2006 wasn't just any year in the 00s. It's the year Twitter launched, the year before the release of the iPhone, Nintendo debuted the Wii console, Borat burst into movie theaters, and Justin Timberlake made sure sexy was back. It was also when danceable post-punk, alternative metal, and UK post-Brit pop were making waves bubbling up to the underground, and much more. We've invited a group of our Patrons to revisit the year and discuss albums that stood the test of time (and a few that did not), overlooked and underappreciated albums, albums we were late to discover, and much more.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, Young Folks by Peter, Bjorn and John, Crazy by Gnarls Barkley

22:00 - Unleashed by Front Line Assembly

31:53 - Family Band by The Tragically Hip

43:58 - Rockstar by The Fags

56:46 - Master Exploder by Tenacious D

1:00:39 - Tear You Apart by She Wants Revenge

1:17:39 - Star Witness by Neko Case

1:22:34 - Come Clarity by In Flames

1:32:26 - Standing In The Way Of Control - Gossip

Outro - Different World by Iron Maiden

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Released during the protracted second Iraq war, Josh Ritter's fourth album The Animal Years layers a singer/songwriter album with somber lyrical depth softened by effective melodies and thoughtful instrumentation.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Wolves

17:04 - Girl In The War

18:58 - Monster Ballads

25:29 - Thin Blue Flame

32:36 - Good Man

Outro - Here at the Right Time

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Earnest without sliding into overwrought emo, Silkworm struck a balance between raw and refined on their fourth album, 1996's Firewater. Like most of their releases, the band turned to Steve Albini to engineer, capturing the live sound of the band crisp and clearly across the nearly hour running time. The band rarely overindulge, leaving those spare moments to the guitarist Andy Cohen, who channels the overdriven chaos of J. Mascis and Neil Young on tracks like "Wet Firecracker" and "Drag the River." The rhythm section, though never flashy, are tight and locked-in, with the bass taking melodic turns to support the sing-speak vocals that waver between understated and explosive. Though the band called Seattle home for the early part of the 1990s, the band eschews any grunge influence for post-punk and indie rock influences that helped separate the band from their homebase peers.

Songs In This Episode

Intro - Nerves

19:28 - Quicksand

21:28 - Drag the River

29:06 - Cannibal Cannibal

31:07 - The Lure of Beauty

Outro - Don't Make Plans This Friday

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