Mickey's Lists

Mickey's Top 20 of 2006

Yeah, it's long. Do you really have something better to do, though?

01 - Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - From the minute I heard this, I knew it would be on my list. Neko nailed it on this one.

02 - Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies - This album was Dan's return to form for me, as it's very reminiscent of 2001's Streethawk: A Seduction. Just barely #2.

03 - Beirut - Gulag Orkester - A hyped debut that lives up to the press. And yes, it is sort of the karmic return of Neutral Milk Hotel.

04 - Belle & Sebastian - The Life Pursuit - Is this really their last album? I hope not, as they are on a huge hot streak right now.

05 - TV On the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain - THIS is the album TVOTR should have released as their first full length. This is what neo-soul should sound like.

06 - Band of Horses - Everything All the Time - Embarrassingly, this was headed for the overhyped section of this list in June. I then gave it some more time and found myself to be a stupid, stupid judge of character.

07 - My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me the Workhorse - It's like Jeff Bjork-ley. Fills a need in me as precious as lyrics about butterflies.

08 - Sufjan Stevens - The Avalanche - Finn and I jammed to this a lot just after he was born. We'd cruise to visit mom at work while listening to "The Mistress Witch of McClure."

09 - The Hold Steady - Boys & Girls in America - This album makes me pine for an alternate reality where I go to a college bar, get bombed, and everyone there sings these songs at the top of their alcohol-soaked lungs.

10 - The Decemberists - The Crane Wife - This album came pretty darn close to not being included at all, since it has some songs I actually skip ("Summersong," "The Perfect Crime pt. 2"), but they are my favorite active band, so there's some favoritism at work.

11 - Wooden Wand & The Sky High Band - Second Attention
12 - Micah P. Hinson - Micah P. Hinson & The Opera Circuit
13 - The Long Winters - Putting the Days to Bed
14 - Amy Millan - Honey From the Tombs
15 - Peter Bjorn & John - Writer's Block
16 - David Bazan - Fewer Moving Parts
17 - Tortoise & Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Brave and the Bold
18 - Girl Talk - Night Ripper
19 - Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World
20 - NoFX - Wolves in Wolves' Clothing

Biggest Disappointments

• Beck - The Information
  
• Swan Lake - Beast Moans
  
• Hip Hop in general

Missed the Boat in 2005

• Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary - This is embarrassing
  
• Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Broom
  
• Spinto Band - Nice and Nicely Done
  
• Iron & Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days
  
• Iron & Wine/Calexico - In the Reins
  

Diamonds in the Rough

• Guillemots - "Trains to Brazil" from Through the Window Pane
• Beck - "1000 BPM" from The Information
  
• Jay-Z - "Oh My God" from Kingdom Come
• Yo La Tengo - "Beanbag Chair" from I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
• OOIOO - "Uma" from Taiga
• Catfish Haven - "I Don't Worry" from Tell Me
• Ratatat - "Nostrand" from Classics
• William Elliot Whitmore - "Dry" from Song of the Blackbird
  

'07 Wishlist

• The Shins - Wincing the Night Away - I have heard it and it rocks in true Shins fashion.
  
• Arcade Fire
  
• Ted Leo/Pharmacists
• Spoon - Trouble Minx
  
• Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
• New Pornographers
• Low - The Violet Path - Their first album sans-Zak Sally on bass. (Only to be replaced by my former Electric Fetus co-worker, Matt Livingston.)
  
• Deerhoof - Friend Opportunity - I've heard this as well and I was pleasantly surprised.
  

Dust-off's

• Andrew Bird - Mysterious Production of Eggs - This album never actually gathered any dust having never left the frequent rotation from last year.
• Rufus Wainwright - Want One
  

Genre Sucker

• I hated hip hop this year for ultimately disappointing me at every turn. From Blackalicious to Jay-Z, everything I used to love got boring. BOOOO!
  

Over-hyped?

• Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury - Man. What a load of anticipation for such a run-of-the-mill album. I guess it's just keeping pace with the rest of the genre.
  
• Bob Dylan - Modern Times - I don't know what I hated more; Bob's new album or the shitty comments he made about no good music being made in the last 20 years. Suck it, Zimmerman.
• Guillemots - Through the Window Pane - SNORE. (Though I have an inkling that in maybe two years I'll come back to this and like it.
• Midlake - Trial of Van Occupanther - Drab and non-distinct.
  

Other Media Exist

• LOST - This show went from "Pretty Darn Good" to "OMG!! AMAZING! I LUV LOST!"Heroes - A decent show that keeps me entertained, but is certainly no LOST.
• The Prestige/An Inconvenient Truth - I don't see many movies these days, but these were particularly good.
  
  
  
  

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Metacritic Best Of...

For those not in the know, Metacritic is a decent site for Rotten Tomatoes style review compilation.

They maintain a best of list for music that is worth checking out.

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New York Times Books of the Year

The New York Times has published their 100 Notable Books of the Year as well as their Top Ten Books of the Year. Check 'em out, yo.

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89.3 DJ Picks & Contest

89.3 "The Current is hosting a Top 20 contest where the winner gets a 80 GB Video iPod. If you're spending time crafting your own list for this blog, you may as well take it there, too.

While you're there, you can also check out their DJ and staff top ten lists, which are rather interesting.

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Commence Listing

Welcome to the Top Tens blog. You should have received an e-mail regarding submissions and such, so refer to that. If you're nerdy like me, you can subscribe to the RSS feed at the bottom of the page so you can be notified when new posts are available.

Let the listing begin!

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The Rules

Here are the suggested categories and guidelines for top ten list submission. Feel free to pick and choose in which ones you will participate.

The Top Ten

• List your ten favorite albums in order of preference. A little sentence or two about the qualities of each album are encouraged.

11-20/Honorable Mentions

• List as many (or as few) albums that didn't quite make it to the top ten. Again, personal reflection on the album is always encouraged.

Missed the Boat in 2005

• Your favorite albums from last year that you didn't get around to enjoying until this year. 3- 5 albums is usually enough, but go crazy if you like.

Biggest Disappointments

• Did you have high hopes for an album(s), only to have them dashed against the rocks of mediocrity? Tell us the details, please.

Diamonds in the Rough

• Sort of a cousin to the Biggest Disappointments category. Were there great tracks on otherwise crappy/boring/sub-par albums?

'07 Wishlist

• What releases are you most anticipating for 2007? Which ones have you already heard you internet-addicted, bit-torrenting music theif?

Best Live Shows

• Who/What/When/Where/Why

Dust-off's

• What older albums from your collection did you come back to and really enjoy?

Genre Sucker

• What genre (if any) did you favor over the others this year?

Over-hyped?

• What was least deserving of unadulterated praise?

Other Media Exist

• Perhaps you're not a music-snob. Tell us of something else you enjoyed seeing/reading/doing this year.
  

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