[Ebonyks]

Well, the year seems to be winding down, and most of the major albums comming out this year have seen their light. So, in the tradition of music nerds/geeks/whathaveyou, post your top ten favorate albums of the year.

I'd say overall it's been an intresting year for music. The mainstream music scene hasn't unleashed any brilliant albums upon the world, but as always, lots of independant gems exist for anyone having the effort to seek them. I'm glad to see sufjan get a lot of exposure for Illinois, it's truly his most compelling and complete album in my opinion.

My list is as follows (in order):

Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Animal collective – Feels
Andrew bird – and the mysterious production of eggs
Skeletons and the girl faced boys – "git"
Jackson and his computer band - smash
Matt Elliott – drinking songs
The Decembrists – picaresque
Vashti Bunyan – lookaftering
Rosebuds – Birds make good neighbors
Of Montreal – sunlandic twins

 

[Davey]

Nice looking list Ebonyks, although I haven't heard most of them. I do have a copy of the Of Montreal and just haven't listened to it enough yet to judge how much I like it, but a friend of mine really loves it. Been really wanting to hear that new one by Vashti Bunyan. She was apparently a big influence on Devendra Banhart.

Andrew Bird. The Mysterious Production of Eggs. Easily my favorite of anything I heard this year. Maybe even the first true classic of the millenium that rivals the inventive work of the past masters, in my mind. If this hit the stores back in the 60s or 70s, we'd still be talking about it now and analyzing the lyrics and discussing where it falls in our top 100 lists ... maybe. Guess people don't really do that anymore so maybe there won't be any more pop or rock classics. Too bad. Can't see this one going away any time soon for me.

And after that there's a few others that I really like to round out the top ten, but not all are that firm right now ...

2. Richmond Fontaine - The Fitzgerald
3. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
4. Micah P. Hinson And The Gospel Of Progress
5. Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers
6. British Sea Power - Open Season
7. The National - Alligator
8. Decemberists - Picaresque
9. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
10. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree

 

[Aman]

1. Super Furry Animals - Love Kraft
2. The New Pornographers - Twin Cinema
3. John Mayer Trio - Try!
4. Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire - Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs
5. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll
6. Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness
7. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
8. Sigur Ros - Takk
9. The National - Alligator
10. Animal Collective - Feels

 

[saturnine]

Decemberists - Picaresque
Andrew Bird - The Mysterious Production of Eggs
Antony & the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now
Billy Corgan - The Future Embrace
Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow
Elbow - Leaders of the Free World
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy
Pat Methany Group - The Way Up
Xiu Xiu - La Foret

 

[blessingx]

Sufjan Stevens - Come On Feel the Illinoise!
Hem - Eveningland (technically end of 2004)
Ryan Adams (with the Cardinals) - Cold Roses *
Dusty Springfield - Dusty in Memphis (reissue)
Bettye LaVette - I've Got My Own Hell to Raise
Four Tet - Everything Esctatic

Bird is okay, but I wouldn't put him here. Can't think of four more though. Definitely worked too much and explored too little this year.

[size=xx-small]* Have only had Jacksonville City Nights for an hour.[/size]

 

[Nepenthe]

That's going to be hard. I've bought about forty '05 releases but listened to them unevenly. Like Illinoise, like Black Sheep Boy, those two would probably be up there regardless.

Like most people I'm sure, and like most years, the best music I discovered in 2005 wasn't released in 2005.

 

[steel102]

Opeth - Ghost Reveries
Sigur Ros - Takk
Arcturus - Sideshow Symphonies
Nevermore - This Godless Endeavor
Ulver - Blood Inside
Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
Subterranean Masquerade - Suspended Animation Dreams
Nile - Annihilation of the wicked
Pelican - The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw

 

[Enverxis]

After Forever - Remagine
Draconian - Arcane Rain Fell
Stream of Passion - Embrace the Storm
Kamelot - The Black Halo
Epica - Consign to Oblivion
Midnattsol - Where Twilight Dwells
Scarling. - So Long Scarecrow
Iron Maiden - Death on the Road

still to come
Theatres des Vampires - Pleasure and Pain
Lullacry - Vol. 4

 

[Morphling]

