Top 40 Albums of 2006

Well folks, here we are. The top 10. The raison d'être of 2006 albums. La crème de la crème. The pinnacle of - oh let's just see what's #1!

10. Tapes 'n Tapes - The Loon

Indie rock. "A unpretentious approachability and charm...with surprise vibe melodies, incongruously smooth counterpoints...[that] keeps listeners off-balance and wanting more."
[Pitchfork]

Official site







9. El Perro Del Mar - El Perro Del Mar

Blues pop. "A careful singer whose near-tears delivery can imbue downhearted hyperbole with subtle emotional inflections that sound achingly genuine."
[Pitchfork]

Official site







8. Bonnie Prince Billy - The Letting Go

A late autumn stroll through the woods. "Organic and cozy...amazingly consistent. The Letting Go doesn't provoke deep absorption or self-reflection so much as a kind of fond familiarity."
[Pitchfork]

Official site







7. The Knife - Silent Shout

Haunted house electronica. " As menacing as it is hooky, this is some bracing stuff...capable of magic in its natural form."
[Pitchfork]

Official site








6. Cat Power - The Greatest

Harmonies and a bouncy beats. "She's stretched her musical horizons far beyond the close-knit indie rock world-- a world that likely doesn't want her to change."
[Pitchfork]

Official site







5. Annuals - Be He Me

Orchestral pop. "Hyperboloid songs that whorl and dimple, digressively executing competent-to-astonishing arrangements in a...classic-rock sheen [with] earthier lyrical concerns, and worldbeat dalliances."
[Pitchfork]

Official site







4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

Meltdown-rock. "Show Your Bones contains some genuinely disarming moments that reveal the band's considerable emotional and sonic force."
[Pitchfork]

Official site







3. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit

Indie pop. "Only a few bands have managed to successfully reinvent themselves a half-dozen or so albums into their careers. The Life Pursuit is a baroque pop cathedral, welcoming the faithful and newly converted alike."
[Pitchfork]

Official site






2. Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops

Sonic melodic pop. "The subject matter brings out the best in the musicians, as they orchestrate these mood swings for maximum impact, sounding as big and as serious as ever."
[Pitchfork]

Official site







1. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies

Pop rock. "The album is structurally complex, thematically dense, and labyrinthine in its self-referentiality. Destroyer's Rubies is remarkably sophisticated, cycling through several mini-verses but never congealing into any standard song form. By the time the song reaches its final chorus, it has attained a blissful, sing-songy energy that...greatly enhances their impact."

Official site





There you have it. The 10 albums you should own in 2006. Thanks for stopping by. It's the last day tomorrow before Adevtures takes a winter vacation. See you then for some festive beer...er, cheer. Well, both ;)