Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Top Ten 2005
Victor and I purchased nearly 80 albums this year. I think that is a record for us. He bought stuff that I never even listened to properly (or even heard, in some cases). This year was so hectic that I didn't get a chance to hear everything I wanted to hear. There are albums that I heard three or four times and liked, but for some reason I just didn't listen to them again. So I'm worried that three or four months down the road, I'll pick up one of those albums and be totally blown away by it, and I will kick myself for not including it on my top ten. I feel almost guilty, like I'm doing those albums a disservice by not fitting them into my listening schedule and therefore denying them a possible place on my top ten. The albums that I did allow into its vaunted environs... well, I've managed to write only the most cliched and trite words about them. Oh, the stress this has caused me when I lie awake thinking about it. Then, reality sets in, and I remember that beyond a couple dozen people (and here I may be a bit too generous), my top ten really doesn't make that big a difference in the music world.
Anyway, with that being said, here it is!
10. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan This album sees Jack White getting in touch with his folk side. The folksy and country songs are fantastic, which makes the bluesy stuff (never my favorite) sound even more grating in contrast. Here's hoping that Jack and Meg keep steering in a more melodic direction!
Standout Tracks: "My Doorbell," "Little Ghost," "As Ugly As I Seem"
9. Gruff Rhys - Yr Atal Genhedlaeth Clocking in under 30 minutes, this short but sweet album combines some of my favorite things: cheesy keyboards, drum machines, harmonies, and an obscure languages. The melodies are so catchy that you will want to learn Welsh just to be able to sing along.
Standout Tracks: "Rhagluniaeth Ysgafn," "Y Gwybodusion," "Ni Yw Y Byd"
8. Sigur Rós - Takk... I thought that Sigur Rós's last album, (), was a bit of a stumble after the near perfection of Ágætis Byrjun, so it is nice to see them returning to form. Takk... sees Sigur Rós combining their usual epic, ethereal sound with tinkling piano and xylophone. They also bring the rock a bit more on this album, and it's nice to hear them let loose. The song "Mílanó" reminds me of "Music Box Dancer," with the piano slowed down, and that is definitely not a bad thing. It will truly be interesting to see where Sigur Rós head next.
Standout Tracks: "Mílanó," "Glósóli," "Hoppípolla"
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah I'm not really sure what it is about this record. The singer, Alec Ounsworth, yelps and slurs his vocals until words are almost unrecognizable, and the music is fuzzy and reminiscent of some of my favorite 80s and 90s indie bands. It sounds a bit shambolic, like some of the songs are hanging by a thread, but somehow it works. It's catchy, fun, and there is plenty of tambourine. Yeah!
Standout Tracks: "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth," "In This Home on Ice," "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood"
6. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment One of several strong British debuts on this list. Catchy songs, clever lyrics, and danceable, too. Sure, it's pretty derivative at times, but it still sounds fresh and new. There's nothing too deep or thought-provoking about this album, but there are plenty of "la la las" and "na na nas" to keep you singing along. It's ok to just have fun sometimes.
Standout Tracks: "Modern Way," "You Can Have It All," "Every Day I Love You Less and Less"
5. The Decemberists - Picaresque I loved, and I do mean loved, the Decemberists' last album. It managed to top my list back in 2003. I suppose there was no way that their latest album could have not been a disappointment to me. But what a glorious disappointment! Colin Meloy's trademark lyrics would do any English teacher proud, and the band seems to be channeling Morrissey on several songs (a sure way to my heart any day). There are a couple of missteps on this album, which is a shame, but I guess you can't be perfect all the time.
Standout Tracks: "On the Bus Mall," "The Infanta," "The Sporting Life"
4. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm The first full-length from Bloc Party delivers. It delivers with a capital D, and maybe it should even be in italics or bolded. There is never a dull moment here. Time signatures change, songs start and stop, and the music switches from sparse to full at the drop of a hat. It sounds alive and desperate and bursting with emotion, all at the same time. Not many albums get you dancing and thinking at the same time. Something glorious definitely happened here.
Standout Tracks: "Like Eating Glass," "This Modern Love,"
3. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema I'm late to the New Pornographers party. This is the first of their albums I've given a close listen to (though I have listened to various members' solo albums quite a lot), and it totally sucked me in. This album didn't leave my car's CD player for weeks. The songs are almost too catchy. There are beautiful harmonies all over the album, especially on "The Bleeding Heart Show," and band members get to shine on different songs. AC Newman's lyrics are puzzling, but using your head is fun sometimes.
