Best of 2006
As I do every year, I will begin this list by simply saying that these are the records, books, movies, shows, and interviews that I enjoyed the most in 2006 (even though there were arguably better records made this year and I can already think of about 40 more that I’ve forgotten to include). These were the booksthat I particularly savored that were actually published in 2006 (otherwise I’d just be listing Sylvia Plath and Sharon Olds over and over each year). Movies were tough since there were a lot of them that I never managed to see and considering that I really disliked the majority of the ones I did. I chose the live shows that were simply the most fun (probably the ones where I had the most to drink) and this year I thought it would also be fun to go through and pick out my favorite interviews (since that is what I pretend to do for a living). I’d like to think I chose my favorite interview subjects based on how fascinating or revealing they were (Courtney!), but it mostly had to to with people who made me laugh or were particularly beautiful or handsome. I’m not gonna lie. So anyway, here is my annual nerdfest for the year that was 2006. Read it and weep.
TOP 40 RECORDS OF 2006
- MIDLAKE // The Trials of Van Occupanther
- CAT POWER // The Greatest
- BONNIE “PRINCE” BILLY // The Letting Go
- BAND OF HORSES // Everything All The Time
- JUANA MOLINA // Son
- YEAH YEAH YEAHS // Show Your Bones
- THE KNIFE // Silent Shout
- THE WHITEST BOY ALIVE // Dreams
- YO LA TENGO // I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
- SECRET MACHINES // Ten Silver Drops
- HOT CHIP // The Warning
- BUILT TO SPILL // You in Reverse
- PETER, BJORN, AND JOHN // Writer’s Block
- THE BROTHER KITE // Waiting For The Time To Be Right
- MOJAVE 3 // Puzzles Like You
- CALIFONE // Roots & Crowns
- EMILY HAINES // Knives Don’t Have Your Back
- THE GOSSIP // Standing in the Way of Control
- HUMAN TELEVISION // Look At Who You’re Talking To
- MY MORNING JACKET // Okonokos
- JUNIOR BOYS // So This is Goodbye
- MATES OF STATE // Bring it Back
- CHAD VANGAALEN // Skelliconnection
- SONIC YOUTH // Rather Ripped
- BELLE & SEBASTIAN // The Life Pursuit
- HORSE FEATHERS // Words are Dead
- THE THERMALS // The Body, The Blood, The Machine
- PLUS/MINUS // Let’s Build A Fire
- M. WARD // Post-War
- BOUND STEMS // Appreciation Night
- OVER THE ATLANTIC // Junica
- ANNUALS // Be He Me
- BEACH HOUSE // Beach House
- FIELDS // Seven from the Village
- WOLFMOTHER // Wolfmother
- WHITE FLIGHT // White Flight
- THE FUTUREHEADS // News and Tributes
- AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD // So Divided
- THE LITTLE ONES // The Little Ones EP
- I LOVE YOU BUT I’VE CHOSEN DARKNESS // Fear Is On Our Side
TOP 10 LIVE SHOWS OF 2006
- CAT POWER // Town Hall // NYC // June 10
- DEPECHE MODE // Coachella Festival // Indio, Ca // April 29
- THE KNIFE // Øya Festival // Oslo, Norway // August 10
- JOSE GONZALEZ // Joe’s Pub // NYC // March 22
- THE FLAMING LIPS (w/ Peaches) // SXSW // Austin, Tx // March 15
- THE WORLD FAMOUS * BOB * IS F TO F // Mo’ Pitkins // NYC // April 6
- BAND OF HORSES // Warsaw // NYC // June 18
- FEIST // Webster Hall // NYC // February 10
- NITZER EBB // Irving Plaza // NYC // September 17
- LOW // Bowery Ballroom // NYC // February 6
Honorable Mention: MADONNA // Coachella Festival // Indio, Ca // April 30
Madonna in a giant tent in the desert AND I was nearly trampled to death. ‘Nuff said.
TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2006
- In Persuasion Nation (Stories) – George Saunders
- We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live: Collected Nonfiction – Joan Didion
- Up is Up, But So is Down – edited by Brandon Stosuy
- The God of this World to his Prophet: Poems – Bill Coyle
- My Lives: An Autobiography – Edmund White
- Grave of Light: Selected Poems – Alice Notley
- Fool the World: An oral history of the Pixies – Caryn Ganz, Josh Frank
- Thirst (poems) – Mary Oliver
- American Genius (a novel) – Lynne Tillman
- Jesus Land: A Memoir – Julia Scheeres
TOP 10 FILMS OF 2006
- Old Joy
- Volver
- Neil Young: Heart of Gold
- When the Levees Broke
- The Descent
- Marie Antoinette
- 49 Up
- Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film
- loud QUIET loud: A film about the Pixies
- Shut Up and Sing
Honorable Mention: Jackass 2, Borat
Movies that make me laugh and make me vaguely uncomfortable at the same time are generally winners in my book.
TOP 10 INTERVIEWS OF 2006
- Courtney Love // V Magazine
- Chan Marshall (Cat Power) // Mixte
- Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) // V magazine
- Olaf and Karin (The Knife) // Soundgirl.com
- Emily Haines // V Magazine
- Flora and Anar (Metal Hearts) // Soundgirl.com
- Tom Smith (Editors) // V Magazine
- Jason and Kori (Mates of State) // V Magazine
- Vince Clarke (Erasure / Yaz) // V Magazine
- Anjelica Huston // V Magazine