Thnairg's Hit Parade 2006

Every December, as a gift for all my friends at Christmastime, I compile my annual "Hit Parade", a CD full of "my favorite new artists, cool songs, and hidden treasures from the year in music" (as the subtitle describes it). I've only been doing it for a few years now, but it's quickly become one of my absolute favorite things to do. I begin making a mental list around March or April, and usually transfer the list of candidates to paper or computer within a few weeks, so as not to let any slip my mind. And last year I got really scientific about it: I burned a "rough cut" of the disc in November, listened to it a few times, and re-sequenced or changed tracks as I saw fit, before burning the final version.

As if you couldn't guess by now, I take my annual "Hit Parade" very seriously. And, for lack of anything premeditated to write about today, I thought I'd share last year's track list with you here. For those of you who already get my "Hit Parade" CDs every year, maybe you'll learn something you might not have known about the songs or artists. Enjoy!

1) "A Modern Man" by George Carlin (from the album "Life Is Worth Losing") -- Spoken-word pieces are a rarity on my mix CDs, but this poem is amazing proof of Carlin's mastery of the English language ... and perfect for a mix CD, with its total lack of profanity.

2) "Caught In The Rain" by October Fall (from the album "A Season In Hell") -- Great piano-pounding rock in the spirit of All-American Rejects or Fall Out Boy ... but I like these guys better!

3) "I Should Get Up" by Teddy Thompson (from the album "Separate Ways") -- I admit that I bought this album mostly 'cause of its Rufus Wainwright connection, but this quiet, folky ode to apathy caught my ear as soon as I heard it, and I soon found myself warming to the whole album.

4) "Delicious" by Ben Adams (b-side from the single "Sorry") -- This former member of UK boyband A1 has been having trouble getting an album contract, but I have no idea why ... this song is the most fun anyone can have in three minutes ... a pure, unadulterated guilty pleasure!

5) "Human" by Big City Rock (from the album "Big City Rock") -- I had a free CD coming to me from the BMG club, so I took a chance on these guys ... and I'm glad I did! And as for their sound ... let's just say that their name fits them perfectly.

6) "Penny On The Train Track" by Ben Kweller (from the album "Ben Kweller") -- Ben Kweller's latest, self-titled album is his best yet ... one charming pop tune after another, as this song demonstrates!

7) "Strange" by The Feeling (from the album "Twelve Stops And Home") -- I recently reviewed The Feeling, so I won't expound on them here ... suffice to say this song puts a bit of a lump in my throat whenever I hear it.

8) "Look Where We Are Now" by Teddy Geiger (from the album "Underage Thinking") -- This up-and-coming teenage musician seriously impressed me with his debut CD, and I can only hope he's given the chance to explore his potential through a few more albums.

9) "Heaven Is Full" by Under The Influence Of Giants (from the album "Under The Influence Of Giants") -- I found this '80s-inspired dance-rock band on iTunes and couldn't wait for their album to come out ... excellent!

10) "Heavy" by Holly Brook (from the album "Like Blood Like Honey") -- A good friend of mine heard this young lady opening for Ryan Cabrera (shortly before he hit it big) in a coffeehouse, and sent me a personally-autographed EP of hers. Later, when I saw her full-length CD on the shelves, I didn't hesitate to pick it up.

11) "Blowout" by Bent Fabric (from the album "Jukebox") -- Bent Fabricius-Bjerre is an 80-something-year-old Danish pianist, but ignore any assumptions you might have made from that sentence ... this album could kick-start any college frat party like nobody's business!

12) "C'Mon" by Guster (from the album "Ganging Up On The Sun") -- This melodic rock group has been making comfy-as-an-old-pair-of-sneakers music for years, and they're still as good as they ever were.

13) "Strange Lover" by Same Same (from the album "The Meaning Of Happy") -- Bob and Clint, the twins from the Canadian pop-rock brother group The Moffatts, strike out on their own with a fun set of tunes infused with a Southeast-Asian pop sensibility ... kitschy, but catchy!

14) "Take Me As I Am" by Simon Webbe (from the album "Sanctuary") -- The last song to be added to this mix, I was pleasantly surprised by the sophisticated R&B stylings of this former member of UK boyband Blue.

15) "I Come Alive" by Rooster (from the album "Circles And Satellites") -- I was saddened to hear of their breakup in January ... this young UK band had a knack for '70s-style guitar rock!

16) "Change Your Mind" by Westlife (from the album "Face To Face") -- The perennial UK boyband delivers a fantastic Motown-style ditty ... so great that I had to read the liner notes to find out that it was an all-new composition!

17) "Perfectionist" by Landon Pigg (from the album "LP") -- I'm glad I ignored my first impression of Landon Pigg and decided to pick up his album ... not only did his music grow on me, but the guy has a way with clever lyrics.

18) "Ain't Such a Bad Place To Be" by Will Young (from the album "Keep On") -- The original UK "Pop Idol" is still at the top of his game three albums in ... a charming voice and a spunky style!

19) "Crystal Ball" by Keane (from the album "Under The Iron Sea") -- I couldn't get myself to like Coldplay, but I really like Keane ... go figure. I especially like this introspective (yet somehow still upbeat) song.

20) "Take It Back" by Barenaked Ladies (from the album "Barenaked Ladies Are Me") -- The Ladies have always been one of my favorite bands, so I couldn't ignore them when compiling my "Hit Parade". They're still going strong after all these years!