2006 certainly seems to be a year of growers so far, with the exception of cannibal Sea, every album on my list has taken me a few listens to get in to. Which makes me wonder about some of the albums which didn’t quite make the cut, albums like Show Your Bones, At War With the Mystics, Broken Boy Soldiers and Let’s Get Out of This Country, all of which I had high expectations for and wasn’t overwhelmed with on the first couple of listens. Maybe they will turn out to be growers too.

12. Anathallo
   – Floating World

11. Hawksley Workman
   – Treeful of Starling

10. Band of Horses
   – Everything All the Time

9. Broken Family Band
   – Balls

8. The Arctic Monkeys
   – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

7. Danielson
   – Ships

6. Tapes ‘n’ Tapes
   – The Loon

5. The Kooks
   – Inside In / Inside Out

4. Belle & Sebastian
   – The Life Pursuit

3. The Essex Green
   – Cannibal Sea

2. Islands
   – Return to the Sea

1. Mates of State
   – Bring it Back

So that is the first half of the year over with, there are so many albums on the horizon. The Shins, Arcade Fire, The Decemberists, Razorlight, maybe Modest Mouse? and the new M.Ward is awesome too. 2006 could turn out to be a good year.