Pitchfork's 2006 album top 50 and song top 100

Hipster website Pitchfork has posted their 2006 yearlists. Check the 50 best albums of the past year according to Pitchfork here and the 100 best songs of 2006 here. They've even put these 100 songs up for download to make your Christmas more bearable! Earlier this month they released their 2006 top 25 video's.

Of course in no way will their lists influence my own yearlist(s)...

God Knows (You gotta give to get)

These days I'm often scrolling through my music collection, with the main reason to find the best albums and songs of 2006. Yeah, it's yearlist time and as a first year blogger, I have not realized the complexity of this. I've given myself a deadline somewhere between Christmas and the New Year, so you might want to start working on yours. I would love reading them! Anyways, because of this time consuming activity, I probably won't be blogging that comprehensively.

Today the cool video to the more than beautiful (goosebump material) El Perro Del Mar song 'God Knows (You gotta give to get)'. [...now that's what I call briefness]

Video: El Perro Del Mar - God Knows (You gotta give to get)

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Tralala

Could a bandname be any simpler than Tralala? In the case of Tralala, the music is pretty simple as well. Think Ramones, Ronettes and Beatles inspired poppunk with four female singers. They're somewhere between the dirtiness of (though not as dirty as) the Donnas and the poppiness of (though not as poppy as) the Pipettes. The vocal harmonies are the band's strength and gives them a certain retro sound. They say it best themselves: "Tralala are boys and girls who play rock songs without strings attached...and they believe it is OK to shake your hips to rock and roll." Their new album 'Is that the Tralala' was released last month.

Mp3:
Tralala - Yellow Taxi
Tralala - Boys of St. Mary

Website | MySpace | Buy@Insound

Free Christmas sampler Fat Wreck!

For the punkrockers out there Fat Wreck put up a free Christmas sampler. It features unreleased tracks by NOFX, Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and the Loved Ones and other Fat Wreck bands. You can listen to it (and download it!) here! Don't worry..these are not christmas songs!

Finally Friday Video's Part XIV

I think I've seen the Vandals live at least 5 times and every time they finished their set with the Simpletones cover "I have a Date". Guitarist Warren took over vocal duties for that song and he went totally crazy doing it, ending up naked more often than not. Their shows were always fun (not in an explainable way, but in a 'you had to be there' kind of way), though their records kept getting worse. I've kind of lost touch with the band, but they deserve a spot in the finally friday video series.

Video: The Vandals - I Have a Date

(Sing me to Sleep) Regina Spektor

Sometimes there is a thin line between mainstream and indie music, take Regina Spektor's single 'Fidelity' (watch video below) for example. It's a song that would not be misplaced on mainstream radio except for one thing if you listen closely: this song is really good! I love the break at 2:50 into the song. Spektor has an extraordinary voice (in a positive way) that she uses very dynamically: sometimes it's like she's whispering, sometimes she sounds very vulnerable, sometimes very strong.

Spektor's 2006 album "Begin to Hope" makes for perfect late night music. Listening to it will relax you, but has enough surprising moments to keep you awake. The Russian Born, American singer songwriter and pianist has made a very diverse album, that I'm liking more and more with every listen. It's the kind of album that unveals secrets every time you listen to it, sometimes lyrically and sometimes musically. Interesting stuff. If you like the video to 'Fidelity', she has a music player on her website. I've put up the bonustrack Uh-merica, where the uh sounds dangerously close to a vomiting noise but I'm sure that's not done on purpose hehe...

Video: Regina Spektor - Fidelity


Mp3:
Regina Spektor - Uh-Merica

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Stephen Brodsky

Lately I've taken quite a liking to the song 'Sentimental Case' from Stephen Brodsky's new album (Stephen Brodsky's Octave Museum). Stephen Brodsky is the singer of metal/indierock outfit Cave In, which I never got into, but then again this solo project, sounds really different. It's filled with laid back poprock tunes that fit in somewhere between the Beatles and the New Pornographers. Not really groundbreaking, but an enjoyable album nonetheless. Suited as background music, except for Sentimental Case, which you should play at a louder level!

MP3:
Stephen Brodsky - Sentimental Case

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