I’m a bit late with this, but as we’ve only just hit the cusp of the beginning of 2007, herewith (to remind me, as much as anything else) my picks of the last 12 months.
In no particular order…

CDs
SILENT SHOUT The Knife
THE CRANE WIFE The Decemberists
CHEMIST The Necks
RIDEAU Tape
TEN SILVER DROPS Secret Machines
WOLVES My Latest Novel
ESPERS II Espers
THE GREATEST Cat Power
YS Joanna Newsom
HELLO YOUNG LOVERS Sparks

LIVE
RADIOHEAD Empress Ballroom, Blackpool
THE FLAMING LIPS Royal Albert Hall, London
LIGHTNING BOLT Grand Ole Opry, Glasgow
BATTLES The Luminaire, London
DATAROCK The Luminaire, London
CAMILLE Scala, London
SECRET MACHINES Garage, Glasgow
SUNN 0))) Frieze Art Fair, London
GOSSIP Oran Mor, Glasgow
TORTOISE Koko, London

HONOURABLE MENTIONS AND CHEATS
Three discs that were played on a close to worn out basis were not technically released this year, but they were nearer to picks of the year than almost anything in the official list. Battles’ three EPs from 2005 were collected into one disc by Warp Records and they became my New Favourite Band of 2006. Richard Swift’s awesome double release The Novelist/Walking Without Effort was a late purchase in December 2005 (thank you to the ever reliable Nigel House at the Rough Trade shop for this recommendation) and will woo the heart of anyone who ever even cared a whit for Ellliot Smith, Ed Harcourt and the twin Gods of Randy Newman and Harry Nilsson. And finally, a record I’m ashamed to admit I bought and didn’t play for near on eight or nine months: Fires In Distant Buildings by Gravenhurst. Bleak, harrowing, genuinely disturbed and disturbing and yet elegant and very beautiful - within the first five minutes I knew instantly it was a classic.

A SAD FAREWELL
Two of my favourite acts bowed out this year – Arab Strap split officially, with an emotional but thrilling final show in Glasgow. Tindersticks played their second album in its entirety at the Barbican in London amid undenied rumours that it too would be their final show. Both were fittingly grand endings and would have made the year’s best had I not singled them out.

AND FINALLY
The ‘Full Of Sound And Fury Signifying Nothing’ Prize is awarded to the Arctic Monkeys because I firmly refuse to believe that album is worth the ludicrous torrent of praise that’s been thrown at it all year. The ‘Nicest Guys In Rock And Pop Award’ goes jointly to Tapes ‘n’ Tapes for sticking to an emailed promise and making my niece Hannah’s 18th birthday a night to remember, and to the saintly Nick McCarthy from Franz Ferdinand for making my 41st birthday a day to remember also. The ‘Ian Mac’s Guilty Pleasure Single Of The Year’ is Fill My Little World by The Feeling. And the ‘Fancy Meeting You Here Handshake’ goes to Ron and Russel Mael of Sparks, in recognition of our brief chat over the condiments section of the Abington Service Station café on the M74. (Me: “Hey I just want to say your gig in London last Saturday was amazing”. Russell: “Ah thank you.” Ron: “…”) I can confirm that they were polite, smaller in reality than you might think, and that Sparks’ lunch of choice was tomato and red pepper soup and a side salad.