Announcers' Fave Music 2006
| Folk | Rock |
FOLK
| Rebecca Foster Walk Right In (Tuesdays 1200-1400) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Wailin' Jennys | Firecracker | Red House | |
| Red Molly | Never Been to Vegas | Self- Released | |
| Beppe Gambetta | Slade Stomp | Gadfly | |
| Ralph Stanley | Distant Land to Roam | Columbia | |
| Wilders | Throw Down | Rural Grit | |
| Pine Leaf Boys | La Musique | Arhoolie | |
| Chris Smither | Leave the Light On | Signature Sounds | |
| William Lee Ellis | God's Tattoos | Yellow Dog Records | |
| Kim Delmhorst | Strange Conversations | Signature Sounds | |
| Guy Davis | Skunkmello | Red House | |
| Lonesome George Dayton Cosmic American Jamboree (Thursdays 1200-1400) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Wayne Hancock | Tulsa | Bloodshot | |
| Be Good Tanyas | Hello Love | Nettwerk | |
| The Little Willies | The Little Willies | Milking Bull | |
| Lee Rocker | Racin' the Devil | Alligator | |
| Big Sandy & his Fly Rite Boys | Turntable Matinee | Yep Roc | |
| Eilen Jewell | Boundary County | Self- Released | |
| Chris Smither | Leave the Light On | Signature Sounds | |
| Kieran Kane, Kevin Welch, Fats Kaplan | Lost John Dean | Dead Reckoning | |
| Paul Burch | East to West | Bloodshot | |
| Diablo Dimes | Son de Cruel (EP) | Drunk Monk | |
| Aer Stephen Folk & Beyond (Thursdays 1700-1900) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Neil Young | Living With War: In the Beginning [2006-11-07 election day (Audio Only iTunes), 2006-12-19 (CD/DVD Retail and Internet Stores)] | Reprise | Sneaky Neil just slipped this one in with little publicity. This stripped down RAW version is the remastered tapes of the live trio recordings those 8 days in March & includes a DVD with videos and documentaries directed by Young of every song on the album. The videos are a statement of not only what has happened during the past three years of war, but also how it has affected the entire world. This "Raw" version of the album (the working title was Living With War RAW) takes you back to Ragged Glory - the sound is straight-from-the-source, captured live in the studio exactly the way it was recorded, without the backing instrumentation and choral accompaniment found on the original release. The line in Shock and Awe says it best "We had a chance to change our mind / But somehow wisdom was hard to find / We went with what we knew and now we can't go back / But we had a chance to change our mind." |
| Solomon Burke | Nashville (2006-09-26) | Shout Factory | Probably now close to 500 lbs. of love, this offering from the King of Rock & Soul takes us back to his country roots with producer Buddy Miller and a slew of guests who include duet partners Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Patty Griffin, and Gillian Welch, as well instrumental talent that features Brady Blade, Byron House, Miller, Al Perkins, Garry Tallent, Mickey Raphael, David Rawlings, Sam Bush, Phil Madeira, and many others. Fulgurant! |
| Asylum Street Spankers | Re-Assembly DVD Soundtrack (2006-02-14) | Spanks a Lot | There's not a musical style the Spankers don't touch. If you haven't seen the Spankers yet.... you have missed an adventure. One of the most talented, smart, funny, and brave bands going. I know that this is not actually a "CD", but i count it.... it's my list. check out this youtube of their 2006 single. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmsOIjzQ1V8 |
| Subdudes | Behind the Levee (2006-01-24) | Back Porch/EMI | The levees were still there when this was recorded.....but by the time of the release, the namesakes had been breeched. The pre-Katrina vibe carries an air of relaxation and safety. Produced by Keb' Mo', & the sound is simultaneously fresh and nostalgic. |
| Ditty Bops | Moon over the Freeway (2006-05-23) | Warner Bros. | Western swing and Andrews Sisters-type harmonies, but there are also hints of tango, '60s pop, and classical, as well as a strong dose of indie rock. Dan Hicks must have been an influence. |
| Tom Waits | Orphans: Brawlers, Brawlers & Bastards (2006-11-21) | ANTI-Epitaph | The 3 CD set is a collection of 24 rare and 30 brand new songs. Monumental. |
| Old Crow Medicine Show | Big Iron World (2006-08-09) | Nettwerk | Produced by David Rawlings, who also co-writes 5 of the tunes.......... Big Iron World shines with energetic vitality from an old timey stance, and I Hear Them All is stellar. |
| Dixie Chicks | Taking the Long Way (2006-05-23) | Open Wide/Columbia | I never really cared for the Dixie Chicks that much, but I can hear them now. These are some talented, brave, and ballsy women, who know that the flag decal won't get you to heaven. |
| Bob Dylan | Modern Times (2006-08-29) | Columbia | Dylan is back and takes literary modernism to a new level. His voice is still that voice, but it dances through this album. The album starts with the voice of God on the mountain and ends with a proclamation that Dylan 'ain't talking. I wish there were more "new" voices I could have included on this list... but the heavies had a great year. |
