Year End Special, Vol 4: Biggest Disappointments

This is a tough one for me. I don't like to center on the negative of anything, let alone bands that I was once obsessed with. But I've recently learned an important lesson. Artists and bands have to work for my devotion (just as they should have to for everyone else, although that's not always the case). Every single release from a band needs to be considered without bias. Each time a band records, they have the opportunity to create art. I have a feeling that the most artistically creative bands will see a power boost in the near future, thanks to resources like MySpace that send their music to a wider audience without the help of a major label.

Just because a band is on this list doesn't mean I hate their new album, or even that I wouldn't recommend them to a friend. It just means that they have had better moments. I know their potential on record, and this year they didn't reach it. With that said, these were the biggest disappointments of 2006.

1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones : While their earlier work was comprised mostly of gritty, exciting art-rock, this album is nothing more than alternative pop/rock. Whether it's the boring time signatures, lack of guitar and drum explosions, or the absence of violent, sexual tension in Karen O's voice - this recording was a sonic kick to my groin. Maybe Karen O will one day join the ranks of lead-singers-gone-solo like Gwen Stefani (can you sense the bitter sarcasm?).
2. French Kicks – Two Thousand : 2003's Trial of the Century was one of my favorite records of this decade (if not of all time). Their '60s rock asthetic, subtle yet complex guitars and keys, and swooning vocals reached a pinnacle there. But this album doesn't feel as special. Maybe I shouldn't pick on them. Everyone has creative slumps, and I have a feeling they will make more memorable music in the years to come, and should reap the benefits of their newfound boost in promotion.
   
3. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife : I don't care what any critic says about this album. The group's main concern here was to create a record that would suit a major label (Capitol), regardless of whether or not the label pressured them to sound a certain way (the band says they were not pressured). They used to record every song as if it were a piece of art being handed down to the successor of some great empire. They've lost the intimacy and diversity that I used to love.
   
4. The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics : I can't bash the Lips. They are some of the greatest entertainers of our time (which I've been so fortunate as to witness twice). Maybe this is just the band's post-heroin album (well, Wayne Coyne claims to have never used drugs). But whereas 1999's Soft Bulletin was terrifying yet beautiful and 2002's Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was unique, introspective space rock, this time around sounds a bit contrived. As long as Coyne's vocal chords don't give out on him, we should expect them to hold the festival performer trophy, regardless of what they do on record.
5. Incubus – Light Grenades : I've often said that Incubus is the one mainstream band that I will always defend. But really, there were two albums that I loved: 1999's Make Yourself and 2004's A Crow Left of the Murder. Plus, their live show has gotten consistenly better, as they explore new versions of old songs and try out different instruments. This is the same kind of let down as 2001's Morning View, where they rearrange tried styles instead of developing new ones. I won't give up on them though...not yet anyways.
   
6. Pretty Girls Make Graves – Elan Vital : 2003's The New Romance was also one of my favorite albums of the decade. The intricacies unfolded only after many listens, until eventually each second on the album feels completely necessary - a true work of art. Now, three years and a small line-up change (exit guitarist J Clark, enter keyboardist/vocalist Leona Marrs) later, they sound like they're trying way to hard. I have a feeling Clark had a lot to do with their ability to build delicate indie rock songs that bubbled until they erupted in a beautiful firestorm. Don't get me wrong. Elan isn't bad, but the romance is over.
7. ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead – So Divided : What can I say about ToD? I'm happy that they're finally starting to see the success they've deserved for a while (they were recently featured on MySpace). I just can't let go of 2002's Source Tags and Codes. To me, it was a Dark Side of the Moon for a new generation - and proof that the album is still an important medium (despite the general public emphasizing the rise of the "playlist"). Their mastery of the balance between order and chaos showed itself in truest form that time around. I have a feeling they're not lost for good, but this album failed to hold my attention.