A collection of really great unknown (or, practically unknown) soul artists from Birmingham, AL. A couple, like Frederick Knight, went on to have one or two hits ("I've Been Lonely For So Long"). But, for the most part, none of them really went on to any renown... just a couple of recordings for this small local label. Too bad though, because a lot of this is freaking GREAT.

Records from 2006 that hold up for me...

The Sounds - Dying to Say this to You (By far my favorite by them…their last 2 have been pretty forgettable.)
Viva Voce - Get Yr Blood Sucked Out (This was my favorite that year and they haven't come close to replicating its greatness since.)
Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit (I still consider this to be their best, despite much chiding by IYFS loyalists.)
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am… (Loved the energy on this thing, which they haven't been able to match since. Suck It and See comes close I suppose.)
YYYs - Show Your Bones (I think I recall not warming up to this until the end of that year. I think it's the best record they've put out to date. I don't even own a physical copy of Fever to Tell anymore, which I think at some point I considered to be superior to this.)
DBT - A Blessing and a Curse (I didn't really discover DBT until the end of 2006 and didn't buy this album until 2007. I'd say it's my 4th fav truckers album as of now.)
The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America (Whenever I feel the urge to listen to them nowadays, this is normally what I queue up.)
Cat Power - The Greatest (I didn't mind a few songs from her last covers album, but apart from that, this and You Are Free are the only records of hers I really listen to.)
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - Rabbit Fur Coat (One I haven't spun in a while, but still like a lot, and more than any Rilo Kiley release.)
Jerry Lee Lewis - Last Man Standing (I don't know how Kid Rock, Toby Keith, and Don Henley got on here, but apart from that, this is a pretty solid twilight years release for Jerry. The cover of "Pink Cadillac" is one of my fav singles of the year.)

A few random singles in my iTunes library that have 4 or 5 stars:

Neko Case - Hold On, Hold On
TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
The Rapture - The Devil
Destroyer - 3,000 Flowers
Regina Spektor - Fidelity, Better, On the Radio
Danielson - Did I Step On Your Trumpet
Lost Dogs - Devil's Elbow
Grandaddy - Elevate Myself
The Elected - Would You Come With Me
Cracker - Everybody Gets One For Free
Phoenix - One Time Too Many
Gomez - Homoa Beach, Don't Make Me Laugh
Joe Bataan - Call My Name, You Were the Fool

Sadly, I agree. Which is a pity because their entire discography up through this album was great...but haven't been compelled by anything after this.

This is the only one I have. I guess I should check out their earlier records. I'll add it to the to-do list.

Is from 2005, but you're right, it kicks all kinds of ass.

I just double-checked thinking you were correct, but both Bloodshot & Amazon have it listed as 2006. Still, a great record.

Huh. iTunes, AllMusic, and Wikipedia say 2005.

I've been listening to 2006 records a lot this week. It's really one of the best/most diverse years of my collection

I'll go with the label that released it.
....if only out of sheer laziness in having to update 2005/2006.

I'll take two to go please, nothing on them.

Here's the story. The Deadstrings recorded it in 2005 and signed with Bloodshot. Bloodshot didn't get around to releasing it until 2006 but they licensed it to Evangeline Records for release in the UK and Evangeline put it out in October 2005 in the UK. Thus the confusion. I think you could consider it either 2005 or 2006.

Great record though. It really was a great year. I think only 2 things (Frank Black and Cat Power) that made my top 20 have even been mentioned yet.

There you have it. Thanks for the elucidation BG.

This must be a generational thing. I've seen it on several "top lists" over the past few years. But every time I try to listen to this it's a heavily layered emo album for suburban teenagers. That's not just a generalization. It's an album full of white kid bullshit. I don't get it. But since you brought it up...

Some things from this year I liked that I didn't see above:


Black Heart Procession - The Spell


Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes EP


The Knife - Silent Shout


Eric Bachmann - To The Races


Bon Savants - Post-Rock Defends The Nation


Night Rally - Preston Family Crest

Some of my favorites that hadn't been mentioned yet: