12 x 12: Your favorite bloggers pick their favorite albums

Welcome to 12 X 12: The First Annual Some Velvet/I Am Fuel 2006 Year-In-Music Blogger Poll. It’s the obviously logical combination of music and accounting.

Bruce from Some Velvet Blog rocks all sorts of goodness on a regular basis over on his site and at his radio station. We had so much fun working on our massive Girl Talk post together that we once again decided to pool our creative energies to come up with our first meta-music poll (not to be confused with a Metamucil poll) for the year 2006.

Together we brainstormed a list of our blogging dream team, inviting some of the music blog world’s most respected folks to submit their favorite albums of the year. The following brave souls accepted:

Bruce from Some Velvet Blog
Heather from I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS
Chris from Gorilla vs. Bear
Duke of The Late Greats
Philabuster from Badminton Stamps
Dodge from My Old Kentucky Blog
Jennings from rbally
Chad from Everybody Cares, Everybody Understand
Eric from Can You See The Sunset From The Southside?
Cara from Scatter o’ Light
Jeff from Jefitoblog
and last but certainly not least, no poll would be complete without the spiritual guidance and participation from Jesus himself from What Would Jesus Blog?

Here’s how it worked: We asked everyone to submit their top 20 lists, assigning points to weight their votes with everyone’s #1 top-choice album getting 20 points; number two album getting 19 votes, etc.

We hired the same accounting firm that the Car Talk guys use – Dewey, Cheathem and Howe – to tally all the votes. And (drumroll please) . . . here is what we came up with.

Scientific? Sort of.
Meaningful? Surely.

Fun? You betcha.

The Top 12×12 (12 albums from 12 bloggers) of 2006

#1 -The Animal Years – Josh Ritter – 77 points
Thin Blue Flame – Josh Ritter

#2 – Post-War – M Ward – 69 points
To Go Home -M Ward

#3 – Everything All The Time – Band of Horses – 61 points
Funeral – Band Of Horses

#4 – The Warning – Hot Chip – 58 points
Just Like We (Breakdown) – Hot Chip

#5 – The Trials Of Van Occupanther – Midlake – 56 points
Many folks dig the song “Roscoe”

#6 – Hell Hath No Fury – Clipse – 52 points
Dirty Money – Clipse

#7 – Rabbit Fur Coat – Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins – 49 points
Handle With Care – Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins (and help from Conor Oberst, M Ward and Ben Gibbard)

#8 – (tie) 45 points each
Boys And Girls In America – The Hold Steady
First Night – The Hold Steady

We’re gettin’ The Band back together, dude

Via Stereogum, news of a forthcoming tribute album to The Band called Endless Highway (Jan 2007) that I’ve been streaming all morning over at the 429 Records site, enjoying tunes like:

[Stream]
Ophelia – ALO
Look Out Cleveland – Jackie Greene
Rocking Chair – Death Cab For Cutie
Whispering Pines – Jakob Dylan
Life Is A Carnival – Trevor Hall

And you’ll get a version of this one with MMJ (but the album version ain’t got no Vedder)

It Makes No Difference – My Morning Jacket with Ed Vedder
(live in Pistoia, Italy – 9/20/06)

Can’t listen to that song anymore? Neither can I.

Hands down one of the best music-related sites on the web is Ruined Music.com; I’d say it’s possibly my favorite read.

The concept is simple, and one that most of us can relate to if we have a beating & sentient heart (and truly love music): Sometimes certain songs just get ruined for us. It’s often due to love interests / crushes / convoluted relationships and resulting cry sessions or moping around with headphones on, or a variety of other situations from childhood on up, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes you just gotta fumble for that off-button with great urgency when you hear that tune.

On Ruined Music, “civilians” write in with their fantastically descriptive stories of what the specific song is that they can no longer enjoy properly, ranging from serious to funny — ruined forever. Here are some samples of the current crop, there is an endless archive that you can waste hours on (and I recommend that you do, just don’t let the bossman see):

RUINED:

I’ve been broken up and busted up since
Gold by Ryan Adams
by Jamie S.

Or, “How Ryan Adams Wasn’t Ruined By Bad Habits, But By A Girl I Dated.” That’s not entirely correct. Actually, I’m fairly sure she hasn’t ruined him, but she did ruin my experience of his music. Pretty much irreparably. And not the record you’re thinking, either. So, no, not Heartbreaker – wonderful record though it is. This is a different story.

I’m back home for the first time in two years. It’s Christmas and I’m lonely, I’m out every night . . . [full read]

*****

You want to be down with the down and in
“Losing a Whole Year” by Third Eye Blind
by Emily Hartwell Howorth

It all started with a mix tape. Sure, Buck and I had been courting each other for a while: joining each other in late night stumbles home from the campus bar, calling into each other’s radio shows to turn up the heat with increasingly obscure requests. He even learned how to play a Jen Sbragia song on his guitar for me. But the mix tape, ah, the mix tape was the signal that things were getting serious. I took the tape out of the case (with its cover-so-filled-with-strange-and-exciting-boy-handwriting) and put it in my stereo. I pushed aside the Norton Anthologies and spiral notebooks on my bed so I could fully appreciate the mix as only a collegiate girl with a crush can. And that’s when it came, somewhere at the end of Side A, between the Wedding Present and the Velvet Underground: Third Eye Blind . . . [full read]

*****

We’re the answer that came before the goal
False Cathedrals by Elliott
by Colin Smith

Maybe this story should be about that mega-hit by Jimmy Eat World, “The Middle.” It all started there – the trail of music that will remain stained with memories and regret. When we met in college, she wasn’t really into music. I lived it, breathed it. Music is, was, always has been and will be my oxygen tank. . . [full read]

*****

When darkness comes and pain is all around
“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon & Garfunkel
by Jennifer Blessman

Last week I attended a meeting held on the 38th floor of a nameless, faceless midtown skyscraper. On my way up, the elevator serenaded me with “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Muzak-style. Like most people, I can’t stand Muzak, but I absolutely cannot stomach “Bridge.” Not even in my folky college phase did I want to be in the same room with the album. The first few notes would send me screaming from the dorm, begging anyone on the quad to take me back to their lairs to listen to Public Enemy or Milli Vanilli. I don’t mean any disrespect to Messieurs Simon and Garfunkel. The album is seminal, not to mention a triumphant farewell for the artists. I get it. The problem stems from three seemingly unrelated factors coming together like the Bermuda Triangle: that song, my birth month, and the people who lived in the apartment below my parents . . . [full read]

—————————————————————————
I find it completely and wonderfully voyeuristic, like overhearing a conversation at a bar — and refreshing that so many random people in this world feel music in a way I can relate to. In every story I find some line that resonates personally (and I just found one story from someone I know — that feels a bit too personal!). You can subscribe to be emailed every time it is updated (and you should), or take the plunge and submit one of your own sordid tales.

It’s a wonderful idea, and all the passionate discourse reaffirms my faith in music. Not that I ever doubted.

SOUNDTRACK
Sad Songs & Waltzes – Cake
Don’t Listen To The Radio – The Vines

You should meet: Hymns

My friend Tom emailed me a little report from the Lemonheads show he was at last night (not good, he says), and although we differed on the glory (or lack thereof) of Evan Dando, one thing we both agreed on was opening band Hymns. Tom writes:

“Let me say if you’re thinking about going to see this tour make sure you get there in time for the opening bands, because last night at least, they were the best part of the night. Hymns started the night off with a set of songs that started off sounding like Wilco and then kind of morphed a bit into a more late 60′s sound — I really liked them. Easily ended up as best band of the night.”

I had a chance to chat with Hymns dudes Brian Harding (vox/guitar) and Jason Roberts (guitar/Wurlitzer) recently in a crowded stairwell at the Bluebird Theatre, for lack of a better place to talk. As people pressed past us, I caught up with them about their current tour and their new album Brother/Sister.

Q: After spending time apart from Hymns as Jason joined the Ben Kweller’s tour and other side projects, how has this tour been so far?

Brian: Yeah, after time apart we were a little rusty at first, definitely, but now we feel like we’ve been jelling back as a band and hit our groove again together. Lots of long drives so far on the tour, and we wrecked our van the other night on black ice! But this is the first time we’ve had this big of a crowd watching us perform, so it’s great. We’ve played some shows in the past to like 40 people, so these crowds are cool — there’s a lot of enthusiasm.

Q: What’s been your coolest moment on this Lemonheads tour so far?

