Overstreet lists 2006's best

[Josh]

Jeffrey Overstreet kicks off the new year with a look back at 2006.

Generally, his list and my list look very similar. That's not really going to be the case this year, but his list is still a lot of fun, filled with surprising and sometimes very inspired choices. I can't say that I agree with it all, but it's a great list just the same.

(Incidentally, my list may not look much like Jeff's, but it's going to look A LOT like Andy Whitman's.)

[schilleriana]

the most surprising thing: his essential tracks for the Bob Dylan album are Bluer, Spark, Hush Now (Stella's Tarantella), and Little Did I Know. (edited to add: it's edited now.)

wow. I just now noticed that the Neko Case album and Kim Taylor album tied. I'm not sure what I think about that.

[bloop]

I rather like his list, but he missed the best track on Modern Times ("Ain't Talkin'"). 

[Josh]

He quotes some lyrics from "Ain't Talkin'"-- just not the song title.

And Schil, for what its worth, I think the Kim Taylor album is much better than the Neko one-- as you will see when I post my list this evening. 

[murlough23]

Wow. His top three are all singers whose voices I can't stand. I guess that's why I never pay attention to Overstreet any more.

[bloop]

and part of the reason I do (their unique voices, not the fact that you don't care for them).  They're all artists that deserve respect at the very least.

I remember liking a Kim Taylor bootleg I got.  I need to hear that album, but I have my doubts that it (or much of anything) is much better than Neko Case's album.

[schilleriana]

I was glad to see Orphans at the top of the list. generally I don't tend to care for "ugly" vocals, but I love a lot of what Tom Waits does.

I'm looking forward to your list and thoughts on the Kim Taylor album, Josh!

just thinking through the Kim Taylor/Neko case thing, Neko's album was my introduction to her music and I love her voice and songwriting. the album stood out to me as being very strong. I don't have anything else to compare it to. whereas with Kim Taylor's music, I have been listening to concert recordings almost constantly since I heard her open for OtR over a year ago. I had noticed that her studio album and EP have a different sound and flavor to them than the live stuff and generally preferred the live stuff despite the lower sound quality. sometimes the performances were solo and sometimes they were with a drummer or pianist or with a drummer and guitarist or sometimes even with a full band, and I love listening to the same songs done slightly differently. it impresses me that the same song can sound just as powerful when it's just Kim and her guitar as it does with a full band backing her up.  any time there was a new recording of one of her shows, I would grab it right away and listen for new songs and speculate about which ones might be on the new album. several of my favorites didn't make it, and some of my other favorites made it but I didn't care for the production on them. it's just that I think the emotion comes through a lot stronger on the live recordings. it seems that she sings differently, louder and more passionately, live than in the studio. I am sure the "this is what I like since this is what I'm used to" factor is pretty high, and I should probably experiment with not listening to the boots for a while and then listening to the album with new ears. 

anyway, I'm happy her album has gotten many favorable reviews from music critic folks.    if Overstreet had put one album over the other I wouldn't have thought twice about it...okay, I would have just been "yay, cool! two more artists I love are on the list!" but seeing them tied was like "wha?" (personally, I seem to be incapable of putting things in any sort of numbered list because of the appleness and orangeness of it all.)

[Josh]

And now... Hurst lists 2006's best.

My year-end music wrap-up is online, complete with my favorite albums of the year and a few other musings.

[bloop]

I loved reading that, even the part where you bagged Radiohead for the strange crime of being less than inspirational, or whatever (at least it was in service of praising my favorite album of the year).  I liked the juxtaposition in your "things I've learned" segment.

I really need to finish up my own year-end list before 2007 is halfway over, but older favorites seem to be calling me more lately.

[Josh]

Bloop, the Radiohead album I was "bagging" is one of my all-time Top Ten, and I'd rank it above that TVotR album in a heatbeat, so any criticism I have of it is most assuredly minor! (To be more explicit, I don't for a second expect all my music to be straightforwardly inspirational, but I think the TVotR album *is*, while the Radiohead album isn't, and I think that's a key difference between the two.)

[murlough23]

and part of the reason I do (their unique voices, not the fact that you don't care for them).  They're all artists that deserve respect at the very least.

And I don't disrespect those artists. I just can't listen to them for very long.

