01. TV On The Radio: Return To Cookie Mountain
02. Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
03. Hot Chip: The Warning
04. Ghostface Killah: Fishscale
05. The Thermals: The Body, The Blood, The Machine
06. The Hold Steady: Boys & Girls In America
07. Mr. Lif: Mo' Mega
08. Band Of Horses: Everything All The Time
09. Clipse: Hell Hath No Fury
10. Junior Boys: So This Is Goodbye
11. Belle & Sebastian: The Life Pursuit
12. Comets On Fire: Avatar
13. Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your Bones
14. Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere
15. Asobi Seksu: Citrus
16. The Rapture: Pieces Of People We Love
17. Lupe Fiasco: Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor
18. The Walkmen: A Hundred Miles Off
19. Be Your Own Pet: s/t
20. The Roots: Game Theory

Perusing the albums on the list, I am not seeing many votes for Man Man's Six Demon Bag and I am curious if that is because people haven't listened to it enough (or at all) or if it is because people didn't like it.

I honestly think it is the most interesting and fantastic album of the year--though i did have some difficulty between it and Joanna Newsom, if that gives you any hint of my general tastes.

seriously though...
the praise for yorke's tiresome eraser[head] is virtually unanimous, insult to the injury that is no love for afx.
listen, i love radiohead. i think thom yorke and crew are brilliant artists and rightly among the 5 greatest rock groups of the last 25 years... but i find all this lauding of his solo album a bit trying, to the point of egregious overrating.
now don't read me wrong either. it's a good work, but hardly magical. ever since kid a, or perhaps even ok computer, it's been clear that richard d. james is among thom's greatest influences. maybe richard/aphex twin/afx/analord's latest hasn't gotten enough exposure?
someone else either show some love for 'chosen lords' or explain why not, por favor.

yeah... and likewise i haven't seen much love for Teddy Thompson's Separate Ways.
a real shame that most folks don't even know who the hell he is.
and those that do know him as "some guy who sang a song on the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack."
sheesh.
pitchfork didn't review it. that's why.

i believe i have over 30 posts now...
so please count my list from several days ago.
thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by the wuss:
i believe i have over 30 posts now...
so please count my list from several days ago.
thanks!

Done.

as much as i've been digging rdj for nigh on 10 years, the whole "getting back to basics with analog" was an okay idea propped up by okay tunes where attention was given to much more interesting shit going on elsewhere.
but someone is going to have to explain this one to me. is it so brilliant because of its simplicity, its directness? is it about doing the back-to-basics when everyone else is using the hottest features on ableton to full extent? because frankly some of these tunes play out like they're just tired of it all. i even have to be in the mood to put it on as *background* music.

And now the moment everyone has been waiting for (just kidding). Here are my top 20 albums of 2006. All favorites of mine, I also posted a short synopsis of what I think of each one in another thread here:

1. Muse- Black Holes and Revelations
2. Joanna Newsom- Ys
3. Ghostface Killah- Fishscale
4. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
5. Destroyer- Destroyer’s Rubies
6. Clipse- Hell Hath No Fury
7. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
8. Tom Waits- Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
9. The Roots- Game Theory
10. M. Ward- Post-War
11. The Knife- Silent Shout
12. Islands- Return to the Sea
13. The Strokes- First Impressions of Earth
14. J Dilla- The Shining
15. Yo La Tengo- I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
16. Cat Power- The Greatest
17. Lupe Fiasco- Food and Liquor
18. Beck- The Information
19. J Dilla- Donuts
20. The Killers- Sam’s Town

Slipped the Killers' record in there (which has its moments, and is worthy of a mention in some lists). Nice. Its a half-excellent record.