Standout Tracks: "The Bleeding Heart Show," "Use It," "Sing Me Spanish Techno," "Stacked Crooked"
2. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger Raw and unbelieveably catchy, this debut album worms its way into your ear and refuses to leave. There is a good mix of 60s garage rock, 80s indie, and even a bit of sunny harmony in here, but Maximo Park make the sound their own. Frontman Paul Smith sounds at first like any other British post punk singer, but songs like "Graffiti" show that his talent goes well beyond shouting the lyrics. The band's songs often change in the middle, and some have what seems to be two choruses, so these are not your average 3 minute guitar tracks. Interesting and melodic, Maximo Park's music sounds old and new at the same time. A fantastic debut effort.
Standout Tracks: "Graffiti," "Signal and Sign," "The Coast is Always Changing," "Apply Some Pressure"
1. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois In the second installment of his 50 states project, Stevens produces an absolute gem of an album, a love song to the state of Illinois. There are harmonies that will make your spirit soar and near-whispered lines that will break your heart. Stevens hones his skills as a storyteller by mixing local folklore (UFO sightings, mobile fast food wagons, etc.) with national headlines (John Wayne Gacy, the Lincoln-Douglas debates), and he produces rich stories that make you smile, chuckle, or cry. Maybe I love this album because it has the best song titles ever ("They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!" anyone?) Maybe I love this album because the opening song, "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL" takes place some 25 miles from my grandma's house. Maybe I love it because it is damn near perfect. As Sufjan Stevens knows so well, only history will tell.
Standout Tracks: "Chicago," "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," "The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!," "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!: Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition/Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream"
On the cusp:
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
Coldplay - X&Y
Bonus Categories!
Single of the Year:
Kelly Clarkson - "Since U Been Gone" - Well, this was an obvious choice. Pure pop bliss. I love her.
Runners Up:
Fall Out Boy - "Sugar, We're Going Down"
Coldplay - "Fix You"
Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl"
Slow Jam of the Year:
Mario - "Let Me Love You" - I'm not sure what it is that I love about this song. Maybe it's the cheesy 70s music in the background... yeah, that's it.
Best Concert:
The Arcade Fire, Emo's (January)
Best Surprise:
Kelly Osbourne - "One Word" - The song is fantastic, and the video is hot.
Worst Song (ever?)
Black Eyed Peas - "My Humps" - This song completely and utterly destroys any faith I had in humanity.
So there it is, folks. Thrown together at the last minute, and I'll probably end up wanting to change something, but there it is.
Victor and I purchased nearly 80 albums this year. I think that is a record for us. He bought stuff that I never even listened to properly (or even heard, in some cases). This year was so hectic that I didn't get a chance to hear everything I wanted to hear. There are albums that I heard three or four times and liked, but for some reason I just didn't listen to them again. So I'm worried that three or four months down the road, I'll pick up one of those albums and be totally blown away by it, and I will kick myself for not including it on my top ten. I feel almost guilty, like I'm doing those albums a disservice by not fitting them into my listening schedule and therefore denying them a possible place on my top ten. The albums that I did allow into its vaunted environs... well, I've managed to write only the most cliched and trite words about them. Oh, the stress this has caused me when I lie awake thinking about it. Then, reality sets in, and I remember that beyond a couple dozen people (and here I may be a bit too generous), my top ten really doesn't make that big a difference in the music world.
Anyway, with that being said, here it is!
10. The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan This album sees Jack White getting in touch with his folk side. The folksy and country songs are fantastic, which makes the bluesy stuff (never my favorite) sound even more grating in contrast. Here's hoping that Jack and Meg keep steering in a more melodic direction!
Standout Tracks: "My Doorbell," "Little Ghost," "As Ugly As I Seem"
9. Gruff Rhys - Yr Atal Genhedlaeth Clocking in under 30 minutes, this short but sweet album combines some of my favorite things: cheesy keyboards, drum machines, harmonies, and an obscure languages. The melodies are so catchy that you will want to learn Welsh just to be able to sing along.
Standout Tracks: "Rhagluniaeth Ysgafn," "Y Gwybodusion," "Ni Yw Y Byd"
8. Sigur Rós - Takk... I thought that Sigur Rós's last album, (), was a bit of a stumble after the near perfection of Ágætis Byrjun, so it is nice to see them returning to form. Takk... sees Sigur Rós combining their usual epic, ethereal sound with tinkling piano and xylophone. They also bring the rock a bit more on this album, and it's nice to hear them let loose. The song "Mílanó" reminds me of "Music Box Dancer," with the piano slowed down, and that is definitely not a bad thing. It will truly be interesting to see where Sigur Rós head next.
Standout Tracks: "Mílanó," "Glósóli," "Hoppípolla"
7. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah I'm not really sure what it is about this record. The singer, Alec Ounsworth, yelps and slurs his vocals until words are almost unrecognizable, and the music is fuzzy and reminiscent of some of my favorite 80s and 90s indie bands. It sounds a bit shambolic, like some of the songs are hanging by a thread, but somehow it works. It's catchy, fun, and there is plenty of tambourine. Yeah!
Standout Tracks: "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth," "In This Home on Ice," "Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood"
6. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment One of several strong British debuts on this list. Catchy songs, clever lyrics, and danceable, too. Sure, it's pretty derivative at times, but it still sounds fresh and new. There's nothing too deep or thought-provoking about this album, but there are plenty of "la la las" and "na na nas" to keep you singing along. It's ok to just have fun sometimes.
Standout Tracks: "Modern Way," "You Can Have It All," "Every Day I Love You Less and Less"
5. The Decemberists - Picaresque I loved, and I do mean loved, the Decemberists' last album. It managed to top my list back in 2003. I suppose there was no way that their latest album could have not been a disappointment to me. But what a glorious disappointment! Colin Meloy's trademark lyrics would do any English teacher proud, and the band seems to be channeling Morrissey on several songs (a sure way to my heart any day). There are a couple of missteps on this album, which is a shame, but I guess you can't be perfect all the time.
Standout Tracks: "On the Bus Mall," "The Infanta," "The Sporting Life"
4. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm The first full-length from Bloc Party delivers. It delivers with a capital D, and maybe it should even be in italics or bolded. There is never a dull moment here. Time signatures change, songs start and stop, and the music switches from sparse to full at the drop of a hat. It sounds alive and desperate and bursting with emotion, all at the same time. Not many albums get you dancing and thinking at the same time. Something glorious definitely happened here.
Standout Tracks: "Like Eating Glass," "This Modern Love,"
3. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema I'm late to the New Pornographers party. This is the first of their albums I've given a close listen to (though I have listened to various members' solo albums quite a lot), and it totally sucked me in. This album didn't leave my car's CD player for weeks. The songs are almost too catchy. There are beautiful harmonies all over the album, especially on "The Bleeding Heart Show," and band members get to shine on different songs. AC Newman's lyrics are puzzling, but using your head is fun sometimes.
Standout Tracks: "The Bleeding Heart Show," "Use It," "Sing Me Spanish Techno," "Stacked Crooked"
2. Maximo Park - A Certain Trigger Raw and unbelieveably catchy, this debut album worms its way into your ear and refuses to leave. There is a good mix of 60s garage rock, 80s indie, and even a bit of sunny harmony in here, but Maximo Park make the sound their own. Frontman Paul Smith sounds at first like any other British post punk singer, but songs like "Graffiti" show that his talent goes well beyond shouting the lyrics. The band's songs often change in the middle, and some have what seems to be two choruses, so these are not your average 3 minute guitar tracks. Interesting and melodic, Maximo Park's music sounds old and new at the same time. A fantastic debut effort.
Standout Tracks: "Graffiti," "Signal and Sign," "The Coast is Always Changing," "Apply Some Pressure"
1. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois In the second installment of his 50 states project, Stevens produces an absolute gem of an album, a love song to the state of Illinois. There are harmonies that will make your spirit soar and near-whispered lines that will break your heart. Stevens hones his skills as a storyteller by mixing local folklore (UFO sightings, mobile fast food wagons, etc.) with national headlines (John Wayne Gacy, the Lincoln-Douglas debates), and he produces rich stories that make you smile, chuckle, or cry. Maybe I love this album because it has the best song titles ever ("They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! Ahhhh!" anyone?) Maybe I love this album because the opening song, "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, IL" takes place some 25 miles from my grandma's house. Maybe I love it because it is damn near perfect. As Sufjan Stevens knows so well, only history will tell.
Standout Tracks: "Chicago," "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," "The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!," "Come On! Feel The Illinoise!: Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition/Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream"
On the cusp:
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
Coldplay - X&Y
Bonus Categories!
Single of the Year:
Kelly Clarkson - "Since U Been Gone" - Well, this was an obvious choice. Pure pop bliss. I love her.
Runners Up:
Fall Out Boy - "Sugar, We're Going Down"
Coldplay - "Fix You"
Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl"
Slow Jam of the Year:
Mario - "Let Me Love You" - I'm not sure what it is that I love about this song. Maybe it's the cheesy 70s music in the background... yeah, that's it.
Best Concert:
The Arcade Fire, Emo's (January)
Best Surprise:
Kelly Osbourne - "One Word" - The song is fantastic, and the video is hot.
Worst Song (ever?)
Black Eyed Peas - "My Humps" - This song completely and utterly destroys any faith I had in humanity.
So there it is, folks. Thrown together at the last minute, and I'll probably end up wanting to change something, but there it is.
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