A Thousand Faces We'll Choose to Ignore...

Current Music: +44 - No It Isn't

New links on the left. More on those later (as in tomorrow-ish).

Before I get into the meat of this entry, I (somewhat shamefully) watched the first 5 minutes of American Idol yesterday (this anomaly is the result of my girlfriend, who is addicted to reality TV). The announcer claimed that Chris Daughtry's aptly named band Daughtry and their self-titled debut album was the best selling debut rock album in history. This would mean that it beat Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction. I'm not saying this is impossible, seeings how it sold 304,000 in its first week going up against the likes of Justin Timberlake's new album, but could someone please confirm this for me? My attempts to find out more came up with nothing useful.

I've been thinking about all the music I heard over the past year. I think thanks to things like iTunes, used CD shops and other various methods (legal or otherwise) I listened to more music than I have in previous years. I know for a fact my tastes have expanded, and I feel the need to elaborate. So the following is a look at my thoughts on 2006 as far as music goes.

Best album of 2006: I was originally trying to come up with my pick for best song, but like always there were far too many. I scoff at those that say that good music ended 20 years ago. There were any number of great albums this year. Pearl Jam came out with their best work since Ten, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers came back to form with the massive Stadium Arcadium. Then there were bands like The Goo Goo Dolls, The Fray and Snow Patrol and their ubiquitous radio hit singles. Meanwhile you had grandiose, over-the-top efforts from Angels & Airwaves, The Killers, and the incredible release from My Chemical Romance. The snob in me says to give it to RHCP or perhaps The Raconteurs, but any punk band that references Queen, The Beatles and Pink Floyd and melds them all into a punk-rock concept album that isn't fueled by gratuitous political statements (looking at you, Green Day) gets a mark in my book. The best album of '06 had to be The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Just two years ago these guys were lumped in with all the other goth-punk bands du jour. I dare you to a) name one of those other bands, and b) tell me what they're up to right now.

Worst album of the year: This is a hard one to pick simply because I take pride in the fact that I don't buy bad music. I tend to know what's bad when I see it (though as Gina will happily point out, I have been wrong about some artists). A lot of albums got mixed or less-than stellar reviews, and of course anytime Hawthorne Heights releases an album, you've got a contender, but this year someone even worse found his way into a recording studio. Without a doubt the worst record of the year honor goes to Kevin Federline's Playing With Fire. I trust I don't need to justify this to anyone.

Best new artist: Lots of new artists made their way into the spotlight this past year. Fueledbyramen Records (former home of Fall Out Boy) churned out a slew of them, from Gym Class Heroes to The Academy Is.... There was also Cobra Starship, best known for the lead single for the cult hit Snakes on a Plane. Grey's Anatomy helped propel The Fray to the top of the charts, while American Idol made stars out of Chris Daughtry and Taylor Hicks. Ultimately I think the award has to go to a band that's been able to work its way out from the shadow of what is allegedly the best drama on TV. Adantage: The Fray.

Most overrated band: Gnarls Barkley. While there's a case for Angels & Airwaves and their unnecessary grandstanding as well as The Raconteurs on the mere basis of Jack White alone, no band annoyed me as much as this second-rate OutKast. All the reviewers kept trying to tell me that I secretly liked "Crazy" but no, I really didn't like it. It was a dumb song. If I wanted some upbeat hip-hop this summer, I went for Fort Minor, not two guys that don't have real names.

Most underrated band: A few months ago The Killers had this one wrapped up. I am in the minority of people that thought Sam's Town was if nothing else on par with Hot Fuss. But then in November Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker (formerly of Blink 182) released the +44 album to the sound of no one caring. +44's When Your Heart Stops Beating is great, solid, no-strings-attached punk rock, especially when compared to the droning whine of Tom DeLonge. If you haven't already, go out and at least sample some of WYHSB. Trust me on this one, you'll like it.

That's all for now. I'll be back tomorrow.

==TJ==