Jason: Oh, I’d say on our last stop — Boise I think? In Boise, Evan [Dando] came out and sat right down in front for our set, just pulled up a chair and no one noticed. Then at the end he jumped up on stage and joined us for that Neil Young cover (Don’t Cry No Tears) that we’ve been doing. It was pretty awesome.

Q: If you had to pick two songs from your catalog to introduce people to the Hymns sound, what would you choose?

Brian: It’s A Shame & Friends of Mine. “It’s A Shame” is fun to play and was easy to record — we laid it down live for the album in about two hours. It also just got on the latest sampler CD for Paste Magazine, so we were excited about that. Yeah, our song is there right after Cat Stevens. (big grin)

Jason: I’d say It’s A Shame too, and Stop Talking.

Q: Any new materials being recorded or written?

Jason: We’d love to do another album — and we’ve already got enough for probably two new albums — but we want to give this album its time to breathe before releasing anything else. People haven’t had time to fully absorb it yet, so we’re not in a hurry.

—————————————————————————
Hymns have three shows left with the Lemonheads:
-Tonight at the Black Cat in DC
-Friday at Irving Plaza in NYC
-Saturday at the Avalon in Boston

You can listen to more Hymns on their MySpace — they’re addicted to it, so leave ‘em a comment and make their day. Their album Brother/Sister is available now from Blackland Records. And their three picks for songs you should hear:

It’s A Shame – Hymns

Friends of Mine – Hymns

Stop Talking – Hymns

New side project from Josh Rouse

Josh Rouse has been livin’ la vida buena in Spain these days (and its influences are charmingly chronicled in his recent Subtitulo release with songs like “Quiet Town” and “La Coasta Bianca”). He’s got a new little side project going with his novia española: She’s Spanish, I’m American. Just what the title implies, this is Josh pairing with Paz Suay to make some more classy tunes (she also guest-vocaled on Subtitulo).

It’s Rouse gone Putumayo, and I like it. Their EP is out on the Bedroom Classics label the day after Christmas.

[STREAM on MySpace] :
Answers – She’s Spanish, I’m American

Car Crash – She’s Spanish, I’m American

Previous duet with Paz Suay:
The Man Who Doesn’t Know How To Smile – Josh Rouse

Wednesday links

Just taking a break from my Christmas cookie baking bonanza on my day off (7 dozen. Seriously.) to relay a few bits of news to you . . .

1. Check out my guest post today over on I Guess I’m Floating as I try to help Nathaniel and Connor survive the onslaught of finals and still run a class-act blog.

2. Jesus emailed me this morning with the jubilant subject line: “pearl jam sighting! pearl jam sighting!” with a link to this trailer for the new Adam Sandler/Don Cheadle movie wherein Sandler reprises the mopeyness of his Punch Drunk Love character while channeling the fashion spirit of Bob Dylan:

Yep, I’ve never heard that one, a brand new Pearl Jam cover of The Who’s “Love, Reign o’er Me” (from Quadrophenia) with one of the best Vedder screams laid down in quite a while. Thanks, Son of God!

[mp3 audio clip, ripped from trailer]
Love, Reign o’er Me – Pearl Jam

3. Aquarium Drunkard‘s year-end top list is fantastic. Every time I read it, I want to edit mine to add some of the fantastic albums that he remembered and I missed. Check it out for all the ones I could have just as easily picked.

I’m off to eat maybe one more cookie while they are still warm. When will the internet gain the ability to pipe smells? Because oh that you could enjoy the peanutty goodness of the scents here today. My little brother Brian flies in to town tomorrow (after finally graduating from college!) and he must be feted appropriately, with masses of baked goods.

The coolest, funkiest box set unearthed this year

If I get an extra couple Jacksons stuffed in a Christmas card this year, I’ll be heading out to buy myself what sounds like the best box set in quite a while: What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves (1967-1977). Reminding me of the scenes from the fantastic documentary Scratch where DJ Shadow is digging through dusty old basements and stacks of unloved records at a Davis, CA record store, this is a collection of castoff funk & soul lovingly assembled from the vaults at Atlantic and Warner Records by Rhino Records producers Mason Williams and Matt Abels.

