New muzak 2006.

New albums I enjoyed in 2006. I didn't slave over this list this year. Just type it and get it up there. Don't overanalyze it. It is what it is. No particular order.

• Herbert - Scale
  Intellectual cicro-house producer makes a disco pop record. Amazing. I listened to this one a lot. On repeat: Moving like a Train.
  
  
• Boxcutter - Oneric
  DMZ and the like are nice and all, but this was a dubstep album I could listen to over and over again. Evil beats and low end bass. Love it.
  
  
• Ellen Allien/Apparat - Orchestra of Bubbles
  Two of Berlin's finest electro/minimal techno artists make a "pop" record. Loved this one. On Repeat: Jet.
  
  
• Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire
  His debut record came out 8 years ago, and he just got around to making his second. Much more Beatles-esque-- 80% gold. On repeat: Headlights.
  
  
• Jan Jelinek - Kosmischer Pitch
  Organic ambient drone over top of pulsing drumming. Great morning record. Even great live. (!)
  
  
• Eliot Lipp - Tacoma Mockingbird
  80's electro meets classic 90's hip hop beats in an instrumental arena. This was a hot slab of summer jams. Throw the boombox in the Camaro and cruise the strip.
  
  
• The Knife - Silent Shout
  This electro album takes you on a journey through the dark forests of someone's demented mind. Exhaustive but amazing. Track on repeat: We Share Our Mother's Health.
  
  
• Hot Chip - The Warning
  I hate to sound this way, but we saw these guys back when they were playing softrockjams and not the next hot indie-kid dance act at Lollapalooza, Zune commercials, and sold-out shows at the Metro full of drunk frat boys. But this album was a fun summer soundtrack.
  
  
• J Dilla - Donuts
  An ADHD hiphop mix that just made me feel good. A shame Jay Dee left this world so soon.
  
  
• Boards of Canada - Campfire Headphase
  Not as ground breaking as their previous efforts, but an enjoyable disc nontheless.
  
  
• Dabrye - Two Three (Instrumentals)
  Take out 2/3 of the spotty rappers and this would have been a great album. Otherwise the instrumental version is what I will come back to.
  
  
• Spankrock - Yoyoyoyoyo
  Bootybass hiphop that the hipsters loved. I'm glad I saw them at the Empty Bottle earlier this year when there were under 100 people there. Best live show I had seen in years! Backyard Betty is still the shit.
  
  
• Phoenix - It's Never Been Like That
  Loved the new upbeat Phoenix at first, but the album grew tired quickly for me. Still very enjoyable, and a great live show we saw this year that was subsidized by Camel cigarattes. Ha.
  
  
• Junior Boys - So This is Goodbye
  Wow. This was a slow burner-- I didn't like it half as much as "Last Exit", but something happened in the last month... I can't stop playing this record. Sensitive vocals over electro production, and a sound like a drive down the interstate in the time between early morning and late night. On repeat: In the Morning.
  
  
• Fujiya & Miyagi - Transparent Things
  These guys get the award for making Can/Neu-style Krautrock into pop songs. I only wish this album were longer.
  
  
• Uusitalto - Tulenkantaja
  Vladislav Delay breaks out another alias and makes a beautifully cold techno record. The soundtrack to a broken urban future.
  
  
• Oh and the new LCD Soundsystem, Sound of Silver (out in April?) is pure gold. But more on that later.
  
  

  12/22/2006