| Neil Young | Living with War (2006-05-09) | Reprise | Like several Neil Young albums, this list starts and ends with a reprise of the same work. I heard a lot of folks give me what I always hear when Neil steps out on the limb..... "I just don't like this one that much..." Tonight's the Night was dissed too... and now it stands tall in music history. This one will stand the test of time...it's significance will transcend the social/sexual paradigm that most write songs in, and be recognized later if not sooner. It's just too bad that more folks don't "get it" now... when it is really needed. |
| Terry Carpenter Sunset Road (Fridays 1700-1900) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Various Artists | Heartworn Highways | Hacktone | The soundtrack to the fantastic 1976 documentary of the same name is finally released. Early recordings from Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, and more. The DVD version of the documentary also was released in 2006 with added footage. |
| Diana Jones | My Remembrance of You | New Song | Great songwriting with country roots. |
| Guy Clark | Workbench Songs | Dualtone | Guy couldn't make a bad album if he tried. |
| Red Molly | Never Been to Vegas | Self- Released | These ladies are too talented not to have a record label. |
| Lynne Hanson | Things I Miss | Self- Released | Another great songwriter from North of the border. |
| Joan Osborne | Pretty Little Stranger | Vanguard | She's back and on a great label, about time. |
| Paul Burch | East to West | Bloodshot | Great voice. |
| Sarah Harmer | I'm a Mountain | Zoe | I think she found her niche on this album. |
| Abbie Gardner | Honey on my Grave | Self- Released | Solo album from a member of Red Molly, another great unsigned voice. |
| Gray Sky Girls | Gray Sky Girls | American Melody | They call their music slo'grass, bluegrass you can dance to. |
| Pete Marshall Sunset Road (Fridays 1700-1900) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Darol Anger's Republic of Strings | Generation Nation | Compass | Constantly ploughing new ground in the land of fiddle music |
| Solas | Reunion | Compass | CD+DVD package of 10th year reunion concert of all past & present members of Solas. Wonderful stuff. |
| Darrell Scott | Invisible Man | Full Light | Can this guy write songs, or what? |
| The Wild Band of Snee | Playhouse of the Universe | Self-Released | Wild man of the cello, Rushad Eggleston's vehicle for self expression. Yo Yo Ma, eat your heart out. |
| Crooked Still | Shaken by a Low Sound | Signature Sounds | Rushad Eggleston's other car. Honorary co-pilot, Aiofe O'Donovan. |
| Neil Young | Living with War | Reprise | Neil tells it like it is |
| Derek Trucks Band | Song Lines | Reprise | Derek channels Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with a slide on his Gibson SG. Also check out the Songlines live DVD. |
| Carrie Rodriguez | 7 Angels on a Bicycle | Train Wreck | Carrie sucks you in with the help of Bill Frisell, Kenny Wollensen, Viktor Krauss, Chip (Wild Thing) Taylor et al. |
| Sam Bush | Laps in Seven | Sugar Hill | Sammy's on form on this one. |
| Peter Jones Leftover Biscuits (Saturdays 0630-0800) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Heidi Clare | I Declare | Self Released | If you want to hear myriad old-time fiddle styles, then pick up this cd from the former Reeltime Traveler. As Ron Thomason wrote in the liner notes, "What you get here is MUSCLE, pure and simple, powerful and purposeful, seemingly limitless and untiring. Once she's in her groove it would take an old-time bar fight to dislodge her." |
| Various Artists | Friends of Old Time Music - The Folk Arrival, 1961-1965 | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | The historic concerts that introduced traditional music to city audiences - everything from Maybelle Carter, to Roscoe Holcomb, to Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys, to Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers, this compilation has it all. |
| Bruce Molsky | Soon Be Time | Compass | This album just advances the brilliance that is Bruce Molsky. While most identified with traditional American old-time music, Molsky's influences range from the Appalachian soul of Tommy Jarrell to Delta blues; from the haunting modal strains of Irish music to the rhythmically nimble music of Eastern Europe. This cd has it all. |
| Crooked Still | Shaken by a Low Sound | Signature Sounds | This album just advances the strides they made with their debut cd, Hop High. There is a reason the New York Times did a feature article on them in 2006 (along with the Mammals and the Duhks). |
| Jan Smith | 29 Dances | Landslide Records | Produced by Bill VornDick (Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley), this is the only "Pfolk" album on my list. The cd blends Jan's wonderful lyrics and voice with the musical talents of not only her usual partner in crime, Jeff Vogelgesang, but also some of Nashville's finest studio musicians, Johnny Hiland, Byron House (Sam Bush, Nickel Creek), Pat McInerney (Nanci Griffith), Randy Kohrs, David Talbot (the Grascals), Mark Fain (Ricky Skaggs), Robert Bowlin (Bill Monroe), and Patty Mitchell. |
| The Virginia Ramblers | The Virginia Ramblers | Hay Holler Records | Formerly known as the Virginia Cutups, this traditional bluegrass band just keeps doing what they do best. If you want to hear some of Central Virginia's finest, then pick up this album. |
