t's that time of year: the big fat man is on his way, so every writer in North America is quickly readying a "best of" list for the year that was 2006. Mine will be better than all their asses, I swear.

This week, I will look back on the sounds that you likely didn't know existed and the tunes that you should pick up before 2006 is over; none of it's mainstream, none of it's top 40 (okay, maybe just a couple), and all of it's ultra cool. Your iPod will thank me later. This year has given us the good (via Gray's Anatomy's sudden interest in finding a new hit song for every episode to showcase), and the bad (KFed anyone? I know, I know, don�t kick a man when he's down, but what if he really, really deserves it? I long for the days of Vanilla ice). Here are some off-the-beaten-track highlights that will make you cooler than the guy sitting next to you:

Wolfmother: This was the best live show that I saw this year. This power trio from Australia is well on their way to becoming one of the hottest triplets in the world. Their albums are more than worth shelling out for. A fusion of stylized jamming, delicate melodies, and gallant rock riffage (Zeppelin, anyone?), Wolfmother is a sprawling beast of reckless abandon that you have to hear. Buy the whole thing.

TV on the Radio: The avant-garde, Brooklyn indie-rockers are exploding and their free jazz, a cappella, rock fusion (with hints of trip hop, spoken word, blip, and kitchen sink) is worth turning up. Socially conscious American poetry with style, TV on the Radio is a frontrunner in the new sounds worth hearing department. Pick up their stunning sophomore EP, Return to Cookie Mountain, and see for yourself. I smell Bowie.

City and Color: Alexisonfire? Perhaps you've heard of the Canadian post-hardcore, screamo band that has just sold out every venue in Toronto. They're not bad, if you're into that sort of thing, but every backpack hardcore kid secretly needs a ballad. Alexisonfire guitarist, Dallas (city) Green's (colour) solo side-project aims to fill the softy void. City and Color gives an unabashedly acoustic lesson in bravery. Candid and ultra-talented, Green strums along to lyrics that strike an Oberst chord of isolation and hurt (though, without the social criticism); sung softly, these words and arrangements easily distance him from his alter-ego. Download: Save Your Scissors, Comin' Home