50 Favo/Best Albums from 2006

For a guy who reminisces quote fondly about 2000s music, 2006 is not a year I think about often. Crammed between possibly the greatest year for indie in 2005, and 2007 being a powerhouse of a year for monumental albums... I never thought 2006 had its own vibe. But looking back, I've enjoyed a lot of albums from that year. And since they're all having their 20th anniversary, I figured I'd celebrate them with an awkwardly compiled list. As such is my trademark.

So here's 50-ish albums from 2006 worth shouting out! Some personal favorites. Some that feel a bit more like an "objective" selection. LOTS OF INDIE. Sorry if I missed an album you like. I either have never tried it or just don't like it that much. 

CAN'T GET MYSELF TO CALL THESE "ALBUMS"

#- Tom Waits Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards 

#- Animal Collective People 

One's a box set. One's an EP. Let's proceed.

CONSIDERED TOP 50

51- Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere

50- Midlake The Trials of Van Occupanther

49- Amy Winehouse Back to Black

48- My Chemical Romance The Black Parade 
47- LCD Soundsystem 45:33
46- Junior Boys So This Is Goodbye

Everything above is either a respected indie album I don't have much unique insight to add onto, or a mainstream success that I generally respect. But I think I ranked them in the right order. I'm pretty sure neither Gnarls Barkley nor Midlake should be on here, but whatever. 

PERSONAL LOCKS
45- Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
44- Phoenix It's Never Been Like That
43- Beirut Gulag Orkestar
42- Bat for Lashes Fur and Gold
41- T.I. King
40- M. Ward Post-War
39- Jason Molina Let Me Go Let Me Go Let Me Go
38- Bob Dylan Modern Times
37- Asobi Seksu Citrus
36- Jenny Lewis & The Thompson Twins Rabbit Fur Coat
35- The Decemberists The Crane Wife
34- Sonic Youth Rather Ripped
33- Justin Timberlake Future Love/Sex Sounds
32- Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
31- Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
30- Matmos The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast
29- Mastodon Blood Mountain
28- Brand New The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
27- Bonnie 'Prince' Billy The Letting Go
26- Belle and Sebastian The Life Pursuit
25- Cat Power The Greatest
24- Neko Case Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
23- Beach House Beach House
22- Sunset Rubdown Shut Up I Am Dreaming

I love these picks! Ranking this was fun! I bought that Bob Dylan album when I was 16, and it still bangs. It's crazy to look back on how acclaimed Future Love/Sex Sounds was at the time, proceeding to ride a high for like 5 years. I think I placed that one correctly. Same with that "good but overrated" Arctic Monkeys album. Also worth noting that there are a dang lot of overlong album titles here.

There's music listed above that you may have never heard of before. I'll warn you: There's a lot more where that came from.

CONSIDERED TOP 20
21- Jay Reatard Blood Visions
20- Califone Roots & Crowns
19- Peter Bjorn and John Writer's Block
18- Girl Talk Night Ripper
17- Hot Chip The Warning
16- Camera Obscura Let's Get Out of This Country
15- Band of Horses Everything All the Time
14- The Thermals The Body, The Blood, The Machine

The Thermals are my personal favorite of this bunch. That Band of Horses album is like 5 years ahead of its time. As is this brand of indie pop from Peter Bjorn and John. Some all-time overlooked indie acts also in the mix.

CONSIDERED TOP 10

13- Destroyer Destroyer's Rubies

12- Tim Hecker Harmony in Ultraviolet
11- Liars Drum's Not Dead
10- Boris Pink 

9- Ghostface Killah Fishscale
8- The Hold Steady Boys and Girls in America
7- Grizzly Bear Yellow House
6- Scott Walker The Drift

Sometimes I hate the number 10. You can list off a bunch of NBA players, and I'll be like "that guy's top 10," and then realize I've said that about 12 different players. I came across a similar problem here. 

