Lots of good stuff came out this year.

Here are the ten best singles and albums of 2006. Please note that this is an official and scientifically calculated list.

SINGLES		ALBUMS
Nelly Furtado ‘Maneater’ June Everybody look at her, her: ‘Maneater’ took Nelly Furtado from hippyish, on-her-arse singer-songwriter to all-conquering, maneating, dog-losing megastar. Video		Nelly Furtado ‘Loose’ June More to the comeback than ‘Maneater’? Yes. A whole album of it. And ‘All Good Things’ might just be the best album track of 2006… ‘Promiscuous’ video
All-American Rejects ‘Move Along’ February Proof that pseudo-furious men with not very distorted guitars can make pop records which are VERY GOOD INDEED. Video		Bertine Zetlitz ‘My Italian Greyhound’ September Released in Norway without fanfare, Bertine Zetlitz’ latest album is officially too good to ever be released in the UK. ’500′ video
Jamelia ‘Beware Of The Dog’ December Jamelia got nasty and nobody noticed, due in part to one of the least exciting single sleeves in the history of graphic design. Video		Shiny Toy Guns ‘We Are Pilots’ October Are they emo? Are they ‘electronica’ (American word for ‘dance music’)? No. They are ‘emotronica’, a stupid word we invented in October which has refused to catch on anywhere. ‘Le Disko’ video
Girls Aloud ‘Something Kinda Oooh’ November The best Girls Aloud single since ‘Biology’. Not that there had been many Girls Aloud singles since ‘Biology’, but you get the general idea. Video		Pet Shop Boys ‘Fundamental’ May With a string of hit (in the British Hit Singles definition of ‘hit’) singles and a Very Good Tour, the Pet Shop Boys released their best album in over a decade. And still haven’t released the best track as a single. ‘Integral’ (live) video
Pink ‘U + Ur Hand’ August The year’s best song about having a wank and history’s greatest single sung by Pink. Video		Lil’ Chris ‘Lil Chris’ December Not allowed fizzy drinks after 7pm but freely allowed to record a brilliant album. ‘The youth of today’ etc etc etc… ‘Gettin’ Enough?’ video
Lily Allen ‘LDN’ September Bicycle-wielding maniac Lily Allen recorded the song of the summer and then released it in the Autumn. How ‘alternative’. Video		Robbie Williams ‘Rudebox’ October An incredible and innovative pop album from a man formerly – and no doubt futurely – allowed only to record slow songs and ones which sound like bad Queen pastiches. ‘Lovelight’ video
Justin Timberlake ‘Sexyback’ August Justin reminded us that he was probably very good at sex and in doing so made a good case for also being very good at making pop records. Video		Justin Timberlake ‘FutureSex/ LoveSounds’ October Further proof that you cannot go wrong with a man in a nice suit singing decent songs made by an incredible producer. He pulled an odd face on the album sleeve though. ‘My Love’ video
Lil’ Chris ‘Checkin’ It Out’ September Massive record by tiny popstar. It’s not the size of the boat it’s the motion in the ocean et-cetera. Video		Lily Allen ‘Alright Still’ July As well as trying not to get her wedding dresses caught on BMX pedals, Lily also found a moment to record a collection of odd-sounding but very likeable and funny pop songs. ‘Smile’ video
Paris Hilton ‘Stars Are Blind’ July Despite being completely unqualified for the job, Paris made am unexpectedly strong stab at being a popstar. This was shortly before she got bored and decided leading Britney astray was more fun. Video		Amy Winehouse ‘Back To Black’ October Sober long enough to release the year’s best soul album, Winehouse finally got around to selling some records with her second collection. It’s very brief, too. ‘Rehab’ video
Sharam ‘PATT (Party All The Time)’ December In the year of ‘Beatfreakz’, proof that sample-laded filter house records can still do the business. Video		Frank ‘Devil’s Got Your Gold’ August Killed off by the TV show before a single CD made it into the shops, Frank turned in one of the year’s most unlistened-to albums. It’s brilliant. ‘I’m Not Shy’ video