The Best Album of 2005.

[cbacon]

That's another one that was released in 2004, but 2005 in the States. Going by American release dates, i'd put in the top 5 of the year for sure.

[Anorak]

I lied. No pictures.

 

Richmond Fontaine - The Fitzgerald

South San Gabriel - The Carlton Chronicles: Not Until The Operations Through

Richard Hawley - Cole's Corner

Devin Davies - Lonely people of The World, Unite!

Eels - Blinking Lights And Other Revelations

Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers

New Pornographers - Twin Cinema

[Giuseppe Zangara]

Man, I really don't like I Am a Bird Now.

 

My choice for second best album is David Pajo's Pajo, but I tend to love anything he does without question.

[Annabelle]

i didn't like antony & the johnsons niether. i don't get the greatness. or maybe thats the point...

[Gary Floyd]

Update: I'm replacing the New Pornographers with DangerDoom

[PLAGIARISM!]

Fall heads Roll is the best thing Mark E Smith has done in like, forever.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

In other news, I now have seven albums that shall forever remain in my all-time top ten list. Here, in no preferential order, they are:

 

1. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

2. Outkast - Aquemini

3. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

4. The Wedding Present - Seamonsters

5. David Bowie - Hunky Dory

6. XTC - English Settlement

7. Wire - Pink Flag

 

I feel good about these albums.

[Guest beau99]

To be honest, only one album in 2005 really got my attention, and that was Mike Doughty's astounding release, Haughty Melodic.

[Steviekick]

There wasn't too much that impressed me this year as far as a whole album...

 

The only album I thoroughly enjoyed was Life of Agony's Broken Valley.

[Toshiaki Koala]

1. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I bought this yesterday - really looking forward to listening to it. I used to go to school with his daughter, if anyone cares.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

5. David Bowie - Hunky Dory

Over Low, huh? Not bad.

 

I've listened to the Wolf Parade album several times this week. Very good; it does everything for me that I'd hoped last Walkmen album would, and, with few exceptions, didn't. Still not sure that it's the ultimate album of 2005, but it's up there for me.

[5_moves_of_doom]

In other news, I now have seven albums that shall forever remain in my all-time top ten list. Here, in no preferential order, they are:

 

1. Tom Waits - Rain Dogs

2. Outkast - Aquemini

3. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico

4. The Wedding Present - Seamonsters

5. David Bowie - Hunky Dory

6. XTC - English Settlement

7. Wire - Pink Flag

 

I feel good about these albums.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What are the other three, at the moment? I ask because I've got about five albums that always stay in my top ten, and three of them are on your list, so perhaps you might have something that I've never heard on your list that I could end up really liking. As it is, I've never heard Seamonsters, despite hearing a few trustworthy people on this board (you and... I think maybe Plagiarism? I don't remember) praise it to no end. I'll have to pick that up sometime in the near future.

 

EDIT: It should be noted that I usually frown upon top ten lists not involving Purple Rain, but to each his own, I suppose.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Seamonsters is indeed fantastic. He and Plagiarism! were the big-time fans, and I've been converted too.

[Guest J0bber]

Devildriver-The Fury of Our Maker's Hand

[Special K]

Sleater-Kinney "The Woods"

Easily the bast album I've heard this year. Probably their best album to date. There's nary a stinker on it, and most of the songs are great. Given its absence from this thread, I think that people just don't listen to this band. "Rollercoaster" or "Entertain" would have been a monster hit for this band in a just world.

 

 

Other good ones:

QoTSA: Lullabies to Paralyze

Sigur Ros: Takk

Gorillaz: Demon Days

 

I need to buy the new Beck album and the Minstrel Show. I like everything I've heard off them so far. I also need to check out some of the albums on Inc's list.

[Guest OSIcon]

Most of my favorites from this year have already been mentioned. I think Sufjan Stevens' Illinoise is my favorite at this point. To me it really is a complete album. It is something you can listen to all the way through and it just flows really, really well between the different songs and instrumental interludes. There aren't any songs you really want to skip nor is it too much of the same style. Just a really great album.

 

I first listened to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in August and liked it but wasn't blow away. Four months later and I am still listening to the album on a semi-regular basis which says a lot. It is just a lot of fun and has more lasting power than I would have thought. Seeing them live in October probably helped also. Either way it is my second favorite album of 2005.

 

Others I really enjoyed in 2005: Picaresque (Decemberists), Mysterious Production of Eggs (Andrew Bird), Sundalic Twins (Of Montreal), and Twin Cinema (New Pornographers).

 

I liked I Am a Bird Now also, but not as much as others in this thread.

[Edwin MacPhisto]

Sunlandic Twins ain't bad. I think it's inconsistent, but "Forecast Fascist Future" and "So Begins Our Alabee" are perfecto.

