My recommendations 2006:Bang Bang Rock & Roll by Art Brut

Art Brut: Bang Bang Rock & Roll
Downtown 5/9/2006

Available at Emusic

Okay, so this isn't really "new" music if you count its original UK release in 2005 (or that its lead single, "Formed a Band", is already more than two years old), but it didn't see stateside release until this year. Like Arctic Monkeys, Art Brut is obsessed with being young in the city, but they deal with more mature problems like sexually-induced sleep deprivation and trying to relate to The Velvet Underground (to whom they owe more than perhaps they are willing to acknowledge). Though this album was relatively old before it could reach Americans unwilling to pay for imports, it remains fresher than most albums recorded this year.