Post by salparadise on Jun 22, 2006 23:06:42 GMT -5
Here's the 10 best records I got my hands on this year:
10: And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags and Codes
Pretty much the one Trail of Dead record worth getting. The tracks are monumental, unflinching, artistic and loud.
9: Animal Collective - Feel
I'm still getting into this one, and it may find itself rising up high on this list in the weeks to come.
8: The Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir
I am among the few that see real expression and fantastic story telling behind the erratic textures and extreme dissonance of this crafty, genius of an album by the Fiery Furnaces. The red-state/blue-state rift that this record has caused among FF fans is not without warrant, however. RMC is not for the feint of ear.
7: Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On Top
If you don't have a 15 year old stoner in you, this may not be your record. The Liars present a metal-esque (but not really) sound that cascades into melody quite often, but the album really never stops being pretty much in-your-face mosh music...however, these guys are really good at what they do and put together a fantastic record here.
6: Ghostface Killah - The Pretty Toney Album
Best Rap/Hip-Hop album I've gotten in a long, long time.
5: The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour
This is an older record that has fallen through the cracks of my Fall fandom somehow...until now!!! Hex is classic Fall, really one of their best moments. If you love Mark E . Smith then try and dig up this fossil...seriously.
4: Cat Power - You are Free
I really didn't like it at first, but it kept popping up on my iPod random, and each song grew on me tremendously each time I heard it. YAF is quickly becoming one of my favorite records.
3: Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Now this is a flat out classic. I have owned most of the songs from this punk landmark for a long time, but never actually bought the cd or vinyl. The re-release has been out for awhile, and I heard great things about it. I ran across it at Hastings and couldn't resist.
2: CAN - Ege Bamysi / Tago Mago
70's progressive has never been better. I am Damo Suzuki. Re-releases of the entire CAN catalogue makes it hard not to buy their records when they are all lined up on the cd rack, looking all perfect and symmetrical. But what really sells CAN albums is what amounts to one of the most creative collection of songs ever recorded. Collect them all!
1: The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle (Reissue)
This has sort of been the year of reissues for me (a trend in the music industry that used to make me sick). It started around two years ago with Pavement's reissue of Slanted & Enchanted, a re-release so good that I've been chasing the experience ever since. While strictly in terms of reissues O & O doesn't quite measure up to S & E, it is one of rock history's true gems, and owning this finely packaged version of the record just keeps making me giddy.
05-06 Honorable Mention:
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane 30th Anniversary 2CD Edition
Stereolab - Switched On
The Decemberists - Picaresque
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have it So Much Better
10: And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags and Codes
Pretty much the one Trail of Dead record worth getting. The tracks are monumental, unflinching, artistic and loud.
9: Animal Collective - Feel
I'm still getting into this one, and it may find itself rising up high on this list in the weeks to come.
8: The Fiery Furnaces - Rehearsing My Choir
I am among the few that see real expression and fantastic story telling behind the erratic textures and extreme dissonance of this crafty, genius of an album by the Fiery Furnaces. The red-state/blue-state rift that this record has caused among FF fans is not without warrant, however. RMC is not for the feint of ear.
7: Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument On Top
If you don't have a 15 year old stoner in you, this may not be your record. The Liars present a metal-esque (but not really) sound that cascades into melody quite often, but the album really never stops being pretty much in-your-face mosh music...however, these guys are really good at what they do and put together a fantastic record here.
6: Ghostface Killah - The Pretty Toney Album
Best Rap/Hip-Hop album I've gotten in a long, long time.
5: The Fall - Hex Enduction Hour
This is an older record that has fallen through the cracks of my Fall fandom somehow...until now!!! Hex is classic Fall, really one of their best moments. If you love Mark E . Smith then try and dig up this fossil...seriously.
4: Cat Power - You are Free
I really didn't like it at first, but it kept popping up on my iPod random, and each song grew on me tremendously each time I heard it. YAF is quickly becoming one of my favorite records.
3: Gang of Four - Entertainment!
Now this is a flat out classic. I have owned most of the songs from this punk landmark for a long time, but never actually bought the cd or vinyl. The re-release has been out for awhile, and I heard great things about it. I ran across it at Hastings and couldn't resist.
2: CAN - Ege Bamysi / Tago Mago
70's progressive has never been better. I am Damo Suzuki. Re-releases of the entire CAN catalogue makes it hard not to buy their records when they are all lined up on the cd rack, looking all perfect and symmetrical. But what really sells CAN albums is what amounts to one of the most creative collection of songs ever recorded. Collect them all!
1: The Zombies - Odessey & Oracle (Reissue)
This has sort of been the year of reissues for me (a trend in the music industry that used to make me sick). It started around two years ago with Pavement's reissue of Slanted & Enchanted, a re-release so good that I've been chasing the experience ever since. While strictly in terms of reissues O & O doesn't quite measure up to S & E, it is one of rock history's true gems, and owning this finely packaged version of the record just keeps making me giddy.
05-06 Honorable Mention:
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane 30th Anniversary 2CD Edition
Stereolab - Switched On
The Decemberists - Picaresque
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have it So Much Better
