Undercover Staff reveal their top albums, gigs, stories and interviews of the year, as well as the Artist of the Year...
ARTIST OF THE YEAR:GNARLS BARKLEY
Around March, curious music fans across the globe were asking the question, 'who is this Gnarls Barkley?'. It didn't take long for the secret to come out. An almost impromptu collaboration between uber-producer Danger Mouse and Atlanta soul luminary Cee-Lo Green, Gnarls Barkley, virtually unwittingly, reinterpreted the musical rule book for 2006.
As a beautiful example of art for art's sake (from a man who mashed up Jay-Z and The Beatles), the Gnarls Barkley project topped charts worldwide with the schizophrenic soul of 'Crazy', making history as the first song in the UK to hit number one on downloads alone. The smooth headtrip of 'St. Elsewhere' confirmed the technicolour sound as did the sheer joy of the band's international fancy dress performances. In an absurd twist, their massive success prevented Green and Danger Mouse from moving on to their other planned projects.
The band's success was preceded by a viral-like word of mouth - here was another new group about to release the 'album of the year'. The result, startling in this era of pre-fab hype, stood up to people's high expectations. The result was a beautiful mash-up of artistic integrity, originality and commercial pop music, with lead single 'Crazy' covered by artists of every musical creed, including Nelly Furtado, Charlotte Church, Kanye West, Ray Lamontagne and The Zutons, to name a few.
This was a genuine musical statement, a beacon in an increasingly cynical industry. As such, the Gnarls Barkley story will be considered a turning point in the history of popular music.
TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2006:
ANDREW TIJS
1. The Mint Chicks - 'Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No!'
2. Ghostface Killah - 'Fishscale'
3. Eddy Current Suppression Ring - S/T
4. The Hope Conspiracy - 'Death Knows Your Name'
5. Gnarls Barkley - 'St. Elsewhere'
6. Eagles of Death Metal - 'Death By Sexy'
7. Cosmic Psychos - 'Off Ya Cruet'
8. Goons Of Doom - 'The Story Of Dead Barbie And Ghost'
9. Beck - 'The Information'
10. Primal Scream - 'Riot City Blues'
DANIEL ZUGNA
1. TV On The Radio - 'Return To Cookie Mountain'
2. Flaming Lips - 'At War With The Mystics'
3. mclusky - 'mcluskyism'
4. Augie March - 'Moo, You Bloody Choir'
5. Laura Jean - 'Our Swan Song'
6. The Drones - 'Gala Mill'
7. SubAudible Hum - 'In Time For Spring, Along Came The Snow'
8. Gnarls Barkley - 'St. Elsewhere'
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Show Your Bones'
10. Thom Yorke - 'The Eraser'
TIM CASHMERE
1. Primal Scream - 'Riot City Blues'
2. Gnarls Barkley - 'St. Elsewhere'
3. C.W. Stoneking - 'King Hokum'
4. Kasabian - 'Empire'
5. Willie Nelson - 'Songbird'
6. The Bellrays - 'Have A Little Faith In Me'
7. You Am I - 'Convicts'
8. The Flaming Lips - 'At War With The Mystics'
9. The Drones - 'Gala Mill'
10. Secret Machines - 'Ten Silver Drops'
BEST GIGS OF 2006:
ANDREW TIJS
Clutch both shows (Corner Hotel, Melbourne)
Danzig, with added Misfits (The Palace, Melbourne)
Beasts Of Bourbon (Prince Of Wales, Melbourne)
Peabody (Rob Roy Hotel, Melbourne)
The Blacklist every show all year
Knives of Neptune (The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne)
DANIEL ZUGNA
Sigur Ros + Amina (Palais Theatre, Melbourne)
Actor/Model + Shoot The Genie + New Estate + Major Major (Old Bar, Melbourne)
Cornelius (HiFi Bar, Melbourne)
My Disco + Macromantics + Eddie Current Suppression Ring (Public Office, Melbourne)
Death Cab For Cutie (The Forum, Melbourne)
Shooting At Unarmed Men (The Tote, Melbourne)
Radiant City + Rhythm Bell + The Thaw (Yvonne Ruve, Sydney)
TIM CASHMERE
Rolling Stones and Bonnie Raitt (Dodger Stadium, LA)
The Stooges (Big Day Out, Melbourne)
James Brown (Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne)
The Cuban Brothers (Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne)
The Bellrays (Corner Hotel, Melbourne)
GWAR (House of Blues, LA)
Split Enz (Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne)
Lobby Lloyd Tribute Concert (The Palace, Melbourne)
Broken Social Scene (Corner Hotel, Melbourne)
Flaming Lips (some car park, Austin, TX)
FAVOURITE BAND(S) TO INTERVIEW:
ANDREW TIJS
Funeral For A Friend, The Drones, Ken Hell, Glen Danzig, Toby Rand.
DANIEL ZUGNA
Death Cab For Cutie, Mick Thomas, Laura Jean, Gomez
TIM CASHMERE
Broken Social Scene - they wrote a song about me and my family on the spot; not to mention Zakk Wylde - who is about the coolest guy you could ever meet, as referenced in the big stupid grin I'm wearing in the pic of myself and him pinned up on my wall next to my desk.
FAVOURITE STORY OF 2006:
ANDREW TIJS
Kanye West's multiple tantrums. He's a headline machine who deserves to come second at every award ceremony until the end of time.
DANIEL ZUGNA
Dannii Minogue attacked by python.
TIM CASHMERE
P. Puff Diddy Sean Daddy Combs Diddy's trying top Kanye in the tantrum stakes.
PREDICTION FOR 2007:
ANDREW TIJS
Smoking, drinking alcohol, public displays of affection, applause, unruly bodily movements and fun banned at all venues. Bands will explode in popularity and fizzle out by the time you hear the third song on their myspace. CDs will become collector's items.
DANIEL ZUGNA
Obsessive loner fan of [insert washed-up artist here] sends pedantic and abusive email for minor and unimportant factual error in a news story.
TIM CASHMERE
Promoters vs. Scalpers goes from ridiculous to more ridiculous and the Veronicas are actually revealed to be aliens from a galaxy far, far away sent here to take over planet earth.
