Top 50 Albums of 2006: #50-#41

50. Family Underground- Risen Under Altar Souls

A mix of freak folk and avant rock, Family Underground made damn sure to put their unique fingerprint on 2006. Releasing a wealth of cassettes, CDRs, and 7 inches, Risen Under Altar Souls was the band's strongest effort of the year.




49. Spank Rock - YoYoYoYoYo

I checked out Spank Rock on the basis of lead single "Rick Rubin," and was hooked to the throwback beats and electronic pulses. I'm hard to please when it comes to hip-hop, but this Baltimore group more than delivered. I even caught myself trying to dance with the album--that's a true testament to YoYoYoYoYo's catchiness and originality.




48. Thom Yorke - The Eraser

You're probably just as surprised as I am that Thom Yorke's solo debut made my list. I was down on this disc at first, but it had enough quality songs to grow on me. Initially, I found this as nothing more than an album full of Radiohead demos, but the title track and "Black Swan," worked hard to kick that crazy notion out of my head. Congrats Thom, you won me over once again.




47. Thanksgiving - Cave Days & Moments

Another artist never shy about releasing multiple albums on multiple platforms year after year, Adrian Orange delivered a dark acoustic dream with Cave Days & Moments. It's raw, rudimentary, and primitive--much like the album's title hints.




46. Fat Worm of Error - Pregnant Babies Pregnant With Pregnant Babies

Yes, this is the best album title of the whole year--hands down. The visual of pregnant baby after pregnant baby with pregnant babies can only be matched by the wildly unusual and unpredictable music. This album is just a bunch of musical thoughts thrown into a blender and thickened with even crazier, more outrageous non-musical based musical ideas. The concoction is potent and a knock-out. Most definitely not for the faint of musical head and heart.


45. Bill Nace - Solo Guitar

So hard to track down, I can't even find a proper pic of the album cover. Released as a cassette (yes, bands still use that medium), the album is nothing more than a 30+ minute jam of distortion, drone, and fuzz. A guitar attack this vicious requires an inoculation before listening is attempted.




44. Adrian Orange - Bitches is Lord

Adrian Orange has already appears on the list once, but this time he comes out from behind his Thanksgiving moniker to deliver his most Neil Young-esque album yet. This marks the first time Adrian has chucked aside the many ethos of his mentor and peer Phil Elverum to dabble in his musical hero of old. And who can blame him for giving Neil some love! It certainly won't be me considering I worship at the altar of Neil everyday (twice on Sundays).




43. Psapp - The Only Thing I Ever Wanted

The quirky band that brought you the quirky theme to Grey's Anatomy returns with their second, even quirkier album. Twisted pop themes sprinkled with trinkets and cat noises only turn The Only Thing I Ever Wanted from pure pop bliss to pure pop experimentation at its safest and most divine. Trust me--it's a safe listen. Even my fiance who loves the quiet sounds of Norah Jones and Mindy Smith is in love with this album. It's for those who play it safe in musical exploration and those who are willing to take chances.




42. Wilderness - Vessel States

Wilderness returns with another album that is just as rocking and angular as their last. If you really want an in-depth description, I'm not going to give you one. Just buy it (or *gasp* download it) and rock.




41. Wes McDonald - 1:50 in the Furnace

Ah, my first musical love: alt-country. McDonald, however, doesn't stick to the tried and true alt-country formula of the past. He forgoes the ghosts of yore and chooses to carve his own niche with more soul and urban honky tonk for those of us tired of the same tired Uncle Tupelo rehashes.