2006 - JAMS RUN FREE!!!!

A Bunch Of Bullshit:

***Caveat- I was slippin' with my hip hop listening this year so thus not a lot appears on this list. I know records like TI and Ghostface should have been on here, but I just hadn't listened to them enough. So that being said...


10. Ladyhawk - S/T
These dudes love to drink beer and hang out. Perfection. They come from the same camp that spawned Black Mountain way up in Vancouver except these dudes aren't quite as druggy. They're beery. A lot of the sound revolves around standard progressions but they are quite moody and are up one minute, down the next. Which works well on this record. Songs like "The Dugout" have a real feeling of unity. I don't know what the fuck that means, but when you hear songs like this you want to follow this band to the ends of the earth. A lot of critics of this band slam them b/c they wear their influences directly on their sleeve - Neil Young being one of them. So yeah imagine a singer who can leave it all out on the table with a backing band that has you jammin' with some bros at a cookout in the summer behind him one song. Next song he'll humble you up and make you ask youself why you cracked that 14th beer...oh yeah b/c you're partyin'. Great ol' indie stuff.

9. Oneida - Happy New Year -
It wouldn't be a Mezzy list without these dudes. What can we say - love them. This record wasn't wall to wall awesome like most everything else they touch, but it was close. Very organic pita recording for them - not a lot of blast you in the face with a organ riff pulverized. More like, hey lets strum on this lute and Kid you play bongos sitting on this buffalo hide. A lot of the themes on this record revolve around renewal and reinventing which in a nutshell is what this band is all about. Constantly turning on its heel in a new direction. My wife HATES this band, and I can see why, they test your mind a lot - however this could be a record (much like The Wedding) that I could see her liking. Its not as abrasive and has some true magical moments buried in here. "Up With People" could have been a jam on MTV's The Grind - and "The Adversary" seriously might be in their top 3 best songs of all time. I will follow these guys anywhere.

8. Brightblack Morning Light - S/T
To give you a little background on these hippies (Nabob & Rabob!!!) - pep this: they are nomads who don't really have a set place where they live. Matador signed them when they were living in a National Park in California playing shows to animals on deserted beaches. Arthur Magazine did an article/interview with them a few months back and the interviewer met them for a week long camping trip in New Mexico where they got him higher than he has ever been in his life. They are animal activists and smoke so much pot they have Indians living in their brains. BUT WAIT, before you write them off as some hippy jam band bullshit, give them a listen. These dudes are groove masters. They find a tasty jam and ride that shit constantly evolving and oozing warm melodies and tractor beam riffs that float off into the atmosphere. The cd packaging comes with these 3d type glasses covered in wolf heads, rainbows, feathers, and pot leafs. I let Ice wear them on a road trip this year and he didn't want to give them back - insta-awesome life. You put them on, slide the record on - and you are immediately feelin' right. Transportation into a new realm, swear on it. Great summer evening jammer as the sun is going down and the brews are coooold. Best song title: "We Share Our Blanket With The Owl". Enough said.

7. The Rapture - Pieces of The People We Love
I liked this band early on when they were a Gang of Four rip, then I hated this band when they changed to dance punk, then I liked them again after I relistened to the said dance punk album, and now I will continue to like em with this release. There was a LONG time between this record and their last and I was very interested to see if they could hang. They can. A more cohesive record here - they have found ways to meld the dancy parts and the rocking parts into one tight jam. Two songs on here were produced by Danger Mouse, but to be honest - they are the two worst tracks on the album. Just don't hit. A lot of the jams here benefit from the time spent on the recording. Their influences are far and wide and somehow they make Rocket From The Crypt, James Brown, and The Cure roll into one. Hits like "Gonna Get Myself Into It" and "Whoo! Alright, Yeah...Uh Huh" (gay title) give off a sound of ESG-esque melodica jammin. Its hard not to move when you hear them. I am going to see these guys in a few weeks, I'm sure it will be a party.

