The best of 2006 in any of these categories;
Post-rock-ish
- Mono - Are You There
- Khoma - The Second Wave
- Sickoakes - Seawards
Summary: The post-rock scene has been excellent this year, new releases from giants like Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky really made the first quarter of the year feel great. But three albums that really stood out was the three listed above. Mono continues making the most beautiful damn music ever. The song "Moonlight" has the most amazing riff a few minutes in. Everyone that has never been in contact with this Japanese band really should check them out. And they're amazing on stage.
The other two bands are both Swedish, and that's just because the old movement in Sweden of melodic metal really has shifted towards post-rock. We have a boatload of really talented, and really good bands coming from the far north in this genre. Where Khoma is a more melancolic answer to all the up-beat shit that gets played on the radio, Sickoakes takes from bands like the before mentioned EITS and Mono. But also from GYBE! and the likes.
Three good albums, all in all. All worth listening at. But aspecially the song "Moonlight" from Monos
Are You ThereStraight hard rock, or not- The Sword - Age of Winters
- Killing Joke - Hosannas From the Basements of Hell
- The Legendary Shack Shakers - Pandelirium
- Peeping Tom - Peeping Tom
Summary: Managed to get three completly diffrent sounding bands and albums under the same piss-poor title. That's a feat in and of itself...
But all four albums are great and represent a different part of the excellent music year that has been 2006 up to now. The Sword with a heavy bassline and mixing it up with some dual guitarshredding and excellent melodies while keeping the edge all through the album. Killing Joke proving once again that they're old, pissed, paranoid and fucking rocking. The Legendary Shack Shakers mix bluegrass, funk and sludge into a fantastic mix that makes you smile. It's contagious and damn good. Peeping Tom on the other hand...
What started as (yet another) wierd sideproject from Mike Patton of Faith No More, Fanthômas and Mr. Bungle fame turned into something that actually got played on MTV. For those of you who know the story behind Pattons hatred of MTV will know how odd that is. But the music is quirky and intresting, just like everything Patton does. This time around he doesn't hide that the music should also be accessible. And it was a long time since Patton did anything of that sorts.
Melodic vibe- Fair to Midland - inter.funda.stifle
- Opus Däï - Tierra Tragame
- Tool - 10,000 Days
- In Reverent Fear - Stomacher
Summary: Now, I know that both Fair to Midland and Opus Däï where released 2004 and 2005 respectively, but ignore that because the first hit Europe in 2006. So, meh. Both are intresting albums with good to great vocals and many new takes on how to preform melodic metal och rock with an edge. Well worth checking out.
Tool needs no introduction, because if they do you've been living inside a cave. 10,000 Days got a lot of negative reviews based on nothing but expectations. I think people expected the new album to be Aenima and Lateralus in one, but with more APC. That it is not. But it is however the best themed album they've put out, and great music to boot.
In Reverent Fear is almost my pet-project together with TV on The Radio and Envy. Too many miss this great music just because it's not promoted. But Stomacher is nothing like their earlier albums, because this time they take heavily from bands like Dredg, Tool and other of the same type. Much softer, much better and way to under-appriciated.
And then we went to some harder stuff...- Burst - Origo
- Giant Squid - Metridium Fields
- Envy - Insomniac Doze
- Mastodon - Blood Mountain
Summary: There's not one album in this list that I wont be playing ten years from now. I'll bloody well bet on it.
Envy has with Insomniac Doze put out the best album of the year, and I'd make the case for it to be the best album of the 21st century. It's amazing in
every way. Post-rock meets screamo meets fusion meets greatness. It's just a fucking brilliant album.
Burst and Giant Squid kind of remind me of eachother, but both have very unique qualities. They share the same love for breaking down songs to the minimal and then just adding on to that core until it becomes a monster in it's own right.
Ouh, and Mastodon... The most hyped band since ...Oasis? Maybe, maybe. Blood Mountain is their first major label release, and many have been worried that they would loose what made them unique and fucking amazing before. Would there be a new Blood & Thunder? Well... yes. Blood Mountain is not just as good as their previous releases. It's actually better. They've mastered more effects to really squeeze out the last of every note, and yet they never loose that simplicity of a really good riff. For me, Blood Mountain marks a new high for Mastodon. and that's not saying a little.
I'm sick of seeing that guy in everyone's videos, he's on my list now.
