2005

Interesting year here.  What defines 2005 on a universal level is that there were lots of good/great albums, but not a whole lot of major landmarks or masterpieces.  Oh, there are some of course, but mostly what was hard about this year was narrowing it down to ten.  There are albums in the upper middle of this list that I am really not sure I prefer to some that wouldn't even be my first honorable mention.  On a personal level this was when I started college.  I went to one of the most hipster-infested colleges in the country so a lot of these albums (and some on the next list) will always take me back to freshman year saying things like, "you like Broken Social Scene too?!"  So without further ado, here is 2005.

10.  The Quarter After - The Quarter After
One of the best bands and releases out of the BJM camp, this band is led by Rob Campanella's brother Dominc and features reliable BJMer as a member and producer.  This is one of the best Byrds-inspired psych of the day with its jangling Rickebackers and California harmonies.  It is more energetic than a lot of the other imitators, making it sounds like it came right out of Laurel Canyon at its prime.  With the increased artist control that independent labels and production allow in the 00s, it does include an extended jam, but Campanella's songwriting is the true star especially on "Always Returning" and closing track "Everything Again."  Perfect for fans of psychedelic folk pop with lots of tambourine who will take classic songs over forced originality.

9.  Beck - Guero
People who love Beck saw this as something of a disappointment, and the ones who don't really get it saw it as a return to form.  That is because it is what those unfortunate souls saw as a "normal" Beck album, in the vein of Odelay, even ruiniting him  with the Dust Brothers.  It may not stand up to that one, but it is a good summation of his talents and mixes them all together.  On closer listen it is more focused on a single sound than that.  It is largely danceable, despite some fairly dark material in the miss.  Still, "Hell Yes"is one of his greatest dance tracks of the decade and opener "E-Pro" successfully aims for the same kind of rock as "Devil's Haircut."  With bluesy overtones and plenty of hip-hop it does deliver what the mainstream wants out of the troubled artist, but its best asset is his playful observation of the more down to earth side of Los Angeles on "Qué Honda Guero."

8.  Patrick Wolf - The Wind in the Wires
This young and unusual Anglo-Irish singer-songwriter may have his his peak on his sophomore release.  As his new hair color suggests it takes a very dark tone, though one perhaps no darker than on his debut.  He plays nearly all the instruments with arrangements rarely so simple in such a technique, and keeping in  the highly personal tone of the album.  He moves away from the more twisted themes of wolves, pedophilia, and self-mutilation, but still is not cheapened by the flamboyance of later work by having a rare sincerity on his Celtic folk-electronic hybrid.  His potential at mixing these old world styles with modern sensibility is shown to be even greater than previously indicated ranging from tracks like opener "The Libertine" (the one most like the debut) to the gentle "The Gypsy King" and the heavy industrial sound of "Tristan."  The final track is the real star, though.  "Land's End" is his greatest song, highly personal yet relatable and pointing toward a new direction.  Sadly it was not as good as the pervious one.

7.  Sigur Rós - Takk...
Though their most typically proggy, the Icelandic band's first release after heightened exposure in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is their most accessible work.  It might be the return to proper titles, but I think it is their ability to compress their talents into shorter, more concise pieces.  Tempos are some of their fastest and songs are shorter, but little of what made their previous records is lost.  There may not be as much build and atmosphere, but it makes the album easier as a casual listen, rather than something that needs some preparation.  The group dynamics function as well as ever and even as the instruments are closer together and notes rub shoulders, the music has the same mesmerizing power it always did.  This album is particularly strong in the way of keys and drums, with my friends who saw them in this era always focusing on the drummer's performance.  For those afraid of their slower masterpieces, I always recommend this one, "Sæglópur," which I consider to be one  of their best songs.  The title translates to "Thanks..." for what that's worth.

6.  The Bats - At The National Grid
This year several artists reformed, reinvented, or just emerged with a more mature sound, and the Kiwi pop legends were one of the best examples with this, their first in ten years.  They sound as great as ever, with a more laid back sound capturing the natural beauty of their home country along with the melancholy of their growing age.  Their folk rock is as tight and lively as ever even without the youthful energy of Daddy's Highway beginning with "Western Isles" and hitting a peak with "Bells," surely one of their prettiest songs of all.  Kaye Woodward proves she is as vital to the band as ever with her composition "Mir" and her stunning leads throughout, particularly on "The Flowers and The Trees."  The Bats also show they are still capable of their dark moods on "The Pre-War Blues," a slowly tense pop song that evokes the gathering of dark clouds, even coming from their green and peaceful island.  An unexpected return to form and the beginning of the second (or more for several members) part of amazing musical career.

