It's been too long. This is way too late.

But you didn't think I would be gone for good, did you?

Not when (for the record, this always seems to happen...) I try to compile this end of the year favorite list thing and then discover so many new favorite bands and favorite albums way too late.

Not when I can feel the pulse of songs, repeated listening of the same few tracks of beauty. Overrated and over blogged, they are, probably, once upon a time. But maybe you missed them the first time around. Maybe, like me, you ignored them and have yet to realize their potential. Maybe you have heard them and maybe I'm not writing to an audience.

In any case, unceremoniously, in no particular order, a list of my favorite albums of 2006. I have a feeling you've already heard every one of them...but that won't matter, because these are the ones I keep coming back to. Non-stop listening, and appreciating. I missed out on a lot of great albums, I'm sure, but for now, this should be good enough...

Camera Obscura-Let's Get Out of This Country
Pop like sunshine, pop like carefree ice cream cones int he spring, pop like synchronized couples dancing and leaping, stop motion music videos featuring pastels...but not in an unpleasant way. And much better than just good, much better than just pleasant. Not another Belle & Sebastian rip off. Not a poor man's Belle & Sebastian but something sweet and beautiful and sad and happy all at once, something all its own.

Belle & Sebastian-The Life Pursuit
Speaking of Belle & Sebastian...well, it's unavoidable. If you don't like change you might have not liked this album. But this band. This band is something else. This band doesn't want to stick with the same, working, already well loved indie pop/twee pop structure all the time. This band wants to dance. This band wants attention. This band wants to craft pop songs so fine, with such a balance of catchiness and danciness and personality, Scottish twee band personality, shy indie rock stars personality. Nearly every song is perfected. The tunes dancing with lyrics and the band dancing with the fans. Clap. Horns. Heaven.

I'm From Barcelona-We're From Barcelona
happiness

The Pipettes-We Are the Pipettes
happiness, hand claps, polka dots, sassyness, catchiness, danciness, loveliness

The Blow-Paper Television
Electronica indie pop. Only, when you put those three words together, that's not the Blow. That's not this band that has managed to warp in the three in a perfect blend. The electronica beats and the oh-so-romantic-cute-couple-duo-only lyrics and the kareoke music video and the hooks and the tilting beats!

Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins-Rabbit Fur Coats
Remember when I didn't even like Jenny Lewis? Remember when I really really didn't like Rilo Kiley, and refused to listen to her album on that basis? Remember when I heard the album and then proceeded to pretend that it wasn't good and ignore it completely? And then, remember when I rediscovered it and fell in love with it, and after that, kept coming back to it even though I knew it wasn't cool? Yeah, me too.

The Knife-Silent Shout
Remember. Once I thought The Knife was overrated. Weird. Gothic electronica. wtf material. Not worthy of repeated listens. Half the songs not worthy of my time. Remember? And then somehow, I stumbled upon it again. Perhaps it was the recommendation of a friend, a suggestion that The Knife will be the best album of 2006. And then another listen, and then you're hooked. and then the steel cold electronica and the razor blade lyrics, the pain and the loneliness, and the Gothic electronica beats forever embedded in my mind.

The Mountain Goats-Get Lonely
Fragile and beautiful. Smooth and polished, not the rough, raw stories of the last album but gentle gentle stories of losing a heart. heartbreaking. The way the word was meant to be used. Acoustic guitars and a voice spilling beautiful lyrics. Describing this is like describing love. Or losing it. A sad, beautiful affair.

...and an album, that I'm sure, if I had heard it ahead of time, would have been on my favorites:

Casey Dienel-Wind-Up Canary
Oh, stories! Stories, quirky and offbeat and beautiful. Peaches and weird old men. Embroidery and stationary. Piano! guitars! Singing over those rolling piano notes. Spring! Summer! Quirky story books!

....and an album that'll come out next year that is already my favorite!

Of Montreal-Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
Dance. Lyrics. Bliss. So much more on it next year, I am very very sure.

Already?

Already. End of year lists. Holiday season. This pretentious cold frosting on top of the dry sun still glowing in San Diego.

December. A close to all excuses of NaNoWriMo. Words that should actually sound like words. Music that should actually look like music. Too soon for end of year sentiments but too late for wishes otherwise.

Whatever. Hipster blogging poetry.

Technically, it's only been a few days since my last post, but it feels like weeks and weeks!

anyway, as is usual with me and end of things/start of new things, I like making sure things are fancy and flowy again. So consider this one of those look forward to new and exciting things in the near future type posts!

I'm just slightly upset that StG posted about awesome local band Da Bears immediately after I saw them live on Saturday and was converted and decided that they would be perfect for blogging!

As long as you and I know, right, dear reader?

We heard of them first.

Already?

Already. End of year lists. Holiday season. This pretentious cold frosting on top of the dry sun still glowing in San Diego.

December. A close to all excuses of NaNoWriMo. Words that should actually sound like words. Music that should actually look like music. Too soon for end of year sentiments but too late for wishes otherwise.

Whatever. Hipster blogging poetry.

Technically, it's only been a few days since my last post, but it feels like weeks and weeks!

anyway, as is usual with me and end of things/start of new things, I like making sure things are fancy and flowy again. So consider this one of those look forward to new and exciting things in the near future type posts!

I'm just slightly upset that StG posted about awesome local band Da Bears immediately after I saw them live on Saturday and was converted and decided that they would be perfect for blogging!

As long as you and I know, right, dear reader?

We heard of them first.