best of 06 so far?

OK then, in the interests of generating some more input, I'm wondering what music y'all are listening to lately? In particular, what you think is some of the best music of the year so far... I'm especially interested in hearing about stuff that might have slipped past me for some reason...

My own choice for one of the largely-unheralded but finest discs in recent memory is _The Shore That Fears the Sea_ by United Bible Studies (part of the Deserted Village stable of groups out of Ireland). I think this one is really gonna go down as a masterpiece in years to come, combining as it does misty psych-folk (a la, say, the second Sweeney's Men album) with mindbending experimentations, free playing, and a deeply spiritual vibe that is both of its homeland and transcendent of all identifications... Great songs and playing too.

I think our pal Tony is about to have a review of this one published in the Terrascope online; we're planning to have an interview with the group published within the next week or so, watch for that!

So, other suggestions? Help me out here peoples...

Howdy guys,

Finding something Kevin may not have heard yet seems like a tall order, and I've not heard that many 2006 releases so far anyway.  Is the new Liars (Drum's Not Dead) a 2006 release?  That's pretty good in an early Eno/This Heat sort of way.  Though I've been returning to their first album a lot lately.  It really stands up well.

I do agree with Tony that the new Current 93 is amazing, their strongest album in many, many years.  It's maniacle, philosophical and repetitive (he must say "black ships ate the sky" 200 times before its over) in that way that only David Tibet and company can be, but the production and use of different vocalists on the hymn "Idumea" is so inspired.  Clodagh Simonds just makes my heart swell with her rendition.  It builds to a mammoth work of great sadness, beauty, confusion, acid damaged in a very real way (sample line: "I called God on the phone just yesterday, and I spoke to deathface.  He told me death arises for bloodface..."  Listen to it slightly altered after midnight driving across Ohio and it will click.

The new Om "Conference of the Birds" is fantastic too.  First track is what one friend said "what I wish the 13th Floor Elevators sounded like"...not sure about that, but it's creeping repetitive Slint meets Doors groove builds awesomly to a fuzz bomb climax.  Al's vocals sound better this time too, more buried.  Spacemen 3 doing sludge metal isn't so far off the mark. Om played Brooklyn last night with the Major Stars.  How fuckin' cool is that?

Maryrose Crook and the Renderers "Ghosts of Our Vegas Lives" is the rightful followup to "Dream of the Sea" and pretty masterful in its own right.  Brian Crook is still the great unheralded guitarist of our times, and Maryrose combines surrealism and the hardknocks of every day living into deep anthems and sad, desolate ballads.  Really amazing and twisted in that Renderers way.  Can't wait for the next disk with the Sandoz Lab Tech guys!  And still haven't heard Brian's new solo one.

Looming are the new Espers and Six Organs of the Admittance, and expectations are high.  New Mv/Ee and the Bummer Road "Mother of Thousands" appears to be their definitive jugband statement.  Recommended, though i've really only listened to the first disc so far. 

Not really a best of 06 thing, but worth hearing is Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell's "Ballad of the Broken Seas" which honors the Nancy and Lee tradition nicely.

And just grabbed The Sleeping Mustache self-titled disc on Helen Scarsdale which is a sorta supah dupah electro noise group comprised of Steve Stapleton, Matt Waldron of irr.app.ext, Jim Haynes of Coelocanth/Thuja and a cpl other folks, and while this may be off the beaten path for some of you, it appears to be just as inspired as many of their individual works can be, alternating from cryptic noise collage to full on drone and beyond.  I can hear snippets of each individual's work in there, and how can you go wrong with a song entitled "A Few Items Known as Children"?  

Also have a feeling the new Avarus will grow on me, as their debut for Secret Eye is a fairly definitive statement, and that combined with thier uberfucked gremlins-running-around-the-stage-on-mescaline gig at Terrastock has the lobes primed. 

Space rockers will want to make note of Shogun Kunitoki, who combine terry riley with circle type cyclical jams to brilliant effect on "Tasankaiku"...We're talking "In C" played like heavy throbbing prog rock (and yes the Acid Mothers already did it).  No vocals, doesn't need any.  High quality sonics from the Fonal empire.  Think you guys would dig it.  Quite Urdog-esque in spots.  

