Indie For BUNNIES

MUSIC BLOG TOP 100 ALBUM 2006 - from #100 to #76

MUSIC BLOG TOP 100 ALBUM 2006 - from #75 to #51

MUSIC BLOG TOP 100 ALBUM 2006 - from #50 to #26

#25 - Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury ( Clean )

“Sounds like Pharel’s beats took a page from the UK grime handbook and this record, from start to finish, is as hard as they come. Tight beats, tighter rhymes. And as dark as the stories they tell.” ( ScissorKicks )
“The most generic style of wordplay in hip-hop that pollutes most of the music sounds so fresh on Hell Hath No Fury.” ( Headless Ponch )
“One of the best rap releases of the year with bonus points for cutting the obnoxious skits that plague the vast majority of hip-hop albums.” ( Moroccan Role )
“Top to bottom, lyrics to beats. Simply top notch.” ( Central Village )

Mp3:
Mr. Me Too (thanks to “Pretentious Prattle” Blog)

#24 - Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming ( Absolutely Kosher )

“While it may seem that everything Sufjan touches turns to musical gold, Krug is not far off showing that his vast musical abilities make him appear to be a more off-centered and experimental version of Stevens.” ( I Guess I’m Floating )
“Shut Up I Am Dreaming continues to show off the amazing talent of Krug but this time under his complete control. I’d compare his writing to Leonard Cohen.” ( FunTime OK )
“It certainly has a fair amount of peculiarities, from spencer krug’s voice to the extremes in diversity of style from one song to the next.” ( Sand Is OVerrated )
“If this album could be charted like a map (which it ought to be) you’d have to use a pair of dice to navigate it, and you’d need to take a lot of weapons.” ( Said The Gramophone )

Mp3:
Stadiums And Shrines II (thanks to “Pretentious Prattle” Blog)

#23 - Grizzly Bear - Yellow House ( Warp )

“Their music doesn’t try to impress anyone, and people appreciate it that much more because of it. It’s a perfect calm summer’s day album …” ( The Pelican’s Perch )
“The most graceful and gorgeous sounding album of the year, this makes you want to move to the countryside and spend more time with your grandparents just to show them how much they’re appreciated.” ( Faronheit )
“Similar to TV On The Radio but softer and the harmonies are blissful. The sounds just float beautifully.” ( Speed Of Dark )
“Whatever their ultimate direction, Yellow House will always stand as a towering structure, an idyllic retreat built to last by four master architects.” ( Nerd Litter )

Mp3:
Easier

“YELLOW HOUSE” review on INDIE FOR BUNNIES

#22 - Silversun Pickups - Carnavas ( Dangerbird )

“These guys get a LOT of hate from places I’d suspect would like them, and a lot of love from people who I’d expect to hate. I don’t see anything wrong with it.” ( Central Village )
“Californian band?s fuzz-drenched debut is a brilliant overhaul of mid-90s alternative rock that hinges on androgynous vocals and huge hooks.” ( explodingNOW!!! )
“Le son du shoegazing est de retour avec les californiens des Silversun Pickups et leurs murs de guitares distordues. C’est au milieu de la chanson Lazy Eye que le frisson décisif m’a parcouru. Pas révolutionnaire, sans doute, mais comme c’est bon ! ” ( Blogotèque )
“The best commercial rock album of 2006. It just happens to be on an indie label.” ( Water Cooler Gossip )

Mp3:
Well Thought Out Twinkles

#21 - Muse - Black Holes And Revelations ( Warner Bros/WEA )

“Yeah, probably won’t be number one on a lot of people’s list, but I think it’s a great concept album, with lots of key tracks.” ( Hug Robot )
“Discotasticstompathonicmetallurgicwonderness !!!” ( The Music Slut )
“Better than expected. The “disco”-touch was something to get used to, but once I’ve got my head around it, it sounded really great!” ( Music Of The Noment )
“Their third best album, but still an incredible work. Huge, delirious: a composition of unquestionable ambition. More space-rock.” ( Nothign But Green Lights )

