50. Under the Influence of Giants, Under the Influence of Giants
An auspicious debut from a band who is unafraid to sample the myriad influences by which they were clearly inspired during the course of their respective musical educations.
49. The Crystal Method, Drive: Nike+ Original Run
What sounded like a perfectly awful idea on paper proved a commercial and critical success. The Crystal Method composed a compelling piece of work that works as both as an entertaining piece of music and an effective addition to one's workout regimen.
48. The Game, Doctor's Advocate
This disc definitely suffers from its late release. It's an excellent effort; one that is not weakened by the fact that The Game is not joined by 50 Cent or Dr. Dre as he was on his previous disc. The disc grows on you with repeated spins and I suspect that it would have ended up higher on the list had it dropped in the middle of the year.
47. LCD Soundsystem, 45:33: Nike+ Original Run
Another release in Nike's Nike+ Original Run series, this effort from LCD Soundsystem is rich and nuanced and makes you wonder if there is anything that James Murphy cannot do. The release also serves as an excellent tonic for fans who cannot wait for Sound of Silver to hit store shelves in March.
46. The Knife, Silent Shout
The Swedish duo mixes hard techno and electropop beats in a eerie melange that floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. I guess that would make this disc the Muhammad Ali of this year's list.
45. The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers
Jack Black's side project finds him a member of a Detroit supergroup that rocks from the get-go on tracks like "Steady as She Goes" -- a delicious pop track that surely came from an era when such songs would actually be played on the radio -- and zigs and zags the rest of the way in the most compelling manner possible.
44. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, All the Roadrunning
This disc flew in under the radar and though it won't win any awards for being a joyous album, this set of melancholy meditation from two grizzled musical veterans is poignant and compelling, often to a fault. It's not an easy disc to listen to, but, if it's any consolation, it probably wasn't an easy disc to make either.
43. Van Morrison, Pay the Devil
One of two terrific country discs released in 2006 from artists better known for their non-country roots -- the other will appear a few spots up the list -- Morrison's covers disc should be required listening for those who confuse George Jones and George Lucas. The singer's cover of Webb Pierce's "Back Street Affair" is nothing short of brilliant.
42. Annuals, Be He Me
This North Carolina indie-pop group's full-length debut defies easy categorization. More classic rock than classic pop at times, a wispy, college rock sensation at others, Be He Me is bold and auspicious and wondrous, and if you buy this album now, you won't be labeled a bandwagon jumper when their sophomore set explodes into the consciousness of the mainstream.
41. Comets on Fire. Avatar
Whenever I listen to this album, and like I do, you'll find yourself returning to it more than you would expect to the first time you listen to it, I am struck by just how accomplished this band's players are at pounding out blues rock riffs that collide with spiky punk power chords and veer off in a whole new direction, sort of the way a comet does when it's on, well, fire.
40. Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
The inclusion of "Crazy," the best song of the year, on this disc, ensures that the album would appear somewhere on this list, and while it is unfair to expect than anyone could write a group of songs as good as that one, one great song and one terrific cover (of the Violent Femmes' "Gone Baby Gone") cannot overcome the remainder of the tracks that are booty-shaking good, but, despite their outward desire to be so, rarely earthshaking. It is that difference that prevents this album from landing higher on the disc.
39. Solomon Burke, Nashville
Last year, Solomon Burke's Make Do With What You Got reminded everyone how underappreciated this soul legend truly is. He returns this year with a stunning tribute to his Nashville home in this wonderful collection of country and Americana tracks. He is joined on the disc by country greats like Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Patty Griffin, who complement Burke without ever overwhelming him.
38. The Killers, Sam's Town
Instead of praising The Killers for proving on their sophomore set that they are capable of so much more than they exhibited on their debut, Hot Fuss, many dumped on the group for a sophomore album that didn't sound like Hot Fuss. "When We We're Young" is the second best song of 2006 and the rest of the disc is ambitious and enchanting.
37. Dresden Dolls, Yes Virginia
I'm not entirely sure why this album wasn't a huge hit. This Boston band's self-titled debut was a cult hit and this disc -- bold, brash, ballsy, and big -- is far superior. The new disc -- three years in the making -- does not find the group trying to reinvent itself; rather, the disc feels like a more advanced, more complete follow-up to the debut. It is the rare band that takes the time to craft its sophomore effort. Time is sometimes all a talented band needs to make a successful and compelling album.
36. Lloyd Cole, Antidepressant
Lloyd Cole sounds, dare I say, happy, on his latest release. Okay, perhaps happy isn't the right word, but this underappreciated artist's latest disc is refreshingly playful. The opening track, "The Young Idealists," lands near the top of my song-of-the-year list, and while it's clear by the end that the appreciation of beauty often results in sadness, Cole reminds listeners that one should always appreciate the joys that life brings, even if said joys are occasionally tempered by sadness.
35. Neil Young, Living With War
Neil Young doesn't like President Bush and he makes no bones about his lack of respect for Bush or his policies on this biting disc. While the song titles are sometimes heavy-handed -- "Let's Impeach the President" is the most obvious example -- the songs themselves are anything but. Young is angry and disgusted and raises his voice and sings about injustice in much the same way that he has for his entire career. The disc feels like it poured from his soul, which it clearly did. Most artists who would attempt a disc as vitriolic as this one is would be marginalized by the partisan forces against which they are singing. Young isn't because he has both the gravitas and the history to pull off such a blistering full-frontal assault.
Comments