yes folks it is that time of year again. time to doll out the list upon list upon list to prove that i understand the media world and prove my indie hipster cred. i guess you could say that it is time for my membership application to prove that i can be hip and cool. so here we go these are my top 10 albums of 2006. i don't pick the best, i don't pick the most inventive....i just try to find records that impacted me and i felt have a place in the cultural context that was 2006.
1.The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America
bar none my best record of the year. Craig Finn is an amazing songwriter and the record is just a straight up literary depicion of drugs, sex, deception, and false hopes all soaked in a jack daniel's mixer. it's catchy, it's quotable and it fit oh so perfectly into my life in the year 2006. also the song "Citrus" wins the line of the year award with......"I've had kisses that make Judas seem sincere." with influences from Springsteen to every bar band ever this is the record to buy this year.
Recommended Tracks: Citrus, Hot Soft Light, Chips Ahoy
2. Bob Dylan-Modern Times
this was the year in which i became a Dylanologist. also it was the year that i saw Ziggy for the second time in my life. The Hold Steady may have had the best record but Bob Dylan ruled my life in 2006. this is no other artist living that can live up to him in my mind right now. the fact that he released his 31st album of his career and it is far better than anything anyone else is releasing today says something about his work. it's a bluesy, R&B folk record with more of a band feel than bob's solo work. the songs are beautifully crafted, great lyrics, and more importantly fun to listen to and not a chore. i shouldn't really put this in second but rather in #1B slot.
Recommended Tracks: Spirit on the Water, Someday Baby
3. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
i jumped on the bandwagon with this band late. but when their new album came out i bought and gave it a try. i liked their last album a lot but not amazing in my mind. i don't know if this album is better than Picaresque but it is damn good. i think the fact that it is hummable and fun to listen to is why i enjoy. Colin Meloy is a great story writer and i found these tracks creepy into my ears time and time again. this is probably my biggest surprise of the year because i liked the band but not as much as i do now. people will have problems with it's poppy sense and the two 10+ minute tracks but it is sweet, fun, and sea chantyish good time
tom waits will forever be one of if not my favorite singer/barman. this is the man that if i had the chance to go on a drinking bender with i would sign up for my liver transplant. this collection is a mix of b-sides, rarities, and new tracks and is a lot to handle in one sitting. a lot of people don't like tom because of his voice but no other man can show expression, heartbreak, loss, and love than his bourbon soaked bar yell. i love how the album is split by track themes and by loudness/softness/weirdness. i wouldn't recommend this for new Waits fans but if you have come to love him as much as i have this is a fucking goldmine.
Recommended Tracks: Road to Peace, Long Way Home
5. My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade
yeah i know it's Hot Topic emo/punk. i understand this but i don't care. i know my roots and i started listening to these guys early on and the record is good. unlike their emo cohort members MCR try and do something intersting (and so did everyone else this year) and copy Queen and i think they are the only band that succeeded. it is loud, bombastic, and has fucking Liza (Lucille 2) Minielli singing on it. hate me all you want but this record is fun and wins for song of the year with "Welcome to the Black Parade"
Recommended Tracks: Famous Last Words, Teenagers
6. TV on the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
another record i didn't expect to impact me as much as it did. this alt/indie/jazz/blogo-label band is on everyone's favorite list and it was on my radar and i didn't think i was going to keep listening to the tracks over and over again. it is the weirdest but most interesting record of the year. hell of David Bowie likes these guys i guess i can give them a chance. regardless of the weirdness there is still a great sense of pop sensibility amid the environmental noise. it is atmospheric and interesting and that alone is enough for anyone to consider and enjoy this album
Recommended Tracks: Wolf Like Me, Hours
7. Cold War Kids- Robbers and Cowards
notice how a lot of my list has a bunch of blogger band records on it. it just so happens that these are the records that hit me in the right place. this band got so much press on the web this year and i didn't know if they could live up to the hype but in my mind they do. i don't know how long they are going to be around but this is a fun record. its quirky, poppy, and lyrically interesting. the screech of leader singer Nathan Willett hits home on tracks about alcoholism and loss but are not personal reflections. i think is the band that i want to see live the most this year as well. not an amazing record but it catches your ear and doesn't leave after the first listen.