I have some personal bias toward Destroyer, and yet it's hard to argue the quality of music ranked higher here. The Drift is as unconventional as it is unsettling. Yellow House is the modern standard for psychedelic folk. The Hold Steady basically released their greatest hits. Fischscale is probably the greatest rap album made by a 35-year-old. Pink delivered perhaps the most satisfying hard rock the decade had to offer. Drum's Not Dead is the most accurate time capsule for the state of indie rock in 2006. Tim Hecker showcased a career-defining work, which is saying a lot. Hard to cut anyone out of this top 10.

CONSIDERED #1
5- The Knife Silent Shout
4- J Dilla Donuts
3- Clipse Hell Hath No Fury
2- Joanna Newsom Ys
1- TV on the Radio Return to Cookie Mountain

So yeah... Without many releases in their catalog, any album by The Knife kinda ages like a rare wine we may never taste again. Donuts is an established classic in instrumental hip-hop, but more importantly, it reminds me of being in college. I've listened to Hell Hath No Fury a bunch of times in my 30s, and it's an absolute standout among the decade's best rap albums. You have to set aside personal time to listen to Ys, as it demands a unique headspace to be consumed. As for TV on the Radio, I've been a fan since I was a teenager, and they stuck the landing on an experimental gamble that could have been a total trainwreck. 

Now that I'm done with this blogpost, I realize this wasn't a very interesting read. Perhaps I'd just rather write about music with personal value other than trying to promote the idea of objectively superior art. But hey. I like making lists. And this list is freaking perfect!

My Short-Lived Horror Movie Phase

I'm not a connoisseur of horror movies. In fact, I'm not a connoisseur of movies at all. As an adult, I kinda stopped watching movies. Like, ever, at all. Kind of a weird quality about me... But a few years back, I tried digging into horror movies. Most of these were watched from my laptop while I was lying in bed with the lights on. Not the most fun time of my life, but hey, a lot of these movies were good!

Here I have 23 movies, awkwardly split into 15 categories. I watched all these when I was 30-ish years old. I'm aware that I have some standards missing here. That's either because it's a movie I already watched when I was much younger (Psycho) or I've never watched it at all (Nightmare on Elm Street). But for what it's worth, there are some cool underdog hipster picks in here. So take a look-see. Maybe you'll find something you love. Or more interestingly, something you hate! My horror phase is over, but feel free to give me some recommendations anyways.

What The Hey, Let's Call This Horror

The Silence of the Lambs

The Dark Crystal

The Devils

The Silence of the Lambs deserves most all the praise it's received over the years. Jodie Foster is amazing here. Containing more than 0% "horror" elements makes you part of the club. 

The Dark Crystal is a "dark fantasy" film that children can watch. But why show this to kids when you can appreciate it as an adult? The whole thing is made with Jim Henson puppetry and it's mind-blowing.

I don't feel bad describing much of The Devils as just a "sacrilegious porno." Ken Russell is a super interesting director to me, but I should probably save myself the graphic shame and try out Altered States next time. 

I Watched 2 Japanese Horror Movies
House (Hausu)

The Ring (Ringu)

I'll get it out of the way that Hausu is my favorite of these two. By quite a large margin. Everything reminds me of some weird nightmare, and I may never forget this imagery.

Wish I had an original take on Ringu. It was definitely memorable, and I don't think kids will get how accurate it is that people would just randomly watch VHS tapes like this.

That Good Ol' "Folk Horror" Cult Stuff

Midsommar

The Wicker Man

Seeing previews for Midsommar in 2019 piqued my interest in horror, between all the backstory provided and the fact that Haxan Cloak made its soundtrack. Movie lived up to the hype.

The Wicker Man scratches my itch on so many levels. All horror movies should consist of extremely freakish-yet-unbothered townspeople. That's what living in Idaho feels like.

My Generic Takes on the Classics

Halloween

Carrie
Rosemary's Baby

The Exorcist

I'll just start off by saying Halloween was the biggest surprise for me here. I watched Friday the 13th when I was younger and wasn't the biggest fan, so I assumed Halloween would be another slasher flick leaving me empty. Not the case. The flow of this movie is super interesting to me. Simply nothing wasted. Love this mythical character bringing chaos to the suburbs.

