midway park

so it's early july, the mid-point of '06, which means it's time for a look halfway back at the year so far and halfway forward towards december list-making season. last year's midpoint list (wow i saw so many more movies last year!) didn't really look all that different from the weirdo year-end version, which probably speaks less to the value of this as a prediction exercise than to the baziness of decembruary. actually i'm probably ready to make my best of '05 list about now - well, in fact, i did, in the form of '05 finger disco (which will get its own proper rundown here shortly.)

truthfully, the records that have most dramatically defined my 2006, in true headsmack-overlooked fashion, are as follows:

ashlee simpson, i am me (2005)
rachel stevens, come and get it (2005)
robyn, robyn (2005)
mylo, destroy rock and roll (2004)

anyway, looking over this year's crop...well, i'm a little underenthused, but heck, i'll hazard a numbered list:

1. james hunter, people gonna talk
2. the strokes, first impressions of earth
3. the veronicas, secret life of the veronicas
4. neko case, fox confessor brings the flood
5. belle and sebastian, the life pursuit
6. the knife, silent shout
7. cat power, the greatest
8. v/a, soul sides, vol. 1 (kind of a cheap inclusion)
9. howe gelb, 'sno angel like you
10. herbert, scale
11. v/a, wayfaring strangers: ladies from the canyon
12. candi staton, his hands
13. jose gonzalez, stay in the shade ep
14. tom ze, estudande o pagode
15. spank rock, yoyoyoyoyoyo
16. the coup, pick a bigger weapon
17. the dfa remixes, vol. 1
18. arctic monkeys, [yeah, really stinky title]

no or few cigars
elvis costello, my flame burns blue
gnarles barkley, st. elsewhere
beth orton, comfort of strangers

hard to place/more processing required
ellis hooks, godson of soul
windy and carl, the dream house/dedications to flea
camera obscura, let's get out of this country
destroyer, 's rubies
budos band (not sure if this is '06)

i'd like to hear
amy diamond, still me still now
daedelus, daedelus denies the day's demise
elvis costello and allen toussaint, a river in reverse
four tet, dj kicks (and late night tales?)
futureheads, news and tributes
lily allen, [title?]
juana molina, son
pink, i'm not dead
the pipettes, we are the pipettes
rihanna, a girl like me
scott walker, the drift

also, for some reason, a certain trigger by maximo park (i know it was last year.)

geez, it feels like there's got to be something else... i'm so happy with music this year, but this list seems alternately bizarre and boring. i'm kind of in a transitional phase of listenership (obviously).

not really sure what to do about indie rock these days. (i'm even more indifferent about hearing islands and tapes'n'tapes and band of horses and whoever than i was to wolf parade and clap your hands. remember when i used to be excited about the arcade fire?) poppy indie is still cool - b+s obviously rule ok, although i haven't found a straight-up twee pop album i've liked as much as aberfeldy's young forever (2004) since.

maybe i'll talk about singles sometime - when i'm done furiously done downloading all the ones mentioned here and here and here...

gabe just walked in and said i've been listening to pretty lame music lately. maybe so. (right now i'm listening to some of those singles - some of which do sound pretty lame. what the heck is this bwo business?) well, i'll figure it out sometime. maybe after the ashlee/ashley/v's show next week.