Recommended Tracks: Hang Me Up to Dry, Saint John
8. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
i had some trouble picking this record in my top ten. there were 3 women that released great records this year: Neko Case, Jenny Lewis, and Cat Power. i thought about putting all three here but i chose what one i thought was the best. i am more of a Jenny Lewis fan but Neko's record is virtually flawless. it flows beautifully as her voice goes from pop songs to country ballads and back again. it is entrancing and doesn't suffer from flawed tracks like Jenny's record and doesn't drag like Cat Power's record does. this album is accessible and interesting at the same time to balance the indie world with the greater pop sensibility
Recommended Tracks: A Widow's Toast, Star Witness
9. The Thermals- The Body The Blood The Machine this is the late comer to the best of list. didn't pick this album up till recently but i highly highly enjoy it. there is nothing better than lo-fi political punk to make a guy feel good again. some of the tracks drag but these 3 from Oregon make a great record to throw in. also i dare anyone to listen to "A Pillar of Salt" and not have it stick in your head allllll day. also i think that it is the only album that trys to tackle larger issues and sound preachy but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Anti-Flag tried this at the beginning of the year but The Thermals perfect the craft. it's understated and not as shiny but still fun, upbeat, and makes you think. Recommended Tracks: A Pillar of Salt, Here's Your Future
10. Dashboard Confessional- Dusk and Summer
so this is my guilty pleasure for the year. DC is one of those bands that have had a significant impact on my life and therefore i have to give Chris Carraba credit no matter what he doesn't. it isn't his best and it isn't better than a lot of other records from this year but for it is important. another reason for it's placement on the list is the great live show that i saw this summer. he is the bruce springsteen of my generation no matter what anyone else says. there is interesting production displayed on this record and it took some time to get used to but it is still some of the best written songs penned this year. i know it is a wuss out for a final pick but i don't care anymore.
Recommended Tracks: Stolen, So Long So Long, Heaven Here
The Honorable Mentions
Jenny Lewis- Rabbit Fur Coat
Catfish Haven- Tell Me
Rhett Miller- The Believer
Cat Power- The Greatest
Yo La Tengo- I Am Not Afraid of You, And I Will Beat Your Ass
+/-: Let's Build a Fire
until next year keep your ear to the ground and stay tuned for more end of the year awards from me. peace.
The 5 Best Shows on Television.....according to me
so i was contemplating something last night as i was finishing up my round of monday night television watching. what are the five best television shows on right now. and i thought i would express my useless opinion on the WWW blogger world for everyone to enjoy.
1.LOST it is the best show period. it's smart, it's insanely addicting, it's annoying, it's everything. anyone that sits there and denies that LOST is not the best show on television 1. doesn't watch the show or 2. are annoyed that it is so cryptic or hit and miss. either way it is an amazing piece of television. what i love about LOST is how conceptual and psychological every episode is and it challenges the broader cultural world. it incorporates faith, destiny, love, turmoil, privilege, death into every scene. you may not know what you are watching because you are so used to watching a drama which gives you everything in one nice package. CSI or Grey's Anatomy may be great shows but they show you everything right away. plot twists, story lines that don't make sense, long waits during the season and online forums are what makes this show amazing. it isn't just a great television show but rather a cultural need in the world of the internet. i don't want all the answers i want to be able to think about all the possibilities and see what type of impact this show has on the greater population. like i said if you don't say that it is the best show on television you are full of shit.