I don't mean to disrespect Overstreet, either, but with him it's kind of like going to a guy who has owned and loved several station wagons to ask what kind of sports car you should buy. He knows his niches well, but he's probably not going to come up with a lot of recommendations that are going to work for me. I have my own niches, so that's fine.

Josh's list is also about as divergent from mine as I've come to expect after previous years, but he does have some things on his list (most notably The Hold Steady) that I really should check out. If a rock album can beat out all the sparse folk and jazz on his list, then it must be pretty damn good.

Oh, and Josh, the comment about Jars, specifically mentioning "All My Tears" warmed my heart. That was my #2 favorite song of the year and I'm seriously thinking it should be played at my funeral someday.

[Josh]

As I suggested in the article, I think the Jars album is inconsistent, but when it works, man, it REALLY works. I like their cover of "All My Tears" better than I do Emmylou's-- and that Emmylou album is one of my all-time favorites, so that's pretty high praise coming from me.

I note in passing that, out of my Top 13 albums of the year, only two fall under the category of sparse, quiet, folk/jazz albums that I've developed a reputation for liking. And indeed, I DO like that kind of music, but I think my list this year shows how much my tastes have expanded over the past few years.

[murlough23]

I note in passing that, out of my Top 13 albums of the year, only two fall under the category of sparse, quiet, folk/jazz albums that I've developed a reputation for liking. And indeed, I DO like that kind of music, but I think my list this year shows how much my tastes have expanded over the past few years.

I stand corrected. I have no idea who most of those people are, so I was going off of what I knew from previous years.

By the way, I finally did listen to Morph the Cat, and I have to say I thought it was about the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. Outside of the CCM world, anyway. Sorry.

[bloop]

If you expand quiet folk/jazz to a broader singer-songwriter approach to music, you do have quite a bit from that sphere, and there's nothing wrong with that.

And I don't disrespect those artists.

I know what you mean here, but I didn't say merely not to disrespect them - that's putting it too negatively.  It goes beyond that in that I think they deserve respect (as opposed to just a lack of disrespect) because of their contributions to the music world at large.

By the way, I finally did listen to Morph the Cat, and I have to say I thought it was about the dumbest thing I'd ever heard. Outside of the CCM world, anyway. Sorry.

Really?  I like Steely Dan, so that was one of those albums I wanted to get to sometime this year and never did.

If a rock album can beat out all the sparse folk and jazz on his list, then it must be pretty damn good.

It's as he said - likely the best rock album of the year.  I prefer TV on the Radio for the experimental angle of their music, but The Hold Steady is usually the one I'll pick up for any casual listening.

[murlough23]

I know what you mean here, but I didn't say merely not to disrespect them - that's putting it too negatively.  It goes beyond that in that I think they deserve respect (as opposed to just a lack of disrespect) because of their contributions to the music world at large.

I have tons of respect for Johnny Cash. The other two (Waits and Dylan), I don't know as much about. I respect that they're folk heroes who have influenced a lot of other musicians, some of whom I listen to and enjoy and who wouldn't be where they are without those guys. But that doesn't mean I'll always want, or have time, to go back and listen to the source of inspiration. It's good for me to understand where it comes from, but really, there are so many classic artists who "deserve my respect", and there's no way I'd ever get around to exploring all of them. I can respect them, but I can't really talk about them too much or I'll sound like a poseur who obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. So I'll just say, they've done good things and influenced artists I love, but I can't handle these particular singing voices, no disrespect intended, it just isn't for me.

Really?  I like Steely Dan, so that was one of those albums I wanted to get to sometime this year and never did.

You may have a better frame of reference than I did. All I knew was that the album came highly recommended from a few folks here, so I gave it a whirl, just vaguely knowing what kind of music it was. I'll admit that smooth jazz is not, and never will be, my cup of tea, even if I can respect that the musicians are talented at what they do. Perhaps it's meant to be a fun and lighthearted outing, but I thought the lyrics were beyond stupid in most cases (and perhaps there's some context to those lyrics that makes sense if you've been a Steely Dan fan for X number of years - I certainly know some Dream Theater songs would really sound idiotic if you had never listened to the band before.)

