Top Twenty Albums of 2006: 11-15
- Eleven
Electric President - S/T
When I first heard Electric President, it seemed like just the thing to tide me over until the next Sparklehorse release, what with its crackly production and broken Linkousian whispered vocals. But then a funny thing happened: when the Sparklehorse album finally appeared, I kept listening to this instead. It's a strange little record, on the one hand bleak and dystopian and on the other meticulously programmed and almost upliftingly catchy.
Featured Track: "Insomnia"
- Twelve
Persephone's Bees - Notes from the Underworld
Hailing from just south of Salmon Central, Persephone's Bees peddles a sweet mélange of New Wave, French pop and psychedelia. Plenty of quirkyfunky hooks topped off by Angelina Moysov's sexy, accented vocals made this a fantastically joyful bit of summer fun.
Featured Track: "Nice Day"
- Thirteen
Beirut - Gulag Orkestar
Yes, Zach Condon is a 19-year-old from Albuquerque who writes seemingly centuries-old Balkan gypsy folk tunes. And if that was the only thing that made this album interesting, then you could just file it under "novelty acts" and move on. But you really shouldn't, because you'd miss out on a tremendous set of beguiling, confident tunes carried by muted brass, martial percussion and Condon's maudlin croon.
Featured Track: "Postcards from Italy"
Download "Postcards from Italy"
Download "Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)" - Fourteen
Ratatat - Classics
Ratatat's tongue-in-cheek wailing guitars and laptop pop will have you smiling faster than you can say Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Aside from an occasional guest feline, you won't find any vocals here — just gleeful glitchy glam. Roll down the windows, crank up the volume, and let 'er rip. For the record, they had me at "ROWR!"
Featured Track: "Wildcat"
- Fifteen
Kris Delmhorst - Strange Conversation
If you're audacious enough to share writing credits with Lord Byron, you're either doing something right or something really, really wrong. If you're bold enough to record an ee cummings hoedown or set George Eliot over dixieland horns, you're playing with poetic fire. Fortunately, Delmhorst has the songwriting chops to pull it off. And it certainly doesn't hurt that she's got a honey of a voice and an adept group of musician friends to back it up.
Featured Track: "Galuppi Baldassare"
Download "Galuppi Baldassare"
Download "We'll Go No More A-Roving"