Drew Beringer

[Drew Beringer]

Top Albums of 2006
30) The Hush Sound - Like Vines
29) Set Your Goals - Mutiny
28) These Arms Are Snakes - Easter
27) New Found Glory - Coming Home
26) +44 - When Your Heart Stops Beating
25) Saves The Day - Sound The Alarm
24) The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine
23) Young Jeezy - The Inspiration: Thug Motivation 102
22) Trophy Scars - Alphabet. Alphabets.
21) The Early November - The Mother, The Mechanic, and The Path
20) My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
19) Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead
18) Spitalfield - Better Than Knowing Where You Are
17) The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta!
16) Copeland - Eat. Sleep. Repeat
15) John Mayer - Contiuum
14) Taking Back Sunday - Louder Now
13) Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
12) Converge - No Heroes
11) mewithoutYou- Brother, Sister
10) Misery Signals - Mirrors
09) Underoath - Define The Great Line
08) Fear Before The March Of Flames - The Always Open Mouth
07) TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain
06) Thursday - A City by the Light Divided
05) Moneen - The Red Tree
04) Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist
03) The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
02) Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury
01) Damien Rice - 9
A lot of good stuff came out this year, especially on the hip hop front. Clipse released one of the best hip hop albums of the new millennium, Deftones returned back to White Pony form, and Moneen and Thursday wrote two of the most personal and touching albums of 2006. But in the end, Damien Rice trumps it all. The way each song is orchestrated, the way he can have his voice completely own the song is amazing. 9 is a brilliant follow up to O and is my favorite album of 2006.


Honorable Mention
Christina Aguilera - Back To Basics
Senses Fail - Still Searching
Boys Like Girls - Boys Like Girls
Norma Jean - Redeemer
Dashboard Confessional - Dusk & Summer
AFI - Decemberunderground
Latterman - ...We Are Still Alive
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Gym Class Heroes - As Cruel As School Children
Heavens - Patent Pending
Rise Against - The Sufferer & The Witness
Park - Building A Better ______
Murder By Death - In Bocca Al Lupo
Muse - Blackholes and Revelations
The Killers - Sam's Town
The Sounds - Dying To Say This To You
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones
The Strokes - First Impressions Of Earth
This Is Hell - Sundowning
Unearth - III: In The Eyes Of Fire
Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
The Raconteurs – Broken Soldier Boys
P.O.S. - Audition
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
This Providence - This Providence
Kevin Devine - Put Your Ghost To Rest
Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope
He Is Legend - Suck Out The Poison
Manchester Orchestra - I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child
Thom Yorke - The Eraser
The Roots - Game Theory
The Matches - Decomposer
The Transit War - Miss Your Face
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
The Format - Dog Problems
T.I. - King
Blood Brothers - Young Machetes
Meg&Dia - Something Real
The Forecast - In The Shadow Of Two Gunmen
This is the list of albums that I believe are worth checking out. Yes it's a long list, big deal, so I like music.

Most Disappointing Albums of 2006
04) Gatsbys American Dream - Gatsbys American Dream
03) Alexisonfire - Crisis
02) Head Automatica - Popaganda
01) Over It - Step Outside Yourself
Was very excited to hear these four albums. Was immediately disappointed after hearing them.

Worst Albums of 2006
03) Bleeding Through - The Truth
02) Yellowcard - Lights And Sounds
01) Kevin Federline - Playing With Fire
Oh dear God, these four albums were horrible.

Best New Band of 2006
01) Set Your Goals
Runner-Up: +44

Best Music Video of 2006
01) MakeDamnSure - Taking Back Sunday

Runners-Up:

Best Lyrics of 2006
02) Craig Finn - The Hold Steady
01) Kenny Bridges - Moneen
Kenny wrote some of the most personal, beautiful, and agonizing lyrics of 2006.

Best Vocals of 2006
03) Aaron Marsh - Copeland
02) Chino Moreno - Deftones
01) Christina Aguilera

Biggest Sellouts
01) Panic! At The Disco
Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, I did (and sometimes still do) listen to P!ATD debut. It’s catchy and fun. But anyone would be a fool not to notice and confirm how much this band has changed since 2005. We all know the details, so I’m not going to get into that, but this band is so far up their own asses it's not even comical anymore.


Hardest Working Band of 2006
01) My Chemical Romance
Many bands are worthy of this, and I know I'll get some crap for choosing MCR, but they put so much effort into the whole package. The album artwork, the live show, the theatrics, staying after hours to sign for fans, and most importantly, their music, all show the hard work this band puts day in and out.

Best Record Label
02) Epitaph
01) Equal Vision
Second year in a row for me, EVR just keeps providing solid records year in and out, and hit a home run with the Dustin Kensrue and Damiera signings. Watch out for Dear and The Headlights as well and expect another big year from this great label in 07.