I could mess with the order all year, but after my bi-annual trip to Virginia, this where my head is:

20. Scott Walker – The Drift
19. The Twilight Singers – Powder Burns
18. The Thermals – The Body, The Blood, The Machine
17. TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
16. Man Man – Six Demon Bag
15. Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere
14. Cat Power – The Greatest
13. The Evens – Get Evens
12. Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
11. Bruce Springsteen – We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions
10. Joanna Newsom – Ys
9. Joseph Arthur – Nuclear Daydream
8. Destroyer – Destroyer's Rubies
7. Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
6. Lucero – Rebels, Rogues and Sworn Brothers
5. Regina Spektor – Begin to Hope
4. Hank Williams III – Straight to Hell
3. The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
2. Tom Waits – Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
1. The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls in America

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
1. Muse- Black Holes and Revelations
2. Joanna Newsom- Ys
3. Ghostface Killah- Fishscale
4. Neko Case- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
5. Destroyer- Destroyer’s Rubies
6. Clipse- Hell Hath No Fury
7. The Decemberists- The Crane Wife
8. Tom Waits- Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
9. The Roots- Game Theory
10. M. Ward- Post-War
11. The Knife- Silent Shout
12. Islands- Return to the Sea
13. The Strokes- First Impressions of Earth
14. J Dilla- The Shining
15. Yo La Tengo- I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
16. Cat Power- The Greatest
17. Lupe Fiasco- Food and Liquor
18. Beck- The Information
19. J Dilla- Donuts
20. The Killers- Sam’s Town

Well, I won't complain about the lack of Return to Cookie Mountain since I already know what you thought of that. But the mediocre Decemberists album over Orphans? I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but a little reasoning behind that would be helpful.

Nice #1, by the way.

Finally ready to post my list, it is straight copy/paste from my blog so I left the descriptions in tact. Enjoy!


1. Belle and Sebastian – “The Life Pursuit”

Dismissed by many critics and listeners as silly pop fluff, I did not enjoy a single album in 2006 more then “The Life Pursuit”. From beautifully crafted pop songs such as “White Collar Boy”, “The Blues are Still Blue”, and “Funny Little Frog” to more melancholy pieces like “Dress Up in You” and “Mornington Crescent”, this album does not misstep in a single place. Murdoch and Co. have released, in my eyes, the best pop album of the last decade. What is even more impressive is that this was a rebound album after the bland “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”, yet B & S did not shy away from the pop melodies present on “Waitress”, but instead expanded them into a complete album absent of stinkers such as “Lord Anthony” and “Roy Walker”. A landmark release that brings a smile to my face every time, I never get sick of a single track.
Key Tracks: All of it, especially “The Blues are Still Blue” and “Funny Little Frog”.

2. The Hold Steady – “Boys and Girls in America”

Expanding their sound from simple bar songs to rock anthems comparable to the Boss, Thin Lizzy, and ZZ Top, The Hold Steady have evolved into the foremost American rock band. With insightful lyrics, courtesy of former Lifter Puller frontman Craig Finn, combined with cutting rock riffs and occasional balladry “Boys and Girls in America” is one of the most complete albums I have heard in years. This album builds on the momentum created by the single “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” released in 2005. Finn has a lyrical gift for creating lyrics that are both profound and relatable while never lapsing into cliché, opening with three power rock anthems “Stuck Between Stations”, “Chips Ahoy”, and “Hot Soft Light” which represent the three strongest consecutive tracks released this year. “First Night” the first ballad on the disc, really represents how far Finn and the boys have come since “Separation Sunday”, chronicling the nostalgia for the first night Finn and friends met Holly (the main character in many Finn songs) and the slow decline of Holly’s life and their friendship thereafter. Though there are two stinkers on this album, “Same Kooks” and “Citrus”, this album is a perfect combination of fun, nostalgia, and wit for my generation of music listeners.
Key Tracks: Everything except “Same Kooks” and “Citrus”.

3. The Decemberists – “The Crane Wife”

“The Crane Wife” represents a major shift in the musical makeup of The Decemberists from baroque pop troubadours to Victorian prog-rockers who are as comfortable with a lyre as an electric guitar. This transformation is especially apparent on the “The Island” three-part track, where Colin Meloy’s distinctive lyrical vocabulary is dashed over epic guitar distortion. “The Island” clocks in at 12:42 much longer than even “The Mariner’s Revenge Song”, yet the song does not drag once nor do the lyrics seem stretched or incompatible with the track. “The Island” is not the only heavy track on the album both “When the War Came” and “The Perfect Crime 2” echo it’s proggy nature. But fear not loyal Decemberists fans there is a lot for you enjoy as well starting with the brilliantly crafted “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)” which is very reminiscent of the baroque craftings of “Picaresque”. Also, if you are lucky to pick up the iTunes extended edition you get the track “The Culling of the Fold” which echoes the gory sentiments of “The Mariners Revenge Song” and has a beautiful, knifing violin part. One of my favorite tracks of the year hands-down.
Key Tracks: “The Culling of the Fold”, “Yankee Bayonet”, “O Valencia”, “Shankill Butchers’

