The Silver Spring Penguin

The Silver Spring Penguin presents its list of the two best albums of 2006. Looking for more depth? The Washington Post hits you with its top ten. Plus, booty shakin’ at Gallery, and the New York Times salutes Soul Brother Number One.

Lots of songs and albums this year deserved a download, but only two were worth the trip to Best Buy. In no particular order, here are the Silver Spring Penguin’s two best albums of 2006:

“Show Your Bones” by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Lead singer Karen O, guitarist Nick Zinner and drummer Brian Chase reassure the world that Lower East Side punk is alive and well. Its simplicity is brilliant.            

“FutureSex/LoveSounds” by Justin Timberlake. Producer Timbaland ingeniously layers Timberlake’s bubble gum pop with alien beats from outer space. The result: one sick friggin’ sound.

The Washington Post also has its favorites, including Arctic Monkeys, Clipse and The Dixie Chicks. Of particular note is the Post’s number eight pick, The Coup. Their funk rhythms and hard rhymes warrant a trip to Best Buy. Their album titles–”Steal This Album” and “Steal This Double Album”–suggest that you acquire their discs by other means.

At the City Paper, editors dig up a few gems best left undiscovered. Their review of Hickoids‘ “Corn Demon” reads, “You’re stuck at a party you don’t want to be at. You have a headache instead of a buzz. You don’t know how to get home. This is the band that’s playing.” Subtle.

A far better party is going down at Gallery (1115 East-West Hwy) on New Year’s Eve. Exactly when the grooving starts isn’t clear. When it ends is a bigger mystery. Just show up and dance your ass off.

In memorium, the New York Times celebrates James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, in music and photos. Brown, 73, died on Monday in Atlanta.

Photo courtesy of the New York Times.

“Ten jewel case treasures of 2006″ (Washington Post)
“Opening the drawer of death” (Washington City Paper)
“James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul,’ dies at 73″ (CNN)