list season: top 10 albums i hope are good in 2006.

2006 is right around the corner, so it's time to start thinking about the best albums of next year. we all know that a band is going to come out of nowhere and end up on everybody's shit [fresh cherries from yakima, perhaps?], but this is dedicated to the bands/artists who we all know and love that are releasing music next year.

10. yeah yeah yeahs- coco beware:
a concept album about the life of a cat that karen found? i'm glad that fame hasn't stifled the weirdness of my favorite art-punk heroes.

9. flaming lips- at war with the mystics:
yoshimi battles the pink robots was an okay album, and from what i heard about "mr. ambulance driver", the song wasn't that good. let's hope wayne coyne and company knock this one out of the park.

8. ghostface killah- fish scale:
wu-tang clan is my favorite rap group of all time. ghostface killah is not only my favorite out of the group, but he has the most consistent solo discography of the group. i have no doubt that this album is going to be another classic.

7. bloc party-
if everything goes according to plan, bloc party will release their sophmore record next year. i, for one, hope it's anywhere near as good as silent alarm.

6. madvillain- madvillainy 2:
in 2004, my favorite rapper teamed with madlib to create one of the best hip-hop records of all time. according to metalface, it's already about halfway done.

5. raekwon- only built 4 cuban linx part two:
the first one is my favorite hip-hop album of all time, and far and away, rae's best solo album [even though it's not really solo, it's more like a album-length collaboration between him and ghost]. i heard "state of grace", and regular readers know i've been raving about it. hip-hop needs another classic.

4. the walkmen-
for a group that comes out with good albums as consistenly as the walkmen [not to mention a band that has their own sound], album number three should be just as good, if not better than their other two. it could be the walkmen's ok computer.

3. the arcade fire-
funeral was like a smart-bomb that dropped into indie music in 2004, abruptly garnering praise from everywhere. it's undeniably the best album of that calendar year, so of course i'm rooting for win, regine and the crew to make another classic.

2. the shins-
james mercer is shaping to become one of america's most acclaimed songwriters, and his band has already been touted as "the r.e.m. of the blogging generation". i've been salivating at the thought of new material this year. i'm sure you have been, too. the shins have changed all of our lives; don't try to deny it.

1. tie: radiohead and tv on the radio-
my two favorite bands have been spending lots of time in the studio. i can't say much more than "HURRY UP! I NEED THIS SHIT. NEED IT!" i've never needed new music as desperately as from these two bands.