Top 10 20 of 2006 to date (June 7 update)

It's getting tougher to make this list, especially on a month-to-month basis. I haven't listened much lately to many of the discs that have been on the list for most of the year, instead going with new stuff. So in some respects I'm feeling biased toward the newer ones instead of the early-year releases. And there is so much good stuff continually being released that I'm having a hard time weighing one against the other.

For example, I'm really digging the new releases by Monkeeman, The Vestals, Fresh Mowed Lawn, The World Record, Gregg Swann, Andrew LeDrew (technically 2005 but only heard by a few select Canadians before the last month or so), Third Floor Story and The Rewinds.

That's eight releases right there that I would rank in terms of quality with the current top 10. So i'm going to cop out here: instead of a top 10 ranked in order, I'm just going to list my 20 of 2006 so far, in alphabetical order:

Phil Ayoub-Schoolbus Window Paper Heart
Chris Brown-Now That You're Fed
Copperdown-Something True
Fresh Mowed Lawn-Fresh Mowed Lawn
Gary Henson-The Coast Is Clear
Travis Hopper-All The Lights In The City Tonight
Andrew LeDrew-Ladies Lookout
Justin Levinson-1175 Boylston
Rhett Miller-The Believer
Monkeeman-Monkeeman
Red Guitar-Beauty Will Save The World
The Rewinds-The Rewinds
Geoff Smith & The Tonewheels-S/T
Supraluxe-Supraluxe
Gregg Swann-Everybody's Got to Be Somewhere
Third Floor Story-Songs From The City
The Vestals-Songs About Girls...and Other Mysteries
David William-One Way Ticket
The World Record-Guitars Forever
Warren Zanes-People That I'm Wrong For

I'll try and have an actual ranking next time around, since it'll be at the halfway mark of the year.