MetaChat - My favorite albums of 2005

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30 December 2005

My favorite albums of 2005 Insipred by the "favorite song of 2005" thread below.→[More:]It's a link to a blog comment, sorry but here's the list so you don't have to click:

The New Pornographers "Twin Cinema"

Sufjan Stevens "Illinoise"

LCD Soundsystem (self-titled)

The Juan MacLean "Less Than Human"

The Angels of Light "Play Other People"

Royksopp "The Understanding"

Moby "Hotel" (for some reason it was completely reviled by the critics, but I love it)

Ladytron "The Witching Hour"

The White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan"

"Yellow Pills: Prefill" (a collection of obscure power pop)

Nine Inch Nails "With Teeth"

The Mountain Goats "The Sunset Tree" (nakedly confessional and yet thrilling to listen to)

Stars "Set Yourself On Fire" (an '04 release in Canada but an '05 release here, I'm told)

And this year also had some kickass reissues, including: The Cure's "Faith," "17 Seconds," and "Pornography," sounding better than I ever thought possible, and the Kirsty MacColl collection "From Croydon To Cuba."

What're your faves of '05?

post by: BoringPostcards at: 17:08 | 44 comments

Illinois - Sufjan Stevens
Twin Cinema - New Pornographers
The Sunlandic Twins - Of Montreal
Infiniheart - Chad Vangaalen
Feels - Animal Collective
Gimme Fiction - Spoon
Apologies to the Queen Mary - Wolf Parade
Picaresque - The Decemberists
Dimanche a Bamako - Amadou & Mariam
Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs - Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire
Thunder Lightning Strike - The Go! Team
Escape from Dragon House - Dengue Fever
Guero - Beck
Everything Ecstatic - Four Tet
Year of Meteors - Laura Veirs
The World Is Saved - Stina Nordenstam
God's Money - Gang Gang Dance
In the Reins - Iron & Wine
Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light - Bell Orchestre
More Deep Cuts - Thee More Shallows
The Campfire Headphase - Boards Of Canada
Cuts Across the Land - Duke Spirit
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
A Certain Trigger - Maximo Park
Axes - Electrelane

posted by matildaben 30 December | 17:16

I'm always running way behind because there's way too much music to buy. I probably got 30 CD's this year but only a handful were actually released in 2005. My favorites:

1. Nevermore "This Godless Endeavor"
2. Opeth "Ghost Reveries"
3. After Forever "Remagine"

posted by mike9322 30 December | 17:18

Now see, I should have included that Boards of Canada one. That's the only thing with these kinds of lists... you always leave something out.

I want to hear the rest of that Dengue Fever CD.

posted by BoringPostcards 30 December | 17:22

I think the only CD from 2005 that I've got is Sigur Ros' Takk. Simply beautiful.

posted by moonbird 30 December | 17:25

Takk, along with the new Low album, fell on my "biggest disappointments by bands I used to like a lot" list. Your mileage may vary.

posted by matildaben 30 December | 17:26

I liked Anouk - Hotel New York allot

posted by Martine 30 December | 17:26

Nevermore "This Godless Endeavor"
Godless Endeavor, godly album. One of my favorites this year, too.

posted by Wolfdog 30 December | 17:26

I said Editors and New Pornographers in the other thread. I rather liked Lightning Bolt too.

This just hasn't been an exciting year of new releases for me. The Super Furries and Kate Bush albums never really took a hold with me although I may get back to them again later. dEUS has a lot of promise.

posted by dodgygeezer 30 December | 17:28

Self-link, yo. With pretty pictures and all.

If you're morally opposed to clicking on self-links though, here's the summary: some music in a foreign language, some music without words, some hip-hop, some folky-poppy, and Ringo Starr.

posted by panoptican 30 December | 17:32

Oh, man -

1. Z, My Morning Jacket
2. Sunlandic Twins, Of Montreal
3. In the Reins, Iron and Wine
4. Cloud Cult - Happy Hippopotamus
5. Slender Means - Neon and Ruin
6. Twin Cinema - New Porno's
7. Blue Scholars - Southside Revival
8. Blackalicious - the Craft
9. Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
10. Silversun Pickups - Pikul
11. Sera Cahoone - debut album tba
12. Amos Lee - Amos Lee
13. Boards of Canada - Campfire Headphase
14. A jillion million others I won't waste space here with...

posted by Lipstick Thespian 30 December | 17:33

I'm enjoying your list, panoptican.

posted by matildaben 30 December | 17:43

2005 was the year I discovered old music, so I don't have a list. I did like Illinois.

posted by selfnoise 30 December | 17:44

I've really been enjoyed Book of Silk, by Tin Hat Trio, but that seems to be 2004. Also a 2004 album - Thunder, Lightning, Strike! by The Go! Team.

posted by selfnoise 30 December | 17:56

Here's a real summary after some coopy n' pastin' but without pictures or nonsensical words. In no particular order excpet the first is my favorite and the last is mind-blowing.

