Best of 2006

Outstanding Albums

1. Boysetsfire - The Misery Index: Notes From The Plague Years
It's really sad that Boysetsfire called it quits this year, but at least they went out on the heels of a staggering triumph. The Misery Index is a monster of an album that holds so much love, rage, disillusionment, and hope that it's sometimes overwhelming. From the beautiful mellow opening of Walk Astray, to the upbeat ska-punk of Deja Coup, to the absolutely devastating final cathartic explosion of anger that is A Far Cry, this album rings with so much passion and emotion that there is no doubt in your mind that singer Nathan Gray believes in absolutely everything that passes from his lips.

2. The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
This is a hard album to quantify - The Blood Brothers are often described as "post-everything" and it's definitely deserved. 2003's ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn was a screamer of an album, one that pushed the band to its absolute limit in terms of live performances. The 2004 follow-up Crimes scaled back the intensity and focused more on macabre melodies that wrapped in and around the songs. Young Machetes combines everything good about the last two albums, and surpasses them in every way. This is absolutely crushing material, yet it has as many pop hooks as Franz Ferdinand's best. The songs are louder, creepier, and continually creative. The guitar tone, the sudden transitions between winding melodies and all-out audio assaults, and the amazing interplay between the two vocalists makes every song a pleasure.

3. The Bronx - The Bronx
On their 2nd album (also their 2nd self-titled album...), The Bronx show that they definitely mean business. Anyone worried about their transition to a major label apparently had nothing to fear, as they play it as loud and gritty as they ever have. Most of the album is straight up rock, with forays here and there into screamier post-hardcore territory, but it's all excellent. A solid hook backs pretty much every song, and the delivery is simply amazing. And this album definitely wins the "best chorus of the year" award for History's Stranglers ("I've got the hands of history's stranglers"). Sounds fucked (and is), but listen to the song and it is undeniably awesome. And who can't love a song entitled Rape Zombie? Raw, dirty rock n' roll at its best.

4. Norma Jean - Redeemer
I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it many mores times: Norma Jean is not the heaviest band, nor the most technical/talented, nor the most clever - but they are undeniably the angriest. Their brand of southern rock / metalcore is heart-stopping - the starts and stops, the buzzsaw guitars, and that fucking scream of unfathomable anger. Not music for all occasions, but when it fits it fits.

5. Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
This album is the sole calm/melodic release of the year that I really consider exceptional. I normally like to have more balanced lists, but this year was just not a good year for tranquility. The very fact that Brand New is the one tranquil band is surprising since they started life as a pop punk band. That's pretty much all gone, replaced with enveloping soundscapes that are less melodic and more atmospheric. The quiet-loud-quiet formula wears a bit old by the end of the album, but there are some real gems. The quiet desperation of Millstone, the choir background vocals of Degausser, and the stunning guitar of You Won't Know make the album just by themselves.

6. Murder By Death - In Bocca Al Lupo
This is a band poised for greatness - they have the sound, the guitar tone, the vocals, the lyrics, and the humor. Nowhere else can you hear a song about the devil, Mexico, and whiskey, and not only take it seriously, but have it stand up to Johnny Cash classics in terms of grit and passion. Boy Decide is a wonderful up-tempo romp, and Brother is an absolute classic, a song I'd put beside any of Cash's any day of the week. Shiola will near break your heart, and closer The Devil Drives sets a somber tone and then takes off and soars at the end, leaving you with a sense of euphoria.

Worthwhile Albums

As I was saying, 2006 hasn't been a great year for music - 6 albums down and we're already out of exceptional. C'est la vie...

7. The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
I seem to be the only person in Massachusetts that likes this band. They're extremely earnest pop/folk punk, with beautiful melodies and clever / well-delivered vocals. Their songs will never change the world, but they aren't meant to - it's feel good party stuff, and it's exceptional. Here on Oh! Calcutta!, the gritty guitar tone and grittier vocals make for an album of fun, catchy songs. Unicornography by The Falcon, also released this year, is basically the same album as this (members in common, same scene, etc.), so I feel fine lumping the two together as recommendations.

8. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
The Arctic Monkeys debut album is one catchy song after another, from start to finish. The British accents, the Franz Ferdinand-esque pop hooks, and the interesting lyrics all combine to make a pop smash of a record. It's impossible to not like From The Ritz To The Rubble. I dare you to dislike it.

9. The Killers - Sam's Town
During recording, singer Brandon Flowers described the album as the "best album of the last 20 years." That's absolute bullshit. But it is at least a step up from 2004's Hot Fuss. Gone are the overbearing synths layered over absolutely every piece of every song - instead, songs are given room to breathe, and everything feels a lot more earnest and from the heart, instead of just a Las Vegas casino show. The lyrics are still borderline horrible, and some songs should have ended life as B-sides, but there's still some catchy endearing stuff here. When You Were Young, For Reasons Unknown, and Why Do I Keep Counting? will stay stuck in your head for quite awhile, given the chance.