[Josh]

If you expand quiet folk/jazz to a broader singer-songwriter approach to music, you do have quite a bit from that sphere, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Insofar as most, perhaps even all of the albums I listed are, in my estimation, very strong from both a songwriting and vocal perspective, yes. If we're talking about singer/songwriter as a genre of music, though, then I contend that Jolie Holland, Kim Taylor, and some of the Tom Waits material are the only ones in my Top 13 that qualify.

By the way murlough, I definitely think the Donald Fagen album is meant to have a lot of humor. The title cut is somewhat tongue in cheek, "H Gang" is certainly light-hearted, and "What I Do" and "Security Joan" are both story-songs based on premises that are meant to be a little quirky. "Brite Nightgown," meanwhile, is based on a quote from a famous comedian, and is meant to be a playful song about death. The other three tracks, I think, are meant to be a bit more on the serious side.

[Wildcatblue7]

Yeah...Donald doesn't seem to take himself too seriously, especially not if you've read his Steely Dan-era lyrics.

And by the way, Mur, not to get all genre-snob on you but SD and DF =\= smooth jazz.  They were probably the forerunners of the genre, but they recruited guys who could actually play jazz--true jazz--artfully and true to its original form, not smarmy smooth jazz hacks.  (Sorry, sore spot of mine...I LOVE the Dan and utterly detest the crap that is smooth jazz.  Anyways.

[murlough23]

By the way murlough, I definitely think the Donald Fagen album is meant to have a lot of humor.

That's fine, but humor is usually funny.

And by the way, Mur, not to get all genre-snob on you but SD and DF =\= smooth jazz.

I don't say "smooth jazz" to be derisive. The hacks in that genre are knock-offs of talented players who can do it right, but even the talented players who can do it right apparently don't appeal to me, which is why I file it under "not for me" instead of displaying it in my Music Journal with a low grade. It's jazz and it's smooth. I don't see the need to be all particular about the genre naming conventions here.

[bloop]

At this point, we must note that there are different kinds of "funny" that may or may not appeal to a particular audience.  See our discussion of "Pulp Fiction".

[murlough23]

At this point, we must note that there are different kinds of "funny" that may or may not appeal to a particular audience.  See our discussion of "Pulp Fiction".

Which is why I made the comment about context. It may just be that some prior familiarity with Steely Dan or with Fagen's solo work helps that album to go down easier. Or at least some prior admiration for the genre, which I admit to not having. To me, the "funny" songs didn't play as that, other than the title track. Songs like "H Gang" and "What I Do" just sounded like extremely misplaced braggadocio, which is something I can only appreciate in a song when it's obviously facetious.

[Nathan]

Well I'm glad of Overstreet's list simply because from it I heard of My Brightest Diamond, which so far (half way through Bring Me the Workhorse for the first time) is a fine find.

NP: "Freat Out" - MBD

[dgp11776]

Here is my Year in Review.  Maybe this thread should be renamed and we can put all of ours in here?

