In retrospect, Neko Case made my record of the year

[Davey]

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Brilliantly understated. So much so, I guess I probably never even saw it coming, but now that I think back, she had me at hello (or more specifically, at everything's so easy for Pauline). Love this album, more with each listen. Silky smooth, and the signature reverb to expand that epic voice, giving it almost an ethereal country feel, and lyrics that hang in the air long after it's gone, not really meaning all that much in print, but backed by an emotion that paints images in a vast array of colors ...

Girl with the parking lot eyes
Margaret is the fragments of a name
....
But she’ll never be as clean
As the cool side of satin, Pauline.

What a grower. 2006 album of the year. So I'm a bit late to the party. Did I mention that I'm out sick today. So not much of a party. But better than slinging burgers at my day job ...

[Mr MidFi]

Yeah, I was wondering why it didn't get more love than it did. I had it at #2 for the year, behind the BTS disc...but not by a very wide margin. Gadzooks, what a voice on that gal!

My only real complaint with the album is that there's not enough of it. It ends just as I'm starting to settle in with it.

Addictive stuff. Good call.

[Slosh]

Off topic as usual but I just checked the Live Music Archive site for the first time in several months and came across a few Black Heart Procession shows from The Spell tour. I opted for the Touch and Go Block Party set and me likey. Good sound quality, nice song selection, and even a cover of Tom Petty's "You Got Lucky In Me".

Also seen some Elliott Smith and Magnolia Electric Company shows that I may d/l later this weekend.

The only Fox Confessor song I've heard is "Lion's Jaws" via tentoze's 2006 YEC. I guess it didn't leave enough of an impression for me to seek out more.

NP: Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (it's a grower)

[Mr MidFi]

Since we're going all off-topic and everything...
I gave a listen to one of JC's top 5 picks from 2006, by a band called Now It's Overhead, and me likey. But I think you would like it more than me, Slosh. Unless I'm terribly wrong, which I often am.

[Mike]

Gave it quite a bit of attention when it came my way but got to admit haven't revisited it in a while.

Disc of the year 2006 right now for me would have to be Decemberists - The Crane Wife, although I only picked it up in 2007. For me it's their best by far, not as dirgey as some of their previous efforts, not that there is anything wrong with that. But it's so good to hear a band 3 or 4 albums into their career suddenly upping a gear and lifting their game.

Cheers
Mike

[Slosh]

Since we're going all off-topic and everything...
I gave a listen to one of JC's top 5 picks from 2006, by a band called Now It's Overhead, and me likey. But I think you would like it more than me, Slosh. Unless I'm terribly wrong, which I often am.

Yeah, I mentioned that I liked those songs in one of these threads . . . somewhere. Haven't been to any record stores in a while, though.

[Mr MidFi]

Sorry, I should be paying more attention.

Care to elaborate on the new Arcade Fire? I may be intrigued.

[tentoze]

The only Fox Confessor song I've heard is "Lion's Jaws" via tentoze's 2006 YEC. I guess it didn't leave enough of an impression for me to seek out more.

If 2006 had been a better year for music, it wouldn't have made my YEC. It all sounds a bit sterile to me.

[Slosh]

Sorry, I should be paying more attention.

Care to elaborate on the new Arcade Fire? I may be intrigued.

I'm pretty sure I PM'ed the advance to you. I deleted the upload since then so if you didn't grab it it's too late. If I didn't PM it to you, sorry. I deleted all of my PMs so I can't tell now.

What's to say? It's not Funeral Pt. 2 but I like it. Really want a legit copy cause the version I d/l'ed sounds like, well, not so good.

[Mr MidFi]

Man, I really do need to pay better attention.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I'm feeling about that Now It's Overhead. I downloaded it on a lark (a rarity for me, really), and now I really wish I had spent the $ on an actual CD. Which I'll probably end up doing anyway.

Live and learn.

[Stone]

It was my #4 of the year. FWIW, here's my top 20 of 2006:

1. Herbert - Scale
2. Liars - Drum's Not Dead
3. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
4. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
5. Joanna Newsom - Ys
6. Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
7. M.Ward - Post-War
8. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
9. The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
10. The Beige - 01
11. The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
12. La Rocca - The Truth
13. The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
14. Karl Blau - Beneath Waves
15. TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
16. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
17. Guy Clark - Workbench Songs
18. Frank Black - Fast Man/Raider Man
19. Swan Lake - Beast Moans
20. Shearwater - Palo Santo

[Davey]

It was my #4 of the year. FWIW, here's my top 20 of 2006:

Yeah, only heard two on your list, but both Neko and TVOTR were big growers with me and became two of my favorites. Amazing how big a split there is between critics and average music listeners with TV on the Radio. I really like it, but go to amazon and it gets thrashed pretty bad by many reviewers. Potent band with lots of vision, surprising there hasn't been more bands dabbling in something like this, sort of a Sly Stone meets Mogwai sound. Wish they had a bit better production, or at least less of that modern hyper compression, but still fun stuff.

