Greg Dona
11/08/06, 07:09 AM
Introduction
Steve's a tool. Don't listen to him. I'm the most mainstream reviewer here.
Top Albums of 2006
30) Junior Boys - So This is Goodbye
29) Mos Def - Tru3 Magic
28) UnderOath - Define the Great Line
27) Jim Jones - Hustler's P.O.M.E.
26) Sw!ms - Ride of the Blueberry Winter
25) The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
24) mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister
23) Lily Allen - Alright, Still
22) Yip-Yip - In the Reptile House
21) Damien Rice - 9
20) Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
19) Rick Ross - Port of Miami
18) The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
17) Cunninlynguists - A Piece of Strange
16) Brazil - The Philosophy of Velocity
15) MSTRKRFT - The Looks
14) Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
13) The Roots - Game Theory
12) Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only
11) Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
10) Cursive - Happy Hollow
09) This Providence - This Providence
08) Man Man - Six Demon Bag
07) Young Jeezy - The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102
06) Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
05) Girl Talk - Night Ripper
04) T.I. - King
03) Joanna Newsom - Ys
02) Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll
01) Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Honorable Mention
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Basement Jaxx - Crazy Itch Radio
Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics
Fear Before the March of Flames - Always Open Mouth
The Game - Doctor's Advocate
I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends
J Dilla - Donuts
Nelly Furtado - Loose
These CDs ruled. Unfortunately, thirty other discs ruled a bit harder than they did.
Top EPs of 2006
02) The Rocket Summer - The Early Years EP
01) Little Brother - The Commercial Free EP
Worst (Most Disappointing Albums) of 2006
04) Outkast - Idlewild
03) Danger Doom - The Occult Hymn EP
02) Cam'ron - Killa Season
01) Kevin Federline - Playing With Fire
I had huge expectations for records 2-4, but they failed to deliver as expected. K-Fed... well that just made me cringe.
Best Producer of the Year
01) Timbaland
Runner-Up: The Neptunes
Tim worked with Nelly Furtado, J.T., Busta, Snoop, Jeezy, and many other thriving artists. Seriously, the man's on fire.
The Neptunes chilled with T.I., Lupe, Luda, Diddy, Hova, Snoop, Gwen Stefani, Ciara, and of course Clipse. Hell Hath no Fury alone almost vaulted the duo to the top spot.
Best New Band of 2006
01) Lily Allen
Runners-Up: Arctic Monkeys, Lupe Fiasco, The Pipettes
Allen made like fellow European sensation Lady Sovereign and made her way to the top of the music industry through MySpace. Despite connections through her celebrity father, Lily made a name for herself with her music and not blood relation. Her album caused enough of a stir to bring out haters everywhere, and she found herself in many feuds. Through it all she managed to be NME's third coolest person of the year and reach #2 on the U.K. charts.
Best Music Video of 2006
01) Justin Timberlake (Feat. T.I.) - My Love
Runners-Up: Justin Timberlake - SexyBack, Vitalic - Pony: Pt. I, OK Go - Here It Goes Again, Lily Allen - Smile
Best Vocals of 2006
05) Lily Allen
04) John Legend
03) Joanna Newsome
02) Morrissey
01) Christina Aguilera
Aguilera sings circles around almost every other artist out there this year. She finally embraced her potential to its full extent. That led to fewer sales but a much better product overall.
Best Live Show
04) Willie Nelson
03) Blood Brothers
02) UnderOath
01) Kevin Devine
I think Willie smoked marijuana before the show I saw, but don't tell anyone. I don't want people thinking he indulges.
Best Record Label
02) Def Jam
01) Jive
Timberlake, Kelis, and Clipse > Jeezy, Rick Ross, Ghostface Killah, Cam'ron, Mef, Hova, and the Roots this time around, but just barely.
Most Overrated Band
01) Jibbs
"Chain Hang Low" was kind of fun, but the rest of the CD doesn't do anything for me.
Most Underrated Bands
06) The Streets
05) Lady Sovereign
04) The Pipettes
03) Test Icicles
02) Kelis
01) Method Man
It seems like nobody here even noticed that Mef released an album in '06. Wise up, it's great.
People give Kelis crap because of "Bossy," an actually impressive single, and "Milkshake." Give her whole albums a try. She's kind of like Missy Elliott in that she has intruiging, inventive female hip-hop.
Best (Catchiest Song) Single
05) Bossy - Kelis
04) Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
03) Mr. Me Too - Clipse
02) Justin Timberlake (Feat. T.I.) - My Love
01) T.I. - What You Know
Runners-Up: Hips Don't Lie - Shakira, Hustlin' - Rick Ross, It's Goin' Down - Yung Joc, Wamp Wamp - Clipse, We Fly High - Jim Jones
Ballin'! Kelis and Nelly Furtado were both heavily criticized, but both their singles and albums were favorites of mine. Clipse could do no wrong, and T.I. proved he can fly solo and team up to produce undenialbe bangers.
