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It probably couldn't get much more cliched. I'm preparing to write my year-end best-of music lists while (finally) reading High Fidelity. This year's list didn't really surprise me too much, although it was harder to whittle down to ten than it has been the past couple of years. That's probably because I actually bought many more new releases this year than I did last year or the year before. Maybe that's because I spent some time DJing at WMFO, maybe I spent more time reading music blogs and websites, or maybe I just felt re-invigorated about new music after spending a few years catching up on all of the Talking Heads, The Smiths, and Elvis Costello that I'd missed out on the first time around. I have my list down to 12 albums, and by the time that I get to the end of the post I know that there can be only 10. I'll cheat, though, and put some "honorable mentions" at the bottom. Just in case the anticipation is killing you, neither Bloc Party nor Sufjan Stevens are on the list. Bloc Party came close, but the album has just taken too long for me to really get into, and I don't even own Illinois (yet). This is hard...drumroll, please.
Driveblind's Top 10 Albums of 2005
(in no particular order - this is difficult enough already)
Spoon - Gimme Fiction I hadn't paid too much attention to them before this album, even though I own Girls Can Tell. This one just makes me dance like a guitar album hasn't in a while. How can you help but not do a little Jagger swagger to "I Turn My Camera On"?
Feist - Let It Die This one is about half covers, but since I didn't recognize most of them they were new to me. This Broken Social Scenester just has a great voice, and I'm still holding out for "Mushaboom" to be 2006's #1 summer jam.
The Decemberists - Picaresque Just your typical album about sailors, army wives, and being swallowed by a whale. Plus, my new crush Petra Haden sings on it. I have to mention her here since her album with Bill Frisell just got cut from my list.
Tears - Here Come The Tears Anderson and Butler together again? It's absolutely everything I hoped that it would be. Forget everything that's happened since Dog Man Star; these two haven't missed a beat and are still perfect together. I do feel bad for whoever the other two blokes in the band are. That must be a pretty thankless job, except for the getting to be in a big rock band part.
Stars - Set Yourself on Fire This was the first 2005 album that I bought this year and I immediately knew that it was going to be on this list. I picked it up after hearing "Calendar Girl" on Alexandra's show on WZBC. I had really liked their first EP and album (the ones with the brilliant cover of "This Charming Man"), but they kinda fell off my radar after that. Welcome back.
Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better They were solidly at the top of last year's list. While a second album can never recapture the newness of a brilliant debut, this one showed that they weren't letting up at all and that you'd better keep dancing. And how about a piano ballad ("Eleanor Put Your Boots On") to show that they're not just a one-trick four-on-the-floor band?
Engineers - Engineers As with any really good shoegazey album, each song just flows into the next one. I can't name the titles of any songs on here, but it was one of my favorite things to sit down and listen to beginning-to-end this year.
Eels - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations Eels are the kind of band who should be making epic double albums. After being turned off by their past two albums, I was happy to see E get back to his melancholy roots. Despite the last couple, E is probably still one of the best songwriters of the past 10 years.
Doves - Some Cities This album sounds like Doves, which couldn't be a better thing. I don't think I ever pulled out this album to listen to any songs individually, but I always turned it up when "Black and White Town" came on. Awful cover, though.
Maria Taylor - 11:11 Azure Ray/Now It's Overhead girl puts out an album of folk, electronic, and beautiful voices. I don't know what to say about this one except I just liked how it sounded in my car. Thanks to Petrina at WZBC for playing this over and over again.
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Honorable Mentions: Bloc Party - Silent Alarm, Editors - The Back Room, Sigur Ros - Takk, Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock and Roll
Best Single: Art Brut - "Emily Kane"
Best Show: Decemberists, Avalon (the one in May)
Most Welcome Comeback: Brett Anderson and Bernard Butler getting back together
Most Disappointing Album: Idlewild - Warnings/Promises
Albums that may have made the list had I listened to them more: Ladytron - Witching Hour, Tom Vek - We Have Sound, The Clientele - Strange Geometry
Finally, here are a few other lists I've found in the past couple of weeks.
The Morning News
Stylus Magazine
Chromewaves
Information Leafblower
Tiny Mix Tapes
Popmatters
Almostcool
and of course, Pitchfork
Jerad posted this in Music | Comments (0)
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