4. Beirut – “Gulag Orkestar”

Simply a brilliant album. At the tender age of 19 Zach Condon has created an album equally likely to be heard in the home of pre-Soviet Jews living in the Pale settlement or in the swanky digs of a Brooklyn hipster. Half Kletzmer music and half Neutral Milk Hotel with a little DeVotchKa added for good measure, “Gulag” is like not album I have ever heard. It easily represents the mixing of Eastern and Western culture, as well as youth and age, this is especially obvious in the track “Scenic World”. Condon will have a long and fruitful career, I am just joyful that I get to witness it.
Key Tracks: “Scenic World”, “Postcards from Italy”, “Mount Wroclai”

5. Destroyer – “Destroyer’s Rubies”

Producing one of the most fluid listening experiences of 2006 was the Dan Bejar side project Destroyer. This album has two of my favorite songs of the year on it: “Watercolours Into the Ocean” and “Painter in Your Pocket”. Both songs showcase Bejar’s free form composition, which creates many beautiful spontaneous moments (along with the occasional dead-end jam). Destroyer was one of the most surprising albums of 2006, since previous Destroyer material has been disappointing and usually overly complex, but with the release of this new album it has the promise to join his other successful groups (The New Pornographers and Swan Lake) as a top band in the art rock community.
Key Tracks: “Painter in Your Pocket”, “Watercolours Into the Ocean”, “European Oils”, “Priest’s Knees”

6. Gnarls Barkley – “St. Elsewhere”

My top summer album. A great combination of funk, soul, rap, and alternative which propelled Cee-Lo and DJ Danger Mouse into the mainstream with the pop-soul hit “Crazy”. Subsequent hit “Gone Daddy Gone” followed in the next month, but the album is in no way limited to those two songs. My favorite songs on the album are the title track, “St. Elsewhere”, a soul-funk track and “The Boogie Monster”. What makes Gnarls Barkley such a great group is their ability to seamlessly move from genre to genre without it feeling forced or awkward. DJ Danger Mouse deserves special praise for creating some of the sickest beats of the year and really taking his work to the next level, putting him in the echelon of elite DJs.
Key Tracks: “Go-Go Gadget Gospel”, “The Boogie Monster”, “St. Elsewhere”

7. Neko Case – “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood”

Neko Case possess one of the most beautiful and powerful voices in music today and on her latest album “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” she showcases her voice in a way none of her previous albums have managed to do. On tracks such as “John Saw That Number” and “Maybe Sparrow” we see Case’s voice at it’s all time most powerful and beautiful. This album also has much less filler in it than her previous releases, most notably “Blacklisted”, which had some great tracks, but lost it’s flow because of massive amounts of filler. It is unclear what Case’s role in the upcoming New Pornographers’ release, but if she can unleash some of the vocal power that she did on “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood” the New Pornographers will be a much better band for it.
Key Tracks: “Maybe Sparrow”, “Hold On, Hold On”, “John Saw That Number”

8. M. Ward – “Post-War”

A sneaky good album, “Post-War” did not initially impress me as a fantastic release because I saw it as simply a rehash of the superb “Transfiguration of Vincent” not the step forward that I expected from such a gifted musician as Ward. But the more I listened to the album the more it grew on me, as other summer and autumn discs wore on me quickly (especially “Bottoms of Barrels” and “Get Lonely”) tracks such as “Chinese Translation” and “To Go Home” offered more with each listen. The most notable track on the album for me is the criminally underrated “Magic Trick”, which rivaled even a manic band such as Tilly and the Wall in sheer fun factor. A true toe tapper, “Magic Trick”, proved to me that Ward was both capable of chill-out summer folk and head bobbing fun. “Post-War” is also M. Ward’s most complete release, though there is some filler, and shows him putting more emphasis on tracks complimenting each other instead of clashing (as they did on his anemic release “End of Amnesia”). Looking forward to hearing more from him in 2007, even if it comes in collaboration form.
Key Tracks: “Chinese Translation”, “Post-War”, “Magic Trick”

