SleepingPoliceman

This list has been a long time coming. I made up for the delay by making it ridiculously lengthy. So let’s just get right down to business after the jump. (And you can check out my 2k5 mix if you haven’t already, if you want to get primed for the full verbosity below.)

Part I: The Late-To-The-Party Awards

To qualify for the album list, said album had to have been released in 2005. But of course I got into more than my fair of pre-’05 albums this year, and they deserve recognition as well. These albums include:

5. TV On The Radio – Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Very sparse and atmospheric. I haven’t spent that much time with it, but I really like what I’ve heard. Music to listen to while you’re floating between a dream and a nightmare. Key tracks: Staring At The Sun, Dreams, Ambulance

4. Pinback – Summer in Abaddon
Really chill and laid back spacey pop. Reminiscent of The Postal Service, without the constantly heart-cutting lyrics. The more I listen to this, the more I love it. Key tracks: Fortress, Non Photo-Blue, Bloods On Fire

3. Thirteen Senses – The Invitation
Yet another band off the Sad Bastard Britpop assembly line. But these guys do it really well. I’ve included it here although it doesn’t entirely fit…it came out in England in ‘04 but hasn’t been released in America yet. So it could be a future star or late-to-the-party. I don’t really know. Anyway, it’s a great album with a bunch of quality songs. Key tracks: Thru The Glass, Into The Fire, Lead Us

2. Interpol – Antics
I don’t know why I didn’t get this album sooner. Sometimes it sort of blends together into one really long (but great) song in my head. That doesn’t mean it isn’t amazing. Key tracks: Evil, Slow Hands, NARC

1. The Arcade Fire – Funeral
I actually included this on my top 10 list from last year (on the now defunct Robot House!), but its stature has grown in my mind to the point where I have to include it on this list. Even the songs I used to not particularly care about have grown on me. If you don’t own this album, you must. Key tracks: Wake Up, Rebellion (Lies), Crown Of Love, all of them

Part II: Potential 2006 Late-To-The-Party Nominees

Albums from 2005 I got too recently to have digested for the main list, but I may look back and regret not having included them:

5. Spoon – Gimme Fiction

4. Stellastarr* – Harmonies For The Haunted

3. Of Montreal – The Sunlandic Twins

2. Hot Hot Heat – Elevator

1. Paul McCartney – Chaos & Creation In The Backyard

Part III: Singles Of The Year

Not necessarily the biggest hits, and actually maybe some of these weren’t even released as singles. But random songs that I really enjoyed. Songs from the album list are not allowed on here, because, well, that just wouldn’t be fair.

10. Shout Out Louds – The Comeback (Big Slippa Remix by Ratatat)
I heard this remix before the original, and still prefer it. People from Northern Europe create weird pop songs that make me happy.

9. LCD Soundsystem – Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
I don’t really understand this song, but I don’t think I need to. In a few weeks this would probably be higher on the list, as it’s a late entry and is growing fast. Great drive and a lot of fun.

8. Ben Folds – Landed
Bittersweet and uplifting piano pop song. It’s Ben Folds. It’s good. What else needs to be said?

7. The Arcade Fire & David Bowie – Wake Up (live)
From an iTunes EP. I wanted this marriage of old school awesomeness and new school awesomeness to be better. It’s not that it’s bad at all, but Bowie’s voice mixes almost too well with the band…you can barely tell that he’s there. Still, for its symbolic nature alone, this song deserves recognition.

6. Louis XIV – Finding Out True Love Is Blind
An MVP ‘05 special. A weird little glam song that’s a little skeevy and a little sweet. OK, a lot skeevy. With some deceptively great music in the background.

5. Paul Anka – Wonderwall
They may be the Oasis…but can they croon? It’s probably sacrilege, but I enjoy this version about a million times more than the original. I can’t explain it, but this song makes me glad to be alive.

4. Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.
And the award for the weirdest song in an iPod commercial this year goes to…the dude from Blur and De La Soul!

3. Stellastarr* – Sweet Troubled Soul
Sounds like an 80s band that I regret not liking more in the 80s. Great chorus, and having two vocalists (one male, one female no less) is always a good recipe if you want to get me to fall for a song. “…in the reflection of my bedroom stereo…”

2. Hot Hot Heat – Middle Of Nowhere
This band is really starting to grow on me, and I could have picked from three or four songs from the album (Goodnight Goodnight, You Owe Me An IOU, Island Of The Honest Man). But this song does the best job of taking their manic energy and focusing it in a slow-burn song with a chorus that soars just enough to make you feel like the wind is blowing through your hair.

1. Kanye West (feat. Jaime Foxx) – Gold Digger
It’s the single of the year. We all know it.

Part IV: Albums Of The Year

10. Weezer – Make Believe

This certainly wasn’t the return to Blue Album/Pinkerton form that it was hyped to be. And, yes, Rivers has some problems with overly simplistic lyrics and hokey themes. But the band can still put together some excellent pop/rock songs, and as long as you don’t go in expecting to hear No One Else or Across The Sea, you should be able to enjoy yourself. Even if you hated Beverly Hills and We Are All On Drugs (and you know who you are). Key tracks: This Is Such A Pity, Pardon Me, Perfect Situation

9. Coldplay – X&Y

We have most definitely entered the time when it’s cool to shit all over Coldplay. Not that some of the criticism isn’t valid…but it sort of seems like people hate them for being popular and not being bigger and better than they are. Look, they’re Coldplay…they do the Sad Bastard Brit thing with slow, sweeping songs and semi-wussy lyrics. That’s who they are. And they’re really good at it. Generally I find half of their albums amazing and the other half just sort of runs together in my memory, like those really-good-but-not-great U2 albums. This is no different. But the amazing parts are still amazing. And if you don’t like it, go to hell. Key tracks: X&Y, White Shadows, Talk

8. Death Cab For Cutie – Plans

If I had more time with this album, it might climb up higher on my list. I remember in late-2000, when Ingala started talking to me about this band. And I remember my reaction: “Death Cab for what? OK, whatever.” Time has, once again, proven that Eric was right and I’m an idiot. Maybe their earlier stuff is better…I haven’t really taken the time to get that much into it. But this album is excellent, with precise music that matches the aching lyrics. Like Coldplay, their growing popularity is unfairly pushing them to cliche…but don’t hate on them just because they’re good at what they do. They will break your heart. Key tracks: Brothers On A Hotel Bed, Marching Bands Of Manhattan, What Sarah Said

7. Super Furry Animals – Love Kraft

Another solid album from these crazy Welshmen. This one really only functions as an album…trying to take the tracks out on their own tends to weaken them (as I found when putting together the 2k5 mix). This one doesn’t hold up as well as Rings Around The World or Radiator, but not that many albums can. Great band, highly recommended. Key Tracks: Frequency, Atomik Lust, Zoom, the album as a whole

6. Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better

Man, they came back with their sophomore album like it was nothing, huh? I know there are some people (let’s call them “That Dude From That Starbucks Ad”) who were underwhelmed by this album because it wasn’t the same as the first. But that’s the reason why I like it so much. There are a bunch of the same sort of frantic, high-energy mania as on their debut, but with enough curveballs and change-ups thrown in to keep things different, and to imply that Franz will have more to offer as time goes by. And you’d be hard pressed to find a better 1-2 punch to kick off an album this year. Key tracks: The Fallen, Do You Want To, Evil And A Heathen

5. Bloc Party – Silent Alarm

Brits, but not of the Sad Bastard variety. Others can do a better job than I of pointing out all their influences, from the 70s through now. But they take it all and forge their own sound. If I had spent more time dissecting their lyrics, I suspect I would have ranked this higher…there’s a lot going on in these songs and I’ve only scratched the surface. There’s an energy and a tension riding underneath every song…not that they all sound the same, but everything on the album is urgent and engaging. I’m already regretting not having them higher. Key Tracks: Banquet, Helicopter, This Modern Love

4. The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan

Jack White is insane. Meg White isn’t that good a drummer. Neither of those things stop them from being one of the best bands of the ’00s. Stylistically, they’re all over the map on this album. Which is part of its excellence. I think everyone’s waiting for them to put out an album that falls flat on its face and just plain sucks. This is most definitely not it. Key tracks: The Denial Twist, My Doorbell, Take Take Take

3. …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Worlds Apart

This was an almost completely random purchase…one of the songs on the album is in MVP ‘05, and I liked it and had a gift card for iTunes. And how can you deny any band with a name like that? The album is a marriage of elements of old school and new school P.T. For old school, it has a lot of prog elements (the crazy cover, the songs that run together, the instrumental parts). For new school, it has anger and indignant righteousness. It’s win-win. Not for everyone, but it definitely works for me. Key tracks: Caterwaul, Let It Dive, The Lost City Of Refuge

2. Kaiser Chiefs – Employment

Another band I sort of stumbled upon and got a lot of musical enjoyment out of. I don’t know how comfortable I feel about them being #2…really, everything from Bloc Party on has been worthy of being in this slot. But I listened to this CD more than the others. They go all out with their Britpop, and have some clever lyrics hiding around under their hyper and buoyant music. There are some really standout tracks, but every song on here is quality. I don’t know what the future has in store for them, but this is a great, fun album. Maybe I over-rate it, but I don’t care. Key tracks: I Predict A Riot, Oh My God, Modern Way

