We’re over halfway through January now, and while we have reflected on our favourite albums, songs, and live moments of 2025, it’s now time to look back even further.
It was the year that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest topped the box office ahead of Cars, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code.
2006 also saw the launch of Twitter, a cultural phenomenon debuted in the shape of High School Musical on the Disney Channel, and we said goodbye to the much-loved wildlife expert, Steve Irwin.
The sporting world was shaken as Zinedine Zidane was sent off for an infamous headbutt in the World Cup Final in Germany, while Tiger Woods won the Open Championship and his third US PGA Championship, and Kobe Bryant played his iconic “81-point game”.
In the world of music, Glastonbury was taking a well-earned fallow year, while Daniel Powter topped the Billboard 100 list with Bad Day, and Sean Paul’s Temperature, Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy, and Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie were receiving widespread airplay.
But which albums were we listening to back in 2006? In Part 1, we take you from January to June to see some of the records celebrating 20-year anniversaries this year…
January opened with a cultural reset. Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not wasn’t just a debut album, it was the start of something special. A phenomenon. Capturing the rush of queues, taxis and sticky-floored northern nightclubs with forensic precision, it sounded like the UK talking to itself in real time. Its Mercury Prize win later that year was the icing on the cake for an incredible breakthrough.
Elsewhere, The Kooks’ Inside In / Inside Out offered a sunnier, more romanticised vision of indie Britain, while Richard Ashcroft’s Keys to the World saw the former Verve frontman stepping back into the spotlight. Gossip’s Standing in the Way of Control cut through with raw, defiant energy, while Yellowcard’s Lights and Sounds proved pop-punk still had emotional heft. Cat Power’s The Greatest rounded out the month with some warm soul arrangements and late-night introspection.
February belonged to reinvention. Belle and Sebastian’s The Life Pursuit shook off their twee reputation with some glossy pop, while Sparks’ Hello Young Lovers was equally as bold, with a sharp, theatrical record for their 20th offering.
Electronic music had a moment too: The Knife’s Silent Shout was cold, confrontational and deeply influential. Elsewhere, Corinne Bailey Rae’s self-titled debut offered something gentler and more intimate, featuring the mammoth hit “Put Your Records On”.
March leaned darker and heavier. Mogwai’s Mr Beast was vast and uncompromising, its post-rock crescendos demanding patience and rewarding immersion. Graham Coxon’s Love Travels at Illegal Speeds reaffirmed his post-Blur creative freedom, packed with sharp hooks and restless energy.
There was confrontation too: Placebo’s Meds doubled down on drama and nihilism, while Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Show Your Bones softened their sound without losing intensity. One of the month’s most quietly enduring releases came from Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, whose Ballad of the Broken Seas blended folk and noir into something timeless, earning a well-deserved Mercury nomination.
April was overloaded, and gloriously so. Morrissey’s Ringleader of the Tormentors felt like a late-career high point, while The Flaming Lips’ At War With the Mystics embraced psychedelia, and The Streets returned with The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living, featuring popular singles “Never Went To Church” and “When You Wasn’t Famous”.
Then there was Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere, an album that felt unavoidable in 2006, blurring soul and pop into something instantly iconic, while The Charlatans’ Simpatico and The Zutons’ Tired of Hanging Around kept northern British guitar pop grounded in melody and groove.
In May, Jack White was back with The Raconteurs’ debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, featuring the huge hit ready-made for indie nightclub dancefloors, “Steady As She Goes”. Snow Patrol’s Eyes Open dominated radio with “Chasing Cars” and “You’re All That I Have”, while Gomez’s How We Operate pushed their sound into new territory.
Featuring “Dani California” and “Snow (Hey Oh)”, it was also the return of Red Hot Chili Peppers with Stadium Arcadium. Meanwhile, Orson’s Bright Idea captured a moment where polished pop-rock briefly ruled the charts – slick, catchy, and absolutely of its time, featuring huge hit “No Tomorrow”.
And finally, June felt like a victory lap for British indie pop. The Automatic’s Not Accepted Anywhere and The Futureheads’ News and Tributes landed. It was then the turn of Hot Chip’s The Warning, bridging indie and dance with increasing confidence on their second album, which featured one of their biggest singles to date in “Over and Over”.
There was drama too: Keane’s Under the Iron Sea doubled down on theatrical melancholy, while The Feeling’s Twelve Stops and Home soundtracked summers with earnest charm. Closing out the month, Primal Scream’s Riot City Blues was a big return, as “Country Girl” breathed new life into the band.
So there we have our picks of the album releases from January to June 2006. Part 2 will be out soon covering July to December…
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