Electrelane - Axes
Jackie-O Motherfucker - Flags of the Sacred Harp
Mazarin - We're Already There
Animal Collective - Feels
The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart
Boom Bip - Blye Eyed in the Red Room
Three 6 Mafia - Most Known Unknown
M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us
Quasimoto - The Further Adventures of Lord Quas
Wilderness - Wilderness
Engineers - Engineers
Broadcat - Tender Buttons
Why? - Elephant Eyelash
Brian Eno - Another Day on Earth
Bell Orchestre - Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light
Missy Elliott - The Cookbook
Blood on the Wall - Awesomer
M.I.A. - Arular
Minus Story - No Rest for Ghosts
Old Time Relijun - 2012
Ringo Starr - Choose Love

posted by panoptican 30 December | 17:57

The Harvey Girls, "The Wild Farewell"

posted by matteo 30 December | 18:07

In no particular order:
Crooked Fingers - Dignity and Shame
Akron/Family - S/T
Angels OF Light - The Angels of Light Sing Other People
Guapo - Black Oni
Pelican - The Fire In Our Throats Will Beckon The Thaw
Red Sparrowes - At The Soundless Dawn
Planes Mistaken For Stars - Up In Them Guts
31 Knots - Talk Like Blood
Antony and the Johnsons - I am a Bird Now
Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary
Low - The Great Destroyer
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T
Boris - Akuma No Ulta
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must
Shining - In The Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be a Monster
Bell Orschetra - Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light
Pinetop Seven: The Night's Bloom
Iron & Wine/Calexico: In the Reins EP
Engineers - S/T

posted by miles 30 December | 18:15

My top ten, roughly in order:
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Illinois / Sufjan Stevens
LCD Soundsystem / LCD Soundsystem
With Teeth / Nine Inch Nails
Picaresque / The Decemberists
Thunder Lightning Strike / The Go! Team
No Wow / The Kills
Alligator / The National
Oh No / OK Go
The Woods / Sleater-Kinney

Albums I didn't like as much as I expected:
The Forgotten Arm / Aimee Mann
Aerial / Kate Bush
Get Behind Me Satan / The White Stripes
Extraordinary Machine [official] / Fiona Apple
(I still love the Brion version, but that's not 2005)

Honorable:
The Wild Farewell / The Harvey Girls
American Edit / Dean Gray
Arular / M.I.A.
Less Than Human / The Juan MacLean
Golden Ocean / 50 Foot Wave

There are still about half a dozen '05 albums I have yet to ... acquire.
This is the first year I've ever been into music enough to have a top ten albums list.

posted by stilicho 30 December | 18:19

Twin Cinema - New Pornographers
Stick Music - Clogs (it was a late 2004 release, but it still seems brand new)
Picaresque- The Decemberists
Push Barman to Open Old Wounds - Belle & Sebastian

posted by iconomy 30 December | 18:25

Panoptican nailed a bunch of my picks. Electrelane, JOMF, Mazarin, Animal Collective, M83, MIA... all on my list. (There was an older Mazarin track in the pop post I made early this morning if anyone wants to hear them.)

I'd also add

Fake - You Are Not Dead (mentioned on mecha before, some samples here)
Bonnie Prince Billy - Summer in Southeast
Smog - A River Ain't Too Much Love
Deerhoof - Runners Four
Decemberists - Picaresque
The Drift - Travels in Constants #19
Explosions in the Sky - The Rescue
Hella - everything (bought whole catalog this year)
Monroe Mustang - De Avonden 091099 (actually old but just reacquired and playing the shit out of it).
Bobby Birdman - Born Free Forever (old, but can't stop playin it--one of my top albums of the decade)
Also been listening to the forthcoming Danko Jones album quite a bit but that's mostly work-related. Haven't made up my mind yet.

posted by dobbs 30 December | 18:47

Ah that Bobby Birdman album is wonderful. The Heart Caves EP is also great, as I'm sure you know. It has my favorite of his on there, I Will Come Again.

posted by panoptican 30 December | 18:49

Here's my list.

posted by bmarkey 30 December | 18:56

Your skewering of CocoRoise was entertaining bmarkey.

posted by panoptican 30 December | 19:11

I'm of mixed opinion on the whole freakfolk thing. Some Banhart and Cocorosie songs are actually quite beautiful, to my mind, but they are incredibly precious, and I can only take them in small doses.

posted by matildaben 30 December | 19:24

Thank you, panoptican.

posted by bmarkey 30 December | 19:27

panoptican, glad to hear you like BB. I don't know a single other person that listens to him. I've given away 10 copies of the CD in the past year or so. I love it, and yes, Heart Caves is also good, but too short. I also like his first album. I Must Admit That I Love You is a terrific song. Not that I really care, but I can't believe PFM gave the BFF album a 3 or some such shit. I was shocked as it was a 10 for me.

