Nominees

• Animal Collective - Here Comes the Indian (Paw Tracks)
• Arab Strap - Monday at the Hug and Pint (Matador)
• Bardo Pond - On the Ellipse (ATP)
• Birdtree, The - Orchards & Caravans (Last Visible Dog)
• Black Lipstick - Converted Thieves (Peek-A-Boo)
• Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Master And Everyone (Drag City)
• Dwinell, Mark - Nonloc (Ba Da Bing!)
• Explosions in the Sky - The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place (Temporary Residence)
• Four Tet - Rounds (Domino)
• Frog Eyes - The Golden River (Animal World)
• Hala Strana - Hala Strana (Emperor Jones)
• Kammerflimmer Kollektief - Cicadidae (Temporary Residence)
• Landing - Passages Through (K)
• Lightning Bolt - Wonderful Rainbow (Load)
• Manitoba - Up In Flames (Leaf)
• Mojave 3 - Spoon and Rafter (4AD)
• OF - The Infant Paths (Jewelled Antler)
• One Mile North - Minor Shadows (BaDaBing)
• OutKast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista)
• Roberts, Alasdair - Farewell, Sorrow (Drag City)
• Rose, Jack - Opium Musick (Eclipse)
• Set Fire To Flames- Telegraphs In Negative/Mouths Trapped in Static (Alien8)
• Smog - Supper (Drag City)
• Stone Breath - The Silver Skein Unwound (Camera Obscura)
• Sunburned Hand of the Man - s/t LP (Skull)
• Surface of Eceyon - Dragyyn (Strange Attractors)
• Troum - Sigqan (Desolation House)
• Various Artists - Wooden Guitar (Locust)
• Wind-Up Bird, The - Whips (Music Fellowship)

Eliminations

• Aislers Set, The - How I Learned To Write Backwards... (Suicide Squeeze)
• Brian Jonestown Massacre - ... And This Is Our Music (Cargo)
• Cul de Sac - Death of the Sun (Strange Attractors)
• Do Make Say Think - Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn (Constellation)
• Dresden Dolls - A is for Accident (Shadowbox)
• Drumm, Kevin - Land of Lurches (Hanson)
• Earlimart - Everyone Down Here (Palm)
• Grand Ulena - Gate way to Dignity (Family Vineyard)
• Microphones, The - Mt. Eerie (K)
• Mindflayer - Take Your Skin Off (Bulb)
• Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People (Matador)
• Rapture, The - Echoes (Strummer)
• Shins, The - Chutes Too Narrow (Subpop)
• Starflyer 59 - Old (Tooth and Nail)
• Sun Kil Moon - Ghosts of the Great Highway (Jetset)
• US Maple - Purple On Time. (Drag City)
• Yo La Tengo - Summer Sun (Matador)
• Young, Neil - On the Beach (reissue) (Reprise)