| Sam Hinton | Whoever Shall Have Some Good Peanuts | Smithsonian Folkways Recordings | Originally released back in 1961, this wonderful cd of traditional folk songs for children was reissued in 2006. From the title track to Old Dan Tucker and Groundhog, this cd is a must for all ages. |
| Ken Waldman | Fiddling Poets on Parade | Nomadic Press Audio Division | Alaskan fiddler/poet Waldman puts his own unique twist on some classic traditional tunes (Old Joe Clark, Cluck Old Hen, Angeline the Baker, etc...). |
| Dan Zanes and Friends | Catch That Train | Festival Five Records | Zanes has a unique way of arranging tradional tunes, and making them his own. While the tunes he writes himself are rather weak, Zanes, his regular bandmates and some famous friends (Natalie Merchant and the Blind Boys of Alabama among them) indeed show why this album is up for Best Children's album in this year's Grammy awards. |
| Various Artists | Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook: Volume One | Bloodshot | A compilation of traditional tunes from both the famous (Danny Barnes, Jon Langford, Robbie Fulks and more) and their own faculty, showing why this wonderful school will be celebrating fifty years of keeping the centuries of oral traditions of American folk culture alive. |
| Sumner Brown Atlantic Weekly Part I (Saturdays 0800-1000) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Wailin' Jennys | Firecracker | Red House | |
| The Be Good Tanyas | Hello Love | Nettwerk | |
| Steve Kindig Atlantic Weekly Part I (Saturdays 0800-1000) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Liz Carroll & John Doyle | In Play | Compass | All-instrumental collection of mostly Liz Carroll's brilliant original tunes, with John Doyle stepping up as more of an equal than just an accompanist. Jaw-dropping musicianship. |
| Ginn Sisters | Blood Oranges | Self-Released | A tuneful set of mostly original country/folk songs highlighted by the sisters' killer harmonies. |
| Nuru Kane | Sigil | Riverboat | A blend of North African and West African grooves from a talented Senegalese artist. The mostly acoustic arrangements range from contemplative to kinetic. |
| Bruce Molsky | Soon Be Time | Compass | Old-time music that's as crisp and clean as spring water. |
| Irma Thomas | After the Rain | Rounder | The first new recording in six years from the "Soul Queen of New Orleans." Rich and resonant. Musicians include Dirk Powell, Sonny Landreth and Corey Harris. |
| The Weepies | Say I Am You | Nettewerk | Smart folk/pop from this songwriting duo. |
| Scourge of the Sea | The song "Waterwings" from the album "Make me Armored" | Alias | A perfect pop song. Reminds me of Iron and Wine. |
| Shawn Colvin | The song "Fill Me Up" from the album "These Four Walls" | Nonesuch | Haven't heard the rest of the CD, but this track got stuck in my brain. |
| Mark Haskins Atlantic Weekly Part I (Saturdays 0800-1000) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Adam Carroll | Far Away Blues | Blue Corn Music | Far Away Blues is one of the most straightforward, beautiful, unadorned assemblage of songs and music of the last year. Every song is a gem. |
| The Weepies | Say I Am You | Nettewerk | Is there such a thing as new folk music being created in the context of our technological society? If there is the Weepies are creating it. Their simple melodies are lovely. |
| Lui Collins | Closer | Waterbug | Lui Collins is a really fine singer songwriter and this is her best album since the early 1980's. |
| John Gorka | Writing in the Margins | Red House | Another brilliant singer/songwriter making a really good album. |
| Carie Curtis | Long Night Moon | Compass | Lots of people write songs about love and life but it takes an artist to write good ones. Catie Curtis is an artist. |
| Various Artists | Harlan County USA | Criterion | From the soundtrack of the documentary of the same name, this disk includes the likes of Hazel Dickens, The Johnson Mountain Boys and Merle Travis. The memory of the courage it took to organize labor in the United States lives on with these artists. Did |
| Various Artists | Sail Away Ladies: The Songs of Randy Newman | Sugar Hill | A tribute of interpretations of his songs by the likes of Tim O'Brien and Steve Earle. |
| Cindy Mangsen | Cat Tales, Songs of Feline Persuasion | Compass Rose Music | I guess you probably have to love your cat to love this light hearted album. I love both. |
| Tom Russell | Love and Fear | Hightone | Maybe not his best album but with a few great songs. |
| Dixie Chicks | Take the Long Way | Open Wide/Columbia | This album is on my list because the Dixie Chicks are a fine band but also because they were willing to stand up to the right wing propaganda machine. |
| Jay Hertel Folk Sub | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Ray Wylie Hubbard | Snake Farm | Sustain | Swampy blues and roots at its best. |
| The Drams | Jubilee Drive | New West | Three-fourths of Slobberbone and two newcomers combine for a big, big rock record. |
| Lucero | Rebels, Rogues, & Sworn Brothers | Liberty & Lament | Roots rock with a nod to Born to Run-era Springsteen. |
| Avett Brothers | Four Thieves Gone: The Robinsonville Sessions | Ramseur | Tender ballads with great harmonies and lyrics one song, acoustic mayhem with punk attitude the next. |
| Scott Miller & the Commonwealth | Citation | Sugarhill | Pure roots rock from this Augusta County native. |