9. Band of Horses – “Everything All the Time”

From the airy vocals to the overall openness of their sound, Band of Horses certainly shook the foundations of the folk-rock world with their first release “Everything All the Time”. Rising from the ashes of Carissa’s Weird, Band of Horses put together a very solid record with some outstanding tracks such as “The Funeral”, “The Great Salt Lake” and “St. Augustine”. “The Funeral” is most definitely the centerpiece track of this album with it’s slow build-up to it’s powerful chorus (“on every occasion/I’m ready for the funeral”) and it’s extremely open feel, it is definitely one of the great indie rock anthems of 2006. But my favorite two songs on the album must be “St. Augustine” and “I Go to the Barn Because I Like the” because I think that Band of Horses does the slow jam better than almost any band in 2006. Both tracks evoke memories of lost love and rebirth. Band of Horses was also a band that I could get into with my friends, which in a year dominated by Joanna Newsom and TV on the Radio was not always easy to come by. Overall, a great chill-out album, which has some misses, but also some terrific hits.
Key Tracks: “St. Augustine”, “The Funeral”, “I Go to the Barn Because I Like the”

10. Magnolia Electric Co. – “Fading Trails”

Dismissed by most critics as a derivative country rock album, I see “Fading Trails” as the beginning of a new direction for Jason Molina. In Molina’s Songs: Ohia days he was too often caught down tempo and favored minimalism over full arrangements (“Ghost Tropic” though an excellent album is an example of this). It is important to note that “Fading Trails” is Southern rock done right, no Doobie Brothers or Lynard Skynard cliché present here, only down and dirty, lyrically driven, Southern rock. “Talk To Me Devil, Again” is the star track on this album, which is a driving rock track, which sees Molina at his best rhythmically and lyrically. Other standouts including “Montgomery” and “Memphis Moon” are also strong lyrical tracks that are even more kick-ass when heard live. This album does have a few stinkers, especially “The Old Horizon” which is a real tempo killer. But it is by far the most solid Magnolia Electric Co. release and with 4 albums slated to come out next year, we should hear much more from them in the near future.
Key Tracks: “Talk to Me Devil, Again”, “Montgomery”, “Memphis Moon”

11. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins – “Rabbit Fur Coat”
Key Tracks: “Rise Up, With Fists!!”, “Handle With Care”, “The Big Guns”
12. Joanna Newsom – “Ys”
Key Tracks: “Emily”, “Cosmia”
13. The Essex Green – “Cannibal Sea”
Key Tracks: “Penny and Jack”, “Rue de Lis”, “Elsinore”
14. Regina Spektor – “Begin to Hope”
Key Tracks: “Fidelity”, “Hotel Song”, “Sampson”
15. Camera Obscura – “Let’s Get Out of this Country”
Key Tracks: “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken”, “Let’s Get Out of This Country”
16. Tom Waits – “Orphans”
Key Tracks: “Lie to Me”, “Sea of Love”
17. Islands – “Return to the Sea”
Key Tracks: “Rough Gem”, “Don’t Call Me Whitney, Bobby”, “Humans”
18. Mates of State – “Bring It Back”
Key Tracks: “Think Long”, “Like U Crazy”
19. Midlake: “The Trials of Van Occupanther”
Key Tracks: “Roscoe”, “Bandits”, “Young Bride”
20. Okkervil River – “Overboard and Down EP”
Key Tracks: “O, Dana”, “The President’s Dead”

quote:

Originally posted by DrAwesome:
1. Belle and Sebastian – “The Life Pursuit”

