2006 Musical Review of Good Music- Top 5 Albums!

Picking this year's top 5 albums was unusually difficult. I expected there to be a good deal of competition for the best album this year. I mean, stellar artists such as Bob Dylan, The Decemberists, Mogwai, and Outkast all had albums coming out this year. But to my great surprise, there was no competition, and the top spot is really the only choice i'm confident with. It was the only truely great album this year. The rest were good-but-not-great albums that all, in some way, had some flaws. So overall, album-wise, the year was disappointing. That being said:

5. The Decemberisits- The Crane Wife- This album did have some shocking strong points, most notably the two 10-minute-plus song cycles The Crane Wife Pt. 1 and 2 and The Island. These two songs were really what pushed the Decemberists into this list. Sure, they had some other strong points, like "Yankee Bayonet" and "The Crane Wife Pt. 3." But at the same time, they had some low points in the middle of the album. In "A Perfect Crime" they seemed to lose their stellar sense of harmonic movement and melody, focusing the song around a so-so yet still repetitive groove. Also, "Shankill Butcher" was kind of underwhelming, because it had some promise of being a pretty yet disturbing song, but something about the melody and the rhythm just made it so awkward.
Recommended Songs: "The Crane Wife Pt. 1 and 2" and "The Island."

4. Above and Beyond- Tri State- This gets points for being an accessable album to the generally unaccessable genre known as Trance. For the most part, they do a wonderful job with texture and melody, specifically on songs such as "Air for Life" and "Good for Me." They have some nice vocals and harmonies in there, and when they layer their songs with noise, they do it very well, making it pretty, but not overwhelming. But they still lose that sense toward the end, with a few songs that just are perplexing. For example, the attempt at angst with "For All I Care." I mean, they use a guitar riff, and it just sounds so out of place. Also, the lyrics are generally neuseating. But still, they put out a quality album and it's a good entrance if you're looking into the Trance genre.
Recommendations: "Air for Life" "Good For Me" "World on Fire"

3. Mew- And The Glass Handed Kites- I'm not sure if this belongs here, because this came out in 2005 in eurpoe, but was released in 2006 in the states, so i'm putting it on this list. They get serious points for creativity, stringing together several songs, putting them all together, and creating one long song that takes up the entire album. Generally, it takes a few listens because they use free-form (generally well too), but once you get the melodies down, the album just gets better and better with each listen. They start off strong, and end strong, but there are a few moments where the album loses its momentum. For example, "Savours of Jazz Ballet" is as rediculous as its title, and "The Seething Rain Weeps for You" doesn't quite work because the melody sounds so tired. Also, once again, terrible lyrics. But it's still a creative adventure, and its especially nice to hear a good experimental rock album.
Recommendations: "Louisa Louisa" "Fox Cub" (short but very sweet) "Special"

2. Danielson- Ships- Wow, this album is fun. A lot of fun, in fact. Almost as fun as the go! team's album. Daniel Smith, the lead singer and genius behind the group, is like a cross between Sufjan Stevens and Isaac Brock, if they mated during a nuclear reaction. The album is folk, i suppose (hence how he's like Sufjan Stevens), but that doesn't encompase the mood or feeling at all, because he can still yelp (like Isaac Brock), especially on songs such as "Cast it at the Setting Sail" and, winning the title-of-the-year, "Did I Step on your Trumpet?" It's the least flawed of these albums, and this happens when things get quiet. Most of the time, it's loud and spontaneous, and you never know where the songs are headed, but there are songs like "When It Comes To you I'm Lazy" that just don't match up with the others. Still, this is a small price to pay for having an amazing time while listening to an album.
Recommendations: "Cast it at the Setting Sail" "Kids Pushing Kids"

1. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood- Absoloutly stunning, in just about every way. This is the clear best album. There is simply nothing that matches up to it that's come out this year. Nobody has a voice quite as powerful and effective as Case's. Nobody uses free form better this year than Case. The only problem, if any, is that the thing is too damn short. The second half of the album just flies by, and you're like "What? no more songs! Nooooo! I was enjoying it so much." Case manages to write intensly dark songs about rape, breakup, drug use, and murder, yet never ever ever depresses the listener. It's a remarkable achievement in Case's career, and I seriously doubt she will be able to top it, because the planets must have been aligned correctly when she recorded this thing. Recommended to all who like good music and brilliant execution.
Recommendations: all of them, but in particular "Star Witness" "A Needle has Landed" "Hold On, Hold On"

Honorable mention: Muse- Black Holes and Revelations. It just barely lost out to the Decemberists album. Barely.