2006 Music Roundup

First post of 2007. But before I get deep on new ideas, I wanted to share some music highlights for 2006. Plus I'd like to try out a few new ideas for sharing music !

I've given a few of you my 2006, best of CD. But I didn't include a playlist on a lot of handouts nor did I add any clever annotations.

Top songs for 2006. Grouped and ordered by genre and tempo. Note that the track may be pre-2006, but may have only made its way to my ear'oles in 2006. A little of everything !

Links to preview tunes should work (but I've been having a lot of trouble with them all day). Warning that the site is the infamous pseudo-illegal Russian download site, but should be harmless for a quick naughty listen. Some links are for entire album.

John Mayer "Continuum"— Waiting On The World To Change

Yes, poppy, but the words that seem to sum up a lot of thoughts about the world today. I think it's Mayer's college circuit popularity that always makes me think about my Bro when I hear his voice. Great album.

The Kooks "Inside In - Inside Out"— Naive

Close choice for group and album of the year. Nice Brit lads with cheeky and cheery lyrics. Other select tracks - 1,5 and 7.

Richard Ashcroft "Keys To The World"— Music Is Power

Fab solo track from ex Verve front man. We saw him open for Coldplay in '06 and with the help of a appreciative crowd, put an incredible set together of older Verve sing along classics and newer stuff. A gruff lovely voice.

Snow Patrol "Eyes Open"— Shut Your Eyes

PJMixer's pick for groove track from the second big album. Great show from the Scottish lads at Koolhaus in '06. Potentially, on the runway to the next big anthem Brit band.

The Killers "Sam`s Town"— Read My Mind

Another great sophomore album, another off-hit pick (actually Bones is a fave, but Suz picked it for her best of). I still don't get the references to Springsteen ! Again, this show's the groovier side of the band, but still shows of Flowers' unique vocals. Other select tracks - 3 and 8.

Scissor Sisters "Ta-Dah!"— I Don`t Feel Like Dancin'

Pop dance track of the year. Lots 'o fun. I think Sir Elton is playing piano on this one. Great story Suz heard about the drummer on tour...

Bodyrockers "Bodyrockers"— I Like The Way

Dirty track of the year. I just feel a little sleazy listening to this one, but it's an irresistible bum mover. Actually first heard this a long time ago on the Victoria's Secret 2005 runway show, then it made regular airplay all year.





Prince "3121"— Fury

Hard guitar licks from the 'lil guy who happens to have a home here in TO. Great performance on SNL.





Primal Scream "Riot City Blues"— Country Girl

Great country rock track. The lyrics just got stuck in my head in '06.

Red Hot Chili Peppers "Stadium Arcadium"— Dani California

Another catchy heavy guitar track from the fun Californians. About to check out more tracks from the album ! Aren't this guys getting old yet!

Fratellis "Costello Music"— Chelsea Dagger

Absolutely fab track from album with a few other rocking tunes that get a lot of PJMixer airplay. Surprisingly didn't make Q top 100 albums.

Arctic Monkeys "Whatever People Say I Am, That`s What I`m Not"— Dancing Shoes

One of the many great tracks from the undisputed best album of 2006. One thing I heard about their music was the unusual structure of songs that contain multiple hooks. Love it !

Young Stanley "Sing It For England"— Sing It For England

It got us all in the mood for the World Cup, but not sure if the lads on the field heard it ! England could definitely beat up Italy or France on the dance floor or a Karaoke ! Inspired words from from five builders from Bromley.

Jurassic 5 "Feedback"— Work It Out (Featuring Dave Matthews Band)

Hot hip hop band meets the smooth voice of Dave Matthews (which I finally got around to listening to in '06).

Gnarls Barkley "St. Elsewhere"— Smiley Faces

2nd great track off this very eclectic record that got my attention. We all needed a break from Crazy. Add Gnarls to the Monkeys and there is now significant proof that downloads are a bigger force than CD sales.





Corinne Bailey Rae "Corinne Bailey Rae"— Put Your Records On

Simply a beautiful musician and performer. Lots of great tracks on one of the top albums of the year.





Feist "Let It Die"— One Evening

Canadian lady I initially heard about from Paris based DJJuice. Interesting multi-media web site too. Sultry and fun. Other select tracks - 2 and 10.





John Legend "Once Again"— Save Room

I think his second album is a little easier to enjoy than his first, a warm voice and earnest lyrics.





Diana Krall "From This Moment On"— Exactly Like You

My favourite lady of jazz. This album gets back to what she does best - the standards sung with great care and orginality. For those not familiar with Diana Krall she is now married to Elvis Costello and just gave birth to twin boys - musicians of the future maybe ?

Crash "Soundtrack By Mark Isham"— Bird York - In The Deep

A deeply moving track from the best movie of '05.




I chose to include the album covers for a few reasons...it perhaps tells another story about the band; it's a little throwback to the nostalgia or having a vinyl LP cover to hold in your hands as you're listening to the music; it may help you find the CD if you love the track(s) so much you want to own it !


Heavy Metal

The movie is Metal: A Headbanger's Journey

You may not have heard about it, but it has received lots of great reviews and if you've ever been a fan, I'm sure there's something in there you'll enjoy. If heavy metal has never been in your life, the movie serves as a perfect documentary on the power of music and it's impact on, or reflection of society. How did I hear about it ? Well of course, I did used to be a bit of a headbanger in my early Windsor high school years. But more interestingly, I actually played ultimate for a few years with the guys that made the movie - Sam Dunn and Scott McFadyen. Our team was called Norge which may have some connection to this movie !

