TOP TEN RECORDS OF 2006 (Compiled by Votes)
1. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America (Vagrant)
2. Joanna Newsom, Ys (Drag City)
3. T.V. On The Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain
4. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
5. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife
6. The Thermals- The Body, The Blood, The Machine
7. Someone Still Love You Boris Yeltsin, Broom (Polyvinyl)
8. Liars, Drum's Not Dead (Mute)
9. Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
10. Cat Power, The Greatest

TOP FIVE LOCAL RECORDS OF 2006 (Compiled by Votes)
1. Haley Bonar, Lure The Fox (Afternoon)
2. The Plastic Constellations (FrenchKiss)
3. Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon (XL)
4. Mouthful of Bees (Afternoon)
5. Jeremy Messersmith, The Alcatraz Kid (Princess)

STAFF PICKS:

BEST RECORDS OF 2006

David Brusie, Staff Writer
1. The Decemberists, The Crane Wife
2. Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones
4. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
5. Phoenix, It's Never Been Like That
6. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls In America
7. The Roots, Game Theory
8. Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
9. Cat Power, The Greatest
10. Mouthful of Bees, The End

Kyle Frenette, Staff Writer
1. Someone Still Love You Boris Yeltsin, Broom (Polyvinyl)
2. Joanna Newsom, Ys (Drag City)
3. Liars, Drum's Not Dead (Mute)
4. The Velvet Teen, Cum Laude! (Slowdance)
5. Califone, Roots and Crows (Thrill Jockey)
6. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America (Vagrant)
7. Emily Hanes & The Soft Skeleton, Knives Don't Have Your Back (Last Gang)
8. Akron/Family, Meek Warrior (Young God)
9. Owen, At Home With Owen (Polyvinyl)
10. Rocky Votolato, Makers (Barsuk, Second Nature)

Jon Graef, Staff Writer
1. Joanna Newsom, Ys
2. T.V. On The Radio, Return To Cookie Mountain
3. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
4. The Hold Steady, Boys And Girls In America
5. Liars, Drum's Not Dead
6. Mastodon, Blood Mountain
7. Rhymefest, Blue Collar
8. The Decembrists, The Crane Wife
9. Annuals, Be He Me
10. Dodo Bird, Beware of the Maniacs
11. Clint Mansell, The Fountain: Music from the Motion Picture
12. Cat Power, The Greatest
13. Serena-Maneesh, Serena-Maneesh
14. Be Your Own Pet, Be Your Own Pet
15. Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam
16. Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
17. Destroyer, Rubies
18. Islands, Return to the Sea
19. Yo La Tengo, I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass
20. Bob Dylan, Modern Times

Stephanie Soucheray, Contributing Writer
1. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
2. Tapes 'n Tapes- The Loon
3. TV on the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
4. Lupe Fiasco- Food & Liquor
5. Plastic Constellations- Crusades
6. Peter Bjorn and John- Writer's Block
7. M. Ward- Post-War
8. Prince- 3121 (TRAGICALLY IGNORED)
9. Phoenix- It's Never Been Like Thant
10. Various Artists- Duluth Does Dylan Revisited

April Wright, Staff Writer
10. The Minus Five- The Minus Five
9. TV On the Radio- Return to Cookie Mountain
8. Destroyer- Destroyer's Rubies
7. Tom Waits- Orphans: Bawlers, Brawlers and Bastards
6. Joanna Newsom- Ys
5. Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3- Ole! Tarantula
4. The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls In America
3. The Mountain Goats- Get Lonely
2. The Thermals- The Body, The Blood, The Machine
1. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife

