The Year That Was 2006: Music
After seeing the online diaries of Penn Gillette a while ago, and liking the way he measured the success of the year based on how many films / plays / books he's been exposed to, I decided it would be a nice idea to do a little end of year chart of all the things I enjoy doing to see how this year has shaped up. With music being an absolutely integral part of my, and everyone else's lives, I thought it would be nice to start with a list of my favourite music (courtesy of last.fm). Ok, lets go!
2006 seemed like a year full of new music for me, but I think the thing I'll remember it most for is the discovery of old music (so new-old music, then.) Here's a rundown my top-played albums, according to last.fm:
- Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
- Julie London - Julie / Love On The Rocks
- The Kooks - Inside in Inside Out
- James Taylor - Sweet Baby James
- Gnarls barkley - St. Elsewhere
- Colin Blunstone - Some Years: It's the Time of Colin Blunstone
- 50 Cent - Get Rich or Die Tryin'
- Bob Crosby & His Orchestra - South Rampart Street Parade
- Kanye West - College Dropout
- Handsome Boy Modeling School - White People
- José González - Veneer
- Rhymefest - Blue Collar
- Michael Franks - The Art of Tea
- Show of Hands - Witness
- Donovan - Mellow Yellow
- Kanye West - Freshmen Adjustment
- Kanye West - Chicago's Finest
- Notorious B.I.G. - Born Again
- Bubba Sparxxx - Dark Days, Bright Nights
- Hanne Hukkelberg - Little Things
A few of those albums are ones I've been rocking to for a few years now (the Biggie / 50 Cent albums, for example), but the vast majority are new to me, but are relatively old (such as James Taylor, Colin Blunstone, and Michael Franks). There's also a fair whiff of commercial stuff on the list like José González and Gnarls barkley, but it's because they're genuinely lovely records.
Honourable mentions
There are a couple of albums that really stand out in my mind, but for some reason didn't make it into my top 20. They are:
Clark - Body Riddle. Really compelling, intricate electronica, which isn't something I listen to often, but is something I still enjoy.
Ben Folds - Songs for Silverman. Such a beautiful album, and one I never tire of. I'm really glad to have had the chance to see him at The Dome earlier this year.
Method Man - Tical 0: The Prequel. Quite heavy, aggressive rap / hip-hop which I doubt would be for everyone, but an album which made my evening runs fly by.
The Handsome Family – Last Days of Wonder. Opened my eyes to how beautiful and funny American folk music can be.
I think my views on music have changed a lot over the course of this year, and I've been able to get into some new and unexpected records thanks to a combination of recommendations not only from last.fm, but also from you guys, my friends. If an album you recommended to me made the list, well done!
- 23rd December, 2006
- 2006 Review, and Music.
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