Skip to main content

2005: Top Ten

It was an atypical year in many ways. I bought a lot of CDs in the middle of the year but almost none at the beginning or end. I got an iPod, and that has brought me closer to my music than ever before. I wrote very few reviews, and I don't really know why. And there was very little agonizing about this top ten list. In fact, I could have given you this exact same list about a month and a half ago. Believe me, that's strange.

Before we dive in, I'd like to give props to those albums that fell just a bit short, works by Fiona Apple, Spoon, Kathleen Edwards, Aimee Mann, The Hold Steady, and Common.

Ben Folds - Songs For Silverman
Read the review!

If you like Ben Folds in ballad mode, then this is the album for you. I do, and it is.



The Perceptionists - Black Dialogue

DJ Fakts One, Mr.Lif, and Akrobatic team up to make the year's most fun rap album. Mixing bravado (Blo!), social commentary (Memorial Day), romance (Love Letters) and humor (Career Finders) the CD is tight and enjoyable throughout.


The Wallflowers - Rebel, Sweetheart
Read the review!
CD #: 36
Another solid effort filled with memorable melodies and lyrics. The hipsters aren't likely to catch on, nor is the mainstream public. But rest easy Jakob, I'm listening.


Erasure - Nightbird

An unlikely story. Who would have guessed that in a year where synth bands like New Order and Depeche Mode put out new work, the lightweights of the movement would produce the best record? Showing little interest in modernizing their sound, Andy and Vince give us 11 songs that sound like the could be the soundtracks to important moments in '80s teen flicks. And yes, that's a good thing.


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

Slug and Ant had a busy year with their label (Rhymesayers) and side project (Felt) but the duo still found time to build on past successes with this disc. Ant's beats are varied and soulful and Slug tackles his demons: girls (Smart Went Crazy), family (Little Man), addiction (Pour Me Another) and tragedy (That Night). And though the title is likely ironic, the album isn't a drag at all. I swear it isn't the white rapper thing, but Slug reminds me of Eminem, albeit a less crass and psychotic version.


The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
Whatever it was that prevented me from going as gaga over their last album as everyone else did is gone now. Though early reports that the album was slower and more introspective had me worried, it's "slow songs" like These Are The Fables and The Bleeding Heart Show that I find the most thrilling. But I still can't figure out the lyrics.

Vicious Vicious - Don't Look So Surprised
Read the review!

I can handle a year without a new Hopefuls disc if the solo members put out work this good in the meantime. Just barely more than an EP, these seven songs tell a sad story of a relationship that was doomed from the start.

Nada Surf - The Weight Is A Gift

Maybe Death Cab For Cutie guitarist Chris Walla shouldn't have done such a good job of producing this album, since it's actually better than his own band's latest. Here, Nada Surf finally fulfill their power pop promise on songs like Concrete Bed and Always Love. The only flaw in the album is the extended time on the end of the final track. Why do bands continue to do this?!

Motion City Soundtrack - Commit This To Memory
Read the review!

Was it slavish of me to buy this CD and then promptly follow the directive given in the title? Maybe, but I have no regrets.


Glen Phillips - Winter Pays For Summer
Read the review!

This CD is a lot like my year: A little bit of the unexpected, a little bit of the familiar, thrilling in places and slow in others, but always benefiting from the presence of good friends. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Billy Joel: 1980 - 1977

When I decided to write about every single Billy Joel studio album I knew had a bit of a leg up in that I'd written reviews of a handful of his records already. What I didn't realize until just now was that those reviews were of albums that had been released consecutively between 1977 and 1980. As I reread those reviews - the most recent of which is 14 years old! - I found that I still stand by them. My writing style has mellowed a bit, and I no longer give grades to albums, but otherwise my opinions then are my opinions now. So here you go... Billy Joel: Glass Houses (1980) Billy Joel: 52nd Street (1978) Billy Joel: The Stranger   (1977)

Stuck, or Obsession Cessastion

You may have noticed that things have slowed down around here. I had the summer off from teaching, and I spent it with my 7 month-old son. I gave myself permission to make this blog less of a priority. Well, "less of a priority" is putting it lightly. Initially, I considered an abrupt retirement. But then I reconsidered. Maybe the proximity to Brett Favre is causing this. If you're a long time reader, this is probably not all that surprising to you. Since 2007, it has become an annual ritual for me to soul-search about my waning interest in music. First I blamed an inability to express myself and a lack of quality music . Then in 2008 I cited new technology and the death of the album . Last year I wrote about how my changing life priorities hindered my ability to seek out new music. I've done a lot of thinking about it this summer and in truth I believe this was all just dancing around the issue, a slow realization of something I didn't want to admit to myse...

The End of REO Speedwagon's Road

I devoted the summer of 2019 to listening to and writing about Champaign, Illinois' own REO Speedwagon. It was an eye-opening journey through a complex and inspiring history, and one that ended with me seeing them in concert for the first time. They've played nearby a couple of times since then, but I haven't ventured out for various reasons. Then I saw that they were playing right here in my hometown in early November. I looked into tickets right away, but I didn't end up buying one, partly because they were quite expensive, but mostly because Ticketmaster wouldn't let me buy a ticket for just one seat! I figured I'd wait until the day of and see what offers were out there. Then, in mid-September, came the news. The band released a statement revealing that they would cease touring - and though it wasn't stated, cease to be a band - effective January 1, 2025. In digging further into this announcement, I learned that founding member Neal Doughty retired in Ja...