| Eric Lindell | Change in the Weather | Alligator | Bluesy, more than blues, this is a funky collection from an up and coming New Orleans artist. |
| Rodrigo y Gabriela | Rodrigo y Gabriela | ATO | Acoustic guitar duets that will simply amaze you. |
| James Luther Dickinson | Jungle Jim & the Voodoo Tiger | Memphis International | Boogie woogie piano by the legendary producer backed by the North Mississippi Allstars (two of whom happen to be his sons). |
| Irma Thomas | After the Rain | Rounder | The soul queen of New Orleans delivers her strongest new release in years. |
| Los Lobos | The Town and The City | Hollywood | Another great album from this celebrated American roots rock band. |
| Shaun Harvey Folk Sub | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Bob Dylan | Modern Times | Columbia | Everything that needs to be said has been said?so I'll just add "Hell Yeah!" |
| M. Ward | Post War | Merge | Probably my most listened to record this year?for me it never grows old?getting a chance to see him live at Satellite Ballroom this fall was an added bonus! |
| Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood | Anti | Another artist that I saw live in C'ville in 2006?.Neko is mesmerizing?I've been a long-time fan and this is her best to date?no one sings like Ms. Case. |
| Chris Knight | Enough Rope | Drifter's Church | Saw him twice in 2006, highlighted by a show in Nashville at the AMA conference?Chris Knight is the workingman's songwriter?and this is his finest collection since his debut back in the 1997. |
| James Hunter | People Gonna Talk | GO/Rounder | Retro-soul at its very best! This album is tight, funky, and timeless. It's amazing that these songs are all originals?they sound as if they could have been written and recorded in the late 1950's. A hip shaker indeed! |
| Guy Clark | Workbench Songs | Dualtone | Guy doesn't put a lot of records, but when he does they are nothing short of brilliant. (Highlight of the Year Alert: Getting a chance to meet Guy after his Birchmere show this fall. A real honor indeed!) |
| Ray Wylie Hubbard | Snake Farm | Sustain | Dark, greasy, and raw?quite simply Hubbard being Hubbard! |
| Hank III | Straight to Hell | Curb | While Shooter Jennings has gotten a lot of press for reviving outlaw country, Hank III is today's truest outlaw figure?2 CD set?disc 1 is pure twang and bang?approach disc 2 at your own risk! |
| Wrinkle Neck Mules | Pull the Brake | Shut Eye | This Richmond, VA band scores big time with their sophomore effort. Rockin' with a touch of country and great songwriting to boot! Check out the tune "Lowlight" featuring a guest appearance by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy. For my tastes, this one is great from cover to cover! |
| Paul Burch | East to West | Bloodshot | Nashville-based singer songwriter only makes great records?the streak continues! Guest appearance by Ralph Stanley and Tim O'Brien! Burch is a genius. |
ROCK
(back to top)| Georges Don Ricardo's Sunday Night Lecture Series (Mondays 0100-0300) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Joanna Newsom | Ys | Drag City | Epic compositions in string/harp arrangements. Reads like an English PhD dissertation with total sincerity. I think I've listened to one of the five songs every day for the past three months. |
| Vapnet | Jag Vet Hur Man Vantar | Hybris | Swedish Pop was really popular this year. This was my favorite. "E 14" and "Färjemansleden" are recommended for downloading. |
| Camera Obscura | Let's Get Out of This Country | Merge | A happy marriage of old-fashioned instruments with pretty vocals singing honest words. They are coming to Charlottesville January 21! |
| Matmos | The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast | Matador | The ultimate duo in found sounds, recordings of people, places, things (International Bear Weekend in San Fran), and well-thought out concepts. Each track is dedicated to an idol of theirs with help from people like Antony and Bjork. You need to buy it for the artwork, too. |
| Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood | Anti | Her voice is like an inordinate amount of honey dribbling down my mouth. I can never get enough of you, Neko. |
| Justice | Waters of Nazareth (Single) | Vice Records | When I want to feel like I will never be able to listen to music again, I put this on. That was a compliment. Listen to "Let There Be Light" and you will see it - bleeding out of your eardrums. |
| Page France | "Girl from the North Country" cover from Tea Bazaar (01/11/06) | Download from nailgunmedia.com | Takes Bob and adds a little of their own twist to make it a favorite download of 2006. |
| Frida Hyvonen | Until Death Comes | Secretly Canadian | "I Drive My Friend" represents what I love about the album - piano chords almost drowning out lyrics that tell simple stories about some quiet person's life. |
| Annuals | "Brother" (Promo 3-Track Copy from a Friend) | Ace Fu Records | Subtle, majestic, heartfelt. Great strings. Everyone said they'd be big in 2006. Maybe 2007? |
| Lovely Feathers | Hind Hind Legs | Equator | Narcissistic, schizophrenic, uncontrollable, influenced indefinitely. Sounds like ABBA at some points. Who can say that nowadays? "In the Valley" and "I Really Like You" are highlights. |
