New for 2006, we present our picks for best music CD of the year. And if you've been consistently maddened by our offbeat picks for our favorite movies over the years, then, hooboy, is this not the right category for you. If you thought that new Black Eyed Peas disc was really thumping, or Nickelback just couldn't get any better, you might want to keep on clicking. Maybe over to another site entirely. I mean, I've heard about you kind of people and your American Idol worship, and frankly, I'm a little scared of you. Anyway, I digress.

First place goes to the third disc from the "don't call it a supergroup" indie sensation The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema. Previous outings from this group and its constituent parts rated highly in numerous "Top Ten of the Half-Decade" lists in our blogs, so this result isn't really much of a surprise. On this disc, frontman A.C. Newman's mastery of the melody mixes with his muse's voice, alt-country goddess Neko Case, to create complex creations that transcend mere "pop". A standout track here is Use It, which takes a deceptively simple rhythm and builds through instrumentation into a symphony that will require dynamite to remove from your head.

Second goes to the latest in Sufjan Stevens's incredibly ambitious project to write an album about every US state, this one about Illinois. Covering topics as wide ranging as personal tragedy, Abraham Lincoln, serial killers and industrialism, Sufjan crafts almost painfully beautiful folk melodies with his wisp of a voice, creating beautiful and intimate stories. He also proves to be a musical chameleon, jumping from Vince Guaraldi-esque tunes to a passable imitation of Isaac Hayes funk. It's a brilliant collection of Americana that offers new aural rewards on each listen.

Third place goes to the latest from Austin-based Spoon, entitled Gimme Fiction. Bridging a gap between pop and rock, Spoon continues to sound like no one but themselves, putting together an album of jangly, crashing rock with hooks so infections that the CDC is looking into them. Britt Daniel's whiskey-soaked vocals complement the wall of sound perfectly, giving us the best example of indie rock this year.

The Decemberists's Picaresque is next in fourth, hailing from the rich Portland music scene (it's the new Seattle). Lush arrangements of pop swirl around lyrically dense songs that verge on the theatrical. The lovelorn and the romantic will find something to appreciate with this album.

After all this indie navel gazing, it's time to rock out. That's where our fifth pick of Audioslave's Out of Exile comes in. The second collaboration of Soundgarden's Chris Cornell and three members of Rage Against the Machine finds them able to shed the baggage of their previous works to create a sound that's their own. Of course, it's tough to top Cornell's vocals, still some of the best in rock, along with Tom Morello's blistering guitar work.

Sixth place goes to the Aimee Mann concept album, The Forgotten Arm. The album covers the length and breadth of a relationship between a boxer and his girlfriend, including their meeting, split and reconciliation. Mann's trademark poetic lyrics and superior songwriting skills are on display here, as always. In seventh is Brooklyn-sensation The Hold Steady, which blends blues rock sensibilities with giant melodic hooks and Craig Finn's weird and rambling lyrics that verge on rants.

While it's their Simpsons-shoutout name that caught out attention, Fall Out Boy's major label debut From Under the Cork Tree (voted eighth here) transcends mere gimmickry, being an emo masterpiece, if such a beast exists. The inherently danceable Sugar, We're Goin' Down hasn't left our heads for months.

Ninth goes to Chariot by Gavin Degraw, he of One Tree Hill theme song fame. His upbeat tunes with catchy, Shawn Mullins-esque country-fried rock roots struck a chord with some of our voters. Finishing off this top ten is Seth Cohen's favorite band, Death Cab for Cutie, with their new offering Plans. They survived the transition from fringe to breakout well, and are possibly a new herald of nerd rock. (Reagen Sulewski/BOP)

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