, stuff you need to hear but haven't yet, and old shit you would hear nowhere else, into a mix that pushes forward with a danceable, fun sense of urgency, making for equally good headphone and dance-floor listening situations. See, I knew there was a reason I put them on my top 10 American artists list.



I wish someone had told me ahead of time that Lindstrøm was releasing a compilation of his recent singles work on his Feedelity label, since I had just finished acquiring all of his individual singles about the same time this came out. So yes, feel happy that this compilation has been organized so nice and neatly for you, and then marvel at some of the best dance music coming out of this decade. The collection plays like an album and solidifies Lindstrøm's status as one of the best producers around today. Come on, how can you go wrong with a song ttitle like "There's A Drink In My Bedroom And I Need A Hot Lady"? And if any of you were disappointed by his full-length collaboration with Prins Thomas (like I was), get on it and get this album.



What else did you expect? I've said it before and I'll say it again: if you had gone back in time about three years ago and tell me these would be coming out, I would have been drooling up until the release dates. Chapter Two contains some of the highest points in the DFA's catalog, including mixes for Junior Senior and Tiga. But Chapter One is really the killer, as it flows like some long-lost album for a tripped out dance party from Mars. It includes the duo's epic takes on Gorillaz' "DARE" and Hot Chip's "(Just Like We) Breakdown," and my personal favorite all-time remix for Jon Spencer and co.'s "Mars, Arizona." Calling this "hot shit" would be a gross understatement.

SPMV06: TOP TEN MUSIC VIDEOS, PT. II

The conclusion of counting down the year's best music videos:



5. Kanye West - Touch The Sky

Reasons why this video is awesome can be found here.






4. The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health & Silent Shout

The Knife get to have a combined entry, otherwise they'd take over a ridiculous portion of this top ten list. They released the most brilliant album of the year, and accompanying that album is an ever growing set of brilliant videos.

"We Share" is everyone's favorite, I think, with stark red, white and black animations of birds and heads and surgery and S&M and blood. You know, happy thoughts. My personal favorite is the clip for "Silent Shout." Like the rest of the videos for this record, it works as a sort of demented, engaging and scary visualizer for the track, but I think the one for "Silent Shout" really takes it to another level. It seems to fit the track perfectly. And it freaks me out.

Other videos from the record include the chase-scene antics of Like A Pen and the wtf animals of Marble House.




3. The Horrors - Sheena is a Parasite


The entirety of this song and video combination is just so in-your-face ridiculous and terrifying that it makes both incredibly more memorable than one might first expect. My favorite parts include the bassist who just plays two notes and the drummer who looks like a chipmunk from Alvin and the Chipmunks.




2. Klaxons - Magick

Here's one of those perfect cases where the video and the song each make the other better. It fits perfectly, and a video this visceral just increases the listener's connection to the song. Definitely my favorite of all the Saam directed videos.



1. The Presets - Are You the One?

You might just want to watch this before you read anything I write about it.

I laugh at every single part of this video every time I see it. It is so dense and layered and hilarious and intricate and detailed, and I don't understand where almost all of the ideas came from. Why is there a mechanical spider with a mustache at the end? Every part of the video gets me every time. Anything else I say is just going to be redundant; this may be my favorite video ever. Maybe I'll do a shot by shot analysis in the future.

SPMV06: TOP TEN MUSIC VIDEOS, PT. I

Welcome to SPMV06, where we distribute awards for the best music videos of the year.

I personally have never given up on music videos. I used to watch them in the iTunes store when they were free. Then came YouTube, which I consider to be more of a hindrance than helper to the artform. Shit video and shit audio does not a quality audio-video make. Luckily we have devotees like Cliptip to helps us get our hands on hi-fi versions of videos. Makes me almost wish I had bought a full-fledged iPod instead of a Nano. Anyways, I have uploaded all of the clips on the list except one for your viewing pleasure. Let's begin.

10. Phoenix, Consolation Prizes (live on Conan)

This is the only video I do not have a copy of for download. I can't find it on YouTube either. You'll just have to take my word for it that it was very, very good. I think there is a such thing as a quality late-night performance, though it is a hard thing to pull off. Phoenix passed with flying colors. The whole band stopped on cue at one point so the singer could take off his jacket. The guitarist had a mask on... but for only half of the performance. Don't know why, don't care. It was cool. And it made me like this single about ten times more. Quality stuff, Frenchies.




9. Justice vs. Simian - We Are Your Friends

Along with its reissue this year, this single got a video to accompany it. My only issue here is that the edit of the song they use is rather hastily done and not long enough. But this video is hilarious. Setting up the pranks must have been hella fun. Yeah, hella fun. The best YouTube fodder out there. I feel like they really are my friends! Tee hee. I won't get sick of saying that.




8. The Rapture - W.A.Y.U.H (People Don't Dance No More)

Ah yes. Who would have thought that Mattie Safer's rapping would have gone from booze infested Sister Saviours, complete with drinking mantras tattooed on their foreheads, to School House Rock slash Sesame Street inspired super happy fun time BBQs, dissing parties with free drinks. Not me. This vid is the sh*t. Plus Luke Jenner wears a cape... a CAPE, people... for the whole video. Can't argue with that. Also, Safer wears a grill, flops around in a kiddie pool, rides in the back of a pick-up, and does a choreographed dance. Props.




7. Hot Chip - Over and Over

The thing I like about this video is that I really can't tell what it's about. I think it's sort of discussing originality and realism in the music business, and popping big balloons and the resulting winds, and making a music video, and optometry, and funny sunglasses, and being white and funky, and skeletons, and various types of hand percussion. And the pasted in backgrounds remind me of guitar hero. But I still don't know what it's really about. And I think it's about something. You win this round, Hot Chip.




