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Shiv's picks | Mike's picks | Joe's picks

The multi-layered, literary debut full-length from this Chicago quintet demanded my repeated listening this year, revealing more and more each time through. I was won over by the disc's seamless and repeated gear shifting, each time leading me by the ears to a new vignette.

It's rare when a band can follow up a disc of the caliber of Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes with a release that actually outshines it. The band essentially proclaims that they're here, and most definitely for real. Count me among those who're quite happy about that.

Singer Kate Jackson is a star. Flat out. The Blondes brand of 'glamorous punk' recalls the best aspects of new wave: punk-inspired licks and witty, sing-along lyrics with an unabashed groove. The early singles that were re-recorded for their debut album lose a bit of the ragged exuberance of the originals and considering two of their best songs weren't even included on the full ("Appropriation [By Any Other Name]", "Fulwood Babylon"), this band gave me the most thrills in 3 minutes or less all year.

That a band who has been around for more than 20 years can put out an album of this quality staggers me. What band wouldn't kill for the calling card that is "Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind"? Throw in the complexity of "The Room Got Heavy", the lounge slink of "Mr. Tough" and the soft touch of "Beanbag Chair" and you're talking a winner. And you do know that's just the tip of the iceberg here, don’t you?

Dark, druggy, neo-psychedelic music's gonna get me every time. This Austin band's debut is as solid a first outing as one could expect.

OK, you didn’t like Kid A? That's cool. I understand where you're coming from. Y'see, I loved Kid A, so it's natural that I loved Kid B, I mean, The Eraser. It's a Radiohead album without the band (or was it?), and I have no problem with Yorke pushing the boundaries of what his audience can expect or take. A brave outing for such an established star, and on an indie label too.

The hipster-endorsed acid-tongued pop tart. Perhaps what will be more interesting than how she captured everyone's initial attention (that MySpace thingy on the internets) is how Capitol Records markets next month's US release of the record. I just found most of the songs irresistibly catchy with enough lyrical UK slang to satiate my inner Anglophile.

I'll admit being unfamiliar with their previous output, but now I'm a huge fan. Hypnotic and melodic with fuzzed out guitars = sold. Like Joy Zipper 'cept with a pair...

Despite its 2005 European release, this is most definitely a 2006 disc for me. While the distorted psychedelia of last year's Ta Det Lungt by Dungen harked back to 70's-style prog rock, the Norwegians' debut follows closer to the blueprint set by My Bloody Valentine. A sonic assault that may not be everyone's cuppa, it could be considered a noisier, modern shoegazing record. They do both quiet, loud and quiet-loud-quiet with equal aplomb.

Arriving to less fanfare than their Lesser Matters debut, the Swedes cast aside their guitars for this follow-up, preferring to fiddle with their keys and computers. What you get is an album of sweet indie pop with a C-86 heart on its sleeve. It should be everyone's go-to record for rainy days.

Here's another group that I wasn't clued in to until their latest - their third but first to receive a US release - yet quickly became a fan of their darkly themed electronic pop. Swedish siblings who nurtured a public persona by wearing masks and keeping live appearances to a minimum only worked to enhance the intrigue.

Another group that mostly avoided my radar until this year. I didn't much care for their critically acclaimed, metal-tinged Blue Cathedral from 2004 but found the shift to a more subdued, 70's sound on this record more to my liking: more of a space age / jazz fusion inspired brand of psychedelia. Somewhere, someone is using the gatefold sleeve of vinyl version to remove the seeds from their bag of weed.

I think "Goin' Against Your Mind" resonated with our listeners more than any other song this year. This may not go down as BTS's best work but it may have been their most, dare I say, "radio ready" release. Still, we playlisted 9 of the disc's 10 tracks and there's hardly a duff tune in the bunch. As a real take-'em-or-leave 'em fan in the past - they bored me live - this is their first record I'll gladly listen to from start to finish. It was the station's most played CD of 2006 and, hence, its placing atop our 97 Best list.

This 3-CD set amazes me. The protagonists of Waits' songs always exist on the margins of society: drunks, hobos, ne'er-do-wells, and folks that are just plain down on their luck. That he's able to paint such a picture - sometimes bleak, sometimes hopeful - he never fails to bestow a very real humanity upon each character, which is central to his distinct brand of storytelling. No matter that some of the songs on Orphans are leftovers from years gone by; this is still a masterstroke from a uniquely American original.

A promising debut from this North Carolina 6-piece band, it's a mesh of complex and challenging indie rock that never gets too pretentious. There are some real melodies here! From the same label that brought you the Arcade Fire, Merge Records deserves kudos for recognizing talent in their own backyard. Annuals star is on the ascent, and may possibly reach the level of their label mate's acclaim in due time.

I thought the 3rd CD from this UK band was a big step up in quality for them. Some reviewers felt that the wealth of radio friendly tracks equated a sellout. Nonsense. Yes, it's a slick, polished record but it contains a lot catchy tunes with big, sing-along choruses. If you're any kind of Britpop fan, Amber delivers the goods without any NME-endorsed posturing. Sometimes, that can be a very good thing.

A collaboration as unique as Little Red Riding Hood teaming with The Big Bad Wolf and appearing in a spaghetti Western. The orchestration found on a few tracks greatly enhances the two polar opposite vocalists, making this CD a real breath of fresh air. Count me as among those who thought such a record couldn't have come from the ex-Belle And Sebastian belle. Teaming with the former Screaming Trees vocalist - could there be two groups more dissimilar than Belle And Sebastian & the Screaming Trees? - was an inspired move.

Forget the hype. At the end of the day, British youth on the internets pushed this band forward to near ubiquity even before they had a record released. Was it chock full of catchy, Britpop anthems? I thought so. Considering that the CD was written and recorded by a front man who hadn't yet turned 20 and seemed to withstand both the hype and the backlash intact, I'd say that bodes well for the band's future.

Not quite the tour de force that their previous disc, No Cities Left, was, but still another strong disc from the Montreal outfit. "Hate Then Love", "Ticket To Immortality", "Whites Only Party", "Bandwagoneers", and "You And I Are A Gang Of Losers" are quality on any disc. I normally don't notice or take issue with production qualities too often but I thought the sound of the entire record was very muddy as if the treble was set too low, leaving a dull sheen throughout the entire disc.

Seemingly, the Peoples Choice in 2006: earning high praise in some corners for its anthemic, Pumpkins-like riffs while earning high scorn from others for exactly the same thing. Alternative in an old skool way, the guitars and choruses on Carnavas propel the L.A. band's full-length debut to the cusp of mainstream acceptance by embracing the most basic components of rock and roll.