1. Elbow – Leaders Of The Free World

Number 1 by a mile. Far and away my favorite album of the year. As you all probably now, I love these guys. But this album has grown on me even more than I would have suspected at first listen. It’s definitely surpassed Cast Of Thousands and may be almost on par with their stellar debut, Asleep In The Back. Not a bad song on here (the least-good being track 2, and even that has its charms), and a handful of instant classics. If we can include the b-sides to the album’s singles as extra material, the deal would be even more sealed. The album is supposed to get a wider release and a big(ish) promo push in February. I recommend everybody buy it, love it, and then thank me later. My favorite band of the decade. Key tracks: Station Approach, Forget Myself, Great Expectations, everything else

Part V: Shows Of The Year

10. Stereo Soul Future – The Middle East, Cambridge – May 6, 2005
A local band, some of my friends know the guys who are in it. (Well, I know them now as well…but my friends know them better.) Really solid band doing a release show for their latest (and maybe last) EP. Good crowd, great atmosphere, fun times.

9. The Get-Up Kids – The Palladium, Worcester – June 25, 2005
I went to this show with Dan…they have always been one of his favorite bands, and he was up to see their third-to-last show ever. I knew some songs he had put on a mixtape a long time ago, but generally went in ignorant. The show was pretty good, with a few really awesome songs. But the best part was the atmosphere. Everyone in the crowd knew it was the band’s farewell tour, and they were singing along with every song at the top of their lungs. (I, by the way, was probably the only person there who didn’t know all the lyrics to their whole catalogue.) Also, it was the hottest day of the summer (like 105 for most of the day), and there was no A/C in the venue. So it was sweaty and exciting and a fun time. Then we went to go see a 12:30 am showing of Batman Begins, followed by the long drive back from Worcester. Good times.

8. The Musical Box – Berklee Center, Boston – December 15, 2005
Nerd nerd nerd! That was me, because I went and paid money to watch five Canadians meticulously re-create Genesis’ 1975 Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour as if they were doing a performance of Shakespeare at the Globe Theater. Needless to say, I absolutely loved it. I don’t want to say the crowd was full of super-nerds, but a heckle of “In Too Deep” during the encores brought the house down. This would be ranked higher if a) I wasn’t sick and almost hacked up a lung during The Lamia, and b) it wasn’t a cover band. Nerd nerd nerd nerd nerd!

7. Steve Hackett Trio – Somerville Theater, Somerville – October 9, 2005
Original Genesis guitarist doing an evening of acoustic instrumental music. A change of pace from my usual shows, but a night of really beautiful music. My full SP review is here

6. Super Furry Animals – The Roxy, Boston – November 7, 2005
Finally seeing SFA in concert after just missing their last two tours was noteworthy enough. All the great tunes and rockouts were almost icing. If they had been more energetic, or if my expectations had been different, this would have ranked higher. Full review.

5. Paul McCartney – The Garden, Boston – September 26, 2005
He was a Beatle. I saw him live. I don’t need to say anything else. Review.

4. Sting – Agganis Arena, Boston – May 5, 2005
Stripped down with just a four piece band, rolling off Police songs and Police-ified versions of some of his solo cuts. This was the sort of Sting concert I’d wanted to see since I first got into the Police about 10 years too late to have seen them live. A lot of energy and a great setlist. I hope he brings this show back, as I’d love to see it again. (Props to Mr. and Mrs. Z for timing a trek up here to the homeland to see the show.)

3. Marillion Trio – The Paradise, Boston – June 13, 2005
Less than nine months after their first America tour in 7 years, the boys were back with a small show with just the singer, guitarist and bass player. The stripped down versions of the songs were across the board amazing, and they brought out some obscure numbers I would never have even dared to hope I’d see in concert. Highlights included Fantastic Place, Tumble Down The Years, Enlightened and Three Minute Boy. Furthermore, they also did an in-store at the Harvard Square Tower Records the next day, which was an extra bonus. And nobody reading this cares about them. But that’s fine…I had a blast.

2. U2 – The Garden, Boston – December 4-5, 2005
Yeah, I’m counting both as one entry. If I can only just one, the second show wins. But I don’t want to deny the first show, which had Bad, Stuck In A Moment, and the unplanned third encore. Amazing shows. Reviews of the shows are here and here.

1. Elbow – The Hiro Ballroom, New York City – November 2, 2005
Between the greatness of the music, the issues during the concert, and the peripheral elements, this was far and away my favorite show of the year. Check out the full story and read the only SP entry I’ve written that’s been linked to by people I don’t know.

In conclusion: thank you, 2k5. You were a pretty damn good year musically. If you have reactions, kudos, or vicious personal attacks, please register and leave them in the comments section.

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 5th, 2006 at 2:13 pm by ptm and is filed under Lists, Music, Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.