Part 2

Here's some more albums I liked this year:

This Is My Fist! - A History of Rats
I really liked This Is My Fist's older EPs but hadn't been keeping up with them for quite a while. When some friends came into town in June, a TIMF show happened to coincide with their visit, so we all went, and after seeing them play I remembered how much I liked them. Overall, it's pretty much the same sincerity and passion we've come to expect from your archetypical East Bay/Drunk Midwest/No Idea-type band. Timely lyrics about the country's current paranoid political climate, and of course the same sort of stuff we've heard before about friendships, religion, life and such. Basically, the same type of stuff that all these sorts of bands write about. The thing is, TIMF pulls it off a lot better than most, putting them up there with bands like Crimpshrine, Jawbreaker and early Alkaline Trio.


Toys That Kill - Shanked!
I wrote an e-mail to Todd from Toys That Kill once telling him that I loved his band because they were totally obnoxious. I don't know if he took that as a compliment, but I think it's one of the nicest things you could say about them. Toys That Kill is THE band that I think embodies punk rock to the core: they're obnoxious, they're snotty, their songs are simple, BUT, their songs are well thought out, witty, intelligent, incisive, AND, I say this considering the fact that Shanked! was a bit of a disappointment to me after the genius of their last album Control The Sun. But, really, who am I to complain? That'd be like having to settle for copying off of Stephen Hawking's homework because Albert Einstein was absent from class.

Keyboard
I will admit to some bias in counting Keyboard's record as one of my favorites from 2006. Having been able to tour with him gave me the opportunity to see him perform day after day, busting out, improvising, and creating new hits nonstop, I came to truly understand the genius mind of Keyboard. His songs are total heartbreakers and total heart-propper-uppers cleverly disguised as innocuous, yet brilliantly composed, pop music. To compare him to Wesley Willis just because he's a dude with a keyboard doesn't do him justice. The way he manipulates the keyboard live, and the killer pop hooks he milks from it are more than Wesley Willis ever came close to. Having written all this, I'd actually have to say that Keyboard's album actually pales in comparison to the live experience, so I'm really not biased, am I? There's so many hit jams missing from the album, and so much energy and charisma that can only be witnessed from him in concert. Having said this, Keyboard's album is still undeniably sweet, inspirational, funny and touching, so you suckers best get it!!!