Michael Fraiman's Top 10 CDs Of 2006

2006 wasn’t much of a surprising year. Sure, it’s kind of a good thing—the greats are still great and the nobodies expectedly fell by the wayside. And it’s true that there were enough greats to safely call 2006 a musical success.

But this also engineers a predictable year, for the most part, and that kind of stagnancy doesn’t make for a roster of albums you necessarily look forward to listening to. Sure, you know that Bob Dylan’s latest album will be good—because he’s Bob Dylan—but where’s the excitement of wondering, “What if it’ll bomb?” Where’s the experimentation? To sum up 2006 in music, for the most part, it was tried and true.

Not to say there were no surprises at all. There were some experiments, and there were some surprising debuts that caught many off guard. There were also unexpected disappointments (thanks, Strokes). But when you’ve got new albums from Clapton, Dylan, Tom Petty and Tom Waits, guess who’s making the cover of Rolling Stone?

But more importantly—guess who’s making it on this top ten list?

10. The Mars Volta – Amputechture

Volta tried something new this year—while arguably a step back from the band’s previous efforts (it’s certainly, if nothing else, slower), by no means is it a bad album. At over an hour’s length, Amputechture demands patience from its audience, and if you wait it out you’ll find it rewarding. Expect more ambient noises, slower Latin-influenced guitar solos, but still some of the same rapid-fire harmonies featuring the impeccable screeching of lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala. One of the most atmospheric albums of the year, and a treat for any diehard experimental/progressive music fans out there.

9. Les Claypool – Of Whales and Woe

Claypool fuses more jazz influence into his ever-eclectic Primus medley of metal, rock, and funk, and the result is virtually indescribable. His bass playing is more emphasized, especially on face-searing solos like “One Better”—but if you don’t like Primus, you won’t like this. Of Whales and Woe flows as smooth as the sea with Claypool’s senseless lyrics, which are incomprehensible to the human ear at least half the time. It’s certainly not for everyone, but to those it’s for: enjoy it.

8. Bob Dylan – Modern Times

Modern Times is nothing revolutionary, but it’s a welcomed step back to a softer, more bare-bones blues-folk sound that we haven’t heard in over a decade. His lyrics are as acute and clever as always, packed with social commentary living up to the album’s title. By combining this with the musical tenderness of a few truly knockout tracks like “Workingman’s Blues 2” and “Thunder on the Mountain,” Dylan has reinforced our impression of his limitless talent. He may not be able to sing as well as he could in the ‘60s, but he convinces us nonetheless.

7. Thom Yorke – The Eraser

Another terrific departure from one of the most unique modern bands, Yorke’s debut solo effort is unsurprisingly freaky, terrifying and beautiful in its own little way. The ambient techno slips into monotony a bit too often, but The Eraser’s greatest quality is its comfort level. Yorke plays to his strengths (nightmarish lyrics and hypnotic rhythms) without being so ambitious as to try to compete with anything he made with Radiohead; it’s this unpretentious quality that makes The Eraser so engrossing. As an album, it’s not on par with anything Radiohead has produced, but songs like “Harrowdown Hill” and “The Clock” certainly rank up there.

6. Eric Clapton & JJ Cale – The Road to Escondido

Much like Dylan, Clapton and Cale took a calm, controlled stance on their latest album. A beautifully synchronized dual effort from two refined blues masters, Escondido takes its time, paces itself right, and hits the mark dead-on. “Hard to Thrill” and “Danger” are the tracks to keep on repeat, showcasing what can be described as nothing less than a true mastery of guitar. The men’s voices are nearly indistinguishable, and this synergy not only gives Escondido a great flow, but also allows enough freedom for each artist to complement the other. They work together, and the result is bliss.

5. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife

The Decemberists’ complete overhaul is among the biggest surprises of the year. The change is both good and bad—The Crane Wife sacrifices lyrical ingenuity for a more accessible pop-rock sound, which works marvelously on epic 10-minute tracks like “The Island” and “Crane Wife 1 & 2.” But the album works arguably better than its previous works in spite of this musical paradigm shift. The group hasn’t given up all its old territory, nor is it restricting its new one; “Shankill Butchers” acts as a sort of throwback to classic Decemberists acoustic creepiness, while the funky “Perfect Crime #2” provides much-needed room for the band to musically explore.

4. Beck – The Information

Beck contributes to this year’s best with an alternative/rock/hip-hop experience that hardly pays attention to standard album progression. Here, each song is as catchy or creative as the one preceding it. To name a particular standout track would do injustice to the rest (although the entire first half leaves a stronger impression), and it creates more of a plateau of mood rather than an incline or decline. Technically, it’s some of the best music of the year—and lyrically, Beck is admirably pushing his own limits of cryptic jargon.

3. The Roots – Game Theory

The Roots also tried something new this year—and by God, it worked. Striking the serious note of social and political commentary, it’s this year’s most powerful hip-hop album by far. As opposed to the other politically charged albums of 2006, Game Theory is not only lyrically involving, but also a work of creative musical genius. There are few (or no) weak links on the album, excelling at its highest points in Game Theory’s title track and “Clock With No Hands.” It is an energizing, powerful force of an album.

2. Built to Spill – You in Reverse

One of the least expected bands to wind up on a top ten list—more importantly, placing second—may just be Built to Spill. Never being anything more than “good,” the indie rockers blew me away this year with You in Reverse right off the bat. From the first few slams of the drum on “Goin’ Against Your Mind,” they mark their territory as one of the most talented independent rock bands today. Reverse is, again, a more engrossing experience than so many other albums this year. The songs flow into one another with ease and grace, and while it runs a bit too long in places, it’s one of the few cases where each song makes you want to hear the next one.

1. Tom Waits – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards

Tom Waits wins the crown of 2006 with over three hours’ worth of music on his latest three-disc set. The album is a compilation of unreleased tracks and rarities, all works of lyric genius. Together, mixed and re-recorded as they are, they form the most beautiful album of the year, catering to every type of Waits fan: Brawlers delivers all types of blues punches, from Elvis to Robert Johnson; Bawlers is a melancholy, sincere homage to Sinatra-quality standards; and Bastards comprises his signature experimental monologues and less approachable material.

Each disc is as powerful as the others, and it’s a prime example of music that can be so good it hurts.
It’s extremely convenient of Waits to release all three discs together; had he not, they’d just individually
take up more space on this top ten list.

Close But No Cigar:
The Black Keys – Magic Potion
The Flaming Lips – At War With the Mystics
Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I Am Dreaming

Bands Introduced With Decent-But-Not-Great Debut Albums That You Should Keep An Eye On:
Islands – Return to the Sea
Tapes n’ Tapes – The Loon
Wolfmother – Wolfmother

Biggest Disappointments:
(Note: Not the worst albums of the year, just the ones that I disliked more than I thought I would)
Barenaked Ladies – Barenaked Ladies Are Me
The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth
The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers

Most Overrated:
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium
Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
Tool – 10,000 Days

Album With Least Reason To Exist:
Paris Hilton – Paris

Share |