As for the other 3? They're highly regarded classics and I have nothing much to add. Carrie is wildly discomforting. Rosemary's Baby has all-time acting performances. And finally watching The Exorcist all the way through, man, just full of monumental moments.

Favorite 70s Horror Movie

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

I can't really review film as poignantly as I can review music, but I'm trying... I think this movie is a world of its own. If only from a directing standpoint. There's a lot of dread here. Surprising levels of contrast between what looks polished and beautiful, or what may come off as flawed and ugly. None of this was on accident. Legit visionary stuff.

Favorite 80s Horror Movie
The Thing

I mentioned "dread" in my previous review. The Thing doubles down on that. The setting itself is cold and isolated enough to give off those feelings to the viewer. Makes you spend a lot of time watching with anticipation. Love this Twilight Zone-esque plot. Love the definitively 80s special effects. I don't think it could have been done better.

Hollywood Special Effects Magic
The Devil's Rain

First off, I believe this movie is directly referenced in "Skulls" by The Misfits. But yeah, William Shatner has a big role in this, completely overshadowed by the performance of Ernest Borgnine in his majestically overblown 70s Hollywood costume.

Oldie But Goodie
Witchfinder General

I'm sure there are people who'll watch this one and think it's lame, but those people aren't f'real. This movie was apparently pretty darn controversial at the time. And Rob Zombie is a big fan.

Underrated Oldie

Carnival of Souls

So this is well-known for its rather innovative camera trickery, in tandem with being made on such a low budget. On top of excellent acting performances, this movie earns all the critical acclaim it's received over the last 60+ years.

Still Don't Know What the Heck This Was
V/H/S/2: Safe Haven

I think about this one a lot. From the V/H/S franchise of found footage short films, this one has that weirdo cult crap I like. There's this demonic monster man at the end and I dig it. 

"Cool Underdog Hipster Pick"
The Void

There are a few independent films on here, but this one was apparently borne off a crowdfunding budget. The Void has more "science fiction" content than anything else on here. I usually don't approve of that, but I just find myself impressed by this whole thing. Cherry on top: It's very Canadian.

The Most Normie Horror Movie
The Borderlands

By all means I liked this, but I don't think this would pass the critical taste test for a lot of y'all. Found footage horror movie from the 2010s, an all-too familiar plotline. Can't tell if it's mediocre or if I've just taught myself to be picky with art.

The Only One That Kinda Sucked
The Exorcist 3

I had heard The Exorcist 3 had a Grand Canyon level of divisive reviews. I wanted to be "that one guy" who likes this, but I found some sections of it nearly impossible to enjoy. At least it has one jump scare for the ages.

Didn't Watch the Whole Thing, But It Was Good

The Vanishing (Spoorloos)

Hereditary

As I mentioned before, I don't watch nearly as many movies as any of my peers. There are lots of movies where I can claim I've watched 60% of it, whether I didn't get the chance to finish it or walked out of the living room a few times or something. So yeah, shout out to this cool 80s Dutch horror film and one of A24's modern classics.

Dopest Viewing Experience

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

I watched this 1920s standard at ye olde Utah Theatre in Logan. They had a live organist playing in the pit, seamlessly matching the silent film. Absolutely breathtaking experience. 

10 SONGZ: My Stomping Grounds

Forbes used to release an annual list of the most miserable cities in the U.S. From California's Central Valley, the city of Stockton has been ranked #1 on this list multiple times. Why would I mention this? That's where I grew up.

This blogpost isn't about my childhood exposure to the uniquely American brand of misery, but bragging about the cool music that grew from there. Bragging about my upbringing is usually reserved for letting people know that I played on the same little league team as Aaron Judge when I was in 3rd Grade. But today is for the neighborhood weirdos who made it into the music industry. Those who represent the fertile farmlands and concrete wastelands of the Central Valley.

Spoiler: I'm not gonna write about Deftones.

Here's 10 SONGZ!