[Jim Clark]

It was my #4 of the year. FWIW, here's my top 20 of 2006:

1. Herbert - Scale
2. Liars - Drum's Not Dead
3. Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
4. Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
5. Joanna Newsom - Ys
6. Band Of Horses - Everything All The Time
7. M.Ward - Post-War
8. Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye
9. The Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
10. The Beige - 01
11. The Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
12. La Rocca - The Truth
13. The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
14. Karl Blau - Beneath Waves
15. TV on the Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
16. Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
17. Guy Clark - Workbench Songs
18. Frank Black - Fast Man/Raider Man
19. Swan Lake - Beast Moans
20. Shearwater - Palo Santo

Geez, that's some list. I only have 2 in my posession, The Hold Steady and TVOTR. Made a conscious decision to pass on Belle And Sebastian which was probably a mistake, Junior Boys (reviews scared me off), and Neko (didn't really dig the last one which everyone else said killed). Frank Black and Fiery Furnaces I just figured I could live without. The rest I know nothing about. A comp would have been helpful : ) . I'm guessing there's at least a small handful I'd probably like so I'll spend some time figuring out which ones I need to run out and grab. Thanks for the list.

jc

[Swish]

Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Brilliantly understated. So much so, I guess I probably never even saw it coming, but now that I think back, she had me at hello (or more specifically, at everything's so easy for Pauline). Love this album, more with each listen. Silky smooth, and the signature reverb to expand that epic voice, giving it almost an ethereal country feel, and lyrics that hang in the air long after it's gone, not really meaning all that much in print, but backed by an emotion that paints images in a vast array of colors ...

.
..since you seemed to be consumed by it for so many weeks. Oh, it's Woven Hand, two words, not one. I have it and can't seem to get into it, but I need more time with it I suppose. I happen to love Neko ever since I first heard Blacklisted, and this record was no exception. I didn't compile a best of list for last year, but this would certainly be in the top 10.

Swish

[Davey]

Really? I would have guessed it was Wovenhand...since you seemed to be consumed by it for so many weeks. I happen to love Neko ever since I first heard Blacklisted, and this record was no exception. I didn't compile a best of list for last year, but this would certainly be in the top 10.

I do really like the Woven Hand record, but it got so little notice that it's hard to seriously consider it for record of the year. Probably meant the most to me. That and the Califone CD. Really liked the Carla Bozulich record too, but it's very bleak and eerie. Neko just always sounds good. Surprised to hear tentoze call it sterile, doesn't come across that way to me at all. If anything, just the opposite, so much depth of emotion throughout. The Nina Nastasia record is great too. Some nice stuff last year.

New one from Richmond Fontaine next month, so dusted off a new avatar in anticipation. Looking forward to it. Wonder if our buddy Mike has picked it up yet since it already saw a UK release and raves from the americana.uk site ... We live in a world of hyperbole and exaggeration, which is a pity because when this album is called a masterpiece, such words lose some of their effect. But a masterpiece it is – daring, adventurous, literate, and consummate.

[Swish]

New one from Richmond Fontaine next month, so dusted off a new avatar in anticipation. Looking forward to it. Wonder if our buddy Mike has picked it up yet since it already saw a UK release and raves from the americana.uk site ... We live in a world of hyperbole and exaggeration, which is a pity because when this album is called a masterpiece, such words lose some of their effect. But a masterpiece it is – daring, adventurous, literate, and consummate.

...cloud my personal opinion, but the author sure makes it sound compelling, eh? I still play Post to Wire when I think about it, and it looks like this one will be my most highly anticipated release thus far this year, although I'm also anxious to get my hands on the new one from Patti Griffin, Children Running Through, that should arrive in my mailbox very soon. I read a couple reviews that were nearly as flattering as the one for R.F., and I like her plenty, so I ordered it from DeepDiscountCD.

And Woven Hand is two words, not one? Someone sent me a (cough) promotional copy and has it labeled as one, hence my error.

Swish

[Davey]

....And Woven Hand is two words, not one? Someone sent me a (cough) promotional copy and has it labeled as one, hence my error.

No error, can be either way....

[tugmcmartin]

I agree with you on this one. What an incredible album. I didn't buy a whole heck of a lot over 2006 (maybe 15 total), but this would definitely make a top 5 if i had to rate anything. Maybe even ROY. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform at Telluride Bluegrass in June and was totally blown away. The crowd really loved her too. I also saw her on Soundstage in the Voom network of HD channels (Rave, i think). Great performances.

[Swish]

I agree with you on this one. What an incredible album. I didn't buy a whole heck of a lot over 2006 (maybe 15 total), but this would definitely make a top 5 if i had to rate anything. Maybe even ROY. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform at Telluride Bluegrass in June and was totally blown away. The crowd really loved her too. I also saw her on Soundstage in the Voom network of HD channels (Rave, i think). Great performances.

I don't visit here as often as I used to, but I don't recall seeing your name for a long, long, time. Hope all is well.

Swish

[Swish]

No error, can be either way....

...without actually saying you were correcting me, since I tend to create a lot of typos. Say, when exactly did they start giving us the automatic spell checker, ala MS Word? I guess I first noticed it a couple days ago, and it sure it nice. It should prevent some of my mistakes, but even spell-checkers can't catch all of them.

Swish

[Dusty Chalk]

Really liked the Carla Bozulich record too, but it's very bleak and eerie.

(pricks up ears)

What? ..."bleak"..."eerie"...and you didn't tell me about it? Listening to samples now (here, legal) -- sounds good! Melikes...and on Constellation no less...

[Davey]

Really liked the Carla Bozulich record too, but it's very bleak and eerie.

(pricks up ears)

What? ..."bleak"..."eerie"...and you didn't tell me about it? Listening to samples now (here, legal) -- sounds good! Melikes...and on Constellation no less...

Well, I kinda did, but guess I didn't mention you personally ... http://forums.audioreview.com/showth...ich#post161917