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.