| DJ Insouciante Sonorant Conglomerate (Mondays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Urbs | Toujours Le Meme Film | G-Stone | Seductive from start to finish. |
| Karen Dalton | In My Own Time (Remastered) | Light in the Attic | A remastering of the original scratchy-voiced bluesy heartplucking 1971 LP. |
| Under Byen | Samme Stof Som Stof | Paper Bag | Following in the footsteps of Mum and Bjork, with more real instruments |
| Messer Fur Frau Muller | Triangle, Dot & Devil | AeroCCCP Recordings | Crazy Russians dig deep into the vault of cult movie soundtracks, fun ensues |
| CSS | Cansei De Ser Sexy | Sub Pop | Equally approriate for stepping into a club or truck stop. |
| The Thermals | The Body, The Blood, The Machine | Sub Pop | They are maturing so well! Sniff. |
| Hot Chip | The Warning | DFA/Astralwerks | A combination of jiggy and thoughtful, that works. |
| Beirut | The Gulag Orkestar | Ba Da Bing | Folk music with great beats. What? |
| Matmos | The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast | Matador Records | Burning flesh never sounded this good. |
| Jim Noir | Tower of Love | Barsuk | Cute and cuddly blippity-blop pop |
| Jake Hosen (The CEO) Sonorant Conglomerate (Mondays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Spank Rock | Yoyoyoyoyo | Big Dada | This is the record of the year, nothing else in my list is really in order, but this is the one that stands out. Spank Rock delivers impressive, dense beats that still manage to come out sounding spartan and an MC who's not joking when he says "my mind is the drum, my tongue the machine." This album breaks down barriers, breaks up the dance floor and might break your brain. |
| Jesu | Silver | Hydra Head | This is album is so heavy that sometimes when I listen to it objects start sliding across the room towards the speakers. That being said it's also beautiful, drenched in the coolest guitar/notguitar tones since shoegaze checked out. |
| Clipse | Hell Hath No Fury | Re-Up Records/Jive | This record is awesome. If you want to have a party just put this album, or any one of the songs, on repeat and wait for people to show up. Just be careful because you'll probably attract some coke dealers. These guys are from Norfolk, they hang out with the Neptunes and they're awesome. |
| Subtle | For Hero:For Fool | Lex Records | I have always loved Dose-One and Jel and just about anyone or anything that those two guys have worked with. This is the second Subtle record and it is quite possibly their awesomest work yet even though it sounds more like rock than Hip-Hop (not that Dose One has ever conformed to a genre. Dose One sounds angrier this time around, but then we probably all have a right to have a chip on his shoulder by now. |
| Thom Yorke | Spitting Feathers EP | XL Records | I have been a (recovering) obsessive fan of Radiohead since, like, the Clinton Administration so of course I dug The Eraser, it's a great album. That being said, I think I'm more excited by the Spitting Feathers EP, it's weirder, more difficult to listen to, but it's Thom Yorke's take on glitch, who wouldn't want that |
| Matmos | The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of the Beast | Matador | This album is another fantastic exploration into the weird for Matmos. These guys love to make concept records, but somehow they manage to do it right. This time they look at the obscure and radical intellectuals and intellectual movements of the 20th century. It seems like essentially every Matmos album is going to make it onto a lot of top ten lists, but I'm gonna tell you, this one has some of hte most delicious beats we've heard coming from them in a while. |
| Paavoharju | Yha Hamaraa | Fonal | My genre of the movement is Finnish Psychedelic Folk of which this is one of the most outstanding specimens. This group is doing the electronic end of things creating music that my girlfriend hates because she thinks it sounds like Enya, it does not sound like Enya but you should avoid it if you dislike sweeping, ethereal folk music drenched in electronic sounds. |
| OOIOO | Taiga | Thrill Jockey | This is Yoshimi P-We of The Boredoms and that Flaming Lips album fame. This is much better than the Flaming Lips. Yoshimi delivers an instrumental-heavy album full of pounding drums (her speciality) and wailing guitars that are somehow not wailing. The album manages to be rather experimental while still being fun to listen. This album is strongly recommended for Deerhoof and Bongos (the instrument) fans. |
| Benoit Pioulard | Precis | Kranky | Here we have an album from Kranky, known for releasing albums packed with long, sprawling, ambient-inflected instrumentals releasing an album from of short, sprawling, ambient-inflected songs with vocals. This is not the ethereal Record-of-the-Year for most (that would be Beach House), but I think that this one is at least as strong. |
| Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto | Insen Live and Revep EP | Raster-Noton DVD (Insen Live) and EP (Revep) | Both of these guys rock (I don't mean rock rock) with the glitches and jittering minimal beats that your heart esires. Everything that these guys do, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is intentional and their scientific precision creates a music that sounds mechanical and sterile yet somehow irresistible to listen to. The Insen live DVD is one of the more interesting electronic performance videos you will see. |
