Ineligible Releases:

Sufjan Stevens
The Avalanche
[Asthmatic Kitty; 2006]
Pretty much anything Sufjan puts out is nectar to my ears, so it's not surprising I enjoyed his b-sides and extras album enough to put it in my top 50. Despite my aural bias, I decided it was only fair to disqualify a b-side record from an albums of the year list.

Tom Waits
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
[Anti; 2006]
A fantastic 3 disc compilation album, collecting the different facets of Wait's talent.

Tortoise
A Lazarus Taxon
[Thrill Jockey; 2006]
Another amazing boxset.

Shortbus
Original Soundtrack
[Team Love; 2006]
With several contributions from Scott Matthew and other starving artist's as well as indie fav's Yo La Tengo and Animal Collective, this was perhaps my favorite soundtrack of the year.

The Science of Sleep
Original Soundtrack
[Astralwerks; 2006]
Jean-Michel Bernard's soundtrack compliments Gondry's film well.

Clint Mansell ft. Kronos Quartet & Mogwai
The Fountain Original Soundtrack
[Nonesuch; 2006]

Mansell teams up with Aronofsky yet again for another great score that drives the film.

Various Artists
The Sound The Hare Heard
[Kill Rock Stars; 2006]
This was a compilation released by the Kill Rock Stars label that featured music from singer/songwriters. Aside from the contributions by Sufjan Stevens and Decemberist Colin Meloy, most of the artist's are emerging artists. Some of my favorites include Laura Veir's "Cast a Hook in Me" and Devin Davis's "When the Angels Lift Our Eyelids in the Morning."

Various Artists
The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 4: 1964
[Hip-O Select; 2006]

Various Artists
The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 5: 1965
[Hip-O Select; 2006]

These two collections include over 320 songs from Berry Gordy's hayday and feature some of the greatest songs ever recorded by legends like Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson, and so on.

LCD Soundsystem
45:33
[iTunes; 2006]
James Murphy returned in 06 with this 45 minute long "ultimate workout song" made for Nike. If this is the sound of "selling out" then I'm putting my soul up for auction on Ebay.

Bishop Allen
Monthly EP Project
[Self-released; 2006]
The band initially planned to release an EP a month in 2006, but only the first 10 (January - October) were completed. Nevertheless, it was an ambitious project and the results were solid.

The Gothic Archies
The Tragic Treasury: Songs From a Series of Unfortunate Events
[Nonesuch; 2006]