A Linear Collection of 2006 Favourites

Appearing on this list is a better indicator of 1) my financial situation at the time of the album's release, 2) the amount of quality time we've spent together, AND 3) its coincidental relevance to current events in the world and my psyche THAN the overall value of the album. I guarantee albums that don't appear on this list may be "better", and albums that appear may be "worse"... the clash of these dichotomies spark the conversations that make lists meaningful. Because I don't work for a label or have the time to care, I often confuse what was officially released in 2006 and what I enjoyed in 2006... but I've tried my best to stick to 2006 releases. Following are some audio trinkets I've shelved and cherished this year:

Best Albums of 2006
1) Joanna Newsom - Ys (ressurects the entire album concept)
2) The Knife – Silent Shout
3) Hot Chip – The Warning
4) Girl Talk – Night Ripper
5) Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up, I’m Dreaming
6) Beyonce – B’Day
7) Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies (mp3)
8) Regina Spektor – Begin To Hope
9) Thom Yorke – The Eraser
10) Bonnie Prince Billy – The Letting Go
11) Chad VanGaalen – Skelliconnection
12) Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
13) Damien Rice – 9
14) Shearwater – Palo Santo (mp3)
15) Muse – Black Holes and Revelations
16) Espers – II
17) Grizzly Bear – Yellow House
18) Final Fantasy – He Poos Clouds
19) Junior Boys – So This Is Goodbye
20) Return to Cookie Mountain – TV On The Radio

I've separated my favourite songs of 2006 into joyously manic and transcendentally depressive lists. There were so many great songs that it's a torture to leave any out, so please comment with your favourites...

Manic Singles of 2006:
Beyonce – Irreplaceable
Girl Talk – Bounce That
Cold War Kids – Hospital Beds (mp3)
Justin Timberlake – Sexy Back
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Hot Chip – Over and Over (and Warning too)
We Are Scientists – Nobody Move
Leslie Hall – Mother Gem Lullaby
Condoleeza Check My Posse – The Majestic Twelve
Junior Boys – In the Morning
Pants Yell! – Your Feelings Don’t Show (mp3)
Tilly and the Wall - Bad Education
Voxtrot - Mothers, Sisters, Daughters and Wives (mp3)
Man Man - Engrish Bwudd

Depressive Singles of 2006:
Sunset Rubdown – Shut Up I’m Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings
The Knife – Silent Shout
Caroline – Sunrise
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – Young Shields
Chris Garneau – Not Nice
Thom Yorke – The Eraser
Track a Tiger – Seashaken Heart
Cat Power – Where Is My Love
Bonnie Prince Billy – The Seedling
Jolie Holland – Springtime Can Kill You
Espers – Moon Occults the Sun
St. Vincernt – Marry Me
Muse – Starlight
Chad VanGaalen – Gubbish
Swan Lake - The Freedom