I'm not sure what to say. So what if they're "old?" Who said punks can't rock in their latter 40s? Seriously, this album is, seriously.

Containing the best single song of the year ("Thursday") is enough to get this album into the top 10 for the year, but it's the rest of the album that gets it to number two (well, #3 really, but The Black Spoon's "The History of Modern Silence" isn't in the server). Superb shoegaze from one of NY's most underappreciated bands. This album is a must.

After a couple of inconsistent-at-best, boring-at-worst albums, Yo La Tengo finally comes through with a record that is both complete and sustaining. Almost every track is new ground for Hoboken's finest, and while at times it sounds like a compilation, it never sounds rehashed. The 10+ minute opener and closer provide catharsis unlike anything else.

So many albums over the past five years have been billed as the shit, but this is the only one that actually lives up to its reputation. The album is chilling when it needs to be, but never frozen. It's daring at times, but never too complicated to understand. Even if you aren't a fan of electropop, you'll love this. It's too good not to.

This is Scott McGaughey's magnum opus, or at least his post-Young Fresh Fellows magnum opus. Stealing playfully and generously from British Invasion pop, McGaughey isn't afraid to add in a little of his twisted humor as well. What you get is 13 well crafted tunes. What more can you ask for in this era of overproduction?

Kanye's best friend shows that he too can rap. Featuring guests from all over the hip-hop universe, Rhymefest's debut is one of the best releases of the year. I wouldn't say it's better than Ghostface Killah, but it's definitely more fun. Kanye's rap version of Build Me Up feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard is the illest song of 2006. Heck, it might be the illest of the millennium.

I try to avoid compilations on these lists, but I'll make an exception because this is all previously unreleased live recordings. While the sound quality is sub-par, the material isn't. Hot Snakes, while not as intense or consistent as Drive Like Jehu, manage to convey live an even more cynical view on the world than it does not record. Anyway, buy anything by Drive Like Jehu or Hot Snakes.

Yeah, yeah. We all know who Sonic Youth is and we all know how its albums are hit or miss. This one hit. So buy it. You probably have already.

Basically, I wanted to publish this list and I ran out of albums after four of my original top ten ended up not being in the database. This album is good, but once I put more thought into it I'll probably remember something that was better than this. Ditto for number ten.

See above.