misc
jun 25
2006

My Albums of The Year (So Far)

We're half-way through 2006 and I've been listening to more music than usual. So here are my favorite thirteen albums so far:

1) Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere

2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones

3) Sonic Youth, Rather Ripped

4) The Streets, The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living

5) Arctic Monkeys, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

6) Peeping Tom, Peeping Tom

7) Flaming Lips, At War with the Mystics

8) Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon

9) Danielson, Ships

10) The Coup, Pick a Bigger Weapon

11) Be Your Own Pet, Be Your Own Pet

12) DFA, Remixes

13) Built To Spill, You in Reverse

9 comments

Most of these choices ain't bad, but they do seem devoid of any real surprises. These are all very safe and predictable, and exactly the kind of records indie yuppies/regular readers of Pitchfork would define as good.

posted by Indie Rock A-hole at 8:12 PM on June 27, 2006

Rex, How can you do a bestOf() before the "summer music" is even underway? It's only the _best_ if it's in your car, ipod, and home (whatever) system all summer long. Oh, and where's "Mono: You Are There" in your list? Just kiddin'

posted by Stu at 9:42 PM on June 27, 2006

I actually agree with you Indie Rock A-Hole -- there aren't many surprises on there. (Except, perhaps, that I love the Yeah Yeah Yeahs record and everyone else harshed on it. And no one else is talking about Peeping Tom all that much.) Honestly, I wish there were more weird shit on there, but I haven't heard any good weird shit this year. I wish I could include the Wire and Sonic Youth reissues, but those are... well, reissues.

posted by Rex at 1:09 AM on June 28, 2006

Danielson especially screams pitchfork, but I agree that there haven't been many sleeper / surprise hits. With any luck, Tom Petty's new one should be the de facto summer album and the surprise add to your list, if only because it's so shamelessly mainstream. Keep rockin', Rex. I wish I had your blogular tenacity (marcoe.net is gathering dust bunnies...).

posted by el paolo at 6:41 PM on June 30, 2006

There are suprises. No "King' by T.I.? It's the best hip-hop of the year, along with Ghostface Killah's "Fishscale," of course. How 'bout Spank Rock, Tony Allen, M-1? As for techno, try ANY of this year's releases from Om, Defected, Azuli, Subliminal, etc. Trust me, you'll never fuck with that DFA crap again (the Peeping Tom is ok). Rex, I like you and respect you, though I've never met you (we miss you in Mpls). But try again with the list.

posted by BrianP at 4:23 PM on July 1, 2006

I like the new Ghostface Killah album -- almost included it. Nothing on Om or Subliminal has interested me in a while.

And I knew the Danielson Family (like, in real life) before Pitchfork even existed.

posted by Rex at 6:17 PM on July 1, 2006

I'm glad to see Peeping Tom make someone's mid-year list (even if it didn't make mine, but I only picked 6 albums).

posted by david at 9:39 PM on July 3, 2006

Hey, Rex, you've still got juice in this town (Mpls) and you're plugged-in, even though you moved. Would you be kind enough to tell us why Thorn got sacked at the Current?

posted by BrianP at 10:57 PM on July 3, 2006

Sorry, no idea.

posted by Rex at 4:49 PM on July 4, 2006




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