Top Ten Non-Jazz Releases of 2006

[Alexander]

Jazz is only one of the many, many different kinds of music I enjoy. I got a lot of wonderful albums this year, and I'd like to highlight my top ten:

10. GirlTalk - Night Ripper - Definitely the Mash-up of the year. A highly, highly professional job that constantly keeps the listener guessing. Great use of material all around. GirlTalk has a real future.

9. The Roots - Game Theory - Not just an outstanding hip-hop group, but an amazing group all around. "Game Theory" might be ranked higher, but it isn't quite as good as "The Tipping Point" or (especially) the magnificent "Phrenology" which is one of my all time favorite albums. Still, any Roots is good Roots!

8. Neil Young - Living With War - It was thrown together and it sounds like it, but nobody can channel righteous anger like Neil Young. He's just saying what we're all thinking...

7. Paul Simon - Surprise - Simon returns to the game with an extremely strong set of songs that echoes his best work (especially the underrated "Hearts and Bones").

6. Johnny Cash - American V: A Hundred Highways - Yeah, he's dead. He still kicks ass. Anybody wanna say otherwise?

5. Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions - A raucous session that recalls the spirit, not of Seeger's prim recordings, but of the "Anthology of American Folk Music." Bruce starts the album with a roar on "Old Dan Tucker" and doesn't stop until the end. The "deluxe" edition gets a boost because it contains Bruce's updating of Blind Alfred Reed's "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live." If any song deserves a remix from Kanye West...

4 Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - The River In Reverse - Costello has always been one of my favorites, and he doesn't disappoint with this outstanding collaboration with New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint. Not only did this record satisfy on it's own terms, but it sent me running out to explore Toussaint's own recordings and productions. Like Springsteen, Young, and Simon's albums, "The River In Reverse" has more than a touch of topical relevence. You can say one thing for the Bush Administration: It's inspired some great protest music!

3. Bob Dylan - Modern Times - I don't care what Clem says, this is a great fucking album. I loved it when it came out, and it continues to wear well. 2006 may well go down in history as the Year of Bob. His radio show is insanely great too.

2. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers - To make up for the lack of a White Stripes release this year, Jack White participated in a brilliant side-project. "Steady As She Goes" is one of the best songs of 2006. Great album from start to finish (but I still want a new White Stripes album, dammit).

1. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere - It was a close race between this album and the Raconteurs, but I have to say that Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo produced the single best disc of the year. DM proves that he's the best DJ/producer in the business and Cee-Lo is a one-man Showtime at the Apollo. Kick-ass all the way...

Honorable Mention:

Beck - The Information; OutKast - Idlewild, The Harry Smith Project - The Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited; The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium; Prince - 3121; The Who - Endless Wire; Jay-Z - Kingdom Come; Elton John - The Captain and the Kid; Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat; Tom Petty - Highway Companion; Thom Yorke - The Eraser; The Decembrists - The Crane Wife; Easy Star All-Stars - Radiodread; Kris Kristofferson - This Old Road; Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine (late 2005, so I count it as one of this past year's new albums), Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing; Nellie McKay - Pretty Little Head; Tom Waits - Orphans; The Beatles - Love.

Reissue/Anthology of the year: "The Stuff That Dreams are Made Of" (Yazoo)

I'm sure there are more wonderful albums released this year that I forgot to mention, but these were my favorites. How about you guys? What non-jazz albums did you like best from 2006?

Edit: To add the Fagen, Petty and Yorke albums, which had slipped my mind...

Also the Decembrists, The Easy Star All-Stars, Kris Kristofferson, Fiona Apple, Jerry Lee Lewis, Tom Waits, the Beatles and Nellie McKay. So much music, so little time!

Edited December 22, 2006 by Alexander

[Chuck Nessa]

Certainly not "many, many different kinds of music" in your list.

[.:.impossible]

I think the Beck album sounds like more of the same, almost like he is now parodying himself, as he has done with so many other artists. I liked Sea Change and hoped that he had grown up for good. The production on the new album is the only saving grace, but the material overall lacks the progress that I expected to hear.

Red Hot Chili Peppers? What? Come on. Really? Oh well.

As far as hip-hop goes, how could you leave Ghostface's two releases off the list. J Dilla?

