Punks In The Beerlight: My Favourite Tracks of 2006

These are the tracks that rocked my world in 2006, if anybody reading this doesn't have any of these tracks, bloody download 'em!

Built to Spill - "Goin' Against Your Mind" (this song encapsulates everything that's fucking awesome about Built to Spill when they're on form. In truth, this track is so good, it makes the rest of their recent album, "You in Reverse" seem like such a disappointment because nothing else on the record comes close.) -http://upload2.net/page/download/Qme6xWrk98JvKWS/01+Goin%27+Against+Your+Mind.mp3.html

Midlake - "Roscoe" - (again, a quality track on an otherwise middling record, this song sounds like a brilliant cross between Fleetwood Mac and Crosby, Stills and Nash) - http://upload2.net/page/download/FOoKMXa5Wcayebh/Midlake-Roscoe.mp3.html

Swan Lake - "All Fires" - (Hands down my favourite lyrics of the year, Spencer Krug is shaping up to be one of my favourite artists, with his being involved in three ace bands that I'm a big fan of, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and these guys) - http://upload2.net/page/download/7YBphEAiUkRtaR3/All+Fires.mp3.html

Junior Boys - "In The Morning" (see my albums of 2006 list) - http://upload2.net/page/download/cHfQ5rkQghjvdhj/Junior+Boys+-+In+The+Morning.mp3.html

Tapes 'n' Tapes - "Just Drums" - (One of many groups in recent times to have been assigned the "new Pavement" tag, their album "The Loon" , while never as essential as anything that legendary group released early on in their career, will certainly appeal to any fan of Malkmus, Spiral Stairs and co. ) http://upload2.net/page/download/IqPxz9a26vhqEVm/01+just+drums.mp3.html

Asobi Seksu - "Thursday" (one of many highlights on their excellent Citrus album. The really obvious touchstones are My Bloody Valentine or Cocteau Twins but I would say this distinguishes itself slightly from those groups by virtue of it's sheer poppiness) - http://upload2.net/page/download/kAUBNVBbGuetgur/Asobi+Seksu+-+Thursday.mp3.html

Hamell On Trial - "Inquiring Minds" - (Now, I have been a fan of Ed Hamell's wry, observational, and quite frankly hilarious music for the past four years or so, and it really burns my ass that his most recent record "Songs for Parents who Love Drugs" has yet to be released in Ireland, where I live. Luckily, I managed to download a few tracks from the album recently, and I most impressed by this, the opener, a very funny imagined back and forth between Hamell and his son about his past indiscretions.) - http://upload2.net/page/download/NvODmkbLsVw2yEG/hamell-on-trial-inquiring-minds.mp3.html

The Polyphonic Spree - "Sonic Bloom" (from their recent "Wait" EP, recorded with the genius that is Jon Brion, this track is actually a reworked version of a track from frontman Tim De Laughter's former band, Tripping Daisies) - http://upload2.net/page/download/jp1momSdAyjUgO3/03%2BSonic%2BBloom.mp3.html

Sunset Rubdown - "Stadiums & Shrines II" (Initially people thought of Sunset Rubdown as a Spencer Krug side-project from his day job as frontman for Wolf Parade, but those suspicions were blown out of the water upon hearing "Shut Up I Am Dreaming", a blisteringly rocking record, which is also a little more bizarre in places than his regular band's stuff. This is the opener, and it fucking rules.) - http://upload2.net/page/download/cpuXOx6OJF73O11/01%2BStadiums%2BAnd%2BShrines%2BII.mp3.html

Califone - "The Orchids" (see my albums of 2006 list) - http://upload2.net/page/download/8qvzYk8YtGvkK3j/Califone-The+Orchids.mp3.html

Wilderness - "The Blood is on the Wall" (these guys took some flak because their recent album "Vessel States" sounded too similar to their first without much of a progression, but I, for one, really liked getting more of the same considering I loved their debut so much, and this track, the opener, really did it for me. - http://upload2.net/page/download/oaBhdRVmYXWRytq/01+The+Blood+Is+On+The+Wall.wma.html

Destroyer - "European Oils" (see my albums of 2006 list) - http://upload2.net/page/download/1JzkzXDdzznTMDv/EuropeanOils.mp3.html

Fujiya & Miyagi - "Collarbone" (Certainly one of the better English groups around at the moment, this Brighton-based group make skewed, off-kilter but accessible krautrock influenced pop) - http://upload2.net/page/download/HqnU3R5Uw1GOwIH/Fujiya+Miyagi+-+Collarbone.mp3.html