Most Overrated Band
01) Brand New
Yes, Brand New is in my top 10, but the way some people talk about this album makes you think that it was Jesus, Peter, Paul, and John recording this.

Most Underrated Bands
06) This Providence
05) Unearth
04) Jonah Matranga
03) The Lawrence Arms
02) The Forecast
01) Spitalfield
These six bands are not talked about enough. This Providence isthe diamond in the rough on FBR's roster, while Jonah is one of the most underrated songwriters of our scene. The Forecast are overlooked on Victory's lineup, and Spitalfield is so amazing, it completely puzzles me how Victory missed the boat on that one.

Best (Catchiest Song) Single
03) When Your Heart Stops Beating - +44
02) Welcome To The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
01) Honestly - Cartel
Yes, I know Cartel released that track in 2005, but it didn't make a huge impact till this summer, and it was my favorite single of the year.

Best B-Side
01) Demo 5 - Brand New
Demo, b-side, whatever. I love this song. Bad Brand New for not putting it on their new album.

Worst Single
01) Graduation Day - Head Automatica

Best 'Other' Zine Website
02)Decoy Music (http://www.decoymusic.com)
01)Punk News (http://www.punknews.org)
Even though they hate us, I still like these sites.

Band(s) Most Pimped By AP.net
02) The Format
01) Over It


Best Band Related DVD
02) Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
01) Every Time I Die - Shit Happens

Best Movies of 2006
05) V For Vendetta
04) Snakes On A Plane
03) Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
02) Jackass 2
01) 007: Casino Royale
These are the only movies I saw in theaters this year, these are the only movies that really mattered to me.

Best TV Shows of 2006
04) Grey's Anatomy
03) Entourage
02) The Office
01) Scrubs

The Next Big Thing(s) of 2007
10) Dear And The Headlights
09) Boys Like Girls
08) The Almost
07) Manchester Orchestra
06) Houston Calls
05) All Time Low
04) theAudition
03) The Hush Sound
02) Self Against City
01) Armor For Sleep
AFS is releasing their major label debut later in 2007 and they should explode with that. Self Against City and Houston Calls are going to save Drive-Thru. theAudition and ATL will make bigger waves in 2007, while Boys Like Girls are going to be the next band headlining huge clubs. Dear And The Headlights should make a nice splash on Equal Vision, while The Almost and Manchester Orchestra have huge potential.

Most Anticipated Releases of 2007
This is just a put together list of what albums I am excited for, no specific order and I’m sure I forgot many on the list. Also not counting albums I’ve heard already.
Fall Out Boy
Relient K
Against Me!
Explosions In The Sky
Bloc Party
Coheed & Cambria
Thrice
Emery
Motion City Soundtrack
Poison The Well
Lifetime
The Fall Of Troy
Glassjaw
Every Time I Die
Modest Mouse
The Starting Line
Comeback Kid
Armor For Sleep
Alkaline Trio
The Bled
Bayside
Circa Survive
Bright Eyes
Dillinger Escape Plan
Jimmy Eat World
Paramore
Chiodos
Say Anything
Ted Leo
Norah Jones
Anberlin
From Autumn To Ashes
Rilo Kiley
Kanye West
Common
Talib Kweli
The Shins
The Good, The Bad, And The Queen

Best Songs of 2006
in alphabetical order by band name
No It Isn't - +44
Start The Machine - Angels & Airwaves
Fate Delivered - The Appleseed Cast
Five Minutes To Midnight - Boys Like Girls
Jesus - Brand New
Wamp Wamp ft. Slim Thug - Clipse
Grim Heart/Black Rose - Converge
When You Thought You'd Never Stand Out - Copeland
9 Crimes - Damien Rice
Beware - Deftones
Decoration - The Early November
My (Fucking) Deer Hunter - Fear Before The March Of Flames
Dog Problems - The Format
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Serpent Sickness - He Is Legend
Watching You - Heavens
Wine Red - The Hush Sound
Beach Chair - Jay-Z Ft Chris Martin
Gravity - John Mayer
SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
Will This Be On The Test? - Latterman
Like A Record Player - The Lawrence Arms
Stuntin Like My Daddy - Lil Wayne and Birdman
In A Sweater Poorly Knit - mewithoutYou
Anchor - Misery Signals
The Day No One Needed To Know - Moneen
Mama - My Chemical Romance
Black Republican - Nas feat Jay-Z
Connected - New Found Glory
Mississippi Burning - Park
Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs
Fidelity - Regina Spektor
Echoes - Set Your Goals
...Listen - Spitalfield
Sundowning - This Is Hell
Harrowdown Hill - Thom Yorke
Autumn Leaves Revisited - Thursday
Assistant. Assistants. - Trophy Scars
Casting Such A Thin Shadow - Underoath
Bury Me A G - Young Jeezy
My favorites of 06, makes a hell of a diverse playlist.