I first saw this mentioned in Rolling Stone, the story of all the best parts of musical archaeology brought to life. Williams and Abels spent the better part of a year unearthing songs that time has mostly moved on from: one-hit wonders, side projects of well-known artists like Sly Stone or The Meters, alternate versions of songs from soul legends like Aretha Franklin. Some of the songs are total mysteries — that is, other than the pressing of the song that exists now, no additional information could be tracked down other than the fantastic 4 minutes they left behind.

The set includes almost 100 slinky funky bass-groovin’ songs on CD or vinyl (as well as a companion set of reproduction vinyl pressings of 25 of the original singles — including their b-sides). What I’ve heard of the contents so far is absolutely fantastic and, best of all, completely fresh. It’s all the great stuff you had a feeling was out there, but was never loosed from the vaults.

This could keep me happily shakin’ it for months.

You Gotta Know Whatcha Doin’ – Charles Wright

Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Stones cover) – Ananda Shankar

Getting Uptown (To Get Down) – United 8

Whew. Yeah, it’s that good.

Stop the clocks for a little Oasis contest: Win a signed lithograph

So you didn’t win the Damien Rice lithograph? Your walls are still naked and sad? Well now you have a chance to snag yourself something with a little cool history to it, and autographed to boot (no, not by me, although I suppose that could be arranged).

The cover art for the new Oasis greatest-hits collection Stop The Clocks was designed by Peter Blake, most famous for his work on the graphic design of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band cover. I’ve got one lithograph print of the cover artwork (only 100 made) which is autographed by both Noel Gallagher and Peter Blake for your visual enjoyment, superfan satisfaction, and party conversation-starting.

As someone commented on a recent post, Oasis makes some “straight up, plug your guitar in, turn it up to 10, smack you in your face rock n roll. Need more of it. Too much of this sad sap introspective indie going around.” That made me smile.

Bear with me on this idea for how to win. Ready? Okay. If you could “stop the clocks” (groan) on one Oasis song at one specific moment, what is it? I am not looking for your favorite Oasis song per se, but your favorite moment or segment of an Oasis song. I think some of you are feelin’ me on this, you love the little moments in a song — it could be a lyric and the way it perfectly combines with a melody, a scorching bridge, a hanging silence between drumbeats, or even an exhalation at the start of a song. What’s yours from the Gallagher gents and why?

For the purposes of this contest, I’d define a “moment” as less than 30 seconds of a song, max. And the contest will run the week (through Friday) and I’ll make the decision over the weekend. Unleash your musical thinker.

The song titled “Stop The Clocks” was rumored to be on the compilation, a much-anticipated release of a song that Noel says in a typically humble and understated fashion is probably one of the best songs he’s ever written, but has never seen the official light of day. The new album was even named after it, but it was pulled from the line-up, and now exists only in poor-quality rip-off hoaxes found online. Read the whole torrid story here.

Related audio: Noel Gallagher acoustic in Toronto last month

Two things that made me laugh today

1. Stereogum (guilty pleasure) has opened the polls for their annual Gummy Awards. You can vote for the standard album of the year business, as well as fun things like indie male rock hottie (I had a hard time with that because most of those indie boy rockers are pale and bespectacled and introspective or 12 and that’s not really my thing. I remembered Trent after I submitted my ballot – can I vote again?) and indie female rock hottie (I went with the one who taught them all how to do it – Kim Gordon).

However, the very best question is the drop down menu where you get to vote for how many albums Ryan Adams should release this year. Stereogum and Ryan should just get a room and end this silly flirting.

2. Matt Costa shows up at the Spinner studios to play some tunes, and takes a little pre-show nap on the floor of their conference room (after a long night with “Jack D. and Jim B.”). The staff sneaks several pictures, which makes me laugh.

Lullaby – Jack Johnson & Matt Costa
(I wonder if he hears that sweet harmony in his head as he drifts off)

He appears to be a pretty sound sleeper, judging by the variety of pictures posted on their site. Now if only the AOL Music staff had chiefed him, that would have been perfect.

My favorites of 2006

Ah, 2006. I think it was a great year for music — but then again I think that if you’re open to listening to a whole bunch of different things without much regard for major/minor/no label, “coolness” factor, or obscurity, then every year can be a very good year.

I’ve been refreshed in 2006 to be reminded that music is literally an endless fount that is constantly gushing. You plug up one hole only to have a new leak spring up somewhere else, a new voice, a fresh sound. It’s really quite freaking fantastic.