| Amy Hearon Hands Up! (Tuesdays 0100-0300) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Built to Spill | You in Reverse | Warner Brothers | |
| Beirut | Gulag Orkestar | Ba Da Bing! | |
| TV on the Radio | Return to Cookie Mountain | 4AD/Interscope | |
| Supersystem | A Million Microphones | Touch and Go | |
| Wire | 154 | reissued by Warner Bros. | |
| Les Savy Fav | 3/5 | reissued by Frenchkiss | |
| Black Angels | Passover | Light in the Attic | |
| Belle and Sebastian | The Life Pursuit | Matador | |
| Indian Jewelry | Invasive Exotics | Monitor | |
| Band of Horses | Everything All the Time | Sub Pop | |
| Timothy Conlon Can't Say I've Heard It (Tuesdays 1400-1600) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Early Day Miners | Off Shore | Secretly Canadian | Wonderful combination of songs: instrumentals, female leads and male vocals |
| Marconi Union | Distance | Hannibal | not ambient but quality instrumentals from beginning to end |
| Elf Power | Back to the Web | Ryko | the right mix of chords, vocals, lyrics and style |
| TV on the Radio | Return to Cookie Mountain | Touch & Go | wins song of the year with "Wolf Like Me" |
| Jesus H. Christ & the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse | Jesus H. Christ & the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse | self | Irreverently funny with great hooks |
| Stars of Track & Field | Centuries Before Love & War | Wind-Up | |
| Languis | Other Desert Cities | Pehr | |
| Hammock | Raising Your Voice Trying to Stop an Echo | Darla | another great Darla release |
| Heartless Bastards | All This Time | Fat Possum | straight-up R & R with delicious female vocals |
| My Morning Jacket | Okonokos | ATO | Live - excellent show, very well recorded & produced - a good way to get to know MMJ |
| James Fishwick Foreign Keys (Tuesdays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Scritti Politti | White Bread, Black Beer | Nonesuch | "If you don't have the wherewithal / You don't need the why." Wonder, Rundgren, Wilson and lots of synths. |
| The Gothic Archies | The Gothic Archies | Nonesuch | Er, Sorry (Not sorry!) |
| Espers | Espers II | Drag City | Favorite live performance of the year. Woke up to track one for weeks. |
| Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan | Ballad of the Broken Seas | V2 | Echos of early Emmy Lou and Graham, pleased with the restraint here. |
| V/A | Tropicalia | Soul Jazz | Exhaustive celebration of the Brazilian style of Psychedelia. Much fun. |
| Junior Boys | So This is Goodbye | Domino | Sexy, poppy, catchy. Don't see them live. |
| Asobi Seksu | Citrus | Friendly Fire | Heavy dream pop -- intrigue swirls. |
| The Knife | Silent Shout | Rabid | Like Blue Man Group, with better, creepier songs. |
| Tim Hecker | Harmony in Ultraviolet | Kranky | Warm, deep going laptop knittering. |
| White Magic | Dat Rosa Mel Apibu | Drag City | Why choose Ys? |
| Scott Matthews Foreign Keys (Tuesdays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Current 93 | Black Ships Ate the Sky | Durtro | "Am I Born to Die?" |
| Irr. App. (Ext) & Jennie Richie | Night Wearing Feathers | PsychForm | Black-Crowned Night-Heron Ambient Music |
| Charalambides | A Vintage Burden | Kranky | At their most coherent now that their apart. |
| Keiji Haino | Yaranaiga Dekinaikotoni Natteyuku | PSF | Translation?: "Shall We Become What We Cannot Destroy?" |
| Destroyer | Destroyer's Rubies | Merge | "Exploring the blues, ignoring the news from the front." |
| Hisato Higuchi | Dialogue | Family Vineyard | Beautiful Loren Connors like blues inflection. |
| Fushitsusha | Live:1991.9.26 19:15-20:08 (DVD) | PSF | About what you'd expect. |
| Andrew Chalk | Blue Eyes of the March | Faraway Press | Lovely music. |
| Tetuzi Akiyama & Donald McPherson | Vinegar & Rum | Bo'Weavil Recordings | Dueling detuned acoustic guitar improv. |
| Six Organs of Admittance | The Sun Awakens | Drag City | But it's Chasny's darkest. |
| Bridge Cox Tautological Stabbings (Wednesdays 0100-0300) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Zidane | Headbutt | ||
| Bad Brains | Bad Brains Live at CBGB 1982 DVD | ||
| Minutemen | We Jam Econo Minutemen DVD | ||
| Direct Control | You're Controlled | No Way | |
| The Drones | Gala Mill | ATP | |
| Sweaty Finns | Sweaty Finns at the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar | Circle | |
| Not so sweaty Japs | Not so sweaty Japs at Dust | ZoOoOoM | |
| Espers | II | Drag City | |
| Numbero Group | Numbero Group | Anything and everything from the Numbero Group label | |
| Harvey Milk | Special Wishes | Troubleman Unlimited | |
| OM | Conference of Birds | Holy Mountain | |
| Dominic DeVito Pure Easy Listening (Wednesdays 1400-1600) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Yo La Tengo | I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass | Matador | |
| Joanna Newsom | Ys | Drag City | |
| Junior Boys | So This Is Goodbye | Domino | |
| The Knife | Silent Shout | Rabid | |
| Ghostface Killah | Fishscale | Def Jam | |
| Hot Chip | The Warning | DFA/Astralwerks | |
| Jennifer O'Connor | Over the Mountain Across the Valley and Back to the Stars | Matador | |
| The Fiery Furnaces | Bitter Tea | Fat Possum | |
| Beach House | Beach House | Carpark | |