[5_moves_of_doom]

Sleater-Kinney "The Woods"

Easily the bast album I've heard this year. Probably their best album to date. There's nary a stinker on it, and most of the songs are great. Given its absence from this thread, I think that people just don't listen to this band. "Rollercoaster" or "Entertain" would have been a monster hit for this band in a just world.

 

Only mentioned my favorite so far, but this would be among my top five. Definitely their best ever in my eyes, and I'm a pretty big fan. Flows really well and their twin guitar attack finally has reached perfection. Seeing them live opening for Sonic Youth at the end of this summer definitely helped, too.

 

Another one I feel I should mention is Animal Lover. Not so much in that it's one of the year's best albums, but just in how amazing it is that the Residents are still producing good music after all these years. Truly haunting in some places. Truly awesome in others.

 

Did anyone listen to OK Cowboy by Vitalic? My favorite electronica album of the year... perhaps even in years. Just amazing.

[Special K]

Fuck me, I've been listening to this album for so long, I thought it was a 2004. My number 2 album for this year, for sure.

 

Fifty Foot Wave: Golden Ocean. Basically Kristen Hersh balls out. There's a couple of excellent tracks, 'Sally is a Girl' 'Long Painting' 'Clara Bow' Not a single bad track. The music is good, driving punk, but the main attraction is Hersh's songwriting, and above all else, her vocals. She sounds like a chain-smoking grandma kicking the shit out of every stylized boy-band (I'm looking at you, Killers, Bravery, every other faggot band riding Franz Ferdinand's coattails) out there. It's not a classic album, like I think The Woods is, but it is damn fine listening. And it makes good fucking music.

[Guest Starks]

Another vote for Bloc Party - Silent Alarm. There have other albums this year that have frequented my playlist such as System of a Down's offerings and Coldplay and Franz Ferdinands new albums, but it's Bloc Party's "Silent Alarm" that I keep going back to.

[Carnival]

1. Cage - "Hell's Winter"

2. Esham - "A-1 Yola"

3. Mudvayne - "Lost & Found"

4. Twiztid - "Man's Myth"

5. Atmosphere - "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having"

[Skywarp!]

Only album that's come out this year I can actually listen to is Mezmerize by System of a Down, and even that's getting worn out due to how overplayed "BYOB" and "Question" are on the radio (since the van I do deliveries in at work only has a radio).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

So far, I am also going to have to go with "Mesmerize". I haven't heard "Hypnotize" yet, however.

[Special K]

I thought Seamonsters was pretty good, but not phenomenal. The first track was really fucking great. though.

 

English Settlement and Pink Flag are fucking awesome, though. I have no idea how XTC flew under my radar, my Dad likes them. Two brilliant albums. Thanks, Inc.

 

Since I'm new to both bands, give me some more XTC and Wire albums I should check out. I probably liked the XTC album most of all. I'll be buying it presently.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

5. David Bowie - Hunky Dory

Over Low, huh? Not bad.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Let's not kid ourselves. Even if you like the second half of Low—and I do!—it sounds dated today. I think Low gets props over Hunky Dory because the former sounds nothing like anything Bowie did previously, and very little like anyone else had done, too. Does that necessarily make it better? No. Almost everything Bowie did in the 70s, post-HD, took its cues from that album. And though a lot of it was good-to-wonderful, none of it came quite as close to perfection as Hunky Dory.

 

As for the question of what would round up my top ten, I don't know. The seven I listed were albums that I am confident will forever remain favorites of mine for years to come. Were I to pick another three albums, they'd very likely change within a month.

[Giuseppe Zangara]

My top three for this year:

 

1. Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers

2. David Pajo- Pajo

3. Low- The Great Destroyer

 

I've heard a bunch of other stuff from this year, but I can't be bothered listing them at the moment. And speaking of Low, I watched their video for the song "Monkey." It was alright, but that UFO at the end was a little wtf.

[Guest Coffey]

Common - Be

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's probably my pick too. It has my favorite single of the year on it.

[5_moves_of_doom]

I change my vote to:

 

[PLAGIARISM!]

Fall heads Roll is the best thing Mark E Smith has done in like, forever.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Anyone? I can't stop listening to this.

[ant_7000]

Minstrel Show- Little Brother or "BE" by Common.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

5. David Bowie - Hunky Dory

Over Low, huh? Not bad.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Let's not kid ourselves. Even if you like the second half of Low—and I do!—it sounds dated today. I think Low gets props over Hunky Dory because the former sounds nothing like anything Bowie did previously, and very little like anyone else had done, too. Does that necessarily make it better? No. Almost everything Bowie did in the 70s, post-HD, took its cues from that album. And though a lot of it was good-to-wonderful, none of it came quite as close to perfection as Hunky Dory.

 

I prefer Low myself, but could defend either as his best. I don't think it sounds dated so much as it's just bitterly cold production. Not to mention the unique element you already touched on.