Now of course I am not any sort of musical expert just because I tip-tap away on this blog. I am just a melodiphile (I made that word up) who loves to share — and these are the albums that I wanted to share the most this year with everyone I met, the ones I listened to over and over, and the selections that I feel have the staying power to stick with me for a while. I don’t think there’s many surprises here since I’ve been pretty verbose about all these artists.

It’s not exhaustive for all 2006 releases (and I must not be cool cuz there’s very few of these folks); it’s just my personal tops.

HEATHER’S TOP TWENTY OF 2006

20. WESTERNS EP
Pete Yorn (Columbia)
I find myself listening to this much more than Yorn’s full-length album of 2006, Nightcrawler (which does have its strong points); Westerns is a seamless little 7-song odyssey that fits together just right with all the flow that Nightcrawler lacks. Yorn called it “twang-rock” and indeed it is a golden and scratchy-warm rootsy collection of tunes. It may be a little cruel to put this on the list since I don’t think it commercially available at the moment (except to those who were fortunate enough to make it to shows on his recent tour where it was sold), but it’s out there to be found by the diligent. And worth your hunting.

The Good Advice – Pete Yorn

19. NIGHT RIPPER
Girl Talk (Illegal Art)
Undeniably exciting, a thousand samples a minute: Songs you know in ways you never thought you’d hear them. My first comment on this said “This looks horrifying,” and to please ignore the album art. And though it’s nothing I ever thought I’d put on a best-of list, I cannot deny how much I like this instant party-on-a-disc [previous post]. And I find that sometimes when I hear the original songs now, I hear this overlaying it in my mind, so it’s forever warped me. But that’s okay.

Bounce That – Girl Talk


18. THE LEMONHEADS
The Lemonheads (Vagrant)
The Lemonheads come in more flavors and incarnations than almost any other band I know of (the current lineup includes former members of The Descendents and Black Flag), but the one constant is Evan Dando and he still sounds as good as ever. After several solo albums, he’s brought back some of the rocking sounds and undeniably great pop hooks that made me love his music in the first place. I feel like I should be contentedly laying on my back on my dorm room loft bed listening to this one loudly on headphones with a huge smile on my face.

Become The Enemy – The Lemonheads

17. PEOPLE GONNA TALK
James Hunter (Rounder)
I still sometimes mistake this for Sam Cooke or Van Morrison for a split-second when it comes up on my shuffle, even though I know better. James Hunter flawlessly channels the spirits of smooth sounds from decades past with this perfect summer BBQ soundtrack. This feels like a record full of oldies that you somehow missed – you pull it out, put it on the turntable, and there is a sense of recognition, like you’ve heard them before. Solid retro-goodness.

People Gonna Talk – James Hunter

16. WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS
Eliot Morris (Universal)
I mean no disrespect to Mr. Morris by saying this, but he’s put out the best Counting Crows album of the year. By all means, he has his own unique lyrics and sound, but the similarities are undeniable — and that’s quite alright with me. The entire album is filled with great piano breaks and vocal builds, heartfelt tunes that you will have a hard time not tapping your toes to. Featuring guest appearances by Glen Phillips, Inara George, Gemma Hayes, Lisa Germano and David Immergluck, he’s got an all-star cast of friends who believe in his music, and I think we’ll definitely be hearing more from him in the future.

Anyway – Eliot Morris


15. CORINNE BAILEY RAE
Corinne Bailey Rae (Capitol)
Absolutely charming and never over-cloyingly sweet, this British belle circles back from her days of fronting a ‘90s rock band with this enchanting disc. Corinne’s smoldering voice really shines in front of these songs with a neo-soul vibe & a variety of alluring influences from rock to swing to jazz. Plus she cites the moment that she knew she had ‘arrived’ as when Eddie Vedder grabbed her for an impromptu waltz on British television, so she’s definitely a girl after my own heart.

Put Your Records On – Corinne Bailey Rae

14. ANIMAL YEARS
Josh Ritter (V2)
From the first time I heard Ritter’s epic song “Thin Blue Flame,” I knew I had heard something special and unique. Ritter comes from the heartlands of America with a rambling folk masterpiece of sweeping lyrical panoramas and intelligent, thoughtful songwriting. A light hand in production by Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine) gives these tracks an immediate and unrehearsed quality. Literate and eminently listenable, this is an album whose depths I still feel I haven’t completely plumbed despite multiple listens. And I love that richness.

