Cuma 29 Ara 2006, 21:30

Here's my personal top 10 for 2006, including my not-really-a-music-critic capsule reviews.

10. Agalloch - Ashes Against the Grain
If I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be "riffage." Very heavy, very well-crafted songs; it's simply an enjoyable listen.
9. Destroyer's Rubies
Layered and beautiful, expansive rock/pop brilliance, reminiscent of classic Dylan.
8. Red Sparowes - Every Red Heart Shines Toward the Red Sun
Not as consistent as their debut, but still a monumental achievement. Dark in tone and epic in scope.
7. Night Ripper
One listen and this madcap mashup masterpiece will hook you like there's no tomorrow. Is it the best party record ever? Signs point to yes.
6. You Are There
A refinement of Mono's style into their best album yet. They strike the perfect balance between epic slow-burners and softer set pieces and keep adding layer after layer of hyper-fuzzed-out guitars until my heart is ready to melt.
5. Easter
A propulsive post-hardcore noisefest with unsettlingly cryptic religious overtones. It all adds up to a powerful, compelling album that got its claws in me and won't let go.
4. Return to the Sea
Pure indie-pop genius. Well, almost pure - "Ones" is the only song Nick Diamonds ever forgot to add a hook to, and "If" drags maybe a bit, but the songwriting brilliance and wry lyricism of the rest of the album win the day.
3. Drum's Not Dead
Yeah, it might be a difficult listen at first, and maybe I'm just a pretentious art-school kid, but this is a magnificent, moody, and bizarrely catchy record. There's a lot of range between "It Fit When I Was a Kid" and "The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack"; I just can't decide which one I like better.
2. Mouth of the Architect - The Ties That Blind
MOTA is monolithic sound, devastatingly beautiful and intricately heavy, gigantic tracks spooling out to 12-minutes-plus and never ceasing to be completely riveting. Isis fans disappointed by the absence of the heaviness and overwhelming power that characterized previous releases need look no further.
1. Enter
My pick for both best album and best new band of 2006, Russian Circles blew me away with their flawlessly-structured, breathtakingly technical debut. It's math rock that doesn't sound like they're just out to show off, it's instrumental post rock that never drags or loses steam, it's all the fun of flat-out metal guitar riffage but with plenty of dynamic relief and no silly demonic pretension. Most bands can only hope to own this much.