Top 10

10. THE SOUNDS
Dying To Say This To You
If there is one album that can make anyone drop everything and dance, it’s Dying To Say This To You. It’s like Kryptonite for the uptight. It’s catchier than that last sentence, and more fun than Cranium or Pogs combined.

9. THE HOLD STEADY
Boys and Girls in America
The Hold Steady's casual take on classic rock is actually much more fun than most current indie-rock wankering. But the real key to why this band is better than your favorite band is the way Craig Finn understands the human condition in all its splendor and embarrassment.

8. TV ON THE RADIO
Return to Cookie Mountain
Who would've thought doo-wop and post-punk could sound so delicious together? I guess it’s the musical equivalent to Hawaiian pizza. Distorted bass that sounds like humming, electronic clicks & beats, soulful vocals and a methodical pace. Repeat.

7. ARCTIC MONKEYS
Whatever People Say I Am That's What I Am Not
Whatever anyone said about this band I initially dismissed. I hated this band until I saw them live. Now I quite like them, and I quite like this album. Like the Strokes before them, I’ll be surprised if they make another disc as good as their debut. The Hype Machine was actually credible this time around, but don’t give up on skepticism friends.

6. WOLFMOTHER
Wolfmother
What do you get when you mix the White Stripes with Sabbath? You get a band that my male model roommate and my football Encino-man roommate can both agree on. I actually bought this album last Christmas in Australia, thinking it would never see an international release. Six months later they open up the Bumbershoot festival at the Gorge. I’m there drinking Miller Genuine Draft in a plastic cup, mouthing every word to every song, smoking darts and playing air guitar. That’s correct, better than your entire life.

5. SONIC YOUTH
Rather Ripped
I’ve been trying to like Sonic Youth for years now. I have a few albums, but I never really dug them much except for the song "Bull in the Heather" and that Ciccone Youth album with the Madonna cover. I would never have thought that I would eventually like any band’s twenty-somethingth release. That’s like saying; “I never got into Bon Jovi during Slippery When Wet, but their new album Have a Nice Day is really effing awesome!” That just doesn’t happen. Well guess what? It did.

4. LAWRENCE ARMS
Oh! Calcutta!
Oh Calcutta! is an absolute kick to the nards. It’s relieving to listen to a band that knows that there is still a great deal to squeeze from this genre, and constantly manages to succeed every boring formula and create yet another memorable record. It’s punk rock, and wow it doesn’t suck, and woah it’s got integrity, and rad I’m no longer ashamed to say I like punk. Hip hip huzzah!

3. NEKO CASE
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Last year I really got into the New Pornographers, and although I’d heard of Neko Case, I never really got around to listening to anything she’s released. Enter 2006, and my musical taste buds have been craving any alt-country release that caries half a tune. This record is definitive haunting country crooning with decidedly smart lyrics.

2. ISLANDS
Return To The Sea
What can I say, I was a huge Unicorns fan and I was so hoping this wasn’t going to suck. Yesss!

1. THE THERMALS
the body the blood and the machine
Making a political record is difficult to do without sounding trite. That said, The Thermals pull it off perfectly by balancing sarcasm, intelligence and sincerity. With their sarcastic digs at religion and war, The Body, The Blood, The Machine is not only wittier than everything else released this year, it rocks harder. I’d almost give up now guys, because it rarely gets better than this.