Converge
No Heroes
(Epitaph)
We can trace the evolution of Converge through the personality of their records. Their 2001 release Jane Doe is like a plague-stricken zombie infecting everyone around it in a maelstrom of fury and intensity. A screaming monster with an almost unrestrained ferocity, the record was a powerful spectacle. Next came 2004's You Fail Me, a more concentrated effort that showed a polished but still intense Converge. 2006, however, brought us the latest evolution of the beast: No Heroes. If Jane Doe was a maddened zombie, No Heroes is a skillfully constructed and highly efficient killing machine. With a crushing weight and effortless brutality, No Heroes destroys its competitors and wannabes with an almost careless display of power. Where the band can go from here is almost beyond comprehending, but with releases that continue to bring aggression, melody, emotion and catharsis, it seems Converge are unlikely to disappear from lists such as this.(Matt)
When Converge released You Fail Me in 2004, it disappointed many as a follow-up to Jane Doe. Beyond the initial grievance, You Fail Me was still a Converge album. In 2006, instead of being satisfied with releasing "just another Converge album," they unleashed No Heroes on us. While tons of bands at this point are playing watered down versions of Converge at different points in their discography, Converge chose to burrow further down their own dug hole. No Heroes is their most vast record to date and that's just one reason why old fans and new fans alike are praising it.
(Zed) homepage | SPB review
Fucked Up
Hidden World
(Jade Tree)
The most confusing band in punk rock today outdid even themselves in 2006. With Hidden World Toronto's finest managed to piss off old fans, gain new ones, and pen lyrics that go over all our heads. Proving selling records isn't a priority, the band even provided links to leaked versions of their album on their website months before it was officially released. Staying with tradition they released another slew of 7â? records, many of which are available only in other continents. With serious talks of a musical in the works, who knows what they have in store for 2007. Either way, it's sure to leave us even more puzzled than before.(Scottie) homepage | SPB review
Red Sparowes
Every Red Heart Shines Towards the Sun
(Neurot)
If you enjoyed the debut full-length from Red Sparowes, then you easily fell in love with this, their sophomore release. The band increased the use of pedal steel guitar throughout their music; as a result the album is more cohesive than its predecessor. And if you're into concepts, well there is more exploration of The Sixth Extinction on this album. Grab your encyclopedia and headphones and dig in.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Mogwai
Mr. Beast
(Matador)
"How can u write a post-rock record without ten minute songs!?!?" That's a good question. And if you're Mogwai, you're going piss a lot of people off in the process. But it was about time an album like this came out. For forty-three minutes (that's right, less than an hour), Mogwai explored all the shit they'd been ignoring for the past decade. Loud songs that never really settle down, country songs with robot vocals, and - most importantly - songs that are so short you don't have time to be bored. They stopped feeling like the world's most important post-rock band, and started feeling like the world's most interesting rock band. Or possibly vice versa.(Giles) homepage | SPB review
The Loved Ones
Keep Your Heart
(Fat Wreck Chords)
Following up a stellar self-titled 2005 EP, The Loved Ones released Keep Your Heart in February of 2006. Taking everything that was great about the EP, The Loved Ones laid one hell of a framework for one of the best pop-punk/rock records I've had the pleasure of hearing in quite some time. Cheers to The Loved Ones for a great record, and an insane touring regimen!(Josh) homepage | SPB review
Jesu
Silver
(Hydra Head)
After topping last year's Scene Point Blank year-end chart with their self-titled full-length, Jesu have gone and knocked us off our feet again. Silver is a melodious wall of noise, taking as much influence from shoegaze as drone and post-metal. The title-track is nothing short of perfection and is by itself justification enough to include this half-hour EP in our top ten. Second full-length Conqueror is due out in February 2007 and if the band's back-catalog is anything to go by, you might as well put it on pre-order right now. You won't regret it.(Jenny) homepage | SPB review
None More Black
This is Satire
(Fat Wreck Chords)
I've only listened to a handful of these songs a couple of times. Based on those songs I can say None More Black will please fans of fast punk songs. But they also write ones that step outside of those boundaries. The album has its poppier moments, but it also has its more aggressive ones as well. This is a pretty well rounded punk record, definitely one of the more unique records of the year.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Ignite
Our Darkest Days
(Abacus)
Despite six years between releases, Ignite showed that they are still a relevant force in the world of hardcore. Our Darkest Days is fourteen tracks of blazing melodic hardcore complimented by Zoli Teglas' impeccable vocal abilities. If you're into pure hardcore, this is a must-own album.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Ghostface Killah
Fish Scale
(Def Jam)
Twenty-three years after Melle Mel's hit â??White Lines,â? Tony Starks releases an album supporting the hard stuff. Pleasing both backpackers and mainstream rap fans alike, Ghostface Killah proves he is not only on top in world of hip hop, but still on the top his game with his best work since he first worked with the Wu-Tang Clan. Look for his collaboration with longtime friend MF Doom sometime this spring.(Scottie) homepage | SPB review
Envy
Insomniac Doze
(Temporary Residence)
Drifting further away from their hardcore roots, Envy embraced post-rock even tighter than ever before with Insomniac Doze. As gross as the shadows cast by the dreary news was, beautiful albums like this made the year that much more bearable.(Zed) homepage | SPB review
Johnny Cash
