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Music Archives:
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| Highest Rated 2006
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John K. Samson's
literate lyricism can get the best of him, turning some songs into
laborious musical metaphors. But on the Canadian indie-rock quartet's
third album, Samson makes his quirks work for rather than against him,
thanks to a reedy, brainy Everyman delivery, stirring post-punk melodies
and muscular, rocking arrangements.
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Ryan's always been a poignant and rousing
songwriter, and after a bare-bones acoustic set and two DIY home
recordings, he once again proves it. Wistful, reflective, angry and
redemptive, it's every bit as strong as his criminally overlooked
heavyweights, May Day and East Autumn Grin.
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Greg
Dulli fuses the atmospheric melancholy of his previous Twilight Singers
project with the darkly comic rock and sensual punk-soul of his best
Afghan Whigs efforts. Dulli's seductively murky grooves and hedonistic
persona have rarely meshed so perfectly.
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The
legendary soul singer tries to recapture past '70s glories, with veteran
producer Willie Mitchell obsessing over every vintage detail. If the
pair's reach exceeds their grasp, this note-perfect pastiche nonetheless
captures the joyful essence of Green's best work.
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The New England trio sands down the expansive edges that made their last
album so intriguing. But the melodies are so incessantly memorable, and
Ryan Miller's genial presence so ingratiating, the songs worm their way
into the subconscious regardless.
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On
his way out the door to "retirement," one of rap's biggest stars (and,
it must be said, biggest blowhards) crafts a compelling and commanding
record. Most of its power may come from the built-in sense of Event, but
Jay-Z delivers the goods to live up to his hype.
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Those who
figured
Southern Rock Opera was the Truckers' creative peak got a rude
surprise with this ragged, rebellious and righteous effort. The
songwriting triple-threat of Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and newcomer
Jason Isbell turns in a collection of arresting songs as ruminative as
they are rocking.
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These
intimate and evocative sketches of unhappy losers and maladjusted loners
prove that singer-songwriter E is more than just a quirky, downbeat
popsmith. Like a Prozac Nation Raymond Carver, E mines the everyday
details of dead-end lives for moments of emotional authenticity.
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Many critics prefer
My Morning Jacket's
ethereal, Neil Young-ish vocals and ambient Southern rock. But former
Red House Painter Mark Kozelek turns in an equally moody, atmospheric
and affecting take on that gauzy template, less droning and with
meatier, more weathered lyrics to boot.
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Forget
the "This year's
The Streets" hype. Dizzee Rascal's twitchy, vulnerable musings and
youthful two-step swagger, along with his jumpy, skittering beats and
baroque, clanging sonic backdrops, move into new territories marked by a
jarring fusion of forms and sounds.
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