Brandon Allin
11/08/06, 07:36 AM
First off, I'd like to extend a token of my personal gratitude to every one of you who stumpled upon, scanned, or read my lists. We here at AbsolutePunk.net work together as a team to bring you a taste of everything we possibly can, and without you, our readers, we would be nothing at all. Thank you.
Before we begin, please allow me to reiterate the fact that I do not know what's "best." I am simply a music fan, supporter, and enthusiast alike each and every one of you, and that is all I will ever claim to be. The following rankings are my personal opinions, and while you may agree or disagree with them all to a phenomenal extent, please do me a favour and take them for what they're worth. Therefore, without further adieu, may the festivities begin:
Best Albums of 2006
In my honest, unbiased opinion, 2006 was a wonderful year for music. The world set eyes upon a handful of the best releases to date, and I could not be more proud of our prized musicians. However, as always, there comes a moment when one faces the challenge of determining which releases outshone the rest. Here, after much deliberation, are the albums that made my personal list this year:
1) Frank and his Skunk Allstars - Hatred of a Minute
2) Reel Big Fish - Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album
3) The Aggrolites - The Aggrolites
4) Streetlight Manifesto - Keabsey Nights
5) Westbound Train - Transitions
6) Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life
7) The Johnstones - Word Is Bond
8) The Slackers - Peculiar
9) Bomb the Music Industry! - Goodbye Cool World
10) Skratch3 - Crash and Burn
11) Catch 22 - Permanent Revolution
12) Rx Bandits - ...And The Battle Begun
13) Subb - The Motions
14) The Expos - Old Friends
15) No Torso - Several Brains
16) Less Than Jake - In With The Out Crowd
17) One Night Band - Way Back Home
18) Pama International - Trojan Sessions
19) Against All Authority - The Restoration of Chaos and Order
20) The Aquabats - Charge!! (Reissue)
21) Cheap Suits - One Giant Leap
22) The Pinstripes - Higher Ground
23) The Flaming Tsunamis - Fear Everything
Best EP's of 2006
While I do owe a handful of my most breathtaking moments of the past year to the industries' full-length release, the world also glimpsed some of the most profound EP's we've seen thus far. It's no exaggeration in stating that an EP often fails to capture the true essence of a band's appeal, and while I've witnessed a fair share of those particular occasions, just as many have hit me harder than you could possibly image. Here are the EP's that I felt led the pack this year:
1) High School Football Heroes - We've Fooled Around Long Enough
2) Catch-It Kebabs - Return of the Kebabulance
3) Last Martyrs of a Lost Cause - Don't Shoot the Messenger
4) Less Than Jake - Absolution For Idiots and Addicts
5) Suburban Legends - Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Best New Bands of 2006
There isn't anything nearly as exciting as discovering a new artist, musician, or group of performers that peform flawlessly, or at least in my humble opinion. The following band's each released full-length albums this past year, and I could not count myself as more impressed with their efforts. Here are the best new bands the world discovered in 2006:
1) Frank and his Skunk Allstars
2) Tim Armstrong and The Aggrolites
3) The Johnstones
4) Skratch 3
5) The Expos
Band to Watch For in 2007
For the past year, I have been following the formation of one act. I have spent every free moment, albeit with next to no luck, trying to scrape any details I possibly could. However, after hours of my own personal effort, I can honestly say I have not been more excited than I am for the world to lay it's eyes upon that very band. The band we should all watch out for in 2007 is:
1) New Sound System Takeover
Albums to Watch For in 2007
With another great year for music under our belts, there isn't much we can do besides set our expectations high for what is yet to come. While I'm sure the next twelve months will be filled with a handful of wonderful album's, here are the release's I recommend you set your sights on in 2007:
1) Streetlight Manifesto - TBA
2) Reel Big Fish / Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer - Duet All Night Long
3) Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life
4) Mad Caddies - TBA
5) Big D and the Kids Table - Strictly Rude
6) Big D and the Kids Table / Brain Failure - From Beijing To Boston
7) Buck-O-Nine - Screamin' From The Suburbs
8) Mustard Plug - TBA
9) Bedouin Soundclash - Sound Gospels
10) Bomb the Music Industry! - No No New York
11) Mu330 - TBA
12) Dan Potthast - TBA
13) The Planet Smashers - TBA
14) Deal's Gone Bad - The Ramblers
15) Voodoo Glow Skulls - TBA
Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it! It took more time and patience than you could possibly imagine to rank my favourite releases of the year, but after much deliberation and corrections, I can finally say that all has been said and done. Thank you to anyone to who took the time out of their busy schedule to browse my list, and I'd love to read any others you'd care to shove under my nose.
