The Boxer is the best album this year.
Modest Mouse comes 2nd.

marnie stern - in advance of the broken arm ..hmmmmm think il get that today

Interesting to see the divergence of opinion on Favourite Worst Nightmare. I was a bit disappointed with it myself but I think Trix's point about people expecting too much is valid. Perhaps the same could be said of Neon Bible ?

The Hold Steady's album is probably my favourite this year, along with the CSS album which, although it was released last year, I only got into recently
(thanks to Phantom).

Just bought the new Biffy Clyro album on the strength of seeing them live a few times and being impressed, a clatter of good album reviews (including the Cluas one), and finally hearing the gorgeous Folding Stars.

Heard a track of this recently, it's definitely on my list of albums to get. I bought Feists "the reminder" recently and really, really liked it. Does this mean I'm getting old?

Haven't purchased many new albums as I've been mainly downloading (legally! I paid for them!) Bpitch Control back catalogue stuff the last two months and that's mostly 12" singles.

Hmmm... I think this year has been tricky to categorise. I think there have been a number of empty second albums, but then again the quality of debut albums has really decreased. Interpol, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Wilco - I don't think they have enhanced their reputations with this year's releases.

So far, Feist's The Reminder has impressed. The Besnard Lakes made a cool, if derivative, album. I still think Amy Winehouse's record is pure pop fun and a guilty pleasure that I reach for time and time again. Ryan Adams' Easy Tiger is a step up in class from his previous few releases and I'm very much looking forward to seeing him this Thursday in Sydney. I've written about Aussie band Augie March on Short Cuts - their Moo You Bloody Choir is just lovely. Rufus Wainwright's Release the Stars has been a real highlight for me too. The White Stripes' record is a blast from beginning to end.

I find myself listening to more and more old music. Today I played The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard and Clark through twice and grinned like an idiot bith times. If you've never heard it, seek it out forthwith. And I have a newly purchased box set of Northern Soul to digest over the next few weeks.

By the way, I've listened to the excerpts of Kanye West's Graduation and I have a suspicion it may make its way to the top of many a Best Of list come the end of the year.

still marnie stern and battles for me because these are the only two albums that have offered up something that feels fresh and new...

...since my last post, i'm thoroughly in love with the new nina nastasia album and have also enjoyed the victoria bergman lp...

MIA: Kala is f**king amazing.

Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha... Im surprised nobody has mentioned this already. Great Album!

Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Wilco - Sky Blue Sky... I am a fairly new fan and Im only catching up on their whole back catalogue this year but I really like this album. Some Lizzy-esque guitar sounds in there..

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Feist - The Reminder

It is turning out to be a great year for music with some great albums still to come out (band of horses, sunset rubdown) I can't think of any other year that had new albums from quality bands such as ( to name but a few):

White Stripes
National
QOTSA
Ryan Adam
CYHSY
Arcade Fire
Kings of Leon
The Shins
Okkervil River

The White Stripes album sucks.

"The Stage Names" by Okkervil River. Biggest disappoint was the the new Wilco.

Also, I really like "Sound of Silver" by LCD Soundsystem, but I'm not much of hep-cat these days, so that may have come out in 2006...

El-P's I'll Sleep When You're Dead is worth checking out if you like dense, syllable-heavy, claustrophobic hip-hop (a compliment, by the way).

This year I have been mostly liking, in no particular order:

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
Kings of Leon - Because of the Times
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
Okkervil River - The Stage Names
Elvis Perkin's - Ash Wednesday
Tokyo Police Club - Tokyo Police Club

...and the year is not over yet...