backtrack: the 101 most awesomest songs of 2006!

hazim and the new asymptotes
hey. hazim here...again.2008 is almost over and I'm still a virgin. Rihanna is still on the charts. And love is still good. Here's a past look at 2006. Because I wrote this with the intention of posting it here on my blog but it never saw the light of day until now. So here are 2006's finest singles lined up just for you. Grab a tissue. Nostalgia's sad when it hits...

1:Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland-Promiscuous//Loose
The duo deemed it “the blackberry song”. The back and forth tag team talk-singing and the Prince-era sepia-toned chorus turned Nelly Furtado’s first number single of her into a massive worldwide number one hit. Featuring Timbaland's best vocals to date (although that's not saying much) coupled with Nelly's flirtatious delivery propeles this to the very top of 2006's best of list. Mine, that is.

2:be Your Own Pet-Fire Department//be Your Own Pet
How to compete with the indie underground scene overkill? Just do everything faster. Buzzcock guitars with more bite and the band tumble over themselves. Lead singer Jemina Pearl yelps and howls like she’s throwing a tantrum, making being young sound messily fun.

3:Faithless feat. Robert Smith-Spiders, Crocodiles, and Kryptonite//To All New Arrivals
Okay, the new album bombed (the last one reached number one) but this band has smarts. Sampling The Cure’s “Lullaby”, one of my favorite Cure songs (!), Rollo and the band plod on painting an eerie landscape with Robert Smith’s voice as the perfect backdrop. Thanks to this, you can dance to Robert Smith’s voice again. One of the most hypnotic songs to come since Portishead’s “Linger”

4:The Arctic Monkeys-I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor//Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
2006’s best breakout band built massive buzz from Myspace profiles and word-of-mouth. Then they conquered the UK charts, then the rest of Europe, and then America followed suit. It was all thanks to this guitar crunch fest. Alex Turner spits out sharp lyrics with that unmistakable accent and the guitars go whoosh. Who says you can’t trust the internet?

5:Gnarls Barkley-Crazy//St.Elsewhere
The most covered song of the year had Nelly Furtado, Charlotte Church, The Raconteurs, Cat Power, and even Paris Hilton trying to imitate Cee-Lo’s rich voice. Stepping up to the plate to shun Al Green and coming up with an instant classic, perfect melody and all, despite the theme of suicidal tendency.

6:Muse-Supermassive Black Hole//Black Holes And Revelations
Matthew Bellamy makes a big fat deal out of almost anything and blows it up making it all seem grandiose. Making like Jake Shears leading The Darkness into battle, the band sound utterly ginormous. And when he coos “Ooh baby, I’m a fool for you,” you either flutter or you cringe. I fluttered.

7:Goldfrapp-Ooh La La//Supernature
Kylie Minogue may be healthy again but if she ever makes a sweaty, pulsating “vibe-on” song like this one, call me. The 60s vamp is sexy, outrageously catchy, and if this dance floor Goldfrapp masterpiece doesn’t turn you on then you must be a corpse.

8:Justin Timberlake feat. TI-My Love//Future Sex/Love Sounds
At first, I was like ‘what’s so damn hot about this song?’. I was a Justin-hater. To me, he’s just a young buck prancing around in beats laid out for him so he can imitate Prince or MJ or whomever he feels like mimicking (Freddie Mercury’s next…or maybe Grace Jones if we’re lucky), but this grew on me, making me like it better than ‘Sexyback’ and I even almost bought a legal copy of Future Sex/Love Sounds. I think it’s the way this song latches itself onto radio, with TI’s verses, JT’s high pitched crooning, and the synthesizers. Not sure I’ll ever really like him, but this track’s the shiznits for me

9:The Killers-When You Were Young//Sam’s Town
Big ego. Check. Newly found love for facial hair. Check. Despite a messiah complex, Brandon Flowers and his band make like America’s U2. The CD was The Joshua Tree reborn as American and this stormy epic-sounding drama infested single led the way.

10:Camille-Vous//Le Fil
Tony Blair name dropped in a French song? Well, it’s not him singing but hearing a genius French kook shriek and coo a l Francaise name checking the British dude is pretty sweet. It’s only a little over a minute and a half long but this form of Global cool tugs at your brain and lingers. Perfect pop delivered in Bjork style vocals topped off with a catchy melody. Globalization isn’t the same thing as Americanization ya know…

11:Regina Spektor-Fidelity// Begins To Hope

12:My Chemical Romance-Welcome To The Black Parade// The Black Parade

13:TI-What You Know// King

14:Flyleaf-So I Thought// Flyleaf

15:Lily Allen-Smile// Alright,Still

16:Pet Shop Boys-I’m With Stupid// Fundamental

17:Hot Chip-Over And Over// The Warning

18:Clipse feat. Pharell-Mr.Me Too// Hell Hath No Fury

19:Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Cheated Hearts// Show Your Bones