Worst Single
01) Kevin Federline - PopoZão
Best 'Other' Zine Website
02) EmotionalPunk.com
01) AllHipHop.com
Band of the Year
02) Man Man
01) This Providence
Band(s) Most Pimped By AP.net
02) Brand New
01) The Format
Best Movies of 2006
01) Snakes On A Plane
'Nuff said. Borat who? As far as I'm concerned S.O.A.P. is the only movie that came out this year.
Best TV Shows of 2006
03) Dog Eat Dog (Reruns)
02) Lost
01) Aqua Teen Hunger Force
I love Master Shake, Carl, Frylock, and Meatwad as much as anybody else, but an A.T.H.F. movie might be a bit painful. Watching that craziness for over an hour continuously will make my brain hurt.
The Next Big Thing(s) of 2007
05) Sw!ms
04) The Streets
03) Lily Allen
02) The Pack
01) Cartel
Cartel's almost there, The Pack has worked many systems already with "Vans," and Lily Allen and Mike Skinner just need to perfect the crossover appeal.
Sw!ms might not make it, but I sure hope they do. Their latest efforts were absolutely golden.
Most Anticipated Releases of 2007
05) Kanye West
04) Nas
03) Talib Kweli
02) MF Doom and Ghostface Killah
01) Bloc Party
Nas counts because I'm putting up my list before his album comes out in 2006.
Best Songs of 2006
10) Akon - Smack That
09) Basement Jaxx - Hush Boy
08) This Providence - A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
07) Justin Timberlake (Feat. T.I.) - My Love
06) Clipse - Trill
05) Justin Timberlake - SexyBack Remix (Feat. Clipse)
04) Young Jeezy - I Luv It
03) T.I. - What You Know
02) Clipse - Dirty Money
01) LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
As great as these songs all were, can they really compare to a roughly 45 minute track? No, sorry. The thing was funded by Nike, distributed through iTunes, and crafted to mesh seamlessly with a running workout. Most of us Americans are lazy and thus don't run, but for those who do this tune is ideal.
Stay classy, AP.net.
Steve's a tool. Don't listen to him. I'm the most mainstream reviewer here.
Top Albums of 2006
30) Junior Boys - So This is Goodbye
29) Mos Def - Tru3 Magic
28) UnderOath - Define the Great Line
27) Jim Jones - Hustler's P.O.M.E.
26) Sw!ms - Ride of the Blueberry Winter
25) The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
24) mewithoutYou - Brother, Sister
23) Lily Allen - Alright, Still
22) Yip-Yip - In the Reptile House
21) Damien Rice - 9
20) Brand New - The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
19) Rick Ross - Port of Miami
18) The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America
17) Cunninlynguists - A Piece of Strange
16) Brazil - The Philosophy of Velocity
15) MSTRKRFT - The Looks
14) Ghostface Killah - Fishscale
13) The Roots - Game Theory
12) Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only
11) Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
10) Cursive - Happy Hollow
09) This Providence - This Providence
08) Man Man - Six Demon Bag
07) Young Jeezy - The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102
06) Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
05) Girl Talk - Night Ripper
04) T.I. - King
03) Joanna Newsom - Ys
02) Mylo - Destroy Rock & Roll
01) Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
Honorable Mention
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Basement Jaxx - Crazy Itch Radio
Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics
Fear Before the March of Flames - Always Open Mouth
The Game - Doctor's Advocate
I'm From Barcelona - Let Me Introduce My Friends
J Dilla - Donuts
Nelly Furtado - Loose
These CDs ruled. Unfortunately, thirty other discs ruled a bit harder than they did.
Top EPs of 2006
02) The Rocket Summer - The Early Years EP
01) Little Brother - The Commercial Free EP
Worst (Most Disappointing Albums) of 2006
04) Outkast - Idlewild
03) Danger Doom - The Occult Hymn EP
02) Cam'ron - Killa Season
01) Kevin Federline - Playing With Fire
I had huge expectations for records 2-4, but they failed to deliver as expected. K-Fed... well that just made me cringe.
Best Producer of the Year
01) Timbaland
Runner-Up: The Neptunes
Tim worked with Nelly Furtado, J.T., Busta, Snoop, Jeezy, and many other thriving artists. Seriously, the man's on fire.
The Neptunes chilled with T.I., Lupe, Luda, Diddy, Hova, Snoop, Gwen Stefani, Ciara, and of course Clipse. Hell Hath no Fury alone almost vaulted the duo to the top spot.
