speed of dark

My brother, Indie Mom's Uncle T, is also an avid music connoisseur. He has excellent taste, but he leans more toward blues and country than I do. He has made an annual Best list for years that he distributes to friends and family. I have learned to pay attention to the artists he takes notice of. Over the years he has turned me on to Cat Power, Warren Zevon, Joseph Arthur, Lucinda Williams, the Heartless Bastards, and Alejandro Escovedo. For an entirely different take on 2006 from our usual Speed of Dark fare, here is Uncle T's list of Top 10 Albums for 2006, with his own commentary on each.

10. Various Artists: Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs, and Chanteys
Producer Hal Willner put together 2-CD’s worth of sea songs sung by contemporary artists (Nick Cave, Joe Arthur, Lou Reed, Jolie Holland), actors (John C. Reilly), and other oddities (Baby Gramps). Some of the songs are a bit risqué, some are stamped by the singer, but most of the songs are done fairly traditionally. Very cool collection. Willner previously put together similar works on the music of Kurt Weill.
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9. Joseph Arthur: Nuclear Daydream
Nice CD of modern pop and folk, mining desperate corners of the psyche. This one’s done with a bit less of the layers-of-sound production of his last two CDs.
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8. Cat Power: The Greatest
The Moon
On this one Chan Marshall is backed up by a band of crack Memphis musicians. This is nice mellow stuff that definitely casts a spell.
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7. Neko Case: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Neko’s on a roll, with the New Pornographers last year and this year’s solo CD backed by Calexico, the Sadies, Howe Gelb (Giant Sand) and Garth Hudson (the Band). This one’s full of unique torch songs lifted off by her powerful singing.
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6. Bob Dylan: Modern Times
Thunder on the Mountain
This is pretty good, but nowhere near its brilliant predecessor “Love and Theft” (appropriately released on September 11, 2001). Both CDs were produced by Dylan, and both contain up-tempo blues workouts coupled with mellow crooners. On this one, he reworks three classic blues songs with his own lyrics with pretty cool results. But the slower songs mostly prevail. But this being Dylan, the CD is still heads above most of what’s out now.
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5. Heartless Bastards: All This Time
The band manages to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump with another great CD. Here they explore new musical directions, expanding their sound with more piano and strings. The (all original) songs are a bit mellower than last year’s bombastic debut, but the band still rocks it hard in spots and Erika’s vocals continue to be amazing. This is one band to watch.
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4. Alejandro Escovedo: The Boxing Match
Notes On Air
Back in the pink, with hepatitis and alcohol behind him, Alejandro teams up with producer John Cale (ex-Velvet Underground) for another nice CD of interesting rock and soft root songs. Cale throws in a few modern musical curves to Alejandro’s rootsy style. It’s Alejandro’s best produced work to date.
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3. Golden Smog: Another Fine Day
Strangers
This collaborative alternative supergroup (made up of members from Wilco, Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Run Westy Run) reconvenes again after 8 years to save the world. They’ve moved from their previous alt-country leanings to a more Beatlesque power-pop formula. And it works well, with another fine CD.
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2. Calexico: Garden Ruin
Letter to Bowie Knife
On this one Calexico expand their sound from space-age mariachi to a broader pop-sound, with wonderful results. Great CD whose music sneaks up on you. It really captures the zeitgeist of the times.
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1. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat
Handle With Care (Traveling Wilburys cover) with M. Ward and others
Rilo Kiley’s front woman goes solo with this great country-pop gem. All of the songs work, and she’s obviously ready for a solo career.
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