#1. CENTRO-MATIC -
FORT RECOVERY

This might not be "alt.country," strictly defined, but the boys from Denton have renewed our faith in the album format.

#2. RICHARD BUCKNER -
MEADOW

Buckner's best since Since is stuck in my CD player.

#3. BELLWETHER -
THE STINGING NETTLES

Just when we thought they were through, they toss off this little gem.

#4. SCOTT H. BIRAM -
GRAVEYARD SHIFT

From some of the best old-timey country in ages ("18 Wheeler Feever" and "Santa Fe") to a death metal send-up ("Church Babies"), Graveyard Shift is a playful romp all over the damn map.

#5. KEVIN KERBY -
THE SECRET LIVES OF ALL
NIGHT RADIOS

This solo album from Mulehead frontman Kevin Kerby is one of the most listenable alt.country releases of the year.

#6. ANDERS PARKER -
ANDERS PARKER

Cheeze at both ends, and a bit of dead weight in the middle, but Anders has crafted one highly addictively disc.

#7. RAY WYLIE HUBBARD -
SNAKE FARM

A dirty little piece of Texas. Best album from the old codger in years and years and years.

#8. MAGNOLIA ELECTRIC CO. -
FADING TRAILS

The uber-prolific Jason Molina's latest is certainly worth a few spins.

#9. OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW -
BIG IRON WORLD

No surprises here, just another listenable set from OCMS.

#10. GOB IRON -
DEATH SONGS FOR THE LIVING

Not eveything it was cracked up to be (and the instrumental interstices are unnecessary), but there's some decent stuff here notwithstanding.

#1. OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW -
BIG IRON WORLD

It may not eclipse their self-titled debut CD, but I find another reason to like this one every time it’s on the stereo.

#2. RICHARD BUCKNER -
MEADOW

See review.

#3. GOB IRON -
DEATH SONGS FOR THE LIVING

Admittedly, some of the musical interludes grow tiresome, but Jay Farrar and Anders Parker complement one another well and, despite my unadulterated admiration for last year’s Okemah, Farrar’s voice hasn’t sounded this at-home in a set of songs for a while.

#4. BELLWETHER -
THE STINGING NETTLES

Their previous CD, Seven and Six, was disappointing.  The Stinging Nettles marks a promising turn for this Minneapolis band. 

#5. WILLIAM ELLIOT WHITMORE -
SONG OF THE BLACKBIRD

Deep, dark folk-blues.  Whitmore has the kind of voice that usually only thirty years of unfiltered cigarettes and rye whiskey could produce.

#6. CENTRO-MATIC -
FORT RECOVERY

It took me a while to warm up to this one.  Listening to it feels like being in an unfamiliar, strangely lit room.  Sopor-atmospheric, but in a good way. 

#7. TIM EASTON-
AMMUNITION

Not without a clunker or two, but “Dear Old Song & Dance” is the catchiest track of ’06.

#8. THE LEMONHEADS -
THE LEMONHEADS

A welcome return.

#9. GLOSSARY -
FOR WHAT I DON'T BECOME

This was my introduction to Glossary—a nice surprise.  Looking forward to more.

#10. NEKO CASE -
FOX CONFESSOR BRINGS THE
FLOOD

Still find myself preferring the earlier CDs, but it’s hard to argue with her latest effort.

#1. THE DECEMBERISTS -
CRANE WIFE

I know.  It’s a concept album.  It employs pretentious vocabulary.  It channels Jethro Tull.  Nevertheless, this is one of the few albums of 2006 that I still put on repeat and listen to straight through (dare you to find a dud).  Finely crafted, quirkily unsentimental, and formally elegant.

#2. OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW -
BIG IRON WORLD

Fun, rollicking, dud-free, and full of surprises.  Features the best murder ballad of the year (“My Good Gal”).

#3. SCOTT H. BIRAM -
GRAVEYARD SHIFT

Rough, dirty, and certifiably cheeze-free, Biram’s album makes you crave a cold beer and a hot shower.  A terrific mix of gospel, blues, old-time country, and punk.

#4. WILLIAM ELLIOT WHITMORE -
SONG OF THE BLACKBIRD

An 80-year-old black man trapped in the body of a 30-year-old Iowa farm boy.  His songs and voice conjure up another era, but Whitmore never sounds antiquated.

#5. RICHARD BUCKNER -
MEADOW

Vintage Buckner.

#6. ANDERS PARKER -
ANDERS PARKER

Dreamy, pensive, and lovely.  This is my new rainy day staple.

#7. BOB DYLAN -
MODERN TIMES

Not his best.  Certainly not his worst.  And that’s good enough for me.

#8. RAY WYLIE HUBBARD -
SNAKE FARM

"Oooooh. Snake farm."

#9. THE GOURDS -
HEAVY ORNAMENTALS

Holds up well to multiple listenings.  Solidly cool.

#10. CENTRO-MATIC -
FORT RECOVERY

Good stuff.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Matthew Grimm and the Red Smear - Dawn’s Early Apocalypse
Death Ships - Seeds of Devastation
Dion - Bronx in Blue
The Lonesome Brothers - Mono
I See Hawks In L.A. - California Country
Two Gallants - What the Toll Tells