Wednesday, December 20, 2006

POP...LIFE!: Tauwan's Top 25 albums of 2006



15. The Ark-State of the Ark

Sometimes you just wanna have a little fun. Dance to the underground, get up on the good foot, and in the words of John Mayer, scream at the top of your lungs. Taking two steps foward by taking two steps back channeling David Bowie, Queen, Elton John, and various elements of glam rock and roll, The Ark stand tall, proud, and in your face. Poetry does harm, reassurance that someone will die young is given, and all the cool kids play a new game where they all "clamour for glamour." "Try some manners fuckface" and don't get left behind. Put your game face on, clap your hands, and shimmy shimmy cocoa puff to you can't shimmy no more.
KEY TRACKS: Rock City Wankers/Clamour for Glamour/Deliver Us From Free Will



14. The Clipse-Hell Hath No Fury

"This that Crack Music nigga/That real Black Music nigga..."

The best hip-hop albums are the ones in which the person or persons behind the mic manage to gel their odes to money, cash, hoes, whatever perfectly with the person or persons behind the boards. Nobody did that better than The Clipse and those two wunderkids, Chad and Pharrell also known as the Neptunes on Hell Hath No Fury. Track for track, Chad and Skateboard P wrap Pusha T and Malice's tales of cooking, pushing, and slanging, in top notch soundscapes. Mr. Me Too skates by on a minimalist head nobbing bounce, while Keys Open Doors positions itself in what can only be described as a dark outer space terrain. Of course none of this takes away from the lyrics. Pusha T and Malice ride the beats like it's their job, spinning tales of New Jack City like exploits til the wheels fall off. It should all be too much, but everything gels together so nicely that by the time you realize you're chanting about "dirty money" and "keys [kilos] opening doors", it's already too late; You're trapped in the game son.
KEY TRACKS: Wamp Wamp[What it do]/Ride Around Shining/Trill


  • Top Albums 20-25

  • #'s 19 and 18

  • #'s 17 and 16
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