Best albums of 2006

I'd heard occasional songs from The Flaming Lips throughout the 1990s, but never really paid much attention to them. Somewhere along the way I even convinced myself they were a poor man's Tripping Daisy (one of my all-time favorite bands, and one influenced by the Lips actually, though I didn't know it back then). So I carried on in ignorance of what the Lips were doing until one of my best friends dragged me to one of their shows in support of At War With the Mystics...and that night I found my appreciation for them.

At War With the Mystics sounds to my ears like what Tripping Daisy would be doing if they were still around. It sounds like a better follow-up to Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb than Tripping Daisy's self-titled swan song ever did, and so it easily tops my list for 2006 & earns a spot among my favorite albums. Best of all, my love for this album led me to start working backwards through the Lips's albums which so far has been very rewarding.
Favorite song: "My Cosmic Autumn Rebellion"

As the title suggests, the percussion on this album is at the center & it's all flat-out Amazing.
Favorite song: "Drum and the Uncomfortable Can"

I can't remember now what inspired me to pick this album up. It may have been a review on one of the websites I frequent, or maybe it was just the cover art. Either way, this was my introduction to the brilliance of The Fiery Furnaces, who continue to be one of the best and most original working bands today.
Favorite song: "I'm Waiting to Know You Far Away"

Possibly Placebo's best album.
Favorite song: "One of a Kind"

An album so brilliant, so perfect, and so Amazingly Great that The Blood Brothers would follow it up the only way they could...they called it quits & moved onto other projects. It may not be my personal favorite of their albums (that'd be Crimes), but the technical prowess on display in all areas solidifies its place at the top of their output.
Favorite song: "Spit Shine Your Black Clouds"

The fact that Begin to Hope earns a 10/10 from me despite my not liking most of it the first time or two that I listened to it should tell you something. It's greatness isn't immediately obvious, but the album took some time to win me over & has worked its way to a spot among my favorites. Regina's lyrics are brilliant, her compositions rewarding over repeat listens, and unlike her follow-up Far there's a perfect balance of her sense of humor with her often-serious subject matter.
Favorite song: "Lady"

All my fears for this album (which stemmed from the departure of cellist Gretta Cohn) were laid to rest the moment horns came blasting out of my stereo & Tim Kasher laid out exactly where he'd take me...

The album revolves around a small, upper class, God-fearing town of the same name (the name Happy Hollow coming from the affluent Omaha, NE neighborhood surrounding Happy Hollow Blvd). Each track in the album tells a different story of faults that the inhabitants of Happy Hollow portray that seem at odds with the town's "perfect" image. The final track, "Hymns for the Heathen", is an afterword of the album, describing the concepts explored in each of the 14 tracks.
The album has many biblical references, reflecting on Kasher's Catholic upbringing.
--from wikipedia

Favorite song: "Retreat!"

Favorite song: "Saint John"

Still the best Dresden Dolls album.
Favorite song: "Mandy Goes to Med School"

Easily my favorite Hank Williams III album due to the fact it was the first to truly capture his sound. It's half old-school country (mostly the sound) and half punk (mostly the overall attitude), full of expletives (on a country album? Yep!) that don't detract from his excellent lyrics.
Favorite song: "Not Everybody Likes Us"

A solid, rewarding album that I love every song on. It just falls a little short of the greatness of its predecessor.
Favorite song: "Shiola"

Favorite song: "GPS"

I really can't say enough about their savvy; this is a group that makes an artform out of intensity, playing intricate guitar figures that intersect and weave in and out of one another while the double bass chugs and the vocals glug-glug. They have yet to record a bad song.
--from a review of the album on Tiny Mix Tapes

Favorite song: "Cheers Pricks"

Favorite song: "Excellent Choice"

Favorite song: "Don't Even Trip"

Favorite song: "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains"

It took hearing their cover of the Violent Femmes's "Gone Daddy Gone" to encourage me to buy this album, and I've never once regretted doing so.
Favorite song: "Just a Thought"

Favorite song: "you're one of them aren't you?"

Favorite song: "Don't Feel Right"

A little band from Kansas City, MO, that released one of the better post-punk influenced albums of the 00s.
Favorite song: "Occupado" ...which apparently has no video anywhere, so here's "The Rule of V" instead.

Favorite song: "Phenomena"

Shortly after PGMG released this album, I finally fell in love with their music completely. And then they broke up. Sigh.
Favorite song: "Parade"

I singled this one out because it's more a collection than a proper album. The 3 discs here represent their a-sides, b-sides, and c-sides, all of which have a slew of great songs that I love. As may be expected, however, the b-sides and c-sides discs do have a few tracks that were probably better left unearthed. But for Mclusky fans (like me) this release is essential.
Favorite song: "undress for success"

and
"hymn for new cars" (no idea what the video has to do with the song)