2006 Playlist

Well, it's been a year of digging deep to find great music for me. Some years the best tracks seem to jump off the record and into my top songs with all the enthusiasm of a mutt jumping a neighbors fence after the scent of their bitch on heat. Please excuse the caninity of that analogy.

This year however it’s been a year of quiet achievers, in my mind. I love the Joanna Newsom album, Jamie Lidell provided one of the best gigs of the year at Mad Racket with his funkatrunk impro, and Plump DJ’s at Fabric in London redefined the concept of club music with a blisteringly danceable set I couldn’t keep still during. Gigs have been a little rare on the ground, did I see the Residents this year? Anyway that was an amazing gig and it was kind of fitting that I almost got mugged after it, the minidisc recording of the gig in my pocket the main reason for me to try to get away from the hoodlums...

Grant McLennan passed away and Australia lost the Go-Betweens again, just after I bought Liberty Belle & The Black Diamond Express for the fourth time (expanded 2 disc version, worth every purchase.) James Brown passed away on Christmas day, just before he was due to play NYE in New York. RIP. Dave Chappelle’s Block Party provided one of the best music movies I’ve ever seen. I've been subscribed to The Wire magazine all year, and have been stoked to see Jon Dale from Adelaide review some excellent Australian events, and some records, eruditely, too. There was also a great feature he did on Melbourne experimental music in the time of Essendon Airport. Fantastic to see the man I once saw playing electric guitar with an egg beater on the world experimental music writing stage.

I still can’t really pick a favourite album for the year. However I have come up with a list of great tracks I was hugely into this year, and so without ado here are some faves you can find and compile into a mixtape with my name on it, if you like. Or I’ll send you one!

The Killing Moon – Nouvelle Vague
Give It Up – LCD Soundsystem
Boy From School – Hot Chip
The Night Sun Over San Juan – Lilys
IPT2 – Battles
Double Shadow – Junior Boys
Roses & Teeth for Ludwig Wittgenstein – Matmos
That’s Pep! – Tortoise and Bonnie Prince Billy
When You & I Were Young – The Clientele
Cosmia – Joanna Newsom
Summerstorm – Ensemble
Really Don’t Mind – Luomo
What’s The Use (Mocky Remix) – Jamie Lidell
Ceu Distante (DJ Spinna Remix) – Bebel Gilberto
Lithiummelodie 1 – Jan Jelinek

There are 2 affectionate covers, and 2 remixes on there. One song as homage to a philosopher recorded with actual roses, cows and teeth sound sources. Some gentle, almost ambient electronic psychedelia, influences from Bjork, My Bloody Valentine and early R.E.M. among others.

If you like this, I've come up with a list of tracks which I discovered during the year which were not from 2006, usually well before it. I might post that later.

I promise I'll get back to the wedding soon.

Happy new year, may your year be one of freedom and potential-reaching.