It's not quite as bad as this fantastic Onion parody but there are elements that ring true. 

So, in acknowledgement that my tastes seem to be narrowing, I've asked some other music lovers to supply their top 5s too in order to get a better cross section of what's good in 2011. My genre is pretty much americana/alt.country. Adrian Masters and Marcus Warner have agreed to post their 5s - I'm expecting indie pop and hip-hop to be the dominant genres, but we'll see when they arrive.

In the meantime, here's my 5 best albums of 2011, in countdown order.

5. Decemberists - The King is Dead

Their most country album yet? Certainly their most straight forward one. Don't Carry It All and Rise To Me are the ones to download, but it's all quite fun, and a little less self-consciously clever than some of their earlier output. Features Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on the record too, which is worth instant bonus points.

4. Ron Sexsmith - Long Player Late Bloomer

Ron's best album in years. Bears comparison with Blue Boy and Other Songs, if not quite at the level of the eponymous debut album. Get In Line, Late Bloomer and Love Shines are the highlights, and the companion piece documentary Love Shines, which covers the making of the album, is genuinely moving. Most played in car CD of the year, and my favourite gig of the year too.

3. Wilco - The Whole Love

A proper grown-up album. Musically diverse, lyrically cryptic, and packed with effortless-sounding Tweedy melodies. Opening track Art of Almost has some of that distorted sound that marked Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - their most successful disc to date. But there's a bit of everything over the remaining tracks, including moments that evoke the Beatles. There's a lot to enjoy here - try I Might, or my favourite is Sunloathe. It's not Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, (nor Summerteeth, my personal Wilco favourite), but it bears favourable comparison with the rest of the Tweedy back catalogue - which in my book is pretty much the highest praise there is.

2. Gillian Welch - The Harrow and the Harvest

If you're going to keep your fanbase waiting 8 years for an album, you'd better live up to it. Welch doesn't disappoint with her latest collection of timeless tunes. You'll know already if you like the album - it's not a great stylistic departure from Time (The Revelator) or Revival. It might not - overall - reach the heights of those predecessors, but it has incredible moments. Hard Times is clearly about another time - but feels relevant and uplifting today, and The Way That It Goes is my other standout track. Despite the fact that album is riddled with Banjo(!) playing - it's still number 2! That's all you need to know about how good the singing, songwriting and playing is.

1. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Here We Rest

I caught the song Stopping By on a 'Whispering' Bob Harris Radio 2 programme one day, and was instantly bewitched. I liked the song so much, I bought the album, and it's dominated my ipod since then. It's a country album, although the sublime Heart on a String veers in to soul. Great characters and narrative, sing-a-long choruses, occasional slide guitar. Yee-haw!

Honourable mentions: 

Got some serious airplay in the car, one of my highlights of the year was my daughter Sylvie singing the title song with Lowri in the intermission of her show at the Fishguard Folk Festival.

It's like the Eagles before they became corporate mercanaries. Country rock, harmonies, West Coast sunshine. Just lovely. Million Dollar Bill is my favourite break up song of the year. 

Dishonourable mentions: 

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean 

The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time 

Horrible, horrible albums, from fine, fine bands. Eeurch!