Top Five Albums of 2006

So I decided to do one of these top five lists. Mine is not as funny as the cartoon above (though it does sum up why I did not go to grad school). Mine is going to be different than most other folks, because I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to much of the new music that came out this year. I'm sure the new Belle & Sebastian was great and all, but I was busy listening to mostly stuff from the DC area. But! I did have some records that I was quite fond of - these five more than any others. Check them out even if you haven't heard of them - perhaps you'll find something you'll like.

Middle Distance Runner - Plane In Flames

I told these guys when this record came out that it was the best thing that I had heard all year, and I still think that rings true. As somebody who really found music for himself in the mid-'90s, this record recalls a lot of my all time favorites, but in a way that is fresh and invigorating. With fantastic guitar work, tasteful arrangements and a refreshing variety of styles led by some outstanding vocals, Plane is Flames is a top to bottom success. Just as I remember 2003 for Death Cab for Cutie and 2004 for the Arcade Fire, Middle Distance Runner will be be how I remember music in 2006.

Middle Distance Runner - Naturally
Middle Distance Runner - That's a Lie
Middle Distance Runner - Out of Here (ACE's Feverish Remix)


Alcian Blue - Alcian Blue

Perhaps the biggest loss to DC music in 2006 came when Alcian Blue decided to part ways after almost ten years of band-dom. But fortunately, they left us this record behind as a swan song - and every minute of these coldly beautiful soundscapes is a gift. With guitar tones massaged to oblivion, reverb heavy vocals and masterful drum programming, this is an essential part of my shoegaze/dream-pop catalogue.

Alcian Blue - 71705
Alcian Blue - Frozen Sleep
Alcian Blue - You Just Disappear


Mew - And the Glass Handed Kites

Every now and again, a record makes me rethink everything I thought I knew about songwriting and arrangement. Mew's latest is one of those records. Any album where you don't realize that you've made it six tracks deep is special; the songs flow together so effortlessly that this reminds me more of a rock symphony than a collection of songs. Add in the bizarrely charming vocals and constant syncopation, and you've got a record that is completely unique and utterly amazing.

Mew - Apocalypso
Mew - Special
Mew - The Chinaberry Tree


Soccer Team - "Volunteered" Civility and Professionalism

Soccer Team is the first Dischord band that I've ever really gotten into. The songs here are so simple on some levels - but they're executed so tastefully and with such interesting quirks that they have enormous charm. This is a grower if there ever was one - on first listen, it struck me as just a good album. But I kept playing it in my car. About a month later, when it hadn't left my CD player, I realized how much I really loved it.

Soccer Team - Traffic Patterns
Soccer Team - Solid Ring Fighters
Soccer Team - Here's Why Dancers Smoke


Editors - The Back Room

I guess this technically came out in 2005 in the UK, but dropped in the States sometime in the spring of 2006. Regardless, I listened to this more than anything else this year, and Editors put on one of the best live shows I've ever seen. Who knows if they'll follow it up with something as good or better, or whether this is just the flavor of the month from across the pond. But ultimately, this is a great, great album that never fails to get lodged in my head for weeks at a time.

Editors - Blood
Editors - Fingers in the Factories
Editors - All Sparks


Honorable mentions:
The Hard Tomorrows - Lights Out
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Muse - Black Holes and Revelations