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1. The Eraser – Thom Yorke
This album played on my iPod an innumerable amount of times since its release in July. Like most people, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Yorke’s solo album – from the style of music he would create to the lyrical content of the songs. And yet he and Nigel Godrich ended up producing a genius work of loops and bleeps that characterise Radiohead. My faves include “And it Rained All Night,” with a luscious bassline and flowing vocals as well as the trip-hop beat and sliding bass of “Black Swan.” This album is existential introspection at its musical apogee.

2. Trompe-L’œil – Malajube
When I was in Montreal earlier in the year, I saw this disc as a top seller on the HMV shelves. Always looking to find some good Francophone music, I picked this up and found it playing on my iPod nearly as much as The Eraser. Despite the fact that all the lyrics are in French, it clearly demonstrates the internationality of music. Songs like “Montréal -40°C” and “La Monogamie” evoke a sense of Wolf Parade mixed with Modest Mouse and Broken Social Scene and other indie hipster bands with unfrancophone sounding music. And to top it off, the critical acclaim by American press (such as CMJ) won an American release through Ninja Tune.

3. Into the Blue Again – The Album Leaf
Jimmy Lavalle and Thom Yorke would make an interesting duet record. I’m not sure how the vocals would exactly fit, but it’s obvious that both are masters of working the loop machines. I personally felt that this was a stronger album than Lavalle’s first two, with more cohesive and progressively worked sounds on songs like “Red Eye” and “Always for You.”

4. Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam
If it’s been ten years since Pearl Jam really made a good album, then it’s been about 10 years since I bought a Pearl Jam album. After being out of the sound for several years, it took a couple of albums to get into, but I soon found a hook to catch onto in each song. Yes, there was the whole anti-war theme in the lyrics (though “Big Wave” was purely about surfing), but Mike McCready really seems to bring it all home with his explosive technique.

5. Modern Times – Bob Dylan
I’ve never owned a Bob Dylan album. I never particularly was fond about him. And yet after reading progressive reviews of his recent works, it seemed only fitting that I get into the whole Bob Dylan phenomenon. For me, it’s hard to believe a man with this many albums still has a story to tell, and yet Dylan seems to do it as perfectly as any of the younger bands out there. I expected something more toward Dylan’s traditional folk sound but instead ended up with an odd cross between T-Bone Burnett and Randy Newman. Odd, but soothing.

6. Continuum – John Mayer
People are finally starting to wake up to this guy for who he is: a blues guitarist. The guy’s chops have been sitting on bubblegum pop for two albums now and on Continuum, he finally gets a chance to let go in blues form. It’s not really a traditional blues album, still sparkling those pop elements in, but Mayer is going the best route to his eventual journey. Make the millions with the cheese, then ease into what you want to do, as to not alienate your original fans. I expect the next album to be even better.

7. Chemical City – Sam Roberts Band
Sam Roberts is the next Canadian music export waiting to happen. I’ve been saying this for about 3 years now and after seeing him play to a solid sized crowd in New York, it’s only a matter of time (even the Village Voice acknowledged that this year). But that’s not why this album makes the list; this album is a stepped up sophomore album that again brings back some sounds from 70s rock. “The Gate” and “Bootleg Saint” rely on the organ more than the previous album, but Roberts also provides rock and roll balladry, contrasting on “Bridge to Nowhere” and “Uprising Down Under.”

8. Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not – Arctic Monkeys
The internet hype paid off and Arctic Monkeys really showed what teenage punk is supposed to be about. Yeah, there’s been comments made about the bouncing guitars, pounding drums, and juvenilely telling lyrics (as autobiographical as The Streets, perhaps), but I think the real beauty lies in the album’s ultimate simplicity. It’s really just raw, stripped rock. Though I can’t say how many times I played “Mardy Bum” this year. Probably too many.

9. The Crane Wife – The Decemberists
I recently learned about the Decemberists and decided to pick up their major-label debut. I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed it. The epic three-song run of “The Island” is fantastic, as is “The Crane Wife 1 & 2.” And unlike the lot of indie music focus on abstract lyrics, these end up being Romantic poetry. But after listening to it several times, I realised what made me really enjoy the album the most: the bouzouki. I don’t know if the Decemberists use this instrument on all their albums (I’ll have to start listening to the back catalogue- I hear good things about Picaresque), but it seemed to be mixed perfectly and add a light-hearted musical sound to even the drearier songs.

10. Without Feathers – The Stills
A lot of people have judged the Stills as weak sounding, particularly in comparison to other Montreal counterparts. However, this album spent too much time in my ears to not put on this list. The first half of Without Feathers is particularly strong and I really enjoy the ending of “Helicopters,” but “Halo the Harpoon” seems to throw an odd, yet stylishly fitting, 50s doo-wop sound into the album. It wasn’t the most brilliant album of 2006, but it was more accessible than Logic Will Break Your Heart and for me, more memorable as well.