My top ten albums of '06

1. The new album by the indie-rock flavor-of-the-moment who aren't any more engaging than last year's indie-rock flavor-of-the-moment.

2. Novelty album no one is going to remember by this time next year.

3. Thuggish coke-rap album that proves i'm not a nerd, but i'm down with the streets and understand urban culture.

4. Debut album by obscure indie band you've never heard of which proves i'm ahead of the curve.

5. Super-mainstream act's latest album that proves i'm not an out-of-touch elitist.

6. Underground hip hop act's high concept masterpiece which doesn't say anything threatening and is quirky and/or endearing.

7. Snarling, full-of-attitude British garage-rock band's debut that sounds just like every other snarling, full-of-attitude British garage rock band's debut.

8. New album from female singer-songwriter with earnest yet quirky lyrics.

9. The comeback album for that band from the '90s who have reinvented themselves somehow.

10. Token jazz or electronica or R&B or reggae album to show how diverse my collection is.

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Seriously though, some of my favorite albums of this year would fit into some of these categories, so i'm not talking bad about anyone... well, except maybe some music critics. Personally, i liked Lupe Fiasco's "Food and Liquor," Regina Spektor's "Begin to Hope," the Roots' "Game Theory," the Gnarls Barkley album, P.O.S.'s "Audition," Youngblood Brass Band's "Is That A Riot," the Radiodread album and a few more i'm forgetting.

I'd make an official "top ten," but as you can see, i'm not a huge fan of those lists. I think they're fine within genres, but once a critic tries to force him/herself out of his/her preferred genre, they often seem to be reaching. Trying to create a top ten that encompasses every genre i think is rather futile, unless you're a really amazing critic. Most critics have a specialty, and their list is going to reflect that.

This is where you get tokenism and reaching and all that-- i just know a lot of critics would have ten indie-rock bands if they weren't afraid of being criticized, so they throw in "Fishscale" or "Futuresex" or "Hell Hath No Fury" for the sake of diversity.

So it's fine to have a "top underground hip hop albums of the year" or "top obscure indie-rock albums of the year," but i think these definitive all-genre lists are suspect and unnecessary. There are a few critic who can maybe pull it off, but not many.