•   15. The Long Blondes, Someone To Drive You Home
            essential tracks: “Giddy Stratospheres”, “Swallow Tattoo”

    • We’d all been waiting for The Long Blondes’ debut album for so long, it was beginning to feel like it would never get to us. But, even though we’d all heard a lot of the songs before, it’s as good as we all hoped it would be. Sassy and sultry, like a 50s movie come to life.

  •   14. Beirut, Gulag Orkestar
            “Postcards From Italy”, “Bratislava”

    • Beirut is definitely one of the most original bands of 2006. I’ve never heard anything like this album before. Old world gypsy folk music, done up all indie. It’s beautiful and haunting. The only reason Gulag Orkestar isn’t higher on this list is that it’s not really an album that can be listened to at any time. It’s a specific mood album, but when you’re feeling a bit dark or sad, it’s perfect.

  •   13. The Black Keys, Magic Potion
            “Your Touch”, “Modern Times”

    • The Black Keys just keep getting better and better. This album is a little moodier and harder than their previous releases - a bit more Jimi Hendrix than they’ve been in the past. Between Dan Auerbach’s amazing voice and Patrick Carney’s ass-busting drumming, they really get into your guts.

  •   12. Dan Sartain, Join Dan Sartain
            “World Is Gonna Break Your Little Heart”, “Replacement Man”

    • I once read a description of Dan Sartain as a ‘one man hurricane’. Whoever said that wasn’t wrong. He charges through this album, leaving you wondering what just happened. It takes a few listens to realize that what you just heard really is as good as you thought it was.

  •   11. The Magic Numbers, Those The Brokes
            “Most Of The Time”, “Undecided”

    • I love The Magic Numbers. I just love them.

  •   10. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones
            “Honeybear”, “Cheated Hearts”

    • As good as Fever To Tell is, Show Your Bones might be even better. Yeah Yeah Yeahs have expanded their sound a little, and given us the chance to see Karen O’s enormous heart. Not that they’ve lost the edge that makes her a little bit scary, just that they’ve let us hear what else they can do.

  •   9. Two Gallants, What The Toll Tells
            “Steady Rollin’”, “Long Summer Day”

    • Tam turned me on to Two Gallants but, as I’ve said before, I actually liked The Throes better than this album. That is, until we saw them live in November. Hearing the songs from What The Toll Tells live made me realize exactly how great they really are. Almost nothing beats the anger you feel listening to “Long Summer Day”, I reckon it’s the most emotionally powerful song of the year.

  •   8. The Fratellis, Costello Music
            “Chelsea Dagger”, “Creepin’ Up The Backstairs”

    • I realize this one may be an unpopular choice, seeing as how The Fratellis aren’t ‘indie’ enough to be considered good by a lot of people. But those people are just silly. I triple dog dare them to find a better party album from 2006.

  •   7. The Bicycles, The Good, The Bad, And The Cuddly
            “Luck Of Love”, “Paris Be Mine”

    • I didn’t expect to fall so in love with The Bicycles, I just thought theirs would be a fun, charming album. It is, but if you give it a chance, it’ll dig it’s sweet, fluffy little claws right into you and won’t let go. It’s one of those rare albums that makes you feel so good about the world, you just want to play it again the minute it ends.

  •   6. Brakes, The Beatific Visions
            “If I Should Die Tonight”, “Spring Chicken”

    • Beatific Visions was my choice for Album Of The Month back in November, so you already know what I think about this one. They somehow manage to put everything you want from the world into one short album, it’s amazing.

  •   5. Tapes n Tapes, The Loon
            “Cowbell”, “Omaha”

    • In theory, a band’s debut album really shouldn’t be this good and interesting. I honestly couldn’t even describe them if I wanted to. Like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah last year, Tapes n Tapes rocked the world of (nearly) every music dork around by sounding completely different. Which is pretty much the highest complement I can give a band.

  •   4. Belle And Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
            “Sukie In The Graveyard”, “For The Price Of A Cup Of Tea”

    • I’ve quite liked Belle And Sebastian for a while now, but this is the album that made me really love them. They still sound like they always have, but hearing bits of glam and other funkiness creep into their sound made me very happy indeed.

  •   3. The Raconteurs, Broken Boy Soldiers
            “Broken Boy Soldier”, “Intimate Secretary”, “Call It A Day”

    • I spent most of the year expecting Broken Boy Soldiers to be at the top of this list, it’s that good. I’m a huge fan of just about everything that Jack White touches and when he teamed up with the lovely Brendan Benson, we all knew it would be awesome. This is even better than I’d hoped it would be. They’ve got some Rubber Soul and Magical Mystery Tour all wrapped up in Brendan Benson’s buttery voice, which fits perfectly with Jack White’s howl. It sounds like everything good from pop music history all at once.

  •   2. Cold War Kids, Robbers & Cowards
            “Hang Me Up To Dry”, “Saint John”, “Hospital Beds”

    • Cold War Kids’ Robbers & Cowards was the greatest surprise of the year. I was interested enough in them, based on the few mp3s I’d heard, to write about them for New Band Day back in May. But I have to admit I’d sort of forgotten about them until I saw their debut album was out. It immediately became the CD that never leaves my stereo - all funky, danceable gut-wrenching songs about drunks, death row, broken promises and loneliness.

  •   1. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife

    • The truth is, I would’ve been happy to have those last three in any order. They all could’ve been my Number One. But The Decemberists ended up making their way to the top by default when I tried to pick the three ‘essential tracks’. With a bit of struggle, I could just about manage to narrow The Crane Wife down to maybe 7 tracks (out of 10). And I always say: if you’re physically unable to pick out essential tracks, that’s the Album Of The Year. I’m sure we’ll gush about them some more when we share our top concerts of 2006 with you, but for now just know that they are one of the most original bands I’ve ever heard and that every album they release is better than the last.

    So there we have it. Another year of music come and gone. I’d be sad, but there’s new albums by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and The Shins out in a few weeks, so at least we have something to look forward to.