Best New Band of 2006
01) Lily Allen
Runners-Up: Arctic Monkeys, Lupe Fiasco, The Pipettes
Allen made like fellow European sensation Lady Sovereign and made her way to the top of the music industry through MySpace. Despite connections through her celebrity father, Lily made a name for herself with her music and not blood relation. Her album caused enough of a stir to bring out haters everywhere, and she found herself in many feuds. Through it all she managed to be NME's third coolest person of the year and reach #2 on the U.K. charts.
Best Music Video of 2006
01) Justin Timberlake (Feat. T.I.) - My Love
Runners-Up: Justin Timberlake - SexyBack, Vitalic - Pony: Pt. I, OK Go - Here It Goes Again, Lily Allen - Smile
Best Vocals of 2006
05) Lily Allen
04) John Legend
03) Joanna Newsome
02) Morrissey
01) Christina Aguilera
Aguilera sings circles around almost every other artist out there this year. She finally embraced her potential to its full extent. That led to fewer sales but a much better product overall.
Best Live Show
04) Willie Nelson
03) Blood Brothers
02) UnderOath
01) Kevin Devine
I think Willie smoked marijuana before the show I saw, but don't tell anyone. I don't want people thinking he indulges.
Best Record Label
02) Def Jam
01) Jive
Timberlake, Kelis, and Clipse > Jeezy, Rick Ross, Ghostface Killah, Cam'ron, Mef, Hova, and the Roots this time around, but just barely.
Most Overrated Band
01) Jibbs
"Chain Hang Low" was kind of fun, but the rest of the CD doesn't do anything for me.
Most Underrated Bands
06) The Streets
05) Lady Sovereign
04) The Pipettes
03) Test Icicles
02) Kelis
01) Method Man
It seems like nobody here even noticed that Mef released an album in '06. Wise up, it's great.
People give Kelis crap because of "Bossy," an actually impressive single, and "Milkshake." Give her whole albums a try. She's kind of like Missy Elliott in that she has intruiging, inventive female hip-hop.
Best (Catchiest Song) Single
05) Bossy - Kelis
04) Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
03) Mr. Me Too - Clipse
02) Justin Timberlake (Feat. T.I.) - My Love
01) T.I. - What You Know
Runners-Up: Hips Don't Lie - Shakira, Hustlin' - Rick Ross, It's Goin' Down - Yung Joc, Wamp Wamp - Clipse, We Fly High - Jim Jones
Ballin'! Kelis and Nelly Furtado were both heavily criticized, but both their singles and albums were favorites of mine. Clipse could do no wrong, and T.I. proved he can fly solo and team up to produce undenialbe bangers.
Worst Single
01) Kevin Federline - PopoZão
Best 'Other' Zine Website
02) EmotionalPunk.com
01) AllHipHop.com
Band of the Year
02) Man Man
01) This Providence
Band(s) Most Pimped By AP.net
02) Brand New
01) The Format
Best Movies of 2006
01) Snakes On A Plane
'Nuff said. Borat who? As far as I'm concerned S.O.A.P. is the only movie that came out this year.
Best TV Shows of 2006
03) Dog Eat Dog (Reruns)
02) Lost
01) Aqua Teen Hunger Force
I love Master Shake, Carl, Frylock, and Meatwad as much as anybody else, but an A.T.H.F. movie might be a bit painful. Watching that craziness for over an hour continuously will make my brain hurt.
The Next Big Thing(s) of 2007
05) Sw!ms
04) The Streets
03) Lily Allen
02) The Pack
01) Cartel
Cartel's almost there, The Pack has worked many systems already with "Vans," and Lily Allen and Mike Skinner just need to perfect the crossover appeal.
Sw!ms might not make it, but I sure hope they do. Their latest efforts were absolutely golden.
Most Anticipated Releases of 2007
05) Kanye West
04) Nas
03) Talib Kweli
02) MF Doom and Ghostface Killah
01) Bloc Party
Nas counts because I'm putting up my list before his album comes out in 2006.
Best Songs of 2006
10) Akon - Smack That
09) Basement Jaxx - Hush Boy
08) This Providence - A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing
07) Justin Timberlake (Feat. T.I.) - My Love
06) Clipse - Trill
05) Justin Timberlake - SexyBack Remix (Feat. Clipse)
04) Young Jeezy - I Luv It
03) T.I. - What You Know
02) Clipse - Dirty Money
01) LCD Soundsystem - 45:33
As great as these songs all were, can they really compare to a roughly 45 minute track? No, sorry. The thing was funded by Nike, distributed through iTunes, and crafted to mesh seamlessly with a running workout. Most of us Americans are lazy and thus don't run, but for those who do this tune is ideal.
Stay classy, AP.net.