To my ears 2006 was one of the standout years of the decade- time will tell if revisionist history proves me right or wrong. The year lacked any clear cut standout albums that other years in the 00’s had- there was no “Kid A”, “Funeral”, “Stankonia”, or “Merriweather Post Pavilion”- though stellar albums by TV On the Radio, Clipse & Ghostface Killah came close. What 2006 lacked lacked in those standout albums it made up for in the sheer quality, diversity and depth of excellent albums and songs- my list of great songs from 2006 goes on for so long would take me 20 volumes of my mixes to cover everything.
High quality pop music was massively abundant in ’06- much more so than today (in 2010). Great songs with an R&B/Hip Hop bent by artists like Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Beyonce, Ciara and (even one great song from) Christina Aguilera as well as lesser names like Christina Millian, Cassie & Cherish were all over the airwaves. Amy Winehouse was able to bring a fresh approach to old school soul to huge sales and popularity both in the U.S. and the U.K.- her native country. Lily Allen, another young Brit, took her sassy, upfront reggae flavored pop to the top of the British charts as well- less successful but still notable in the U.S. The U.K’s most successful new band in a long while were the Arctic Monkeys who set U.K. sales records with their debut album- a fresh take on Strokes influenced indie-rock told through the eyes of pub crawling, skirt chasing 18 and 19 year olds.
2006 was also the real start of the post-Katrina Bush malaise. While many people were disillusioned throughout his administration the vast majority of the rest of the country seemed to catch up in ’06. To me “Return to Cookie Mountain” perfectly captured the sound, the frustrations and the indignation of what it was like to be living in America in the middle of quite a nasty decade, under an administration you were hardly proud of. The Thermals “The Body, the Blood, the Machine” took the right wing, especially the religious right, head on helping (along with people like Jon Stewart and Bill Maher) people like me feel more sane. Other albums like “Silent Shout” by The Knife (though they come from Sweden) and “Blood Mountain” by Mastodon captured the eeriness (with the former) and the gloom, anger and escapism (with the latter) of the age.
“Hell Hath No Fury” by Clipse, my pick for album of the year, was also a signifier of the times. While the entire lyrical content of the album was about drug pushing and the lifestyle that goes with it, there was an ominour tone throughout- consequences for the protagonists’ actions and a feeling that things would ultimately not end up well. That’s a far cry from most of the celebratory rap of the previous 10 years- drug rap and otherwise. The year saw some other great releases by The Roots, the aforementioned Ghostface Killah and J Dilla along with a top shelf mix-tape from the increasingly popular Lil Wayne. Though high quality releases all there was not a blockbuster in the bunch. T.I. was the only high quality rap release that year to achieve blockbuster status- this would be the beginning of rap’s waning dominance of the charts.
Every artist/band mentioned below is still making making music today with the exception of the sadly deceased Dilla, Amy Winehouse who is a big question mark due to her mental health and addictions and Be Your Own Pet who broke up. Some of the artists like Phoenix and Grizzly Bear have made superior albums since. All of the below music still carries influence today. We’ll just have to see which ones end up emerging as the greats of their age.
Amy Winehouse- Back to Black
Buy Back to Black – Amy Winehouse
Buy Back to Black
Beyonce- B’Day
Buy B’Day – Beyoncé
Buy B’Day
Phoenix- It’s Never Been Like That
Buy It’s Never Been Like That – Phoenix
Buy It’s Never Been Like That
The Thermals- The Body, the Blood, the Machine
Buy The Body, the Blood, the Machine – The Thermals
Buy Body the Blood the Machine
Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Buy Fox Confessor Brings the Flood – Neko Case
Buy Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Peter Bjorn & John- Writer’s Block
Buy Writer’s Block – Peter Bjorn and John
Buy Writer’s Block
Grizzly Bear- Yellow House
Buy Yellow House – Grizzly Bear
Buy Yellow House
Belle & Sebastian- The Life Pursuit
Buy The Life Pursuit (Bonus Tracks) – Belle and Sebastian
Buy Life Pursuit
Mastodon- Blood Mountain
Buy Blood Mountain
The Knife- Silent Shout
Buy Silent Shout
Clipse- Hell Hath No Fury
Buy Hell Hath No Fury – Clipse
Buy Hell Hath No Fury
J Dilla- Donuts
Buy Donuts – J Dilla
Buy Donuts
Band of Horses- Everything All the Time
Buy Everything All the Time – Band of Horses
Buy Everything All the Time
TV On the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
Buy Return to Cookie Mountain – TV On the Radio
Buy Return to Cookie Mountain (with Bonus Tracks)
Ghostface Killah- Fishscale
Buy Fishscale – Ghostface Killah
Buy Fishscale
Arctic Monkeys- Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
Buy Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not – Arctic Monkeys
Buy Whatever People Say I Am Thats What I Am Not
The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America
Buy Boys and Girls In America – The Hold Steady
Buy Boys & Girls in America
Be Your Own Pet- Be Your Own Pet
Buy Be Your Own Pet – Be Your Own Pet
Buy Be Your Own Pet (Dig)
Lily Allen- Alright, Still
Buy Alright, Still – Lily Allen
Buy Alright, Still
The Roots- Game Theory
Buy Game Theory (Bonus Track Version) – The Roots
Buy Game Theory