every january something-ish, i think to myself, quixotically, "maybe i will start keeping a list of all the new albums i like this year, and best shows i go to...", and then i don't. i'm just not that kind of blogger (i don't care what you've heard). plus, half the time i'm just listening to music of years past - which always seems way better than whatever is out "right now".
so, as a substitution, i give you a list of songs (and where appropriate the events they lined up with, that shaped my year) and artists who made me wear my ipod battery down even that much more:
- ampersand.mp3 - amanda palmer
i heard this song at amanda's show in february. i went there with jeff, ben and jay. ben stepped out for a smoke when amanda played this song and i told him how much i loved it when he got back. he texted me twice that night saying he wished he'd heard it. that wasn't the last time i talked to ben, but that was the last time i saw him.
- city middle.mp3 - the national
the national: still the band i listen to the most, usually while showering. even in '06. and there's a pretty good chance i will listen to them a lot in '07, too. and yes, i know this song isn't "from" this year.
- piano man.mp3 - ghostland observatory
any year that ghostland observatory releases a new cd, is a good year.
- anti anti.mp3 - snowden
the title track from their debut LP, which to this day (even though i had a boyfriend in a band in college and designed his bands cd insert) is the only cd i've been thanked in the liner notes. but i would have loved anti anti anyway, they could put out an album consisting of them singing james songs drunk - and i'd probably love it.
- hot kathy.mp3 - apes and androids
if i were the rolling stone reality show contestent asked by the rolling stone editor, "can't you think of a better word to use than 'amazing'?" i probably would have said "how about awesome!" too. only if the article were about this band, though. (that will make more sense if you read this first.)
- risking life and limb for the coupon.mp3 - bound stems
just as i was falling in to a music slump (there's nothing NEW blah blah blah), jeff urged me to go see bound stems. the very modern mouse/arcade fire sonic mixture created a sound that, while not entirely new, had me hanging on every note even though i'd never previously listened to their music. i've seen them play 2 or 3 times since them. i love this band.
other bands i listened to A LOT this year that i'm pretty sure had cds that came out this year...
two gallants, wolfmother (though UNpredictabley, didn't have as much staying power with me as i thought they would!), bad veins, voxtrot, tv on the radio, thom yorke (obvs!), dresden dolls and of course all of the bands i manage AND one that i don't called nuh uh.
if i had an mp3 of...
- daniel kitson performing awesome comedy, i'd post it here. that dude is amazing.
- that outback steakhouse version of that of montreal song, i'd post that too. here's a youtube clip. that song, the commercial version, has been holding my brain hostage for a better part of the year. and no, i am not happy about it.
this is boring. i'm going to stop that list now. i like a lot of songs, and a lot of bands, and i tend to listen to songs from bands that came out in years that aren't the year i'm listening to them in. i know, crazy. i can probably predict next years "best of" list though: radiohead, the arcade fire.
sometimes i wonder if people make these lists in order to educate others on what they might want to listen to OR so that next year when "you" are just hearing about annuals or ra ra riot, they can point you back to their 2006 list and explain how they loved that band way before everyone else did. OR maybe it's just fun to make lists. i think it's just fun to make lists.
oh i have ONE MORE THING TO SAY. if i had a real award to give it would go to...
a kindly stranger who took me to see radiohead earlier this year. he also gave me sweet, sweet antibiotics which cured my crazy whateverthefuck it was i had. so clearly he is now not a stranger - as i would not take pills from strangers! but he is going to remain anonymous. let's call this award my first (and most likely last) annual "favorite person of the year" award.
and if you really want to know the best ten albums of 2006, just listen to yeti.
Making lists is fun.
Posted by: Chris | December 18, 2006 at 04:53 PM