5.  The Go-Betweens - Oceans Apart
Similarly, another legend from down under made this new classic, their third since the reunion and sadly their last.  Really just a project for Robert Forster and Grant McLennan there is little left to be desired as the pair's song writing talent has not faded at all.  Some of the greatest songs are included here beginning with Forster's intense ode to rail travel "Here Comes A City," one of many songs about travel and beautiful scenery.  As if he somehow knew of his untimely demise, McLennan is particularly strong and adventurous on gorgeous tracks like "Boundary Rider" with its mechanical beat and the folky "Finding You."  After their long career both together and apart, Australia's greatest song writing team made their final work together one of their best.  All the uncommon beauty of their early work is continued with even more maturity and mastery worthy of the same praise as their better known albums.  When paired with  the memory of McLennan's untimely death it can get a real emotional response.

4.  Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Worn Copy
Okay, I am bending the rules a bit.  With self-releases versus wide releases it is a real gray area and there will be more of it tomorrow.  I just feel very compelled to include Ariel Pink's early work, and this somehow feels more correct.  Though he has achieved a lot of success, Pink is a true outsider.  He is an insane person who has recorded twisted music on his own for years and has only achieved more recognition than his idol and collaborator R. Stevie Moore due to his location.  This is one of his best albums, even if spotty.  Catchy songs like "Jules Lost His Jewels," "Credit" and "Immune To Emotion" got people listening, but his more extended pieces reveal his rare talent for psychologically torturous and frighteningly personal music like "Life in L.A." and the opening epic "Trepanated Earth."  The latter even verges on prophet rock, which is fully explored on his dystopian future tale "Artifact," with the horrifyingly plausible, "then the terrorists spread the plague through computer screens and we died/ and they erased what was left of the West - just a shopping mall."  Life-changing stuff if you can get hip to Pink's humor and lo-fi eccentricity.

3.  Deerhoof - The Runners Four
Here's one of those major freshman year records.  It even made its way to a somewhat embarrassing trip to see them, but that still ranks among one of the best performances I have ever seen.  On the last album with Chris Cohen the San Francisco group makes a true highlight with their experimental tendencies being seamlessly incorporated into some of their most focused songs giving this the feel of a true rock and roll classic more than just a quirky piece of indie pop.  With Matsuzaki and Cohen switching instruments the dynamics have shifted slightly, but they are as unified as ever and give the album a distinguishable sound and let the rhythm lead these songs more than ever.  Speedy as always, and without the choppiness often distracting on their other records this one lives up to its title like a rushing adventure though its twenty tracks.  Naturally the proggy "Running Thoughts" carries that theme the best, but the Deerhoof song most likely to be a hit, "O'Malley Former Underdog" serves that purpose just as well.  Easily the best thing Deerhoof has made.

2.  Spoon - Gimme Fiction
The album which's promo sticker has been attached to this very laptop for 8 years was the Texas group's commercial peak and just another one of their great pieces of modern indie rock.  It's a Spoon album and while they may not create a new exciting sound for each release, strong songs, and perfect perfection are always to be expected and delivered.  With the success of "The Way We Get By" the hopes were pretty high on this one, and still they prove themselves more than just a pop group aiming for the mainstream with the moody opener "The Beast and Dragon, Adored" and carry on with the somewhat dark overtones on "The Two Sides of Monsieur Valentine."  It still propelled them to some more recognition with the rhythmic "I Turn My Camera On" and the incredible nostalgia of "Sister Jack."  The sides of pop, nostalgia, and slightly mysterious even come together in perfect harmony on "I Summon You," making this a contender for Spoon's greatest work.

1.  Animal Collective - Feels
Okay, so speaking of the whole freshman year thing, at a place like Emerson Animal Collective might as well have been the Beatles.  Unfortunately that turned me off them them for several years, but not until after the release of this masterpiece.  It did give their detractors some fodder as this is their most blissed-out hippie-fied record.  Despite that it is one of their best and the belief that it is the best is completely respectable.  The return of Geologist and Deakin could have been deadly, but this album shows that the Collective is at  their best when full.  As a result there is more electric guitar, natural percussion and rapidly changing layers and atmospheres.  Loose and jammy, it still has plenty to seep into the memory like any great pop song, with "The Purple Bottle" and closer "Turn Into Something" having especially strong melodies.  The atmospheric moods also grow with the likes of "Bees" and "Loch Raven" with "Banshee Beat" taking that style into more song-oriented territory.  The childlike energy of the last album is taken even further with lead single "Grass" with its thudding drums giving the band a helpful boost of organic energy.  With the incorporation of outsiders on piano and violin the legendary band's musical range expands as much, or possibly more than their fanbase on this landmark album.  Unquestionably the year's best.

2006 possibly tomorrow, possibly Thursday.  Might need some time, but considering that I had to change this list when I found out one of the top records was actually released in 2006, so yeah, probably easier...