Girl In The War – Josh Ritter


13. RATHER RIPPED
Sonic Youth (Geffen)
It’s a rather formidable task to remain as consistently good as Sonic Youth, with their own distinctive fuzz-laden sound, and yet keep exploring new boundaries and sounds after 25+ years and as many records. With Rather Ripped, Sonic Youth has shown that they are still absolutely unlike any other rock band out there, with a foot strongly in the art-experimental rock world, but with compelling rhythms and harmonic guitars that still seems to talk to each other; a parallel story being told alongside the singing of Thurston Moore or rock-goddess Kim Gordon. Incinerate indeed.

Incinerate – Sonic Youth


12. SUPPLY AND DEMAND
Amos Lee (Blue Note)
I still think his debut album is pretty hard to top, but Amos Lee brings back that achingly incisive tenor and a gentle soul vibe (with tinges of gospel) to his sophomore album. A former schoolteacher from Philadelphia whose debut album first blew me away one rainy weekend in Seattle, Lee returns with another collection of heartbreaking songs — although he’s having a little bit more fun this time around (check out the delightful “Sweet Pea” with ukulele). The way he sings the simplest lyrics on this album just devastate me: “Now she’s left me for something more sure . . . I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

Skipping Stones – Amos Lee


11. TOWER OF LOVE
Jim Noir (Barsuk)
An exceedingly fresh sound from this 24-year-old from Manchester who clearly has done his sonic homework, and that BBC named “the musical oddball find of the decade.” The base of the album is formed from typical guitar pop with some heavy ‘60s undertones, but updated with elements of indie electronica. Noir sings winsome odes to his computer and how difficult it can be, the musical note of C and how “it’s easier to sing it,” and other minor things in life that often go unnoticed, or at least unsung. Fun but never silly, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Key of C – Jim Noir

10. THE GREATEST
Cat Power (Matador)
There’s an instantly-recognizable way that Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) can nail a note with that melancholy voice of longing; it’s distinctive, it’s brutal, it’s fantastic. While this album still has the elegiac piano ballads and the wrenching rainy-day songs that I love about her, we also see Chan kicking it up into a bit more of a romp with brass-heavy swingers like “Could We” or soulful jukebox grooves like “Lived in Bars.” Recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis (made famous by Stax Records) with Al Green’s musicians, that soul is painted all over here in wide strokes. It’s a delicious album which still retains her trademark suggestive longing, but it’s a longing you can mooooove to.

Lived in Bars – Cat Power

9. AMERICAN V: A HUNDRED HIGHWAYS
Johnny Cash (Lost Highway)
This is a gritty posthumous release from The Man. Not even “The Man In Black,” he’s just The Man in my book. Each song possesses both a surety and a sadness (like the picture on the cover). As Stephen King recently wrote, “This is the voice of an Old Testament prophet on his deathbed, eerie and persuasive, full of power and dust and experience.” I admire how Cash wasn’t afraid to experiment with different sounds, even right up to the end of this life. Many songs on this album are comforting in their traditional Cash feel (even his take on Springsteen’s “Further On Up The Road” sounds like his own), but each album in this American series has had a few tracks that were unexpected (note the stomp-clap worksong feel of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”). What a legend.

God’s Gonna Cut You Down – Johnny Cash


8. AMERICAN MYTH
Jackie Greene (Verve Forecast)
Kid’s all of 26, skinny as they come, but despite his unformidable presence he rocks and he wails as he creates rambling jewels of songs with a wisdom and a mastery that is well beyond his years. Discovered by Dig Records at an open mic in California’s Central Valley, then garnering rave reviews for his performance at a Bob Dylan tribute, Greene has released a string of albums with strong blues influence and folk-rock sensibilities. American Myth continues to showcase his abilities to let it loose on the harmonica or the keys, he tells rich stories with a lyrical depth and a rockin’ feel.

Farewell, So Long, Goodbye – Jackie Greene

7. BEDROOM CLASSICS, VOL. 2 EP
Josh Rouse (Bedroom Classics)
Rouse’s other 2006 release Subtitulo had some ace tracks and was in the running for this list, but overall I just love the vibe and feel of this little collection more, which the talented Rouse says was largely inspired by his love of film scores. It’s indeed cinematic the way the songs blend pleasantly together under a common theme, and although two of the songs are strictly instrumental, they nonetheless speak volumes. Superb and atmospheric, the EP paints an intimate downtempo picture with that smooth-as-butter voice.