2. Heroes this show is like fucking crack. so horribly addicting and it caters to the pleasure principles of the brain. this show is the yin to the LOSTs yang. both work so well together and both leave you wanting more and more. like LOST there are cryptic messages, cliff hanger endings, and a cast with extraordinary powers to pull you into the story line. for me this show plays to one of most prevalent parts of my brain...the want to be a superhero. everyone from when they are very young wants to have super powers or be special (at least i did/still do). this show is a blatant comic book. people discovering there powers, a crisis to avert, and personal emotions all add up to an amazing show. there is argument that Heroes is in fact better than LOST because of the endings of every show are spectacular but the reason it isn't because while Heroes is soo complex it doesn't hold a candle to LOST confusion. but believe me this is the perfect show to watch on a Monday night and it just caters to all the hero parts of your brain and gets you saying "I want to do that" over and over.
3. How I Met Your Mother there are a lot of better television shows out there that have better writing, better technical brilliance, and better actors. yet, this is a show that is so fun to watch and is sweet. you don't find many sitcoms on television that can be genuine, earnest, and funny at the same time. it actually seems like the cast are the characters that they portray on screen. you believe that Barney is a male whore with all the great suits and the best lines in the show (yes i know he's gay but i still believe his performance). you love how cute Marshall and Lily are and believe that they truly love each other. besides the genuine acting and writing it is a smart show. i was surprised that CBS would have a hip witty comedy on it's normally dull and stereotypical Monday night line-up. if you don't believe me just take one look at the music video they put together which showed Robin as a Canadian pop star singing an amazingly hilarious 80s pop song titled "Let's Go To The Mall" if you don't laugh at that then i don't like you anymore.
4. Battlestar Galactica so i realized this now as i'm completing this list that i'm a huge geek and really only cult/geek television shows are on the list. but i don't care because i would rather watch something interesting and out of this world than learn about which doctor is schtupping who and what now. anywho....this show is one that everyone was talking about in the blogger world and i thought i would give it the ole once over and i got hooked. the writing on the show adds so much to the "science fiction for not science fiction fans" all that you have to add is political turmoil, holocaust, and the question of what makes us human and you have a intellectual winner. also the graphics and concept of this show adds that amazing sleek sci fi quality to it. plus i get to use Edward James Olmos in more jokes on a daily basis. that alone is enough to keep me going. like LOST and Heroes this is a show that takes real world ideas and spins it on itself and makes you think with your brain and enjoy with your eyes. w00t!
5. Dexter so this was the hardest spot to fill because truth be told there are a lot of shows that could fill this spot. but i went with the interesting one. this is a disturbing show but it is psychological and that makes it fun. a show about a serial killer is just not something you would expect and i can't imagine what the pitch was like for this one. "so this guy kills people but you are supposed to feel for him and like him." not exactly family material but i can't find another show on television like it. it has qualities of CSI in it but it doesn't play on the typical cop show type drama. i think what makes the show great is Micheal C. Hall's stern and flexible performance. he plays the psychopathic forensics/serial killer/empty damaged person to a T.
Honorable Mentions Smallville Friday Night Lights
Ineligible Because of Not Being on TV Right Now Entourage Scrubs
Stranger Than Fiction- the woman and me got the chance to catch a rare two movie weekend this past and one of the ones that we saw was Will Ferrell's new "serious" piece. before i saw the trailer i was super excited about the film. i loved the permise of a man hearing a narrator's voice that is telling his life story and about how he was going to die. then i saw all the trailers and i became less excited. in this Borat soaked world i didn't shift any focus onto this seemingly lost amounst the suffle crowd but the woman really wanted to see it. to sum it up nicely this is Ferrell's "Eternal Sunshine." that perfect wistful comedy that is equal parts romantic comedy and silly witty banter as well.
the movie wasn't amazing or groundbreaking but it was sweet, fun, and a joy to watch. it didn't break the mold, or wow me to death but right now i'm just aiming for a movie that will entertain the hell out of me and prove that Will Ferrell is possibly the greatest comedic mind of our time.
