So we thought it might be interesting to ask some of our favorite local musicians and artists (as well as a local music writer and a member of Voxtrot) to list their favorite records and/or songs from 2006. We told them the lists could be as long or as short as they wanted, and we asked that they limit their selections to music or music related items that were released or occurred in 2006. The responses we received are below (yeah, I know its a massive post. Deal with it. If we ever figure out how to do that page break thing, we'll do it.)

Michael Chamy (Observer writer and member of iDi* amin and Zanzibar Snails)


TOP ALBUM
Wolf Eyes Human Animal (Sub Pop) and Black Vomit w/ Anthony Braxton (Victo)

Wolf Eyes just blew the field away this year. It’s hard to fathom how anyone could have better control over broken machines, creepshow thuds, and squelching electric currents, weaving it all together with powerful restraint and reckless fury. Human Animal alternates between harrowing and mind-melting, and the live set with avant-jazz legend Braxton is just pure magical intensity, a redefinition of what music might be.

THE OTHER TOP ALBUMS

Envy
Insomniac Doze (Temporary Residence)

A Japanese combo that sounds like Explosions in the Sky playing black metal. Totally gripping.

Alan Sparhawk
Solo Guitar (Silber)

Low’s Alan Sparhawk takes a surprising left turn into meditational Krautrock. Beautifully patient instrumentals with an ancient, almost menacing edge, well-tempered with minimalist layers of soothing drones and loops.

Ghostcar Too Strong/The Art of Transition

There has been a sighting of the first-ever studio Ghostcar album after all these years, and it smells vaguely like Miles’ carcass mixed with the ashes of the Rhodes piano these guys blew up in the middle of redefining electric jazz for the devil-may-care improv-rock set.

Baboon
Baboon

They’ve toned down the guitars, but Andrew Huffstettler’s freakishly bombastic intensity rings clearer than ever, as does the band’s proclivity for hiding dissonant bits nestled inside Newbery Award-winning songs. Well, if they gave Newbery Awards to songs.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

hotel, hotel allheroesareforeverbold (lo bango sound)

My Education played my wedding, but I want these Austin/Denton/Arizona dudes to play my funeral. Ornate violin/guitar/drums wafting in an early Kranky Records abyss.

March of the Carpenter Ants
Us>Jesus EP

This is my random MySpace discovery of the year. A Columbus, Ohio duo who breathe more life into mangled electronics and circuit-bent textures than Sonic Boom could ever do alone.

Black Happy Day
In the Garden of Ghostflowers (Silber)

Featuring members of Stone Breath and Lycia, an eerie shotgun wedding of folksy medieval dirges and magickal ambiance from the dark side of Stonehenge.

Centro-matic
Fort Recovery (Misra)

Indie-rock perfection can be off-putting to some, but not when Will Johnson’s honest, gritty and idiosyncratic songs are at the heart of it all.

Boris & Sunn 0)))
Altar (Southern Lord)

Not always all it promises to be, nevertheless, locking in and listening to this frappe of low-end doom and hushed gossamer dream states is like peeling away the layers of a fascinating eternal fruit from the great beyond.

DVD
supersilent 7 (Rune Grammonfon Norway)

Haven’t yet shelled out for this import DVD, but if it’s anything like the last DVD-only live release from this 100% improvised jazz-trained sound-sculptor combo, it’s musically and visually cinematic in a way that both music teachers and connoisseurs of extreme music can agree on.

BEST PERFORMANCE
Notes From Underground, Strategies of Beauty Festival, July 1@Rubber Gloves

This often chaotic Denton fivepiece was in command like never before that night, offering a series of captivating teases and buildups, helped along by sax player Mike Forbes, before loosing an ear-splitting, whiplash-inducing maelstrom that damn near blew the lid off the place.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Savage Republic’s tribal-punk clinic at Room 710 in Austin during SXSW

Austin indie rockers Fivehead’s homecoming circus of a show at Porchlight Popfest during SXSW

BEST VENUE

It’s hard to beat the intimate and unique events that happen at the House of Tinnitus and (sometimes) J&J’s Pizza in Denton, but in terms of overall venue, Rubber Gloves Rehearsal studios is hard to beat. The bar-separation layout couldn’t be better.

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN DFW IN 2007
- Local label lo-bango sound’s upcoming drone/drift series of 3-inch discs, in editions of 333 each.
- The return of FW’s Chimeneas (guitarish Josh was in Africa for much of 2006)
- A Great Tyrant record
- A new Shiny Around the Edges record (special guests galore)
- Second editions of Strategies of Beauty and Dead Echoes
- Continued improvements at the Metrognome and Secret Headquarters
- Notes From Underground as a seven(!)-piece
- More interesting new bands

DJ Sober of The Party

Ratatat Classics
J Dilla Donuts
Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory Tree Colored See
The Rapture Pieces of The People We Love
Milosh Meme

Jared Van Fleet of Voxtrot and Sparrow House

-----grizzly bear, yellow house
we played with these guys twice this spring, before their album came out, and i knew very little about them beforehand. those shows indicated that they were extremely talented musicians and songwriters (not to mention really nice guys), but the music didn't affect me fully until i finally heard yellow house. this record seems to balance itself perfectly in places where it could easily fail: the music is complex, but never pedantic, and it pulls from a diverse range of genres, influences, moods, and motives, without ever seeming disingenuine or contrived. somehow, through all of that, i still found the record immediately appealing, in a way that almost obscures its overwhelming accomplishments in songwriting, production, arrangement, and (true) experimentation. paradoxically, it's exactly that lack of pretension that underscores yellow house's greatest qualities.