Pavement Lions (Linden)

While I remember our Stockton zip code of 95215, we lived pretty darn close to the small town of Linden. And Stockton's own alt-rock legends Pavement wrote a song about the Linden High School Lions, where I attended high school as a Freshman. This song is ugly and stupid. I'm not gonna expound on the spiritual context I get from this.

Grandaddy Everything Beautiful Is Far Away

Modesto sits just south of Stockton, about the same size and perhaps even a bigger eyesore of a city. Grandaddy was Modesto's golden gift to 90s alt-rock. If you were raised in Modesto, you'd probably write a song called "Everything Beautiful Is Far Away" too.

Chris Isaak Wicked Game

Chris Isaak doesn't capture the ugliness of Stockton. He successfully capitalized off a sleek rockabilly sound and a sexy ass voice. I honestly don't think anyone did this better than the man himself. 

Flying Blind Smokescreen

Flying Blind is from the small town of Hughson. My favorite local radio station B93.1 played this song a lot, as this was their respective breakout single. Who knew a band from little ol' Hughson would land a song on the American Pie 2 soundtrack?

The Dave Brubeck Quartet Blue Rondo à la Turk 

Dave Brubeck grew up in the foothills of Ione, where I played many soccer games in middle school (for some reason). Dave later attended the University of Pacific, where he started his collaborative jazz projects. Time Out would go on to be the definitive West Coast Jazz album, and Dave has sole songwriting credit for the dopest song ever written in 9/8 time.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Lodi

CCR are from San Francisco, which I can't claim to be part of the Central Valley. But Lodi is actually a real place! It's the city on the northern border of Stockton. The more you know!

Death Grips Stockton

I'm finally giving up and resorting to talking about acts from Sacramento. I figured I'd start with a song titled after my hometown, a 50-minute drive south of Sactown. I must admit: I don't think this song is actually about Stockton, but whatever. Also: Very much NSFW.

DJ Shadow Midnight in a Perfect World

DJ Shadow's Endtroducing..... is my favorite album from Sacramento, and boasts itself as the first album ever made entirely out of samples. This is the most popular song from there, and anyone whose heard it knows it's absolutely deserving of the praise. 

Blackalicious Make You Feel That Way

Blazing Arrow by Blackalicious has become a personal favorite rap album over the years. This song in particular reminds me of my favorite semester of college. But yeah, mandatory RIP to Gift of Gab; this stuff still sounds pristine.

CAKE Short Skirt/Long Jacket

Considering I started this list talking about Pavement and Grandaddy, I think CAKE is the appropriate accommodating band from Sacramento. Kind of a favorite band among me and my siblings, plus a career that's garnered a delightful--dare I say, bulletproof--batch of hits.

10 SONGZ: September Songs

As I write this, the first day of autumn is just 3 days away. The mornings are much colder, the afternoons are still hot. That's the September experience. 

In fonder times of my life, I associate September with the beginning of the school year. Whatever my life was like in the summer, that was soon to vanish. But sometimes... I was okay with that. A lot of music memories attached with my college days of trying to accumulate friends I could keep around for the semester, to prepare myself for the forthcoming seasonal depression about to hit me like a truck.

Here are some songs that take me back to wandering campus like a lost tourist, and the slightest breeze had the potential to blow away my scattered little mind.

Here's 10 SONGZ! 

Neil Young & Crazy Horse Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

I'll just get this out of the way: Neil Young is the King of Autumn Music. Most everything here is merely an extension of the folk rock sounds he created. Neil lasts from Sep-Nov every year. Pick an album. You can't really lose.

Nick Drake Three Hours

Nick Drake is the other King of Autumn Music. Nick mastered melancholy on multiple musical levels (that's a lot of m's). This song might be his most intricate.

Built to Spill Fling

I absolutely consider Built to Spill's There's Nothing Wrong with Love an autumn album. A lot of crunchy guitars and Neil Young influence. Granted, the rest of the album sounds nothing like "Fling." But it's that sour cello part that keeps it an autumn song for me.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Young Adult Friction

There's an autumnal side to indie rock, not to be confused with the naturally grainy strands of indie folk. I mean like, hipster stuff. Some of the whitest music you'll ever hear. Skinny dudes in knitted sweaters spilling all the intelligent charm they can muster into their schoolwork, flirting, and music. 

