Greatest Hits

Last of a Dying Breed by Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart), 1982

Lists are for grocery shoppers and hitmen. That said, what follows are selections from my Top 106 Albums of 2006, with full-length mp3 samples. The unifying element is that I first encountered these works during 2006. You can either click the mp3 links below to listen and download the tracks, or you can use the handy music player installed in the sidebar. I've loaded all the songs that appear below. Enjoy!

Midlake - The Trials of Van Occupanther (Bella Union, 2006)
Incredible blend of folk rock, conceptual ambition and muscular-yet-mellow 70s jams. Maybe some ELO? Interestingly, they enlisted Jason Lee, actor and Scientologist, as their official celebrity spokesmuppet. Go figure.

Download Roscoe by Midlake

John Parker Compton - To Luna (Columbia, 1972)
What to say about one of the most criminally overlooked musicians ever? His voice is instantly recognizable; spacious and twangy and resonant like no other before or since. Compton's close-mic'd, off-the-cuff delivery is a breath of fresh air in a time of pitch correction and endless overdubs. Tape hiss, oblique lyrics and gauzy blues bathe one's cerebrum in the proverbial "real deal." Haunting.

Download Short Lands by John Parker Compton

Captain Beefheart - Clear Spot (Reprise, 1975)
The man hisself, the consummate howler, the wolfman bard of the abstract blues. Clear Spot was a definite departure for the band. They brought aboard Ted Templeman (one of my fave producers of all time) to straighten up the jagged sound. My Head is My Only House Unless it Rains is the result: slick, driving, and skronk-free, a minimal twin of Steely Dan.

Download My Head is My Only House Unless it Rains by Captain Beefheart

Shogun Konituki - Tasankokaiku (Fonal, 2006)
Whatever happened to the instrumental bands of the 90s? Ed Biblioklept and I were discussing this the other day. From the Chicago stuff (Tortoise, Isotope217, Euphone) to the illbient and free jazz strains of NYC (We, DJ Spooky, Ikue Mori), it seems that an era has ended. An era of genre-hopping experimentalism, free of the Charismatic Front Man spewing Forgettable Lyrics. That's where Shogun Konituki comes in, organs ablaze, drums crashing, arpeggios cascading down like acid rain. If Philip Glass ever fronted a Finnish rock band, it would sound something like this.

Download Montezuma by Shogun Konituki

Unicorn - Blue Pine Trees (Capitol, 1974)
David Gilmour had a band. A little group, went by the name of Pink Floyd. Anyway, he bought a giant mansion and built a studio inside it and invited unknown UK country rock group Unicorn to record their second album there. The result is a rich, heartfelt song cycle of British folk/country/pop that draws from Fleetwood Mac, Neil Young and (thanks to Gilmour's production) the polish of Pink Floyd. Features the ultimate 70s drum sound: tight, simple, clear, present and warm. Plus, Gilmour plays pedal steel all over it. A revelation.

Download Electric Night by Unicorn

Erasmo Carlos - E Os Tremendoes (1971)
Forget Tropicalia. Wait—don't forget it, just set it to the side for a moment, for Erasmo Carlos has arrived. Funky, weird, noisy, a-frickin-MAZING horn and vocal arrangements... he had it all.

Download Gloriosa by Erasmo Carlos

Gonzales - Solo Piano (Universal, 2006)
Sixteen nimble piano vignettes for the sophisticated nitwit and cafe bum. It's Erik Satie for the 21st century. (The man also goes by the name of Chilly Gonzales, booty-bass programmer and Peaches collaborator par excellance.) I play this album for dinner guests and parents. It is a masterpiece.

Download Dot by Gonzales

John Foxx & Harold Budd - Translucence/Drift Music (Edsel, 2003)
Lemme just say that if you have kids, there are certain times when everything must get quiet, or you will lose your mind. That's when I reach for my Harold Budd. This is his collaboration with Ballard-obsessed Foxx, here processing Budd's pianoforte. No beats, no vocals, just pad after pad of reverbed piano chords and soft, soft textures. Maybe "new age" to some indiscriminating listeners? Highly recommended for parents and insomniacs. The very definition of "lush."

Download Momentary Architecture by John Foxx & Harold Budd

The National Trust - Kings & Queens (Thrill Jockey, 2006)
From the opening synth brrrrrap! of Elevators to the mellow grooves of Canday's Away, these guys specialize in smooth jams and tight beats. It's funk with a wink and tweaky production. And it's become something of a personal soundtrack for my life. For fans of Michael McDonald, Billy Ocean, the Whispers and R. Kelly.

Download It's Just Cruel by The National Trust

Brightblack Morning Light - (Matador, 2006)
Ayahuasca vines creep through forest floors, slither up trees, intertwine and merge to form the head of a snake. Drawn to the serpent like rats to a river, our weary travellers rest their bodies, close their eyes, and listen to the snake chant deep into the night. This is a recording of that event.

Download All We Have Broken Shines by Brightblack Morning Light

Comments

[north guinea hills]

uhhhhh..., b? you're as bad as mtv! it's november! is it xmas already? according to macy's it is. that said, i welcome your choice on using the number "106" as your arbitrary index for what constitutes laudability.

;) ,

-a

[bob tomorrowland]

Xmas schmexmas. This is music to get you THROUGH the holidays. Although... perhaps a holiday-themed music post wouldn't be such a bad thing. Anything with Muppets or Chipmunks. Or The Fall. (Did they put out a Christmas record?)

[north guinea hills]

my point is that there is over 6 weeks left in 2006 which will be excluded from your listening experience poll.

i do have enough xmas records to maybe make a xmas mix, but it would be hard to keep it interesting.

i remember christian marclay having a couple thousand holiday records at the old new museum for the public to come look at. he also invited dozens of random gramaphonist to mix them live. my kind of xmas carol.

[longlunch]

the Midlake track is good. the best part of the song is the opening line's mimicry of "suicide is painless," the theme song from M.A.S.H., which was written by Robert Altman's son.

[longlunch]

and now Altman is dead.

[bob tomorrowland]

Tonite, I watch "A Wedding" in Altman's honor.