Joe's Albums of the Year

9) Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
It's hard not to like this album. It's easy to listen to, funny, insightful, and, above all else, quality. It may not be the best album of the year, but it's the one that I could play for the widest range of people and know that everybody from Grandma to ultra-snobby law students would enjoy it.

8) The Streets - The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living
Mike Skinner returns with a non-concept album that basically tells the listener how hard it is to be famous. Damn it, I was just telling my accountant the same thing. It just goes to prove that Skinner is in touch with the proletariat. Anyway, while the album lacks the elite tracks of his previous albums, it also lacks the "filler" tracks that always get me reaching for the skip button. Skinner's rapping is significantly improved from his previous works, but the tracks seem less inspired. Still a fun listen.

7) Thom Yorke - The Eraser
Maybe the toughest album of the year to quantify. Yorke provides an interesting, quality album, but it's hard to imagine any of these tracks making it onto a Radiohead record. As the nine tracks play out, Yorke is obviously less confident than any of his previous work to the point that he may have second guessed himself out of creating something truly remarkable.

6) The Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics
The Flaming Lips may not always hit home runs, but they are never boring and At War With The Mystics certainly confirms that. Yeah Yeah Yeah song and Free Radicals open the albums with a love it or hate it type feel, but as the Lips settle into tracks like Vein of Stars, Mr. Ambulance Driver and The W.A.N.D. Wayne and company prove they have alot more to offer than just weirdness. The Flaming Lips are the most unique song writers in the business.

5) Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
Easily the most diverse album on this list, ranging from ten minute jam session to three minute pop song to the melancholy "I Feel Like Going Home" within the first four tracks. However, instead of feeling disjointed and forced, Yo La Tengo manage the album gracefully and prove that after twenty years on the scene they still know what indie kids like.

4) Cat Power - The Greatest
This album gained "2006 George Mason basketball"-like momentum as the year came to a close and just kept climbing my list. Numerous listens reveal the intricacies of the Memphis Rhythm Band and the depth of Chan Marshall's lyrics. Chan's ability to involve the listener is what makes this one of the year's best.

3) Band of Horses - Everything All The Time
On the aptly named "The First Song", Band of Horses introduces us to their laid back, instantly likeable blend of alt-country. The album flows along effortlessly until "The Funeral" cripples the listener with its perfect arrangement and touching lyrics. As Everything All The Time continues Band of Horses let their hair down on tracks like "The Great Salt Lake" and "Weed Party", all the time maintaining an emotional link to their listener.

2) Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not
Not a single note is wasted on this highly hyped debut. The Arctic Monkeys (specifically Alex Turner) take us on a tour of a boring, rundown English town. We see the prostitutes, the strung out kids, the dingy clubs, the awkward run-ins with former one-night stands, the fights and the overall dreariness of non-London England. Along side this expert storytelling, the Monkeys add extremely tight and never dull rock music. An impressive debut.

1) Swan Lake - Beast Moans
In music, as in life, sometimes you just need to be patient. By Memorial day 2006 a few albums stood apart, but nothing screamed "This is the best record of the year". Sure enough the 4th of July came, then Labor Day and still no "Album of the Year". By Thanksgiving I was starting to think that I was going to have to settle. Then, when things looked the blackest, my Prince Charming showed up in the form of a Dan Bejar, Spencer Krug and Carey Mercer collaboration.
This album spends time wandering and exploring, but never loses its sense of desperation. A focused, sincere and interesting album which was unparalleled in 2006.