#7 Album of 2006

Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
[Absolutely Kosher; released 3/2/06]

In my book Spencer Krug has quickly established himself as a indie rock superstar. Last year, Krug’s other band Wolf Parade debuted with an amazing album that I unfortunately jumped on the bandwagon too late to include in my 2005 list. Upon first listening to Shut Up I Am Dreaming, the Wolf Parade comparisons are obvious. However, while Krug is merely the keyboardist and sometime lead vocalist for Wolf Parade (along with a founding member of super group Swan Lake), Sunset Rubdown is all his and I couldn’t be more impressed. This album actually tied for 6th in my rankings, but I gave the edge to the other album for reasons I’ll mention tomorrow. Along with the emotion of Krug’s warbled vocals and unique songwriting, the strength of Shut Up I Am Dreaming lies completely in Krug’s brilliant lyrics. The imagery and use of metaphors is fantastic and is some of the best poetry being written today. But, lets not take away from the catchy melodic tunes Krug has created. The music is eerie, raw, and yes that dreaded descriptor, weird. The vocals and odd musical arrangements certainly aren’t for everybody and understandably so can be a turnoff for some, but after this album, there is no denying that Spencer Krug is now an important fixture in indie rock.