Albums Worth $18

1. ''Illinois,'' Sufjan Stevens -- A 72-minute song cycle about Casimir Pulaski, UFOs and mass murderer John Wayne Gacy? Brilliant! Decorated with baroque arrangements like they used to write for '60s flower-power purveyors, ''Illinois'' is pretty, literary and nontrendy. Favorite line: ''Stephen A. Douglas was a great debater, but Abraham Lincoln was the Great Emancipator.''

2. ''Twin Cinema,'' New Pornographers -- All-star indie rockers kick out the 3¹₂-minute epics as if they still believe in the power of rock 'n' roll.

3. ''In the Reins,'' Iron and Wine/Calexico -- Whispery acoustic folk gets the dose of hot sauce it needs in another notable indie pairing.

4. ''Begonias,'' Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell -- Hmmm, so did all cult artists find it necessary to pool their talents this year? Former Whiskeytown violinist Cary joins her new Ryan Adams to become the Gram-and-Emmylou, George-and-Tammy of the new millennium.

5. ''Guero,'' Beck -- Even his less-than-great work is better than almost everybody else.

6. ''Late Registration,'' Kanye West -- Everybody knows how great Kanye is, especially Kanye.

7. ''Extraordinary Machine,'' Fiona Apple -- The best arena cabaret of the year.

8. ''Jacksonville City Nights,'' Ryan Adams and the Cardinals -- The best of his three albums -- ! -- this year. If only there had been just one.

9. ''Apologies to the Queen Mary,'' Wolf Parade -- Apologies for all the Modest Mouse comparisons.

10. ''Get Behind Me Satan,'' White Stripes -- Please, Jack, don't sell your soul for Entertainment Tonight.

1. ''Jackie Dressed in Cobras,'' New Pornographers -- Snakeskin is definitely not dead.

2. ''Finding Out True Love Is Blind,'' Louis XIV -- Multiculturalism never sounded so naughty and so good.

3. ''Neighborhood # 3 (Power Out),'' The Arcade Fire -- Apparently, the only time the 1980s didn't seem cool was during the 1980s.

4. ''Hey Now Now,'' The Cloud Room -- A tune so singable, you can sing it without even knowing it.

5. ''Gold Digger,'' Kanye West -- Kanye talks the talk.

6. ''Hollaback Girl,'' Gwen Stefani -- I have no idea what she's hollerin' about, but I like it.

7. ''Girl,'' Beck -- This year's ''Hey Ya!''

8. ''Please Stand Up,'' British Sea Power -- I like my Brit rock the way I like my shirts. Big.

9. ''Hold Yr Terror Close,'' The Go! Team -- See ''Hey Now Now.''

10. ''Touch the Sky,'' Kanye West -- And walks the walk.

11. ''Don't Lie,'' Black Eyed Peas -- If they only release one good single a year, they're still ahead of Fiddy.

12. ''The Bucket,'' Kings of Leon -- They were the biggest hype of the year ... for 2 minutes, 55 seconds, which, coincidentally, is the length of this song.

Listen, let's not beat around the bush. This year was a lousy one for big-name shows. The Roanoke Valley's best concert wasn't even in the Roanoke Valley. I missed Floydfest this year, so that's why it's not on the list. Let's resolve that 2006 will be better.

1. Rolling Stones at Scott Stadium -- We got what we wanted and needed.

2. Blue Ridge Music Festival at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium -- Bluegrass and beer at the ballpark. Let's play two!

3. Wynton Marsalis, Dr. John and Los Hombres Calientes at Shaftman Performance Hall -- In three separate shows, we heard the New Orleans sounds that not even Katrina can drown out.

4. Alison Krauss at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre -- She's great even when she sings nothin' at all.

5. Natalie MacMaster at Shaftman Performance Hall -- Another fiddling femme fatale hit Roanoke like a Nor'easter.