If you’re a fan of independent music you ought to vote in the Plug awards here. It’s getting tougher and tougher to define “indie” these days and every fan will have his/her gripes with the ballot, but at least the fans get to vote, making this more legitimate in my mind than something like, say… the Grammys. I enjoy the format of the ballot, which divides music into general and obsessive categories and doesn’t require you to continuously scroll down a huge web page. Here are some thoughts from a few of the categories I voted in.

Live Music Venue of the Year

My Vote: If you know me at all, you’ll know that Bowery Ballroom is my favorite place on Earth. But this year’s lineup at the Mercury Lounge was far better and they get my vote. McCarren Pool was a unique venue that would have a chance if the sound was better on average.

Prediction: Will all the New York options cancel each other out? If so, I think Emo’s wins being the only venue in Austin. I’m a little bit surprised Stubb’s isn’t nominated as well.

Left Out: I love the New York scene and Plug obviously has a New York bias, but I’d like to see some other venues from around the country. Maybe the 9:30 Club in D.C. or one of the nicer venues in Seattle? Union Hall is a great place, but I don’t know if it belongs on this list yet. And Cake Shop? If Cake Shop makes the list why not The Hook, Northsix, Pianos or any other better-than-average venue in New York? I think venues should be nominated based on events held in the current year. For that reason I’m impartial to the Crystal Ballroom in Portland which housed Sleater-Kinney’s farewell shows, even though their typical schedule is not as heavy on the indie music as other places mentioned.

Indie Rock Album of the Year

My Vote: I had to vote for Dirty On Purpose here. As “indie rock” becomes a broad label, I think they are a good example of the core of the genre. In my meticulously organized iPod, Belle and Sebastian are listed as “pop”, while Silversun Pickups and the Hold Steady are listed as “rock”. Maybe it’s because most things I listen to are “indie” by definition and you could throw that label in front of the labels I give to my music. And then bands like Dirty On Purpose, Broken Social Scene and Bound Stems would be “indie indie rock”. (Did I lose you yet?) By that token, Annuals would be my runner up.

Prediction: The Hold Steady are the hands down favorite to take this category.

Left Out: Bound Stems released a great indie rock album this year. And did everyone forget about Destroyer? I feel like that was the first album of the year that everyone expected to see on year-end lists. Asobi Seksu also put out a great album. Perhaps their orange jewel case will propel them to victory in the album art/packaging category, but Joanna Newsom will be hard to beat.

Electronic/Dance Album of the Year

My Vote: I think electronic and dance could be two different categories, even though one usually falls under the umbrella of the other. Hot Chip and Junior Boys put out great albums, but my vote goes to Herbert who combines samples in absolutely incredible fashion to create well-crafted songs with a truly unique sound.

Prediction: Girl Talk appeals even to people who know nothing about electronic music, which is one reason I think dance should be a separate category. The Knife probably wins if Gillis does not.

Left Out: Vitaminsforyou – The Legend of Bird’s Hill. I cannot believe that there hasn’t been more said about this CD. You can expect to hear me sing it’s praises as the year comes to a close. Venus Hum, Ms. John Soda, B. Fleischman and Oppenhimer also top my list of electronic albums.

Male Artist of the Year

My Vote: I feel like this category is full of people who could have won this award last year, but didn’t do all that much in 2005. Jamie Lidell and Sufjan Steven both released material to supplement last year’s great albums and I enjoyed John Darnielle’s material from last year more than Get Lonely. Greg Gillis made a really fun album and I do consider remixing an art, but I can’t hold it as high as something wholly original. Beirut may be the brainchild of Zach Condon, but I prefer the full live band to the record and have trouble seeing them/him as a singular male artist. In the end, I voted for Jamie Lidell who really is a one-man band and puts on a great live show.

Prediction: Everybody loves Sufjan.

Left Out: My favorite male artist this year and every year is Ted Leo, but he didn’t release new material so I’d give my imaginary write-in vote to Jens Lekman. As forerunners of the Swedish invasion, Lekman and Jose Gonzales both had great albums, which were originally released late last year but didn’t seep into my consciousness until 2006. Gonzales may be a better pick because he did actually have new material this year (his work with Zero 7) but Jens put on the best male solo performance I’ve seen in the past year and this opinion doesn’t count for anything so I’ll use whatever rationale I want. I’ve recently heard John Roderick, Will Scheff and Colin Meloy all perform solo and think that they are engaging enough sans-band to be mentioned.

New Artist of the Year

My Vote: Beirut. They truly came out of nowhere and lived up to the internet hype when so many others did not. They went from playing a shaky first show, to well-reviewed gigs at Northsix and Mercury, to selling out two nights at Bowery before touring to the point of exhaustion. In six months, their career trajectory rivals bands that have been around for years. And I believe that they are far from dropping into obscurity.

Prediction: I think Beirut is a little too niche to win the category. I predict Voxtrot, although depending on who votes, I could see Arctic Monkeys winning. I try not to base my opinions on buzz and press, but I probably would have liked them a whole lot more if NME had liked them a whole lot less.

Left Out: ¡Forward, Russia! Hands down, my favorite new act of 2006. There were very few bands who released such an energetic rock album and had the live show to back it up. I can’t figure out if Oppenhimer can be considered new or not, but they were another one of my favorite discoveries this year.

Album of the Year

My Vote: The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls In America. Silversun Pickups were a close second in my book, however their live show is far better than the album. Same goes for Beirut. I expect both of their follow-up albums to be amazing. The Hold Steady did a great job of capturing their stage presence on record, which is something I always look for in an album.

Prediction: The Hold Steady – Boys and Girls In America. Every album on this list has its share of fans, but I sense that the Hold Steady has more than anyone else. Then again, I might just have my head up my blogger butt. And I will never use that phrase again.

Left Out: Though they aren’t technically indie anymore, TV on the Radio and The Decemberists both put out great, creative albums this year. Peter, Bjorn and John may have made the ballot if the album came out earlier in the year.