Grex Music Conference

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Grex Music Item 34: Favorite Albums and Songs of 2006 [linked]
Entered by krj on Wed Jan 3 00:01:27 UTC 2007:

OK, music fans!  It's time to get those "best of 2006" lists turned in!

By my rules, it's a 2006 album if you acquired it in 2006, but feel
free to use your own rules.

Please try to say something about each entry so this doesn't become
just a dry list of titles.  Music tastes are so fragmented these days
that few readers are likely to know much about any one person's
favorites.

Previous years' lists can be found in the Music2 and Music3 
conferences.

     (((   Linked between Agora and Music conferences.   )))

17 responses total.

#1 of 17 by krj on Wed Jan 3 00:02:42 2007:

--- The Crooked Jades, WORLD'S ON FIRE
A base in acoustic old-timey music with some modern wrinkles that 
become apparent in the first key change.  Excellent female vocals.  
(Happyboy might find this of particular interest, if he's 
still reading.)

http://www.crookedjades.com/music.html
http://cdbaby.com/cd/crookedjades4

--- The Spooky Men's Chorale, TOOLED UP
A men's choir from Australia modeled on the Georgian choral style
(that's the former SSR, not the southern state).  The songs are a 
mix of humorous originals, a few Georgian songs and covers of both
classic pop songs and regional material.   Song of the Year honors
go to "Mess Song," a song about cleaning up the kitchen.

Every one of my friends and relatives who has heard this has 
loved it.

http://www.spookymen.com.au/

--- Trio DCA, MUSIQUE DE HAUTE-AUVERGNE
--- Spi & La Gaudriole, EN AVANT BALETI

Trio DCA, led by Anne-Lise Foy, is a traditional take on 
hurdy-gurdy, accordion and bagpipe music for dancing from France.   
Spi & La Gaudriole is also anchored by hurdy-gurdy, but 
the tunes are quite a bit punchier because the band leader Spi
served time in a punk band long ago.

Trio DCA link:            http://www.cuberoots.com/cdno_27.html
Spi & La Gaudriole link:  http://www.cdroots.com/cp-05758.html

---Fiamma Fumana, ONDA

Fiamma Fumana continue blending Italian roots sounds on bagpipe 
and accordion with contemporary dance styles.  This time the band 
moves to incorporate hip-hop styles and new singers.
Their Lansing concert was my favorite show of the year, a truly joyous
evening.

http://www.fiamma.org/
and clip samples available on amazon.com

--- Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra, BOULEVARD DE L'INDEPENDANCE
From Mali:  Kora (think African harp) backed by a brass band.

--- Horses Brawl
Three young British instrumentalists play a blend of early music 
and folk tunes, featuring (mostly) fiddle, recorder and cello.
Totally charming.
http://www.horsesbrawl.co.uk
http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2005/08/16/music_horses_brawl
_feature.shtml

--- Feufollet, TOUT UN BEAU SOIR
Very young cajun band -- they've been a performing group since their 
early teens -- and now as the players close in on 20 they are making 
tremendous artistic leaps.  This album is much more varied stylistically
than I usually hear with cajun music.   The band played the Great Lakes
Folk Festival this year, and their two sets were a delight.

http://www.feufollet.net/

---Abnoba, VAI FACILE
---Tsuumi, AVOIN KENTTA
Two European instrumental groups to close.  Abnoba, from Italy, 
incorporates a big French element in their catchy sound.  The Tsuumi
album is a bit more contemporary and theatrical; it's the soundtrack
to a Finnish dance company's project.