| Bucks & Gallants | Mark | Hey Person | |
| Nick Rubin, aka DJ Poubelle Radio Freedonia (erstwhile) (Wednesdays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Beach House | Beach House | Carpark | Baltimore duo cast gauzy, nostalgic spell. Salient characteristics: languorous sleigh bells, disembodied incantations. |
| Jim Noir | Tower of Love | Barsuk | Expertly-arranged, spunky bedroom pop. Sings song to his computer. Noir? psh. |
| Boozoo Bajou | Juke Joint, Vol. II | K7 | Mid-tempo remix album goes down easy. Tony Joe White and Rechenzentrum, together at last. |
| Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse | Jesus H. Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse | self-released | A series of one-acts feat. Risa Mickenberg as The Annoying Girlfriend, The Widower's Horny Neighbor, The Bored and Horny Connecticut Teen, and many more. |
| The Slow Break | "Thanks Jasmine" from Inside the Dark Mountain | Ionik | A '72 Malibu of a song, sounds like it's conking out, then lays wheel in reverse. |
| Van Hunt | On the Jungle Floor | Capitol | The Wowee Zowee of the 2006 R&B crop. Capitol Records utterly confused. |
| Gnarls Barkley | "Crazy" | Downtown | You may have heard this one. |
| Spankrock | YOYOYOYOYO | Big Dada | Throwback party rap includes cameo of the year (Amanda Blank yo I love you girl). |
| Essex Green | "Cardinal Points" from Cannibal Sea | Merge | Glorious, exuberant pop - harmonies out wazoo. Will make you gay, in classic sense. |
| Ambulance LTD | New English EP | TVT | Opened up windows one warm spring day, and these songs blew in. We went for a ride. |
| Jordan Taylor / Helvidius Radio Freedonia (Wednesdays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Tunng | Comments of the Inner Chorus & This is .... Tunng: Mothers and Daughters and other Tales | Leaf | You could "j'accuse" that they are too Books-a-like, but the spoken tape loops and Haruki Murakami references alone might make them better. Cover of Bloc Part is far superior to Bloc Partry. |
| Jim Noir | Tower of Love | Barsuk | Psych pop is Dead. Long Live Psych Pop! Noir can pile on the repetition, but he's as enjoyable as Charlie Brown's first time on Club Drugs. |
| Brightblack Morning Light | Brightblack Morning Light | Matador | best packaging. complete with 3-d glasses. contents include: an album that puts the lube and lude in lugubrious Americana. |
| Shearwater | Palo Santo | Misra | For the recovering Nick Cave addicts who like their melo with their drama. |
| Sonic Youth | Rather Ripped | Geffen | they literally let the jams run free. how is this not the best album of theirs since the epochal albums of the mid-90s? |
| Sparklehorse | Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain | Astralwerks | The odd thing is that the title used to be "Maxine" but Ghostface menaced him off it. |
| Talk Demonic | Beat Romantic | Arrco | Moody and Instrumental is my wheelhouse |
| The Evens | Get Evens | Dischord | A late-year album from the dynamic duo of Farina and McKaye. They riff on lipitor and the speakable idiocy of our executive-in-competence with equal élan. 2 albums, 2 years, 2 top tens. will the third act of McKaye's career overshadow the first two? |
| The Figurines | Skeleton | Control Group | Danish rock brings the catchiest tune in "Ambush" and the best fusion of Pavement and Neil Young in "Rivalry" |
| Psapp | The Only Thing I Ever Wanted | Domino | a summer album of electropop banged out on pots and pans. |
| Chris McRae The Hep Imp Show (Thursdays 0100-0300) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Current 93 | Black Ships Ate The Sky | Durtro | David Tibet's apocalyptic vision is an extraordinary and beautiful nightmare. |
| The Residents | Tweedles | Mute | Dark confessions of a remorseless clown. Perhaps the Resident's darkest work. |
| Inade | Samadhi State | Loki | Beautiful soundscapes for that mysterious period between awake and asleep...beyond awake and asleep. |
| Stahlwerk 9 | Radio 1905 | Achtung Baby! | Mesmerizing and chaotic Russian industrial music with a historical flavor. |
| Bardoseneticcube | Deadhead | Steinklang | Possibly the most accessible work by these Eastern European experimentalists. |
| Propergol | Ground Proximity Warning | Hermetique | The infamous French noise artists Propergol are your pilots and the plane is going down... |
| Bocksholm | The Haunting Curse of Skogs-Sara | Wrotycz Records | Frightening music allegedly inspired by a witch's curse on the woods outside an industrial European city. |
| The Wardrobe | A Sandwich Short | Tursa | Andrew Liles and Tony Wakeford's second collaboration is a wickedly weird collection of musical oddities. Just plain fun. |
| Unto Ashes | Songs for a Widow | Projekt | Another fine collection of dark folk music from these American masters. |
| Rome | Nera | Cold Meat Industries | Martial-pop laden with a heavy dose of defeat and despair. But the battle must continue. |
| Tom O'Halloran Carry the Zero (Thursdays 1400-1600) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Band of Horses | Everything All the Time | Sub Pop | my fav of the year |
| Thermals | Body the Blood the Machines | Sub Pop | so 90s in a good way |
| Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood | Anti | kills me |
| Black Keys | Magic Potion | Nonesuch | love that tone |
