I’ve always thought it would be good to have an award named after myself - Oscar has done it, Tony has done it - and that guy ’Orange Bafta’ gets more popular every year - so its time to inaugurate the ‘Matts’, an annual shindig replete with red carpet, celebrity goodie bag and overhyped press coverage. A distinguished panel of judges (i.e. me, and a coffee) has whittled down a fantastic year of music - to come up with the list of nominations.

So - in no particular order, here are the nominations for best album of 2006:

• Hope of the States - Left : Stripped down, but still rich with energy - young Britain never sounded so angry, or so good
• Lupe Fiasco - Food ‘n Liquor : A fine advert for hip-hop, socially aware, funny and brimming over lyrical skills - Kick, Push was truly a perfect summer sound 
• Lilly Allen - Alright, Still : Cheeky myspace scamp unleashes a socially aware tongue on an unsuspecting public. Result? Media domination for a short time, then realisation that the tunes weren’t half bad either.
• Gomez - How we Operate : Continued evolution on the 5th album from Southport’s finest, its a long way from Whipping Piccadilly to Hamoa Beach - but great songwriting and gentle product will get you there.
• Ray Lamontagne - Till the sun turns black : Picking up where Trouble left off. Gentle, subtle, beautiful in places. 
• Decemberists - The Crane Wife : Strange obsessions from Portland, Oregon. Inspired by a Japanese folk tale and telling stories about the Shankill Butchers. Brilliantly written and expertly produced.
• Guillemots - Through the windowpane : Eclectic, inventive and 100% original. There weren’t many albums released in 2006 that were as much fun to listen to as this.
• Bonny ‘Prince’ Billy - The Letting Go : Dark americana, troubled, beautiful, ethereal, gentle - all in equal doses
• Thom Yorke - The Eraser : So much is already said about this experimental foray away from the safety of Radiohead, but it truly is majestic. Angry, edgy and almost paranoid in places
• The Knife - Silent Shout : Scandinavian electronica at is absolute pinnacle. bouncy, spiky, squelchy synths coupled with brilliant vocals.

And the winner is:

They didn’t get much better than this for me during this year - I discovered this completely by accident, exploring a CD store in the US looking for something new to listen to on my travels. Its a beautiful album - written and recorded in Iceland with Valgeir Sigurdsson and including Dawn McCarthy on vocals. Its subtle, ethereal and gentle and beautiful in places, but Will Oldhams vocal sounds suitably weathered and aged to match the lyrics.

The production is sublime - and the songwriting is absolutely on the money. A beautiul album - and clearly the best of 2006 for me.

Also honoured by this years panel:

• Damien Rice - 9
• Hot Chip - The Warning
• Scott Walker - The Drift
• Scritti Politti - White Bread, Black Beer
• Yann Tiersen - Le Retrouvailles
• Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
• Isobel Campbell - Milkwhite Sheets
• Lou Rhodes - Beloved One
• Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
• Junior Boys - So this is goodbye