Here's to the past, here's to the future, and here's to music.
Before we begin, please allow me to reiterate the fact that I do not know what's "best." I am simply a music fan, supporter, and enthusiast alike each and every one of you, and that is all I will ever claim to be. The following rankings are my personal opinions, and while you may agree or disagree with them all to a phenomenal extent, please do me a favour and take them for what they're worth. Therefore, without further adieu, may the festivities begin:
Best Albums of 2006
In my honest, unbiased opinion, 2006 was a wonderful year for music. The world set eyes upon a handful of the best releases to date, and I could not be more proud of our prized musicians. However, as always, there comes a moment when one faces the challenge of determining which releases outshone the rest. Here, after much deliberation, are the albums that made my personal list this year:
1) Frank and his Skunk Allstars - Hatred of a Minute
2) Reel Big Fish - Our Live Album Is Better Than Your Live Album
3) The Aggrolites - The Aggrolites
4) Streetlight Manifesto - Keabsey Nights
5) Westbound Train - Transitions
6) Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life
7) The Johnstones - Word Is Bond
8) The Slackers - Peculiar
9) Bomb the Music Industry! - Goodbye Cool World
10) Skratch3 - Crash and Burn
11) Catch 22 - Permanent Revolution
12) Rx Bandits - ...And The Battle Begun
13) Subb - The Motions
14) The Expos - Old Friends
15) No Torso - Several Brains
16) Less Than Jake - In With The Out Crowd
17) One Night Band - Way Back Home
18) Pama International - Trojan Sessions
19) Against All Authority - The Restoration of Chaos and Order
20) The Aquabats - Charge!! (Reissue)
21) Cheap Suits - One Giant Leap
22) The Pinstripes - Higher Ground
23) The Flaming Tsunamis - Fear Everything
Best EP's of 2006
While I do owe a handful of my most breathtaking moments of the past year to the industries' full-length release, the world also glimpsed some of the most profound EP's we've seen thus far. It's no exaggeration in stating that an EP often fails to capture the true essence of a band's appeal, and while I've witnessed a fair share of those particular occasions, just as many have hit me harder than you could possibly image. Here are the EP's that I felt led the pack this year:
1) High School Football Heroes - We've Fooled Around Long Enough
2) Catch-It Kebabs - Return of the Kebabulance
3) Last Martyrs of a Lost Cause - Don't Shoot the Messenger
4) Less Than Jake - Absolution For Idiots and Addicts
5) Suburban Legends - Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Best New Bands of 2006
There isn't anything nearly as exciting as discovering a new artist, musician, or group of performers that peform flawlessly, or at least in my humble opinion. The following band's each released full-length albums this past year, and I could not count myself as more impressed with their efforts. Here are the best new bands the world discovered in 2006:
1) Frank and his Skunk Allstars
2) Tim Armstrong and The Aggrolites
3) The Johnstones
4) Skratch 3
5) The Expos
Band to Watch For in 2007
For the past year, I have been following the formation of one act. I have spent every free moment, albeit with next to no luck, trying to scrape any details I possibly could. However, after hours of my own personal effort, I can honestly say I have not been more excited than I am for the world to lay it's eyes upon that very band. The band we should all watch out for in 2007 is:
1) New Sound System Takeover
Albums to Watch For in 2007
With another great year for music under our belts, there isn't much we can do besides set our expectations high for what is yet to come. While I'm sure the next twelve months will be filled with a handful of wonderful album's, here are the release's I recommend you set your sights on in 2007:
1) Streetlight Manifesto - TBA
2) Reel Big Fish / Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer - Duet All Night Long
3) Tim Armstrong - A Poet's Life
4) Mad Caddies - TBA
5) Big D and the Kids Table - Strictly Rude
6) Big D and the Kids Table / Brain Failure - From Beijing To Boston
7) Buck-O-Nine - Screamin' From The Suburbs
8) Mustard Plug - TBA
9) Bedouin Soundclash - Sound Gospels
10) Bomb the Music Industry! - No No New York
11) Mu330 - TBA
12) Dan Potthast - TBA
13) The Planet Smashers - TBA
14) Deal's Gone Bad - The Ramblers
15) Voodoo Glow Skulls - TBA
Well, ladies and gentlemen, there you have it! It took more time and patience than you could possibly imagine to rank my favourite releases of the year, but after much deliberation and corrections, I can finally say that all has been said and done. Thank you to anyone to who took the time out of their busy schedule to browse my list, and I'd love to read any others you'd care to shove under my nose.
Here's to the past, here's to the future, and here's to music.