Note: I was hesitant about posting this list, partially because 2006 didn’t have as many as 2005, and partially because most of the music you’ve already heard me discuss this year. But thanks to a few year-end lists and some catching up, I have a couple of new favorites in here.
SONGS:
Download here. (95 MB) (probably not active until 3pm EST Sunday)
Rapture, The Devil
While most of the tracks off Pieces Of The People We Love were tied for this spot, The Devil without lyrics that kind of made me cringe. “I feel funny/Children’s money” indeed.
Klaxons, Gravity’s Rainbow
I hate to post this one just two weeks after hearing it for the first time, but it’s certainly an Of The Year. The thundering bass and piano breaks would be enough without the final chorus line: “I’ll always be there, oh, oh my future love! I’ll always be there, for, you my future love!”
The Knife, Silent Shout
I didn’t hear the title track off Silent Shout until late in the year, but it supplants Heartbeats as the best Knife song ever. No, really. Play it really loud, five times in a row.
Girl Talk, Hold Up
“Well, what if we just put all the good songs together, and made a new, better one?” Hold Up is pure sonic joy.
Shins, Phantom Limb
Wincing The Night Away is a bit disappointing…I’m not sure the production “chances” they think they’re taking are all that interesting, and a few just kind of sound like outtakes from Beck’s Sea Change a few year back. Phantom Limb is most “conventional” Shins song, which shouldn’t award it an end-of-year spot, but I just missed the Shins so damn much.
Hot Chip, Boy From School
This one took a while to grow on me, but the chorus has become permanently lodged in my brain. Also, check out the album’s title track, which includes the line “Hot Chip will break your legs, snap off your head.”
The Annuals, Brother
I had much bigger predictions for this band than ended up being true. Turns out that, while much of the album is pleasant and slightly formless Arcade Fire stuff, Brother was by far the standout. The combination of the string hits and guitar riff near the end are thrilling.
Datarock, Fa-Fa-Fa
Infectiously danceable. Fa fa fa, fa fa fa fa fa!
Kelis, Bossy (Alan Braxe and Fred Falke Remix)
I’ve played this one more times than iTunes can count. This year’s Simian/Justice remix, Kelis/Braxe elevates Bossy with a higher tempo, floor-shaking synth waves, and yet another Alan Braxe cowbell (TM).
Thermals, A Pillar Of Salt
OH MY GOD YES. I wasn’t entirely on board with the first Thermals, but this song accomplishes (for me, anyway) the intensity and lyrical heat they were always aiming for.
Jens Lekman, Maple Leaves
I feel like I’ve been listening to this one forever, but it still counts as a 2006. Sharp writing combined with schmaltzy cinema strings makes for a different twist on the Magnetic Fields formular.
Horrors, Sheena Is A Parasite
Count me as the only person who still love love loves this song.
TV On The Radio, Wolf Like Me
Okay, I finally get it. This is great.
Peter Bjorn and John, Young Folks
Possibly 2006’s most-blogged-about song, Young Folks doesn’t quite deserve to be hoisted so high, but it certainly merits a few dozen listens.
Wolfmother, Woman
Even though these guys were playing Woman two years ago, and even though it’s easily the dumbest song on the radio, here it is: Wolfmother’s Woman. “She’s a woman, you know what I mean? You’d better listen, listen to me!”
Be Your Own Pet, Adventure
Love them or hate them, but don’t tell me Adventure isn’t at least a little fun. “So yeah, it’s cool, ’cause we’re like, adventurers!”
Camera Obscura, Lloyd, I’m Ready To Be Heart-Broken
Frankly, I was surprised when tracks like “I Don’t Do Crowds” and “Teenager” didn’t get scooped up by music blogs last year. It was nice to see Camera Obscura everywhere (EVERYWHERE) with Lloyd in 2006.
Boris, Pseudo-Bread
Sometimes it’s fun to think about songs I post in terms of whether or not individual friends/readers will like them. So Jenn: Boris. Yes/no?
Sunset Rubdown, The Took A Vote And Said No
Man, this album had some long tracks. And they kind of sound like Wolf Parade light. But Vote is short, sweet, and unique.
Mew, The Zookeeper’s Boy
This one sort of crept up on me, loitering at the bottom of playlists until I woke up at 6am one morning inexplicably singing the chorus. “Are you?”
Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Heartbeats (Originally Performed By The Knife)
Creepy and serene. And less irritating than the Jose Gonzalez version (THAT’S RIGHT, I SAID IT).
BANDS:
Obviously, The Knife. Not only did I just discover them last January, but I was getting leaked/new tracks from Silent Shout all year long.
Girl Talk. The novelty wears off, but what’s leftover is just an album full of damn good songs. It’s hard to get bored of music that can barely sit still for fifteen seconds.
MOVIES:
I apparently saw almost none of last year’s “good” movies (see this space for Netflix reviews next year), so I am left with the obvious choice of Jackass 2. It’s fast, fun, and the grin on everyone’s face is downright infectious. A few scenes go too long or too far, but for the most part, it’s the best product in the Jackass series.
GAMES:
Resident Evil 4.
Pros: Incredible atmosphere, true-”survival” style play. The opportunity to deal with shambling monsters the way you always felt horror-movie characters should’ve: Blocking doors, kicking down ladders, and just shoving through them sometimes. Incredibly scary, especially later on in the game.
Cons: With the exception of one late-game enemy, the second half of the game kind of drags in comparison to the first.
Final Fantasy XII.
Pros: Unmatched graphics on the PS2, and a gameplay system that speeds up many of the grinding/questing annoyances of similar games. 12 is the first in the series that really lets you use to computer to be “clever,” setting characters with pre-programmed abilities and lists of priorities, so you’re not spending each fight selecting attacks for each one (a major complaint about other FF titles).
Cons: The plot, though more “political” than in previous games, is essentially just a long “go to this place and then that place” trip. Very little interaction between characters; in contrast to 7, where characters left the party, had fights, went on dates, and had to bring each other back from psychological breakdowns.
Psychonauts.
Psychonauts is basically just a very good platformer. You can shoot stuff, punch it, jump around, and that’s essentially the mechanics of gameplay. The context, however: After breaking into a special summercamp for psychics, you must unravel the mysteries inside minds around camp to figure out who’s abducting campers and taking their brains. Each brain is an entirely different world: One puts you on a sleek, tightly-packed cube (the brain of the austere German psychic agent), and another casts you as a Godzilla in a city of city of tiny, fleeing, legged fish (the brain of, well, a fish). On top of the tons of bizarre gameplay aspects, scavenger hunts, and psychological aspects of the game, the creators (of LucasArts and Grim Fandango fame) have packed in hours of snappy, and often hilarious, dialogue. Immensely entertaining.
Pros: Creative, fast-paced, funny.
Cons: Long load times, somewhat difficult controls.
TELEVISION:
The Colbert Report has come into its own as the funniest show on TV, and The Office improved substantially as well. However, the best show I saw was still Showtime’s Dexter, which I’ve mentioned enough times in this blog that I don’t need to discuss it further.
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