The eMusic Dozen: 2006 User Poll: 20 - 11

20 The Truckers just keep getting better! — Jason T.

The Truckers sing to the part of your brain that knows cigarettes are bad for you, but says go ahead anyway. They write about the part of America that's busy trying to live life, pay the bills, love your kids, only to have all of that hard work repaid with cancer or overdue statements. Pass me a cold one and turn those speakers up full blast. Play it all night long. — Puckboy04

I will have the Drive-By Truckers' babies, if they ever asked — and if the premise of the movie Junior ever comes to fruition. — Miles D.

19 A no-brainer pick for one of the best records of '06. These guys have staying power. — Clipperfan

A classic in the vein of Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Operate is of a place and time all its own. Take a great band, a great bunch of songs and a producer willing to challenge them and you have How We Operate. — kayveman

18 Lighter on the dusty atmospherics and more vocally rich, Calexico takes a slight deviation from previous efforts delivering something new. — YolandasLoveShack

Calexico amazes me. They are so damn original and yet their songs seem to have a familiar quality about them. Garden Ruin is a masterpiece. — drewvan

15 I thought they had already come into their own, but I was wrong. The best record from one of the best bands of the last few years. Totally amazing. — blrn

I love that Califone cannot be pigeonholed. Their music is lyrical, imaginative, folky and full of surprises. — Tara J.

To be able to combine so many disparate sounds into one album without it sounding fractured and disconnected is truly an amazing feat of musical genius. It also gives Califone a distinctive, unique sound. — seand

14 Destroyer captures the spirit of early Bowie and moves it ahead 30 years without ever sounding like a copycat. Brilliant songwriting! — Green64

Everything Bejar's been attempting over the last five years coalesces into a stunning record full of lyrical gymnastics and musical epiphanies. — Chris S.

Clever, quirky and vivid; Bejar is a master. — anotherNothingday

These songs are too literary for me to grasp, but they still sound great. I feel smarter just by listening. Also, I think I spelled literary wrong. No, wait, that's right. — ChromaCoup

12 Amazing from start to finish — a timeless album. — Talin W.

Genius! The next Tom Waits. — Balthazar

M Ward crosses back and forth between pop and country. His writing is always interesting, but his covers of other writers' material (like Daniel Johnston's "To Go Home") is just as strong. — Steven S.

11 Was any album more fun than this in 2006? When this album became huge, the band was still frequenting the gyro shop on my block in Mpls. I don't see them around much anymore, which is good news for them. The gyros are sub-par. — Ben S.

It's a wonderful album; each song offers something different, but all are equally enjoyable. — satinstraightjacket

These guys rock like it's 1992. — LeBoronJames