mxdwn Top 20 Albums 2006: 15-1115.Red Hot Chili Peppers – Stadium Arcadium
A double album can be hard for some bands to pull off, but Stadium Arcadium proves that the once rowdy Red Hot Chili Peppers have matured, but can still rock like they did twenty years ago. Anthony Kiedis spits out rhymes, harmonizes, and gets funky better than ever. Finally, truth that good things do come with age.

– Danielle Reicherter

14.Peeping Tom – Peeping Tom
After 6 years of near constant experimentation, this year Mike Patton unveiled his long-gestating tour-de-force pop opus Peeping Tom. Featuring a who’s who of collaborators (Massive Attack, Norah Jones, Dan the Automator, Kid Koala, Dub Trio), Patton boils down his many years of honing nuance and vocal craft into an album that can make you dance, bob your head or thrash.

– Raymond Flotat

13.The Decemberists – The Crane Wife
The Crane Wife is a stellar achievement. Colin Meloy leads The Decemberists (along with notable guest spots from Laura Veirs and Eyvind Kang) through a refreshing take on 60s prog. A flutter with circus-style organs, violins and accordions, the sweet melodies become epic pieces of work.

– Raymond Flotat

12.The Strokes – First Impressions of Earth

11.TV on the Radio – Return to Cookie Mountain
TVOTR don’t just make music from another world; the music is a planet unto itself. The melodies and soul of tracks from “”Playhouses”” to “”I Was a Lover”” to Bowie vehicle “”Province”” form the album’s molten core, covered by the band’s beautifully craggy crust of falsettos and fuzzboxes.

– Adam Blyweiss

mxdwn.com Album of the Year 2006: 20 – 16
mxdwn.com Album of the Year 2006: 15 – 11
mxdwn.com Album of the Year 2006: 10 – 6
mxdwn.com Album of the Year 2006: 5 – 1