If I recall, 2006 was a bit of an oddball year in terms of alternative rock. It was definitely splintering at this point, for good or ill, and you either loved what was coming out of it or you were left scratching your head wondering what was going on. I felt a little bit of both to be honest, because I was so used to the full immersion and now felt left out. It was finally moving away from the darker gloom of the post-punk era, while the more radio-friendly music was heading towards points unknown (or alternately, becoming even more mainstream). It took me a while to resonate with the new sounds out there.

Meanwhile in Real Life Stuff, my temp job at the bank was winding down, and I would soon become a full-time worker in their CD/IRA phone bank department. Same building, same hours, slightly better pay. It wasn’t the best thing I wanted and I wasn’t thrilled by the later hours, but it was what I had on hand that I could stick with for the time being. Even then I’d decided to see it as a ‘permanent until further notice’ job. I’d be there for a relatively short time, however, until I was offered a position in a different department. I’ve never been the biggest fan of phone bank work, but I did at least learn a few interesting things.

Muse, Black Holes and Revelations, released 3 July 2006. How do you follow up the huge success of a breakthrough album like 2003’s Absolution? By being even more grandiose and over the top! It’s a great but slightly weird album that contained a few radio hits, but its big one was album closer “Knights of Cydonia” with its bonkers music video that’s equal parts spaghetti western and psychotic fever dream.

TV On the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain, released 6 July 2006. Their second album was a bit of a head-scratcher for me. I felt it lacked the darker moods of their previous album (2004’s excellent Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes) was just…weird. Although I’d eventually warm up to it, especially the first single “Wolf Like Me” which still gets airplay on KEXP now and again.

Thom Yorke, The Eraser, released 11 July 2006. The Radiohead singer’s first solo album in between their long hiatus between 2003’s Hail to the Thief and 2007’s In Rainbows feels like it retains the band’s new experimental direction they’d taken in the 00s, yet melodic enough to capture the interest of their fanbase.

The Knife, Silent Shout, released 27 July 2006. I remember getting this one as a free CD when I subscribed to Under the Radar, a music magazine that had captured my interest at the time. They were definitely a Pitchfork band: one that got a lot of hipster notice yet rarely got any kind of airplay at all anywhere, yet it got a really good review in UtR so I thought I’d give it a go. I liked that there was a hint of that sterile industrial sound I enjoyed, yet strange enough to retain my interest. The singer Karin Dreijer is known for fronting Fever Ray these days.

Midlake, The Trials of Van Occupanther, released 25 July 2006. I think I heard this one first on Pandora or Launchcast, specifically the song “Roscoe”, and was immediately taken at how much they sounded like 70s era Fleetwood Mac to me. This was one of those rare CDs I special ordered at the Barnes & Noble down the street.

The Cure, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me / The Head On the Door / The Top Deluxe Editions, released 8 August 2006. One of my favorite 80s bands finally follows up with their deluxe reissues with three more titles, this time focusing on the 1984-1987 era when their popularity skyrocketed. All three feature home demos and live recordings as extra tracks.

Kasabian, Empire, released 26 August 2006. It took me a little while to get used to this band, but once I was on board I remained a huge fan. After the loud and dissonant self-titled first album from 2005, this one felt more approachable and melodic. I believe I bought this one at Newbury Comics when we went back east for a visit in October. By that time I’d pretty much given up on buying albums on their drop date. As much as I missed doing, that, I had to move on. [That would of course change once I started downloading everything!]

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Coming up: More reissues, more weirdness