ThaBombShelter Top Ten Two-Thousand (T)Six

Hey kids, I've been planning this for a few weeks now, so I guess it's time. I was going to try to wait until after XXX-Mas, but that's not gonna happen. What we have here is ThaBombShelter's Top Ten Two-Thousand (T)Six. Hopefully you'll see some artists here that you won't find on some other blogs. If you agree with my choices, disagree (as if!), please, feel free to comment and let me know. This is a collection of albums that were released this past year that have been able to continuously blow my mind, no matter how many times I listen to them. Two through four were pretty tough, but Number One was a no-brainer for me. Now, without further ado, here were go!

Ten:
"Through The Windowpane" Guillemots (ThaBombShelter)
The album was great, but failed to live up to my expectations after hearing "Trains to Brazil". Over time, I grew to really enjoy this one, but some of the slower tracks held it back, in my opinion.
"We're Here" Guillemots

Nine:
"10,000 Days" TOOL
The cool kids seem to think that TOOL is getting too pretentious, but I disagree. This album is just as solid as their previous two, maybe even a little more so than "Lateralus". As a fan, I was quite happy to see a new TOOL album after the Perfect Circle drought of the previous years.
"Vicarious" TOOL

Eight:
"Nux Vomica" The Veils (ThaBombShelter)
This aussie band kind of fell off of my radar after The Piano Rock Showdown, but when I was putting this list together I was reminded just how good/raw/powerful/polished they were.
"Jesus for the Jugular" The Veils

Seven:
"The Gulag Orkestar" Beirut (ThaBombShelter)
I guess this band was a victim of the dreaded blogger backlash, despite how great the music is. I saw them live with the GF back in September, and even though the brass section was conspicuously absent, Condon and co. put on a fantastic show.
"Postcards from Italy" Beirut

Six:
"Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!" Hellogoodbye (ThaBombShelter)
They may have the feel of a soundtrack for the O.C., but this syrupy pop band actually has some very clever lyrics. I've put this band on more than one mix CD in the past few months, and every time I put it on repeat.
"It Is Love" Hellogoodbye

Five:
"Black Holes and Revelations" Muse (ThaBombShelter)
I can't remember if people hated this album or not, but I remember hearing it for the first time and loving it. I've been a fan since "Showbiz" and their sound just keeps getting more and more polished.
"Glorious" Muse

Four:
"Funnel Cloud" Hem (ThaBombShelter)
I was so excited when I found out a new Hem album was coming out. I had basically worn a hole in my copy of "Eveningland" and the full-length follow up did not disappoint. It didn't hurt to see them perform in the intimate setting of the Beachland Tavern either, both times I've had the pleasure to hear Sally Ellyson sing live has been a magical experience.
"He Came To Meet Me" Hem

Three:
"Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum" Tally Hall (ThaBombShelter)
What started with a Track Seven One Listen Review turned into the biggest vault into the list. I've only had this album for a month or so and it literally skyrocketed straight to the top. I was also pretty much hooked when I saw them perform "Freebird" courtesy of MOKB.
"Welcome to Tally Hall" Tally Hall

Two:
"Ribbons of War" The Extraordinaires (ThaBombShelter)
I think this album fulfills what I think of when I think of a great album. The more you listen to it, the more you understand, the more you hear, the more you enjoy it. This is one of the big reasons why I love Pulp so much, you can hear something new almost every time you listen. And after listening to this album for the past four months, I still love listening to it straight through.
"Wings of Siros Island" The Extraordinaires

One:
"Floating World" Anathallo (ThaBombShelter)
Beautiful, just beautiful. That's what I thought the first time I heard it. When I read the infamous Pitchfork review, I was baffled. I actually talked with the GF about it, I told her how I hoped I would never become so jaded with the "scene" that I would fail to recognize good music when I heard it. The feeling of awe and wonder was just reinforced every time I listened, and even more so after seeing them live. Number one of the year, hands down, "Floating World", Anathallo FTW.
"By Number" Anathallo

And now, several albums that didn't quite make it, and I'll tell you why:

The Album that Was Better Than It Should Have Been:
"The Black Parade" My Chemical Romance (ThaBombShelter)
Wasn't this supposed to be terrible? That's what I thought anyway. Ah well, I guess it's back to the drawing board.

The Album that Would Have Been Better With Some Editing:
"The Crane Wife" The Decemberists (ThaBombShelter)
No, I don't mean that the songs were too long, in fact the longer tracks were serious highlights for me. What I mean is the extraneous tracks that brought the whole thing down. Without "Yankee Bayonet", "Shankill Butchers", and "Summersong", this album would've been a serious contender for Top Five status. As it was though, I just found myself skipping those tracks too often for my taste.

The Album that the Superfan in Me Wanted to be Better:
"Jarvis" Jarvis Cocker (ThaBombShelter)
I didn't expect a Pulp album...well, that's what I told myself anyway. But how awesome would it have been if it had been a new Pulp album? Really fucking awesome, that's how awesome. When taken on it's own merits and when taking into account the evolution of the band before he even left, it's actually very good. But when I listen to it, no matter how hard I try, all I can think of is how much it's not a new Pulp album...But it did have one of the best tracks of the year, even if it was hidden.

Well, there you have it. Top songs will be coming in the near future, definitely before the end of the year. And now here's a shitton of links for you.

Buy "Floating World"
Buy "Ribbons of War"
Buy "Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum"
Buy "Funnel Cloud"
Buy "Black Holes and Revelations"
Buy "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!"
Buy "The Gulag Orkestar"
Buy "Nux Vomica"
Buy "10,000 Days"
Buy "Through the Windowpane"
Buy "The Black Parade"
Buy "The Crane Wife"
Buy "Jarvis"

image courtesy of Columbia.edu