My 2006 Favorite Albums and Lives

Anyway, here are my 2006 favorite albums. Or should I say, the albums I listened to the most of time this year.

Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

Fleeting Joys - Despondent Transponder

And here are the albums that also accompanied me this year but released earlier.

Monster Movie - Transistors
Gregor Samsa - 27:36
Wilco - Kicking Television
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot
Broken Social Scene - S/T
Broken Social Scene - Bee Hives
Slowdive - Souvlaki
Soundtrack - Lost in Translation
M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us
Explosions in the Sky - Those Who Tell the Truth Shall Die
Explosions in the Sky - Earth is not a Cold Dead Place
Sigur Ros - ()
Stars - Set Yourself On Fire
This Will Destroy You - Young Mountain
Uzi And Ari - Don't Leave In Such A Hurry
World's End Girlfriend - The Lie Lay Land
Jeniferever - Iris
Hammock - Stranded Under the Endless Sky
Radiohead - The Bends
Soundtrack - Mysterious Skin
Pacific UV - S/T
Emily Sparks - What Could not be Buried
Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
Kent - Isola
Do Make Say Think - Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn
Daturah - S/T
Loose Fur - S/T
Ulrich Schnauss - A Strangely Isolated Place
The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up - It's Winter Here
Stafrænn Hákon - Skvettir Edik Á Ref
Epic45 - Slides
Clue to Kalo - Come Here When You Sleep Walk

Thanks to the technology, my last.fm record helps me working on this list, here is the list that traces what I've played for the last 12 months. But it's not accurate for sure, cos it only logs what I've played at computer. All the CDs I've played with my stereo did not logged. Here's the snapshot.

This year I also went to some good shows, and here are the amazing live shows.

Broken Social Scene at Le Grand Mix, France
Sigur Ros at Hong Kong
Envy at Megaport Festival, Taiwan
Explosions in the Sky at Riottt Festival, USA
Asobi Seksu at Riottt Festival, USA
Advantage Lucy at Formoz Festival, Taiwan
薄荷葉 (Peppermint) at Formoz Festival, Taiwan
草莓救星 (We Save Strawberries), All their shows this year, Taiwan
Plus Minus at The Wall, Taiwan

These lists are randomized, orders do not mean anything. But yes, the first one of each list, Yo La Tengo, Monster Movie and Broken Social Scene, are my favorite ones between other competitions.

I think year 2006 is a good year for indie sound, many good records came out this year. But sadly, I think there are only a few GREAT records. Most of them are good, but not good enough to be great, at least it is to me, especially in the category Post-Rock. I was surprised that only 3 post-rock albums made to my list. Instead, many shoegazing albums showed up in this list. Maybe my taste has been changed or Post-Rick is really dead. But hey, I'm a slow listener, so maybe there're many good sounds waiting for me to discover. That's just my judgment right now.

However, I did go to some great shows. The No.1 is Broken Social Scene, definitely a must-see-before-you-die band, I'm so glad that I could die right now, ha. Sigur Ros, Envy and Explosionss in the Sky, all of them are so amazing and stunning and touching and breathe-taking. If you ever wished you could drown in the music scene, then this is it, perfect moments and perfect explanations why we need music. Though music messed up our life all the time, but there're still moments of joy and happiness, just like these.

What came first, the music or the misery? Did I listen to music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listen to music? Do all those records turn you into a melancholy person?

Excerpt from the book High Fidelity