6. Kasabian - Shoot the Runner

This is essentially the same video as Queen of the Stone Age's "Go with the Flow." But that might be the best music video ever, so this one is good by default. Paint never seemed so edgy! or something. Anyone I show this to likes it (as long as they don't know who Kasabian is).

To be continued...

SOVIETPANDA RECORDS OF THE YEAR

10. Matchbox 20
Yourself or Someone Like You

Every blogger has a guilty pleasure, and no doubt about it, this year everyone's guilty pleasure was none other than Matchbox 20. The talented young Rob Thomas and his brilliant lyrics inspired everyone. Hearing "Push" come on the radio after "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" was always a breath of fresh air.




9. Walt Mink
El Producto

This is maybe the best album ever and no one has ever heard of it! This will be a cult-classic by the end of the decade and I guarantee you that EVERYONE will have heard of Walt Mink by then.




8. Nirvana
From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah

It is now painfully obvious that Nirvana was the greatest rock band of our generation, maybe ever. This proves it. Now if Courtney Love would just release those rumored session tapes she supposedly has! That would make a killer new Nirvana album I bet.




7. Blues Explosion
Now I Got Worry

You know people keep saying that rock 'n' roll is dead. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion definitely proves that rock is back and kicking in '96 and will never die (and come back) again.




6. Stereolab
Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Stereolab score points for their obscure references, 60s bands like The Velvet Undergrounds and German 70s "krautrock" bands like Kraftwork and the Can. Very original cool interesting sounding record.




5. Weezer
Pinkerton

Weezer's first album was pure genius and then on the second one they get real. Like, REALLY real. It's about Japanese lesbians having sex all the time and stuff. Weezer is maybe the best band on the planet and I predict they will put out more great, confessional records like this one in years to come.




4. Belle and Sebastian
If You're Feeling Sinister

This is really different music because it's not very loud or distorted like rock music is supposed to be. I call this "indie rock" for lack of a better term and no one has ever heard of it and I love it. You yuppies can have your Soundgardens, I want my indie rock!




3. Rage Against the Machine
Evil Empire

This album rawks harder than anything ever. Rap-rock is the best idea ever!




2. Beck
Odelay

When I first heard about a "white guy who could rap" I was, of course, extremely dubious. What, did like Dr. Dre go to Detroit or something and find some trailer trash whigger to rap about his mama? Thank god no. This is the most innovative piece of pop music to come out ever. Who cares if Beck ever makes another record this one is awesome (I doubt he will). "Where It's At" is my all-time jam and I will never get sick of it.




1. DJ Shadow
Endtroducing...

No wait THIS is the most innovative piece of pop music ever. Yes it's hip-hop... INSTRUMENTAL hip-hop. And it was all made entirely on records! No high-tech CD players for this guy. I hope this sparks a whole movement of instrumental hip-hop because that would be the most exciting movement ever.

AMERIWHA?

Information Leafblower just did his fourth annual Top 40 Bands in America panel/list. While I was glad to be a part of it again, I really think the list fell on it's face this year. It's harder to hate on than it is to be bored by it. I think the vague rule of voting for bands "you blogged most about" is what screwed it up. Since I don't post that much, my list ended up being the best U.S. bands who were active in 2006, meaning they toured and/or put out a record, but I really thought that's how everyone else would go about it. I don't know how they chose the bands they did. I actively dislike a number of bands on it, and haven't even listened to a greater number.

Also ILB says he didn't poll any "dance bloggers" or "hip-hop" bloggers. Don't know how I feel about that. For the record, my list is mostly dance-related. Don't make fun, this was impossible. How could a best of '06 list not have the Knife? Damn Americans! Here you are:

10. Secret Machines
A jam band that I don't feel bad about liking. And they tour A LOT.

9. Rub-N-Tug
Their remixes and DJ mixes are adding up to an extremely compelling, dubbed-out body of work that provides quite the mind-trip, especially compared to most other remixers tackling indie rock et al.

8.Erase Errata
The girls released their best album this year, a kinetic and thoughtful punk record, and they still have indie-dom's best rhythm section.

7. Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake makes being a mind-blowing pop star seem like nothing at all. I saw him do "SexyBack" on Leno and he basically stood there, bouncing a little, talking about how he's sexy. And it was amazing. I want that job.

6. Diplo
Brings excitement to anything he touches. Check the Mad Decent podcasts and his genre-bending, crowd-hyping DJ sets.

5. lcd soundsystem
My favorite band. The idea that 45:33 is just something to keep us busy while we wait for the next full-length is a bit ridiculous to think about, considering that it's better than pretty much any other band's records.

4. The Rapture
An obscenely fun record and the most insane live show I've seen this year.

3. My Chemical Romance
This record is so fucking awesome. Hilarious and totally rawks.

2. The DFA
Consistently the best. This year in particular featured a spacier, more psychedelic direction from the production team, the release of two excellent remix compilations, and more great work for lcd soundsystem, Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom ("Relevee" single), and more.

1. Timbaland
If you can make room for Sufjan Stevens on this list, but not Timbaland, you are certifiably insane. He's been on top of his game for years, and it seems like 2006 might have been his best year yet with amazing singles from Nelly Furtado and an incredible record from Justin Timberlake. Definitely the best music coming out of the states, pop or hip-hop, is from Timbo. Too bad the Rapture couldn't afford to have him produce any of their record; that could have been fun.