Damien Rice – 9
A beautiful collection of 10 soul-bearing tracks make this my favorite album of 2006. Vocally, very few can carry a song like Rice can, and each crescendo of the piano and strings are precise and perfectly placed. As good as “O?” It’s way to early to tell, and shouldn’t matter anyways, because this album can stand on its own.

"9 Crimes" - Damien Rice

Bring on 2007.

[themostdeplete]

pretty good overall. pretty similar to my own tastes, just not ranked the same.

[lightcollapse]

hawt list

[tragedyco]

good call on Houston Calls and Self Against City saving DTR.

[12:46AM]

has anyone reviewed damien rice - 9 on ap yet? check my review in my sig and see what you think.

[sandro]

dissapointed by the over it album? Shiiiit, its in my top 3!

[boldt_action]

coolio.

[DreamOfUnity]

Moneen =)

[CROMagnon]

i am sorely disappointed by the lack of atal on these lists...

[Greg Dona]

Hell Hath No Fury.

[underthetalking]

Probably my favorite list. You never fail to disappoint, Drew. Your reviews are gold too.

[Özgür Kurtoglu]

Damien doesn't deserve your top spot...

I liked this, though. Although I will have to hate you for a while for liking "9" and Brand New.

[petey536]

thank you for saying brand new is overrated, there amazing but people do act like their gods or prophets or something

[Drew Beringer]

i am sorely disappointed by the lack of atal on these lists...

Never bought into the hype.

[bradyreier]

very good list drew.

[sweetforever]

nice list drew :drew:

[Fullcollapse3k]

I'm in complete agreement on song/album of the year.

[sayyes]

nice list minus Louder Now

[YourMusicSucks]

I don't think I could agree with a list more. Everything on it, most anticipated and stuff too

[berky11]

You and Jason hit the spot on your lists.

Great picks...esp the movies.:santa:

[CROMagnon]

Never bought into the hype.
i honestly haven't seen that much hype for atal, but that comment wasn't directed at you personally, rather at all the lists
the personal lists i've read through have no mention of atal (except jared's), yet it's on the staff's combined list....how does that work?

[James Johnson]

good list.

[smallbutfeisty]

the format's not in the top 30?? wtf mate?

[Drew Beringer]

the format's not in the top 30?? wtf mate?

pssh, so what :-p

I put Christina Aguilera as top vocalist though haha

[dekdog11]

great list
loving the thursday love

[MakeDamnSure]

For the best vocals, Drew, you have my undying e-love. Woo!

[themostdeplete]

Never bought into the hype.

complete bullshit. there isn't ENOUGH hype for this record. it is one of the best alternative rock records in several years with a completely well-rounded list of influences and genres. jazz, soul, r+b, pop, and rock are all found on this record. the vocal harmonies surpass 98% of all bands i listen to, and for these reasons, it is my #1 of the year.


none of this is a hyperbole in my opinion.

[Crocodile Logic]

drew likes everything :lol:

[Saves The Night]

Drew, I am a little upset, after you, in the weeks leading up to this claimed saves the day was your album of the year and then, not only didnt it make it to the top spot, but not even in the top 5...I am utterly disappointed. But good list sir.

[Özgür Kurtoglu]

"Atal"? I'm sorry, I'm from Europe so I don't get your abbreviations..

[Drew Beringer]

Drew, I am a little upset, after you, in the weeks leading up to this claimed saves the day was your album of the year and then, not only didnt it make it to the top spot, but not even in the top 5...I am utterly disappointed. But good list sir.

I never said that, I think you are thinking of someone else.

[Saves The Night]

I never said that, I think you are thinking of someone else.ahh alright I looked again and you are right. my apologies...but its still a good list! I like your choices.

[HiddenInNJ]

excellent lists of everything... appreciate the trophy scars, thursday, moneen love in the top 30 and park as another to watch for... i thought i was the only one who loved demo 5 shame for not remastering it

[jorn444]

Fall Out Boy's album is going to be HUGE

[Chris Fallon]

Over It was awesome. How dare you, sir.

Nevertheless, your list is great. Good to see Converge on there.

[monkeyboy14]

Good call on Kenny's lyrics and best b-side. Untitled 5 was one of the best songs this year, and almost the best song the band has written.

[Poultrylicious]

bad ass list.

The only place where i can disagree with you is for being dissapointed in Over It.

P.S. Are you going to make predictions for 2007, like you did last year?

[villevalo1666]

i love your list.

your's is the first i've actually commented on.

and i agree with My Chem winning "Hardest Working Band Of The Year" because in all truth, they really are. And in my opinion, having Liza Minelli cameo on the album was a nice touch.

;-)