I liked the new Califone album, though not as much as previous albums. Got to see them play twice though, which was fantastic. I liked the Yo La Tengo album. Nothing new really, but I like the band. I have to put my brother's band's release on the list, even though it isn't on anybody's radar: ilad the spoon. I know there are people on this board who would appreciate the music. I like the Tortoise 3CD. I know they aren't too popular around here, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying the music. No cool contest here. I don't know. These are off the top of my head based on your list. I'm not very good at this because I never know if any album came out in 2004, 2005, 2006, etc. I get to it when I get to it. I did think that Gnarls Barkley came out last year though. Didn't it? Rather Ripped? I like it more and more. I think it is funny that people write off a band like Sonic Youth and they continue to make records 15 years later. I dunno...

[.:.impossible]

I've been listening to Skip James and Elizabeth Cotten this year, so what do I know about 2006.

[Big Al]

I basically listen to two types of music, rock & jazz. So since this ain't jazz, here's my list of new releases I bought this year, in no particular order:

MORPH THE CAT-Donald Fagen. My favorite of his solo albums (yes, even moreso than NIGHTFLY), and AFAIC the best Steely Dan album never made. This album made me go back and check out the Dan's two most recent albums, and while they had their moments and were overall enjoyable, neither of them had the weary beauty of MORPH.

YEAH!-Def Leppard. Their best album ever, which really isn't saying much. Loud, forceful, in-yer-face, unapologetic; this is what covers albums should always sound like.

RATHER RIPPED-Sonic Youth. I'll always be biased towards SY (sorry clem). Their last three albums have been consistently solid, getting better with each release, and this album is no exception. What gives this album the edge for me is that Kim Gordon actually sings on ALL of her songs, instead of skronking thru some of them. She's got one helluva sultry voice!

LIVING WITH WAR-Neil Young. Totally agree with what Alex said. I think I played this nonstop for about three weeks when it came out. Hopefully, one day we'll be able to look back at this album as nothing more than a souvenir of a dark time in our nation's history. I don't think I'll live long enough to see that day, though.

I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU AND I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS-Yo La Tengo. Okay, I don't have this yet, and I'm just going by clips I heard at Amazon. But it wins title of the year for me anyway, and I will be buying this first chance I get!

THESE DAYS-Vince Gill. The White Album of country music. This is REAL country, AFAIC, a big 4-CD "fuck you" to the Big & Rich's, the Brad Paisley's, the Toby Keith's, and all the big-hat idiocy of today's country-pop, where each song sounds like an audition for yet another Ford/Chevy/Dodge pickup commercial. Each disc is about 40-50 minutes, and for my money there isn't one bad song on any of the discs. And it's priced reasonably, too; it can be easily had for about $25-$30.

Well, not ten, but I buy more jazz and reissues than anything. This was actually a better year for new rock releases than most years. For me, anyway.

Edited December 21, 2006 by Big Al

[md655321]

In no particular order

• M. Ward - Post-War

• Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther

• The Brother Kite - Waiting For The Time To Be Right

• The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America

• Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time

• William Elliott Whitmore - Song of the Blackbird

• Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

• Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Wives EP

• Built To Spill - You In Reverse

• The Frames - The Cost

• Bob Dylan - Modern Times

• Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - The Swell Season

• Neil Young - Living With War

• Drive-By Truckers - A Blessing And A Curse

• Cat Power - The Greatest

• Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere

• Destroyer - Destroyer’s Rubies

• The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics

• The Roots - Game Theory

• Damien Rice - 9

• Thom Yorke - The Eraser

• Tool - 10,000 Days

• Tom Petty - Highway Companion

[.:.impossible]

I also liked that Extra Golden album OK-Oyot.

Extra Golden is an international collaboration between members of two bands: Otieno Jagwasi and Onyango Wuod Omari of the Nairobi, Kenya based benga band Orchestra Extra Solar Africa, and Ian Eagleson and Alex Minoff of the Washington D.C. based rock band Golden. The musicians met as a result of Ian’s doctoral research on Kenyan music.

Danielson | Ships was fun.

and what I've heard from the upcoming Deerhoof album sounds great, as always!

Think About Life s/t is also good.

[J Larsen]

I was pretty disappointed with every rock record I was looking forward to this year (Dylan, Bonnie Prince Billy, Built to Spill, Xiu Xiu, Flaming Lips etc.), which was really a bummer becuase I thought '05 was a half decent year.