#20 - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat ( Team Love )

“Rilo Kiley’s front woman goes solo with this great country-pop gem. All of the songs work, and she’s obviously ready for a solo career.” ( Speed Of Dark )
“Jenny Lewis shows that she has plenty of soul to share on her own. Totally seductive vocals, this country rooted album channels Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton – all while adding a twist of her own.” ( More Cowbell )
“Rabbit Fur Coat is a triumphant solo debut for Jenny Lewis and is easily one of the best country/folk records of the year. ” ( Ear Farm )
“Jenny Lewis took a semi-solo route and made us forget who Rilo Kiley is. The beauty of this album makes all RK stuff pale in comparision.” ( Each Not Secure )

Mp3:
Pancake Mountain

#19 - Cat Power - The Greatest ( Matador )

“On this one Chan Marshall is backed up by a band of crack Memphis musicians. This is nice mellow stuff that definitely casts a spell.” ( Speed Of Dark )
“If you’ve ever heard and loved some of Chan’s R&B covers — her take on a Mary J. Blige song during a John Peel session comes to mind — this is the album you’ve always wanted to hear from her. Brings the classic Dusty Springfield album “Dusty in Memphis” to mind, and may be the most soulful record made by a white women since that album’s release.” ( Pimps Of Gore )
“There’s an instantly-recognizable way that Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) can nail a note with that melancholy voice of longing; it’s distinctive, it’s brutal, it’s fantastic.” ( I’m Fuel Of Friends )

Mp3:
The Greatest

#18 - Islands - Retur To The Sea ( Rough Trade )

“It’s a combination of amazing pop sounds and some really off the wall moments (steel drums, hip hop breakdowns, funny sounding synthesizers, recorders), but it works together in a way that’s completely exhilarating and listenable.” ( Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good )
“The Unicorns are dead, long live Islands, pop songs that are so creative i have never tired of them, another Canadian treasure to enjoy.” ( Oceans Never Listen )
“Catchy hooks, great songwriting and their great live show didn’t hurt anything either.” ( Think Tank )

Mp3:
Rough Gem

“RETURN TO THE SEA” review on INDIE FOR BUNNIES

#17 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones ( Interscope )

“I appreciate that Karen O is a real performer and that she wears interesting stage costumes as well. Shame on all the drab indie rock bums. Shame shame shame.” ( Cobain In Coma )
“Art school paramours burst back on the scene with a delicious second helping of charming art punk that trumps their debut with brooding, reflective heartache.” ( explodingNOW!!! )
“The band jumps leaps and bounds without ditching their core sound. Probably my most played LP this year. It never got old and probably never will. ‘Turn Into’ will fall extremely high on my list of favorite tracks of the past 12 months.” ( The Music Slut )
“This group screams raw emotional intensity and urgency, there’s no two ways about it.” ( Mainstream Isn’t So Bad … )

#16 - M.Ward - Post-War ( Enhanced )

“Post-War is the most thoroughly enjoyable M. Ward album yet, perhaps because he’s never seemed so urgent.” ( Bows + Arrows )
“This folk troubadour will continue to influence people through his work for decades to come.” ( More Cowbell )
“A quoi ca ressemble l’après-guerre ? A un endroit dont toutes les modes ont été effacées et où ne subsistent, sur un vieux phonographe fifties, que quelques bribes incinérées de blues, soul et folk. Un grand disque de traversée du désert.” ( Interprétations Diverses )

#15 - Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not ( Domino )

