This mix has a representative track from each of my Top 20 Albums of 2006.
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1. The Evens “Dinner With the President” Get Evens (Dischord)
2. The Coup “Head (of State)” Pick A Bigger Weapon (Anti-/Epitaph)
3. Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Gold Lion” Show Your Bones (Interscope)
4. Clipse “Momma I’m So Sorry” Hell Hath No Fury (Re-Up Gang/Star Trak/Zomba)
5. TV On the Radio “Dirtywhirl” Return to Cookie Mountain (Interscope)
6. Blood Meridian “Most Days” Kick Up the Dust (V2)
7. The Hold Steady “Hot Soft Light” Boys and Girls In America (Vagrant)
8. The Decemberists “The Perfect Crime #2” The Crane Wife (Capitol)
9. Matisyahu “Jerusalem” Youth (Epic/JDub)
10. Roisin Murphy “Night of the Dancing Flame” Ruby Blue (Echo)
11. Cursive “Hymns for the Heathen” Happy Hollow (Saddle Creek)
12. Neko Case “The Needle Has Landed” Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (Anti-)
13. Regina Spektor “Hotel Song” Begin To Hope (Sire)
14. Elbow “Leaders of the Free World” Leaders of the Free World (V2)
15. Man Man “Engrish Bwudd” Six Demon Bag (Ace Fu)
16. Honeycut “Shadows” The Day I Turned To Glass (Quannum)
17. The Rapture “Don Gon Do It” Pieces of the People We Love (Universal Motown)
18. Favourite Sons “Down Beside Your Beauty” Down Beside Your Beauty (Vice)
19. Hot Chip “Over and Over” The Warning (DFA/Astralwerks)
20. Arctic Monkeys “When the Sun Goes Down” Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am Not (Domino)
I prefer the Sugababes’ cover of “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” to any of the original material, which I find to be pretty bland. Even the stuff that should be stuff and fun comes off lame. (”Like a robot / From 1984″ et cetera.) British rock music is so boring these days it’s ridiculous.
Arctic Monkeys were overhyped last year for sure. Many seemed to have them higher on their lists. I say the album was just barely fun enough to squeak in at #20.