-----joanna newsom, ys
the milk-eyed mender introduced joanna newsom as a precocious talent, if somewhat polarizing. while cynics dismissed her voice and lyrical vernacular as cloying and postured, that album's concise and poignant melodies were strong enough to demand attention... and attention reveals a perspective and approach as mature and honest as it is unique, with songs that transcend the barriers of arrangement, style, and aesthetic. ys is anything but concise, and requires perhaps even more patience, but it delivers an equally compelling experience. this is really a record to sit down and enjoy with the lyrics and the liner notes. with an a-list of iconic collaborators, this album could have been a mess of competing visions, and it's really a testament to the restraint and empathy of van dyke parks (and all of the involved parties) that ys maintains cohesion as well as it does. it's a beautiful accomplishment.

----tv on the radio, return to cookie mountain
my first exposure to many of these songs was in prospect park in brooklyn, where tv on the radio played my favorite show of the year. their performance that night (which featured guests including the antibalas afrobeat orchestra) prompted me to buy their album as soon as i returned home, for which i was immediately grateful. while their recorded energy does not equal the all-out explosion of their live performances, it does showcase their equally daft senses of production and arrangement, revealing a whirlwind set of fully-realized songs that work as well in a living room or a bar as they do on a stage.

-----vetiver, to find me gone
i'm not sure what's in the bay area water, aside from the body of frank lee morris, but they should start exporting it, whatever it is. here andy cabic turned in a beautifully subtle record that pushes vetiver into their own place, finally... out of the pidgeonhole-reach of lazy journalists who would like to reduce the collective output from that whole community of diverse talents to a singular movement or statement. this record really grew on me after many listens. i did say it was subtle. also, noah georgeson is a name more people should be familiar with.

-----dr. dog, takers and leavers EP
dr dog just might be the best band making music in the united states. actually, fuck it, they are. to be completely honest, i still haven't been able to hear this EP in its entirety. some things you just know, and i just know that dr. dog inspires a hyperbolic reaction from me. on that note, their show at big orange during SXSW was the best show that week.

-----sound team, movie monster
we in austin have been anticipating this record for a long time, and for good reason. for years, sound team impressed local audiences with their artistic ambition and excellent live musicianship. this 'debut' only hints at sound team's diverse capabilities, as evinced by their live performances, outtakes, singles, and self-released recordings. even in spite of its limited scope, it easily ranks among the year's most accomplished releases, filled with well-balanced sound textures and melodies that are impossible to predict (or forget). misunderstood by a few shallow-sighted critics, and perhaps not immediate enough for radio, movie monster was a largely overlooked but undeniably promising debut from a band that is working to define what it means to be DIY artists.

-----hot chip, the warning
it would be worth it just for the melody introduced in "colours" at 2:21. fortunately the rest of the songs hold up just as well. this year i've been particularly concerned with bands who i feel are actively pushing pop music in new directions, and hot chip certainly fit that description. obviously throughout the course of the year this record was over and overplayed, but i still can't find it annoying, which is a rarity for me.

-----peter and the wolf, lightness
lightness is for many people an introduction to red hunter, revealing an extremely talented melodicist and songwriter with a wide (bipolar?) range of influences and aims. the stripped-down production (with help from josh duke) highlights a group of songs that are strongest at their core, which is kind of the point, isn't it? with an equal balance of self-aware humor and unselfconscious honesty, the album is at once playful and emotionally moving, as complex as the nostalgia which seems to have provided much of its inspiration.

-----cat power, the greatest
a beautiful record from one of my favorite current songwriters. one of the things i appreciate about chan marshall is her intuition for how to take advantage of the talents of her collaborators in recording and producing her own songs, and i for one fell in love with the classic arrangements and mostly straight-ahead presentation of the songs on the greatest, played by some of the best-known session musicians in american music. the album feels to me like a triumphant, if bittersweet, celebration over internal conflict. in short, it was good for me.

Wanz Dover

1. Liars "Drums Not Dead"- album of the year. Album of the decade. I can't really emphasize enough how mindblowing this record is. After all of these years of Sonic Youth Knock offs these guys really broke through to next barrier and then some. It’s dissonant, melodic, disturbing, peaceful, abstract, with a hook around every twisted corner. I read a review of this record earlier this year in a local paper that pretty much dismissed it as a “Bunch of Noise” which let me know that journalists don’t always listen to the records they review. This is the missing link between Brian Wilson, MBV, Sonic Youth and Boredoms. The most original statement I have heard in way too long of a time. And they do it with a sly sense of humour and their tongue placed firmly in their cheek.

2.Scott Walker “The Drift” – I hope I am making music this incredible when I get his age. Hell I hope even get close anytime in my lifetime.

3. Jesu “Silver” – If you ever wondered what Kevin Shields would sound like backed up by the Melvins here it is. This record has been criminally overlooked. Shoegaze for Metalheads on codine.

4. Ellen Allien and Apparrat “Orchestra of Bubbles”- Germans rule and so does this beautifully constructed record by 2 of my favorite producers. They both step outside of their comfort zones to bring something new to the table.

5.Hot Chip “The Warning” - great songs to sing along to. Great songs to dance to. This record is pretty infectious.

6. Clark “Body Riddle” – I came to this record late in the year. Warp needs to get more stuff like this out.

7. Boris “Pink”- Fuck Yeah…..hook and horns sign on one hand…..a joint in the other.

8. Burial “Burial”- I got into a lot of Dubstep this year, but this record stands out above all others. Even Nurse with Wound has this mysterious guy in his myspace top 16.

9.The Knife – “Silent Shout”

10.Mission of Burma “The Obilterati”- They are back and rock way more than all of the kids still ignoring them.