10. The Mars Volta - Amputechture
I want to love The Mars Volta so bad, I really do. Sometimes I think I'm head over heels in love, some songs are just THAT good. Then the next song is 16 minutes of ambient almost-nothing, and I have to quickly re-evaluate my stance. At least the ambience here attempts to be songs, unlike the static / Mexican chit-chat on 2005's Frances The Mute. When the album soars, it soars - Viscera Eyes has an amazing Latin-influenced riff and spectacular vocals, and Day of the Baphomets is another undeniable charmer. Too bad the whole album can't be that good. Instead of writing 80 minutes of music for every goddamn album, perhaps they should focus on 40 minutes of great music.

11. Senses Fail - Still Searching
This band is a real guilty pleasure. On the surface, they're another cookie-cutter sing/scream post-hardcore/punk band, a dime a dozen. But something about them is just so catchy, and just so earnest, that it's tough for me to not like them. Still Searching and The Priest And The Matador are two great examples.

12. These Arms Are Snakes - Easter
This is a weird guitar-driven post-hardcore album, filled with odd melodies, odder vocals, and almost no pop-hooks. At times, it reminds me of The Blood Brothers, minus most of the pop. I can't possible sell this to anyone who isn't already a fan of this type of music, so I won't even try.

13. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
Beautiful, challenging music that creates a rich atmosphere of sounds and offers some amazing harmonized vocals. The cute electro-pop I Was A Lover, the rocking Wolf Like Me, the a cappella A Method, and the mellow, dirty, appropriately titled Dirtywhirl are the standouts for me, but the album is full of catchy, soulful songs.

Albums that could use a bit more work

Underoath - Define The Great Line
Too much anger, not enough writing talent.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - So Divided
Over-orchestrated and under-written. Some tracks barely qualify as songs.

Sparta - Threes
Do you want to be U2? Because that's all I hear.

AFI - Decemberunderground
What happens when punk goes synth-pop and gay at the same time (yes, there's a distinction...).

Alexisonfire - Crisis
Dallas Green, you already have a solo acoustic project - stop singing and fucking up all the songs, and let George scream again!

Lostprophets - Liberation Transmission
This one really hurts, considering their last release, 2004’s Start Something, was one of my favorites for that year. To this day I can still pop it in and really enjoy it for the ~40 minutes that it lasts – they found just the right mix of pop, post-hardcore, and cheesy metal, and created something that was catchy while still having some balls. Sadly, Liberation Transmission does away with most of that formula, and what’s left isn’t always pretty. While recording, the Lostprophets posted updates on their Myspace (ugh) informing their fans that their new material was all kinds of aggressive, and promised that “it will blade you,” which caused many people (including myself) to believe that the album would be more technical and filled with attitude. Apparently the band was alluding more towards sad emo girls “blading” their wrists when their boyfriends are, like, total jerks to them. Liberation Transmission offers up some of the blandest material the LPs have ever put out - songs with the lyrical depth of Good Charlotte and the musical inclinations of Dashboard Confessional. Not every song is abysmal, mind you: there’s the token riff-heavy metal number, a few catchy pop tracks, and even one song that features the band dabbling with ska-esque horns (albeit extremely low in the mix). But that’s really the extent of the enjoyment. The rest ranges from sickeningly-sweet pop overdoses, to nausea-inducing ballads that attempt to be deep and introspective but come off as merely indulgent and uninspired (not to mention boring). Stick to what you know boys – poppy post-hardcore.

EPs

There were only two EP releases in 2006 that really stand out to me, and they're both by the same band - Voxtrot. Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives and Your Biggest Fan are both indie pop masterpieces, songs that pretty much anyone can appreciate. Check out Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives or Trouble and try to disagree.

2007?

2007 looks to be a much better year for music. Here's a tentative list of what I consider noteworthy:

!!! - Myth Takes (March 4th)
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (March 6th)
Arctic Monkeys
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (February 6th)
Bravery - The Sun and the Moon (Early)
CKY
Clutch - From Beale Street to Oblivion (March 4th)
Comeback Kid - Broadcasting... (February 20th)
Dillinger Escape Plan
Every Time I Die
Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High (February 6th)
From Autumn To Ashes - Holding A Wolf By The Ears
Funeral For A Friend
Glassjaw
Guns 'N Roses - Chinese Democracy (March 6th)
Head Automatica - EP
Hell Is For Heroes
I Am The Avalanche (Summer)
Interpol
Jimmy Eat World
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Life In Your Way - Waking Giants (February)
Lostprophets (Fall)
Mars Volta
Metallica (Spring)
Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (March)
Nine Inch Nails (April)
Postal Service - Clint Pogue EP
Queens of the Stone Age (February 18th)
Radiohead
The Subways
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - Living With The Living (March 20th)
Thrice - 4 EPs
The Von Bondies - Love, Hate, And Then There's You (Spring)
A Wilhelm Scream
Your Enemies Friends

That's all folks!