American V: A Hundred Highways
(American)
Posthumous releases are, for the most part, akin to tying down the deceased's grandmother so she can watch you violate the corpse in front of her. Usually pieced together with the tiniest shred of continuity, if any, making for at most, a not altogether unpleasant listening experience. Flying in the face of this truism is American V: A Hundred Highways. A sublime collection of songs performed by a man who knew death was tapping him on the shoulder; a truly haunting masterpiece.(Kevin) homepage | SPB review
Crime in Stereo
The Troubled Stateside
(Nitro)
Hardcore has never sounded this important, or this urgent. There's a reason The Troubled Stateside is my pick for #1 record of the year. Simply stated, no band in 2006 could even come close to making a record as memorable The Troubled Stateside.(Josh) homepage | SPB review
Mastodon
Blood Mountain
(Warner Bros.)
Blood Mountain is another slab of brutal metal from those southern-fried nutjobs known collectively as Mastodon. At times the album is more brutal than Leviathan, at other times it is strangely more accessible. Buy it, you dick.(Kevin) homepage | SPB review
A.F.I.
Decemberunderground
(Interscope)
With Decemberunderground, you're going to fall into one of four categories. 1) You've always loved A.F.I. and you love this album, 2) You've always hated A.F.I. and you hate this album, 3) You hated A.F.I. before but you love this album, or 4) You loved before A.F.I. but you hate this album. I'm not going to persuade you one way or another; your mind is already made up.(Michael)
A.F.I.'s Decemberunderground gave fans a soft, cold place to linger in 2006. The experimentation with the barest of industrial and electronic elements, glimpses into their 80's post-punk and pop influences, and some solid, eminently accessible rock songs all skillfully came together to ensure this textured, many layered album defies categorization, and offers something new each time it's heard. These elements combined helped launch A.F.I. into the welcoming arms of a much bigger audience. The journey to Decemberunderground was a long time in the making, but it sure was nice of A.F.I. to invite us along.
(Kristin) homepage | SPB review
The Lawrence Arms
Oh! Calcutta!
(Fat Wreck Chords)
Chicago's local heroes go from strength to strength with each release, and their punk rock stylings continue to impress even their longtime fans: a feat rarely achieved these days in modern music. Oh! Calcutta! showed some variation in style and vocals but kept the classic Larry Arms elements that have won the band their diehard following. These twelve songs are best accompanied by a live band, some drunken companionship, and a heart full of passion, if a little diluted by the booze, so roughen up your vocal chords and sing along.(Matt) homepage | SPB review
Isis
In the Absence of Truth
(Ipecac)
Following the success of the back-to-back behemoths that are Oceanic and Panopticon, Isis delivered their â??most accessibleâ? album to date. And while some have suggested that the band abandoned their roots with In the Absence of Truth, they couldn't be more wrong. I'll admit the album didn't click with me at first, but after repeated listens I finally found the genius that is present in this album. From start to finish, In the Absence of Truth is a monumental listening experience. And while it doesn't rate as high in quality as their past two full-lengths, it is still an album that is not to be taken lightly, musically or conceptionally.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Tom Waits
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
(Anti)
The only compilation in recent memory that can boast a tracklisting perfect for the neophyte, the expert and the completist. A three-disc collection that states very plainly what the man is all about and what he's been up to for the last twenty years. Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards is truly essential.(Kevin) homepage | SPB review
Belle and Sebastian
The Life Pursuit
(Matador)
Until 2006, Belle and Sebastian were always that band. That dorkus-indie band that the wienerish bald guy from High Fidelity liked. But with The Life Pursuit, one of the year's most well written pop albums, Belle and Sebastian managed to conquer that and make people like me start caring about them. That's a pretty big accomplishment. Then again, maybe I have more in common with that bald guy than I like to admit.(Giles) homepage
Murder by Death
In Bocca Al Lupo
(East West/Tent Show)
With In Bocca Al Lupo, Murder by Death ventured out from the indie rock formula that brought them immense success on Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left of Them?. They implored a significant country/folk influence this time around, adding further character to the songs that piece together the album. If there was an album that inspired me to look outside my usual listening pleasures, it was In Bocca Al Lupo.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Send More Paramedics
The Awakening
(In at the Deep End)
When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walkrock the Earth. Zombiecore masters Send More Paramedics are back with one disc of brain-pulverizing thrash and another of skin-crawlingly spooky ambient, making double-album The Awakening one of the more unusual records of the year. Then again, what else would you expect from the soundtrack to the undead infestation of 2025? The album's hardcore/punk tracks sound just as good as, if not better than, any they've recorded before, while the eerie 80's synth's on the second disk show an exciting willingness to explore new territory, making The Awakening a big shambling step forward.(Jenny) homepage | SPB review
Shook Ones
Facetious Folly Feat
(Revelation)
Shook Ones' debut LP Sixteen was too much of the same thing for my liking. With Facetious Folly Feat, Shook Ones have expanded on everything that makes them great. Carrying that distinct Yemin influence I mentioned, they combine it with everything from None More Black-esque melodies, and even include a vague Jawbreaker influence on a handful of these tracks! Shook Ones have definitely come into their own here.(Josh) homepage | SPB review
Set Your Goals
Mutiny!
