With the end of another year and the approach of its fifth (broadcasting) birthday, UW-Madison student radio station WSUM is pushing forward. The station is developing a new online home, a precursor to a much bigger change when its studios move to the new University Square, which is currently scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008.
One way that the march of time is marked at the broadcaster is through the annual release of the top twenty albums played on the air. Based on WSUM's Weekly Top 30, the 2006 edition of the list was released on New Year's Day, along with a thanks to the stations listenership.
Here are the WSUM Top 20 Albums of 2006:
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- Show Your Bones
- Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins -- Rabbit Fur Coat
- Cat Power -- The Greatest
- Belle and Sebastian -- The Life Pursuit
- The Strokes -- First Impressions of Earth
- The M's -- Future Women
- TV on the Radio -- Return to Cookie Mountain
- Yo La Tengo -- I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass
- White Whale -- WWI
- Mates of State -- Bring It Back
- M. Ward -- Post-War
- Regina Spektor -- Begin to Hope
- The Black Keys -- Magic Potion
- The Flaming Lips -- At War with the Mystics
- Essex Green -- Cannibal Sea
- The Boy Least Likely To -- Best Party Ever
- Neko Case -- Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
- Camera Obscura -- Let's Get Out of This Country
- The Fiery Furnaces -- Bitter Tea
- The Sleepy Jackson -- Personality
WSUM will resume its weekly charts when the spring 2007 semester begins in less than three weeks. More information about the student broadcaster is available from wsum.org, as well as from the new beta version of its online home, available at wsum.net.