Honorable Mentions:
Brazilian Girls “Talk To La Bomb”
Mission of Burma “The Obliterati”
Slayer “Christ Illusion”
Spank Rock “yoyoyoyoyo”
Marked Men “Fix My Brain”
Squarepusher”Hello everything”

SINGLES:
1.The Futureheads – Worry about it Later(Switch remix)
2.The Liars – The Other Side of Mt.Heart Attack
3.Uffie – Pop the Glock
4. [A]pendics.Shuffle – Award Winning Actor
5.Benga – Star Wars(The Hatch VIP)
6.Arthur Russell – Springfield (DFA Remix)
7.Hot Chip – Just like We Breakdown(DFA Remix)
8.Ellen Allien – Just a Woman
9.Klaxons – The Bouncer
10.Throbbing Gristle – Hot on the Heels of Love(Carl Craig remix)

Faux Fox

Bands/Artists
1. Krispee Ones/S.O.C.
2. Chromatics
3. Chief Death Rage
4. Cadillac Don
5. San Serac/The Internet
6. Golden Boys
7. AIDS Wolf
8. Mahjongg
9. Great Tyrant
10. Crystal Castles
11. Glass Candy
12. Telepathe
13. Laura Palmer
14. Sean Kirkpatrick
15. Strange Boys
16. Danava
17. Snow Foxxes
18. Chamillionaire
19. Indian Jewelry

Deejays
1. Prince William
2. Steven Void
3. Mikey Apples
4. Wild in the Streets
5. Lisa Light
6. Nature
7. Sober
8. Select
9. G
10. Tommy Boy
11. Wanz

Sean Kirkpatrick

1. Scott Walker – "Jolson and Jones"; I'm a huge fan of Walker's early work, but nothing could have prepared me for this bizarre masterpiece.
2. Shoplifting – "Male Gynecology"; This track contains some of the most innovative guitar playing and boldest lyrical statements I heard all year.
3. Andre' Ethier – "Didn't I Love You Better than Him"; There wouldn't be so much shame in the love song if more people knew how to write and sing them as perfectly as this.
4. Liars – "It Fit When I was a Kid"; That part that goes,"Crystals flying everywhere" kills me. Too bad the live show was such a disappointment.
5. Pink Mountaintops – "Lord, Let Us Shine"; Pseudo-gospel hymn, druggy lo-fi bedroom gem, wartime noise march. I have a party in my head every time I listen to it.
6. Mudhoney – "It is Us"; Yeah, they've still got it.
7. Chris Garver – "Put the Papers Away"; Someday I'll write lyrics as cool as this. Well, actually I probably won't.
8. Califone – "Pink & Sour"; It's like 'Bone Machine' and 'Remainin Light' had a baby, and Rutili spins his signature yarn over the top.
9. Mastodon – "The Wolf is Loose"; It would take most bands 12 minutes to accomplish what these guys do here in 3:30.
10. Ghostface Killah – "Shakey Dog"; Unstoppable. Yeah, just try to stop it. You can't.
11. Destroyer – "European Oils"; I only recently discovered Destroyer. What the hell is going on in Canada that's causing people to write songs like this? Obviously I'm a sucker for the elegant piano playing too.
12. M. Ward – "Poison Cup"; The song and voice have a timeless quality. This dude is (almost) the Roy Orbison of indie rock.
13. Neko Case – "Dirty Knife"; With such a strong vocal, you almost don't notice what a creepy song this is.
14. The Arm – "I'd like to Make a Complaint"; I thought for sure 2006 would be a big year for this Austin band upon hearing tracks like this, but alas we saw their demise.
15. Matmos – "Public Sex for Boyd McDonald"; I saw them play in Philadelphia. The encore featured real, live ass-spanking.

Mom

Beach House's Beach House is a really great record. They're really pretty live too.

William Basinski's Garden of Brokenness was very interesting, although not quite as amazing as his disintegration loop anthology.

Colleen never falls short with anything every released and her album Colleen Et Les Biotes A Musique, a record made using only music boxes, is really fantastic.

A Hawk and a Hacksaw- The way the wind blows. Its the drummer from Neutral Milk Hotel. In this band Jeremy Barnes plays all sorts of instruments including a hat with bells on it. He also does some stuff on Beruit's album, which is good, but not as amazing as this record. If you are into Balkin gypsy tunes, then give this a listen. Kocani Orkestar is a huge influence on both of these band and is also worth a listen.

On the note of world music, we just found out about this group from africa called Konono No. 1, who are phenomenal. they build amps out of old car stereo's and broken megaphones. they also build electrified thumb pianos. I'm pretty sure they're working with Bjork for something on her new album. who cares if they put anything out this year, they fucking rule.

Eluvium put out an ep called When I Live By the Garden and By the Sea, which is really good. Talk Amongst the Trees remains his masterpiece.

Animal Collective's People EP is really swell. We're looking forward to anything these guys produce. Girl Talk's Night Ripper was a pretty interesting album.

Man Man's Six Demon Bag kept us laughing and stomping for a good portion of this year. Grizzly Bear's Yellow House is very well done and pretty.

Benoit Pioulard- Precis its pretty much along the lines of Beach House and Grizzly Bear. Very good bedroom pop.

Juana Molina- Son is the last record we bought, and it is beautiful. I love love love this record. cant wait to see her live one day.

CJ Davis of Good Records

1. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
2. Benoit Pioulard - Precis
3. Beach House - s/t
4. Skeletons & The Kings Of All Cities - Lucas LP
5. Nobody & Mystic Chords of Memory - Tree Colored See
6. Icy Demons - Tears of a Clone
7. Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
8. Bibio - Hand Cranked
9. The Gentleman Losers - s/t
10. Danielson - Ships

McKenzie Smith of Midlake

1. the dears- gang of losers
2. joan as police woman- real life
3. the devics- push the heart
4. fionn regan- the end of history
5. band of horses- everything all the time

Tommy Atkins of The Great Tyrant

Om- Conference of the Birds: cycling mantra-like bass and drums with chanted vocals. beautiful, heavy, and hypnotic.

