ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2006
compiled from the critics' choices in the following publications: Uncut, Q, Mojo, NME, The Word, The Guardian and Observer Music Monthly.
1
In Rainbows
Radiohead
2
Neon Bible
Arcade Fire
3
Favourite Worst Nightmares
Arctic Monkeys
4
Sound of Silver
LCD Soundsystem
5
Because the Times
Kings of Leon
6
Myths of the Near Future
Klaxons
7
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
The Good, The Bad & The Queen
8
White Chalk
PJ Harvey
9
Icky Thump
The White Stripes
10
Boys and Girls in America
The Hold Steady
11
Magic
Bruce Springsteen
12
Kala
M.I.A.
13
Mirrored
Battles
14
Grinderman
Grinderman
15
Release the Stars
Rufus Wainwright
16
Raising Sand
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
17
Volta
Björk
18
Chrome Dreams II
Neil Young
19
Cassadaga
Bright Eyes
20=
Comicopera
Robert Wyatt
20=
Wincing the Night Away
The Shins
22
Let's Stay Friends
Les Savy Fav
23
Aman Iman: Water is Life
Tinariwen
24
Shotter's Nation
Babyshambles
25
†
Justice
26
Our Love to Admire
Interpol
27
Person Pitch
Panda Bear
28
Lady's Bridge
Richard Hawley
29
Panic Prevention
Jamie T
30
Sky Blue Sky
Wilco
NOTES:
Keen competition for the #2 place, but the winner was pretty obvious from the moment that Radiohead announced their new album would be available to download at a price of your own choosing.
Welcome back to PJ Harvey and Björk. Just below the top 30 were some old favourites: the Coral, Nick Lowe, Super Furry Animals and the Foo Fighters.
In a break with tradition, I don't have a personal choice this year - I spent so long immersing myself in the 1970s that I kinda missed what was happening. (The first Sparks album is nice, though.)
