Holy dang! It’s year-end list time! In keeping up with everyone else with a blog, Nick and I made lists of our top albums of the year.

Nick’s List:
1. Decemberunderground by AFI - Whether you like AFI or not (and Dusty, I know you DON’T), when I think of 2006, I will automatically think of this album. I’ve listened to it at least once or twice a week every single week since its release in June. I can give myself chills just thinking of the end of “Affliction” and no one can pretend that they don’t think Davey Havok is beautiful in the video for “Miss Murder.” And, I saw AFI in concert this summer and they definitely stopped their set to make sure a boy being crushed in the crowd was okay. Sonya can back me up on this. Trés cool.
2. The Alternative by I Am X - Can this man do any wrong? I’m pretty much convinced that he cannot. Everything is completely on point from his videos to his album covers and, most importantly, his songs. Gorgeous falsetto moments contrasted with gruff under-breath lyrics makes the album supremely stimulating (take that as you must.) Perfect for staying awake when driving across the state.
3. Cansei de Ser Sexy by CSS - After watching the video for “Alala,” I dare you to not have a crush on these girls. (I will marry the one in the yellow dress if it’s the last thing I do.)
4. Pieces Of The People We Love by The Rapture - Similarly, watch the video for “Whoo! Alright-Yeah…Uh Huh” and tell me you don’t think these guys are rad. I defy you to do this.
5. The Eraser by Thom Yorke - Apparently I live in a hole because this album completely caught me off guard. I’m terribly grateful for that, too. I’d probably have never listened, since Thom Yorke has really only irritated me in the past. This album, however, is pure genius.
6. Ringleader Of The Tormentors by Morrissey - It’s fucking Morrissey.
7. Supernature by Goldfrapp - The US release date was March 2006, and for once, I’m going to be glad that we got something later because I can fit it into my list! “Side In” is probably my favourite electro track of the year…and that’s a hotly contested label.
8. Night Ripper by Girl Talk - Uh…wow. I think this is what would happen if you listened to all of the music in your iTunes library at once. No, scratch that. This is what would happen if you listened to EVERYONE’s music simulatneously.
9. This Is An Exercise by Anna Oxygen - Listen to “Mechanical Fish” and then “Hypertension.” Then listen to “Mechanical Fish” again. Now you’ve got it. “Real fish aren’t going to have any more perspective on themselves than mechanical fish…and that’s a fact.”
10. The Back Room by Editors - I heard this mentioned on the radio while cruising around the M1 in Andy’s rented Peugeot and somehow managed to remember the band name and album until I got back a week later. I’m extremely glad I did. Go team brain!

Dusty’s note: My list has become less of a “best of” and more of a “listened to most.” These things are not really the same. I also feel bad because I know that I neglected a lot of albums that could’ve made the list if I’d only given them a chance and taken the time to listen to them. This being the case, I am leaving two spots blank for when I will inevitably “discover” them next year.

Dusty’s List:
• Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio - Easily one of my most highly anticipated albums of the year, TV on the Radio’s second full length effort did not disappoint. Thanks to a (very) early leak, I was able to listen to this wonderful album for 3/4ths of 2006. Even though I didn’t order my list, this one is definitely at the top for a reason.
• Everything All The Time by Band of Horses - One of a few surprises this year, I completely fell in love with the “reverb-soaked vocals” and the pacing of the songs. This album is perfect for listening to in the dark while trying to sort through things in your brain.
• Night Ripper by Girl Talk - the only album to appear on both lists, this party-in-a-cd manages to sample an impressive 164 artists in only 42 minutes. And it’s all so friggin’ good.
• The Crane Wife by The Decemberists - I’ll admit that I wasn’t a huge Decemberists fan before I heard this album. Their first major label (Capitol) release, it is very accessible, which is maybe why some of the “I liked them when…” fans were so hard on it. Regardless, it’s an enjoyable album from start to finish.
• The Life Pursuit by Belle and Sebastian - Another early release that I almost forgot about, this album received a lot of spins early in the year. Although it is a little uneven, it still has enough high points to easily make my list.
• Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not by Arctic Monkeys - The only really rockin’ album on my list, this album lived up to (and easily surpassed) all of the blog hype. This is another album that I’d basically forgotten about by year’s end, but it will definitely getting some more play in the near future. Now I have “Dancing Shoes” stuck in my head. Soo good.
• At War with the Mystics by The Flaming Lips - Not suprisingly, one of the things that these albums have in common is that most of them are a lot of fun to listen to. This album really didn’t get a whole lot of recognition when it was released, but it is a good time.
• Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! by hellogoodbye - I really have no choice but to love this album. For me, familiarity has a lot to do with how much a like something, and this excellent powerpop album played in my car for over a month straight. Plus, you have to give it up for the title and the album art.