20:Imogen heap-Headlock// Headlock

21:Band Of Horses-The Funeral// Everything All The Time

22:TV On The Radio-Wolf Like Me// Return To Cookie Mountain

23:Christian Falk feat. Robyn & Ola Salo-Dream On// People Say

24:Nelly Furtado-Maneater// Loose

25:Corinne Bailey Rae-Put Your Records On// Corinne Bailey Rae

26:Aly & AJ-The Rush// Into The Rush

27:Chamellionaire feat. Krayzie Bone-Ridin// Ultimate Victory

28:Snow Patrol-Chasing Cars// Eyes Open

29:Cassie-Me & U// Cassie

30:Scissor Sisters-I Don’t Feel Like Dancin// Ta-Da

31:Cat Power-The Greatest// The Greatest

32:Neko Case-Dirty Knife// Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

33:Prince-Black Sweat// 3121

34:Utada Hikaru-Keep Tryin// Ultra Blue

35:Basement Jaxx feat. Robyn-Hey U// Crazy Itch Radio

36:Beyonce-Irreplaceable// B’Day

37:Liars-Let’s Not Wrestle Mt.Heart Attack// Drum’s Not Dead

38:The Killers-Read My Mind// Sam’s Town

39:be Your Own Pet-Adventure// be Your Own Pet

40:Oneida-Up With People// Happy New Year

41:be Your Own Pet-Take That Walk// be Your Own Pet

42:The Rapture-Whoo! Alright-Yeah…Uhuh// Pieces Of The People We Love

43:Damien Rice-9 Crimes// 9

44:Panic! At The Disco-I Write Sins Not Tragedies// A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out

45:Christina Aguilera-Ain’t No Other Man// Back To Basics

46:The Vines-Don’t Listen To The Radio// Vision Valley

47:India.Arie feat. Akon-I Am Not My Hair// Testimony Volume 1:Life And Relationship

48:Taking Back Sunday-Makedamnsure// Louder Now

49:The Decemberists-Summersong// The Crane Wife

50:Mary J. Blige- Be Without You// The Breakthrough

51:John Legend-Save Room// Once Again

52:Phoenix-Long Distance Calls// It’s Never Been Like That

53:Nelly Furtado-Say It Right// Loose

54:The Fratellis-Chelsea Dagger// Costello Music

55:Faithless-Bombs// To All New Arrivals

56:Rihanna-SOS(Rescue Me)// A Girl Like Me

57:Justice-Waters Of Nazareth// Waters Of Nazareth

58:Kelis feat. Too $hort-Bossy// Kelis Was Here

59:Ghostface Killah feat. Trife-Be Easy// Fishscale

60:Fergie-London Bridge// The Dutchess

61:Cherish feat. Sean Paul-Do It To It// Unappreciated

62:Dashboard Confessional-Stolen// Dusk & Summer

63:The Rakes-Strasbourg//Capture// Release

64:Ane Brun feat. Ron Sexsmith-Song No.6// A Temporary Dive

65:Carrie Underwood-Before He Cheats// Some Hearts

66:Todd Snider-You Got Away With It// The Devil You Know

67:All Saints-Rock Steady// Studio 1

68:Dixie Chicks-The Long Way Around// Taking The Long Way

69:The Feeling-Sewn// Twelve Stops And Home

70:The Shins-Phantom Limb// Wincing The Night Away

71:Wolfmother-Dimension// Wolfmother

72:The Hold Steady-Stuck Between Stations// Boys And Girls Of America

73:P!nk-U + Ur Hand// I’m Not Dead

74:Lupe Fiasco-Kick, Push// Food & Liquor

75:Nellie McKay-Cupcake// Pretty Little Head

76:Thom Yorke-Black Swan// The Eraser

77:Kleerup feat. Robyn-With Every Heartbeat// 12

78:The Cardigans-Don’t Blame Your Daughter (Diamonds)// Super Extra Gravity

79:People In Planes-If You Talk Too Much// The New Wave

80:Amerie-Take Control//Because I Love It

81:Mew-The Zookeeper’s Boy// And The Glass Handed Kites

82:Cold War Kids-Hang Me Up To Dry// Cold War Kids

83:The Strokes-You Only Live Once// First Impressions Of Earth

84:Beyonce-Ring The Alarm// B’Day

85:Oxford Collapse-Please Visit Your National Parks// Remember The Night Parties

86:Amy Winehouse-Rehab// Back To Black

87:Keane-Is It Any Wonder// Under The Iron Sea

88:Fort Minor feat. Holly Brook-Where’d You Go// Rising Tide

89:Asobi Seksu-Thursday// Citrus

90:Jenny Lewis feat. The Watson Twins-Rise Up With Fists!!// Rabbit Fur Coat

91:The Good, The Bad, And The Queen-80s Life// The Good, The Bad, And The Queen

92:Figurines-The Wonder// Skeletons

93:Fefe Dobson-Don’t Let It Go To Your Head// Sunday Love

94:Built To Spill-Goin Against Your Mind// You In Reverse

95:Cam’Ron-Weekend Girls// Bad Guys 14 (mixtape)

96:Jamelia-Beware Of The Dog// Walk With Me

97:The Pussycat Dolls feat will.i.am-Beep// PCD

98:My Robot Friend feat. Antony-One More Try// Faster Kill

99:YoLa Tango-Beanbag Chair// I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass

100:The Fray-Over My Head (Cable Car)// How To Save A Life