Orthodox- Gran Poder: Black Madonna worshipping doom from Spain. riffs that manage to be classic and refreshing at the same time, notes drawn out to the perfect length, sudden waves of free jazz drums, droning tremolo and reverb drenched vocals. probably the only new doom band to bother with

Current 93- Black Ships Ate the Sky: beautiful and sad album based on David Tibet's dreams of flying black ships ushering in the apocalypse. dark folk featuring great strings, guitar work, and piano. loads of great guest musicians and some of Tibet's best lyrics to date

Scott Walker- the Drift: surprise of the year. thick blocks of sound, sometimes reminiscent of late era Swans, with Walker's pained and broken voice crooning bleak and bizarre stories. leaves you with the feeling you've just heard a truly fractured psyche

Corrupted- El Mundo Frio: hour + song from Japan's heaviest band. quiet passages of layered guitar, nearly sub bass, and harp lead into massive walls of noise and guitar. spoken as well as impossibly guttural vocals. at one point near the middle, theres even a harp solo. amazing.

Khlyst- Chaos is My Name: James Plotkin (OLD, Phantomsmasher, Khanate) and Runhild Gammelsaeter (Thorr's Hammer). sick blasts of destroyed guitar, drums, drones, and some of the most horrific vocals to ever come out of a human being. at times quiet and unsettling, others almost unlistenable. one of the more challenging and rewarding releases this year.

Slomo- the Creep: slow motion, low-end improv. not like the hundreds of instant-drone releases, as it actually moves, changes form, and keeps you engaged despite the incredibly slow pace

Coffins- the Other Side of Blasphemy: perfectly done doom in the vein of Winter or a slower Celtic Frost. nothing particularly groundbreaking, just slow thick and loud. compulsive listening

Urfaust & Circle of Ouroborus (split) - Auerauege Raa Verduistering: particularly the Urfaust side. mid paced, gloomy black metal with strange, high pitched, dramatic vocals. the faux modern classical passages are a bit of a bore, but the rest is a confounding and highly addictive listen

Shiny Around the Edges

For whatever reason, 2006 was the year of our favorite music being made by friends or friends of friends (well, except for one notable member of royalty on this list). And, as all lists go, this is just a sampling, really.

Stumptone – Gravity Suddenly Released Dense guitars and beautiful, sprawling songs, like country music filtered through Failure’s “Fantastic Planet.” Not officially released yet, but has been in constant rotation in our home.

Alan Sparhawk – Solo Guitar
Al from Low exploring guitar soundscapes that at times are reminiscent of a barge slowly crossing a grey lake before a snowstorm envelopes all.

Blair Harris – Songs on her MySpace page
All year, we’ve been riveted by her intimate songs like poems transmitted in code by ghosts that show up on old cassette tapes recording static.

Josh T. Pearson – “The Clash” video
God Bless Texas... that’s the way to play guitar.

Lite Brite – Self-titled CDR
One half of Mom, this is an ambient mix of samples, classical guitar, and cello, that, like Stumptone’s CD, has been in our player quite a bit.

Bosque Brown – Cerro Verde EP
Mara and her guitar on vinyl. If you listen to the words you will be thinking about them for a long time after the needle has left the record.

Notes from Underground – Their live shows Pick a show, any show from 2006, and it was the best show of the year.

The pAperchAse – Now You Are One of Us
The most disturbing and straightforward work of art we’ve encountered in 2006. Layered brilliance with Sean Kirkpatrick’s piano a perfect foil for John Congleton’s angular, near-metal riffs and bitingly direct poetry.

History at Our Disposal – Symbols in the Architecture
Shifting time signatures, soaring vocals, subtle electronica, driving folk, the frenetic percussion of Record Hop’s Josh Prisk, all combine to provide a collection of songs that further entrench HAOD’s Jason Reimer as one of our favorite songwriters and performers.

Prince – 3121
We do not doubt for one minute that, in fact, he and his friends drink champagne from glasses with chocolate handles. This record IS the party, just add friends and libations.

Wilson Omora of Oveo

IdI*Amin- B.C.E.
this album, despite its "no-fi" (aka. totally mono, thanks dconstruction *sarcasm tag*) aesthetic and its pegging as a dark sort of free-jazz outing, stands on its own as one of the best local releases this year, unfortunately the pressing was way to small and not nearly enough people heard it.

Violent Squid- several free releases and a video
Ty and his cohorts did so much amazing shit this year. Along with the two releases that I picked up at rubber gloves (which were both incredible by the way), they also managed to do a perfectly sleazy video at the UNT union FOR FREE... and they managed to get people excited about it! seriously, if you can't find any other reason to love these guys, at least you can appreciate their omnipresence

Chris Garver- everything: E4 E5, the December EP, his Strategies of Beauty set, etc. EVERYTHING Chris Garver does is golden, and 2006 has been his year.

Robedoor- Unsummoning (not local)
These guys are a group to watch out for, for real. I know that the market for "doom metal" and this kind of dark drone stuff is way over-saturated at the moment, but these guys do it right, when they do it at all. This band is coming at something familiar from so many new angles that I think it would be a crime for someone not to notice. Maybe they should change their name though.

El Aviador Dro y Sus Obreros Especializados- Electrico
This slightly sub-par compilation of tracks from the best spanish electro group ever wouldn't even have made it on to my list if it wasn't for the fact that it is THE FIRST AVIADOR DRO US RELEASE EVER. That being said, I am glad that this band has finally been formally imported.