Ian Anderson, Editor
1) The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls In America
2) The Thermals - The Body, The Blood, The Machine
3) The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth
4) Love Is All - Nine Times That Same Song
5) Haley Bonar - Lure the Fox
6) The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes
7) Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Broom
8) Crystal Skulls - Outgoing Behavior
9) Mates of State - Bring It Back
10) My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
Honorable Mentions:
Akron/Family
Annuals
Archie Bronson Outfit
Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
Christians & Lions
Cinemechanica
Danielson
Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton
Joanna Newsom - Ys
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex / LoveSounds
Miho Hatori
My Chemical Romance
Puffy Ami Yumi - Rock
Robert Pollard
So Many Dynamos - Flashlights
TV On the Radio

BEST LOCAL RECORDS OF 2006

Kyle Frenette, Staff Writer
1. Jeremy Messersmith, The Alcatraz Kid (Princess)
2. Haley Bonar, Lure The Fox (Afternoon)
3. Chris Koza, Patterns (Chris Koza)
4. Cowboy Curtis, Thirty-Five Summers (Cowboy Curtis)
5. The Get Up Johns, Trouble In Mind (Mercy)

April Wright, Staff Writer
5. Haley Bonar- Lure the Fox
4. Dosh- The Lost Take
3. Coach Said Not To- Mini Series
2. A Night In the Box - The Hustle, The Prayer, The Thief
1. One for the Team- Good Boys Don't Make Noise

Ian Anderson, Editor
1)Haley Bonar
2)The Plastic Constellations
3)P.O.S.
4)Superhopper
5)Signal to Trust
Honorable Mentions:
Awesome Snakes
Cave Deaths
Chooglin'
Dosh
Kill the Vultures
Jayber Crow
Jeremy Messersmith
Mark Mallman
STNNNG

RANDON MIX

David Brusie, Staff Writer
Best Reissues/Compilations of 2006

1. R.E.M., And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years, 1982-1987
2. Various Artists, Soul Sides, Vol. 1
3. The Replacements, Don't You Know Who I Think I Was?
4. Pavement, Wowee Zowee: Sordid Sentinels Edition
5. Tom Waits, Orphans: Bawlers, Brawlers, and Bastards

Best Songs of 2006:

1. "Colours," Hot Chip
2. "The Greatest," Cat Power
3. "Party Pit," The Hold Steady
4. "Hips Don't Lie," Shakira
5. "Cheated Hearts," Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken," Camera Obscura
7. "To Go Home," M. Ward
8. "Kick, Push," Lupe Fiasco
9. "Smile," Lily Allen
10. "Conventional Wisdom," Built To Spill

Jon Graef, Staff Writer
Top Five Albums That I Acquired Legitimately But Did Not Technically Pay For:

1. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (promo bin at the retail store where I worked)
2. The Decembrists, The Crane Wife (ditto)
3. Tapes N' Tapes, The Loon (E-music Trial Period where you get 50 downloads for free)
4. Destroyer, Rubies (friend burned it for me)
5. Mastodon, Blood Mountain (iTunes gift certificate – paid for, yes, but it wasn't my money being spent)


Best Songs off of the most disappointing albums:

1. The Flaming Lips, "The W.A.N.D" from At War With The Mystics
2. The Dears, "Ticket To Immortality" from Gang of Losers
3. Sonic Youth, "Incinerate" from Rather Ripped
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Cheated Hearts" from Show Your Bones
5. The Strokes, "You Only Live Once" from First Impressions On Earth
6. OutKast, "Morris Brown" from Idlewild

April Wright, Staff Writer
Sexiest Albums of 2006

5. Tom Waits- Orphans: Bawlers, Brawlers and Bastards
4. Flaming Lips- At War With the Mystics
3. R.E.M.- …And I Feel Fine
2. Neil Young- Living With War
1. Thermals- The Body, The Blood, The Machine


Ian Anderson, Editor
Top 5 Records Everyone Liked, But I Thought Were "Okay":

1)Band of Horses
2)M. Ward
3)Grizzly Bear
4)Fujiya & Miyagi: Transparent Things
5)Destroyer

Worst Popular Record of the Year:

1)The Editors - The Back Room