The Last Train – Josh Rouse


6. DOG PROBLEMS
The Format (Nettwerk)
I became obsessively addicted to The Format after seeing them perform most of the songs off this album live, where they spring to life in front of a full band (of 9 people or more at times), with a charismatic lead singer and plenty of opportunities for audience participation. No sophomore slump here, The Format have put out an effervescent disc of sheer pop goodness. Sometimes it sounds like a circus of trumpets, accordions, and xylophones, and sometimes they channel Queen a bit (and I really don’t even like Queen), but there is no denying the well-crafted nature of their songs, the creative lyricism, and the downright danceability.

She Doesn’t Get It – The Format

5. BOYS AND GIRLS IN AMERICA
The Hold Steady (Vagrant)
I was surprised by this one, which at first I wasn’t sure I’d like – but it irresistibly taps into something within me that I can’t even describe. This album makes me feel sad sometimes, and captures the urgent moments of youth — like I want to drive off somewhere at night and drink in a dimly-lit bar, and lose myself in the loudness of the music to ease the sadness. Craig Finn is a master with the details in his story-songs, and these are some of the best lyrics all year, hands down. Start with “Stuck Between Stations,” the first track on the album: “Most nights were crystal clear, but tonite its like it’s stuck between stations on the radio. . .”

Stuck Between Stations – The Hold Steady

4. BEN KWELLER
Ben Kweller (Red Ink/ATO)
A magnetic and well-crafted pop album from former wunderkind rock prodigy Ben Kweller, the songs here are catchy and melodically expansive, with new levels of depth in the words — plus Ben plays every single instrument on the album himself. That’s dang impressive since it sounds so good. I’ve listened to this album over and over and I don’t foresee getting tired of it anytime soon.

Penny On The Train Track – Ben Kweller


3. OPEN SEASON: REMIXES AND COLLABS
Feist (Arts & Crafts)
With all charming honesty, Feist says of this album, “At first I didn’t really understand what remixes were. If I squinted into the air I knew I could hear old songs with added beats piping out of radios, but I didn’t know why or how that happened. It was so bizarre and exciting to hear a song that we had so carefully dressed, be undressed and re-addressed, and put into clothes it would have never thought to wear on its own.” As if I didn’t have enough reasons to love her with Let It Die, here those songs take on added dimensions, with her transcendent and throaty voice layered over it all. Irresistible.

Mushaboom (Postal Service remix) – Feist


2. PEARL JAM
Pearl Jam (J Records)
Just don’t call them the grandfathers of grunge. In being as unbiased as I can with Pearl Jam, I will enthusiastically say that this is without a doubt their tightest effort in years, scorching and soaring back into #1 with passion and style. From the opening gates with the incendiary howls let loose on “Life Wasted” and “World Wide Suicide,” through the gorgeous Beatlesesque “Parachutes” and the absolutely masterful blues-soul ballad “Come Back,” there is a lot to love on this superb disc, which shows that after fifteen years they undeniably still have It.

Marker In The Sand – Pearl Jam

1. POST-WAR
M. Ward (Merge)
I cannot get enough of this album. With all its warm textures and fuzzy goodness, rich songwriting detail — hands down the best thing to spin my turntables this year. M. Ward has crafted a distinctive album permeated with a humid beauty and a close immediacy that recalls sounds of eras past, but with an edge that’s all his own. So much to love here: from the Daniel Johnston cover “To Go Home” which thrums along to borderline dischordant piano and Neko Case on BGVs, or the spirited and loose harmonies of “Magic Trick” about a girl whose only skill is the way she disappears (co-written with Jim James from My Morning Jacket) — the varied tracks all work together in a very compelling way. If you only pick up one new album this year, make it this one.

To Go Home – M. Ward

Thanks for playing along this year, and I’ll certainly lay awake tonight rehashing what I may have forgotten on this list, endlessly rearranging the list in my borderline OCD mind. I still have dozens of albums that I haven’t had a chance to listen to yet from this year. I am sure that there are favorites I haven’t even met yet.

Bring on 2007.