2006 was a lot of guitar, actually

It's high time to make a summary of 2006, musicwise. Usually, looking back at the new music and artists you've heard the last year makes you remember who was there, who passed you that cd or mp3, or what song was playing when you fooled around with that girl. To help me summarize, I have my :iTunes: playlist and my :Last.fm: statistics.

I might not be razor sharp in my assessment of chronology etc. I might even mistakenly include some music from 2005 (the memory is a funny thing, tends to mix things up and condense them together). And to be clear, I mean what I've been listening to. I don't really care when things were released.

iTunes most played (arbitrarily rearranged to suit my fancy)

:The Decemberists: - Picaresque
Is one of these records I'm really not that sure is from 2005 or 2006. But clearly I've been listening to it alot, and it stands out thanks to the characteristic voice of the singer, and the slightly slavic influences in the music.

:Kings of Convenience:

Not a new finding, but an ever present favourite.

:Tears for Fears:

It came as a total surprise when I saw them as a few of the most played songs. But then I remembered a few cds I got a hold of late last year, old TFF greats, which will explain it.

I had to scroll down a little and interpolate to get to the ones that feel new.

:Damien Rice: - 9

Damien released his second album this fall, and it soared into my top most played, effortlessly as a helium-filled baloon. Damiens album is quite raw, technically, with simple recordings and arrangements that allow his beautiful and emotional voice carry the sparse poetry of his lyrics into your head.

:Lilium: - Transmissions of all the good byes

This is really one of the pow! records of the year. Two guys from the group :16 horsepower: wrote some music and gathered with them a few eclectic musicians and singers to fuse a timeless masterpiece. Get it. Now.

:Psapp: - Tiger, my friend

Light, airy music, that I would liken to triphop, but lets not argue about that. It's eclectic. It's groovy as a hammock. And the sound is unique.

Of course :Regina Spektor: - Begin to hope

Regina takes her singing to a higher level. No, a higher plane of existance. It's gorgeous, all mixed up, and impossible not to love.

and finally :The White Birch: - Star is just a sun
which I ordered by recommendation (the recommendation was years ago..) of a friend. At first I didn't like i. Too whimpy voice. To slow and unimpressive. But then the music grew, like a slow sunrise, and settled at that point just before the first slice of solar disc peeks above the horizon. It is serene, calm, both ominous and hopeful, and hopelessly beautiful.

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So, then I flipped to last.fm and the truth broadens. Because in the top five, along with the artists I've been listening to for years, is an englishman that I never took notice of until my girlfriend sneakily introduced him to me this year. At first I wasn't that impressed, but when I borrowed

:David Gray: - Lost songs

It just grew and grew. And now I love him, and am not surprised at the 260 plays registered at last.fm, since I know I mosly listened to him on my portable player ther real number will be a lot larger. Good lyrics. Guitar singer/songwriting with some good studio work as well. I listened to several of his albums this year but Lost songs is the most outstanding in my memory.

:Thom Yorke: - The Eraser

Long awaited debut album. Reverberating. Breathtaking. Just right.

:Midaircondo: - Shopping for images

I had the fortune to see Midaircondo while attending the Stockholm jazz celebration in march, and was stunned. Three ridiculously beautiful girls, with a laptop each, some samplers and some instruments rocked the entire house. To me, this was something so rare as something truly new, unheard of before. It was technically impressing, musically inspired, and above all (always above all) it was beautiful. Live improvisation and musical cooperation as I had never seen it, made the show totally spellbinding. I bought the cd that night (which of course can never convey the same experience as the live one, but still is good) and also had the fortune of catching them again at the Arvika Festival last summer.

Mixed in with all of this, it was the old favourites - Tom Waits, Ani Difranco, Tori Amos, Foo Fighter, Diane Cluck, Company Flow, Deltron 3030, Tiger Lou and Radiohead - that made my musical 2006.