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Best of 2005

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chrysalidigm:
k, so i'm new. i've decided i would like to be friends with dara. my list of things i liked this year is as follows:

the books - lost and safe.
four tet - everything ecstatic
caribou - milk of human kindness
okkervil river - black sheep boy
silver jews - tanglewood numbers
super furry animals - love kraft
animal collective - feels
the drones - wait long by the river...
decemberists - picaresque
sufjan - illinois
jackie o motherfucker - flags of the sacred harp
sleater-kinney - the woods
fall electric - 3am and s/t (eps)

and if b-sides/rarity collections are allowed, enon - lost marbles and exploded evidence was this year i'm pretty sure...

also, bearing in mind i've heard neither the new lightning bolt or espers, both of which i have high hopes for.

nescience:
Oh shit, I forgot about the Drift album!!  Okay, that one'll have to go somewhere around #14 or #15.  While you're at it, stick 28 in there right behind it for starters.  And there's a top 31.

(edit:ins)Guess it's a top 30 cuz I had that Out Hud album listed twice.  Whoops.

kikanjuuneko:
Most Precious Blood - Merciless
Quite possibly the most ferocious album I have heard this year. Already having perfected the way they write songs, Most Precious Blood took and at the same time didn't take the obvious way out. Sure, they became even harder and faster than they were before, but at the same time, bringing in subtle electronic experimentation and sampling to help add texture to their material. And it works pretty much flawlessly.

With Honor - This is Our Revenge
While most bands in hardcore this year worked hard on crafting memorable yet somehow more brutal songs, With Honor were already at the point where all of their songs were memorable, and therefore did the unexpected: they went even more melodic than they already were, to the point where most songs are actually sung, rather than yelled or screamed. And surprisingly, this works very much in their favor.

As I Lay Dying - Shadows Are Security
In the past, As I Lay Dying have suffered from the problem of spreading themselves too thin stylistically, almost as if they couldn't decide on whether they wanted to be straightforward and melodic or dissonant and chaotic. However, the decision, thankfully, is a more straightforward and melodic one on 'Shadows Are Security', which allows for some well-thought-out songwriting and a strong album.

Darkest Hour - Undoing Ruin
While Darkest Hour have indeed been one of the better American bands to be influenced by Swedish melodic death metal, past albums have always suffered slightly, mostly from the band's unwillingness to end a song soon enough, or from being too rhythmical. Well, Undoing Ruin changes all that, as it is fast, urgent and full of crazy solos and relentless thrash.

Every Time I Die - Gutter Phenomenon
Every Time I Die have since their last album 'Hot Damn!" been an anomaly in hardcore. While they may have started out as your semi-random, structureless mosh outfit, later years have brought on an obvious rock and roll influence, something that has been an enormous benefit to the band's music, and 'Gutter Phenomenon' is if nothing else fucking catchy.

Modern Life is War - Witness
Though the idea of slow hardcore actually may sound somewhat bizarre to many, Modern Life is War never were your average 50-second blast hardcore band in the first place. And the album's slow tempo and jangly sound only serve to further dress up sleepy Marshalltown, Iowa into the barren nightmare landscape that is painted lyrically within.

Killing the Dream - In Place, Apart
Holding the flag high for the stylings of the now defunct American Nightmare/Give Up the Ghost, Killing the Dream have crafted an album that reeks of angst and desperation, without ever falling into somber traps of nu-metal noodling or emo whining. Raw and intense only really begin to describe this album.

Between the Buried and Me - Alaska
Possibly one of the most schizophrenic bands in recent history, Between the Buried and Me never hesitate to organically and seamlessly join together brutal metal pummelings (of any flavor you can imagine) with smooth, relaxed synth interludes, alterna-rock, emo, elevator music, merry-go-round melodies and whatever else you can imagine, which speaks essays about the proficiency and versatility of the band members. A band that is light years ahead of the "tech metal" game, rivalled perhaps only by the revered Dillinger Escape Plan.

Propagandhi - Potemkin City Limits
In a recent interview with Punknews.org, Propagandhi admitted to be heading in a very different direction from today's punk scene, and that is true on many levels. A lot of bands are simply content to string together breakdown after breakdown, only tying them together with some last-minute lyric about some irrelevant ex-girlfriend. Propagandhi are not that kind of band, and 'Potemkin City Limits' is as a result quite possibly one of the most well-written and most thought out punk albums in recent memory, both lyrically as well as musically.

Norma Jean - O God, the Aftermath
A lot of people lambast this album for having an overt, if unintentional similarity to Botch's now classic 'We Are the Romans'. I don't think that claim is entirely true, and even if it were, where is the problem? If you're going to sound like another band, you might as well sound like one of the best bands that ever were. But even so, this record honestly stands well in its on right. Miles beyond the (in my opinion still great) chugga-chugga wee-wee songwriting of their last album, Norma Jean chose to experiment vocally, melodically, rhythmically, in almost any way you can imagine.

csmooth24:
Some great lists here!  

My Top Ten

1. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - S/T
2. Spoon - Gimme Fiction
3. Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth
4. The Boy Least Likely To - Best Party Ever
5. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
6. Animal Collective - Feels
7. The Decemberists - Picaresque
8. Rogue Wave - Descended Like Vultures
9. Sigur Ros - Takk
10. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

There were so many other great albums by (honorable mention to top ten with *)

*Youth Group, Xiu Xiu, White Stripes, Wilco, We Are Scientists, Thunderbirds Are Now, The Thieves, Teenage Fanclub, *The Purrs, *Super Furry Animals, Sufjan Stevens, Subways, Stereophonics, Stars, The Spinto Band, Soundtrack of Our Lives, *Sons and Daughters, Sleater Kinney, Silver Jews, The Sights, Say Hi To Your Mom, The Raveonettes, The Rakes, The Ponys, *Of Montreal, Okkervil River, OK Go, The New Pornos, Nada Surf, *My Morning Jacket, *The Mountain Goats, The Most Serene Republic, *Minus the Bear, Metric, Mercury Rev, Maximo Park, Matt Pond PA, *Magic Numbers, Low, Longwave, Kate Bush, Junior Senior, John Vanderslice, Imogen Heap, Immaculate Machine, Idlewild, Hot Hot Heat, The Hold Steady, The Go! Team, Franz Ferdinand, Flotation Toy Warning, The Features, The Engineers, Elbow, *Eels, Editors, Echo and the Bunnymen, Doves, Devendra Banhart, Deerhoof, Death From Above 1979, Death Cab, David Dondero, The Cribs, The Constantines, Common, Coldplay, The Cloud Room, Clor, Clientele, Cat Power, Caribou, *Broken Social Scene, Bright Eyes, Brenden Benson, BRMC, Bob Dylan, Ben Lee, Art Brut, Architecture In Helsinki, Apollo Sunshine, Antony and the Johnsons, *Acid House Kings, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead.

Kai:

--- Quote from: kikanjuuneko ---
Between the Buried and Me - Alaska
--- End quote ---



Oh, I forgot about that album! Twas mucho gusto.

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