10 records you should have listened to in 2006

Time for my annual record recommendation post. Since I still haven’t heard Joanna Newsom’s new album (thanks amazon.de!), I’ll reserve an honorary spot for her. Nevertheless, the ten picks are absolutely worth your attention. Let the countdown begin…

(Note: Some picks include links)
















10. Justin Timberlake – Futuresex/Lovesounds

Fear not, o mighty ghetto youth. In 2006 you won’t lose your street cred if you listen to J.T, he now hangs with guys like T.I. and Three 6 Mafia. To boot, Futuresex will make you forget ‘Nsync ever existed. A lot of this has to with producer Timbaland who reinvents his patented electro hop funk shuffles, occasionally lacing it with serene strings and other musical furnishings of your liking.

Hot Pick: My Love w/ T.I. 

Download@http://www.sonybmg.com/musicbox/video/justintimberlake/?bcpid=44170226&bclid=44160818&bctid=261070603

9. T.I. – King

Granted, proclaiming himself “King Of The South” was a rather obvious move to garner attention on T.I.’s part. But now that he had it, he came through with an album that justifies our paying tribute to his majesty. With unparalleled swagger and coolness, T.I. deliveres his boastful rhymes over the menacing horns of Just Blaze and Mannie Fresh’s trunk rattling bass bonanzas. Yet, it is long time collaborator DJ Toomp who steals the show with his triumphant synth pomp.

Hot Pick: What You Know 

Video@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE5tiwEfguE

8. Beirut – Gulag Orkestar

Being 19 years old and hailing from New Mexico, possibly, predetermines you to produce indie rock. It does not, however, predetermine you to incorporate balkan folk into the mix and make a debut album that is as rich in instrumentation as this record, which gracefully balances melancholy and festive merriment. Zach Condon, you are ahead of your age.

Hot Pick: Postcards from Italy

Download@http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Beirut%20-%20Postcards%20From%20Italy.mp3

7. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere

When was the last time a record where the protagonist questions his own mental capabilities, contemplates suicide and talks about necrophilia didn’t leave you depressed? See, I can’t remember either – but St. Elsewhere is the answer. Maybe, it helps that Cee-Lo Green seasons his serious tales with a slice of humor. Maybe, it’s because Danger Mouse’s concoctions are funky enough not to pay mind. Whatever it is, it works…and the videos were hilarious.

Hot Pick: Crazy

6. Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor

Save the Jay-Z and Nas comparisons. Actually no, Lupe sounds like the child prodigy the two would have if Jay was Nas’ spouse. Conceptually the most brilliant MC since, uhm, Nas and blessed with the verbal dexterity of a, uhm, Jay-Z, Lupe creates his own pocket with deft wordplay, imaginative stories and a mindfulness that belies his age. And with in-camp knob twisters Prolyfic and Soundtrakk as well as The Neptunes and Kanye West behind the boards, the production is up to par.

Hot Pick: Hurt Me Soul


5. The Roots – Game Theory

In a year that saw Def Jam flood the market, it wasn’t Jay-Z, Nas or Jeezy who put out the best record on the label but the ever reliable Philadelphia outfit. Game Theory channels the fervor of early 90’s boom bap releases as Black Thought tackles the social ills of our time. Despite showing off a few production tricks here and there, Game Theory is a much more straight forward hip hop record than their last albums and one of the most compelling in their strong catalogue.

Hot Pick: In The Music

4. TV On The Radio – Return To Cookie Mountain

A magnificent, highly fascinating record that often defies classification. Studio wizard Dave Sitek’s dense musical tapestries form the background from which two of the best voices in Indie Rock radiate. But it’s not only the diverse sounds and flexible vocals the 5 New Yorkers pack but also their inventive lyrics that will have you abuse your ‘repeat’-button.

Hot Pick: Wolf Like Me

Video@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUB1xSAAADk

3. Clipse – Hell Hath No Fury

Rapping about cocaine became so popular during the last couple of years that it actually spawned a new sub genre. No one does it better than the Thornton brothers from VA, though. Not only do they find creative ways to talk about an all too familiar subject matter (“Open the Frigidaire, 25 to life in here/So much white you might think your Holy Christ is near”), their outrageous boasts (“Now I consider Ferraris and Salvadore Dalis”) precede a remorseful undercurrent that runs through most of the songs (“And to little brother Terrence who I love dearly so/If ever I had millions never would you push blow, never”). Clipse put the conscious in coke rap, convincingly. That The Neptunes offer their most ingenious and intimidating beats only helps the cause.

Hot Pick: Hello New World

2. Ali Farka Toure – Savane

Malian guitar legend Ali Farka Toure’s last album shows the man at the top of his craftsmanship. His desert blues is deeply rooted in traditional West African music. Its warm rhythms and haunting melodies are of a mesmerizing quality. They at times conjure up images of the desert’s vastness, at others the communal spirit and hospitality of African villages. It’s music for the mind and soul.

Hot Pick: Erdi

1. J Dilla – Donuts

Donuts is James Yancey’s swan song and magnum opus. Put together from his death bed it features 31 compositions as diverse (and at times quirky) as one can imagine. Squeezing out the soul from every one of his source records, Dilla managed to make Donuts breathe an authenticity rarely matched in contemporary beatmaking. It will forever stand as a testament to the art of sampling.

Hot Pick: Last Donut Of The Night




Encore - Records to look out for in 2007

The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible (Mar 5)
J Dilla - Ruff Draft (Re-Release) (March)
Lupe Fiasco - The Cool (Summer)
Kanye West - Graduation (Summer)
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II (Summer)
Madvillain - Madvillainy II (tba.)
Ghostface Killah & MF DOOM - Swift & Changeable (tba.)
Radiohead - tba.