Warmer Milks- Radish On Light
This album just kicks ass, in every way. It is the best rock album of the year, best noise album of the year, best noise-rock album of the year, best bluesy psych-rock album of the year and overall best album of the year.

Growing- Color Wheel
This album is an argument for why people shouldn't give up on guitars. and finally Leslie Hall- Doorman's Daughter My fiancee has been listening to this album non-stop, and I have to say that it is the best fabulously over-the-top bedazzling gem-fest this side of the milky-way.

Jason and Matt of Eat Avery's Bones

Jason Burgess:

bands I once loved but now hate of 2006: Islands; Eagles of Death Metal.

catchiest songs of 2006: Bogota-Bipolar Bear; It Fit When I Was a Kid-Liars.

best show of 2006- Liars/Apes/Deerhunter @ gypsy tea room

most lop-sided show of 2006: Final Fantasy (really good) and The Curtains (really bad). (8/16/06) (hailey's)
top guilty pleasure of 2006: Tenacious D- The Pick of Destiny.

Matt Burgess:

favorite albums:
bipolar bear man mountain
sonic youth rather ripped
whirlwind heat types of wood
dmonstrations night terrors, shock!

favorite music video: the horrors "sheena is a parasite"

favorite shows attended: whirlwind heat (emo's) (6/22/06) sonic youth (gypsy tea room) (6/24/06) deerhunter/apes/liars (gypsy tea room) (5/27/06) attractive and popular/the strange boys/the undoing of david wright (rubber gloves) (4/21/06) swan island/mika miko/the gossip (hailey's) (9/23/06)

Aresene Houssaye of Oveo

The unreleased record by The Undoing of David Wright. Sparrow/Hawk. Christian Teenage Runaways. Heater Okular Nerves. Rob and Amelia. Yetzer Hara. Fringe. Opera (a group from France). Dan Paul. Hotel Hotel and P.D. Wilder. iDi * amin and Zanzibar Snails. Saturday Night Wrist by Deftones. Chromatics. Art Naif by Sally Paradise. Night Game Cult. Jasmyne Rose. A Scanner Darkly the film. Cry Blood Apache. Zom Zoms. Ettrick. DJ Nature. Back Stabbath. Akie Takada. I like You by Black Tie Dynasty. Shiny Around the Edges. V for Vendetta the film. Gym Mat Nap. Violent Squid. Black Dahlia the film. Warmer Milks. Paul Baker. Ghost Tape. Dreamland Recordings. Venison Whirled. Unk. One Umbrella. Aviador Dro at Rubber Gloves. The Angelus. Apocalypto the film (Thanks Jason in North Hollywood!) Notes from the Underground. Fra Pandolf. EAB. Dream Tigers. Marie Antoinette the film. Nimbus. Faux Fox. Roger O’Donnell. Masmod. Kace. Nevada Hill. Julie’s neighbor that played the flute for us that one night (sorry I can’t remember your name).

Lars of Undoing of David Wright

My favorite release was the new pAper chAse record. Didn't keep up with much new shit other than that... I keep on digging up weird international 80's post-punk bands.

The Strange Boys | Attractive And Popular | Sticky Buns | Velma Loves Daphne (Rubber Gloves)

A strong lineup tonight divided evenly between straight-ahead garage rockers and a couple of dance-oriented acts. Strange Boys and Velma Loves Daphne definitely share a lot of early 60's influences, though the former have mellowed considerably in their approach to song writing. Velma Loves Daphne are trashier in a Pebbles box set kind of way, with the vocals sometimes reminding me of a young Neil Haggerty. Unfortunately, their name reminds me of one of my least favorite local bands of all time. Their music, thankfully, does not. Sticky Buns is a DJ duo that plays a lot of beat-heavy indie rock, profane electroclash, and even some Hall & Oates. I saw them back in the fall and thought their selection was well thought out while also really fun. I don't know why they haven't gotten more attention locally. I preferred them to many other DJ's I've heard this year. Finally, Attractive and Popular are from Louisiana but play here so often they're sometimes confused for locals. They have deservingly struck a deal with the highly influential GSL Records to release their full-lenght debut. They're an intense live experience mostly due to the wonderful contrast between a confrontational lead singer and the hypnotically robotic drumming.

2006 was a pretty strange year for me, and many of my interactions with music over the past 12 months have been quite different than those I've had in years previous. Writing this blog has certainly had a huge impact on the way I think about, talk about, and even listen to music, but its hard to say exactly what kind of changes in taste and attitude the experience has brought about. On the one hand, it has forced me to think a little more deeply about the music I listen to, and its even given me the opportunity to talk directly with a few of the artists that have released great records this year (we've been fortunate enough to interview both #1 and #2 on this year's list). But on the other hand, I feel that writing this blog has often put me in the position of having to judge certain artists and pieces of music too quickly in order to keep content moving, and I know I've grown a little more cynical about the music business due to greater exposure to the hype machine that seems to dictate so much in the industry these days.