Uncle Tupelo Slate

Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne doesn't sound anywhere nearly as aged as you'd expect from early 90s country music. I think this is how Neil envisioned the future of country when he made Harvest. This is a brisk fall morning if I've ever heard one.

Bob Dylan Girl from North Country

It's hard to pinpoint the state of modern music lyricism in the early 60s, and why Bob was such a revolutionary standout. But dang, I definitely remember my first time listening to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the 2010s. The simplest songs carry the most emotional weight. 

The Pastels Nothing to be Done

Another indie rock pick, although the characters feel a lot different. If The Pastels were taking classes at all, they sure sound like they were failing. The chemistry here is cute and the guitars are corrosive. Holding hands and drinkin' beers. Gotta love it.

The Band When You Awake

The first 2 albums by The Band make for some of the prettiest music I've ever heard. "When You Awake," like the rest of the band's self-titled album, is meant to take place during the U.S. Civil War. The bearded Canadian rockers accidentally reinvented 100 years of American music.

Elliott Smith Alameda

I believe there's an Elliott Smith album for every season. I don't think Either/Or is depressing enough to be his winter album, but it can definitely a downer. A reminder of the cold things to come. Singing along to "Nobody broke your heart, you broke your own...." Yeah, that first hint of autumn chill just shot down my spine.

Big Star September Gurls

Not to get too on the nose here, but c'mon. It's September. I guess I could have added the Earth, Wind & Fire song, but I gotta have that crunch. This song is a walk in the autumn sun. 

10 SONGZ: Grocery Store Classics

Let's take a trip to the grocery store! 

I have childhood memories of going to grocery stores once a month with my mom. As an adult, I go to grocery stores frequently. Full disclosure: I don't know what I want to eat 2 weeks from now, yet still somehow always proceed to buy the same crap for myself every few days. ANYWAYS... Many songs I heard at grocery stores as a kid are still being played there today.

I guess this list could get very long if I included music from the late 90s, but the staples that come to mind are from an older time. These are some unintentionally milquetoast hits that became popular before The Chronic officially shattered the innocence of music marketing. Late 80s and early 90s. So today we breakdown the Grocery Store Classics. Don't act like you're above it, when it sure looks like you love it.

Here's 10 SONGZ! 

Don Henley The Heart of the Matter

This song has been king of the grocery store circuit for years. Kind of a perfect recipe for how to end up here. Singer is 10 years removed from his famous rock band, takes a crack at making a Grammy-baiting "mature" album, and its 4th single attains grocery store glory.

Steve Winwood Roll with It

I've heard this song in like 100 different grocery stores and only just now found out it's by Steve Winwood. And I always thought it was titled "Work with It." This man has lived like 7 different careers. Didn't know karaoke machine R&B was also in his bag.

Toad the Wet Sprocket Walk on the Ocean

Sometimes things at the grocery store can get pretty serious. "Somebody told me that this is the place where everything's better" hits a lot different while you're contemplating which flavor of Pop-Tarts you should buy this week. I often imagine walking on the ocean with Toad the Wet Sprocket.

John Fogerty Rock and Roll Girls

John Fogerty's best-selling solo album has a couple notable hits on there. But I feel like I've only ever heard its 3rd single "Rock and Roll Girls" while grocery shopping. Is that just me?

James Brown Living in America

I don't know what was actually considered "cool" in the mid-80s. Was Rocky IV cool? I just remember hearing this once at a Walmart in July while their station was counting down the greatest patriotic songs, and I found myself laughing through the whole thing.

Marc Cohn Walking in Memphis

Like I said before, sometimes things at the grocery store can get pretty serious. I don't think I ever doubted the sincere spirit of this song. Infusing soft rock with gospel isn't a crime. But because the world works the way it does... I'm always gonna associate it with the produce section.

