With 2016 drawing to a close, I feel it’s only fitting to turn clock back a decade, to 2006, and take a look at some of the greatest albums to ever grace the scene. Out of all the albums released back then, I’ve (somehow) managed to narrow down the list to just ten. Without further ado, here are my Top 10 (in no particular order) albums of 2006:
1. Album: "Define The Great Line"
Artist: Underoath
Record Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Favorite Track: Writing On The Walls
It would be impossible to talk about albums turning 10 without mentioning this one. “Define The Great Line” is one of the finest metalcore songs to be released. It's full of passion, aggression, and honesty. This album set the tone for bands to come, and was so good that it brought Underoath back together for a reunion tour.
2. Album: "We Don’t Need To Whisper"
Artist: Angels & Airwaves
Record Label: Geffen Records
Favorite Track: "The Adventure"
As much as I want to dislike Angels & Airwaves (mainly for splitting Tom Delonge from Blink-182) “We Don’t Need To Whisper” is a good debut album. While it didn’t bring the band much success (which partially was hurt by the hype surrounding the album), it laid the groundwork for their future. Overall the album is solid musically and the lyrics tackle a wide variety of topics without being overly heavy.
3. Album: "Coming Home"
Artist: New Found Glory
Record Label: Geffen Records
Favorite Track: "It's Not Your Fault"
New Found Glorys fifth album is often considered one of their weakest releases, and while that may be true, I personally enjoy this album a lot. I find “Coming Home” to be one of the most lyrically well written albums put out by NFG. Its also nice to see that this band can put out more than just their regular brand of pop punk songs (unfortunately, the real gems don’t show up until the end of the album)
4. Album: "Dusk and Summer"
Artist: Dashboard Confessional
Record Label: Vagrant Records
Favorite Track: "Dusk and Summer"
This is album is on my list for the fact that it did two things: 1) Made Dashboard Confessional feel like an actual band. 2) It showed that Chris Carrabba is capable of writing more than sad songs. Overall the album is alright, it shows the evolution of Carrabba and Dashboard, however, it does miss out on the raw power and emotion that made Dashboard Confessional (or rather Chris Carrabba) is known for.
5. Album: "If Only You Were Lonely"
Artist: Hawthorne Heights
Record Label: Victory Records
Favorite Track: "Saying Sorry"
Hawthorne Heights second album was a big step up from their 2004 debut “The Silence In Black and White”. They found what to do with vocals (Clean and unclean) and created an overall cohesive album. I enjoy this album because of its infectious choruses, but mostly because this album is supposed to tell a story (albeit with Woodruffs limited vocabulary). For a second album though, its pretty good and it shot Hawthorne Heights to new heights.
6. Album: "Boys Like Girls"
Artist: Boys Like Girls
Record Label: Columbia Records/Red Ink
Favorite Track: "Thunder"
Boys Like Girls self-titled album shot them through the gates and put them on the map. The album has multiple standouts from “The Great Escape” to “Thunder” to “Hero/Heroine” etc. While “Boys Like Girls” is pretty much a standard pop-punk album, it’s a good debut album. It set them up as a band capable of writing catchy choruses and, more importantly, as a band with the potential to be great.
7. Album: "Count Your Blessings"
Artist: Bring Me The Horizon
Record Label: Visible Noise (UK)/Earache Records (US)
Favorite Track: "Pray For Plagues"
Bring Me The Horizons debut album is probably one of my favorite metalcore albums of the 21st century. Its clear from the album that the band is very talented (musically more so than lyrically). Its an album with a multitude of heavy breakdowns, heavy riffs, and plenty of technical guitar work. All in all this album was a strong debut, however I wish it was a little bit longer.
8. Album: "Lights and Sounds"
Artist: Yellowcard
Record Label: Capitol Records
Favorite Track: "Holly Wood Died"
For those of you that don’t know, Yellowcard is one of my favorite bands which is partially why this album has made my list. That being said, the main reason I put “Lights and Sounds” on this list is because it's simply brilliant. Of course it is semi-standard pop punk however it stands out because it has everything: strong hooks, big choruses, quotable lyrics etc. The biggest add is the pure energy and emotion that vocalist, Ryan Key, brings to the album. It's one of the most cohesive and lyrically diverse albums to be put out by this band. Out of every album on this list, Lights and Sounds is one you should definitely listen to.
9. Album: "The Black Parade"
Artist: My Chemical Romance
Record Label: Reprise Records
Favorite Track: "Famous Last Words"
Absolutely incredible. Those are the only two words I can think of to describe this album (though I will admit I am a bit biased). However I doubt you can play the beginning of the song “Welcome to the Black Parade” without everyone in the room joining Gerard Way sing about how “when [he] was a young boy, [his] father took [him] into the city to see a marching band”. This album is supercharged. The emotions felt throughout the album makes it one of the best releases of 2006.
10. Album: "The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me"
Artist: Brand New
Record Label: Interscope Records
Favorite Track: "Limousine"
I had to save the best album for last. I don’t think that any band has or will ever be able to reach the same stature and have the same magnitude of “The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me”. This album is, quite frankly, too good for words to explain, and tells a unique story to each and every listener. Musically and lyrically this album is untouched. It’s dark, it's depressing, it makes you understand that “there is no happiness”; the album is about (or at least to me) hitting rock bottom and doing anything to try and rescue yourself from staying there. This album is brilliant, and if for whatever reason you have not heard it, sit down and give it a listen.
