Best of 2006, Pt. 1

It's been a memorable year for me, and many of the memories I'll keep with me have to do with music and/or photography.

As the year winds down, I'll post songs that helped make this year stand out for me, whether they were new or simply new to me.

To start with, I mentioned in my very first post back in June that Hot Chip, The Pipettes, and Lily Allen would be featured here. The latter two are artists who had great debut cds out in 2006, and the first, Hot Chip, only debuted a couple of years ago. I listened to a ridiculous amount of their music while out and about shooting pictures throughout Ohio.

I especially, vividly, recall playing Lily's Not Big over and over while driving through the Hocking Hills area for the first time; the hilariously filthy sing-along and terrifyingly steep hills testing my brakes and nerves are forever tied together for me.

Hot Chip's Colours and Over and Over are mellow and rhythmic; relaxing but never sleep-inducing. I find them pretty decent to listen to at work.

Finally, The Pipettes' Pull Shapes, which I just posted yesterday, and Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me are such sunny, upbeat retro girl group music that they make everything a little brighter.