“The album that turned a few insanely talented bratty kids into a few mega-rich and ridiculously over-exposed insanely talented bratty kids. First band worthy of the enormous hype in quite some time.” ( The Music Slut )
“Its hard to believe it was so recent, but no one can argue that Arctic Monkeys are 2006’s breakthrough hit. Going to number 1 with their second ever single, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, they quickly followed up with this, the fastest selling debut album in British chart history. And then the backlash started… Looking back, they weren’t as good as everyone said they were, that much seems true. The instrumentation seems simplistic, and some of the witty lyrics are starting to grate a little. But as a memento of the day indie hit the mainstream, we could do a lot worse.” ( Paul Newman’s Eyes )
“Aiutati dall’essere nel posto giusto al momento giusto, gli Arctic Monkeys sono stati sicuramente baciati dalla fortuna, ma il disco è buono, fresco e godibile.” ( Indie For Bunnie )
“…un debutto fulminante che sicuramente lascerà il segno, anche come “caso discografico” dell’anno.” ( The Rock Suckers )

Mp3:
I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor (thanks to “Indiestatic” Blog)

#14 - Camera Obscura - Let’s Get Out Of This Country ( Merge )
“Tracyanne Campbell’s lyrics and voice will both break your heart (in the best way).” ( Largeheartedboy )
“A resplendent amalgam of retro-’60s sounds and present-day know-how, the latest CD from Scotland’s Camera Obscura, their third full-length, is a wondrous, bittersweet pleasure from beginning to end.” ( Fingertips )
“…from beginning to end, it sounds like some sort of recently-unearthed Motown or 1950’s pop gem, complete with majestic strings and horn sections, sing-a-long choruses and a certain swing you don’t hear very often anymore” ( Tall Buildings Shake )
” Lying somewhere between pop, 50s/60s girl-groups, and blue-eyed soul Let’s Get Out of This Country is one of those amazingly crafted pop albums where there’s no purpose for the skip forward button on your cd player/ipod.” ( Oh, Sweet Nothing )

Mp3:
Let’s Get Out This Country
I Need All the Friends I Can Get
Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken

#13 - Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood ( Anti )

“She always sounds like she knows what she’s talking about, and the musicians around her (including the indomitable Garth Hudson, the Band’s ageless keyboardist) play with this incredible sort of loosey-goose intensity, giving the impression that they know what she’s talking about also.” ( Fingertips )
“…every single lyric moves Case’s prose forward, every single instrument was recorded beautifully and no instrumental lick sounds out of place.” ( Tall Buildings Shake )
“…the album is thematically diverse, touching on everything from fate and faith to love and relationships, with complex, sometimes cryptic lyrics that effortlessly ripple off her lips” ( Sand Is Overrated )
“This is Neko back on seriously good form, lending her powerful lungs to her best set of songs since Furnace Room Lullaby.” ( Indie Credential )

Mp3:
Star Witness
Hold On, Hold On

#12 - The Hold Steady - Boys & Girls In America ( Vagrant )

“Their territory has gotten bigger and so has their music. The songs are still set in bars and at parties – and fueled by booze and drugs – but these stories could be happening all over America.” ( Water Cooler Gossip )
“The Hold Steady’s strength is in their adhesion to formula. They know what they’re about, so do their listeners, and so do all the critics in the world.” ( The Laws Has Changed )

Mp3:
Chips Ahoy!

#11 - Beirut - Gulag Orkestar ( Ba Da Bing )

“Teenagers make punk/emo albums, they don’t create an album full of beautiful Balkan Brass sounds with ukeleles, trumpets, and accordians. Using these influences as well as an emphasis on songwriting and instrumentation, Condon has mad an irrefutably great album” ( Music For Kids Who Can’t Read Good )
“Reminiscent of Tim Smith from Midlake, Zach sings in a lazily hypnotic manner. Smooth, relaxed, and soothing, Zach’s voice is the perfect complement to his gypsy, folksy style of music. ” ( Both Sides Of Mouth )
“Forse una nuova stella, sicuramente una ventata di nuovo, di un caldo e malinconico vento proveniente da Est.” ( Indie For Bunnies )
“If Condon ascends to the heights that Jeff Magnum did, I’m hoping he’ll have the good sense to keep making music.” ( Faronheit )

Mp3:
Postcards From Italy
Mount Wroclai (Idle Days)

“GULAG ORKESTAR” review on INDIE FOR BUNNIES