UK music bible NME declaims its Best Singles and Albums of 2006.
It was almost inevitable that the success-story of the year, Arctic Monkeys' 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not', would take the number one slot after also winning the Mercury Prize this year. Single Of 2006 went to the hypnotic electro-pop of Hot Chip's 'Over And Over'.The album list leans towards hipster English indie music, with Muse, Hot Chip, Long Blondes and Kasabian in the Top Ten, alongside Yeah Yeah Yeahs, CSS, Gnarls Barkley, The Strokes and My Chemical Romance. When it came to singles, folky Swedes Peter Bjorn & John came second with 'Young Folks', The Gossip third with 'Standing In The Way Of Control', Muse fourth with 'Supermassive Black Hole' and Gnarls Barkley's smash hit 'Crazy' took fifth place.
The self-consciously hip tastemakers at NME did make it easy on themselves by picking 50 albums and 50 singles but that won't stop notoriously narky British music fans criticising their choices. Then again, isn't disagreeing with the annual Best Of lists really what Christmas is all about?
