Best albums of 2006
They brought us the best albums of 2005 and now Nav Purewal and Ryan Hardy are back at it again with their best album picks of 2006. Whether you love or hate what they picked, you'll want to read what Nav and Ryan have to say about the albums they though
By Ryan Hardy, Nav Purewal
Issue date: 11/30/06 Section: Film & Music
RYAN'S PICKS:
10. The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off
Although people have long since stopped caring, The Walkmen have matured into a very, very good rock band. Their recently publicized enthusiasm for Harry Nilsson and John Lennon (they released a song-by-song cover of the two's ill-fated Pussy Cats collaboration this year) indicates a strong interest in songcraft and a commitment to being experimental without becoming unlistenable. It doesn't have an obvious hit on it, but I'd rather listen to a band of adults writing real songs and trying new things then most of the crap that passes for "innovative" these days.
9. The Clipsen - Hell Hath No Fury
Endlessly delayed, preposterously overhyped and lavishly praised by critics (assuming you consider "the gangsta Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" to constitute praise-which I don't) the sophomore LP was bound to disappoint. Truth be told, it's not as good as Lord Willin', and it's a less satisfying experience than the We Got It For Cheap mixtapes. The Neptunes' production, while producing some bona fide gems like "Wamp Wamp," is uneven and occasionally just bizarre. But despite it all, this is still a very good album, and more than that, a disarmingly personal and heartfelt one (by rap standards). I am of the mind that we can expect much greater things from Malice and Pusha T, but to their credit, they've delivered a quality album and overcome the sophomore jinx.
8. Lillix - Inside The Hollow
Perhaps I could argue that the fact that Lillix are the only Canadian band on this list should be taken as a sign of just how awful Canadian music truly is, but I don't want to diminish their achievement. This is a really good album, point blank. The thing I find so exciting about Inside The Hollow is the impression it creates of a band becoming themselves. When Lillix started out, they were a carbon copy of all the other girly pop-punk acts out there, vastly inferior to Avril and even Fefe Dobson. Since then, they have clearly been working their asses off and doing their homework. Inside The Hollow shows rapid development and a wide range of influences, as evinced by the masterful disco-punk of "Sweet Temptation (Hollow)" or the way they skilfully contrast melancholy piano with propulsive drumming on "Little Things," the album's best track. If Lillix could go from being non-entities in 2003 to an electrifying new act in 2006, one can't help but wait to see what they do next.
10. The Walkmen - A Hundred Miles Off
Although people have long since stopped caring, The Walkmen have matured into a very, very good rock band. Their recently publicized enthusiasm for Harry Nilsson and John Lennon (they released a song-by-song cover of the two's ill-fated Pussy Cats collaboration this year) indicates a strong interest in songcraft and a commitment to being experimental without becoming unlistenable. It doesn't have an obvious hit on it, but I'd rather listen to a band of adults writing real songs and trying new things then most of the crap that passes for "innovative" these days.
9. The Clipsen - Hell Hath No Fury
Endlessly delayed, preposterously overhyped and lavishly praised by critics (assuming you consider "the gangsta Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" to constitute praise-which I don't) the sophomore LP was bound to disappoint. Truth be told, it's not as good as Lord Willin', and it's a less satisfying experience than the We Got It For Cheap mixtapes. The Neptunes' production, while producing some bona fide gems like "Wamp Wamp," is uneven and occasionally just bizarre. But despite it all, this is still a very good album, and more than that, a disarmingly personal and heartfelt one (by rap standards). I am of the mind that we can expect much greater things from Malice and Pusha T, but to their credit, they've delivered a quality album and overcome the sophomore jinx.
8. Lillix - Inside The Hollow
Perhaps I could argue that the fact that Lillix are the only Canadian band on this list should be taken as a sign of just how awful Canadian music truly is, but I don't want to diminish their achievement. This is a really good album, point blank. The thing I find so exciting about Inside The Hollow is the impression it creates of a band becoming themselves. When Lillix started out, they were a carbon copy of all the other girly pop-punk acts out there, vastly inferior to Avril and even Fefe Dobson. Since then, they have clearly been working their asses off and doing their homework. Inside The Hollow shows rapid development and a wide range of influences, as evinced by the masterful disco-punk of "Sweet Temptation (Hollow)" or the way they skilfully contrast melancholy piano with propulsive drumming on "Little Things," the album's best track. If Lillix could go from being non-entities in 2003 to an electrifying new act in 2006, one can't help but wait to see what they do next.
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ltrethew
Laura
posted 12/15/06 @ 12:58 PM EST
Thank you for the nod to the Veronicas! Although I'm not "in" to rap or hip hop, I enjoyed your best of thoroughly.
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