Throwing back to the week of August 15, 1976, we find Elton John and Kiki Dee atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,’ the song that claimed Billboard’s official Song of the Summer crown that year.
At #2 that week was ‘You Should Be Dancing’ by the Bee Gees, on its way to a single week atop the Hot 100. This song — and Children of the World, the album on which it appeared — marked the band’s shift to disco, a controversial but wildly successful move.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…
#1 – The Life Pursuit – Belle and Sebastian
My favorite 2006 album is one of my favorite releases by one of my favorite artists, and therefore a shoo-in for this spot.
After four gentle indie pop releases between the mid-90s and 2000, Scottish septet Belle and Sebastian entered the 2000s with the goal of expanding their sound. Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003) was their first foray into a more upbeat electronic territory, and The Life Pursuit continued that evolution.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…
#2 – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood – Neko Case
The fourth album by alt-country singer-songwriter Neko Case is a gothic treasure, as rich and tactile as maple syrup from her home in rural Vermont.
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood spins everyday life into romantic fairy tales, with Case’s pure, aching vocals bringing conviction to every note.
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…
#3 – Modern Times – Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s 32nd studio album, released 44 years after his debut, was the most critically-acclaimed album of 2006. And it capped off an unofficial trilogy (following Time Out of Mind and “Love and Theft”) as celebrated as his great work in the 60s and 70s.
That’s pretty extraordinary, even taking into account that plenty of music critics are in the bag for Dylan no matter what he does. How many artists put out some of their best work past retirement age?
Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 2006…
#4 – Subtitulo – Josh Rouse
Singer-songwriter Josh Rouse is unique among the artists I admire in that he scores at the highest levels in terms of both my appreciation and his accessibility.
There are few performers I enjoy as much and none I’ve been able to see live in as intimate settings as Rouse. I’ve attended three of his shows now, and in each case was close enough to touch him in a venue the size of a large living room.
Meet Me In Montauk 