part 1 (the books), and the explanation of the series, is here.

the best song of 2006
tie: crazy, by gnarls barkley, and hypnotize, by system of a down. the gnarls barkley song consistently caused me to sing along at complete full volume, and would get stuck in my head for days. i think i sang the chorus non-stop for four or five weeks. the system of a down song always, without exception, made me crank the volume. i finally downloaded the single, then the whole album. i liked the song anywhere, but it really seemed to fit well cranked while driving. oh, shoot: i think i’m gonna have to make this a three-way tie. i have to add a muse song; so let’s go with knights of cydonia.

the best album i downloaded in 2006
i think i’ll have to go with muse: black holes and revelations. no other word than: brilliant.

best album i downloaded in 2006 that you may have missed
tie: corinne bailey rae’s debut self-titled album. dang, that voice! it’s like pure maple syrup, not the imitation stuff. and, the bad plus: suspicious activity? the bad plus continues to be my favorite jazz band of the moment. so cool, so smart, so… ooh, how ’bout ‘intoxicating’?

best song of 2006 that you may have missed
take care of all my children, by tom waits, from orphans: brawlers, bawlers and bastards. gospely, gravely, and great.

best musical surprise in 2006
family force 5. i heard them at one of our events last year, and was, i think, more disoriented and amused than impressed. this year, hearing them multiple times, i regained hope for christian music. the cd is good, but the live show is outstanding. and i was way-pleased to find what great guys they are.

most fun i had with a band in 2006
the odd and wonderful extreme pleasure of joining the david crowder band on tour for four days, past spring. posts here, here, here, and here.

any input, agreement or pushback?

to come:
part 3: the movies and tv
part 4: the family moments
part 5: the blogs