Postcard--Best Of 2006 Poll Results

Postcard Year-End Poll 2006
With the 2006 poll, we altered the rules slightly to allow for live albums, EPs, compilations, and boxed sets to be considered on the ballots. Some voters took advantage of the rule change while others were more comfortable sticking with the old rules. The result landed at least two entries in the top 25 that may not have made it in past years (Waits, Sadies). The deadline extension yielded 134 ballots this year - two more than 2005 but still short of our target of 150-175. The Top 15 all compiled more than 100 total points, which has been the average over the past few years. On paper - Neko Case runs away with it - with her release appearing on 50% of all ballots submitted and the leader in Number #1 votes as well as Top 3 and Top 5 votes. But behind the scenes Centro-matic and The Hold Steady held their ground until the final days of voting (especially Centro-matic, which appeared on 40% of all ballots and for a time was leading Neko in both Top 3 and Top 5 votes). So Neko's win was not the juggernaut that something like YHF or even Okemah was in their release years. Overall, the 2006 Top 20 was a pretty big Postcard-Friendly list with many familiar names, and a few new(er) names that shared sonic and lyrical sensibilities with other old favorites. Neko's 1st place finish is the first time a female artist has claimed the top spot (Loretta Lynn's 3rd place finish in 2004 was the previous high mark), and the 3 female placements within the Top 15 make it the most since 1998 when 4 graced the list (Lucinda, Cheri Knight, Liz Phair, and Gillian). 2007 will be very interesting in terms of polling with several previous year-end favorites putting out new releases, including Son Volt and Wilco. -- Enrico Cardamone

Postcard Year-End Poll 2006

With the 2006 poll, we altered the rules slightly to allow for live albums, EPs, compilations, and boxed sets to be considered on the ballots. Some voters took advantage of the rule change while others were more comfortable sticking with the old rules. The result landed at least two entries in the top 25 that may not have made it in past years (Waits, Sadies).

The deadline extension yielded 134 ballots this year - two more than 2005 but still short of our target of 150-175. The Top 15 all compiled more than 100 total points, which has been the average over the past few years.

On paper - Neko Case runs away with it - with her release appearing on 50% of all ballots submitted and the leader in Number #1 votes as well as Top 3 and Top 5 votes. But behind the scenes Centro-matic and The Hold Steady held their ground until the final days of voting (especially Centro-matic, which appeared on 40% of all ballots and for a time was leading Neko in both Top 3 and Top 5 votes). So Neko's win was not the juggernaut that something like YHF or even Okemah was in their release years.

Overall, the 2006 Top 20 was a pretty big Postcard-Friendly list with many familiar names, and a few new(er) names that shared sonic and lyrical sensibilities with other old favorites. Neko's 1st place finish is the first time a female artist has claimed the top spot (Loretta Lynn's 3rd place finish in 2004 was the previous high mark), and the 3 female placements within the Top 15 make it the most since 1998 when 4 graced the list (Lucinda, Cheri Knight, Liz Phair, and Gillian).

2007 will be very interesting in terms of polling with several previous year-end favorites putting out new releases, including Son Volt and Wilco.
-- Enrico Cardamone

