There are a lot of top lists out there, writing about what albums were the best this year. They are usually written from a pretentious-I-know-everything-about-music stand point, generally by people who can't play guitar, can't sing, and have never spent a minute on the road with a band.
For examples, please see magazines like Alternative Press, Blender, etc.
I have a top five of 2006 album list. However, I'm not claiming that these are the best albums released this year musically or artistically. I'm not saying these are the best CDs because they went gold or platinum. In fact, many of these albums didn't even break 25,000 copies. Hell, one of the bands broke up a month after their record was released.
They're in my top ten because to me, musically, artistically, personally, and emotionally, these were the most important records released this year. Chances are, if we're friends, you've heard of these bands. If not... well, it's time to get your learn on.
Sleepaway - S/T - Two hours after meeting Sleepaway, I was pulled over by several cop cars in Asbury Park. I was accused of trafficking drugs out of a known crack house in the abandoned section of this ghost town. I watched in horror as a cop pulled one of my friends out of the car and frisked him, threatening to send us all to jail.
It was a good time.
Since meeting Sleepaway, I've been to Buffalo, NY several times. I've partied ridiculously hard with some amazing people who I now consider to be some of my closest friends. I spent all of May and into June on the road with these guys, exploring the midwest and meeting some interesting people along the way. Despite how financially devastating the tour was, how poor some of the turn outs were, and how the heat was so awful that at one point I bought a bag of ice at a gas station and snuggled with it on the floor of the van with the lead singer... it was hands down the greatest tour I've ever been on.
And the fact is, the album is just as beautiful as the people. Yes I realize I just called five emo guys beautiful, shut your face.
The CD, which has two bonus tracks on the Japan release, soars with gorgeous melodies and instrumentation. Bells, acoustic guitars, pianos, all mixed in with the lead singer, Alex Tiberia's, incendiary voice, make for a listening experience like no other. Out of all the bands to ever come out of Buffalo, including This Day & Age, Every Time I Die, Cute Is What We Aim For, and the Goo Goo Dolls... Sleepaway is hands down and by far, the best.
Unfortunately, Sleepaway disbanded at the end of the summer. Their album sold well here in the states and phenomenally in Japan. Most of the guys attend school now (Fredonia!) and one of them is in a new group that will be touring Europe in the Spring. Despite their short lived fame, the ridiculous ruckus on the road, and the album that I listen to almost every other day, they are still the same chill guys who I met on a shady looking beach in Asbury Park.
Anyone who says a little bit of music can't change your life... well they obviously never met my friends in Sleepaway.
Echo Screen - Euphoria - Every once and a while I get to work with a talented band that, just by looking at them, you can tell there is something... special, indescribable about them. The friendship, the camaraderie between the members, invokes the feeling that they aren't just close friends, but truly a family. This comes through in a big way in Euphoria, Echo Screen's first major-indie label debut. Every song is a potential radio hit, each hook catchy, and every harmony makes you want to sing along.
Aside from the fact that these guys are good friends of mine, and that my photography appears inside the album art, the reason this album is in my top ten, is simply because it gives you a reason to believe in the music that comes from New Jersey again. I know, right away I'm getting looks from people who know of my friendships with groups like Houston Calls and The Early November, but Houston Calls doesn't count because we're BFFs and The Early November stinks. Sorry.
Lately our state has been busy spewing out awful bands like Senses Fail, and I can honestly say that not since the days when Midtown and Saves The Day would play local shows in small VFW halls has there been a New Jersey indie group so deserving of fame.
Echo Screen... the next big thing. Just you watch.
Further Seems Forever - I Hope This Finds You Well - It seemed like this band could survive just about anything. Chris Caraba, of Dashboard Confessional fame, left the group after their first album, The Moon Is Down. Then it was Jason Gleason, who can now be found fronting ActionReaction, left after the unbelievable How To Start A Fire. Finally the legendary singer of Sensefield joined up, and FSF released their last and greatest record, Hide Nothing.
Unfortunately, this was it for Further Seems Forever. This album boasts the "hit" songs from all three albums, including some rare covers and b-sides. FSF is one of those bands that got me into music. I remember fondly my freshmen year at Ramapo College, speeding with my buddy Steve to Best Buy to pick up How To Start A Fire, the both of us not caring that it seemed like absolutely nobody else knew who this band was.
When this album came out unfortunately, it did NOT find me well as the title suggests. I wasn't in the best place. I had an amazingly lame retail job, no mode of transportation, and a lackluster college career. The songs on the CD, with the heartfelt lyrics and sad chords, helped me through a difficult time.
Things are better now. Grad school is approaching, I work at a magazine in NYC, and life is pretty sweet.
These champions of emo will forever grace my iPod and iTunes.
Moneen - The Red Tree - Sing for love, sing for choices, sing for everyone... without voices. Moneen's recent album, The Red Tree, has some of their craftiest lyrics yet. They are the only band I know who can be both shockingly profound and absurdly funny in the same song (see the first track on the CD, entitled, Don't Tell John Locke What He Can And Can't Do
The lyrics from The Day No One Needed To Know are sung with such power, such emotion, that when I listened, I mean REALLY listened, I felt on the verge of tears. I haven't been effected like that by a piece of music since Third Eye Blind's Motorcycle Drive By, and that came out when I was in what, 8th grade?
If you haven't purchased this record yet, there is something wrong with you.
New Found Glory - Coming Home - Shut up. I know this album wouldn't even grace the top five list of some of you hipsters who would sooner list groups like The Decemberists or the Arcade Fire, but I don't give a damn. This is an amazing album. NFG can never do any wrong. Ever.
This CD took me back to junior year of high school, when NFG's self titled album dropped and the song Hit Or Miss was on every wanna-be punk kid's CD player. That's right, we were still using CD players back then, and MP3 players that held 32mb worth of music cost hundreds of dollars. It reminded me how I saw these guys for the first time at a small club in Roselle Park, in front of about 50 people. It's rare for a band to stay that good in my eyes for all this time. 8 years later and I'm still listening to them.
Truth is, this record, every single time I listen to it, makes me feel like a kid again.
And in no way is that EVER a bad thing.
These albums also came out this year and deserve your love and attention, and would easily appear in my top list of 06. However, I didn't feel like writing that much.
As Tall As Lions - S/T (Triple Crown Records) - Just go buy it.
Park - Building A Better... (Lobster Records)
Racing Kites - Hold It All Together EP (Unsigned) - An incredibly catchy pop rock EP from some great dudes.
This Day & Age - The Bell & Hammer (111) - A beautiful, sweeping record. They broke up, unfortunately.
Saves The Day - Sound The Alarm (Vagrant) - Their best since Stay What You Are.
Southcott - Flee The Scene (Rust / Universal) - They have the best drummer ever.
Someday Never - The Natural Art Of Breathing - I almost forgot this came out this year. Amazing EP.
Foster - New Demos - Potential you have to hear to believe.
Hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Happy New Year and Happy Holidays, everyone.
Eric