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Here it Ys: an examination of A&E’s top 10 albums of 2006

Dominick Duhamel (Contact)
Published: Monday, December 11, 2006

To accompany our second annual albums of the year list, voted on by the A&E staff, I’m here to tell you why the entire thing is wrong (or right, as the case may be).

1. Joanna Newsom, “Ys”

Newsom’s sophomore effort is the obvious choice for the year’s best album, and not necessarily because it’s good. Above all things, the epic, harp-centric, Van Dyke Parks-orchestrated “Ys” is impressive, and I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who considers the album as enjoyable as it is awe-inspiring. I’ve yet to be able to listen to the whole thing in one sitting.

2. TV on the Radio, “Return to Cookie Mountain” No album this year compares to the inventiveness, energy, social significance and urgency packed into “Cookie Mountain.” Lead singer Tunde Adebimpe knows what needs to be said and isn’t afraid to say it. It takes a few listens to absorb it all, but in the end the band’s drone-rock is immensely rewarding.

3. Clipse, “Hell Hath No Fury” Of the 40 hip-hop albums I have on my iTunes right now, this one blows them all out of the water. The beats are manic, the flows are ferocious and Pusha T and Malice narrate the life of coke dealers with brutal honesty and unparalleled style.

4. Ghostface Killah, “Fishscale” “Fishscale” would be better if you took out most of the skits and the second half. But as it stands, even though the album is way too long, songs such as “The Champ” and “Shakey Dog” are jam-of-the-year material. Ghostface’s energy is insatiable and his ability to tell a story is top-notch, but it would’ve been nice if he were allowed to be the center of attention more often.

5. Destroyer, “Destroyer’s Rubies” I just don’t get this album. The ’70s Bowie-esque music has its good points and singer/songwriter Dan Bejar comes up with a memorable line here and there, but most of it’s just pretentious babble and overly frequent “la da da da” breakdowns, which is probably why we writer-types all seem to like it. One of my favorite moments of 2006 is when my friend tried to put “Destroyer’s Rubies” on at a party and everyone booed.

6. The Pipettes, “We Are the Pipettes” “Catchy” means nothing if you haven’t heard retro-cool girl group The Pipettes. My roommate and I suddenly burst into our rendition of “Pull Shapes” at least once a day, and a few nights ago a girl at a party made me put the song on repeat.

7. Yo La Tengo, “I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass” Remember how Yo La Tengo used to make near-perfect albums? Yeah, so do I. That was a long time ago. Still, “I Am Not Afraid of You” shows more energy in its fiery guitar work and melodic heft than any of us expected from the aging indie rockers.

8. Mastodon, “Blood Mountain” I can’t help but look at the top-10 list and think that our writers name-dropped Mastodon for metal cred. Regardless, it’s a consistent and inventive album for anyone whose gag reflex doesn’t kick in when someone says “prog metal.”

9. Cat Power, “The Greatest” The latest from Chan Marshall finds the timid, troubled singer-songwriter more confident and comfortable than she’s ever been. While that often takes away from the emotional immediacy that made her previous work so moving, her adoring fans (myself included) are more than willing to sacrifice alcohol-fueled breakdowns for Marshall’s improved wellbeing.

10. Jenny Lewis, “Rabbit Fur Coat” Even at number 10, I am ashamed that this made the list. The faux-country of “Rabbit Fur Coat” is the definition of mediocrity, and clearly only made the cut because of a few select individuals’ attachment to Rilo Kiley’s marginally charismatic frontwoman. Do us all a favor and pick up the Neko Case album instead.

E-mail Duhamel at dduhamel@media.ucla.edu if you think he name-dropped the Clipse for hip-hop cred. Send general comments to ae@media.ucla.edu.