I know that I'm a little late on the whole year-end lists thing, but it wasn't until recently that I realized that I wanted to spend a little bit of time writing about music that I found enjoyable over the past year. I must note, that I don't claim for this list to be definitive, as there is of course a lot of music from the last year that I didn't hear and if I did it would have maybe made the list. (I'll admit that I haven't listened to Ys yet, but I'll get around to it.)
One thing that amazed me about this past year (and the last few years in general really) is how much Canadian music is breaking out and is in many ways hogging all the critical acclaim for itself. My top five albums of the year are Canadian and seven of the ten are also. This is something that wouldn't have some years back when everyone thought Canadian music consisted of Celine Dion and Bryan Adams.
Seven of the ten artists on this list are also on independent labels which shows to me how irrelevant the major record labels are becoming despite their insistence that they cultivate music for us and in return we should hand over control of our copyright laws to them. For anybody who is still stuck in mainstream music hell, do yourself a favor and get out and explore a bit.
However, I'll stop preaching now and get right into the list:
My Favorites of 2006
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies
This was my introduction to Destroyer, although I did have passing familiarity with Dan Bejar through his contributions to The New Pornographers. I can't remember what exactly spurred me towards picking this up, but I'm glad I did because it is by far my favorite album of the year and up there with my favorite albums of all time. It's very difficult to describe this album or Destroyer's works in general. Though I enjoy what I've heard of Bejar's past works, there is something about Destroyer's Rubies that is somehow transcendent and enables it to stand heads and shoulders above his other work, which it should be noted, is already quite good. Bejar has a way to weave inscrutable lyrics delivered in a laid back conversational style with an incredible yet totally unforced focus on melody. While this album takes some time to get into for many, and isn't exactly one that gets stuck in your head right away, once it does it becomes clear that Dan Bejar is one of the most brilliant songwriters around.
Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Sunset Rubdown is the "side project" of the weird(er) half of the most excellent Wolf Parade – the dramatic, warbling Spencer Krug. In many ways I'd say this album is better than Wolf Parade's Apologies To The Queen Mary, and that says a lot. Where Wolf Parade is loud and rocking, Sunset Rubdown is subdued and at times sparse. That is not to say it doesn't have loud numbers. Songs such as "Stadiums and Shrines II", "They Took A Vote and Said No", and "Snake's Got a Leg III" are examples of such, but they posses a distinctly different vibe than than Wolf Parade offerings. What differentiates this album however are the quiet and beautiful (though weird) tracks such as "Us Ones In Between" and the majority of the long pseudo-title track "Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings" until it explodes into cacophony. There are also some very strange songs with traditionally awkward elements such as the endless false endings in "The Men Are Called Horsemen There". This album is once again a weird one and takes some getting into, but it reveals itself as an amazing work of distinct haphazard beauty showing Spencer Krug to be a very important songwriter and one to watch.
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
This one isn't really a weird one. If you're reading this list and you don't consider yourself musically adventurous, feel free to take this as a recommendation. Similar to Dan Bejar, this was my introduction to Neko Case besides her (amazing) vocal work with The New Pornographers. Neko's voice is one of the strongest voices I've heard in a long time. After a few listens this album stuck with me after listening to it on a long bus ride. There's a certain timelessness about songs such as standouts "Dirty Knife", "Star Witness" and the criminally short "At Last". The singing, song-writing and performances on this album all come together to create a beautiful collection of songs that will stick with you and make you come back to it again and again.
Swan Lake - Beast Moans
OK, back to the weird stuff. This band is a combination of three of the most interesting (some would say strange) songwriters in Canadian music – Dan Bejar (of the aforementioned Destroyer and New Pornographers), Spencer Krug (of the aforementioned Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade), and Carey Mercer (the maniacal front-man of Frog Eyes). Suffice to say, Beast Moans seems to take the weird and inaccessible aspects of each and mashes them together to create a dense, bizarre fabric of sound that makes the title of the album quite apt. This album hasn't received the same acclaim as the main projects of each member, but personally I think it is very much on the same level. This is an album that many people would probably find completely jarring and abrasive, but there are hooks in there that can sneak up on you even in strange sound collages like "City Calls" or the barely song-like "Shooting Rockets". It is likely that in order to enjoy this album you have to be a fan of some of the three members of this band or strange music in general, however, that does not negate the fact that for me it is a masterpiece.
Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
This was a late arrival on my list and in the last few weeks since I got it, it has jumped way up in my esteem. This is an incredibly enthralling piece of work and well deserving of the Polaris Prize win, even though I wasn't rooting for it at the time. Owen Palette's string based songs are difficult to classify. Are they classical? Is it classical pop? Classical experimental pop? It doesn't really matter though, since it's just plain enjoyable.
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
This album is quite adventurous for the Decemberists, especially considering it is their debut on a major label. Epic tracks such as the three part title track suite and prog-folk adventure "The Island" combined with beautiful traditional Decemberists fare like "O Valencia!" and "Sons & Daughters" make this an unbelievably enjoyable listen. Some of the experimentation with new sounds such as "When The War Came" doesn't work as well as others, but it doesn't tarnish the quality of the majority of the tracks.
Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
Plain and simple this is a great pop rock album from this English-singing French band. I'm not ashamed to like good pop rock, and neither should you be. This album feels great and is catchy as hell. Try to count how many times the singer intersperses a rhythmic "huh" sound between his lines.
The Tragically Hip - World Container
I know it's not trendy for people to like The Tragically Hip in Canada. The Hip are enormously popular, and even though many regard their older albums as their best work, the band consistently sells out gigantic live shows (rightfully so, as the Hip's live show is one of the best I've seen). People might hate the Hip because they're old and worn out or maybe it's the selection of beer-swigging-go-Canada-frat-boy crowd they sometimes attract, or maybe they think all their songs sound the same. Despite this, I've always loved the Tragically Hip and count them among my favorite bands. Look past the radio hits and their mainstream success, and you'll see a band that has produced consistently excellent and furthermore intelligent music while staying in the mainstream and gaining commercial success. It could be said that the Hip's last few albums have perhaps not been their best, but in my opinion World Container is the return of form that In Between Evolution almost was. World Container is just a fantastic Hip album full of catchy hit-like songs such as "In View", "The Lonely End of the Rink" and "Fly" and also a great selection of in-your-face rocking tunes such as "The Drop Off" and "The Kids Don't Get It". The songwriting on this album is some of the most consistent of the Hip's career and the in-your-face sound was a pleasant surprise after hearing that Bob Rock was producing. There are a few over-produced slip-ups such as Pretend, but for me this album will go down as one of the best albums of their career.
The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
I am a strong admirer of Jack White, one of the biggest Rock Stars who manages have his cake and eat it too, being both popular and having the ability to do whatever the hell he wants. Combined with Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler, there was no doubt that Broken Boy Soldiers would be a good album. As it turns out, it is a fantastic album with a great, though short, selection of somewhat classic rock sounding tunes. I love the album and can't wait for their next release, especially after listening to recordings of the Raconteur's live show in which it is clear that the Raconteurs have gelled into a much better band. The songs are fleshed out to the point that you wish they played them like that in the first place. The extended guitar solos played live on songs like "Blue Veins", "Intimate Secretary" and "Level" are especially missed. The band has also shown an amazing ability to reinterpret their own songs into something completely different such as a slow piano, acoustic guitar and voice based version of Broken Boy Soldiers played for a radio session. That said, Broken Boy Soldiers is still an excellent album, and if the Raconteur's live show is any indication, their next effort should place higher on year-end lists.
Islands - Return To The Sea
I don't have much to say about this besides the fact that it's an incredibly enjoyable pop rock album with some dark twists. Songs such as Rough Gem are pure pop sound while others such as the long opener "Swans (Life After Death)" or "Where There's A Will There's a Whalebone" have a darker edge and other musical influences. My only complaint is that the second half of the album is considerably weaker than the excellent first half.
Honorable Mentions
Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson In Crime
Catchy, rocking and just plain good. If this was more than an EP it might have made the top ten.
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Hate the radio stations and forgive Gnarls Barkley for the overplayed "Crazy". This is an incredibly creative and diverse genre-bending work that I was surprised to find myself enjoying so much.
The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
This is another excellent work from The Flaming Lips. It's not quite top-10 material, but still highly recommended.
The Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Once again, catchy, rocking and just plain good. They got the hype and it may have tarnished them in the eyes of many snobby critics, but The Arctic Monkey's show that you can make a great rock album without being too serious and just having some fun.
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Knives Don't Have Your Back
A bunch of pretty piano songs showing the softer side of Emily Haines.
The Beatles - Love
I don't know if this counts as a new album since it's technically using (almost) all old recordings. Regardless, the new very creative arrangements of Beatles songs given by "fifth-Beatle" George Martin and his son are in some cases downright incredible.