01.19.2007

THE PULSE.PH TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2006

FROM SEXY, DANCEPUNKISH SELF-REINVENTIONS TO SEXY, DISTINCTIVELY PINOY R&B... YOU CAN TELL THAT WE LIKE US SOME SEXY. HERE ARE THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2006.

by Joelle Jacinto, Luis Katigbak

This list took a little longer than we expected: that’s because we listened and re-listened to all of these releases and subjected them to rigorous scientific experiments involving Chladni patterns, a particle accelerator, and several well-trained (and now unfortunately permanently deafened) white mice, until we were sure that they really were, without a doubt, the Top 10 Albums of 2006.

Okay, that’s not exactly true. The fact is, Luis is a somewhat slow and very easily distracted writer. Still, we stand by this roster of excellence. Once again, it must be pointed out that it wasn’t physically possible for us to listen to everything that was released, so these are our choices from the many, many albums we did get to experience. We decided not to include any albums that weren’t actually made available in record stores here, hence the absence of any number of undoubtedly brilliant foreign acts (to local distributors: hint hint!).

And now, without further yakkity yak: here are our choices for the Top 10 Albums of 2006:

10. The Greatest—Cat Power

With a team of veteran Memphis musicians backing her up, and a range of influences from Motown to country music, Chan Marshall has crafted a soulful, bluesy set of songs that evoke the American South. It's appropriately named, too, as many listeners say this is the best thing the talented, smoky-voiced Marshall has ever done. The title track and the excellent "Lived in Bars" will catch your ear first, but everything here is worth listening to. LK

9. Hilera—Hilera

A very strong debut release, and I’m not even giving them extra credit for being so young, or so open to experimentation and evolution, or so unwilling to box themselves into only one category just because this first album was inspired by The Clash. Far from being punk wannabes, their sound is mature and well rounded and the album absolutely rocks, making you stamp your feet and raise your fist. We do give them points, though, for amassing a young fan base and the respect of punk senyors, even after winning a Battle of the Bands contest. JJ

8. Broken Boy Soldiers—The Raconteurs

What do you call a band made up of four world-famous artists with distinct yet complementary musical inclinations? Well, The Beatles. But The Raconteurs are no slouches either, though only one of them could be called famous (another is semi-famous, and the rhythm section I’ve never heard of before, but apparently they were in another band too). Jack White’s garage blues and Brendan Benson’s sweet indie-rock collide and make occasionally rowdy, slightly psychedelic babies together. From the Led Zep-isms of “Broken Boy Soldier” to the stripped-down, smokin’ vibe of “Steady As She Goes,” this was one collaboration that was well worth our while. LK

7. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not—Arctic Monkeys

When I first heard the Arctic Monkeys, in 2005—through a download of “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor”—I thought: fantastic single, but they have the stink of one-hit wondrousness on them. Hard as it may be to believe, I am fallible, and I was glad to be proved wrong. This album delivered track after substantial track of street-smart, rough-and-tumble Brit-rock, and rode a wave of well-deserved ‘Net-fuelled hype to become one of the biggest releases of the year. Highlights include “A Certain Romance,” which is supposedly about “chavs,” (the British equivalent of jologs), and funky call to arms “Fake Tales of San Francisco.” LK

6. Queso—Queso

Arguably the strongest release by a heavy band this year—you could say that Queso rose out of the ashes of kupaw to burn brighter than they ever have. Shades of reggae still abound in the hard-hitting rock that eases from trippy, in songs like “Furlan” to uplifting, in songs like “Tiamat” to downright dangerous, in songs like “Insekta.” Queso may have changed their name, but not their integrity nor their beliefs in what music is all about, and they rock even harder than before. No, we didn’t think that was possible, either. JJ

5. Extra Rice—Chillitees

An album so good, it was released twice this year and people went nuts over it both times. Chillitees’ Extra Rice gave people a taste of real R&B without having—or needing—to go the showband route, proving that Pinoys can be soulful on their own terms without having to cover radio staples. It’s the kind of album you play on your way to the beach or chilling late at night or even while starting out your day. You could say we’ve been doing that all year. JJ

4. Black Holes and Revelations—Muse

Muse’s latest album is more a major musical phenomenon than a CD. Critics think of Black Holes and Revelations as the band’s most experimental, most theatrical, most grandiose offering, with songs like “Invincible” going off into the galaxy midway and leaving you covered in spacedust long after the song ends. “Knights of Cydonia” even has galloping horses. Some absolutely love that, others think it’s a pretentious piece of crap. What do we think? Well, why else would it be on this list? JJ

3. Fragmented—Up dharma Down

Even Up dharma Down’s consistently high-quality live performances didn’t prepare us for how good their debut album turned out to be. Rock drama, electronic textures, compelling rhythms, jazzy influences and soulful playing and singing—not to mention smart, heartfelt lyrics—combined to make what is widely acknowledged as one of the very best albums of the year. Fragmented is immensely rewarding whether you’re listening to it on headphones while cut off from the rest of the world, or while cruising around in a secondhand car with the windows rolled down (take my word for it; I’ve tried both). LK

2. Discotillion—Narda

We haven’t stopped listening to this album yet. Unbelievably fetching, compelling, and sexy… and no, we’re not just talking about lead singer Katwo Librando. Narda reinvented themselves (Ding, ang bato!) and brought empowerment and dance punk to a whole new level in the local music scene. The energy on the songs just keeps climbing, raising boy fans’ temperatures and inspiring girl fans to take a stand—while looking as fetching, compelling and sexy themselves.JJ

1. Tala-Arawan—Sugarfree

New drummer, new album, same excellent songwriting. Well, not exactly the same; on this, Sugarfree’s third full-length release, lead singer/songwriter Ebe Dancel has dug even deeper into himself, and crafted what may very well be the band’s best set of songs yet. From the perfect pop of “Nangangawit” to the heartbreaking sentiments of “Wari Ko’y” to the sweet realizations of “Ikaw Pala,” this is one album—launched at the tail end of 2006—that we’ll be listening to through the rest of 2007 as well. LK

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