all in all this movie has the perfect formula for me. witty, quick fire banter that throws out odd lines that could get a laugh with some and not with others. Ferrell plays Harold Crick with enough comic silliness just under the surface but with the shy, embarrassed demeanor on the outside. there is a scene in which he is in therapy and a woman is telling him that he has schizophrenia and he just keeps repeating his symptoms and i just giggled over and over again. the thing that i loved about this movie was that it was the perfect romantic comedy and not the utterly pointless bullshit that is thrown out by the hollywood machine. the characters are genuine and unique not the cookie cutter blonde girl and jockish type dude. welcome to the real world were love is not normal and people with real jobs actually fall in love under bizarre and complicated circumstances. i also love how it is so uncomfortable for Ferrell to talk to the beautiful/talented Maggie Gyllenhaal. that is how love is uncomfortable, difficult, and embarrassing.
so without even realizing it this movie jumped into my top 5 of the year not because it was great. but simply because it was sweet, funny, and easy to watch. that is what some movies should be. plus the scene where Ferrell is looking at guitars with Emma Thompson narrating is probably one of the best scenes all year. take a date to this one because guys and girls will like it the same.
Marie Antoinette- oh biopics how i am virtually indifferent about you. yet, i still got my butt to the theater this past weekend to watch Sofia Coppola's retelling of the doomed French queen played by waify Kirsten Dunst. i was excited for the film because of my pure love for Lost in Translation and Coppola's unbelievable talent as a director. at first glance the movie looks amazing. shot on location in Versailles it sparkles with glitz, glamour and enough things French to make me want my girlfriend to throw on a corset. yet there were a lot of things about this movie a liked and lot i didn't.
i can see why this movie has polarized a lot of the critics in the blogosphere world. to sum it up in a simple way i liked it but there were some problems. instead of choosing to focus on politics she decided on the simple way of life. ultimately a better choice but also made things kinda dry and slow. the absolute absence of plot (which doesn't bother me) makes some parts of this film tiresome. there isn't anything of substance till about an hour and 15ish into the thing. the ending was rushed and thrown together to include the important historical landmarks and pitfalls of the queen.
yet, i can't sit and bash it openly because it is a good film in theory. by far the best actor/scene stealer is my go to favorite Jason Schwartzmann. he is dry and so darn funny in his virtual ineptitude of lovemaking/king doing stuff. one scene where him and dunst are having dinner for the first time and she asks him if he likes keys and he simply says "yes" and keeps eating. perfectly acted hilarious scene. there are a lot of gems of innocence and debauchery throughout this film. i think dunst was boring at time and kind of flat but ultimately i don't think anyone else could have done the job. the supoorting cast does a good job with what they are given and all in all it is an interesting film to watch. it was boring at times but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it to make your own opinion. just for the pure fact that dunst is half naked throughout much of whole film and Sofia Coppola is absolutely amazing as a director and writer. that right there was enough for me to go see it.
My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade yes folks it's a review of one of the Hot Topic emo parade's foremost bands My Chemical Romance. i know how cliche it is for me to talk about emo bands and to tell you the truth i have been getting out of the scene and moving to much better and interesting music. but i still have a soft spot in my heart for the heart on your livejournal style bands and i was actually excited for this record.
i bougth MCR's last record the day it came out and was one of the first people to start the big push as i knew these guys were gonna be huge. now i'm sitting here two years later as the poster boy emo boys win MTV movie awards, dot teenybobber magazines, and get bottles thrown at them in England. are these bands my Grunge era like most of the early 90s folks, and the answer is yes. am i proud of that, well i don't know yet i need more alcohol and years to contemplate this thought.
but onto the record. like the last one it is a rock opera of sorts about death and hell and love and blah blah blah. the lyrics themselves are not too much of a departure from the last album but ultimately that isn't a bad thing. i can't blame frontman Gerad Way from breaking new ground with the lyrical material, it sold records last time and it should this time.
