Best Albums of 2006: 20 -11

20. Gnarls Barkley
St. Elsewhere

If you haven’t heard the single “Crazy” by now, you are probably living under a rock. It’s been topping the UK charts for the past month or two, and now it’s getting airplay in the US. The video is amazing too, but that’s just this one song. Regardless of whether or not you heard the album before or after this single swept across the globe, it’s hard to deny that this is a phenomenal album. Like “Crazy”, the rest of the album contains similar electronic/vocal combinations with equal (if not more) credibility. I’ve always been a huge fan of Danger Mouse, but this is by far his most expansive and emotional effort.

19. The Raconteurs
Broken Boy Soldiers

The Raconteurs, headed by Jack White of The White Stripes, are a powerhouse posse with a contagious debut album. Every song bears a captivating punch, infectious chorus, power breakdown, and a radio-friendly tag. The seemingly effortless fusion of piano and classic rock is inventive and engaging, and not once does it leave you in a state of discontent. While the album is short and snappy in its delivery (it barely runs over 30 minutes), further exploration would result in overkill.

18. John Mayer
Continuum

Guess who’s back? Back again? John Mayer’s back, tell a friend. Yes, he’s back…and he has created his most expansive album to date. Artists frequently give into the conformist pressures of their record labels, often sacrificing their individuality and creative style. John Mayer succumbed to such pressures on his prior efforts, but now he has finally established himself as a credible singer-songwriter. As a result, his record label has allowed him to fashion an original and unrestricted work of art. His romantic melodies and heart felt lyrics progress with his typical pop/rock formula, but the songs are still ridiculously catchy. Continuum is a razzle-dazzle reunion of a repeatedly misguided genre.

17. Incubus
Light Grenades

After releasing the most disappointing album of their career, Incubus has returned with arguably their best album to date. They haven’t switched the formula up, but they have articulated that catchy pop-rock vibe that made MakeYourself a stellar disc (no pun intended). The album isn’t nearly as heavy as S.C.I.E.N.C.E., and I’m not sure that Incubus will ever return to that phase; bands rarely do. Rather than fueling their songs with that two-minute-and-thirty-second power drum line, these songs progress to their heavy phase. The heavier songs are not, however, the highlight of the album. Slower tracks like “Love Hurts” and “Dig” draw comparisons to many of their other great songs like “Echo”, “Drive” and “The Warmth”. Light Grenades is an album that any fan of alternative rock should own. Don’t be fooled by the post punk cover art, this album sounds nothing like American Idiot.

16. Red Hot Chili Peppers
Stadium Arcadium

Let me start off by saying that I am usually not a huge fan of double-discs. It’s such a large amount of music to capture in one listen, not to mention that it’s all by the same band. Despite my given my dislike for double-discs, I still thoroughly enjoy this album. It’s impressive that The Red Hot Chili Peppers are still pumping out magic with such intensity and grandeur. On their 9^th studio album, with the continued work by once-lost guitarist John Frusciante, they move back to the Blood Sugar days to write a variety of funk-rock inspired songs about drug addictions (Charlie, Snow) and the alternative side of life (21^st Century, So Much I). After Flea and Frusciante worked with The Mars Volta on their last album, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez decided to repay his debt by performing solo guitar work on the song Arcadium song “Especially in Michigan.” The two discs are quite different: the first disc gives a glimpse into their pop-oriented radio friendly songs, whereas the second disc is more progressive and harder hitting. Don’t be fooled by the disastrous single “Dani California” because it is by far the worst song on the album.

15. Cat Power
The Greatest

The Greatest is a collection of delicate songs from an intelligent and striking writer. The album feels truthful, soft, and utterly natural. After hearing the heartbroken lyrics, you won’t be surprised to find a bowl of tears next to your stereo. My personal favorite is the song “The Moon.”

14. Phoenix
It’s Never Been Like That

If you don’t know about Phoenix by now, you are missing out on one of the best pop/rock bands in the scene. They have always succeeded in creating great summer albums, but It’s Never Been Like That is beyond good: It’s a fun and focused album that catches Phoenix at their finest. Every song is a pop anthem that you will fall in love with upon the first listen. Phoenix have created their best album to date.

13. Belle & Sebastian
The Life Pursuit

This is the first album I ever heard by this group, and I was blown away by the music. If I were to compare the majority of their music to any band I would have to go with The Shins, but this doesn’t mean all their stuff is straight indie-rock. It has that Beetles feel: fun bubblegum rock with some amazing guitar hooks mixed in. This album will make you fall in love with the sun over and over again.

12. The Clipse
Hell Hath No Fury

This is the best hip-hop album of the year. Its a lyrical kaleidescope that's sonically deeper and darker than anything you have ever heard. The furious hype was correct for once: This a ghetto poetic fantasy that's simply unstoppable. That song "Trill" will be playing on repeat for a while.

11. The Knife
Silent Shout

Silent Shout is a frightening electronic album with cosmic beats from the ocean of emptiness. Stellar minimalist techno combined with 70s disco undertones and defiled lyrical anarchy has never infiltrated my ears in such a well-expressed manner since the Kid A era. The intensity builds like a car chase terror, only to resolve itself in a fashioned equilibrium, not pandemonium. The imagination and creativity of this album is so expansive that it might be the catalyst of a creative and artistic discovery.