Off the top of my head, in '06 I really liked the Joanna Newsome and Sonic Youth records. The TV on the Radio record was better than I expected, and the Cat Power record is fine.

I haven't had time to follow hip hop in the past year (I've put in 3,000+ hours at work!!), so maybe this weekend I'll pick up all the cds that have been generating a buzz and go through them.

[GregK]

I like that Neil Young War album (even better as the just released Raw version), and the Dylan was pretty good, although not as good as Love and Theft.

I just recently got the Donald Fagen, thought it was dull at first but the more I listen to it the more I like it. I think I will have to check this one out on vinyl as the bass on the CD sounds thin.

I also listened to the Springsteen, but I haven't gone back to it much. I'd rather hear that band play his own songs.

The latest Willie Nelson, Songbird, produced by Ryan Adams with his backing band The Cardinals as the band for this album, is pretty good too. It was strange at first to hear feedback-drenched guitars on a Willie album, but I think it's a great contrast.

I have only been able to listen to the Johnny Cash twice. I don't think this one should have been released. He sounds like he is really struggling to sing; why do we need to hear this?

One of my favorites this year is Gob Iron, Death Songs for the Living. Great versions of traditional folk songs (I think there is even a Steven Foster song too) done by Jay Farrar and Anders Parker, linked by short acoustic guitar improvs.

Edited December 21, 2006 by GregK

[.:.impossible]

Yeah, I want to check out that Willie. The songs I have heard on the radio are nice. Also want to check out that TV On The Radio... I wasn't a fan of the last one (felt like they were trying to combine too many ingredients if that makes sense), but I've heard good things about the latest. Then again, I heard good things about the last one too... what do you think?

[bertrand]

Here's something probably no one on this board has heard but me. My wife likes this band and has most of their CDs. Each of them are hit and miss, with some good tunes and a lot of filler (the strings are overblown, and the trumpeter is weak). But their latest album is really strong, with a few really outstanding pop songs.

So, for those of you with an open mind, I recommend:

Belle And Sebastian: The Life Pursuit.

Flame Away.

I liked the Simon OK, but not as much as some people, and haven't heard the Neil Young yet (I usually like him).

Bertrand.

[Alexander]

Certainly not "many, many different kinds of music" in your list.

Picky, picky...

[.:.impossible]

Belle And Sebastian has a long line of good albums. I pull them out from time to time. I haven't heard the latest yet. I pick up their albums in the bins when I'm in the mood. Thanks for the recommendation.

[rockefeller center]

Well, not ten, but I buy more jazz and reissues than anything. This was actually a better year for new rock releases than most years. For me, anyway.

What about Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra?

[Werf]

I can't make up my mind on my favorite jazz releases, so far. There are just too many of them. But, on the pop rock front:

Number one: Robert Pollard "From a Compound Eye" (along with the other Pollard projects, Takeovers "Turn to Red," Psycho and the Bird "All That is Holy," The Keene Brothers "Blues and Boogie Shoes," and Robert Pollard "Normal Happiness").

The rest, in no particular order:

Belle and Sebastian "The Life Pursuit"

Cat Power "The Greatest"

Swan Lake "Beast Moan"

Yo La Tengo "I Am Stronger Than You, and Will Beat Your Ass"

Destroyer "Destroyer's Rubies"

The Decemberists "The Crane's Wife"

Sonic Youth "Rather Ripped"

Mission of Burma "The Obliterati"

Mountain Goats "Get Lonely"

M.Ward "Post-War"

Joanna Newsome "Ys"

Bob Dylan "Modern Times"

I got all of the former on vinyl. This year I've neglected those that only were released on CD, and still have these to check out:

Neko Case "Fox Confessor..."

TV on the Radio "Return to Cookie Mountain"

Neal Young "Living with War"

and some vinyl releases I've yet to hear:

Bonnie "Prince" Billy "The Letting Go"

The Hold Steady "Boys and Girls in America"

Camera Obscura "Let's Get Out of This Country"

P.J. Harvey "The Peel Sessions"

Sparklehorse "Dreamt For Light Years In The Belly Of A Mountain"

Loose Fur "Born Again In The USA"

The Thermals "The Body, The Blood, The Machine"

[.:.impossible]

What have you heard about this year's Sparklehorse? I haven't heard much surprisingly. Did you know he is recording something with Danger Mouse? Should be interesting, if nothing else. He performed with Christian Fennesz, now he's working with Danger Mouse. He's everywhere.

