mxdwn Top 40 Songs 2006: 10-110. The Shins – Phantom Limb
THEIR THRU YR FIREWALL, EATIN YR HARD DRIVE!!@1 Good thing, too. With imagery and instrumentation full of even more substance than what helped break them in Garden State, the Shins (or an associate thereof) smartly leaked the first single to anticipate their 2007 album.

– Adam Blyweiss

9. Tool – The Pot
From 10,000 Days
It’s been too long since Maynard James Keenan’s vocals dominated Tool’s hit-single-per-album. (And this was it on 10,000 Days, not “Vicarious.”) Here he soars above the guitar abyss, nearly approaching falsetto atmospheres on phrasing trajectories which would strike even Beyonce dumb with wonder.

– Adam Blyweiss

8. Thom Yorke – The Eraser
From The Eraser
Thom Yorke’s The Eraser was a greatly anticipated release of 2006 and its title track is an excellent example of the record’s radiohead-surpassing electronica sound. Thankfully, “The Eraser” stays true to the hooky writing of Thom Yorke in its lyrics and its musical composition, proving itself to be a shining star on a fantastic recording.

– Jacquie Frisco

7. Hank III – Smoke & Wine
From Straight to Hell
Blasting the words, “Well I ain’t got no money / but I am doin’ fine” Hank III’s “Smoke & Wine” hits the ground running. A flutter of rolling country guitar solos, fiddle and even banjos help drive the momentum while Hank extols the virtues of drowning his sorrows and just how happy it makes him, “If I / think I’m gonna have a bad time / I’ve got a little bit of smoke / and a whole lot of wine.”

– Raymond Flotat

6. Gnarls Barkley – Smiley Faces
From St. Elsewhere
Gnarls Barkley’s “Smiley Faces” is a throwback to the days of Motown when the words and the melody just felt good. Singer Cee-Lo has the voice and personality to pull off this rousing, upbeat track. Not since The Temptations or Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, has a group appeared have this much fun performing.

– Jacquie Frisco

5. TV on the Radio – Wolf Like Me
From Return to Cookie Mountain
TV on the Radio proved their worthiness of David Bowie’s support on Return to Cookie Mountain as a whole but especially on “Wolf Like Me.” In 2006 this song was for indie kids what “Crazy” was for pretty much everyone else. “Wolf Like Me” is immaculately crafted from the first chords onward.

– Brendan Welsh

4. Arctic Monkeys – I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
From Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
“Dancefloor” is one helluva catchy tune, chock full of the pent-up sexual power a good, sweaty nightclub dance can incite. Addictive beats propel this post-punk gem that references Duran Duran and the “Robot,” a popular dance move back in the ‘80s, an era Artic Monkeys enjoyably invoke to great effect.

– Desiree Guzzetta

3. Hot Chip – Over & Over
From The Warning
The first half of the first monstrous hit from The Warning is a percolating commentary, ironically enough, on the repetitiveness of dance-rock. The second half suggests a musical solution: the bubbly funk Peter Gabriel notoriously drops at least twice on every album he’s made since Us.

– Adam Blyweiss

2. The Raconteurs – Steady, As She Goes
From Broken Boy Soldiers
Anyone turning on the radio this year was sure to hear the unmistakable “Steady As She Goes” by The Raconteurs. Guitar and bass switching off while Jack White and Brendan Benson trade places on vocals keep the catchy song moving along and stuck in everyone’s head.

– Danielle Reicherter

1. Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
From St. Elsewhere
Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” was one of the biggest singles in years and for good reason. What a perfect debut from the Dynamic Duo. It’s odd but so cool, retro and modern all at once. It sounds like nothing else that’s out right now. Largely because of Cee-lo’s falsetto and Danger Mouse’s beats. They’ve got charisma, these two, and it comes across brilliantly in this stellar track.

– Jacquie Frisco

mxdwn.com Song of the Year 2006: 40 – 31
mxdwn.com Song of the Year 2006: 30 – 21
mxdwn.com Song of the Year 2006: 20 – 11
mxdwn.com Song of the Year 2006: 10 – 1