Also, how do you pronounce M83? Do you say mateythree? or M Eighty Three or M Eight Three or what? :)

Oh, I also forgot that I really like a few tracks on Lemon Jelly's album, especially Go.

posted by dobbs 30 December | 19:39

I pronounce it M Eighty Three. I don't know why. And now that I've finally found someone else who enjoys the Birdman much like I, I have a question for you. I have another album by BB called Exercise. I've been completely unable to find any mention of it anywhere on the entire internet. I'm serious. It might just be bad labels since I got it off SoulSeek but here's the tracklist:

1. [Exercise #01] Dye [3:30]
2. [Exercise #02] Six in a Row [3:29]
3. [Exercise #03] Retired [4:46]
4. [Exercise #04] Lacks an E [2:10]
5. [Exercise #05] A Run on a Third of Vodka [2:31]
6. [Exercise #06] At the Bottom [3:05]
7. [Exercise #07] I Made Up this Song Title [5:08]
8. [Exercise #08] The Beginning [1:47]

Any of it look familar. I sorta wonder if it is a demo tape or something that I randomly stumbled across on SoulSeek. Anyway, if it is an album you don't have, I'd be glad to host it so you can download it or something. It's a good one. Also note, I don't have his first album yet so perhaps it is that?

posted by panoptican 30 December | 19:47

The new Lemon Jelly was another one that disappointed me, since I loved their earlier stuff.

posted by matildaben 30 December | 19:49

Top 10, in no particular order:

Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
Death Cab for Cutie - Plans
Mew - ...and the Glass Handed Kites
Robyn - Robyn
Great Lake Swimmers - Bodies and Minds
Page France - Hello Dear Wind
Faunts - High Expectations, Low Results
dEUS - Pocket Revolution
Teenage Fanclub - Man-Made
Paul Anka - Rock Swings

my absolute favorite is probably the new Mogwai, but since it's a 2006 release it doesn't qualify for this year's list.

posted by mr.marx 30 December | 19:54

No, I don't have that and have never heard of it. I have 3 full lengths and Heart Caves. The full lengths are 1. BFF, 2. Exhausted, The Cost of, 3. Let Me In.

None of them have tracks with those titles. I'd love a copy and can offer something in exchange if you wish. Drop me an email.

matildaben, yeah, the Lemon Jelly does have some weak tracks, I must admit, but there are a few that I really like a lot. I don't know their early stuff so don't really have anything to compare it to.

Also, I heard one song from a band called Psychic Paramount, which I fucking love, but I can't find the album here in Toronto and haven't gotten around to ordering it yet. Anyone heard their new album?

posted by dobbs 30 December | 20:01

Of Montreal -- The Sunlandic Twins
Bjork -- the music from Drawing Restraint 9
Metric -- Live It Out
Beck -- Guero
The Impossible Shapes -- Horus
Ben Folds -- Songs for Silverman
Sleater-Kinney -- The Woods
The Spinto Band -- Nice and Nicely Done
Deerhoof -- The Runners Four
Final Fantasy -- Has a Good Home
Audible -- Sky Signal
Nine Inch Nails -- With Teeth

posted by gramschmidt 30 December | 20:22

Okay, just bought a bunch of records based on your recommendations:

akron/family
angels of light
boris
dengue fever
gang gang dance
the national
thee more shallows
why?

Am considering also getting

wilderness (though I've tried samples before and it ain't hooking me)
minus story
page france
spinto band

hemming and hawing, basically.

I also realized that TZADIK, one of my favorite labels (and one whose releases cost a fortune as they're imports here in Canada), is now on emusic. Holy crap that's amazing news! Picked up a Derek Bailey album I've been wanting for a couple years. Kicking myself that I paid full price for Masada's full catalog over the past 10 years or so, but whatever, it's great music.

Also picked up

Keith Fullerton Whitman
Konono No. 1
Wooden Wand

based on tiny mix tapes and pfm recommendations.