| Black Angels | Passover | Light in the Attic | 70s injection |
| Magnolia Electric Co. | Fading Trails | Secretly Canadian | good sadness |
| Chad Vangaalen | Skelliconnection | Sub Pop | one man band! |
| Built to Spill | You in Reverse | Warner Bros | doug is god |
| Bonnie "Prince" Billy | The Letting Go | Drag City | so nice |
| Robert Pollard | Normal Happiness | Merge | keep em' comin' |
| Matthew Simon Carry the Zero (Thursdays 1400-1600) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Black Angels | Passover | Light In The Attic | |
| Man Man | Six Demon Bag | Ace Fu | |
| Beirut | Gulag Orkestar | Ba Da Bing | |
| Yo La Tengo | I'm Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass | Matador | |
| The Decembrists | Crane Wife | Capitol | |
| Brightblack Morning Light | Brightblack Morning Light | Matador | |
| Tapes N Tapes | The Loon | XL | |
| Built To Spill | You In Reverse | Warner Brothers | |
| Band Of Horses | Everything All The Time | SubPop | |
| Ghostland Observatory | Paparazzi Lightning | Trashy Moped | |
| Matt Best Robot Sanctuary (Thursdays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Yellow Swans | Psychic Secession | Load | |
| Swayzak | Route de la Slack: Remixes & Rarities | !K7 | |
| Jimmy Edgar | Color Strip | Warp | |
| Ryuichi Sakamoto | Bricolages | KAB America | |
| Benoit Pioulard | Precis | Kranky | |
| Wolf Eyes | Human Animal | Sub Pop | |
| TV on the Radio | Return to Cookie Mountain | Interscope | |
| Boards of Canada | Trans Canada Highway | Warp | |
| Growing | Color Wheel | Megablade/Troubleman Unlimited | |
| Madlib | The Beat Konducta Vol. 1-2 | Stones Throw | |
| Morgan McLeod Robot Sanctuary (Thursdays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Ryuichi Sakamoto | Bricolages | Kab | |
| James Figurine | Mistake Mistake Mistake Mistake | Plug Research | |
| Quantic | An Announcement to Answer | Tru Thoughts / Ubiquity | |
| Ocote Soul Sounds and Adrian Quesada | El Niño Y El Sol | ESL | |
| Loess | Wind & Water | n5MD | |
| Goldfrapp | Supernature | Mute | |
| Jimpster | Amour | Freerange | |
| F.S. Blumm | Summer Kling | Morr Music | |
| Urbs | Toujours Le Même Film... | !K7 | |
| Herb Alpert | Whipped Cream & Other Delights Rewhipped | Shout Factory | |
| Caleb King The Beard Hour (Fridays 0100-0300) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| The Knife | Silent Shout | Mute | |
| T.I. | King | Grand Hustle/Atlantic | |
| Ellen Allien & Apparat | Orchestra of Bubbles | Bpitch Control | |
| TV on the Radio | Return to Cookie Mountain | 4AD | |
| Kaki King | ...Until We Felt Red | Velour | |
| Justin Timberlake | FutureSex/LoveSounds | Jive | |
| Cat Power | The Greatest | Matador | |
| Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood | Anti | |
| Silver Jews | At the Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC | Good Times | |
| Beard Hour | Promo | You know you love it. | |
| Daniel Shea The Garage Sale (Saturdays 1400-1600) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Cat Power | The Greatest | Matador | |
| ManMan | Six Demon Bag | Acefu | |
| OOIOO | Tiaga | Thrill Jockey | |
| Beirut | The Gulag Orkestar | Ba Da Bing! | |
| Junior Boys | So This Is Goodbye | Domino | |
| M Ward | Post War | Merge | |
| Benjy Ferree | Leaving The Nest | Domino | |
| Grizzly Bear | Yellow House | Warp | |
| Juana Molina | Son | Warp | |
| Ratatat | Classics | XL | |
| Brandy Savarese The Sleepy Strange (Saturdays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood | Anti | Best record of the year, hands down. |
| The Black Angels | Passover | Light in the Attic | Armageddon is here and the Black Angels will take us to heaven. |
| Built to Spill | You In Reverse | Warner Bros | Long awaited return, and the wait was not in vain. |
| Camera Obscura | Let's Get Out of this Country | Merge | Seriously, let's get out of this country |
| Benjy Ferree | Leaving the Nest | Domino | what a total surprise, and amazing at that. |
| V/A | Stranger than Fiction Soundtrack | Sony | If only for the new Britt Daniel songs |
| Sparklehorse | Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain | Astralwerks | |
| The Dears | Gang of Losers | Arts and Crafts | |
| Lambchop | Damaged | Merge | |
| Yo La Tengo | I am Not Afraid of You and I will Beat Your Ass | Matador | |
| Roger Barker Tristero (Sundays 0100-0300) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Grizzly Bear | Yellow House | Warp | |
| Destroyer | Destroyer's Rubies | Merge | |
| Califone | Roots and Crowns | Thrill Jockey | |
| Hot Chip | The Warning | DFA | |
| The Blow | Paper Television | K | |
| CSS | Cansei de Ser Sexy | Sub Pop | |
| The Knife | Silent Shout | Mute | |
| Neko Case | Fox Confessor Brings the Flood | ANTI | |
| El Perro Del Mar | El Perro Del Mar | Memphis Industries | |
| Bonnie 'Prince' Billy | The Letting Go | Drag City | |
| Don Harrison (A. Larry Bethesda) Radio Wowsville (Sundays 2300-0100) | |||
| Artist | Album | Label | Comments |
| Gnarls Barkley | St. Elsewhere | WEA | |
| Sparks | Hello Young Lovers | In The Red | The band's classic "Kimono My House" and "Propaganda" LPs were also reissued this year - both highly recommended. |
| Lindsey Buckingham | Under the Skin | Reprise | |
| The Roots | Game Theory | Def Jam | |
| Bob Dylan | Modern Times | Columbia | |
| Jim Noir | Tower of Love | Barsuk | |