Blogging and personal issues aside, however, I must say that I've been generally let down by much of this year's crop of "important," "breakthrough," and "buzzworthy" bands, even though I can't tell whether this is due to changes in my own taste or some general drop off in other people's. I'm not sure if my preferences have simply shifted away from relatively accessible contemporary "indie" rock like Wolf Parade, Spoon and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (all of which appear on my 2005 list), or if there just weren't as many releases in 2006 that combined artistic merit and commercial appeal the way those records did. Do I just not get The Hold Steady, Sound Team, Danielson and Band Of Horses, or are those bands simply less compelling than their blogger approved counterparts from last year or the year before? Of course, its not as if my 2006 list is completely void of items that will appear on many other year end lists (you'll see many such records listed below), its just that compared to last year, or any recent year for that matter, a larger percentage of the allegedly "significant" new releases of 2006 have failed to strike me as particularly exciting or even pleasurable to listen to. Has Pitchfork lost its nerve, or am I less cool? Is the Gnarls Barkley record as annoying as I think it is, or am I being unreasonably grumpy in my dismissal? Like many things in life, the answers to these questions probably lie somewhere in between the extremes I have offered here, yet I still can't help but feel less in step with guitar-centered "indie rock" than I've been in previous years. I've spent a lot more time digging through the vaults and discovering older music this year, and I've generally been less excited about new music all year long. So sue me.

That being said, there has been a handful of great records released this year, including a few that I would consider classic. Below is a list of my favorite records from 2006, along with some MP3s for you to sample.

Honorable Mentions:
Ricardo Villalobos Fizheuer Zieheuer
Tim Hecker Harmony in Ultraviolet
Wilderness Vessel States
Six Organs of Admittance The Sun Awakens
Skygreen Leopards The Disciples of California
Vetiver To Find Me Gone
Lupe Fiasco Food and Liquor
Ghostface Killah Fishscale
Om Conference of the Birds
Excepter Alternation
Kompakt Total 7
Califone Roots and Crowns
Beirut Gulag Orkestar
Beach House s/t
120 Days s/t
Lindstrom Its a Feedility Affair
Growing Color Wheel
Johan Johannsson IBM 1401: A User's Manual
Scott Walker The Drift

The Top Ten:

#10- Holy Shit Stranded at Two Harbors: I continue to be fascinated with just about everything Ariel Pink is involved with, and this record features some of the best material he has ever produced. Working with songwriter Matt Fishbeck seems to bring out a clearer pop sensibility in Pink, as many of these songs sound like his solo tracks minus some of the wandering and goofy surrender that sometimes holds his material back just a bit. The fractured, distant production and disco influenced 70's pop found on this record have the unmistakable fingerprints of Ariel Pink for sure, but sometimes its nice to listen to him follow through with an idea and wind it down at just the right time. "I Don't Need Enemies" LINK

#9-Clipse Hell Hath No Fury: One thing I really hate is when music critics/bloggers put an obligatory hip hop record on their year end lists and proceed to intellectualize the shit out of said record in order to find the perfect balance between indie smarts and street cred. I hate it so much, in fact, that I almost left this record off the list all together just to avoid being accused of such things. But unfortunately I can't ignore Clipse this year, because leaving this record off my list would be nothing more than a lie, and a pointless one at that. Both MCs' lyrical phrasings are impeccable and their delivery reeks of an understated and compelling cockiness, but to me the real story here is the Neptunes' return to form. The production on this record is chilling, distant and creepy, complete with sparse, minimal drum programming and some of the strangest sampled and synth sounds I've ever heard on a Neptunes track. Clipse does a good job of convincing the listener that they are genuinely pissed off and vicious, but the Neptunes experimental production makes it all the more thrilling. Anyone thats equally sick of same old same old mainstream rap and backpack hip hop should take notice of this record. "Mr. Me Too" LINK

#8- Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band Second Attention: There really isn't anything particularly new or revolutionary about the songs on this record, and in fact, its probably the most stylistically and structurally conventional album Wooden Wand has produced to date. Fortunately, the relatively straightforward nature of the album is actually one of its strengths, as it finds Wooden Wand writing bold, accessible and smart songs that combine traditional country and folk influences with the iconic lyrical tendencies of folk-rock-country fusion songwriters like Bob Dylan and Gram Parsons. The words are precise, intelligent and clearly delivered, and I dare you to grab this record and tell me that there aren't at least three songs stuck in your head after the first listen. This is one of those rare records that is stylistically retro in form but completely fresh in delivery, driving home the point that this kind of music can still be exciting when its done so goddamn right. "Portrait in the Clouds" LINK

#7- Junior Boys So This is Goodbye: Sometimes its a little hard to figure out when I should be listening to this record. Is it a sit at home and read kind of thing, or is it a Friday night staple? The funny thing is that I've tried it in both situations, and it seems to work equally well across the board. Sure, most of the songs are dark, cold and dry, and some of them are even really sad. But the more uptempo tracks, fused with the sounds of early house and the spirit of New Romantics, Kraftwerk, Human League and Suicide all seem perfect during those moments when you're about to go on some kind of adventure and are excited by the fact that you have no idea whats going to happen. It sounds like a break up record that somehow spends as much time being excited about the future as it does mouring the past, and its complexity is quite refreshing. Anyone who has become cynical about neu wave should give this record a chance, because the Junior Boys come off as time machine rather than a capsule, and the best part is that you can't tell whether they're dragging you to the past or ushering you into the future.
"Double Shadow" LINK

#6- Indian Jewelry Invasive Exotics: Invoking the ghost of Spacemen 3 with a Butthole Surfers Ouiji Board, Indian Jewelery's first full length was a late arrival to my best of list, but with very good reason. Each time I listen to this record, I discover that I'm more and more impressed with the fact that less and less seems to be happening on each track. Indian Jewelry lock on harsh, metallic and otherwordly tribal grooves that are both frightening and mesmerizing, reminding the listener of PIL, Red Crayola and a really pissed off My Bloody Valentine while they blow concepts like form and choruses completely out of the water. That might sound like bullshit, but its somehow the truth. I think people often forget that Throbbing Gristle was formed out of what was essentially a pseudo-hippie art commune (albeit a very dark one), and I'm really glad that Indian Jewelry seem to revel in that fact. "Dirty Hands" LINK

