And the best recording of 2006 is....

[bedpanartist]

Funeral Dress, By Cincinnati's own Wussy

I have listened to this cd about 100 times now, and it's not getting old. This one is a classic. If you remember, Chuck Cleaver from the Ass Ponys, this is his new band, and they are a great one for the ages.

Got any other suggestions for cd of the year?

Blender - April 2006
The CD We're Totally Gay For
Wussy - Funeral Dress (Shake It)
Four Stars

Newcomer improves old-timer in songful, dissonant Ohio quartet
The guy sings high and pained, the gal mellow and forthright. Both have midwestern twangs. The guy sounds older, but the gal dominates. The music is post-Velvet Underground droney, but the contained guitar noise never comes off as urban because it flows too smoothly - there's not enough conflict or racket in it. Also, bands that indulge their noisy sides are never this tuneful, even when they try. The gal is Lisa Walker, an unknown who won't be. Her songs of love and existential displacement are delicate, proud, complex - try "Motorcycle," in which she itches to get out of town without a helmet. The guy is Chuck Cleaver of the Ohio band Ass Ponys. Always a little twisted, he thinks about such things as a human-brained horse and what kind of wrench fits a lead pipe cinch - try "Yellow Cotton Dress," in which he'll never clear the silverware she left behind. They're an unlikely seeming pair. They fit perfectly.
Download: "Bought It Again," "Crooked," "Airborne"
blender.com

[taterguy]

1. Songs For Sixty Five Roses

Subtitled re-working the North Carolina Jukebox. Covers of obscure and famous NC music, performed by NC musicians. It's a benefit for cystic fibrosis research

[bedpanartist]

2. thanks for the heads up

gave some listens in. FAB!

[bedpanartist]

3. anyone else?

I always love to hear about great new recordings, as they are in short supply nowadays.

[bedpanartist]

4. are these the ONLY TWO recordings

of 2006 worth mentioning so far? I hope not.

[mvd]

5. Here are some of my favorites so far this year

Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (possibly the best!)
The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty
Belle And Sabastian - The Life Pursuit
Pearl Jam - self-titled
Margot & Nuclear So & So's - Dust of Retreat
Josh Ritter - Animal Years
Rainer Maria - Catastrophe Keeps Us Together
Cat Power - The Greatest
Damone - Out Here All Night
Dirtie Blonde - self-titled
Gomez - How We Operate
Veronicas - Secret Life Of The Veronicas
Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
The Corrs - Home

And quite a few other very good ones - from Jewel to the Raconteurs to Sonya Kitchell to Paul Simon to the drive of Built To Spill.

[mvd]

6. Just for fun, here's last year's list

There are some virtual ties that you could substitute. Saving Jane for Miranda Lambert, Sleater-Kinney for Liz Phair to name a couple. This list certainly doesn't complete the great albums, but I had to stop somewhere.

New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Hope 7 - self-titled
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Veronicas - Secret Life of (IMPORT)
Stacie Rose - Shadow And Splendor
The Like - Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?
Josh Ritter - Hello Starling (limited edition)
Miranda Lambert - Kerosene
Lee Ann Womack - There's More Where That Came From
Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made
Anna Nalick - Wreck Of The Day
Cindy Alexander - Angels & Demons
The Pierces - Light Of The Moon
Liz Phair - Somebody's Miracle
White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Brandi Carlile - self-titled
Garbage - Bleed Like Me
Amy Rigby - Little Fugitive
Decemberists - Picaresque
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire

[mvd]

19. Remembered one more from 2005

The Faders - Plug In And Play. It has that guitar pop sound I like so much. I'm waiting to see if it can go on my 2006 list (US release.) If not, it will take the place of one of my 2005 CDs.

I think The Faders' CD is the only one I'd go out of my way to change my list for.. as I said, there are some ties.

[Ava]

7. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better

it is a freaking awesome album! everyone song on it is great!

[mvd]

8. Good choice

It's a 2005 album actually, though. It contended for my list, but I tried not to substitute after my deadline unless a style should be more represented or an album very clearly was better than another in the list. :hi:

[Ava]

9. oh, i thought when you said of 2006

you meant the past year, including some from last year, sort of like they do the grammys and that stuff.

i love that album. i have both of their albums but this one is definately the best out of the two. :hi:

[mvd]

10. I didn't create the topic, so maybe..

the OP allows some versatility. I just decided to stick to year 2006 ones. I heard samples from the other Franz Ferdinand, and they didn't hit me the same way. Is it still worth buying?