Abnoba link:  http://www.cdroots.com/rd-anoba1.html
Tsuumi link:  http://www.cdroots.com/cgi/searchcds.cgi?s=tsuumi

----------

Songs which stuck with me for the entire year, but which for some
reason never got purchased -- mostly I was worried the whole album
wouldn't live up to these two songs:

George Papavgeris, "Anytown"
Rosie Doonan and Ben Murray, "Seal Maiden"

And, this year I added two more BBC folk music programs to my regular
listening rotation.  These are both much more English than anything
I had been hearing before:
  Genevieve Tudor's Sunday Folk, on BBC Radio Shropshire
  Folkwaves, on BBC Radio Darby, co-hosted by Lester Simpson of 
                                       Coope Boyes & Simpson

#2 of 17 by lar on Wed Jan 3 07:54:41 2007:

I think you forgot "Zamfir and his pan flute" krg.

heh

#3 of 17 by edina on Wed Jan 3 15:27:25 2007:

"Stadium Arcadium" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Wolfmother" - Wolfmother
"Future Sex Love Sounds" - Justin Timberlake
"Twelve Songs" - Neil Diamond

#4 of 17 by gull on Tue Jan 9 18:27:25 2007:

"The Crane Wife" - The Decemberists

This is an interesting and hard to categorize album.  It's a bit 
poppier then their older albums -- there isn't one sea chanty on it, 
for example (Decemberists fans will know what I mean.)

I really like it, and after considerable thought I'd categorize it as 
"alternative prog rock."  There's a definite alt-rock vibe to it, but 
it's heavy on the kind of complex arrangements and keyboard parts that 
are common in prog rock.  This makes me happy.  One of the things that 
originally kept me from really getting into alternative music was that 
the grunge bands that really kicked off the alternative scene totally 
abandoned keyboard instruments.

#5 of 17 by mynxcat on Tue Jan 9 21:53:52 2007:

Brooke - is hte JT album any good? I'm liking his music ever since he left
that boy-band - but maybe I'm too old to own one of his albums?

#6 of 17 by edina on Tue Jan 9 22:06:12 2007:

Dave and I are both older than you and we each have our own copies of 
both of his cds.  So that should be your answer.  I'm excited for his 
next album though - he's going to be working with Rick Rubin and I 
think people do great work when he's steering the ship.

#7 of 17 by mynxcat on Tue Jan 9 22:12:57 2007:

Each have your own copies of the cds? heh. I should go check them out then.

#8 of 17 by edina on Tue Jan 9 22:58:07 2007:

We're both a bit territorial....

#9 of 17 by cross on Tue Jan 9 23:31:53 2007:

Regarding #5; Does it have ``Dick in a Box'' on it?

#10 of 17 by easlern on Tue Mar 6 14:30:28 2007:

My favorite album from 2006 was La Rocca's "The Truth". They do sort of guitar
rock/pop that would fit in well at a pub filled with ironic hipsters. 
I had trouble finding an album from 2006 (I'm usually a year behind on new
stuff) so I'm finally posting to this new-year topic in March.  :)
Check out "Sketches (Twenty-Something Life)"!

#11 of 17 by edina on Tue Mar 6 16:14:23 2007:

Re 9  No Cross, it doesn't....unfortunately.  

I finally caught that SNL episode and have never laughed so hard in my 
life.  Seeing Justin Timberlake dressed up like a big cup of ramen 
noodles was hysterical.

#12 of 17 by furs on Tue Mar 6 16:19:02 2007:

I think that was the best one of the whole year.

#13 of 17 by bhelliom on Wed Mar 7 16:12:17 2007:

resp:11 - Damn, I haven't been watching SNL for quite a while.  That
certainly would have been funny.

#14 of 17 by bhelliom on Wed Mar 7 16:14:25 2007:

I haven't purchased any new material this past year, save Justin
Timberlake's "Future Sex Love Sounds," which I never thought in the
world I would do, having not been a fan of his in the past, and because
I don't listen to R&B all that much.  Then I learned that "Sexy Back"
was his song, and that was it.  I may have to grab his first solo album
and take a listen.

#15 of 17 by mynxcat on Wed Mar 7 17:36:41 2007:

Sexy Back is a very sexy song - I was impressed when I found out it was
Justin's

#16 of 17 by edina on Wed Mar 7 17:58:07 2007:

I am especially fond of "What Comes Around" and "(Another Love Song) 
All Over Again".  Not to mention the video for "What Comes Around" is 
one of the hottest I've ever seen.

#17 of 17 by bhelliom on Wed Mar 7 19:41:18 2007:

I haven't seen either of those, yet.  I don't watch music videos all
that often.

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