The last installment...
25 "When the Sun Goes Down" Arctic Monkeys
While everyone waited for the follow up to their "Dancefloor" hit (including myself), the Monkeys quietly racked up the awards… including Time Magazine's Record of the Year. This song starts of nice and easy, for about the first minute anyway. The pace is then picked up and back to the Arctic Monkeys most are familiar with. A real solid song that's worth a second listen. (B) Monkeys' myspace
24 "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live" Bruce Springsteen
The Boss can still belt out the songs. This song is from the Pete Seeger tribute album that he released last year. It definitely has an "older" feel to it, but still resonates in the current version. (B+)
23 "Fidelity" Regina Spektor
Nick gave me the heads-up on her, and did not disappoint. There is something about this song that just draws me in. I think a lot of has to do with her voice… from almost a whisper to the punchy staccato notes. (A) Regina's myspace
22 "Tell Me Baby" Red Hot Chili Peppers
The second release off of Stadium Arcadium has both the funk and the heart that RHCP are known for. The chorus is definitely catchy makes you want to sing along. (A-) RHCP's myspace
21 "SexyBack" Justin Timberlake
The song that brought Mr. Timberlake back onto the scene in a major way. "Sexyback" quickly became part of many people's lexicon for 2006. While overplayed (except for the Victoria's Secret show) this song delivers on what a pop/R&B song should be. (B)
20 "The Long Way Around" The Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks came back strong in 2006, even without the support of radio airplay in some markets. "The Long Way Around" is pretty tight both musically and vocally. A great song that helps reinforce why country music needs the Dixie Chicks. (B+) Chicks dig myspace
19 "Get Myself Into It" The Rapture
Having only heard about The Rapture, but not any of their music… I was interested to hear this song. I knew it would probably be a mixture of dance/punk/rock. That's pretty much what we have here… a bit of a dance beat and post-punk vocal stylings. While not completely my bag after the first listen, I can see why the mashed-genre music has been garnering attention. (C+) The Rapture's myspace18 "Ain't No Other Man" Christina Aguilera
Ms. Aguilera decided to throw it back to older times on the new cd. From the looks of her new release, she's definitely channeling someone besides "X-tina". It isn't a bad song, but tends to get on my nerves now due to radio overplay. (C+)
17 "Welcome to the Black Parade" My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance followed up the very successful 'Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge' with another fantastic album. "Welcom to the Black Parade" serves as an anthem to the goth-teens everywhere. It's a high-power song that will have you chanting along in no time. (A) MCR's myspace
16 "You Only Live Once" The Strokes
When The Strokes burst upon the music scene a couple of years ago, they had a "new" sound that was winning many people over. Fast forward to 2006 and their new song sounds like it could be from their first mainstream album… but is that a bad thing? While this sounds like typical Strokes, I wouldn't really want it any other way. (A-) Strokes myspace
15 "Miss Murder" AFI
There is a good chance that if you walked by Hot Topic in your local mall in 2006, you probably heard this song. It received a lot of radio airplay as well though… due to the chorus, that seems to get stuck in your head after hearing it once. The whole album is very strong, so don't let the over-exposure to "Miss Murder" keep you from looking into more AFI. (B) AFI's space
14 "Ghetto Story" Cham
A little reggae flavor breaks into the countdown! I had not heard of this song/singer before this list came around. It's a worthy song that grew on me as it went along. While I'm not sure if it deserves the #14 spot (after one listen), it does have some merit. (B-) Cham's myspace13 "Free Radicals" The Flaming Lips
I like The Flaming Lips even if sometimes I don't get The Flaming Lips. Their spaced-out music usually has to catch me in the right mood, otherwise I'm not too into it. This song is okay, but really doesn't stand out in any particular manner. I'll probably need to listen to it again before it sinks in completely. (C+) Flaming Myspace 12 "Read My Mind" The Killers
The Killers continue their "Springsteen-vibe" with "Read My Mind". It may not be quintessential Boss, but then again why would we want the same exact thing twice? This easy-going song is a great follow-up to their almost-grandiose "When You Were Young" (although "Bones" I think was actually the second release off of Sam's town). (A)
