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 singles of 2006
This week, that was the year that was. The ubiquitous anthems.It’s been a vintage year for songs that just would not quit – omnipresent anthems that found their way into pubs, clubs, clothes shops and 3am taxis alike, and then stayed there. Of these, it’s been Hot Chip’s coolly slinky Over And Over (EMI) that’s had the greatest staying power, refusing to become tiresome despite its wilfully repetitive nature and all-conquering ubiquity.  listen hot chip - over and overSee also: The Gossip – Standing In The Way Of Control (Back Yard) Justice Vs Simian – We Are Your Friends (Virgin) Peter, Bjorn And John – Young Folks (V2) Hip-hop is dead. 2006 wasn’t exactly a classic year for hip-hop singles, with a noticeable lack of innovation giving rise to the feeling that rap was treading water somewhat, desperate for something super-fresh to come along and shake things up. One notable exception was Rick Rubin (Big Dada) by Baltimore b-boys Spank Rock. A ribald explosion of drunken robot funk and wacked-out wordplay, it sounded like a party on the verge of becoming a riot. listen spank rock - rick rubinSee also: Ghostface Killah feat. Ne-Yo – Back Like That (Def Jam) Braintax – Run The Yards (Low Life) Milanese Vs Virus Syndicate – Dead Man Walking (Planet Mu) Ones to watch in '07. Eager new-music seekers were near buried under an avalanche of top-flight debut singles and promising box-fresh acts in 2006. As every week seemed to bring another batch of hot, newly-minted bands, it’s nigh on impossible to single out one group as destined for greatness in 2007, but if you want to twist our arms then we’ll go with The Maccabees, whose tightly-wound First Love (Fiction) left us giddy with anticipation for an album. listen to the maccabees - first loveSee also: Jamie T – If You Got The Money (Virgin) Vincent Vincent And The Villains – Johnny Two Bands (EMI) Good Shoes – Photos On My Wall (Brille) Dananananaykroyd – Some Dresses (Jealous) Bass in the place. It was the muso buzzword of the year, and the first truly original sound to have emerged from the dancefloor since jungle. Dubstep’s slow grind and bleak minimalism wasn’t for everybody, but for those seduced by its shadowy charms, it didn’t get much better – or scarier – than Kode 9 + The Spaceape’s chest-caving Backwards (Hyperdub). listen to kode 9 and spaceape - backwardsSee also: Burial – Distant Lights (Hyperdub) Skream – Dutch Flowerz (Tempa) Digital Mystikz – Anti-War Dub (DMZ) Son of electroclash. If the first wave of electroclash artists lost their way by favouring style over substance, the second wave of electroclashers (not that they’d ever call themselves that) remembered to invite melody, hooks and good olde-fashioned songwriting into their flickering neon worlds. The best of this new school of style-mag pop kids were New Young Pony Club, whose lust-laced Ice Cream (Island) went from being the talk of mp3 blogs to soundtracking high-gloss Intel ads. listen to new young pony club -ice creamCansei De Ser Sexy – Let’s Make Love And Listen To Death From Above (Sub Pop) The Knife – Silent Shout (Brille) Metric – Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix) (Drowned In Sound)
Joe Madden
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see also
 best albums 2006 singles of the year 2005 singleslast week  hot chipthe warning  spank rockinterview  the maccabeessingle  kode 9 memories of the futurebooks  books and comics archive Author interviews and reviews from 2002 to 2008. |
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