RANK	ARTIST	ALBUM	TOTAL POINTS	TOTAL VOTES	#1 Votes
99	Minus 5	The Gun Album	13	3	0
	New York Dolls	One Day It Will Please Us	13	3	0
	Walkmen	A Hundred Miles Off	13	3	0
98	Coxon, Graham	Love Travels At Illegal Speeds	14	2	1
96	Escovedo, Alejandro	The Boxing Mirror	14	3	0
	Kristofferson, Kris	This Old Road	14	3	0
95	My Brightest Diamond	Bring Me The Workhorse	15	2	0
93	Portastatic	Be Still Please	15	2	1
	Shearwater	Palo Santo	15	2	1
92	Staton, Candi	His Hands	16	2	0
90	Millan, Amy	Honey From The Tombs	16	2	1
	Various Artists	Rogue's Gallery	16	2	1
89	Black Angels	Passover	16	3	0
88	Hyvonen, Frida	Until Death Comes	17	2	1
86	Badly Drawn Boy	Born In The UK	17	3	0
	Spektor, Regina	Begin To Hope	17	3	0
85	Costello / Toussaint	The River In Reverse	17	3	1
80	Beirut	Gulag Orkestar	17	4	0
	Bonnie 'Prince' Billy	The Letting Go / Little Lost Blues	17	4	0
	Gomez	How We Operate	17	4	0
	Snider, Todd	The Devil You Know	17	4	0
	Snow Patrol	Eyes Open	17	4	0
79	Newsom, Joanna	Ys	17	4	1
78	Nelson, Willie	You Don't Know Me: Songs Of Cindy Walker	17	5	0
77	Walker, Scott	The Drift	18	2	1
75	Arthur, Joseph	Nuclear Daydream	18	3	0
	Cold War Kids	Robbers And Cowards	18	3	0
73	Davies, Ray	Other People's Lives	18	4	0
	Hitchcock, Robyn	Ole! Tarantula	18	4	0
72	Essex Green	The Cannibal Sea	18	4	1
70	Flaming Lips	At War With The Mystics	19	6	0
	Gnarls Barkley	St. Elsewhere	19	6	0
69	Kooks	Inside In \ Inside Out	20	4	0
68	Jurado, Damien	And Now That I'm In Your Shadow	20	4	1
66	Califone	Roots And Crowns	22	3	0
	La's	BBC In Session	22	3	0
65	O'Reagan, Tim	Tim O'Reagan	22	5	1
64	Eleventh Dream Day	Zeroes And Ones	23	3	0
63	Orton, Beth	Comfort Of Strangers	23	4	0
62	Knight, Chris	Enough Rope	24	3	0
61	Mission Of Burma	The Obliterati	24	5	0
60	Oakley Hall	Second Guessing	25	3	1
58	Dixie Chicks	Taking The Long Way	27	4	0
	Oakley Hall	Gypsum Strings	27	4	0
57	Beck	The Information	27	4	1
56	Dirty Pretty Things	Waterloo To Anywhere	27	6	0
55	Los Lobos	The Town And City	27	7	0
54	Deadstring Brothers	Starving Winter Report	28	8	0
53	Lemonheads	The Lemonheads	28	9	0
52	Patty Hurst Shifter	Too Crowded On The Losing End	29	4	0
50	Easton, Tim	Ammunition	29	5	0
	Nile, Willie	Streets Of New York	29	5	0
49	Westerberg, Paul	Open Season	29	6	0
48	Yo La Tengo	I Am Not Afraid Of You	30	4	1
47	Golden Smog	Another Fine Day	31	9	0
46	Ladyhawk	Ladyhawk	32	6	0
45	Young, Neil	Living With War	32	7	0
44	Destroyer	Destroyer's Rubies	33	6	1
43	National Grain	National Grain	35	6	0
42	Pearl Jam	Pearl Jam	37	9	0
41	Lucero	Rebels, Rogues, & Sworn Brothers	40	7	1
40	Heartless Bastards	All This Time	41	6	1
39	Radio Birdman	Zeno Beach	41	9	0
38	Belle & Sebastian	The Life Pursuit	42	8	0
37	Ritter, Josh	The Animal Years	43	7	0
36	Arctic Monkeys	Whatever People Say	43	10	1
35	Sonic Youth	Rather Ripped	44	8	2
34	Buckner, Richard	The Meadow	45	8	2
33	Tv On The Radio	Return To Cookie Mountain	48	8	1
32	Built To Spill	You In Reverse	51	9	1
31	You Am I	Convicts	55	7	2
30	Thermals	The Body, The Blood The Machine	55	8	3
29	Brakes	The Beatific Visions	58	10	1
28	Sparklehorse	Dreamt For Light Years	60	10	0
27	Long Winters	Putting The Days To Bed	62	10	1
26	Gourds	Heavy Ornamentals	66	16	2
25	Dylan, Bob	Modern Times	69	12	1
24	Two Gallants	What The Toll Tells	70	13	0
23	Raconteurs	Broken Boy Soldiers	71	11	1
22	Sadies	In Concert, Vol. 1	74	10	5
21	Cash, Johnny	American V	74	12	1
20	Frog Holler	Haywire	77	12	1
19	Gelb, Howe	Sno Angel Like You	82	12	1
18	Midlake	The Trials Of Van Occupanther	84	16	2
17	Broken Family Band	Balls	87	12	3
16	Drive-By Truckers	A Blessing And A Curse	93	24	0
15	Pernice Brothers	Live A Little	103.5	20	2
14	Calexico	Garden Ruin	113	19	0
13	Ward, M.	Post War	118	22	0
12	Lewis, Jenny	Rabbit Fur Coat	120	24	1
11	Springsteen, Bruce	The Seeger Sessions	31.5	24	2
10	Waits, Tom	Orphans	147	19	7
9	Cat Power	The Greatest	163	27	4
8	Gob Iron	Death Songs For The Living	167	28	2
7	Glossary	For What I Don't Become	190.5	29	5
6	Drams	Jubilee Dive	200.5	39	4
5	Decemberists	The Crane Wife	233.5	34	6
4	Band Of Horses	Everything All The Time	258.5	40	5
3	Hold Steady	Boys And Girls In America	316.5	45	10
2	Centro-Matic	Fort Recovery	374.5	54	8
1	Case, Neko	Fox Confessor Brings The Flood	463.5	68	16