2006, huh? A whole new year, and like last year this one’s started with a hangover. But we’ve been nursing it with plenty of fluids, some sort of multi-vitamins, and then what we have here: a new podcast.

This episode is a special one. For one, there’s no funny intro culled from the out-takes of editing. Secondly, there’s no Robert. There’s no theme music. There’s no Lindsay. There’s no guest.

There’s no talking over the music.

We’re beginning the new year by closing out the last, and here’s a good documentary of what was so compelling about the past 365 days. The songs and artists chosen for this show represent the best of North Texas music from the past year, whether there was a new release, a re-release, an LP, an EP, a notable achievement or just a damn good show - here’s why 2005 wasn’t so bad after all.

The podcast runs exactly 74 minutes. This is on purpose. For you listeners without MP3 players, download the show, then burn to CD. Listen at home, at the office, in the car - anywhere where you might want to feel motivated, moved, excited or touched.

1. Sparrows: All My Dreams Come True (Live at The Barley: Farewell, Sarah Hepola)
2. The Strange Boys: Modern Lee Miller (States Newest Noisemakers)
3. The Cut*Off: Hold Me Down (Unreleased)
4. The Valentines: The Story Goes (Self Titled EP)
5. Happiness Factor: Avoid Danger (Avoid Danger)
6. The Old 97s: Designs on You (Alive and Wired)
7. The Happy Bullets: The Vice and Virtue Ministry (The Vice and Virtue Ministry)
8. Fishboy: Cheer Up Great Pumpkin (Little D)
9. Deathray Davies: Stumble (The Kick and the Snare)
10. Salim Nourallah: Montreal (Beautiful Noise)
11. Sunward: Morning After (Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Horses)
12. Sorta: Demons in the Way (Unreleased)
13. Bosque Brown: Still Afraid (…Plays Mara Lee Miller)
14. South San Gabriel: The Dark of Garage (The Carlton Chronicles: Not Until The Operation’s Through)
15. Peter Schmidt: My Heart Sinks (Unreleased)
16. Here, In Arms: Wake Up Call (Unreleased)
17. Pilotdrift: Passenger (Water Sphere)
18. Auto Escape: Hollywood (Hollywood EP)
19. Moxie (now Black Tie Dynasty): Landspeed Record (Love and Death in Texas)
20. John Dufilho: Paper Hats and Campfire Hands (John Dufilho)
21. Black Tie Dynasty and [DARYL]: Bloody Basin (Bloody Basin EP)
22. Pleasant Grove: I Couldn’t Withstand the Damage of an Evil and Wicked Divorce (The Art of Leaving)

Now, we know we have our critics. This podcast is meant as a celebration, not a declaration of some sort of hegemony of taste. There are bands we left off. There are bands we might have excluded. Bah: enough vituperative posing and acrimony. Enjoy the podcast - and make this a resolution for the New Year: “I will go to more shows in 2006.”

Tearing it down,

dconstruction

Direct download: 13_dconstruction.org_01.01.2006.mp3