Tracks of the 2006

Okay, no messing around with this one. These are, in no particular order, the tracks that have rocked my iPod the hardest

The Gossip - Listen Up!

This year has been the year of disco punk funk and one of the real break through bands has been The Gossip. Like all punk bands, they have discovered dance music, ditched the scuzzy fuzz of their first album and instead we find a soulful vocal riding a groove ladened bass. It's like !!! without the trumpets. Needs more cowbell though



Billy Talent - Red Flag

These guys are one of the tightest live bands around at the moment, and their second album almost manages to caputre their energy. Underneath all the snotty punk lurks a creamy pop centre, and this second single from the album is the catchiest track of the year. You'll find, like me, that you'll be singing along with made up words in no time



The Rapture - Wooh Alright Yeah


Single of the year, hands down. The Rapture have always been awesome singles band, and their 2006 release finally saw them producing a brilliant album as well. Whilst the first single didn't blow me away, this is the kind of record I can listen to six times in a row and still want to hear it again. It's part Jealous Lovers, part Azido Da Bass and part instant dance floor carnage. Klaxons, Sunshine Underground and Data Rock take note, this is what a dance/guitar cross over sounds like. Now go to your rooms.

Lyrical genius or crap punk rock poetry? Who cares, I'm wearing my dancing pants



Be Your Own Pet - Adventure

They sound like Bow Wow Wow! They're fronted by a teenage girl! They're songs are all two minutes long! They smash they're get up!!!!111!! OMG! What's not to love?



Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push

Not only is this my favourite hiphop song of the year, but it also my favourite video. In the year that saw Jurassic 5 lose it majorly, Lupe appearance from the fringes of intelligent hiphop has been welcome. A cameo apperance on Kanye West's Touch The Sky, an amazing mixtape followed by an even more amazing debut album. Neptunes, Kanye and DJ Premier amongst other provide the beats with Lupe riding the beat on subjects as nerdy as Giant Robots and Nintendo. This ode to skateboarding romance is a welcome respite from bitches and ho's as well



Hot Chip - Over & Over

I thought I was bored with this record, but I played it out last night at Gigantic and it sounded awesome. It's great for exactly the same reason The Rapture single is great - it sounds like a floor full of people going crazy on a dance floor, and that's exactly what it inspires. And it's got a line about CASIO keyboards in it too. Woo! Alright! Yeah!



Rise Against - Ready To Fall

Two of the best political punk bands released albums this year - Rise Against and Strike Anywhere. SA's has passed me by a little bit, and whilst Rise Against's newest long player is not as good as Siren Songs... it has many gems nestling in it's tracks. This is a great single, full of their usual dillusioned venom, with a fist in the air sing-a-long chorus




Disco Ensemble - We Might Fall Apart

Okay, so they might not be the most original band, but at least this is a little bit of balls out rockin' emo, rather than mincing about to an jangly electro beat emo (you know who you are Panic! At The Disco, The Hush Sound, Cobra Starship et al). They sound a lot like At The Drive In! a bit like Thursday, both of which can only be a good thing. Oh, and they're Finnish, which means they have comedy accents too. Altogether now.. Juss Like De Housh Of Cards




Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back

All the end of year hipster magazine round ups have put My Love near the top in a "check us out we can appreciate pop music too" bid for credibility. But I still think this song is better. Coming across like a Faint/MSTRKRFT/DFA threesome this is brilliant pop from start to finish. I'm sure every metal band in the country is now going to do an ironic cover.




DJ Shadow - Enuff

I have, for a long time, been a big DJ Shadow fan. Entroducing is still one of those albums that blows me away everytime I listen to it. The follow up, Private Press, was a little disapointing, but grew on me. This years Outsider recieved almost universerally bad reviews, and whilst I accept that Shadow didn't want to keep producing the same album over and over, it was a step to far into the domain of crunk rap. However, the album does contain this absolutly storming single, featuring Q-Tip on vocals



Dr Octogan - Trees

The hiphop version of Rise Against's Ready To Burn
, Kool Keith and Dan The Automator tackle the issue of America systimatically destroying the world, all smeared over a P-funk bassline. This is what the Shadow album should have sounded like



Oh, and obviously this as well. Ch-ch-ch-check it out