Listed below are the best albums of 2006 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 5 hours ago).
"I reckon it's the lyricism which sets this apart from every other electropop/synthpop LP out there this century, rarely ever does the genre inhabit lyrics with this much sensitivity and depth. Not that "Silent Shout" doesn't have great production.. it's ambitious, sounds epic but most of all pair...""I reckon it's the lyricism which sets this apart from every other electropop/synthpop LP out there this century, rarely ever does the genre inhabit lyrics with this much sensitivity and depth. Not that "Silent Shout" doesn't have great production.. it's ambitious, sounds epic but most of all pairs together symbiotically with Dreijer's vocals which excellently add another dimension of unease. Pretty much the pinnacle of the genre in its decade."[+]Reply
"I cant get over this album, it is definitely my favorite record of theirs. I end up listening to this way more often they I do Dear Science. There is just some kind of feeling this album has that I can not get over. Wolf Like Me got me hooked but Province and Tonight kept me"Reply
"Don't believe all the negativity on this. For my money this is a very very good album. From top to bottom it really holds up. "Gravity" is a highlight, unbelievable blues guitar there. "Vultures" and "I Don't Trust Myself With Loving You" have a very well executed soul/funk sound with excellent g...""Don't believe all the negativity on this. For my money this is a very very good album. From top to bottom it really holds up. "Gravity" is a highlight, unbelievable blues guitar there. "Vultures" and "I Don't Trust Myself With Loving You" have a very well executed soul/funk sound with excellent guitar work. The acoustic/folk on "Heart of Life" and "Stop this Train" is stellar , and just really really well done. The blues riffs and leads are pretty much all spot on. The guitar work in "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" is really incredibly emotional. The song "Dreaming with A Broken Heart" is gorgeous too! And the 2 really socially conscious songs "Waiting On The World To Change" and "Belief" are excellent. The first of those has been a bit overplayed, but still good. And "Belief" may be the emotional and artistic high point of the album (either that or "Gravity").
All in all this record features very good songwriting, great guitar playing, a very varied and symmetrical flow and sound. It's by far John Mayer's best album in my opinion.
Probably most of the criticism this album gets is based off reputation and not the music itself. Yeah, if you only wanna listen to cool music, maybe you'll avoid this because it says John Mayer on it. But that's actually dumb. Although that's a crime I myself may be guilty of. For all I know lady gaga or Katy perry have made BRILLIANT albums that I've never listened to because I just don't go for that. So, I do understand that some pop stars put a certain stigma on records even before you've heard them. But i just wanna say this dude was and is very talented and this is a brilliant brilliant album. When I get enough "points" to do decade lists you'll see this on my top albums of the 2000s definitely!
I will say a couple tracks at the end of the record slow the momentum on the album. The pseudo-soul of "I'm gonna find another you" I just can't get into. But ladies and gentlemen, I assure you this is a very good record!"[+]Reply
"They perfected everything they did well on "dear catastrophe waitress". Every song seems riddled with a broad smile and a wide ray of sunshine. "act of the apostle" is an elegant introductory number singing "Oh, if I could make sense of it all! / I wish that I could sing / I'd stay in a melody / ...""They perfected everything they did well on "dear catastrophe waitress". Every song seems riddled with a broad smile and a wide ray of sunshine. "act of the apostle" is an elegant introductory number singing "Oh, if I could make sense of it all! / I wish that I could sing / I'd stay in a melody / I would float along in my everlasting song / What would I do to believe?" at the chorus. "another sunny day" is the song you take your girl by the hand and skip out to the park to, singing "Another sunny day, I met you up in the garden / You were digging plants, I dug you, beg your pardon / I took a photograph of you in the herbaceous border / It broke the heart of men and flowers and girls and trees" with some pretty harmonies as if a couple singing together. "white collar boy" sounds like the more-serious fallout from DCW's "step into my office, baby" running from the law with "dirt in your pants / She got egg in your hair / You got spit in your chin". "the blues are still blue" is a soothing, laid-back number basically saying "i'm cooler than cool" because my "blues are still blue". "sukie in the graveyard" and "we are sleepyheads" are two other fun upbeat numbers, as in "She had a slut slave and his name was Dave / She said ‘Be my photo b|tch and I'll make you rich'" (in "sukie"). "funny little frog" seems like a song written by a grade-schooler, except it just so warm and fun, especially that muted-shimmering guitar, singing "Honey, lovin' you is the greatest thing, / I get to be myself and I get to sing, / I get to play at being irresponsible, / I come home late and love your soul". The start of "the act of the apostle ii" reminds me of r.e.m.'s "nightswimming" before slowing down into its intimate acoustic-gone-piano number then slipping into something more of a 70s elton john experience in the final minute. Not a dud on the album, if you're into this sort of sunny twee."[+]Reply
"I don't quite understand why this album is so highly rated. I think it's a dreary album full of tired old twelve bars and derivative re-writes of old pop and folk tunes. Too many Dylan albums are like this these days. I must admit though I think working man blues is brilliant and thunder on the m...""I don't quite understand why this album is so highly rated. I think it's a dreary album full of tired old twelve bars and derivative re-writes of old pop and folk tunes. Too many Dylan albums are like this these days. I must admit though I think working man blues is brilliant and thunder on the mountain and nettie Moore good but the rest, maybe apart from ain't talkin' are awful. Spirit on the water, is quite nice, with some nice harmonica at the end, but it goes on forever, and the lyrics would have been beneath Dylan in the sixties. Rollin''n'tumblin', the 'new' version of an old blues song is dreadful, so so boring. The levee's gonna break, is even worse,another 'new' version , and, when the deal goes down, is just a re-write of an old Bing Crosby song. Beyond the horizon,is also based on an old tune, red sails in the sunset. A lot of the lyrics are also stolen from older songs and poems too. Where's the invention,?, where's the originality? Dylan is simply not the force he once was. I mean, listen to this record and then listen to his classic sixties and mid-seventies albums. Stop encouraging this man with your over praising. Highway 61 and blonde on blonde it is not. "[+]Reply
"I'm not normally a huge fan of concept albums, but when I hear a good one, I think I like it even better than a conventional collection of tracks. This one centers on a lovelorn, nostalgia-ridden protagonist named Van Occupanther, who must have lived in some mythical past surrounded by dense fore...""I'm not normally a huge fan of concept albums, but when I hear a good one, I think I like it even better than a conventional collection of tracks. This one centers on a lovelorn, nostalgia-ridden protagonist named Van Occupanther, who must have lived in some mythical past surrounded by dense forests, soaring woodwinds, and spacey production lost somewhere in the Fleetwood Mac-era seventies. Sign me up. This is a fantastic album with very few creative missteps."[+]Reply
"I almost don’t want to give it a high rating, because it might change the 69/100 rating. This is the type of pop album that makes rock purists say “I want to hate this, but it is just so good”. If you can do that, you’ve made a fucking stellar album."Reply
"It's always funny looking back. I was initially disappointed by Yellow House. I loved the hazy, recorded under sea sound of Grizzly Bear's debut Horn of Plenty. Lo-fi being my drug of choice and all. But the splendor of Yellow House quickly won me over and there's no question it may be the epitom...""It's always funny looking back. I was initially disappointed by Yellow House. I loved the hazy, recorded under sea sound of Grizzly Bear's debut Horn of Plenty. Lo-fi being my drug of choice and all. But the splendor of Yellow House quickly won me over and there's no question it may be the epitome of what indie rock sounded like back in 2006. The sound is halfway between the colossal folk rock of Sufjan Stevens and the psychedelic campfire music of Animal Collective that were both blowing up at the time. In a way it's actually the perfect gateway drug into the Animal Colletive world while being far more accessible.
Anyways, this album is simply beautiful and rewards repeat viewings. Definitely an album Pink Floyd fans would like.
Grade: It's ESSENTIAL indie rock and one of the most important indie rock albums of the 2000s. "[+]Reply