The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
Six Organs Of Admittance - School Of The Flower
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois
Animal Collective - Feels
Of Montreal - Sunlandic Twins
Andrew Bird - Andrew Bird & The Mysterious Production Of Eggs
The Decemberists - Picaresque
Deerhoof - The Runners Four
Magnolia Electric Co - What Comes After The Blues
Mount Eerie - No Flashlight

 

[BillC]

Thanks for the lists. I need to sample some of the artists mentioned here and get myself out of the past a bit. I don't have enough exposure to new music to have a real top ten, but here are some excellent albums from 2005 that I've listened to - all from artists who have been around long enough that I know to buy their music

Nine Horses, "Snow Borne Sorrow"
David Sylvian w/various remixers, "The Good Son vs. the Only Daughter"
Son Volt, "Okemah and the Melody of Riot"
Adrian Belew, "Side One"
Adrian Belew, "Side Two"
The Knitters, "The Modern Sound of the Knitters"
Depeche Mode, "Playing the Angel"

 

[elrod-tom]

In no particular order....

Elbow - Leaders of the Free World
The National - Alligator
The Magic Numbers - S/T
The Rolling Stones - A Bigger Bang
Ryan Adams - Cold Roses
Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
Cream - Royal Albert Hall
Wilco - Kicking Television
Brendan Benson - The Alternative to Love

 

[jparris1]

I can't do just 10, so with apologies...


1. Picaresque - The Decemberists
2. Twin Cities - New Pornographers
3. Push Barman to Open Old Wounds - Belle & Sebastian
4. Open Season - British Sea Power
5. The Back Room - The Editors
6. Plans - Death Cab For Cutie
7. Wolf Parade - Apologies to Queen Mary
8. Stellastar* - Harmonies for the Haunted
9. Howl Howl Gaff Gaff - Shout Out Louds
10.Illinois - Sufijan Stevens
11. Silent Alarm - Bloc Party
12. Live it out - Metric
13. Some Cities - Doves
14. Gimme Fiction - Spoon
15. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better W/ Franz Ferdinand
16. Best Party Ever - Boy Least Likely To
17. Sunlandic Twins - Of Montreal
18. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
19. Black Sheep Boy - Okkervil River
20. Set Yourself On Fire - Stars
21. Solarized - Ian Brown
22. Magic Numbers - Magic Numbers
23. Take Fountain - The Wedding Present
24. What Comes After The Blues - Magnolia Electric Company
25. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
26. Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

 

[Morphling]

The Arcade Fire was 2004

 

[sno1man]

Sufjan Stevens-Illinoise
James McMurtry- Childish Things
Black Rebel Motorocycle Club- Howl
Bob Dylan- No Direction Home Soundtrack
Kaiser Chiefs- Employment
Lucinda Williams- Live at The Fillmore
Gang Of Four- Entertainment- Re-release
Ryan Adams- Cold Roses
Sleater Kinney- the woods

I'm surprised for all the talk they got, no one has mentioned Ariel, or With Teeth., Still getting in to the former and the later got old very fast

 

[jparris1]

I can't do just 10, so with apologies...


1. Picaresque - The Decemberists
2. Twin Cities - New Pornographers
3. Push Barman to Open Old Wounds - Belle & Sebastian
4. Open Season - British Sea Power
5. The Back Room - The Editors
6. Plans - Death Cab For Cutie
7. Wolf Parade - Apologies to Queen Mary
8. Stellastar* - Harmonies for the Haunted
9. Howl Howl Gaff Gaff - Shout Out Louds
10.Illinois - Sufijan Stevens
11. Silent Alarm - Bloc Party
12. Live it out - Metric
13. Some Cities - Doves
14. Gimme Fiction - Spoon
15. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better W/ Franz Ferdinand
16. Best Party Ever - Boy Least Likely To
17. Sunlandic Twins - Of Montreal
18. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
19. Black Sheep Boy - Okkervil River
20. Set Yourself On Fire - Stars
21. Solarized - Ian Brown
22. Magic Numbers - Magic Numbers
23. Take Fountain - The Wedding Present
24. What Comes After The Blues - Magnolia Electric Company
25. Broken Social Scene - Broken Social Scene
26. Howl - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club