[bedpanartist]

11. There is mucho flexibility here

The Wussy record has actually revived an excitement in music again for me, and I want to hear about other great recordings. To me, it's (Wussy's Funeral Dress) is that good. But then again, I think anything that Chuck Cleaver puts his mind into is a treasure of American culture. But then again, I am biased, because I do have dinner and hang out with him somewhat often (my disclosure).

I would put Chuck up against Bob Dylan, or any great American songwriter. He's one of the best for sure.

[mvd]

12. I'll check it out

:hi:

[mvd]

14. I'm listening on Wussy's Myspace

I like it.. certainly they have a unique sound.

[bedpanartist]

17. thank god for myspace

at least as far as the easy availability to listen to music and for artists and bands to spread their sound with no filter.

[mvd]

20. Sounds good enough to buy!

Thanks! :hi:

[Ava]

13. yes, it's still good

not nearly as good as "You Could Have It So Much Better" but still good!

[mvd]

15. Also, there's

Holly Brook's Like Blood Like Honey. It's not out yet, but I did hear it, and will likely add it later. It REALLY stuns you on repeated listenings.

[Initech]

16. My favorite so far this year - Operation:Mindcrime II

Rounding out my top 5 so far:

Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
Tool - 10,000 Days
David Gilmour - On An Island
Flaming Lips - At War With The Mystics

Honorable mention:

Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not

[Joey Liberal]

18. All of the songs that bash Bush!

Dixie Chicks, Pink, Neil Young.................

[ghostsofgiants]

21. So far I think my choice would be a toss-up between...

Arctic Monkeys' "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" and Thursday's "A City By the Light Divided".

Honourable mentions to Moneen's "The Red Tree", Pretty Girls Make Graves' "Elan Vital", Pistolita's "Oliver Under The Moon" and Boysetsfire's "The Misery Index: Notes From The Plague Years".

[mvd]

22. Re-post of 2006 list

Forgot a couple biggies.

Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (possibly the best!)
The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty
Belle And Sabastian - The Life Pursuit
Pearl Jam - self-titled
Margot & Nuclear So & So's - Dust of Retreat
Josh Ritter - Animal Years
Rainer Maria - Catastrophe Keeps Us Together
Cat Power - The Greatest
Damone - Out Here All Night
Dirtie Blonde - self-titled
Gomez - How We Operate
Veronicas - Secret Life Of The Veronicas
Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac
Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat
The Corrs - Home
Pink - I'm Not Dead
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

[mvd]

23. One kick - I love these threads

Re-posted 2005 list with The Faders included - I see no plans for a U.S. release. I could get away with taking Josh Ritter out, because it's originally a 2004 album:

New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Hope 7 - self-titled
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Veronicas - Secret Life of (IMPORT)
Stacie Rose - Shadow And Splendor
The Like - Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?
The Faders - Plug In & Play
Miranda Lambert - Kerosene
Lee Ann Womack - There's More Where That Came From
Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made
Anna Nalick - Wreck Of The Day
Cindy Alexander - Angels & Demons
The Pierces - Light Of The Moon
Liz Phair - Somebody's Miracle
White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan
Brandi Carlile - self-titled
Garbage - Bleed Like Me
Amy Rigby - Little Fugitive
Decemberists - Picaresque
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire

[mvd]

24. And finally, SOME I'm looking foward to buying..

in 2006:

Holly Brook - Like Blood Like Honey (is on order)
Lillix - Inside The Hollow (is on order)
Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (is on order)
Wussy - Funeral Dress
Amy Millan - Honey from the Tombs
Cheyenne Kimball - The Day Has Come (young artist who wields a mean blues-pop guitar)
Julie Roberts - Men And Mascara
Allison Moorer - Getting Somewhere
Mission of Burma - The Obliterati (sounds like fresh rock)
New one from Angela Ammons; debut from Lucy Walsh

[mvd]

26. I just discovered Susan Cagle, too

I'm buying this one. Pop/rock with a rhythmic flavor of her own - and couldn't get a more real setting than a subway station.

[enigmatic]

25. That's a great record

I'm playing "Airborne" and Lisa's "Jonah" from her side project The Magic Words on my overnight show and on our Independent Nation show right now. When I was living in Columbus in the early 90's I ran into Chuck and the guys often while doing the Cincy/Columbus shuttle....