Top 30
1.  Mars ILL - PRO*PAIN  10.00 (In my opinion, the greatest hip-hop album of all time.)
2.  Sleeping At Last - Keep No Score  9.50  (Complex song structures, beautiful lyrics & music - compelling and stirring.)
3.  Jars of Clay - Good Monsters  9.25  (Another great album to add to their catalog.  Nice blend of rock, pop, folk, and country.)
4.  House of Heroes - Say No More  9.25  (Fantastic modern rock with great vocals and instrument chops.)
5.  The Listening - Rock 'N Roll Worship Circus Becomes 'The Listening'   9.25  (Moody, dark, brooding "worship" music.  Completely outdistances the predecessor.)
6.  Copeland - Eat, Sleep, Repeat  9.25  (Sometimes out in left field experimental music blended with hooky pop twists.)
7.  mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister  9.25  (More singing, less yelling.  Music is top notch as always, lyrics are mind-bending.)
8.  Band Marino - The Sea & The Beast  9.25  (As I've said before, The Decemberists minus underwear references.)
9.  Mute Math - Mute Math  9.00  (Modern pop-rock which recalls The Police and classic U2.)
10.  Diana Krall - From This Moment On  9.00  (Nice big-band sound on top of her excellent, smoky voice and piano.)
11.  Page France - Hello, Dear Wind  9.00  (Laid-back folk with enough variety to make me happy.)
12.  Los Lonely Boys - Sacred  9.00  (Tex-rock at just about its finest.)
13.  Anathallo - Floating World  9.00  (Schizo-folk.  Nice horn section)
14.  Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome:  The Seeger Sessions  9.00  (Nice country-rock-folk mixture that works with his voice.)
15.  Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country  9.00  (Great new indie pop/country music.)
16.  Red Umbrella - Wishing For Boardwalk  9.00  (The Killers + Coldplay + The Arcade Fire + their own sound.)
17.  Fair - The Best Worst Case Scenario  9.00  (Aaron Sprinkle is back!  Pop-rock excellence.)
18.  Vienna Teng - Dreaming Through the Noise  9.00  (Beautiful piano & vocals, compelling stories.)
19.  Switchfoot - Oh! Gravity  9.00  (Nice musical variety, complex time signatures here and there, addictive hooks.)
20.  Danielson - Ships  8.75  (Sufjan Stevens on acid.)
21.  Lonely Hearts - Paper Tapes  8.75  (Nice Americana rock sound.)
22.  Edison Glass - A Burn Or A Shiver  8.75  (Indie rock in the Sleeping At Last vein (Ghosts-era).)
23.  The Elms - The Chess Hotel  8.75  (Punchy, raw 70's style rock that doesn't let up.)
24.  Tyler Burkum - Demo LP  8.75  (Audio Adrenaline's guitarist with mostly acoustic guitar & vocals.  Great romantic lyrics, nice vocals & guitar work.)
25.  Starflyer 59 - My Island  8.75  (More of the same for SF59, which is a good thing.)
26.  Jonezetta - Popularity  8.75  (Dance-hall pop-rock that will stick in your head for days on end.)
27.  Robert Randolph & The Family Band - Colorblind  8.75  (Funk, blues, jazz, gospel, rock, pop, etc.  Great variety.)
28.  downhere - Wide Eyed and Mystified  8.75  (Supreme vocals & great music outweigh some lyrical generalities.)
29.  Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood  8.75  (Yes, I like some countryish music.  Her voice puts me in a daze.)
30.  Mars ILL - Old Ironsides  8.75  (Late-2006 surprise album shows the talent of this duo.  More blues from DJ Dust than ever before.)

Pleasant Surprises (Albums I didn't expect much from)
Copeland - Eat, Sleep, Repeat
mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister
Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome:  The Seeger Sessions
Tyler Burkum - Demo LP
Skillet - Comatose
Dead Poetic - Vices
Pivitplex - The King In A Rookery
Newsboys - Go
Daughtry - Daughtry

Unpleasant Surprises (I expected more, and was letdown)
Ron Sexsmith – Time Being
Sufjan Stevens - Songs For Christmas
Chris Tomlin - See the Morning
GRITS - Redemption
Caedmon's Call - In The Company of Angels II - The World Will Sing
Gaither Vocal Band - Give It Away
Third Day - Christmas Offerings
By the Tree - World On Fire
Yellowcard - Lights and Sounds
Sarah Kelly - Where the Past Meets Today
Michael W. Smith - Stand
Avalon - Stand

Good Newbies (Heard these artists for the first time in 2006, and will check them out again)
Band Marino
Page France
Camera Obscura
Red Umbrella
Fair
Danielson
Edison Glass
Jonezetta
Neko Case 
Hundred Year Storm
This Day and Age
Times After Dusk
Sarah Harmer
KT Tunstall
Gnarls Barkley
After the Sirens
DecembeRadio
The Classic Crime
Leeland
Jolie Holland
Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins
Hem

Bad Newbies (Heard for the first time in 2006, and probably won't anymore)
Circleslide
The Turning
Orson
Dalton
Matisyahu 
NEEDTOBREATHE
Run Kid Run
Flatfoot 56
Cross Culture
Hyper Static Union
Taylor Hicks
Life of Riley
eleventyseven
Ana Laura
Brandtson

Other Good Stuff
Delirious? - Now Is the Time - Live at Willow Creek   (The best live music DVD I own.)
Deas Vail - Collapse EP  (Great potential - can't wait for their label debut.)
Future of Forestry - Future of Forestry EP  (Pointed to Twilight, which is excellent.)
Leigh Nash - Wishing For This EP  (Best Christmas album of the year.)
Over the Rhine - Snow Angels  (Best full-length Christmas album of the year.)