2006 Local Leaders
As the last bit of Top 40 List madness for 2006, below I present the addendum to this year's list, the Local Leaders. I asked our esteemed panel to send in their favorite local band in addition to their Top 10 list. Not everyone did, and not all of them wrote blurbs, but the ones that did are credited below. So keep an eye on these bands, they may be playing in a venue near you and you can say you liked 'em way back when.
Boston
Age Rings
While I dove into Age Rings debut disc, Look...the Dusk is Growing, just a few weeks ago, it's quickly becoming my favorite Boston-area album of the year. They're on my "must-see-live" list, and if you're reading this from New York: Pianos, Ludlow Street, NYC, Friday, December 8th. - Bradley's Almanac
[MP3] Age Rings | Dead Mans Float
Chicago
Office
Dallas, TX
St. Vincent
St. Vincent (aka Dallas native Annie Clark) is currently opening for Sufjan on his European tour. We've probably posted about her 10 times in the past year. I saw her play 4 times this year, and each performance was mesmerizing. I think people are really going to fall in love with St. Vincent when her debut LP comes out in '07. - Gorilla vs. Bear
Indianapolis, IN
Arrah & The Ferns
[MP3] Arrah & The Ferns | Skylark
Los Angeles, CA
The Mezzanine Owls
They are what would happen if the Wrens met Jesus and the Mary Chain. Extremely polished with a booming ethereal sound, the LA quartet dropped the excellent Andy Lemaster produced LP, Slingshot Echoes. - Passion of the Weiss
Minneapolis, MN
STNNNG
[MP3] Stnnng | Hybrid Animal
Mike Gunther & His Restless Souls
2006 saw the release of Gunther's second album of Waits-esque howling & preaching, Burn It Down For The Nails, which deserves more notice. While Gunther is still very much a regional act (and yes, he went to my high school), I could easily see him & his band of midwestern troubadours touring in support of Gogol Bordello or or Man Man or Beirut. - The Big Ticket
NYC
Elvis Perkins
Professor Murder
[MP3] Professor Murder | Champion
O'Death - Part sonic gypsy death pirates/part Americana/part Pogues...if that doesn't pique your interest just catch them live. I promise. - Earfarm
Sam Champion
I write a lot about these guys, but I really can't say enough good things about them. They play the exact kind of music that I like best. They got this Tom Petty meets Pavement thing going on, but lately seem to have embraced an almost Motown-rock vibe. They deserve to be huge and I will promote them until they become gigantic…. - PSNYC
Oakley Hall
[MP3] Oakley Hall | Lazy Susan
Providence, RI
Hailing from Providence, RI is the band The Brother Kite, a really chill shoegaze-type indie rock. Very passive, very relaxing, entirely transcendental. - I Guess I'm Floating
[MP3] The Brother Kite | Get On Me (MP3 sample)
[MP3] The Brother Kite | Waiting For The Right Time
Washington D.C.
Middle Distance Runner
The band describes their music as rock with "bwoop sounds," but the record is catchy beyond belief--with a sound that's not just tres fresh for DC, but also fluid enough to offer the listener a wonderful range of songs on one record. What's common to each effort is rooted so deeply, that you can have the jaunty fun of "Naturally" and the tilting melodrama of "Out Of Here" in one place and never feel like they aren't part of the same idea. - DCeiver
Nethers
I saw them for the first time back in January, opening for two other local bands and their brand of feedback drenched folk-rock (admittedly not something I would see myself liking this much) really blew me away. They've had quite the year, touring the nation twice and opening for bands like The Decemberists, The National and Josh Ritter. I've been going to see them play local gigs about once a month and I still can't get enough. - ilb
[MP3] Nethers | Hung Herself In A Birdcage
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