(Music) 2006: The Year Thus Far...

This has been a pretty interesting year in music thus far. There have been a handful of notable releases, many of which continue to be stuck in my head to this day. So with that in mind, I'd like to present to you my top 10 albums of 2006 thus far. However, to keep the surprise for the 3rd Annual Cale Awards, the following list is in no particular order. Here's what I think:

Thom Yorke: "The Eraser" - Well this should be no surprise. I gave it pretty raving reviews about a 1 1/2 weeks ago and it is truly one of the most enchanting albums of 2006. Almost everything about this album is flawless, and it's an absolute joy to listen to.

The Elected: "Sun, Sun, Sun" - This album came out way back on January 21st, and it is still getting regular plays in my CD player. The reason? Blake Sennet is a brilliant songwriter that captures the heart of the music style that his band set out to conquer in their second outing. There is not a bad song on this album, and more than one contender for "Song of the Year." If you haven't heard this album yet, get after it.

Destroyer: "Destroyer's Rubies" - This little album took me by surprise early this year. Dan Bejar, of The New Pornographers, has crafted a schizophrenic amalgam of songs that are so good, they don't need chorus' to be catchy. In fact, Bejar, more often than not, opts to replace a typical hook with "La de da da" or "Da de dum da" on this album. It's really an amazing, yet difficult album. I love it.

The Flaming Lips: "At War With the Mystics" - The Flaming Lips have come through big time with their latest (ahem...12th) full-length album! Anyone who was amazed by 2001's "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" should have been pleasantly surprised, as I was, when this album came out back in April. Though a bit more disjointed than its predecessor, "At War With the Mystics" is, song for song, the best album the Lips have ever released...and that's a HUGE accomplishment!

Tilly and the Wall: "Bottoms of Barrels" - The fact that I'm not being objective here may be a little unfair, but seeing as this is my blog, I simply have to restate that I adore Tilly and the Wall. To be honest, I did not forsee improvement over their debut "Wild Like Children" in the band's future, but they proved me wrong. The band has matured both musically and lyrically on their sophomore album, and it is one of the most fun albums of the year!

Muse: "Black Holes and Revelations" - I really hated this album at first. Thankfully, reviewing it made me listen to it over and over again, and to be honest, I can't stop. Sure, there are a few downsides to the album ("Assassin," "Hoodoo") but the rest of the album is so breathtaking in its sheer magnificence that it's hard to put this one away.

Zero 7: "The Garden" - Getting Jose Gonzalez to sing for this dynamic duo could've possibly been a better decision than Sia Fuhrler. Crazy, I know, especially since I am a die-hard Sia fan, but Jose's mellow Croce-esque vocals blend so perfectly with Zero 7's flawless productions that it's hard to imagine him not singing on this album. This album is beautiful and worth buying, for sure. Is this one my #1? Honestly, it's up there.

Mates of State: "Bring It Back" - There's nothing that could make me hate this dynamic duo. If their next album was an 20-track, autoharp tribute to Adolf Hitler, I'm still pretty sure I'd snatch that album up and enjoy every minute of it. This album is by far their most accomplished to date, and though it may lack some of the twee/bubblegum nature of their previous efforts ("Team Boo"), the band is just as charming as ever!

The Streets: "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living" - Don't get me started on this. Don't EVEN get me started! Before this album came out, I couldn't safely say that there was a music act out there that I hated more than The Streets. This album, however, is one of the most clever, funny, and catchy rap albums to ever grace my stereo. More surprising is that the video for "When You Wasn't Famous" is getting regular airplay in the US. Make no mistake about it, this is probably the best rap album of the year...but I don't listen/like rap, so its hard for me to say.

Sia: "Colour the Small One" - We Americans had to wait this album out for about two years while the rest of the world was jamming to it all the while. Trust me...it was worth the wait.



So there you have it! And now a look at some of my most anticipated upcoming 2006 releases:

The Mars Volta: "Amputechture"
Justin Timberlake: TBA
The Killers: "Sam's Town"
Cursive: "Happy Hollow"
The Shins: TBA

Enjoy the weekend.