Grizzly Bear - "Lullabye" (see my albums of 2006 list) - http://upload2.net/page/download/0YPwyIldCup4EeY/lullabye.mp3.html

Kelley Stoltz - "Ever Thought of Coming Back" (Kelley Stoltz is a San Francisco songwriter who makes intriguing but low key pop music influenced by classic Britpop. This is one of the more upbeat numbers from his most recent record "Below The Branches") - http://upload2.net/page/download/hA1zknXTvcss69b/03+Ever+Thought+of+Coming+Back.wma.html

The National Trust - "It's Just Cruel" (after a sensational debut with their 2001 album "Dekkagar, The National Trust struck out with their sophomore offering, "Kings & Queens", a classic example of a really disappointing follow-up, but one thing it did have going for it was this brilliant track, a funky, sexed-up number heavily indebted to Prince) - http://upload2.net/page/download/94LPYZNldApT9MN/03+It%27s+Just+Cruel.wma.html

The Pernice Brothers - "Somerville" (always a reliably good songwriter, you know exactly what you are gonna get when you purchase a Joe Pernice album, and his 2006 album "Live a Little" will not disappoint any longtime fans. This is the obvious standout in my opinion) - http://upload2.net/page/download/9ud78sgjRqJSxPz/Pernice+Brothers_Live+a+Little_02_Somerville.mp3.html 2_Somerville.mp3.html

Phoenix - "Long Distance Call" (French band Phoenix have delivered some quality music over the past few years, most notably, "If I Ever Feel Better", from their debut "United", and this track from their most recent record is equally as good.) - http://upload2.net/page/download/D6lXHd6wrmKFadF/01+Long+Distance+Call.mp3.html

El Perro Del Mar - "Party" (Swedish songstress Sarah Assbring sings songs of despair and heartbreak and despite the unremitting gloom, somehow manages to make them appealing. This song is wonderful.) - http://upload2.net/page/download/vRW7o8NKc1aEfSD/El+Perro+del+Mar+-+Party.mp3.html

Scritti Politti - "The Boom Boom Bap" (This, the first track from "White Bread, Black Beer", is a cryptic ode to Green Gartside's love of hip-hop)

Sonic Youth - "Incinerate" (see my albums of 2006 list) - http://upload2.net/page/download/WuUFUTxRoTUzcnu/Sonic+Youth+-+Incinerate.mp3.html

Camera Obscura - "Lloyd, I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken" (I'm not really a fan of Camera Obscura. I honestly think their music is disgustingly twee, which I hate, but in spite of that, this song's hook is undeniable.) - http://upload2.net/page/download/VKtdsXKxBBb5J6c/01_Lloyd%2C_Im_Ready_to_Be_Heartbroken.mp3.html

Subtle - "Middleclass Stomp" (This is the standout from their "For Hero:For Fool" record in my opinion, a dark dose of seriously rocking hip-hop) - http://upload2.net/page/download/0YPwyIldCup4EeY/lullabye.mp3.html

Franz Ferdinand - "Do You Want To?" (Max Tundra remix) (the original album version of this one made absolutely no impression on me, and actually kinda irritated the shit out of me, but bringing in wacky little electronic genius Max Tundra to work it over was a masterstroke. This version is officially ten thousand times more fun to listen to.) - http://upload2.net/page/download/wrVyUGaz8d1Tv6Y/franz_ferdinand_do_you_want_to_max_tundra_remix.mp3.html

Turbulence - "Notorious" (normally reggae music is not my kind of thing, and I've never really understood anybody's fascination with it, but this track has made me re-evaluate my whole perception of dancehall music. This is an absolutely essential track, a monster.) http://upload2.net/page/download/P6dxuoPP0zZD9X0/Turbulence+-+Notorious.mp3.html

CSS - "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death from Above" (from the streets of Sao Paulo, Cansei De Ser Sexy make some seriously funky dance-pop music. This track is a tribute to the now defunct Death from Above 1979) - http://upload2.net/page/download/Bbnv3OR4oc062jI/css+-+let%27s+make+love+and+listen+death+from+above.mp3.html

Mission of Burma - "2wice" - (see my albums of 2006 list) - http://upload2.net/page/download/DHa9pFYl0XZvHQV/638_mission_of_burma_2wice.mp3.html

Justus Kohncke - "Advance" (I caught this on the recent Immer 2 compilation by Michael Mayer. Melancholy German micro-house/techno at it's best.) - http://upload2.net/page/download/9EB1yesPKdYhSK1/Advance.mp3.html