So, even though my list has been more or less finished for some time, writing about all those records took a lot longer than I expected! But, a few thoughts on the past year musically: I listened to more music and went to more shows in 2006 than I ever have before. I more than doubled the number of new records I listened to, and did the same with shows. And I'm happy I did it; perhaps I'm lucky, or perhaps I'm properly selective, but I saw many more shows that I liked than those I didn't, and I enjoyed and would recommend more than half of the records I listened to. But enough about me; 2006 was a very strong year for music. Some established artists brought it to another level (Liars, Joanna Newsom), others added another solid record to their catalogues (Beck, TVOTR, Walkmen), and only a few disappointed (YYY's). But the real story in 2006 is the huge pack of new bands that either put out their first EP or their first LP. Almost half of my top 40 were new bands, and there were plenty of other new bands that I liked and have high hopes for that didn't make it into my list. Inevitably, some of these bands are going to fizzle and dissapoint, but with a class that big, some of them are likely destined to make some excellent records. I think that's pretty exciting. And honestly, a few already made excellent records and set the bar pretty high for themselves (Black Angels, Annuals, Band of Horses). I look forward to hearing their next steps.

But I wouldn't be writing about all of these records (or have even heard of many of these bands) without a lot of help from my fellow music-addict friends. So mad props to those of you who introduced me to and hooked me up with bands and records. In particular, many thanks to Dalen, Dri, Timis, and JTH. Cheers!

Labels: 2006 Recap