Meanwhile, I found an old entry I wrote just for myself, back in 2009, where I decided to dive back into Various Internet Tastemakers' album Best Of lists from 2006 (why?
So, just for you: a journey back into that special time. That magical time. That... six years ago time. 2006. Your guide: a woman who hates Animal Collective and loved Anthony Rapp's solo album. Anthony who? You mean that guy from Rent? You mean your guide is a Renthead? As in, still a Renthead? At age 30? Exactly.
shit that everyone said was awesome in 2006
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever You Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Brit drunkrock. Lotsa percussion, shouty Cockney vocals. Some reggae/The Police-y touches. Some of it's a little poppier than I remembered. Recommended If You Like: The Libertines, Babyshambles, The Fratellis. My kingdom for Franz Ferdinand.
Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time - Lots of comparisons in the iTunes review to Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) and Neil Young, vocals-wise. Mid-tempo indie-rock, pretty and boring. Mellowdrone mates with Neil Young on a ranch.
Bat For Lashes - Fur And Gold - Creepy haunting soundscapes by a chick with a beautiful voice. Not for me, but intriguing. RIYL: Patrick Wolf.
Beach House - s/t - From the band name and the kind of stuff that got recced in '06, I assumed that this was Animal Collective Part 2. Nope: Carly Simon-ish/Grace Slick-y vocals meet mournful soundscapes with a psychadelic touch. Boring, melancholy, but Victoria LeGrand's voice is interesting, a little hypnotic.
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar - From the reviews, I went in expecting Voltaire-esque gypsy-rock, but instead it sounds like someone took an accordion on a cruise. Voice is Rufus Wainwright-ish, mournful, but a bit thin. iTunes review says, "cracked brass, wailing violins and stressed accordions." Since I'm ignorant, it gave me the queasy feeling I get when I've listened to tiny slices of French pop, bossa nova and some '70s pop.
Cat Power - The Greatest - White soul/indie blues. Gorgeous voice, some beautiful, heartbreaking songs. Too sad and hook-less to love. Her most accessible songs to date.
Cold War Kids - Robbers & Cowards - Bluesy country vibes meet garage revival and indie rock. Vox can be talky like Jack White's or soulful and high/floaty, with some whine. "Hang Me Up To Dry" is the standout. RIYL: The Raconteurs, Catfish Haven, general indie rock.
Cansei De Ser Sexy - CSS (s/t) - Electro with talky female post-punk vocals and attitude with New Wave synths. iTunes mentions "art school/dance club roots." Needs more pop, less art school. Le Tigre with less of the hooks and the pretty. RIYL: Peaches. Gunther?
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife - Indie as fuck. Frontman sounds like Meowth.
Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies - The Rush and/or Styx vocalist went arch and British and decided to create arty indie-rock soundscapes. Sometimes a little Bowie-ish without the catchiness. Sometimes a little Bob Dylan-inflected (track 2, country-rock/folk-ish, the most accessible). RIYL: Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, being the biggest hipster imaginable.
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere - R&B/soul. I took this album home and tried so hard to like it because it's just so cool and Cee-Lo's voice is gorgeous. But I still only ended up loving "Crazy."
The Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control - Raw, soulful vocals from Beth Ditto, like a punk, harder-edged Adele. Spare, soulful dance music. Punk meets electro, but more accessible and less overtly political than Le Tigre. Some fantastic songs, but the album, taken all at once, get samey. RIYL: Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat - Alt-country; singer from Rilo Kiley. incredibly beautiful voice, songs that didn't grab.
Joanna Newsom - Ys - Ten-minute songs about frogs + Hippie Bjork dancing barefoot through a RenFest meadow + harps. Freak-folk. RIYL: Devendra Banhart (wildly different sound, same genre/clique).
Liars - Drum's Not Dead - Creepy -- sometimes creepy-pretty, sometimes creepy-dissonant -- experimental art-rock soundscapes with high-pitched, drone-y male vocals. Avoids accessibility at any cost. RIYL: doing acid in the desert.
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings Flood - Alt-country/Americana. Melancholy. Gorgeous voice but songs that don't grab.
Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope - Lady singer-songwriter with quirky, appealing voice. First half is very accessible, with some gorgeous songs. Latter half, not so much. RIYL: Mirah, Tori Amos, Rachael Yamagata, Nellie McKay, etc.
Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming - Indie rock (very indie; weird, warbling male voice). Epic in scope. Side project of Wolf Parade guy.
Swan Lake - Beast Moans - The guy from Wolf Parade/Sunset Rubdown + the guy from Frog Eyes(?) + the guy from Destroyer. Which means: indie as it gets. Weird, psychadelic soundscapes and folk-rock vocals. The opposite of pop. RIYL: Sunset Rubdown, Clap Your Hands, getting really high in the forest or having a hipster orgy by some ancient ruins.
The Thermals - The Blood, The Body, The Machine - The kind of punk an indie fan can love. The kind of punk a pop-punk fan can cry despairingly about. Shouty/talky mid-range indie vocals. Abstract-ish lyrics hatin' on fundamentalism. Standouts: Track 6 (most tuneful; hint of alt-country), 4, 1.
TV On the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain - Indie rock; driving beats, background fuzz and drone. "Wolf Like Me" = sexy, evocative Halloween rock goodness. Not sure i'd be able to handle more fuzz/drone without lots of hooks to sweeten the deal. iTunes review refers to a "post-apocalyptic sonic landscape". Mostly abrasive with some off-putting indie-rock falsetto. I hate to dislike their sound, since they're a successful all-poc rock band, and that's pretty rare and really awesome. Damn my hatred of drone and fuzz.
The Twilight Singers -
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