Top 10

10. THE THERMALS
the body the blood and the machine
Judging from the number of Weakerthans albums in my collection, I have a thing for bands with literate, reedy-voiced singers who wear their punk tendencies on their sleeves. What's best about The Body, The Blood, The Machine is how audacious it is: Hutch Harris's over-the-top lyrics about a fundamentalist dictatorship that "runs on blood" are both hilarious and provocative, and there's enough hooks to placate the most devout Christian.

9. THE DEARS
Gang of Losers
When I first heard Gang of Losers, I thought it was limp. I thought it paled in comparison to 2004's No Cities Left. That was before I re-listened to No Cities Left, and realized a good chunk of it was atmospheric nothingness. Gang of Losers is The Dears grown up; even if Murray Lightburn still sounds like he's doing Pulp covers on karaoke night, I'll forgive him if it means more hip-shaking awesomeness like "Whites Only Party."

8. REGINA SPEKTOR
Begin to Hope
On "Begin to Hope," Regina Spektor is a chameleon. The Moscow-born pianist sings in English, French, and Russian. She morphs from ephemeral pop like "Hotel Song" where she dreams inexplicably of orca whales, to the world-weary "Lady" - her breathy, dirgelike tribute to Billie Holiday. Her references range from the Old Testament to Boris Pasternak to Guns 'n Roses. But what ties it together is Spektor's irrepressible personality and her dedication to plumbing the depths of love and loss.

7. PATRICK WATSON
Close to Paradise
If Jeff Buckley were alive today, he'd be a Patrick Watson fan. The Montreal-based troubadour's second album is eerily reminiscent of Buckley's masterwork Grace, as is Watson's own haunting caterwaul. The electronic accents on songs like "Daydreamer" and Sleeping Beauty" hint at what Buckley could have accomplished in a post-Kid A world. Still, this is no cover album - Watson's a fully-formed artist in his own right, and I eagerly look forward to his next release.

6. BELLE & SEBASTIAN
The Life Pursuit
Sometime in 2005, B&S must have recognized that universally-loved Dear Catastrophe Waitress B-side "Your Cover's Blown" was the most vital six minutes of music they'd recorded in ages. The Life Pursuit, which takes that track's soulful vibe and runs with it, was 2006's first great release - Stuart Murdoch and the rest indulge their Motown fascination while still maintaining their knack for capturing odd situations with wit and irony.

5. THE PIPETTES
We Are The Pipettes
Why was I not ashamed to blast We Are the Pipettes from my car stereo this summer, when I'd never be caught dead doing the same with the Spice Girls? Is it because I drive a Toyota Yaris, which is embarrassing enough? No, I think it's because there's something sweet and real here - regardless of the awesome '60s melodies, I can relate to The Pipettes' id-driven desires to dance and make out much easier than I can to, say, letting 2 become 1. Whatever that means.

4. FINAL FANTASY
He Poos Clouds
Final Fantasy won the inaugural $20,000 Polaris prize for best Canadian album last year, beating out the likes of Metric, Cadence Weapon, and Wolf Parade. On paper, the choice seems odd: the album is Arcade Fire violinist Owen Pallett's ode to NES classic Dungeons and Dragons, and the lyrics swing from the practicality of taking a first date to a shooting range to a Toronto-area condo developer's massive (and impotent) genitals. It works, and a second Polaris should probably be awarded to the person who figures out why.

3. YOUNG AND SEXY
Panic When You Find It
You'd think, being on Mint Records and all, Young and Sexy would be bathing in indie rock stardom by now. Instead, the cerebral five-piece from Vancouver is still waiting in line behind Destroyer, The New Pornographers, Neko Case, Neko Case's dog, and that guy with the droopy moustache who cleans the windows Thursday nights. No matter - Panic When You Find It continues their streak of literate, fragile pop records, and their obscurity ensures I can get to the front of the stage and witness Paul Pittman and Lucy Brain's mesmerizing chemistry with ease.

2. NEKO CASE
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
"One left her sweater sitting on a train / And the other lost three fingers in the cannery." Seriously, do you even need to hear the rest of "Margaret vs. Pauline," the first track off of Neko Case's most recent album? It's the best line, the best image of the year, bar none. And it captures the weird, menacing, gothically cinematic world that Case dwells in, on Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, perfectly.

1. CAMERA OBSCURA
Let's Get Out Of This Country
Since all writing about art is subjective, I'm not going to deny my very real crush on Glaswegian Tracyanne Campbell is part of what makes Let's Get Out of this Country one of the top three albums of 2006. But my crush comes out of her music - clever, romantic, depressing, and devastating, and often all in one song. "Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken" is the most life-affirming single of the year (even if it's NOT about John Cusack's character in Say Anything) and if someone wrote please-come-back ballad "Country Mile" for me, I'd be on the next plane home. And the organs! My girlfriend hates Camera Obscura; I think she's just jealous.