Howard Jones Things Can Only Get Better

I didn't want to include too much synth-pop on here, as it predates most grocery store standards. But Howard Jones should have known when he wrote this hook that this song was gonna be more tied with adult contemporary than anything Duran Duran ever did.

Whitney Houston I'm Your Baby Tonight

There's always something funny about hearing a minor key song at a grocery store. I can feel my eyebrows narrowing downward. The shopping focus you walked in with has now become intense. You reach out for that can of tomato sauce and whisper into it: "I'm your baby tonight."

Huey Lewis & The News Doing It All for My Baby

These guys released 6 singles from their album Fore! and this was single #6. Sounds like an excessive amount, but singles like these tend to live forever in the grocery store circuit. For what it's worth, I've heard some Fore! songs on the radio. But this one's made for the bread aisle.

Go West The King of Wishful Thinking

Choosing songs for this blogpost, I couldn't believe this wasn't made in the 80s. I mean, 1990 is almost the 80s, but still. I wondered if this was by Calloway, but no. They're 2 white guys, and they look like a couple of dorks in their 30s. Just like me. I don't know if I should feel inspired or embarrassed.

10 SONGZ: My Favorite Jerome Summer

We're already back!

I've realized that this 10 SONGZ series is a really easy premise to work with. I could be churning these out every 2 weeks. At least until I'm tired of it. I don't know how to make the blurbs more universally interesting, so I could at least make them personally nostalgic. 

On that note... I've spent my whole summer in Jerome. I've done this a few times in my adulthood. But nothing has come close to my favorite summer in Jerome. Sometimes I walk outside and get a whiff of the air around me and it takes me back...

The year is 2008! I'm 17 years old, between junior and senior year of high school. I could list off a bunch of self-referential stuff that made this summer stick out to me. The bike rides, the late nights, the backpacking trip, The Laramie Project, the 1984 Honda Civic... To me, music is memory. I decided I'd write about the new music I was into from this time. Maybe this will get you reminiscing over your first time watching The Dark Knight or something.

Here's 10 SONGZ!

R.E.M. Supernatural Superserious

The most accurate bellwether for my music taste at the time is the fact that I bought this CD the week it was released at the Twin Falls Best Buy. Accelerate might be R.E.M's best post-Bill Berry album, but I'm pretty biased.

Beck Modern Guilt

I also bought this CD the week it was released at the Twin Falls Best Buy. I show a little embarrassed smile whenever I talk about Beck. He was my favorite artist when I was 17. I thought he was weird + cool, and I also thought I was weird + cool. I might have been 0 for 2 on that... 

Fleet Foxes Blue Ridge Mountains

Just magical times, man. I watched Fleet Foxes play this song on Letterman, then immediately bought the album. Funny to think things used to work that way. The indie folk sound was very much new to me. Didn't know this would go on to influence some of the most annoying music of the 2010s.

The Hold Steady Sequestered in Memphis

I also watched these guys play on Letterman. I really believed there was reasonable anticipation for an event like that. The Hold Steady were definitely part of my transition from scanning alt-rock radio stations to discovering indie acts on the internet. "Subpoenaed in Texas, sequestered in Memphis!"

Santigold L.E.S. Artistes

If you want to know where I was getting all my music recs from, all these first 5 songs were from albums that got 4 stars from Rolling Stone. Santigold was super hyped at the time, like she was the modern day trailblazer for new wave. Didn't know she released that debut album at 31 years old.

Coldplay Lost!

Coldplay was everywhere this summer. This was an album I owned, and a bunch of my friends did as well, so just a lot of shared memories here. I'm still confounded by the song "Viva La Vida" being such a huge hit. "Lost!" was the better single. And "Strawberry Swing" deserved more spotlight.

Lil Wayne Mr. Carter (ft. Jay-Z)

Lil Wayne was everywhere this summer. Rap was still off limits to me at this point. But I basically heard the whole album by way of my friends driving me around everywhere, and they were all listening to Tha Carter III. Learned a lot of new uses for referencing genitalia in a sentence.

Mudcrutch The Wrong Thing to Do

Mudcrutch was a Tom Petty side project that strictly stuck with southern rock. I didn't ask for it, but my high school drama teacher burned me a copy of the album. Honestly, I appreciate it more with age, as a guitarist. And this song is badass.