11 "World Wide Suicide" Pearl Jam
I have to say that I'm partial to anything the Pearl Jam releases… they've been a favorite of mine since Ten. Pearl Jam has become increasingly political in some of their songs, and "World Wide Suicide" is one of them. This song delivers for the group, from Eddie Vedder's vocals, to the always consistent guitar play. People continue to question whether this "grunge" band can still make good music today… and I think this song proves that they can, and do. (A) PJ's myspace
10 "Ooh La La" Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp is a dance groove that sounds oddly familiar. Parts of the song sound like it could be from the 70's (disco-ish), the 80's (heavy synth), or even today. I guess alls you need is a solid bass line and a dance floor and you're 85% on your way to a hit. (B-) Goldfrapp's myspace<span style="font-size: 10pt;">9 "Dimension" Wolfmother
Wolfmother received a lot of pre-release hype in 2006. Lucky for us the album delivered, and more. "Dimension" relies on heavy guitar riffs, as well as Andrew Stockdale's howling voice. The lyrics might be out there a little bit, but the music is enough to take you along for the ride. (A) Wolfmother's myspace
8 "Wamp Wamp (What It Do)" Clipse with Slim Thug
An okay song that doesn't really deserve a top 10 finish, in my eyes anyway. The beats are okay, the rapping is okay… but that's it, it's just okay. (C) Clipse's myspace7 "Smile" Lily Allen
Another song that I've heard before, but really didn't know much else about it. A break-up song that is masked by an upbeat beat (does that make sense?) that almost makes the song sound happy… until you listen to the lyrics. Lily Allen also has been pretty vocal about other musicians/thoughts, which I find amusing (in a good way). (B+)
6 "Thunder on the Mountain" Bob Dylan
Dylan channels a bit of the country-vibe for "Thunder on the Mountain". The song has a toe-tapping beat that is hard to resist. It is making me want to bust out the Dylan cd's that I own out (I don't have this album though). A very good song (although I'm struggling with the Alicia Keys reference) by a guy that ten years ago I didn't think we'd be mentioning in a top songs of 2006 list. (B+) Dylan does myspace
5 "Vans" The Pack
This song is pretty horrible… and the fact it's residing in the #5 spot is making me think the whole list is worthless (not the first time it's crossed my mind though). (F) Why bother?
4 "What You Know" T.I.
T.I. has become one of my favorite rappers over the past couple years. From 2004's "Urban Legend" to 2006's "King", his easy flow and solid beats have won me over. "What You Know" doesn't disappoint with the opening background music making the song sound "big". Plus with lyrics like: "Don't wanna fight me bro/I'm fast as lightning bro/ya better use ya Nike's bro", what's not to like? (A) TI's myspace3 "Ridin'" Chamillionaire
A summer hit that could be heard from most high-school kids car stereo systems in 2006. This song put Chamillionaire on the map… and later provided material for Weird Al to make some green too. The Sound of Revenge has a few good tracks on it… I'm partial to "Rain" myself. (B+) Chamillionaire's space
2 "Steady As She Goes" The Raconteurs
A great song from a fantastic CD. The White/Benson garage-rock sounds unpolished (like it hasn't been overproduced, like a lot of "pop" hits today to), but that's why you like it. "Steady As She Goes" received a lot of airplay, but yet the song proved resilient. If you don't own Broken Boy Soliders yet, I would make it a priority. (A) Raconteurs' space
1 "Crazy" Gnarls Barkley
Their #1 song is a song that your probably didn't mind (or you actually liked) at one point in 2006. Its downfall was due to overplaying (almost every radio station genre played it) as well as they didn't release a second song to take some of the radioplay of "Crazy". Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse created something very fresh and the whole cd is pretty solid… in a funky sort of way. (A-) The Winner's myspace
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Overall, this seemed like a good idea... before I started! I have no idea what criteria RS used for this list, but some were good choices and others were obviously horrible.
My comments only reflect my opinion. If you have different musical tastes than myself, you probably can see where you fit in then.
I'm just glad I'm done so I can officially cross this 2006 list off my to-do list... and only 21 days into 2007!
 | Currently listening:
St. Elsewhere
By Gnarls Barkley
Release date: 09 May, 2006 |
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