Top Ten of 2006

I know these year-end lists are very popular among those who like music a lot, but I don't get into things until everyone else is really, really over them. I'm not really into music the way most of my friends are, either; I like it, but I'm not insane about it. I have my two bands who can do no wrong, but everythings else is extra. But I try to make these list things. I always end up making up half of it, or including things that were released 40 years earlier (my #2 last year was Pet Sounds and my #1 was Maidawood: Sing, But In Reverse). But this year I actually tried, and I came up with two albums. Two wasn't enough for a Top 5, let alone a Top 10, so I decided to include other media. That brought me up to 5, so this year my Top 10 is really a Top 5--and they are all items that were released this year !

1. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit



I adore this album. It's my favorite album to listen to on 17, or on 280, or...I guess it's my highway driving album.

Belle and Sebastian - Funny Little Frog

2. Jeff Tweedy - Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest



Jeff Tweedy. There's nothing I can say about him. He's just Jeff Tweedy.

Jeff Tweedy - The Thanks I Get

3. The New Amsterdams - Story Like A Scar



This is a concept album about Kansas from the ex-Get Up Kids lead singer Matt Pryor. Matt is re-recording 2004's Killed Or Cured EP(which in 2005 was re-recorded and released as a full album) and looking to release it on his own in the coming year. This album was sort of thrown together in the midst of the three separate Killed Or Cured sessions, and it's not really that good in comparison to some of Matt's older stuff or even the new recordings of old songs. But this is the first album to feature the current New Ams lineup (Bill Belzer on drums, Eric McCann on bass, and Dustin Kinzey on guitar). It's awesome to see them do these songs live (they should have just recorded it live, I think) because in this mix the bass is so low in the mix it doesn't stand out at all. Eric is probably my favorite thing to happen to one of Matt's bands since Nathan Shay went to art school.

The New Amsterdams - Turn Out The Light

4. Moleskine Sketchbooks


I bought four of these this year, and I'm assuming most of them were made in 2006. They were certainly released this year. My Moleskines are best friends with my Uniball pens and my Mirado pencils. Sometimes Sharpies, too.

5. The Sims 2



I'm a nerd, but I really suck at video games. Anything other than Tetris is hard for me, but I can handle The Sims. It's like watching reality TV except you get to make up people, including your friends. I can't find my disc but the last time I played, Rob and Lisa came over to Sherwood's house where Dan was refusing to take a shower, Mikey was acting like a pirate in the kitchen, Joe was reading, and Nate was napping. Rob tried to talk to Dan, but Dan just kept on refusing to shower and it made Rob cry. I'm not sure what the point is for me to have a computer game that so accurately reflects real life, but this is entertaining.

So that's my list. Boring, right ?