Love Hӓndel You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart

I was never a Disney Channel guy. But here I was, a 17 year-old watching new Phineas and Ferb episodes after work with my 16 year-old sister. The songs never really go away. The Love Hӓndel episode might have been the best. "Goodnight, Tri-State Area!"

Usher Love in This Club (ft. Jeezy)

It took me so long to appreciate pop music. I look back on late-2000s pop fondly, because it feels so blatantly overblown and ironic. "I wanna make love in this club" is a sentiment I'm sure we can all relate to. When Usher played the Super Bowl, I was sad that he didn't bring out Jeezy for his verse here. I needed that. Sexually, mentally, physically, emotionally.

10 SONGZ: New Wave

I've been wanting to do this series for a long time. Once a month, I blog about 10 songs I like. I decided this would be a lot easier to do if I stuck with a theme for each one. This episode (if you will) is about a genre that doesn't seem to get the shine it used to: New Wave.

I remember my earlier days of discovering music on the internet, and I was led to believe new wave was this super important cultural movement from the late 70s. Do people still talk about it like that? I mean, my dad does. The narrative has changed from "all your favorite bands were influenced by The Cars" to "lol David Byrne has the same brand of autism that I do." Nah man. The joke with new wave is that these artists were never meant to be taken too seriously. And perhaps nobody on the radio ought to be. Music is cool. Music is stupid.

Here's 10 SONGZ!

Blondie Hanging on the Telephone

I don't think I fully appreciated this song until I watched the music video. Debbie Harry is just making faces in front of the camera the whole time. Is it so wrong to be expressive? In pop music, having a personality somehow became overridden by maintaining a persona. 

XTC When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty

I believe XTC was the exemplary new wave band. They had the technicality and the pop appeal. As though a comic strip transformed into a rock band. They also mastered the most common song topic in new wave: Guys talking about girls like nerds trying to communicate with an alien lifeform. 

The B-52s Rock Lobster

There used to be a video on Facebook of me dancing like a maniac to this song in the parking lot of an LDS church at age 17. Can't find it though. Sorry :(

Talking Heads Pulled Up

I believe Talking Heads deserve all the publicity flowers they've received in recent years. Today, I'd like to turn the spotlight to their earlier work. The Name of the Band Is Talking Heads is probably the only live compilation I return to regularly. Love the way this song sounds on there.

Pretenders Brass in Pocket

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. Chrissie Hynde is one of my favorite voices of all time. There's just so much genuine confidence in this song. It's not even about some #selfempowerment façade. It's pure character and conviction. 

DEVO Midget

I stumbled into a DEVO YouTube rabbit hole when I was in college. I just remember grainy footage of the band walking like robots while this song played in the background. Just an all-time internet moment for me, like... "Is this song real? Are they really saying these words?" God bless DEVO.

Elvis Costello & The Attractions No Action

Elvis Costello's solo debut established new wave as we know it. He had the look, the voice, the wit, the checkerboard art. When he added The Attractions, he kicked off the new album with "I don't wanna kiss you, I don't wanna touch," followed by that electric keyboard sound... The "Godfather of New Wave" debate was over before it even began.

Tom Verlaine Kingdom Come

One problem with new wave is I'm not totally sure what classifies under that genre's umbrella. I only discovered this song recently, as I knew the David Bowie cover and knew this was the dude from Television. Albeit dark and self-reflective, this is my blog and I'm calling this song new wave.

The Cars Just What I Needed

It took me over 30 years to realize The Cars had 2 different lead singers who sound exactly alike. Ric Ocasek wrote all their songs, although the blond-haired Benjamin Orr does the occasional lead vocal. Orr sang this song, as well as "Drive." Sheesh. I feel like I've been had.

The Police Darkness

This is the only song on here not from in the 70s, as I'm much more enamored with The Police albums from the 80s. These synthesizer effects sound so freaking good. And "life was easy when it was boring" is a straight BAR.