The Five Best Bands of 2006 You
(Probably) Haven't Heard (But Should)™

It's November, and everyone's about to get a little list crazy, so I thought maybe I'd try to highlight a few bands a bajillion folks haven't written about yet, but should. So, here they are, the Five Best Bands of 2006 You (Probably) Haven't Heard (But Should)™. These kids are also strong contenders for my Year-End Best-Of I do over at donewaiting, so consider this a sneak-peek, if that sort of thing excites you. Pervert.

The Bound Stems
Appreciation Night

This is seriously terrific stuff, as if Modest Mouse ran into Arcade Fire and blew a few amps. I've got a full piece on them going up at Chicagoist before their show here in Chicago next week, but get on the wagon ahead off the rest of team and dig 'em now.

Ugh, I just re-read the above, and it's totally unfair to the band. They deserve a better description that merely mashing up two influences. I'll do better when I preview them, but for now consider this: I have been listening to this CD over and over and over for the past two weeks and I can't remember the last time I gave an album got this much play, all the way though, for this length of time.

MP3: The Bound Stems "Andover"

++
Astronautalis
The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters

I've written about this cat before and I still don't quite know how to describe him. I mean, I've got to be able to come up with something better than that whole Modest Mouse / Arcade Fire train wreck I committed above. Hm. Let's see. Traces of Beck. A touch of that whole Bright Eyes thing, without the whining. Lots of effort in the studio that shines through without overwhelming. i dunno, his publicist tried to tell me he was hip-hop, but I'm not buying that. it's different and eccentric, yet super-accessible, I think.

MP3: Astronautalis "Meet Me Here Later"

++

The Ladies & Gentlemen
Ladies And Gentlemen...The Ladies & Gentlemen

If you don't live in Chicago, you probably have never heard of these guys, and that is truly a pity. Skid Marks leads this new-New Wave outfit through concerts that even get the most rhythmically challenged to shake their ass in pure glee. When they started the band, in the interest of keeping the quality high and the boredom factor low, they decided they didn't want any songs to go past the three-minute mark. They haven't totally kept that promise, since I think they have an epic or two that clock in at four minutes or so, but even at that length the songs never get boring.

MP3: The Ladies & Gentlemen "I Wanna Thank U"

++
Mystery Jets
Making Dens

These kids are reasonably well-known overseas, so you would think that at least some buzz would have crept over here. Alas, they remain largely unknown in the U.S.A. I actually have two versions of this disc, but the one they ended up releasing dropped one of my favorite songs. Bummer. But this isn't about what I'm missing, it's about what you're missing, right? Well, here's what you're missing: a bunch of kids making an oddly cohesive and professional racket with one old man filling in on the bass. And an album of some of the best fucking British rock and/or roll this year.

MP3: Mystery Jets "Zootime"

++
The Kleptones
24Hours

I know I just wrote about these guys (well, guy), but Shay-sus Kee-rist if they didn't come way out of left field as a heavy contender for one of the best albums of the year. This accomplishment is made all the more amazing when you consider the entire disc is a) built out of nothing but samples and b) it's free! Why you do not have this locked into constant repeat RIGHT THIS SECOND is beyond me.

MP3: The Kleptones "17:30 Know How Frogs Function"

__________
Don't forget!

Tomorrow night at The Pontiac ... art, bands and one DJ all coming together to create an unforgettable evening.

Or, maybe really forgettable, if you overdo it on the booze. But then you can't blame us for that.