And the Thorkelson goes to....

Time for Part Two of the 2006 Thorkelson Awards. Let's jump right in, shall we?

Best Album (A): released in 2006:

James: Okay, obviously these are the best albums I listened to in 2006, which is not the same as "the best." Admittedly, there was a lot of scrambling about in December once I knew I had to rate shit. Plus I never got around to purchasing the Black Angels, or the Peter Bjorn and John albums. But anyway, here goes:


1--Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, Arctic Monkeys. Check the issue date, suckas—Jan 2006. Catchy songs that tell interesting stories. You really don’t need much more than that.


2—Black Holes And Revelations, Muse. Another UK group. Bombastic, symphonic, veering into Spinal Tap territory at times. A big sounding group that would probably have toured with Asia, if this were 1983. And that’s a compliment.

3—Get Yr Blood Sucked Out, Viva Voce. Chick and guy that rock hard. Dude’s voice could use improvement but the songs are good. Qualifies as rock, this could be played on either an alt/college radio station, or on DC101. Either way, you know?

Dan: I had a list of my top 50 albums of 2006, but I was instructed not to post them. I hate you James.

Nightlife by Erase Errata - I have no idea what people mean when they talk about "No Wave", but apparently I like it a lot. I can't believe I didn't see Erase Errata's whole set. Next time, I'll be more prepared.


Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio - Have you heard this album? No? You should.


The Big Disconnect by The Fake Accents - As you all know, I love this album. Maybe it's b/c the songs are straightforward and Pavement-esque that I wonder, "Hey, maybe it's not too late to form my own band" (it is). There's one song I could do without, but the rest are a lot of fun.

Erin:


Belle and Sebastian: The Life Pursuit (I really like this album, and I think it's the only CD I got in 2006 that didn't come from a RC member).

Jason: I would have to say "Get Lonely" by Mountain Goats. I am pretty sure it was released in 2006. Sad songs about ex-girlfriends and break-ups. I don't want Potsy to listen to it because it may depress him even more.... My other pick would be "Robbers and Cowards" by Cold War Kids. I keep going back to this one on my iPod. I cant believe you all missed the show, so sad.

Best Album (B): can be from any year.

James: I’m going to cheat here and pick two albums, Kill the Moonlight and Girls Can Tell, both by Spoon (2002 and 2001 releases, respectively). I only started paying attention to Spoon with 2005’s Gimme Fiction and I have since embraced them with the zeal of the freshly converted. No band around can touch these guys. Just as Rubber Soul and Revolver can be looked at as one double album, so too can Moonlight and Girls.

Dan: The World and Everything In It by The Oranges Band. I also discovered some good Talking Heads and Gang of Four stuff, but Rock Club isn't about to see them play anytime soon. The Oranges Band often play in DC and I'm itching to be at their next show.

Erin: In the Reins, Calexico/Iron & Wine. It's slow and moody. I can relate to that.

Jason: I started listening to a lot more Dylan after we saw that documentary. I have to say "The Times They Are a Changin'" is a fucking brilliant album. 2nd on my list would be "The Woods," by Sleater-Kinney. A tour de force of rock.

Worst Album:

James: No doubt in my mind—Empire, Kasabian. I think they were trying to be meaningful or something. A lot of quasi-deep druggy music. 2004’s Kasabian was chock-full of top hits and the show at the 9:30 was excellent. This album sucks ass, however.

Dan: Boys and Girls in America, The Hold Steady

Erin: Did the Dixie Chicks release something? If so, I vote the Dixie Chicks. I don't care how much we both dislike the President. I dislike your music more, Dixie Chicks.

Jason: That is a tough one, but I downloaded (legally) the album "Gotham" by Radio 4 (who we saw, and enjoyed at the R and R Hotel). I think I've listened to it twice. It is tiresome. Much better live.

Best Single (A): Of 2006

James:
1—"Sons and Daughters," The Decemberists. I have previously condemned this band and all its listeners as "gay", so note that it takes a big man to admit he was wrong. I am that man. This is a great song. It makes me yearn. For what, I’m not sure—grassy fields, a bowl of Special K, a good massage? Anyway, I yearn when I here it.

2—"Half the Time," Pablo. Don’t know much about this band other than a couple of songs, but this song is very catchy and the singer has a good voice. I dig this one a lot.

3—"Once And Never Again," The Long Blondes. I bought this album in my aforementioned December 2006 panic-buying spree. While good, it didn’t make the top three, but this single is fantastic. Sentimental without being cloying, wistful yet up tempo. I predict this band will be for teenaged girls what The Jam and The Smiths were for their male counterparts—massive and meaningful.

Dan: I thought about listing songs, but one really stands out for me:

"Wolf Like Me", TV On The Radio - The more I listen to TVOTR, the more I'm convinced they're mad geniuses sent from the future to save us from shitty music. Thank You future music dudes.

Erin: "Ring the Alarm!" Beyonce. She's hot, and this songs gets my attention. If you know what I mean.

Jason: My top 3, that is difficult. I am going to go with "Knife" by Grizzly Bear. A slightly trippy song that grows on you after each listen. I also really like "Harrowdown Hill" by Thom Yorke. Definitely the best single off of "The Eraser". And I going to have to agree with Jimbromski that "Sons and Daughters" by the Decemberists is a great song.

Best Single (B): can be from any year.

James: "Strasbourg," The Rakes. This is a perfect little song in punk/pop tradition of the Buzzcocks. I hate to analyze lyrics because they rarely make much sense outside of the context of the music, but this song appears to be something about East Germans resisting their totalitarian government. Or West Germans undermining their bourgeois capitalist government. Or something. As a wise man once said, you don’t spell it, you eat it.

Dan: "Clap Hands", Beck. I had never listened to his 2005 remix album, Guerito. I totally missed this song until he performed it on Saturday Night Live. One of the best SNL performances I've ever seen.

Erin: "Who Are You", The Who. It builds momentum, rocks hard, comes to a crashing crescendo. It's got all I want and need. Second choice: Bitch, The Rolling Stones. I like a song that uses a touch of profanity. You can sing along but emphasize the bad word when it comes around.

Jason: I am going to pick a song that I had not heard until 2006 (is that the idea?), although it was released much earlier. "Do You Like Me" by Fugazi. The Dischord sound at its best. That song fucking rocks.

Worst Single: 2006

James: "Yell Fire!," Michael Franti and Spearhead. I hate hippie shit like this with a passion that burns brighter than a 50 watt energy saver eco-friendly low carbon footprint lightbulb. If your song’s lyrics end up on bumper stickers sported on hybrid cars in my hometown (Takoma Park MD), then you’ve failed as a rocker. Please, retire and become a full-time activist.

Any and all songs by the Hold Steady. No need to belabor the point, I just don’t like these guys.

Dan: "South Town Girls", The Hold Steady. I despise this song. It angers me.

Erin: I think this straddled 2005 and 2006, but it sucks enough to count for both if necessary: "You're Beautiful," James Blunt. That guy makes me hate England.

Jason: I don't know. "My Humps" by the lovely Fergie. Anything by The All-American Rejects or other bands of that ilk.