Hey Kevin, what can you tell me about Golden Ball?  I hear they good new album out now.  More when i have time...peace! 

I suppose a lot of records this year have been pretty cool or something, but not much has been genuinely confusing/inexplicable/surprising. The new Scott Walker is probably the most astonishing record I've heard in 2006, though I don't know how often I can return to it; it's so dense. The record I've listened to the most is the new Concretes album, though. Seem to be spending a lot of this year absorbing further some music that knocked me out last year (The Focus Group, Eric Zann, The Willows, Villalobos, Ariel Pink, Prurient - whose Black Vase is in-cred-ib-le), going back to old records by Position Normal and Scritti Politti, and listening to reissues/old stuff (Nara Leao, Antonio Carlos Jobim box, Len Lye, Moondog - whose CD on Honest Jons might be my favourite thing this year actually...)

(I am also holding out hope for the Mattin/Malfatti CD, which is sitting next to the stereo, waiting...)

Yes high, high expectations for the new Scott Walker.  I had to go back and actually listen to Tilt some first in preparation though.  I'd heard some of his late 60s stuff and the Walker Bros, but definitely figured this would be a missing link in fully comprehending the new one.  Thanks for the suggestions, Jon, and if you got some time, could you describe the Concretes a bit?

House Arrest, the newest (but actually a reissue of an older) Ariel Pink, is not as good as Worn Copy, but definitely has its moments and comes recommended if looking for more of the same.   

Ben Chasny was raving just the other day about the Valley of Ashes 3LP, which I just ordered from Forced Exposure:

http://www.forcedexposure.com/artists/valley.of.ashes.html

Anyone heard it?

Lee asked about Golden Ball...

A Philly group based around a husband-wife team of David and Gillian, with crucial help from Norm of Niagara Falls. I've seen their music described as "kraut-pop" and I think that probably fits -- catchy song-oriented material surrounded by loops and electronics and etc. They had a full band thing going for a while, but now seem to have stripped back to the core trio (which is really more authentically krauty anyway I guess -- fewer humans, more machines). I actually haven't heard their new disc yet, but I hear it's great -- maybe Nat has more info: Nat, you heard this one yet?

Speaking of this gang, also well worth checking out is the above-mentioned Niagara Falls, also on Philly-based Honeymoon Music. They do the stretched-out tribal improvisations way better than most, largely 'cause they actually _improvise_ when they play (i.e. listen to one another, react, respond, build and evolve; not just "everybody make a racket now"). Their excellent _Zwei_ disc was released earlier this year in lovely handmade packaging, and I hear there's even more advanced stuff coming soon. We'll likely be doing a DW release with them later this year too...

Just for clarification,  Golden Ball has two items presently available.  The full length CD The Luxury of Pause, and a nifty golden-vinyl colored 7" Signature Abstract/ Blank.  Both are very popalicious, with kraut themes running alongside more than a touch of the glam vibe.  To my knowledge, they are presently in a minor state reinvention, gearing up for more releases and touring.

Niagara Falls is improvised "early kraut" music both well conceived and neatly accomplished.  I'm a big fan of the several live shows I've been able to see, and both honeymoon releases.

Here's the handy link:  http://honeymoonmusic.com

I second the VtB, Uncle Jim, Pumice and BotOS!!  I'm eagerly awaiting the new Six Organs... ...something else in that vein is that Ilyas Ahmed CDr on Time-Lag.  Very beautiful loner folky stuff.  I want to check out his earlier stuff, but I've probably missed the boat...

BH

--- "Implosion inside of my head was intelligence, forced its way in and straight back out again" -Trumans Water

Now I've had a chance to hear them, I'd definitely be adding Tanakh's "Ardent Fevers" (Alien 8) and the new Agitated Radio Pilot 2 x 3" CD-R on Rusted Rail (http://www.rustedrail.com or order through the Deserted Village site) to my short list for the best of the year. You can read my thoughts on the ARP over the the Terrascope web site in the May reviews if you've a mind to, and I'll be reviewing the Tanakh for them as well. A pleasure having so much good stuff around this year. I probably missed all the buses, but I don't remember 05 being anywhere near as fruitful.