MIDLAKE Trials of Van Occupanther- If I had a top 10 list, this would be #1. Oh, man. Psychadelic rock has become so contrived and pretentious.
Midlake prove through strong instrumentation and the craft of songwriting that neo-psychadelia can be straightforward and beautiful and without gimmic.
BEST ROCORD OF THE YEAR! Hands down.
GOB IRON Death Songs for the Living- This is a side-project collaboration between
Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Anders Parker of Varnaline. Their mission on this record was to revive the "folk process", which is to constantly change traditional songs by adding lyrics, changing melodies, putting in unusual instrumentation. It's a great record, but probably for fans only, as it is probably the least accessable of either of their works. If my rantings on Jay Farrar/Son Volt intrigue any readers, they should
check out Son Volt's "Trace" album. I went to see Gob Iron in early December.
Here's my review of that show.
JEREMY ENIGK World Waits- Jeremy Enigk was one of my first loves. The emo pioneer fronted Sunny Day Real Estate in the early 90s and had a fantastic boroque pop solo album that I treasure. When this one came out, I had to get it, hoping he had returned to the boroque-ness of his first solo record, but this fell short for me. Just epic prog-rock type stuff. Didn't feel like old times. Sorry, Jeremy. We've just grown apart, you and me.
SPARKLEHORSE Dreamt for Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain- This record does too much of what I hoped the Jeremy Enigk record would do. It revisits/recycles an already overused sound that is very specific to Mark Linkous, but this record is nothing new and feels tired. Say no to drugs, kids.
FLAMING LIPS At War With the Mystics-Very sucky. Bad move, guys.
MATES OF STATE Bring it Back- Their most accessable album to date. Proves that Team Boo was not just a fluke success. Mates of State beginners should check out "Team Boo". It's fantastic.
PERNICE BROTHERS Live a Little- Pernice Bros revisit the sound of their 1st record and it sounds great. Lots of string arragngements. All the depressing suicide and drug references you'd expect from Joe. Got a bonus CD with my pre-order, but it's nothing to write home about.
MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. Fading Trails- Got this one for free. Might be their worst yet. Dunno. This is compiled from 3 different sessions that produced 3 full albums. They're supposed to release these albums soon. Hopefully
they have better stuff on em.
M. WARD Post War- Not his best. It's worth it to hear the song, "Right in the Head" from an older brother's perspective.
SUN KIL MOON Tiny Cities/Ghosts of the Great Highway MAGNOLIA ELEC CO. Hard to Love a Man- This are not 2006 records, but they deserve a mention.
Keith got them for me for Xmas and Bday in late 05. They served as a soundtrack for working in my cold, dark bombed-out house in Jan/Feb. The drab, lagging, mournful folk rock served as the perfect backdrop to leaking roofs, rusty nails, and numb fingers.
