Duval. James Duval
< author: duval >The following Top Ten of 2006 list is a blatant plug for my show “Off The Record”, which you can hear every Friday from 3 to 7 PM at www.woduradio.com. (Yes, Virginia, Old Dominion University still has a radio station!) To give you an idea of what my show sounds like, I’ve submitted this “alternate” Top Ten List. Sure, I loved The Knife, both Boris albums, TV on the Radio, etc. too, but they’ll be on everyone’s list. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy these choices as much as I have. In no particular order:
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1. Man Man Six Demon Bag MP3 | Black Mission Goggles |
| This was one of the hardest albums to listen to this year with Ships coming in at a close second. Van Helsing Boombox was perhaps the most accessible track on the record, but there was no MP3 available for it. Instead, you get Black Mission Goggles which comes complete with primal grunts, spidery guitars, jungle drums, and lyrics like “Sky is falling like a sock of cocaine…” WHAT? |
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2. Michael Leviton My Favorite Place To Drown MP3 | Summer’s The Worst |
| This album was full of the most non-emo, heart-on-my-sleeve and it’s been broken lyrics this year. Aside from a few instances of accompaniment and one electric “reprise” of a song that appears mid-way through the album, this is ukelele-driven beach pop — a phrase I never thought I’d hear myself utter. |
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3. The Gothic Archies The Tragic Treasury: Songs From A Series of Unfortunate Events MP3 | Myspace |
| For the past 7 years, Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields has recorded a song for each of the audiobook versions of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. This album compiles all 13 of those songs along with 2 additional tracks. Each one sounds like the writing of Edward Gorey put to music, be it awash in synths, accordion, or electric sitar. If you like any of the projects Stephin Merritt has involved himself in, you can’t go wrong here. |
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4. Islands Return to the Sea MP3 | Myspace |
| In 2006, from the ashes of the Unicorns came Islands. This was my first favorite album of 2006 from the first track to the last. You had calypso, hip-hop, faux-country, and at 9 1/2 minutes, the first (and still my favorite) ridiculously long intro track of the year. |
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5. MEW …And The Glass-Handed Kites MP3 | Myspace |
| These Danes somehow combined the synth washes and hairstyles of Queensryche with shoegaze music and got away with it. Bonus points for digging up J. Mascis for the track Why Are You Looking Grave? The whole album segues together into one 54-minute |
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6. Girl Talk Night Ripper MP3 | Hold Up |
| What can I say about this album that hasn’t been said? How about, in my opinion, he makes a lot of these songs which I can’t stand in their original forms (I’m talking to you, Diddy…or whatever it is this week) sound MUCH MUCH better. |
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7. Candy Bars On Cutting Ti-gers in Half And Understanding Narravation MP3 | Violets |
| I dug this CD out of another DJ’s (who will remain nameless) reject pile. Normally, I have a problem with this sort of lo-fi, baroque, folk-like, dream-pop. Not sure what sold me on this one, but it has remained in heavy rotation since August. |
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8. Destroyer Rubies MP3 | Myspace |
| Dan Bejar sang on one of my favorite CDs from last year (Twin Cinema), so it semed like a logical step for me to check out Destroyer. It took me awhile to get past the fact that his “singing” in his band is a bit more like talking over the music. I haven’t heard lyrics go against the music like this since Leonard Cohen, who his writing style reminds me of too. “Have I told you lately that I love you? Did I fail to mention there’s a sword hanging above you?” |
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9. 65daysofstatic One Time For All Time MP3 | Myspace |
| “Hey! You got your IDM in my post-rock!” “Hey! You got your post-rock in my IDM!” |
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10. Scott Walker The Drift MP3 | The Drift Mini-Page |
| Originally, I had slated the 10th and final spot for LCD Soundsystem’s 45:33. Then, I read the Post-It that told me this album “DEMANDS to be heard!” Ok, Relative staff, I’ll obey. This album is heavy in ways that Sunn0)), Boris, Khanate, Isis, etc. can only dream of. Scott Walker left his folksy, solo guitar roots behind about 40 years ago to explore the works of Jacques Brel. As a result, his music grew darker and heavier. If you think the vocal stylings and subject matter of Antony are too subdued, try Scott Walker on for size. Benito Mussolini is dragged through the streets of Italy while Walker’s percussionist punches raw meat in time. Al Jolson and Joe Jones declare their desire to punch donkeys in the street. This album is INTENSE! |