6. Comets On Fire - Avatar / Howlin' Rain - S/T
I put these records together because they are all the same people essentially and they came out within a month of each other, I think. And trust me, both are bad to the bad bone. Comets are known as the bombastic ax grunge grinders from the San Fran area who will melt your face off with the blistering Big Muff frenzy. Well on Avatar Comets' truly come into their own. Blue Cathedral was my #1 record a few years back because it was just flat out insane to listen to - what sounded like 90 guitars soloing at the same time with Ethan Miller screaming magic through an echoplex - it sounded like heaven on earth to this long ago Mudhoney fan. Despite my love for that release - Avatar feels more like a complete record to me. Some freakouts are still there but the songwriting has stepped into the forefront and shows what talent they have. They arent just cosmic swirls, gigantic bass balls, and cocksure winks - these dudes have spirit and an identity. Howlin' Rain sounds like it was recorded much at the same time. Songwriting is amazing and here you can actually hear every word of Ethan's lyrics. Acid country stomp is a good way to describe it. The cover art shows a wooded cabin with a gigantic smoke cloud exiting from the front door - fitting. Side projects are weird, and usually not as good - but here it stands along side the Comets' release shoulder to shoulder. Headstrong and buzzin, this record takes you back to late 60s afternoon park concerts with some psychedelic country band hammjammin' you through the afternoon. I could see them and Oakley Hall touring together.

5. Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
Best album title of the year. What more can you really type on YLT? They fucking dominate. This is the band you always root for because, since their inception, they seem to always do things exactly right. I agree with dark - this is their best record in 10 years. The first track immediately sets the stage - 10 minute backbreaker! Steady as she goes rhythm section with Ira channeling magma from his fingertips, free willed rock school . YLT is rocking again boys, grab a twelver. Upbeat and shining forth with the smarts of a tongue in cheeky valedictorian, YLT does what they do best - craft songs that wrought emotion, make you laugh, and make you smile all within the confines of one song. Amazing. "Mr. Tough" is one of my favorite songs of the year.

4. Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
Another stalwart coming through huge in ‘06. Shit these dudes are hott. 3 albums in a row of sheer awesomeness. This one might be their most on a whole stellar work since Dirty. Shit, I mean this shit just jams. I think this is the first reocrd without O'Rourke since he joined a few years back - and with that they further slimmed down their sound. This is almost Sonic Youth Lite, not in a bad way, I swear. The longest songs on here are in the 6's but a majority of them are 3 minutes or under, which for a SY record - that's a feat. The open ended mind expansion is not lost though - simply condensed and more potent. Jams like "Incenerate" and "Jams Run Free" - Thurston just scolds you with. Ass tight rhythms, detuned madness, and peace flow straight out the speakers into your lap. You pet that shit and your hand doesnt smell funky like shit. You listen to this and it reconfirms your all time top 5 love for them.

3. Still Flyin' - Time Wrinkle EJ
Partial? Aw who gives a flying fuck? Finally a hammjamm you can hold in your hands. Its hard to describe how much I like Still Flyin' because I'm bros with them, but seriously we all know how it feels when you hear a band that just encapsulates everything you love about music. If its not fun, why do it? While some songs come off as comical as you listen to laughing at how absurdly amazing the songs are - shit settles in and you realize how well crafted songs these are. SA fucking knows what he is doing, no hog shit. All of them are my favorite songs. This band makes you wish you lived in the same town as them, not only b/c you can probably jam with them if you bring some steel drums, but also because you get to be the lucky ones hearing the new jams. Coupla Smokies blows my brain every single time. I feel like these dudes are on the edge of the gigantic catapult slam to stardom. I mean shit, you give me one person who listens to this cd, this band, these songs, this ideology and doesnt fucking fall in love with them. That person is a dildo. I don't know if I am ready for a full length, I would die. Oh yeah, killer artwork!

2. Keene Brothers - Blues And Boogie Shoes
I havent been this excited about a Pollard release in a long ass time. I've written it here before - this is like having a best of Pollard disc choc full of NEW HITS that perfectly illustrate what an amazing songwriter he is. Funny thing is, Tommy Keene (power pop grandfather) wrote all the music and Pollard just did the lyrics. This is fucking magical. I listened to this record probably 100 times this year. I once told Crog this record sounds like Pollard playing in front of the Connells. It works b/c it's the sound of early 90s guilty pleasures on Power 99 with your favorite singer ever working the hooks. Buy this record, I swear to you - you will like it, even if you are only a remote GBV/Pollard fan. This is one of his best.