Great movie, really well put together, entertaining, insightful, thought provoking. Got a bit of a headache though ! Favourite spots - heavy metal fussball; Dee Synder and Dio interviews. Those dudes in Norway were friggin scary - I've asked Sam if he was spooked interviewing them in person ? Disappointments - no disc shots ! 8/10.

For the record, my early days in Canada gave me the opportunity to see some classic heavy metal / hard rock bands in Detroit and then I reconnected with the punk stuff in university. Blue Oyster Cult, Nugent, Van Halen, AC/DC, Rainbow to Killing Joke, Forgotten Rebels and Problem Children to name a few.

A few lines from one of my all-time favourite bands (although a stretch to be categorized as heavy metal - too much love!):

It rained flowers when the music began

Love all around when the music is loud

2005, Best ofs

I wanted to get a quickie in before the end of the year, what better way than to plop down a few best-of lists. The music one is legit, the others are more off-the-top-of-head.

Music. Yes, this is the playlist on the CD.

1. All These Things That I've Done - The Killers - say no more
   
2. Talk - coldplay - great buzz gig
   
3. Hard to Beat - Hard-Fi - seeing them at Horseshoe Tavern in January, album of the year
   
4. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire - Montreal eclectic talent
   
5. Do You Want To - Franz Ferdinand - cheeky lads
   
6. Tiny Little Fractures - Snow Patrol - a little older album that just snuck in
   
7. Oh My God - Kaiser Chiefs - great performance at Live8
   
8. LSF(Lost Souls Forever) - Kasabian - Midlands lads with Manchester sounds
   
9. All Because of You - U2 - biggest band in the world ?
   
10. Better Now - Collective Soul - solid rock, Bowie or Iggy soundalike ?
    
11. Galvanize - The Chemical Brothers - what's that damn sample ?
    
12. Guilt Is A Useless Emotion - New Order - old geezers that can still put a good dance track together
    
13. Dare - Gorillaz - groovy baby
    
14. Forbidden Love - Madonna - alt track to big hit, great dance album
    
15. 24 - Jem - a diamond in the rough
    
16. Don`t Lie - Black Eyed Peas - a good dose of hip hop
    
17. Gold Digger (Feat. Jamie Foxx) - Kanye West - great hip hop, great sample, dodgy explicit lyrics
    
18. Other Side Of The World K.T. Tunstall - lovely Scottish lass who took the time to sign a CD cover for me "To Phil, love K.T." - you betcha
    
19. Folsom Prison Blues Joaquin Phoenix - I became an instant Johnny Cash fan after seeing Walk the Line a few weeks ago and Joaquin does a stellar job

Movies. Big variety, probably missed a few, but hey, I didn't see that many this year !

1. Crash
2. Walk the line
3. Cinderella man
4. Batman begins
5. Layer cake
6. Sin city
7. The station agent

TV. Simple (I don't watch much)

1. Jon Stewart
2. House
3. Dead like me
   

The instant impact of music...

Just listening to a few choice new tracks from Madonna's latest release (see Rolling Stone, Sun and Guardian reviews) - big dance record !

Instantly thought of my old friend JB as he was an early believer in Ms. Ciccone. The crew dismissed her as too poppy, but 20 years later, she's still making an impact !

Great track called "I love New York" instantly makes me think of my good friends J&A in NYC and the street vibe of the one of greatest cities in the world.

Gotta dance.

Some new music finds

I'm sure this will be a recurring theme on my blog, but I thought I'd do a simple post tonight...

New finds today:

1. Hard Fi (Hard-Fi in some listings) - Stars of CCTV album (yes the entire album, but standout is "Hard to Beat" - remembered by Suzanne, originally mentioned by cool music cuz Stu
2. Ladytron - Witching Hour, standout track is "Destroy Everything you Touch", donated by big Rob

As many of my friends know I'm big on music, especially new finds that criss cross genres and spark a new mood generator. Plus I love the challenge of making the mix for every occasion, it's probably an obsession - hence my handle - PJMixer.

A few hints on where I get my stuff and where I go to find new stuff and for reviews I can trust.

• Music purchases and samples - www.allofmp3.com (thanks Dan)
  
• Thorough and trustworthy music reviews, band history and samples - www.allmusic.com
• Charts, it's Top of the Pops of course (mainstream Brit mixed bag), incl. videos.
• North American centric charts - Billboard.
• Video samples and lots more at Yahoo Music (thanks Suzanne)
• On foot or reg price artist conscious downloads, incl. sampels - HMV.
• UK centric rag - Q (thanks Jen)
  
• My player choice - Musicmatch, great mixing choices, incl. free 1 hour per day of CD quality streaming radio with lots of stations and artist match.
• Fellow friends of new music finds, incl. 'Zan, Bro, Nikola, S&R, Brit Boyz
  

Well, I thought that was going to be fast, and an hour later I'm still here, see what I mean when I say I'm a little obsessed with music !


p.s. In case you've been on pins and needles regarding the fate of England in World Cup qualifying, you'll be happy to know we've qualified - see you in Germany. Note that I didn't actually spend time actually reviewing all the scores and doing the calculations myself...my wife, in her incredible efficient manner, came across the news in one of today's UK papers (not sure if this was just by chance, or a planned destination). This is completely off topic unless you think like me, and immediately associate all the great football inspired music, e.g. New Order's World in Motion.