[mr jazz]

The remasterd Pretenders I and II both with excellent bonus discs (especially II)

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Due to the DIRE influence of this forum and AAJ, I've bought comparatively few non-jazz new releases this year.

Of what I HAVE got of this year's crop, these have impresed me.

New recordings

Ursula Rucker - Ma'at mama

Africando - Ketakuba

reissues

Big Jay McNeely live at Cisco's

Harlem River Drive - Harlem River Drive

Big Joe Turner - Shout rattle & roll

New Orleans guitar featuring Smiley Lewis, Guitar Slim, Pee Wee Crayton & T-Bone Walker

Hope to do better next year

MG

[Big Al]

Well, not ten, but I buy more jazz and reissues than anything. This was actually a better year for new rock releases than most years. For me, anyway.

What about Styx and the Contemporary Youth Orchestra?

You are NOT funny!

Edited December 21, 2006 by Big Al

[GregK]

This year I've neglected those that only were released on CD, and still have these to check out:

Neko Case "Fox Confessor..."

TV on the Radio "Return to Cookie Mountain"

Neal Young "Living with War"

and some vinyl releases I've yet to hear:

The Neil Young is on vinyl

[Alexander]

I think the Beck album sounds like more of the same, almost like he is now parodying himself, as he has done with so many other artists. I liked Sea Change and hoped that he had grown up for good. The production on the new album is the only saving grace, but the material overall lacks the progress that I expected to hear.

Red Hot Chili Peppers? What? Come on. Really? Oh well.

As far as hip-hop goes, how could you leave Ghostface's two releases off the list. J Dilla?

I liked the new Califone album, though not as much as previous albums. Got to see them play twice though, which was fantastic. I liked the Yo La Tengo album. Nothing new really, but I like the band. I have to put my brother's band's release on the list, even though it isn't on anybody's radar: ilad the spoon. I know there are people on this board who would appreciate the music. I like the Tortoise 3CD. I know they aren't too popular around here, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying the music. No cool contest here. I don't know. These are off the top of my head based on your list. I'm not very good at this because I never know if any album came out in 2004, 2005, 2006, etc. I get to it when I get to it. I did think that Gnarls Barkley came out last year though. Didn't it? Rather Ripped? I like it more and more. I think it is funny that people write off a band like Sonic Youth and they continue to make records 15 years later. I dunno...

I have not heard Ghostface's albums. I have heard that they are good, but I really have yet to explore the whole Wu Tang Clan thing. I have a few things by RZA, but that's about it. Any recommendations for one who is about to "Enter the Wu Tang?"

[.:.impossible]

Enter The Wu Tang (36 Chambers)

GZA Liquid Swords

Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx

Ghostface Ironman

Method Man is always better on other people's albums, but Tical is good.

I think most of these are available at yourmusic.com actually. Really, that first round of albums from everyone is great. This is the starting point, and the two releases by Ghostface this year are up there for sure. I haven't been a fan of RZA's own albums, but others may recommend them.

RZA has also produced other 'wu families', but this is the source.

While you're ordering hip hop, make sure you have a copy of Eric B & Rakim's Don't Sweat The Technique -and- Let The Rhythm Hit 'Em. Amazing.

[Werf]

This year I've neglected those that only were released on CD, and still have these to check out:

Neko Case "Fox Confessor..."

TV on the Radio "Return to Cookie Mountain"

Neal Young "Living with War"

and some vinyl releases I've yet to hear:

The Neil Young is on vinyl

Ex-celllent!!

[Werf]

What have you heard about this year's Sparklehorse? I haven't heard much surprisingly. Did you know he is recording something with Danger Mouse? Should be interesting, if nothing else. He performed with Christian Fennesz, now he's working with Danger Mouse. He's everywhere.

I haven't heard any music yet, but the word I'm getting from like-minded folks is that it's another good Sparklehorse record.

[bertrand]

Any thoughts on the Kevin Federline CD? I was thinking of picking this one up.