#5 Comets on Fire Avatar: Throughout 2006, I've been slowly admitting to myself that I, on many levels, am a total classic rock dork. You got a problem with that? I don't, and its partially because of the enlightening experience that is listening to Comets on Fire. Not quite as noisy, loose and furious as their previous work, Avatar is much more structured and deliberate that anything Comets on Fire have released, but that doesn't mean its any less compelling. In fact, when one of their relatively subdued songs begins to take off into the kind of psyche rock guitar explosion they are known for, its clear that Avatar might actually showcase the perfect version of Comets on Fire, the one that the Cream fan inside me has been waiting for ever since I first heard them. "Lucifer's Memory" LINK

#4- Boris Pink: I've heard a lot of long time Boris fans complain that Pink is some kind of step backwards or compromise for the band, but I have to say that I just don't understand that sentiment. Of course, this record has gained a lot more attention in the media than any of Boris' previous work, but sometimes things like that happen because an album is actually really good. This is one such time. After easing you in with a sprawling shoegaze influenced opening track, Boris takes you on the psyche rock ride of the year, serving as a good reminder of how dumb the average metal band is and how wimpy the average indie rock band is. This album really opened me up to a lot of the heavier music I've started to enjoy this year, and its relentless energy is the exact kind of overwhelming fun I need these days. "Pink" LINK

#3- Oneida Happy New Year: I've spent a long time trying to figure out what the hell to say about this record, but I just can't seem to find any good reference points to introduce Oneida to anyone that isn't already familiar with them. What I can say is that Oneida seems to somehow combine the ambitious structures and precision of jazz and prog rock with the organic warmth of psychedelic pop in way that pretty much no one else even attempts. Whether they're playing pounding drums and electric guitars or spacing out with quiet acoustic guitars and soft vocals, I always have to ask myself where the hell these guys and their songs come from. And its nice to have no idea. "The Adversary" LINK

#2- Lansing-Dreiden The Dividing Island: I'm having the opposite problem with this record: I've probably said too much about it over the course of the year. So instead of describing how it sounds once again, I'll just add that I've been wondering why this album didn't have more of a cross over appeal than I thought it would when it first came out. Is it because these guys publish a literary journal? I don't know, but I have serious doubts that anyone with a pulse can listen to this record a few times and not enjoy it. One of the best things about L-D is the way their songs grow on you, and this record is no exception. And when I say "grow on you," I don't mean "gets a little better every time you hear it." What I mean is "the songs fundamentally change and take new forms as you discover more and more about them and begin to realize how catchy they are." But I'm sure you already knew what I meant by that. "A Line You Can Cross" LINK

#1- Liars Drum's Not Dead: To me, this record is just about as perfect as I possibly could have hoped it would be, and I've listened to it and thought about it more than any other record released this year. All year long, I've returned to it and enjoyed it in different settings and moods and I still can't seem to wrap my head around the way these songs flow, startle, and take form before they break down and build up again a track and a half later. This is one of those rare concept record that seems to center around recording techniques as opposed to narrative, and to me its truly an artistic achievement of the highest order. Perhaps the best part about having this record around all year was realizing that Liars will surely be remembered as one of the most important bands of this era, and the fact that they have a sense of humor about the whole thing makes it all the more pleasing. "A Visit From Drum" LINK

1. Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas
2. Swan Lake - Beast Moans
3. Benoit Pioulard - Precis
4. Midlake - Milkmaid Grand Army EP
5. Radiant - We Hope You Win
6. Joanna Newsom - Ys
7. Shins - Phantom Limb
8. Damien Rice - 9
9. Icy Demons - Tears of a Clone
10. The Blow - Paper Television
11. Dr. Dog - Easy Beat
12. Malajube - Trompe-L'oeil
13. Pavement - Wowee Zowee: Sodid Sentinels Edition
14. Silversun Pickups - Carvanas
15. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
16. Demetri Martin - These are Jokes
17. Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
18. Polyphonic Spree - Wait
19. Mark Kozelek - Little Drummer Boy: Live
20. Knife - Silent Shout

Do people really like Silversun Pickups? I just found that record to be so completely boring that I can't even really describe it. In other news, stop buying Damien Rice please.

Nothing going on today that we can find other than Bad Ass Jazz Night @ The Amsterdam Bar. More to come tonight.

There will be an It List later today. We apologize for the delay.

Good stuff coming later today, including my year end "best of" list (which is nearly complete but taking forever), and a post about all the fun that was had at Art Prostitute on Friday night (with pictures). In the meantime, enjoy this:

Well, the writing thing has been a little slow this week. Sorry about that. With jobs, concerts and real life to take care of, we just haven't had time to write like we've wanted to (the Anons understand, I'm sure). But have no fear local hipsters, because next week we'll have a bunch of year end stuff, including our best albums lists and a piece on this year's best moments in local music. Check back this weekend for weekender updates and shit, sucka.

FRIDAY

The Great Tyrant | Faux Fox | Chief Death Rage | Krispee Ones | DJ Nature | Sober | Select (Art Prostitute 2919 Commerce)
Have I told you about this show already? Well in case I haven't, Ill just let you know that doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8. There will be a free Shiner Keg inside as well, and its also BYOB if you want to bring some back-ups. James from the Metrognome Collective will be running the sound for us, and the Central Booking guys will be spinning before, between and after the sets. Honestly, this is a line up I would love to see even if the blog wasn't involved, and I'm thinking it will be a good time. No, thats not right. I'm knowing it will be a good time. There will also be a nice stack of free Projection CDs for you to scoop up while you're there (yes, they are finally finished... and they've even got individual tracks and art work and stuff!)

