NJ's Tracks Of The Year 2006

So Ethan in Ctrl+Alt+Del is getting drunk, must be the end of the year.

I have picked out at pure random from my Youtube favourites what I deem to be the 15 best songs of 2006. I do have an outright winner but I won't say what it is. Why 15? Because I say so.

Song 1
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Artist: Paris Hilton
Title: Nothing In This World
Album: Paris
Other Album Singles: Stars Are Blind
I'm so, so sorry but this song is like a tapeworm. Do what you will with that information. The video is rather inspiring to me though, a guy gets bullied at school and ends up humiliating everyone by landing Paris as a girlfriend. Nice story, complete bullshit but nice story.

Song 2

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Artist: My Chemical Romance
Title: Famous Last Words
Album: The Black Parade
Other Album Singles: Welcome To The Black Parade
Famous Last Words is the stunning climax to the story of The Patient. The video keeps this up by showing the carnival float from the Welcome To The Black Parade video burning in the background to symbolise the end of the parade. Keep an eye out for the cross in the background right at the end, and the drummer getting burnt.

Song 3

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Artist: U2 and Green Day
Title: The Saints Are Coming
Album: U218
A protest song against the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina, the video shows how it should have gone. The song itself is a cover of the song by Scottish punks The Skids and the idea to record with Green Day was put forward by U2 guitarist The Edge. First played at the New Orleans Saints' first home game after Katrina. That whole set can be found on Youtube if you look.

Song 4

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Artist: CSS
Title: Lets Make Love And Listen To Death From Above
Album: Cansei de Ser Sexy
Other Album Singles: Alala
Performing at NME.com's 10th birthday party ensured that this lot were set for the big time. Hailing from Sao Paulo in Brazil (lead singer Lovefoxxx is part Japanese) they set the year alight with this crazily addictive tune. I have no idea what the video's about either. The song is downloadable from the band's MySpace.
www.myspace.com/canseidesersexy

Song 5

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Artist: The Young Knives
Title: Here Comes The Rumour Mill
Album: Voices Of Animals And Men
Other Album Singles: The Decision, Weekdays and Bleakdays
The Oxfordshire trio have stormed the year but it was this, their second single that brought me round to the fact that they really could rock. Yes they wear suits, yes the lead singer is called Henry, yes they kick ass. I think the video shows a guy being ripped apart by rumours. I think anyway.

Song 6

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Artist: 'Weird' Al Yankovic
Title: Don't Download This Song
Album: Not on Straight Outta Lynwood, download from www.dontdownloadthissong.com
A stunning video got the attention of everyone, Al was back in a big way and this time he was gunning for the mainstream. The video, created by Bill Plympton, is a brilliant satire of how the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have treated some of the people they've sued. And some people still say he can't write his own songs.

Song 7

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Artist: Take That
Title: Patience
Album: Beautiful World
If you'd told me in January that the greatest boyband of all time would be reforming and recording an incredible new album I wouldn't have believed a word. But Gary, Mark, Jason and Howard all came together for a reunion tour and then shocked everyone with a full scale comeback. This leadoff single, their first since 1996, showed all the pretenders that they were still the ones to beat.

Song 8

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Artist: My Chemical Romance
Song: Welcome To The Black Parade
Album: The Black Parade
Other Album Singles: Famous Last Words
Leadoff single. First showing with the new look. This stunning slice of rock genius gave the outsiders from New Jersey a UK number 1 which no-one was expecting and which stuck around for 2 weeks (taken down by Mcfly's Star Girl). A victory for pretty much everything and everyone. The video shows the death of The Patient and his earliest memory, being taken to see a marching band with his father.

Song 9

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Artist: Kasabian
Title: Empire
Album: Empire
Other Album Singles: Shoot The Runner, Doberman
Title track from the 2nd album by Oasis' favourite band. Its damn fine, just a shame the band are wankers.

Song 10

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Artist: Taking Back Sunday
Title: Twenty Twenty Surgery
Album: Louder Now
Other Album Singles: Makedamnsure, Liar
Johnny Cash's legendary prison gig was homaged in this video to the standout track from Taking Back Sunday's rather painfully average album.

Song 11

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Artist: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Title: Call Me Ishmael
Album: The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager
Other Album Singles: I Spy, Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager, War Of The Worlds
Emo folk was what Sam Duckworth was labelled as, its quite accurate. One man, a guitar and his laptop formed the basis of his stunning debut album, this song is the debut double A-side (paired with I Spy). The video shows several people diving into a hidden underground tunnel to escape their dull jobs, but where does it lead?

Song 12

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Artist: Lostprophets
Title: Rooftops
Album: Liberation Transmission
Other Album Singles: A Town Called Hypocrisy, Can't Catch Tomorrow
The welsh boys have owned the year despite lots of hate that's usually reserved for emo bands get sent their way. The video and song are pure punk, get up, get heard and make the most of things. Oh, and it has the only chorus to come close to matching Monster all year.

Song 13

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Artist: Billy Talent
Title: Devil In A Midnight Mass
Album: Billy Talent II
Other Album Singles: Red Flag
The Canadian punks came storming back after a thunderous debut in 2003 with a follow up that proved that the venom and pure punk spirit that came forth was still there. This raging tirade against the Catholic church's handing of pedophile priests was the only real choice as a leadoff single. The video shows this very subject.

Song 14

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Artist: The Feeling
Title: Fill My Little World
Album: Twelve Stops And Home
Other Album Singles: Sewn, Never Be Lonely, I Love It When You Call
So they were hardly the most respected new band of 2006, but this second single came along vomiting sunshine and happiness and it became impossible to ignore them.

Song 15

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Artist: All American Rejects
Title: Move Along
Album: Move Along
Other Album Singles: Dirty Little Secret
So they hardly set the world alight but this lot couldn't be faulted musically. The video makes very little sense to me.

So that's the 15. But which is my song of the year? This one.

NJ Sykora's Song Of The Year 2006

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Artist: Klaxons
Title: Atlantis To Interzone
Album: Myths Of The Near Future (released January 2007)
Other Album Singles: Gravity's Rainbow, Magick, Golden Skans
Un. Stoppable. Klaxons came flying in and immediately filled the Test Icicles shaped hole in music. This oddly melodic thrash is the perfect introduction to New Rave. The debut album is out in a few weeks, be surprised if it doesn't show up in my albums of 2007.