thanks for waiting...

-The list consists of releases from January 1, 2006- June 15, 2006, and of course this list is incomplete, but a nice barometer of what I thought were some notable releases thus far. So here's my picks of the best releases of the halfway mark of 2006.
-The competition got even stiffer, as only 2 albums survived from the First Quarter.

Drum roll pleez...

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1. The Knife "Silent Shout" (February 20, 2006)



WinMed: The Knife- "Marble House"

2. Sonic Youth- "Rather Ripped" (June 13, 2006)

stream the whole album from here

3. Beirut- Gulag Orkestar (May 9, 2006)

mp3: Beirut "Postcards From Italy"

4. Danielson- "Ships" (May 9, 2006)

mp3: Danielson- "Did I Step On Your Trumpet"

5. Sunset Rubdown- "Shut Up I Am Dreaming" (May 2, 2006)

mp3: Sunset Rubdown- "Stadiums and Shrines II"

6. Gnarls Barkley- "St Elsewhere" (May 9, 2006)

Real: Gnarls Barkley- "Crazy"

7. Cat Power- "Greatest" (Jan. 24, 2006)

mp3: Cat Power- "The Greatest"

8. Guillemots- "From the Cliffs" (Mar. 14, 2006)

WinMed: Guillemots- "Trains to Brazil"

9. Asobi Seksu- "Citrus (May 30, 2006)

mp3 download: Asobi Seksu- "Thursday"

10. Bishop Allen- "2006 EP-a-month Project" (still in progress)

mp3: Bishop Allen- Butterfly Nets" (from the May EP)

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Honorable Mentions:
Radio Dept. "Pet Grief"
Be Your Own Pet "s/t"
Band of Horses "Everything All The Time"
Neko Case- "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood"
Destroyer "Rubies"
Liars "Drums Not Dead"
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan- "Ballad Of The Broken Seas"

Still in Consideration: But enjoying it for now

Silversun Pickups "Carnavas"