Best Albums of 2006

Band of Horses – Everything All the Time
Carissa’s Wierd may have died but luckily the band did not; in fact, they brought us the best album of the year. Thank you, my Seattle brethren.
• One great track: “The Great Salt Lake”

Mew – And the Glass Handed Kites
Mew quite simply rock.
• One great track: “Apocalypso”

The Submarines – Declare a New State!
Here is proof that, against all odds, LA can foster some lovely, unforgettable music. The boy-girl pair calling themselves The Submarines combine the sweet harmonies of Stars plus the sweet harmonies of Weezer.
• One great track: “Clouds”

The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America
Anthems of adolescence sung with conviction. I suspect that anyone who grew up in America, anywhere, ever, can relate.
• One great track: “You Can Make Him Like You”

Lily Allen – Alright, Still
With her gritty, colloquial British lyrics, Lily is the new female Streets. She definitely deserves all the attention.
• One great track: “Friday Night”

Early Day Miners – Offshore
My favorite EDM song, reinterpreted and extended to album length. What’s not to love?
• One great track: “Hymn Beneath the Palisades”

David Bazan – Fewer Moving Parts
Anyone who does Q&A sessions at his shows is pretty much a genius.
• One great track: “Cold Beer and Cigarettes (The Devil Is Beating His Wife) (Acoustic)”

Annuals – Be He Me
The mastermind behind this concept record is maybe a little too pretentious and complicated (as in the kind that elicits comments like “Wow, you’re really complicated.”) but the product has a surprising number of high points.
• One great track: “Brother”

Halou – Wholeness and Separation
Do you remember the miserable failure that is Garbage? Halou has stepped in to fill the void. Think of them as Garbage 3.0. Ha.
• One great track: “Stonefruit”

VA – Dolemite Soundtrack
One might claim it’s cheating to tack this here on the end of the list, but it’s my list and I make the rules. Plus, 2006 marked the first time this classic soundtrack was made available on CD.
• One great track: “Creeper”