(Eulogy)
2006 was definitely the breakthrough year for Set Your Goals. Building off the re-release of their debut EP, the band delivered Mutiny!, an eleven song full-length teeming with power-pop riffs and highly energetic melodic hardcore. But what made Mutiny! so infectious was the snappy lyrics penned by co-vocalists Jordan Brown and Matt Wilson. I don't think I ever sang along to album as much as I did this one.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Thom Yorke
The Eraser
(XL Recordings)
What could have easily been a throwaway ego-trip, The Eraser is one of the best albums of the year and proof positive that talent is talent - no matter who you surround yourself with.(Kevin) homepage | SPB review
End of a Year
Sincerely
(Revelation)
End of the year...get it? If not, get this: End of a Year released Sincerely, a nod to the Revolution Summer sounds of 1986-era D.C. While many bands claim to be influenced by Rites of Spring, et al, none capture the memorable melody and punk feel that End of a Year has successfully done. Twenty years after Revolution Summer Sincerely goes to show that there's still a lot to do with this style of punk.(Zed) homepage | SPB review
Russian Circles
Enter
(Flameshovel)
Enter was the best album that you didn't pay attention to in 2006. Even though they completed tours alongside Minus the Bear, Isis, and The Velvet Teen, they just never seemed to get the credit they deserved. This five-track EP draws heavily from classic indie/rock bands like Fugazi and Drive Like Jehu as well as post-metal forerunners Neurosis. As a whole, it was the best new music that I heard in 2006 and I look forward to hearing more from them in 2007, as they're currently writing for their follow-up release.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Defiance, Ohio
The Great Depression
(No Idea)
Who would have guessed Bloomington, Indiana would be a breeding ground for good anarchist folk music? Along with Ghost Mice, Defiance, Ohio have come out of the city, and with their second full-length, the band has shown just how talented they are. Featuring serious songs about home development and the destruction of the environment, to cute and fun songs about the president and God, you can't really go wrong with this album. Plus, violins and cellos rule.(Cory) homepage | SPB review
Morrissey
Ringleader of the Tormentors
(Sanctuary)
You've really got to hand it to Morrissey. The man is still a force in the world of music and he's well into his forties â?? I swear the only men to rock harder at that age are Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones. Ringleader of the Tormentors proves that 2004's You are the Quarry was not a comeback, but another in a series of trophy releases from Britain's greatest vocal export since The Beatles.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Hank III
Straight to Hell
(Bruc)
The quintessential "Fuck You" to modern country, Mr. Williams the Third blesses us with the only truly great country album from a man not named Cash.(Kevin) homepage | SPB review
These Arms are Snakes
Easter
(Jade Tree)
What can be said about These Arms are Snakes sophomore full-length that I didn't say in my review? Not much at all. On Easter the band took everything that I loved about their previous work and one-upped it. If you neglected to pick up a copy of this album last year, then I suggest you put it atop your list of items to purchase. There is no greater album that was released in 2006 than Easter.(Michael) homepage | SPB review
Tragedy
Nerve Damage
(Tragedy)
I didn't even know this was coming out until Tragedy's first show on their tour. Did anyone? I don't think so. Oregon's most mysterious and Myspace-free crust band lashes out with one of the rawest records of the year. Eschewing some of the melody of Vengeance and amping up the aggression of their self-titled album, Tragedy have poised themselves as the hip, must-know crust band.(Sean L.) homepage | SPB review
