(((withoutsound)))

Poor Seamus. I think he’s been reading too much Pitchfork. I actually thought 2006 was a great year for music. I got to listen to some fantastic new bands and meanwhile some of my favorite groups put out excellent new albums that I actually bought! Also 2006 may have been the first year my top 10 list hasn’t completely changed after 2 months; I may trade out one of these for Silversun Pickups’s Carnavas or the Hockey Night CD, but the list below contains the albums I picked in January as my favorite from the Year of the Dog.

My Top 10 Bitchin’ Albums of the Year

10 Danielson - Ships
What We Said Then:

Danielson, like the Fiery Furnaces, is an acquired taste for some. Either you love it or you hate it. But you’d be hard-pressed to hate the album’s single, ‘Did I Step On Your Trumpet?,’ which is sure to enter the indie lexicon as a slacker mea culpa for accidentally offending someone.

• Listen to Did I Step On Your Trumpet

9 Islands - Return to the Sea
What We Said Then:

The more I listen, the more I likey. Fans of Rhymin’ Simon era Paul Simon, the Elephant 6 collective, the soundtrack to Delicatessen, and even the Polyphonic Spree should enjoy this big time.

• Listen to Volcanoes

8 Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
What We Said Then:

Everything All the Time came out in late March and I’ve been spinning the shit out of the CD ever since. It’s the perfect album for listening to just before bed, or while drinking tea after a satisfying meal. It’s good for the digestion and easy on the nerves.

• Listen to The Great Salt Lake

7 Pigeon John - …And the Summertime Pool Party
Pigeon John is unique for creating fun, sunny-day, buddy hip-hop. The tracks on …And the Summertime Pool Party, his 4th LP, are about enjoying life, talking up ladies, and “let[ting] the sun shine in” despite everyday difficulties. It’s the perfect Los Angeles soundtrack, perfect for a town that’s frequently sunny but laced with smog. The beats bop along coaxing your mouth into a smile, and Pigeon John’s delivery isn’t tough or bored; he sounds like your goofy buddy rhyming about your unemployed life.

• Listen to Do The Pigeon

6 The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
I think for many people, myself included, the Flaming Lips have become a great go-to band. I don’t often buy multiple albums by artists, even those I really like, but experience has taught me that when a Flaming Lips album comes out, the purchase will be well worth it. And Wayne, Michael, and Steven (and Dave) put out another awesome album in 2006. At War with the Mystics is weird, weirder yet if you read Wayne’s liner notes, but mostly full of pop genius. You can relax when you listen to this one; there’s no need to think about how Mystics will compare to Yoshimi or The Soft Bulletin; just enjoy. And back to those lyrics and the liner notes: they’re weird, but actually profoundly meaningful.

• Listen to Mr Ambulance Driver

5 Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
What We Said Then:

An album chock full of sensitive lads reflecting on girls and the local vicarage. What’s great about this album, though, is that it has so many appealing songs on it….I’ve yet to listen to the album less than twice in one sitting and I always end up with a different song stuck in my head.

• Listen to Sukie in the Graveyard

4 Archie Bronson Outfit - Derdang Derdang
What We Said Then:

Gahbless those twangy guitars and persistent bass lines, those crashing cymbals and frequent yelps. Whenever I listen to this album, I wonder why more singers don’t just bark when they have nothing better to say.

• Listen to Cherry Lips

3 The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
What We Said Then:

…at first listen though the recent Bitter Tea just didn’t hold up. But I worked at it, listening diligently, trying to figure out the difference between “Nevers” and “Nevers Again”; and then I heard the brilliance. Bitter Tea is a sophisticated morsel. Inhale the aromas. Let it mingle on your palate.

• Listen to Police Sweater Blood Vow

2 Electric President - Electric President
What We Said Then:

Electric President produces tasty soundscapes with notes of preciousness, like the Notwist fronted by Kermit’s nephew Robin…Isn’t this the stuff of a better life?

• Listen to Insomnia

1 Baby Dayliner - Critics Pass Away
What We Said Then:

At first listen, I thought, okay, it’s sorta like Har Mar. But the songs are much more polished and really catchy. Critics Pass Away is one of the few albums that my wife (who loves herself some hip-hop) and I can appreciate together. And it actually may prove to be one of my favorite albums of the year.

• Listen to At Least