Wilco has always been Chicago’s home team. As the musical equivalent to the Cubs, we’ve watched them grow and survive some hard times, while composing some of their finest material in between. For the Riviera shows, they augmented a horn section, went through several different guitars, traversed through vast alt-country, blues, experimental, krautrock and rock/pop genres and rhapsodized the crowd by saving their best for last.
Compiling a best of list is a daunting task as it’s difficult to even remember everything released in 2006. The Arctic Monkeys had an album this year? We’ve already forgotten about them. Longevity is the key to a good song or still liking a song after the hundredth listen. 2007 already looks bright with anticipated releases from the Shins, Bloc Party, and LCD Soundsystem in the first quarter alone. The following list encapsulates the songs that kept us rocking throughout another arduous year.
Autumn is in full-force right now as the days are quickly getting shorter and colder. But before the bustling of the holiday season arrives, take a minute to catch up on some tunes from the last couple of months. Sweden is in this fall as several bands from this country have peaked through into the States. The Shins make a return to form, and some new artists on the verge will appease. So, drink some cider and bundle up–it’s time to give your i-Pod some fuel.
With the advent of the iPod, singles have become more ubiquitous and accessible than albums. The following is an array of songs that helped make 2005 a great year in music. There are songs for every genre: the bittersweet orchestrations of Sufjan Stevens, the rock orientated British invasion, the electropop of Aussie’s Cut Copy and the pensive folk of presario Aimee Mann. All the songs on the list were picked on the criteria on being so good they required pressing repeat more than once and were entertaining enough to endure the entire year. These are the tracks to relish as the year comes to an end and the tracks to take with us into the burgeoning new year.
Rarely does a record come along so layered with rich lyrics and melodies, and despite motifs of death and life fading away, the songs never succumb to melancholy. Strange Geometry isn
What started out as British Invasion inspired cover band, the Redwalls are progressing with a fusion of soulful 60’s influences and garage rock energy. Although they peg R&B legends The Temptations as influences along with the Beatles, the Redwalls strive to mesh their own individuality within the classics.
For the most part, The Go-Betweens have recorded a satisfying record that evokes palpable feelings and emotions yet becomes a bit uneven at the end. Despite that, the album is worth it for the first three tracks alone.
