2005 Records: 30 - 15
30.The Mars Volta - Frances the Mute
(Universal)
The Mars Volta is a band that divides opinion more than the eternal debate of Spiderman vs. Wolverine. Personally I find the between-song noise and atmospheric sounds to be irritating and detracting from the music, but there are fans who insist that the band wish their records to play seamlessly, with no skipping or silence between songs. Leafing through the lyric booklet is almost like a voyage inside an acid trip. However, when these guys rock out, they don't hold up. Bizarre lyrics aside, The Mars Volta are very proficient at what they do.(Matt)
29. Meneguar
- I Was Born At Night
(Magic Bullet)
I bought this album on a whim; I had previously purchased music from the label and had heard good things about this band. Boy am I glad I did as I was Born at Night is an excellent album that combines distinct Dischord influences and straightforward indie rock with catchy hooks. Meneguar is one of the best new artists I discovered last year; I look forward to hearing more from them in 2006. (Michael)
28. Cave
In - Perfect Pitch Black
(Hydra Head)
The Massachusetts juggernaut came roaring back in 2005 with a brand new full-length in the form of Perfect Pitch Black. These songs carefully mix the frenzied metal days with the more recent indie/space-rock leanings, sometimes in the same song. But if you're still not convinced Cave In are back - not like they ever really left - I suggest you locate the two songs from the band's recent demo recordings ("Dead Already" and "Shapeshifter"). (Michael)
27. Xiu
Xiu - La Forét
(5 Rue Christine)
Wolfgang Tillman once remarked in an interview that "â?¦for a person to communicate this basic fragility and insecurity- to me, as I do to him or her- is the foundation of most of my pictures. I can really say that nothing bores me more in people than the assumption of security and certainty". Tillman really should meet Jamie Stewart. While 2005 saw an endless number of instantly forgettable singer songwriters, Xiu Xiu delivered another slice of emotionally wrought and utterly distinctive music in the form of La Forét. Just like one of Tillman's photographs, La Forét can be unnerving, confrontational and an awkward experience, but all of this goes together to make it simultaneously a very rewarding one. (Neil)
26. M83
- Before the Dawn Heals Us
(Mute)
Anthony Gonzalez's first solitary effort plays like a sci-fi movie - with action, melodrama, and dream sequences aplenty. "In the Cold I'm Standing" and "Farewell/Goodbye" are appropriately beautiful soundscapes, but Anthony finds ways to kick it up a notch with songs like "Car Chase Terror!" and "Don't Save us From the Flames." It's still not as good as Blade Runner, but that's because nothing's as good as Blade Runner. (Giles)
25. Death
Cab For Cutie - Plans
(Atlantic)
Death Cab for Cutie wrote the catchiest single of the year in "Soul Meets Body," despite what this site's, or any other for that matter, "best of" list states. Around this single the band crafted an album of infectious indie and pop music that allowed them to shed the tag of "that band from The OC." (Michael)
24. Earth - Hex
(Or Printing in the Infernal Method)
(Southern Lord)
This is an album of stark and desolate beauty that is likened to a soundtrack to a spaghetti western of which even Morricone would be proud. If Hex doesn't make the almost two century leap at transporting the listener to the violent, survivalist old west, nothing will. The album is massive stylistic shift that produces an amazing addition to Earth's vaunted body of work. (Bob)
23. Sigur
Rós - Takk
(Geffen)
Sigur Ros continues to put challenging albums of ephemeral beauty and this one is just one more shining example of their ability. Takk... is waves upon waves of soothing instrumentation and fairy (as in the mythic sprites that enchant humans) sounding vocals that evokes an astonishing emotional response. It brings out an uncanny feeling of hope that is almost guaranteed to lift people's spirits. (Bob)
22. Sharon
Jones and the Dap-Kings - Naturally
(Daptone)
I could go on forever telling you how amazing songs like "How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?," "Your Thing Is a Drag," and "You're Gonna Get It" are but honestly, you just have to hear this record to know just what I am talking about. The art of true soul, funk, and R&B have been lost over the years and Jones knows just that. Jones and the Dap-Kings are going to give a whole new generation of kids and adults alike a history lesson on how it used to be, and why it used to be so good. (Shane)
