Ah 2006, the height of all things pop punk, ‘emo’, and purchasable from Hot Topic. Chances are—when you were busy browsing for neon hair dye and fingerless gloves—you heard one or two of these albums blasting through their speakers. It doesn’t feel like five minutes ago to us, but here are five albums that turn 10 in 2016.
1. The Black Parade, My Chemical Romance
If you were a teenager in the early 2000s, we’d probably find My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade on your sticker-covered iPod Mini. The Black Parade is MCR’s third studio album, released in October 2006 through Reprise Records.
Alongside Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco, My Chemical Romance became a staple of the decade’s popular ‘emo’ trend. The Black Parade embodied an emerging style of music, with tracks like “Famous Last Words”, “Teenagers”, and “Welcome To The Black Parade” becoming classics of a patchwork genre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDWgsQhbaqU
2. Self-titled, Boys Like Girls
Formed in 2005, Boys Like Girls quickly gained mainstream recognition with the release of their self-titled album in August 2006. The album is a pop punk masterpiece, boasting a sound now nostalgic of the decade. Boys Like Girls was released through Columbia Records/Red Ink, and has been certified Gold for over 500,000 copies sold. You can check out the album’s lead single “Hero/Heroine” below.
3. The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me, Brand New
Brand New are probably best known for their second studio album Déjà Entendu, which gave us “Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades”, and marked a huge stylistic change for the band. After they moved from Triple Crown to Interscope Records, Brand New had their major label debut with The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. The album marked a change in tone for the band, but with singles “Sowing Season” and “Jesus” being met enthusiastically by critics, Brand New have continued to develop their sound into something unique.
4. While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets, Cobra Starship
The recently disbanded Cobra Starship had their debut with While The City Sleeps, We Rule The Streets in October 2006. The album was released through Pete Wentz’ Fueled by Ramen imprint Decaydance, and has sold over 69,000 copies to date. Although Cobra Starship didn’t reach the mainstream until the release of their sophomore album ¡Viva la Cobra!, their debut contained singles that have become classics of the era. You can check out the video for “Bring It! (Snakes On A Plane)”—which features The Academy Is…’s William Beckett, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, and Maja Iversson of The Sounds—below.
5. As Cruel As School Children, Gym Class Heroes
Remember this one? As Cruel As School Children is the third album from Gym Class Heroes, released through Fueled by Ramen in July 2006. The album was produced by Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump, who is also a featured artist on “Clothes Off!” and “Cupid’s Chokehold.” Though met with mixed reactions, As Cruel As School Children peaked at 13 in the UK chart, and single “Cupid’s Chokehold” went on to reach number one in the Billboard Mainstream Top 40.
Did any of these albums soundtrack your teens? Let us know @CelebMix!