I'm comin' after y'all if I don't like these. ;)

posted by dobbs 31 December | 03:03

If the Wilderness samples weren't hooking you I'd probably stay away. He doesn't deviate too much from the general formula. For some reason, I think of Wilderness as a Go-Between clone. That Keith Fullerton Whitman album (you got the new one?) is ace. Haven't heard the other two though. I'll have to check them out.

posted by panoptican 31 December | 03:27

Hey Dobbs, for what its worth all the "Stuido" Masada albums were only available in the US as Japaneese imports; so each cd was 20-25 American dollars. I have no idea why he did this, considering that he has released all the live Masada albums (so far) as domestic releases.

posted by miles 31 December | 04:55

I dl'd the Wilderness album and thought it was pretty boring. Glad you're interested in Thee More Shallows and Gang Gang Dance (and Dengue Fever of course).

posted by matildaben 31 December | 09:03

matildaben, that Dengue Fever is awesome. Looking forward to the rest of your picks.

Miles, thanks for that news on Masada. It's a little bit of a consolation. iTunes tells me I have 22.5 hours of Masada music, which all cost me import prices over the years. Yikes.

Panoptican, I didn't get the new Whitman record as I didn't find that one at emusic. I got an older one called Met Life. It's only 2 tracks but is 35+ minutes. Want to get the recent one as I keep hearing how great it is.

Your comparison of Go-Betweens and Wilderness is a little mind boggling for me. I don't hear it at all, but then I've only heard 30 second samples of it so can't really say. My fave thing Go-Betweens related is Joel RL Phelps' cover of Apology Accepted.

posted by dobbs 31 December | 13:52

P.S. Also thanks for the Masada tip. I've seen them live 3 or 4 times (including Electric Masada) and they are amazing.

posted by matildaben 31 December | 14:13

I wish I'd seen them play live. To my knowledge they've never played Toronto. Off the top of my head, I think GBV/Pollard is the only band I have more tracks by than Masada.

And if you like them, you may like The Lounge Lizards, though I have no real reason for connecting them in my head. They don't sound at all alike, really.

posted by dobbs 31 December | 15:07

Dobbs, I think I may have seen both Lounge Lizards and some John-Zorn-involved band at the Knitting Factory in the 80's, so there is some connection, you just didn't know it.

I just checked emusic and it appears they only have the Masada live albums, not the numbered ones.

posted by matildaben 31 December | 15:19

Yeah, there are some connections, musician-wise. Marc Ribot's played with Zorn and Lurie/Lizards, for instance. Maybe Oren Bloedow as well. They've all had so many members in and out (though Masada's pretty consistent) that it's hard to keep track. I think they're just the best known sax players in NY and their bands cross over a lot.

I just meant that they don't really sound similar so from that perspective it's odd to recommend them.

I just checked emusic as well and you're right. I didn't search last night. Just saw Tzadik was on there (they weren't a few months back when I checked) and assumed they had it all. Hopefully some of the japan imports will come on eventually. They do have the String album, which I like. Weird they have that and not the Bar Kokhba double though. This makes me think the catalog is still coming as there's no reason to have the one without the other far as I can tell.

They also have David Krakauer's albums up. His song Alt Dot Klezmer is a favorite of mine.

posted by dobbs 31 December | 15:35

Hmm. Bobby Birdman comes reasonably highly recommended here, yet I don't know this act at all. The legitimate tracks online seem to be down. Can anyone help?

Also, dobbs, the three Spinto Band tunes available from their website are pretty representative. It's confident, inventive indie-pop stuff. I can provide another (or so), if you're interested.

posted by gramschmidt 31 December | 15:50

gram, there's some BB here and here.

My fave record of his is Born Free Forever. The second mp3 from the first link is off the album--however, I don't think the record works well song by song but more as a whole. The song panoptican said he likes best is the second one from the second link.

The majority of his music is on emusic for super cheap.

I will check out the Spinto site. Thanks!

posted by dobbs 31 December | 16:02

Ah, yes, I suppose I should have visited more than those first two sites. My bad, and thanks.

posted by gramschmidt 31 December | 16:12

BTW Masada fans, you might want to check your public library. I got most of the numbered albums from the good ol' Multonomah County Libary. They also have a surprising amount of the Tzadik catalog. In fact, I am gonna search for some of these titles right now. Your library mileage may vary.

posted by miles 31 December | 16:39

Seattle Public Library only has 3, and none of the numbered albums. King County Public Library has only Alef and some Zorn stuff.

posted by matildaben 31 December | 16:50

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