1. Flip Scoldjah - Nazgul Please
Did this dude invent fantasy prog rap? What the fuck? This record destroyed me, I mean fucking obliterated my brain. I don't give a shit if I'm close bros with this dude - this hands down is the best record I have heard in YEARS. Constantly (gardening) jamming this disc over and over and over and over and never once getting sick of it or forwarding past a song. Now one of the ESSENTIAL albums in my collection. You can quote me on this - Jon is the most fucking creative person I know and I emulate (aka gank ass gank) his shit in 99% of the Brah shit that I do. If there was no him, there is no me. Ok pep this example - imagine this imaginary band lets call "The Beatles" come out with the greatest record known to man - lets call it oh - "Revolver". Cant be touched, can't and won't even be fully realized until 30 years pass - THEN just a short time later they fucking top that shit with a layer of icing called "Sgt. Peppers". BRAIN SHATTER! Well that's what Flip did with "Out Francin' Yall" & "Nazgul Please". Not only does this new record slay, but unexplainably it blows the first record out of the water. I don't know if you can fully grasp the concept of that - because his first record is so dominant. The production - fucking forget about it - dude could produce fucking tracks for Outkast. Shit is that good. Rhymes - fucking forget about it part 2 - there are countless lines that are so good they make you feel honored to know someone who came up with that mind expanding shit. What is High....What is LEARNING....WHAT IS HIGHER LEARNING!!! Seriously. You are so fucking geeked up when you put this bitch on that you sit there with the liner notes reading along with every lyric anticipating what's next like a 12 year old prepubescent boy eagerly awaiting his first glance at a boob...then he sees it - and its like 100 times cooler than he could have expected. Cold ass mind slayer, yall.


11-20 (Honorable Mentions):
Sonic Youth - The Destroyed Room - All you need to know is the full 25 minute version of The Diamond Sea is on here + SY just riffin thoughts.
Loose Fur - Born Again In The USA - Tweedy's songs here are way better than ORourke's that's the only problem. Some of his best work is found here.
Pink Mountaintops - Axis of Evol - Black Mountain dude's second solo record. Short but sweet. A little too short/half assed. Some great ass jams here tho.
Sunn O))) / Boris - ALTAR - Perfect collaboration b/w these two. Heavy as shit but beautiful and lush sounding. You'll be surprised at the elevation of this past the individual parts.
Awesome Color - S/T - People rip this band for being a Stooges rip off. Fuck them, this album is great and a raunchy sweaty look at brooklyn garage power blues.
Liars - Drums Not Dead - Didn't like this as much as their last one, but still light years ahead of other shit. They know how to craft amazing songs out of bleak space and sound nuggets.
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - Myth of the Love Electrique - The UFO returned this year with two releases, this one is much better than the other (Other side of the sky). What is cool is that the UFO bring more diversity to the songs. Flute jams even.
Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno - Starless and Black Bible Sabbath - This is the heavy shit. 2 songs - first one is just under 35 minutes long. This is their ode to Sabbath here, sludge riff bong load.
Little Brother - Commercial EP - This is a live hip hop record. Hard to imagine, but storytelling hip hop like this translates well in the live setting, not just chanting. These dudes are funny as shit too - best between song banter since Griggs.
ExcaliBrah - ExcaliBrah & The Poon Tang Clan Vol. 1.75 - Have you ever really been this gangsta? No.
The Killers - Sam's Town - Who doesnt like them now? Got this for Christmas from L and listened to it on repeat for a week straight. Bones, better song that When You Were Young.
Young Jeezy - The Inspiration - He's the mutherfuckin realist.


Disappointments:
Jay Z - Kingdom Come
Psycho & The Birds
Outkast - Idlewild


2007 Lookaheads:
Still Flyin - Za Cloud EJ
Ween - ???
RTX - Western Xterminator
si, claro - ???
Trans Am - Sex Change
Exploding Star Orchestra - We Are All From Somewhere Else
Endless Boogie - ??
Ghost - In Stormy Nights
& MUTHERFUCKING JE SUIS FRANCE - AFRIKAN MAJIK!!!


Top 10 Shows of 2006:
1. Steely Dan / Michael McDonald - 8/07/06 - Chastain Park
2. Beck *Secret Halloween Show* - 10/31/06 - The Loft
3. Echo & The Bunnymen - 6/20/06 - The Roxy
4. Bachelor Zap Weekend / Twilight Delirum - 4/28/06
5. Ween - 4/10/06 - Tabernacle (what I remember of it, yikes)
6. Wilco / Portastatic - 3/09/06 - Classic Center
7. Animal Collective - 3/19/06 - Variety Playhouse
8. Still Flyin' - 5/05/06 - Hemlock Tavern
9. Yeah Yeah Yeah's / Deerhunter - 10/14/06 - Tabernacle
10. Bob Pollard - 1/26/06 - 40 Watt  ¶ posted by Unknown at 2:48 PM