Dismissed by many critics and listeners as silly pop fluff, I did not enjoy a single album in 2006 more then “The Life Pursuit”. From beautifully crafted pop songs such as “White Collar Boy”, “The Blues are Still Blue”, and “Funny Little Frog” to more melancholy pieces like “Dress Up in You” and “Mornington Crescent”, this album does not misstep in a single place. Murdoch and Co. have released, in my eyes, the best pop album of the last decade. What is even more impressive is that this was a rebound album after the bland “Dear Catastrophe Waitress”, yet B & S did not shy away from the pop melodies present on “Waitress”, but instead expanded them into a complete album absent of stinkers such as “Lord Anthony” and “Roy Walker”. A landmark release that brings a smile to my face every time, I never get sick of a single track.
Key Tracks: All of it, especially “The Blues are Still Blue” and “Funny Little Frog”.

I actually kind of like this as your #1. It has been in my top 20, and since I heard an interview with Stuart Murdoch the other day, I have been listening to it a bit more lately and it has been climbing.

1. Bob Dylan - Modern Times
2. Bruce Springsteen - Seeger Sessions
3. Tom Petty - Highway Companion
4. Donald Fagen - Morph the Cat
5. Beck - The Information
6. The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers
7. Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
8. The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
9. The Who - Endless Wire
10. Neil Young - Live at the Filmore
11. My Morning Jacket - Okonokos
12. Paul Simon - Surprise
13. JJ Cale and Eric Clapton - The Road to Escondido
14. Thom Yorke - The Eraser
15. Old Crow Medicine Show - Big Iron World

OK, I'm ready to post my top 20. I know that on certain days, I'll feel that other albums should be in this list, but I can't worry about that. They are not in order except for my album of the year, Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way. This is how I wrote them down in my notepad file, so if you have to rank, it's fine if you rank in this order.

Top 20

Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (#1 ALBUM)
The Corrs - Home
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country
The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea
Neil Young - Living With War
Nina Gordon - Bleeding Heart Graffiti
Damone - Out Here All Night
Belle And Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The Charade - A Real Life Drama
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
Josh Ritter - Animal Years
The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America
Alison Ray - Downside Up
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
Indigo Girls - Despite Our Differences
Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Ladies Are Me
Hem - Funnel Cloud
Candice Accola - It's Always The Innocent Ones
The Format - Dog Problems
Thea Gilmore - Harpo's Ghost

I think that Susan Cagle's The Subway Recordings has top 20-type music, but because of the background noise, I'm putting it in my other highly recommended albums. Some other highly recommended ones:

Those Transatlantics - Knocked Out
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
Tilly and the Wall - Bottoms of Barrels
Lillix - Inside The Hollow
Susan Cagle - The Subway Recordings
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Letting Go
Ellery - Lying Awake
The Weepies - Say I Am You
Veruca Salt - IV
The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty
Alexz Johnson - Songs From Instant Star 2
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade
The Cardigans - Super Extra Gravity
The Long Blondes - Someone To Drive You Home
Gomez - How We Operate
Cat Power - The Greatest
Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler
Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac
Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope
Persephone's Bees - Notes From The Underworld
Slumber Party - Musik
Tom Petty - Highway Companion
Paul Simon - Surprise
Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You
Libby Johnson - Annabella
Ingrid Michaelson - Girls & Boys
Leigh Nash - Blue On Blue
Jennifer O'Connor - Over The Mountain...
Elton John - The Captain And The Kid
Ripley - Outtasite!
Lisa Palleschi - Released

I really wanted to hear some albums, but didn't get a chance. Could not hear all of Vince Gill's These Days, and can't before the deadline. That album would likely be mentioned as at least a highly recommended album if not top 20. Also couldn't hear Silversun Pickups, M. Ward, Corrine Bailey Rae, Emily Haines, Casey Dienel, Sparklehorse, Gnarles Barkley, Tom Waits, Amy Winehouse, Yusuf, and Wolf Eyes - though I will buy at least some of these.

quote:

Originally posted by Dork:
Well, I won't complain about the lack of Return to Cookie Mountain since I already know what you thought of that. But the mediocre Decemberists album over Orphans? I'm not trying to give you a hard time, but a little reasoning behind that would be helpful.

Nice #1, by the way.

