[Voltron]

I have been having a hard time getting to and through the list of albums that were top 2006 contenders in my mind, but here is a pretty thorough shot at my lists. I couldn't figure out how to rank the jazz records against the rock/atlernative/everything else records, so I broke out jazz on its own.

Jazz Top 10:

Miles Davis -- Cellar Door Sessions (released in December 2005--whether or not it counts it was my favorite new jazz album in 2006

)
Mimi Fox -- Perpetually Hip
Patricia Barber - Mythologies
Paul Motian -- Garden of Eden
Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian -- Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, and Paul Motian
SF Jazz Collective -- 3rd Annual Concert Tour CD (Featuring new compositions by SFJAZZ Collective and works by Herbie Hancok)
Ornette Coleman -- Sound Grammar
Dave Douglas -- Meaning and Mystery
Brad Mehldau -- House on a Hill
Out Louder -- Medeski, Scofield, Martin, & Wood

Rock/Alternative/Etc. Top 40 (have to work on the rankings)

Camille -- Le Fil
Regina Spector -- Begin to Hope
M. Ward -- Post War
Belle & Sebastian -- The Life Pursuit
Joanna Newsome -- Ys
Tom Waits -- Orphans
Decemberists -- The Crane Wife
Guster -- Ganging Up on the Sun
Camera Obscura -- Let's Get Out of This Country
The Who -- Endless Wire
Ali Farka Toure -- Savane
Seu Jorge -- Life Aquatic Studio Sessions
Gnarls Barkley -- St. Elsewhere
Salif Kaita -- M'Bemba
Los Lobos -- Town and the City
Flaming Lips -- At War With The Mystics
Final Fantasy -- He Poos Clouds
Thom Yorke -- The Eraser
Beck -- The Information
Secret Machines -- Ten Silver Drops
Grizzly Bear -- Yellow House
Mark Knopfler & Emmylou Harris -- All the Roadrunning
Sufjan Stevens -- Avalanche
TV on the Radio -- Return to Cookie Mountain
Cat Power -- The Greatest
Hem -- No Word from Tom
Alejandro Escovedo -- The Boxing Mirror
Neko Case -- Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Yo La Tengo -- I am not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones -- The Hidden Land
Cut Chemist - The Audience Is Listening
Stereolab -- Fab Four Suture
Bruce Springsteen -- We Shall Overcome
Howe Gelb -- 'sno Angel Like You
Nelly McKay -- Pretty Little Head
Lambchop -- Damaged
Format –- Dog Problems
The Knife -- Silent Shout
KT Tunstall - Eye to the Telescope
The Derek Trucks Band -- Songlines

Albums I simply could not manage to listen to, but will buy and try soon:

Midlake -- Van Occupanther
Guillemots -- Through The Window pane
Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins -- Rabbit Fur Coat
Bonnie Prince Billy - The Letting Go
Trespassers William - Having

 

[DanielBurns11]

I don't know where they rank, but here's a couple more that make my list.

The Draft - In a Million Pieces
Snowden - Anti-Anti

EDIT: Oh yeah. And this album also fits in there somewhere.

Kaki King - ... Until We Felt Red

 

[Sean.Perrin]

1. BT - This Binary Universe
2. Mogwai - Mr. Beast
3. Stereolab - Fab Four Suture
4. Thom Yorke - The Eraser

That's all I think was deserving of being on a list.

 

[SickMouthy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean.Perrin /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1. BT - This Binary Universe 2. Mogwai - Mr. Beast 3. Stereolab - Fab Four Suture 4. Thom Yorke - The Eraser That's all I think was deserving of being on a list.

Dude, 2006 was MUCH better than that.

 

[Skylab]

I didn't have Fab Four Suture on my list because it was a best of, but it was a great release, no doubt.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif I didn't have Fab Four Suture on my list because it was a best of, but it was a great release, no doubt.

Actually, I think Fab Four Suture was a new release LP. They did release Serene Velocity in 2006 and Oscillons from the Anti-Sun in 2005 that were both best-of/collections.

 

[Skylab]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif Actually, I think Fab Four Suture was a new release LP. They did release Serene Velocity in 2006 and Oscillons from the Anti-Sun in 2005 that were both best-of/collections.

How right you are. Not sure why I missed it when I searched my iTunes library for 2006 stuff - it was indeed a good one, although not my favorite Stereolab LP.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif How right you are. Not sure why I missed it when I searched my iTunes library for 2006 stuff - it was indeed a good one, although not my favorite Stereolab LP.

Definitely not their best but still good.

 

[umcloud]

Fab Four Suture was apparently a singles comp., which arranges the songs the way they were intended to be heard - and it's on my top 10 as well, my fav Stereolab release since Dots and Loops. Here's my 10:

10. Beck - The Information
9. My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me The Workhorse
8. Stereolab - Fab Four Suture
7. Herbert - Scale
6. Fiery Furnaces - Bitter Tea
5. Decemberists - The Crane Wife
4. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
3. Joanna Newsom - Ys
2. Asobi Seksu - Citrus
1. The Knife - Silent Shout

 

[jonnyhambone]

Some of my 2006 fav's:

*Joanna Newsom - Ys.
Tom Waits - Orphans
Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Neko Case - Fox Confessor...
Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
Califone - Roots and Crowns
Wovenhand - Mosaic
Brightblack Morning Light - s/t
ooioo - Taiga
Danielson - Ships
Beirut - Orkestar Gulag
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Fillmore East 1970
the Thermals - the body, the blood, the machine
Yo La Tengo - I'm Not Afraid...
...favorite purchase of 2006:
Kinks remasters on Earmark 180 gm. vinyl
Kinks Kontroversy
Face to Face
Green Village Preservation Society

 

[Skylab]

I forgot about The Hold Steady's "Boys and Girls in America". Can't get that song "Chips Ahoy" out of my head.

 

[Jussei]

Now that 06 has wrapped up, Id say that the best album released (for sheer listening pleasure) was The Fratellis - Costello Music
From beginning to end, the CD is incredible

 

[MoreCowbell]

My top 10 in no real order:

The Gourds - Heavy Ornamentals
Bob Dylan - Modern Times
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America
Scott Miller and the Commonwealth - Citation
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - All The Roadrunning
The Handsome Family - Last Days Of Wonder
Bruce Springsteen - We Shall Overcome
Deadstring Brothers - Starving Winter Report
Matt Mays - Matt Mays and El Torpedo
Lucero - Rebels, Rogues and Sworn Brothers

 

[fikete]

The only album I really got into last year was Say Hi To Your Mom's - Impeccable Blahs

This is a really good indie rock album, I'm surprised they don't have more of a following.

 

[catscratch]

Far it be from me to actually name and rank albums in order of quality, but when it comes to metal specifically, nothing blew me away quite as much as Outworld's self-titled debut album last year. Honestly, if you like metal - any kind of metal - you really need to get your hands on it. I guess you would call it prog metal if you had to give it a label, but it's so much more than that. Sonically some comparisons might be Symphony X, Nevermore, and Meshuggah, but there are only elements of each, and the overall style and sound is like no other metal album that I've heard before.

I've never been this happy with a metal album since I've discovered Alchemist. And Rusty Cooley pounds every other new metal guitarist into the ground.

www.outworldband.com <--- samples here.