21. A
Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band With Choir - Horses
in the Sky
(Constellation)
There is a distinctly warm feeling that you seem to get from old jazz records played on record players that have seen better days. Indian Summer would know what I'm talking about, hence why Bessie Smith bubbled away in the background of their songs. Horses in the Sky emits a very similar feeling. Not only due to the way it was recorded and produced, but it manages to bleed the personal into the political in the same way that Billie Holiday did with â??Strange Fruit'. Though it may come across as outwardly negative ("They put angels in the electric chair â?¦ And no-one knew or no-one cared, but burning stars lit up their hair, and crawled to heaven on golden stairs"), it is simply the perfect soundtrack for "these violent times". This is one for the ages. (Neil)
20. Akron
Family - Akron Family
(Young God)
This is something that absolutely cannot be skipped over. As a matter of fact, it's the best album to be released this year and is Gira's best discovery yet. Yes, it honestly blows Devendra Banhart right out of the water. Akron/Family has found a balance between being complicated while being simple that any band would kill to have. Months from now you'll find little things you never noticed before popping up. If any of the material they recorded while recording this disc is just as good, expect this to be a band that is in everyone's mouths for years.(Shane)
19.
Animal Collective - Feels
(Fat Cat)
It's always refreshing as hell to hear a band actually get better with each subsequent record. Sung Tongs was undoubtedly a great album: wide-eyes and child-like, yet artistic and mature, completely out there, and yet infectious and occasionally surprisingly accessible. I don't doubt that a lot of people (myself included) were skeptical on the prospect of the band ever topping or even matching that album's brilliance. Well, to be honest, Feels blows it clear out of the water. Imagine Sung Tongs, but larger, warmer, more ambitious, and worlds more accessible; what you get is one of the best and most unique records of the year, Feels. (Pat)
18. Bright
Eyes- I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning
(Saddle Creek)
This is a countrified folked out album of Americana. Oberst lays down his best album to date filled to the brim with memorable songs that touch the human soul. He adds a real salt of the earth feel to his enigmatic brand of pop, and it is as infectious as it is poignant. I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning is powerful in its genteel restraint and will have you humming along from the opening chords. (Bob)
17. Minus
The Bear - Menos El Oso
(Suicide Squeeze)
Early in their career, Minus the Bear established that they could write technical songs without sacrificing any melodic consciousness. This album appropriately takes their sound and adds a bit of satisfying spice. They've outdone themselves again, and made one of the best albums I'll hear this year. But I guess they're entitled to that. (Giles)
16. Against
Me! - Searching For A Former Clarity
(Fat Wreck Chords)
It was recently revealed that Against Me! had signed to major label Sire Records. Despite all the controversy and hullabaloo surrounding that news, it doesn't overshadow the fact that Against Me! released one of the best, honest to god, punk rock records that have been released in far, FAR too long. The idea of Searching For A Former Clarity is a loose concept of the rise and fall of a mid-level band who signs to a major label. Boy, talk about foreshadowing, huh? Against Me! has done nothing but become better with each record they release. Many listeners didn't think the band could top the energy of As The Eternal Cowboy, but with the release of Searching For A Former Clarity, the bands songwriting skills shine through, in a big way. (Josh)
15. Bane
- The Note
(Equal Vision)
As daunting a task as following up the epic masterpiece Give Blood must have been, Bane pulled it off beautifully with The Note. More introspective and melodic than any of their previous outings, The Note is the sound of seasoned hardcore veterans realizing that everything they love about their scene is slowly unwinding and falling apart. Purportedly, this is the band's final album, giving new meaning to lines like "keep right on dancing while that curtain is closing." (Pat)
