2006 is more than halfway over now and Andrew Careaga of BloggedyBlog has compiled the Top 11 cds released thus far this year. The full list is here, but will give you some highlights:

#11. Kudu, Death of the Party
OK, time to 'fess up to y'all: the aging punk wannabe is also a closet dance/techno freak. I loved Confessions on a Dance Floor, last year's triumphant comeback by Disco/Dancing Queen Madonna. (Yes, I also like show tunes. And no, I'm not gay.) This year's fab dance disc is from Kudu, a duo out of the New York dance scene. Death of the Party is dominated by lead singer Sylvia Gordon's vocals. The style is a predictable potpourri of dance-techno-disco beats, the lyrics are vapid and poppish (all about sex, of course), and in the final analysis Kudu builds on the shaky foundation of '80s glam-dance groups like Deee-Lite (remember "Groove Is in the Heart"?). Kudu borrows heavily from all sorts of musical genres -- witness the "Low Rider" cowbell intro to "Hot Lava" -- so you won't find much originality here. But if you need a break from the painful earnestness of neo-punk and indie, and just want something fun to listen to (and maybe even to dance to), then Kudu might just be the cure.

Favorite tracks: "Love Me in Your Language," "Hot Lava," "Magic Touch."

#8. Tapes 'n Tapes, The Loon
Tapes 'n Tapes seems to be taking a page from the Sufjan Stevens playbook, with place-name songs like "Omaha," "Manitoba" and "In Houston," and the same sort of strumming, but less contemplative. The band hails from Minneapolis, so it's no surprise they name the Replacements as an influence. But the list also includes some seminal 70s-era punk groups -- Talking Heads and Wire, among them -- and songs like "Crazy Eights" aned "Jakovis Suite," with their steady, urgent rhythm guitars, fuzzy electronica and herky-jerky switches in beat and rhythm, seem to fall more into that category. I like what I'm hearing, and I have a feeling it's going to be one of the year's finest in the lo-fi alt-indie niche.

Favorite tracks: "Just Drums," "Crazy Eights," "Jakovis Suite."

#4. Cat Power, The Greatest
Another sultry songstress, Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) delivers a powerful punch with this album. Recorded in Memphis with the help of some musicians who helped make the "Memphis sound" famous, The Greatest delivers more soul than her past offerings ("Living Proof," "Lived in Bars" and "Could We" are the most notably blues and soul-infused tunes). And, on tunes like "Empty Shell," her voice is smooth as a shot of Southern Comfort in a hazy roadhouse. A few of the songs don't quite hit the mark, but overall this is a worthwhile effort and a smooth, sultry album that hits the right notes for certain moods. It may not be her greatest. (That title still belongs to her 2003 album You Are Free, in my opinion.) But it's close.

Favorite tracks: "The Greatest," "Living Proof," "Could We," "Empty Shell," "Love and Communication."

#2. Drive-By Truckers, A Blessing and a Curse
The Drive By Truckers have come a long way from their Skynyrdesque Southern Rock Opera, a concept album about a boy from the south who moves north, tries to become a punk, then reconnects to his musical roots. (Hmm, sounds familiar to the aging punk wannabe.) These days, however, their influences include a shades of punk as well as the jagged shards of Neil Young/Crazy Horse. But make no mistake: they're still a southern rock band, and A Blessing and a Curse still builds on the southern-Gothic storytelling techniques that brought their earlier albums critical acclaim. The songs are still tales straight out of a Barry Hannah short story: ruined relationships, loved ones who died too soon, crystal meth in the bathtub, cigarettes in the ashtray -- "and they weren't your menthol lights". (OK, maybe Barry Hannah never wrote about crystal meth, but you get the picture.) Three different lead singer-songwriters -- Patterson Hood, Mike Cooley and Jason Isbell -- create a troika that lends variety and multiple viewpoints to the Truckers' songs. This is a hard-rocking album that any southern rock aficionado should enjoy.

Favorite tracks: "Feb. 14," "Wednesday," "A Blessing and a Curse," "A World of Hurt"

#1. Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit
A lot of B&S purists hate this record, because it departs from the standards of past releases. But that's one reason I like it. It doesn't sound that much like the Glasgow band's older stuff. It's pure pop, with clever lyrics that hold more humor and light-heartedness that past B&S songs. It's the feel-good album of the year. The musical stylings of this record are clean and effervescent, reminiscent in many ways of late '60s mod from Swinging London, baby. Tunes like "Another Sunny Day" are shiny, happy toe-tapping stories about young lovers and love, while "Sukie in the Graveyard" melodically recounts the travails of a girl who hung out at the art school, modeling "for all the scholars of art" ("She had an A1 body and a face to match/She didn't have money, she didn't have cash"). It's upbeat, even as it lays out the sordid details of the poor girl's experiences. The latest single from this album, "White Collar Boy," features a chunky "Spirit in the Sky" fuzz-guitar opening and bassline that sticks in the ear, and conjures up nostalgia for Norman Greenbaum's one and only hit. That alone should be enough of a reason to get this album.

Favorite tracks: "Another Sunny Day," "White Collar Boy," "The Blues Are Still Blue," "Sukie in the Graveyard," "To Be Myself Completely."