I did use some reasoning. I dont find The Decemberists album to be mediocre at all and I love the Tom Waits album so much, it is just so hard to rank it since there is so much music. But I see your point that maybe it should be higher.

And thanks, I really like my number one album as well--a lot.

Forgot to add quick descriptions. In parentheses, here are artists or styles I think these list members sound like.

Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way (#1 ALBUM) (southern rock, power pop, country)
The Corrs - Home (Celtic and pop)
Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out Of This Country (girl group pop, Belle And Sebastian)
The Essex Green - Cannibal Sea (indie pop)
Neil Young - Living With War (60s protest)
Nina Gordon - Bleeding Heart Graffiti (Aimee Mann mixed with pop/rock)
Damone - Out Here All Night (Avril, 80s hard rock)
Belle And Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (60s and 70s rock)
The Charade - A Real Life Drama (indie pop, jangle pop)
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (The Smiths, indie pop)
Josh Ritter - Animal Years (folk/rock)
The Hold Steady - Boys And Girls In America (Counting Crows, The Replacements)
Alison Ray - Downside Up (Avril, Melissa Etheridge)
Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings The Flood (alt-country)
Indigo Girls - Despite Our Differences (punk-tinged folk/rock)
Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked Ladies Are Me (The Beatles, The B-52s, R.E.M.)
Hem - Funnel Cloud (art-pop)
Candice Accola - It's Always The Innocent Ones (Avril, American Hi-Fi, Jewel)
The Format - Dog Problems (The Clash, Ben Folds, power pop)
Thea Gilmore - Harpo's Ghost (Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Sheryl Crow)

Those Transatlantics - Knocked Out (New Pornographers, The Cardigans, My Morning Jacket)
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (The Beatles, Sonic Youth)
Tilly and the Wall - Bottoms of Barrels (indie pop)
Lillix - Inside The Hollow (new wave, pop/rock)
Susan Cagle - The Subway Recordings (Michelle Branch, Sheryl Crow)
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Letting Go (traditional folk mixed with some Sigur Ros and his own personality)
Ellery - Lying Awake (The Cranberries, Sarah McLachlan)
The Weepies - Say I Am You (Bob Dylan, Indigo Girls
Veruca Salt - IV (Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, Hole)
The Wreckers - Stand Still, Look Pretty (Dixie Chicks, country/pop)
Alexz Johnson - Songs From Instant Star 2 (Damhnait Doyle, pop/rock)
My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade (Green Day, power pop)
The Cardigans - Super Extra Gravity (The Sundays, Black Sabbath)
The Long Blondes - Someone To Drive You Home (Blondie, Pulp, Elastica)
Gomez - How We Operate (indie pop, All Music Guide lists Pavement)
Cat Power - The Greatest (Memphis soul sound, alternative rock)
Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler (power pop, Bruce Springsteen)
Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac (alt-country, folk, pop/rock)
Regina Spektor - Begin To Hope (Fiona Apple, The Strokes, Billie Holiday)
Persephone's Bees - Notes From The Underworld (dance/pop, Fleetwood Mac)
Slumber Party - Musik (psychedelic pop)
Tom Petty - Highway Companion (classic rock)
Paul Simon - Surprise (classic rock)
Mojave 3 - Puzzles Like You (Jayhawks)
Libby Johnson - Annabella (Sheryl Crow, Patty Griffin)
Ingrid Michaelson - Girls & Boys (indie rock)
Leigh Nash - Blue On Blue (Sixpence None The Richer, Eisley)
Jennifer O'Connor - Over The Mountain... (update of the old Liz Phair sound)
Elton John - The Captain And The Kid (classic rock)
Ripley - Outtasite! (The Pretenders, power pop)
Lisa Palleschi - Released (Natalie Imbruglia mixed with Celine Dion)

So, I just listened to that joanna newsom album and I must say, musically it's really nice. But dang, couldn't they have hired a better vocalist to sing the songs? I mean really. I can't be the only one that thinks she sounds identical Bart Simpson's sister Lisa. I don't think it would've been that hard to find a lady with a beautiful voice to sing newsom's lyrics. A bad voice spoils the whole album for me.