The Best Songs Of 2006 So Far Calum Marsh

I get really excited about making Best Of lists. I don't know why, exactly, but I think it might have to do with celebrating the music I love. Sure, I get a kick out of mocking music as much as the next guy (the next guy presumably being Casey), but once in a while - once a year, actually - it feels good to sit down and stew over which records, movies, and books of the past little while had the biggest impact on you. Maybe that's why today, a mere six months into this long year, I'm compiling the best songs of 2006. Half-year lists being, of course, a silly excusion into the exhausted mind of a blogger with little else to write about - still, I'm sure you'll have a blast telling me what I forgot or what I should still hear. My 2005 Year-End list took a long time to put together and ended up getting revised three or four times before I just stopped caring. Considering the effort and thought I put into that silly thing, it's odd that I don't agree now with half of what I wrote then. It's only been six months, but already I've lost interest in so many of the albums that I thought would surely be everlasting. The records I liked most at the time - Bloc Party's Silent Alarm, Architecture In Helsinki's In Case We Die, Boards Of Canada's The Campfire Headphase - are still good, but I don't listen to them nearly as much as the records that placed a little lower on the same list - Antony & The Johnsons' I Am A Bird Now, The National's Alligator, M83's Before The Dawn Heals Us - and some records that didn't even make the Top Twenty - Sunn 0)))'s Black One, Art Brut's Bang Bang Rock And Roll, Black Dice's Broken Ear Record - rank in my mind as much higher than many of the discs that did make the cut. So why bother listing at all? I'm not sure, to be honest. I guess, in a sense, it's interesting to see what albums stand the test of time and which simply fade out of memory - and I'll be damned if it isn't fun to do. The Best Songs Of 2006 So Far _____________________________________________________________ 17. Who Made Who - Space For Rent From The Album: Space For Rent 12" Gomma Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 16. Thom Yorke - The Eraser From The Album: The Eraser Xl Recordings _____________________________________________________________ 15. Think About Life - Serious Chords From The Album: Think About Life Alien 8 Recordings _____________________________________________________________ 14. Sunset Rubdown - The Men Are Called Horsemen There From The Album: Shut Up I Am Dreaming Absolutely Kosher Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 13. Shit Robot - Wrong Galaxy From The Album: Wrong Galaxy/Triumph 12" DFA Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 12. Mates Of State - Think Long From The Album: Bring It Back Barsuk Records _____________________________________________________________ 11. Man Man - Engwish Bwudd From The Album: Six Demon Bag Ace Fu Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 10. Liars - It Fit When I Was A Kid From The Album: Drum's Not Dead Mute Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 09. The Knife - One Hit From The Album: Silent Shout Rabid Records _____________________________________________________________ 08. Islands - Rough Gem From The Album: Return To The Sea Equator Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 07. Hot Chip - Over And Over From The Album: The Warning DFA Records _____________________________________________________________ 06. Goldfrapp - Ooh La La From The Album: Supernature Mute Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 05. Final Fantasy - This Lamb Sells Condos From The Album: He Poos Clouds Tomlab Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 04. Danielson - Did I Step On Your Trumpet? From The Album: Ships Secretly Canadian Download _____________________________________________________________ 03. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - New Year's Kiss From The Album: Etiquette Tomlab Records Download ______________________________________________________________ 02. Beirut - Postcards From Italy From The Album: Gulag Orkestar Ba Da Bing Records Download _____________________________________________________________ 01. Beck - Broken Drum (Boards Of Canada Remix) From The Album: Guerolito Interscope Records Download _____________________________________________________________ Buy: Beck - Guerolito Think About Life - Think About Life Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Etiquette Man Man - Six Demon Bag