the big thing i want to talk about is the sound. much like the new Killers record MCR try to break into the arena rock style but instead of the Boss they decided to channel Freddie Mercury and turn it up to 11 Queen/Spinal Tap style. the songs are gawdy and expansive with brief stops to add piano, acoustic guitar, and Liza "Lucille 2" Minnelli. The best song on the record by far is the single "Welcome to the Black Parade" because it combines all the good things of Bohemian Rhapsody and throws on the black t-shirt of the emo crowd. But when listening to the record you can totally tell that it is the single and a total set up for the marketing folks.
listening to this record i didn't quite know what to think. one thing is for sure i love that the boys from Jersey took a small chance and tried to blow off the doors to classic rock/emo punk barrier that a lot of bands have thought about doing. i think they have more style and songwriting craft to be able to stay for more than 5 years like most of these bands will. but i could be wrong this could be their 2nd trick of a 2 or 3 trick bag and they will peter out quicker than 15 year old virgins first time in the sack. but you can see they are trying to do something different and in some cases they succeed. "Cancer" which is mostly a piano based track is well put together. But ironically the song that sticks in my head the most is the prototypical emo/punk "Famous Last Words" which just sticks in your head right after you hear it.
so pick it up if you are a fan and if you're not get a hold of it somehow to see if you agree with me or not. it is at least an interesting analysis of the dominant music culture right now and it gets all the bloggers riled up to discuss what is emo and why this is bad and blah blah blah. enjoy.
The Departed- started the fall movie binge this past weekend with our screening of the new Scorese flick. just to start off with amazing film and deserves all the praise that it is getting. maybe the academy will finally give martin his due in the directing oscar but my money's on someone else because he never wins....he's the Susan Lucci of the oscars. but that is besides the point, let's get back to the movie.
here are some key points.... jack nicholson is one crazy bastard (well no shit) leo can kind of actually act matt damon is still a douche bag (MATT DAMON! [thank you Team America]) Vera Farmiga (the chick in the movie) did a great job Scroese reminds folks of what great movies are like violence is awesome
i am not the biggest proponent of Scorese flicks around. i like his stuff and see the relevance but i am not going to get up on my soapbox for this guy. i think the thing that i liked about this movie is that fact that it is an actual amazingly well done flick in a movie of lackluster surprises. superman didn't impress me, x-men was ok, V-for Vendetta arguably one of the best movies of the year doesn't have any of the sizzle this one does. the movie itself is well timed, intense, and above all else has amazing character development. huge ensemble cast that actually delivers and makes you love and hate everyone with in the flick.
some of the things that i didn't like which are only a few are.....the ending is severly drawn out. granted in some of those scenes there is unbelievable intensity and drama. yet, it just slows down near the end until two of the last scenes which i won't reveal anything. also, some of the scenes have so much weight and silence in them that they falter a little. when leo or matt damon seemingly have the weight on their shoulders they just stop talking and you are left with a dramatic pause which is distracting.
i think the two performances that stole a lot of scenes were Mark (Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch) Wahlberg with his leud and creud detective which is just funny as hell with the Boston accent. and Vera Farmiga as the tortourted girlfriend/mistress of both leo and matt. she is coy and sexy but in a mess she can't get out of.
so right now this is pretty much the only movie this year that has lived up to expectations and delievered the goods. it isn't my favorite of the year but with the performances and the direction it is technically the best movie of the year so far. but it is also the first contender so we will see what comes through the pipeline in the next couple of weeks.
1.The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America
2. Bob Dylan- Modern Times
3. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife 
4. Tom Waits- Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, & Bastards 
5. My Chemical Romance- The Black Parade 
Cookie Mountain
Cookie Mountain
7. Cold War Kids- Robbers and Cowards
8. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
9. The Thermals- The Body The Blood The Machine
10. Dashboard Confessional- Dusk and Summer
