Top 20 Songs of 2006, 11-20

I listened to a lot of music this year. I made lists. I pared those lists down to 20 songs. Below is installment #1 of the best of 2006, all in my humble opinion, of course. Your results may vary.

20 - “Handle With Care” - Jenny Lewis With the Watson Twins. This would be higher if it weren’t A) a cover (Traveling Wilburys) and B) an “all-star” track (Indie favs Ben Gibbard, Conner Oberst, and M. Ward all pitch-in on this track). 19 - “Talking in Code” - Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos. Loaded with 1970s, AM radio overtones. 18 - “Puzzles Like You” - Mojave 3. One of many power-pop tracks that pleased me this year. My definition of power-pop: 3:20 songs that you wish lasted forever. 17 - “LDN” - Lilly Allen. Apparently this song was the serious shit in the UK last summer. It was popular in at least one house in central Indiana as well. 16 - “Answers and Questions” - Earlimart. A summer afternoon’s daydream, airy and inviting. 15 - “Lloyd, I’m Ready to Be Heartbroken” - Camera Obscura. Another song that evokes other times, this has one foot placed in the 60s, the other in the 80s. 14 - “Goodbye” - Asobi Seksu. Every time I hear this song, it reminds me of the Go-Gos, circa 1983. If I was 12 and spent every day this summer at the pool, this is a song I would want to hear again and again. 13 - “Girl That Speaks No Words” - The Infadels. The soundtrack for many of my drives between Indy and Bloomington last spring. Had I been pulled over while listening to this song and driving 85, it would have been worth it. 12 - “Pushover” - The Long Winters. We’ve all been pushovers at some point. This song almost makes those moments when pride gets thrown out the window seem worth it. 11 - “You Made It” - DJ Shadow featuring Chris James. A fantastic track from an unexpected combination.