favorite albums of 2006

It wouldn't be fair to assess the year's best releases in gaming, having missed the most crucial part of the year. But if I had to make a choice in my small sample set, I'd easily select Battle for Middle Earth II for its pronounced improvements over the original (such as its near flawless implementation of scale) and its back-to-rts-basics style of play. While it may not have made any significant contributions to the genre, I can't help but think back and remember how many hours I spent just playing skirmish mode versus the computer.

As was the case last year, I listened to a lot of music with the assistance of my MP3 player. After the baby was born, that's pretty much all I did in my spare moments, because it didn't require any hands. Indeed, there were many Sunday afternoons where the baby and I would nap to Lush or The Clientele or Benoît Pioulard. Naturally, if I felt like rocking out to Forward, Russia! I had to break out the headphones.

The following list is in no particular order. Despite there being a surplus of good music last year, there was no one record that stood above the rest that I found myself listening to over and over again. Though if you ask anyone I know they would probably say it was Kill Hannah, but I'm never going to admit to that.

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness - Fear Is On Our Side

I think it's a prerequisite to have long, unwieldy band names if you come from Austin. Just ask ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. This is a record that takes a while to appreciate. First impressions of ILYBICD were that they were raiding the 80s closet like every other band lately, coming up with Echo and the Bunnymen mixed with the dark pop of Joy Division and early New Order. And just when you think it's too good to be true, that the band is going to erupt into some keyboard-driven power pop that will be featured in an upcoming episode of The O.C., it continues to get bleaker. There's something ominous about the entire recording - like John Carpenter's old movie soundtracks. Indeed, this record is actually reflective of that portentous mouthful of a name. It's an amazing debut effort, and shows that there's still something to be found amongst the awful new wave wastage of yesteryear.

Forward, Russia! - Give Me a Wall

I imagine myself picking up a live electrical conduit and as my fingernails melt and my eyeballs erupt and the smell of burning flesh fills my nostrils, these are the sounds that are rattling inside my slow roasting skull. I can say this because it is exactly how I felt after walking out of their show at the Horseshoe back in December. Forward, Russia! also gets bonus points for having a female drummer that did not even break a sweat during their intense performance. Not recommended for anyone that gets annoyed at overly manic vocals (see: At the Drive-In).

Snowden - Anti-Anti

They opened for Forward, Russia! during the same concert, and in hindsight were the better band playing that night. Upon first glance, they may follow some conventions of the post-punk/angular rock scene that seems to be so trendy right now, but close inspection will reveal a greater depth to their sound. Jordan Jeffares' vocals create a melancholy vibe throughout the album, while they easily integrate other elements like fuzzy, hypnotic guitars. Every time I hear the off-tempo beat of opener "Like Bullets" I am reminded of why this record needs to be on this list.

Serena Maneesh - Serena Maneesh

This is a band that really must be heard to be fully understood. A beautiful experiment in sonic landscapes, Serena Maneesh blends psychedelic rock with My Bloody Valentine and creates what could only be called "Newgaze" (no need to lash out; I've already started hitting myself for using that term). While mostly following standard song structures, there are tracks that simply repeat a note, but are supported by rhytmic textures that create a hypnotic atmosphere (see "Selena's Melodie Fountain" and "Candelighted"). It may come across as experimental to some, but should be absolutely essential listening for any fan of the UK shoegaze movement of the early 90s.

Benoît Pioulard - Précis

Benoît Pioulard is actually Thomas Meluch, though I guess the alter ego makes him feel kind of fancy. Listening to Précis for the first time was a lot like when I heard n. Lannon's Chemical Friends; the seamless fusion of acoustic guitar with electronic blips and beeps was pretty surreal. However, Meluch takes it one step further in the way he integrates random noise and "found sounds" with the music. A good portion of the tracks on this album aren't even songs, just strange sample loops that flow into the song that follows. It's a very subdued record, and perfect accompaniment to being lost in thought.

Dirty Pretty Things - Waterloo to Anywhere

Dirty Pretty Things are no replacement for the Libertines, but they come awfully close. After Carl Barat and Pete Doherty parted ways they both started their own band: Barat with Dirty Pretty Things and Doherty with Babyshambles. One of them doesn't sound like the byproduct of a drug-addled, destructive lifestyle. I bet you can guess which one.

Saosin - Saosin

I considered myself over the angsty, emo-rock scene. There was only so much I could take when every song felt like it was written by some whiny suburbanite about life's many "problems". So it was the critical acclaim that drew me to Saosin's full-length debut. Of course it shares similarities with the scene: the power chords, the endless harmonizing, the feeble attempts at poetry in the song titles. But there is something different about Saosin. There is some musicianship in the band, and there is conviction in what lead vocalist Cove Reber is singing. And thankfully there is no screaming - a tactic that many emo bands use to sound "edgy", but really it just sounds like they're having a tantrum.

Kill Hannah - Until There's Nothing Left of Us

I am not trying to be ironic with this selection. It really is one of the best records I have heard all year.

Guys who wear black eyeliner and sweat socks as sleeves with this sickening aura of faux-sensitivtiy about them can certainly be off-putting. An androgynous-sounding lead singer only adds to the absurdity of the recommendation. Surely there can't be anyone other than teenage girls that listen to this stuff. Judging from their fanbase and official website, that's probably a fair assessment. However.

When I started thinking about the music - I mean really, can you judge a band solely on appearances? (Don't answer that.) - there is an influence in there that is at the core of my musical upbringing. The whole grunge-meets-glam-rock thing has been done before, in 1995 to be exact. The band was called The Smashing Pumpkins. The album was Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

Then I started thinking about it some more. Billy was doing the gothic-lite schtick for Adore and Machina: The Machines of God. "Statues Without Eyes" might as well be "Stand Inside Your Love". I had made the connection. And by then the music was starting to sound, well, awesome. Did I mention Kill Hannah was from Chicago?

As you would expect from such a band there are the typical eye-rollers: "Love You To Death", "The Songs That Saved My Life", "Scream". But believe it or not the band has matured significantly since their previous record, which contained the laugh-out-loud "New Heart for Xmas". And they do an excellent cover of "Under the Milky Way Tonight", a song that fits perfectly into this collection.

If anything, the whole experience has taught me to be a little more open-minded when it comes to new bands. Or at least expanded my definition of guilty pleasure. I would never go to one of their concerts for fear of being labelled as some man-child pervert cruising for young pie, but I will continue to spin this disc and sing along, perhaps to the chagrin of my better judgement.

Afterword

Before anyone mentions the Silversun Pickups - a fine homage to the Smashing Pumpkins in their early years - I direct you to 2004's Future Perfect, by Autolux. I find their sound is more attuned to the Pumpkins' brand of space-rock, with a little Sonic Youth thrown in for good measure. Besides, Christopher Guanlao is absolutely no comparison to Jimmy Chamberlin. It's like a huge portion of their sound had been surgically removed in favour of such rudimentary drumming. They can enjoy their success with "Lazy Eye" while it lasts, I suppose.