Top 19 Songs of 2006 (and three instrumental songs)

Well, just moments ago as I was logging to start this post, I realized that this is officially the 200th post here at ThaBombShelter. I started ThaBombShelter on Memorial Day this year, and here we are seven months later and 200 posts in the bag. What follows are the Best Songs of 2006 according to us here at ThaBombShelter. Often I would find myself listening to albums that weren't quite up to snuff to warrant a full review, but there was often that one track that was amazing. You may notice that a lot of the Best Albums aren't represented here. The reason for that is two-fold: one- for most of them, I've already covered pretty much everything that I felt needed to be said and shared what I felt needed to be shared, and two- most of these tracks stood out head and shoulders above the other songs on their respective discs. On most of my picks for the best albums, there weren't that many stand out tracks, but rather one amazing, cohesive whole. With that said, and since it is the last day of the year and the 200th post, let's get this shit on the road.

19- "Hands Open" Snow Patrol
The new one from Snow Patrol took me a long time to enjoy, but this track hooked me from the start.

18- "The Name of the Train is the Hurricane" Men, Women, and Children
This was a great year for dance-rock, and this track was a great example of that.

17- "Take a Chance" The Magic Numbers
One of the great tracks from the lackluster second album.

16- "Le Disko" Shiny Toy Guns
Proof that not all the music they play on the radio is crap. This song got heavy airplay on ThaBombShelter's favorite local station, CD101.

15- "Made Up Love Song #43" Guillemots
That part in the song where Fyfe Dangerfield sings in that powerful falsetto, yeah that's what great songs are made of.

14- "Lazy Eye" Silversun Pickups
Great California rock and roll.

13- "He Came to Meet Me" Hem
Easily the best song off the excellent third full-length, "Funnel Cloud"

12- "Kickapoo" Tenacious D
It would be so easy to write these guys off if their music wasn't so fucking good. Plus, with their popularity and talent they're able to wrangle cameos from Meatloaf, Dave Grohl, and Ronnie James Dio.

11- "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" The Flaming Lips
I wasn't a huge fan of "At War With The Mystics" but this track is amazing.

10- "Love Like Semtex" Infadels
Again, the dance-rock invaded my skull this year. I got this album when the GF and I visited the Times Square Virgin Megastore this spring and this song was just molten hot.

9- "Fall at the Feet of Rae" Larrikin Love
It's weird that a Track Seven One Listen Review ended up in the Top 10 songs of 2006, but I guess that proves that sometimes randomness pans out.

8- "Woke Up New" The Mountain Goats
Stellar, touching, intimate, excellent.

7- "Talking Out Loud" The Saturdays
One of the shining examples of a song standing head and shoulders above the album. The rest of "Go Slow" was a bit forgettable in my book, but this track was the first thing I would think of whenever I thought of The Saturdays.

6- "Hi-Five the Cactus" The Extraordinaires
This band has the number 2 spot in ThaBombShelter's Top 10 of 2006 with "Ribbons of War", but the second album of 2006, "Short Stories" wasn't quite as solid. This track was the exception though, and it's one of the funniest and well-narrated songs of 2006.

5- "Roka" Calexico
This was officially the second track ever reviewed here at ThaBombShelter, way back on May 28th, but it has stood the test of time and is one of the tops of the year...and now you can hear it for yourself!

4- "L-O-V-E" This is My Suitcase
These hometown youngsters can craft some amazing pop music, and this song is probably their best to date.

3- "Whoo! Alright- Yeah...Uh Huh" The Rapture
This album got mixed reviews, but this track was the best of the bunch. I liked the album, but this song stood out every time I listened.

2- "Hard to Beat" Hard-Fi
If I would have remembered that this album was actually released in the States in 2006 it would have been in the Top Ten. However, I indeed forgot, so I feel the need to correct my error by giving them the due they deserve.

1- "Hey Momma" Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground
I didn't mention this track before because I came across it via the excellent, Songs:Illinois blog. The song is from a cassette only EP, and it seems to be pretty much the only thing the band has out. But if this is any indication of the quality of their music, I think we have a lot to look forward to in the coming year.

And here are the Top Three Instrumental Tracks of 2006.

3- "Bouree" Circulus
Recorder, skronk synth, renaissance garb, what's not to love!?

2- "Tsuxiit" Islands
I liked this song the first time I heard it and everytime thereafter. It's just mystical and magical and grand.

1- "El Zopilote Mojado" Devotchka
If you're a regular reader of ThaBombShelter, you know we're suckers for Mexicali trumpet. And when that Mexicali trumpet comes via an excellent EP from ethnic clique jumpers, Devotchka, well, color us tickled pink.

image courtesy of VeloFuel.com