The countdown to the end of the Zeroes continues and the tribute of Mix Grill to the best music of this decade is reaching its dramatic climax! Which albums are going to be among the Best of the Best and what were the songs of the decade? But until you get answers to all these agonizing questions, it's time for us to take a look at the best of 2006.

The two albums that stand out the most among all the other releases of 2006 belong to two of the top bands of the decade, New-Yorkers TV On The Radio and Sheffield's Arctic Monkeys.

TV On The Radio had left great first impressions with their 2003 EP "Young Liars" and their debut album the following year ("Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes", number 5 in our 2004 list). With "Return to Cookie Mountain" they went even further, creating an experimental and adventurous record that could be appreciated without the requirement of a PhD in Musicology. Its noisy guitar rock mixed with soulful vocals, funky rhythms, melodic synths and unusual percussion creating a unique blend under the supervision of David Sitek, a member of the band but also one of the greatest producers of the New York scene (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Telepathe).

On the other side of the Atlantic, the meteoric rise of the Arctic Monkeys had started. Their popularity began to build on the internet, leading them to a record contract with the best British independent of this decade, Domino, and to the top of the charts with their second single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor". Their debut album released early in the year left its indelible mark to the British music of 2006 by combining power pop with punk dynamics and reminding us of The Jam. And that, as it turns out, was just the beginning.

Among the rest of the great releases of the year we have two more excellent debuts: "Cansei De Ser Sexy", the dance dynamite of Brazil's C.S.S. (which translates into "I am tired of being sexy"!), and the hardcore punk delirium of the self-titled release of Nashville teenagers Be Your Own Pet with the help of Steve McDonald from Redd Kross and Thurston Moore. Among the surprises of the year we have Archie Bronson Outfit (labelmates of Arctic Monkeys but without the recognition that they deserved), and The Hold Steady who managed to cross-over to a wider audience with their third LP and gain critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Yeah Yeah Yeahs made their triumphant return by unveiling a brighter, more melodic sound, while The Strokes and The Decemberists continued to amaze us. Sonic Youth and Built To Spill also made great records, but that wasn't a surprise for anyone - greatness as usual!

Top 25 Albums

1. Return to cookie mountain - TV ON THE RADIO
2. Whatever people say I am, that's what I am not - ARCTIC MONKEYS
3. Cansei De Ser Sexy - C.S.S.
4. Show your bones - YEAH YEAH YEAHS
5. Be Your Own Pet - BE YOUR OWN PET
6 . Derdang derdang - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
7. The crane wife - THE DECEMBERISTS
8. First impressions of earth - THE STROKES
9. You in reverse - BUILT TO SPILL
10. Rather ripped - SONIC YOUTH
11. Boys and girls in America - THE HOLD STEADY
12. Pieces of the people we love - THE RAPTURE
13. Fishscale - GHOSTFACE KILLAH
14. Yoyoyoyoyo - SPANK ROCK
15. Standing in the way of control - GOSSIP
16. Ringleader of the tormentors - MORRISSEY
17. I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass - YO LA TENGO
18. Rabbit fur coat - JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS
19. Robbers & cowards - COLD WAR KIDS
20. Hit the floor! - YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE!
21. Sam's town - THE KILLERS
22. The Lemonheads - THE LEMONHEADS
23. The Bronx - THE BRONX
24. The invisible deck - THE ROGERS SISTERS
25. The body the blood the machine - THE THERMALS

Top 25 Tracks

1. Steady As She Goes - THE RACONTEURS
2. Wolf Like Me - TV ON THE RADIO
3 . Turn Into - YEAH YEAH YEAHS
4. The Greatest - CAT POWER
5. Rise Up With Fists!! - JENNY LEWIS WITH THE WATSON TWINS
6. A Stitch In Time EP - THE TWILIGHT SINGERS
7. Alala - C.S.S.
8 . Pull Shapes - THE PIPETTES
9. Chosen One - THE CONCRETES
10. O Valencia! - THE DECEMBERISTS
11. Goin' Against Your Mind - BUILT TO SPILL
12. Who The Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys EP - ARCTIC MONKEYS
13. You Only Live Once - THE STROKES
14. When You Were Young - THE KILLERS
15. Get Myself Into It - THE RAPTURE
16. Standing In The Way Of Control - GOSSIP
17. Never Learn To Cry - THE ROGERS SISTERS
18. Monster Hospital - METRIC
19. Eleanor Put Your Boots On - FRANZ FERDINAND
20. Solar Throw-Away - STEREOLAB
21. You Did It! - YOU SAY PARTY! WE SAY DIE!
22. Over And Over - HOT CHIP
23. Sweet Talk - SPANK ROCK
24. Cowbell - TAPES 'N TAPES
25 . Cherry Lips - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT

Song of the week: "Broken Boy Soldiers", the first album of The Raconteurs may not be in our Top 25 of the year (it is however in the Top 30), but their single "Steady As She Goes" with which they introduced themselves is at the top of our song list.