Making lists is a personal activity that alomst everyone does in their daily lives. We create lists for our shopping, our daily projects: “to do”, home projects for the year, our new years resolutions. But we rarely get to share our everyday lists unless others are involve with the said list. “Here’s the grocery list, did I miss anything?” “Take a look at all these Christmas gifts we have to buy, is there anything else you can think of?” Most people do not have a desire to see other people’s lists until they actually see them. Curiosity would arise if the list maker wasn’t around or if someone left their list in the shopping cart, “baby wipes, diapers, condoms, oranges.”
Year end wrap-up music lists that are put out by music critics and reviewers are essentially the same thing as these personal lists, that’s if they are not a consensus from a larger group. I usually have a list on the top of my head that contains my favorite albums and another with all the songs that came during the year that I liked. When I am asked during the year what I think is good, I try rattling it off from memory but the list is ever-changing. After some contemplation and reviewing I narrowed a year’s worth of albums and songs that I have been listening to and put it on paper. Well not really since it’s all in the computer and I reviewed in iTunes all the stuff I listened to during the year. So pretend you’re in my kitchen and scattered among my bills lie the following two lists.
My 21 Top Favorite Albums of 2006:
- Bob Dylan- Modern Times
- Mark Mallman- Between the Devil and Middle C
- Chris Smither- Leave the Light On
- The Gourds- Heavy Ornamentals
- Michael Franti & Spearhead- Yell Fire!
- Hank III- Straight To Hell
- Cat Power- The Greatest
- Phoenix- It’s Never Been Like That
- Carey Ott- Lucid Dream
- Dion- Bronx In Blue
- David Mead- Tangerine
- Camera Obscura- Let’s Get Out of This Country
- Alice Smith- For Lovers, Dreamers & Me
- Alexi Murdoch- Time Without Consequence
- Wayne Hancock- Tulsa
- Yo La Tengo- I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
- Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3- Ole! Tarantula
- Josh Rouse- Subtitulo
- Bobby Bare Jr.- The Longest Meow
- deadboy & the Elephantmen- We Are Night Sky
- Pearl Jam- Pearl Jam
My 21 Favorite Songs From 2006:
- Michael Franti & Spearhead- I Know I’m Not Alone
- Gnarls Barkley- Crazy
- Mark Mallman- Substances
- Camera Obscura- Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken
- Cory Branan- She’s My Rock-n-Roll
- Osaka Popstar- Wicked World
- Josh Rouse- Summertime
- The Lovely Sparrows- Your Flowers Will Bloom
- Pearl Jam- Parachutes
- Phoenix- Consolation Prizes
- deadboy & the Elephantmen- Stop, I’m Already Dead
- The Gourds- Decline O Meter
- Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins- The Charging Sky
- Cat Power- Could We
- Darondo- True (Reissue)
- The Coup- We Are the Ones
- Alexi Murdoch- All My Days
- Drive-By Truckers- Feb 14
- Gomez- See the World
- Alejandro Escovedo- Dearhead On the Wall
- Cat Empire- Cities