There really isn't anything else going on in Dallas tonight that I'd be interested in (no joke)... but if you're in Denton and just can't leave, there are two shows you might want to check out:

Notes From Underground | Mom | In Dot Dat (Indie Writer Benefit @ Fra House)
I don't have a lot of information on this show, including the address of Fra House. I just can't seem to remember it, but maybe someone can hook us up in the comments section or something. Anyway, what I do know is that this will be a really good show. Notes from Underground is just fantastic live (seeing them at Strategies was one of the best local music experiences I've had all year), and Mom is one of the most underrated bands in Denton or Dallas. If the Fra House address does not appear in the comments, I'm sure you can contact Fra Pandolf at their Myspace page and see whats up.

Fishboy | Eat Avery's Bones | Hardin Sweaty and the Ready to Go | Cavedweller | Brooke Opie (Rubber Gloves Christmas Concert hosted by Frank Hejl)

SATURDAY

Lost Generation's Berlin Elektro Party with Sean Vargas of High Society, Wanz Dover, Chaka Harta, Keith P, Flashlight Party and Convextion (Avenue Arts-Dallas)

AND- Hot Flash with Dj Stephen R (Fallout Lounge)
Wanz' makeout party, which is always a lot of fun, should be a nice little one two punch with Stephen R's Hot Flash. You see, Avenue Arts is right next door to the Fallout Lounge (835 Exposition Ave in Expo Park) in case you didn't know, and I would expect both events to be worth checking out over the course of the night. Luckily, it will be easy for you to do both. Stephen R will be playing dance records and showing random videos on two projection screens, and Wanz and company will be throwing what should be a ridiculous dance party. I'm guessing the musical selections will be pretty much anything goes throughout the night, but I know Keith P will be providing grime, dubstep, and UK Garage. You can also expect dance punk, disco, and just about anything else from the other djs. I just hope Avenue Arts doesn't charge an $8 cover again.

White Ghost Shivers | White Denim | White Drugs (Club Dada- Callithump White Christmas)
Remember the other day when I was talking about Squirrel Nut Zippers being a major influence on a bunch of allegedly "cool" indie bands this year? Well, White Ghost Shivers are a band that sounds pretty much exactly like them. Not that this makes them cool or anything... in fact, it kind of makes them uncool. But if goofy cartoon swing is your thing, you'll probably dig them.... which I hope isn't the case. However, this show will be more than worth showing up for with Gorilla vs. Bear favorites White Denim and White Drugs rounding out the bill. ADD: Bob White and The F Electrics are on this bill as well.

And nothing is turning up for Sunday so far, but you can check back with us.

1. Zoo: A Visual Menagerie (The Cavern)

Glad to see this is still happening. It's been really eclectic and surprising anytime I've caught it.

2. Sean Kirkpatrick (Club Dada)

Kirkpatrick continues his Thursday night residency at Dada with a set that begins at 8 o'clock. This is probably the best way to appreciate his abilities since he won't be competing with a tortured rock band.

3. Lost Generation (Fallout Lounge)

Wanz finds a new place and a new night to play records and all the unreleased MP3's he smuggled into DFW Airport. He promises to play some Guitar Wolf tonight, by request. I once saw them terrorize a crowd at Irving Plaza by basically refusing to play anything that was recognizable as their sound and mostly grunted and made noise as they let audience members play guitar for them. I was really pleased because I thought I was going to a mildly entertaining garage rock show.

4. DJ G (Hailey's)

I thought I'd try a little experiment. Theres a certain group of unreleased songs by a certain band that I like. People around the blogosphere have been posting some of these songs in recent days, but they've all been taken down about as fast as they've been put up. So, in the interest of fun, I've decided to post an MP3 from this group of songs without mentioning either the band or the song's name. I bet most of you will recognize the band pretty quickly, and I'm also pretty sure that most of you will dig the song. And if the artist, record label, or management catches on to my little trick and wants me to take it down, please email weshotjr@yahoo.com and we'll do so immediately.

LINK

This is Radio Clash (Flashlight Party @ Hailey's)
These guys significantly raised their profile last week with performances during both the free Ladytron show and the massive Ladytron ticket give away. Word from the always reliable WSJR crew is that both sets were quite solid, and with the demise of Nature's Wednesday night residency at Rubber Gloves, Radio Clash appears ready to become quite a hot spot for those looking for an Italo, house, new wave, bmore and dance punk fix.

Art Prostitute will have this:



And the rest of Dallas will have this:

There is nothing going on tonight. Feel free to post anything in the comments.

1. Benoit Pioulard - Precis
2. Radiant - We Hope You Win
3. Midlake - Milkmaid Grand Army EP
4. Joanna Newsom - Ys
5. The Polyphonic Spree - Wait
6. Dr. Dog - Easy Beat
7. Icy Demons - Tears of a Clone
8. John Fahey - Sea Changes & Coelacanths
9. Beach House - Beach House
10. Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet
11. Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
12. Swan Lake - Beast Moans
13. Vetiver - To Find Me Gone
14. Dosh - The Lost Take
15. Mark Kozelek - Little Drummer Boy: Live
16. Voxtrot - Your Biggest Fan
17. Beatles - Love
18. Decemberists - Crane Wife
19. Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther
20. Black Angels - Passover

I've always meant to recommend Paul Slavens and his improvised night of music at Dan's Silver Leaf on Monday nights. If you haven't heard the set-up, it involves Slavens and a group of expert backing musicians making up songs about topics (accompanied by tips of course) that are submitted by audience members. I'm not so much impressed by the music school factor as I am the ability to sustain the lyrical improvising on all the drunken submissions. I also want to point out that Slavens consistently nails it with his playlist on Sunday nights.

ALSO

Bad Ass Jazz Night at The Amsterdam

Dedicated to the anon. who predicted it would be on the list.