Larry Karaszewski's 2006 "best of" list:

1) THE WEEPIES - "SAY I AM YOU"
Easily the best album of the year. Nothing else came close. Beautiful song writing. The band has two distinct lead vocalists, Deb Talen and Steve Tannen, and both are terrific. I love the way the male and female voices trade off, almost the way a Buckingham track will lead into a Christine or Stevie track on a great Fleetwood Mac album. Best tunes: "Gotta Have You", "World Spins Madly On", "Painting By Chagall"

2) DIXIE CHICKS - 'TAKING THE LONG WAY AROUND"
One great song after another. And a real fuck you to the fan base that wrote them off. I hope they win the Grammy. See the movie "Shut Up and Sing"... it's the best rock film in ages. You walk away with real respect for these women. Best tunes: "Easy Silence", "Everybody Knows", "Lullaby"

3) MARK KNOPFLER AND EMMYLOU HARRIS - "ALL THE ROADRUNNING"
Emmylou has always been a favorite... Knopfler I can take or leave, but the combo works beautifully. I like heartfelt star duets... the world needs more Dolly Parton/Porter Wagner, Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell albums. Best cuts: "Love and Happiness", "I Dug Up A Diamond"

4) THE MOUNTAIN GOATS - "GET LONELY"
The opposite of "Get Happy." This band is always on my list. The song writing is so strong, I don't know why I'm the only person pushing them. Best tracks: "Wild Sage", "Woke Up New"

5) ROSANNE CASH - BLACK CADILLAC
A touching album about death. Best tracks: "God is in the Roses", "I Was Watching You", "Black Cadillac"

Wow... this is a really depressing list. God damn, I better put Justin Timberlake or the High School Musical album in there just to cheer things up.

SUFIAN STEVENS - SONGS FOR CHRISTMAS
Also "The Avalanche". This was a Pete Townsend "Scoop" like dump of old tracks and Xmas fan albums, but fuck it, I played them over and over. Best Track: "Get Behind Me, Santa!"

BOB DYLAN - "MODERN TIMES"
You could convince me that this was awful, too. But Dylan is Dylan, and sometimes the shitty and the brilliant go hand in hand. Best tracks: "Nettie Moore", "Spirit On The Water"

NEIL YOUNG - LIVING WITH WAR
Speaking of shitty and brilliant at the same time. But if this stuff is so obvious how come no one else put out this record? Someone needed to just come out and say it. Bush sucks.

Other stuff I listened to: Scritti Politti, Lupe Fiasco, The Raconteurs, Regina Spektor, Willie Nelson and Ryan Adams, Jenny Lewis

Songs of the year: "For Real" by Okkervil River and "Heartbeats" by Jose Gonzalez

Reissues: You just can complain about that Rhino Box "What It Is! Funky Soul and Rare Grooves"... great packaging and notes and songs by bands that you never heard of that will now be classics... it's what a box is supposed to be. Also the special edition of Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend" was fantastic. Any excuse to listen to that album again is great, but the second disc called "Good Friend" full of demos and Neil Young covers is truly magnificent.