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Top 10 Best Alt/Indie Albums of 2006 ListsThe end of the year can be a time for reflection, but in the world of music journalism, it can also be a time of confusion -- every single paper, magazine, website and blog tries to tell you which were the Best Albums Of, and mostly they disagree. For those who, in 2006, want to avoid list-reading and opinion cross-checking, below are the Top Ten Best Album of 2006 lists of 2006 -- culled from the many sources I read, the few reviewers I trust, and including what, frankly, I think are the Best Albums of 2006. So, if you only read ten Best Album Of 2006 lists this year, read these ten. They're the best. 1. Metacritic's Best Reviewed Albums of 2006Metacritic grades albums numerically based on how reviewers in other publications critique each release. So their Best Albums list is really a collection of which albums received the highest aggregated score. Their top alt/indie albums, in reverse order:
2. Insound's Best Selling Albums of 2006Insound.com was among the first independent record sellers to head online, and those that know indie rock shop at Insound. Thus, there must be significance to their top sellers of the year. They were:
3. The Onion A.V. Club's Best Music of 2006America's finest news source is also a mighty fine source for good music. I trust their to-the-point opinions almost as much as I trust their sardonic satire (alt/indie picks only):
4. NPR's All Songs Considered Best CDs of 2006These days, NPR is a lot less stodgy than you might imagine. This listener-chosen top ten proves that NPR listeners have pretty good taste in tunes:
5. The Guardian's "Definitive Top 10 Albums of the Year"Assigning points to albums ranked in other Best Of lists, the Guardian attempted to mathematically figure what albums really are the best of 2006. As my only UK sample, this selection stands out as quite different from the bunch:
6. UCLA Radio's "10 Favorite 2006 Albums"Supposedly, college kids know what's hip. So, for a bit of co-ed perspective, a list from the DJs at one of the bigger schools out West:
7. Nerd Report's Top Albums of 2006A list of with some unexpected albums. Leave it to a Nerd to break the mold of Best Of predictability:
8. Marathonpacks' Top Albums of 2006Over at Marathonpacks, "longevity is key." Or, in other words, the list is “selected and ranked in order of how much I listened to and enjoyed each one this year.” Is that different from most Best Of criteria? Only alt/indie albums included:
9. Jeremy Enigk's Top 10 of 2006 at Filter MagazineSunny Day Real Estate is one of my favorite bands of all time, so I couldn't resist including a top ten compiled by the band's enigmatic frontman, Jeremy Enigk. I don't know if his musical taste is impeccable -- but when he filters those influences into the songs he writes, well, let's just say it's better than good taste:
10. Largehearted Boy's 2006 Favorite AlbumsLargehearted Boy runs an excellent blog, and his nearly-comprehensive 2006 year-end music list meta-list was an invaluable help while putting this list together. So I thought it only fair to point out that he has good taste, too:
Want to buy the best of the best?To check out prices on the best of the best, follow these links:
Other Related Resources & Guide Picks2006 Indie Rock Holiday Gift GuideNew Music: LocksleyNew Music: Pablo "Half the Time" |
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