Well, here we are at the beginning of another year (a week in, in fact) and I'm still fiddling with my best of the previous year. I've finally narrowed it down to 10 and that was pretty hard. A lot of people have said that this was a crap year for music, and I retort: we say that EVERY year. Let's face it, radioplay gets worse and worse as it is taken over more and more by corporations like Clear Channel. I gave up on that and MTV for my musical diet years ago. Now, it seems to be whatever I stumble into on the internet or in various record shops. As we all know, I'm pretty openminded and diverse. So here are some of my favourites of 2005. I'm sure as I start putting my CD collection back together, I'll find other stuff to gush over, and I'll feel guilty for not mentioning them, but I wanted to keep this at 10 . . . This is, of course, in no particular order except for the last one which is my favourite for the year.
1.
Porcupine Tree "Deadwing" A Steve Wilson project seems to have been on my lists since I started keeping them a couple years back. There's always something coming down the pipe from these guys and it's always nice to buy it. Deadwing is more dark, prog rock from one of the many bands seeking to pick up the mantle where Pink Floyd and other prog rock groups left off. And frankly, unlike a lot of the recent attempts by veteran prog rockers from Jethro Tull and Journey and a few other groups, this stuff just doesn't sound tired, or a retread.
2.
Depeche Mode "Playing the Angel" Holy christ, it's another Depeche Mode album, and I love it from the first opening alarm-like sounds. My favaourite off this one is "John the Revelator" which rocks and something I might speak on more in the future.
3.
The Jimmy Chamberlin Complex "Life Begins Again" When I saw this on a list at work as a new release, I nearly screamed. I couldn't wait to hear what would come out of this former Smashing Pumpkins drummer. When I got my hands on it, I was shocked to hear something that was essentially a jazz-rock fusion album. It's stayed in rotation around here for a while. Billy Corgan's own solo project this year was also pretty cool, but somehow I didn't love it as much as this.
4.
Sigur Ros "Takk" I've said a lot about this band over the past few months. It's one those bands and album that have a purgative effect. No matter how I feel before listening, I feel clensed by the end of the album. Check out their website and their downloads section, they've got a few really good videos up too. Just be prepared to sit and stare and the simple majesty of this band.
5.
Pitty Sing "Pitty Sing" This is a band that I found in the store and gave a quick listen and decided it warranted further attention. Eventually, I bought the album and really listened to them and they really surprised me. "Radio" "Telephone" "We're On Drugs" all have been played fairly regularly in my shoutcasts and found their way on a couple of the mixes.
6.
The High Strung "Moxie Bravo" I heard them on NPR several months ago and they really impressed me. I wrote a gushing review about them a while back and finally got the album. The album lives up to my own hype.
7.
Bettye LaVette "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise" I think this is a part of my growing interest into R&B, Soul and Blues. There's some serious passion behind this woman's vocals. She also covers a song from an earlier album from another one this years best, "Sleep to Dream" by Fiona Apple. Bettye's vocals and the arrangement give the song a depth and maturity that no one in their teens can hope to have. Bettye's voice begs, pleads, demands, does all the things that a good soulful singer can accomplish, but you can really hear something behind these vocals, as opposed to a lot of the schlock polluting the R&B world. Bettye is definitely not Beyonce Knowles.
8.
Fiona Apple "Extrordinary Machine" Yes, it came out. Yes, I've got it. Yes, I'm in love with her again. My musical mistress does it again, putting out something that's both playful and serious at the same time. I love the carnivalesque aspect the title track has, and the absolute denial behind "Not About Love." If you can, check out the videos for this album, though sadly, her official, Sony run website doesn't direct you to them. And oh yeah, the older she gets, the hotter she gets too. (Though some might say she still needs a few sandwhiches).
9.
Subarachnoid Space "The Red Veil" Surfing around online, I accidentally downloaded one of their tracks and really liked it. It was somehow burried in someone's Pink Floyd folder. I did some research and learned more about the band. They're a West Coast band that basically make music that sounds like a trip on brown acid, therefore, it's instrumental psychedelia that's not for the faint of heart. This is lots of grinding guitars and drumming washing over you in wave after wave. It's the dark, distorted instrumental music I dream of.
And now for this year's all time favourite. . .
10.
The Mars Volta "Francis the Mute" This band, along with the Flaming Lips and Porcupine Tree are becoming one of the bands I can't do without. This album blew me away and still does every time I listen to it. It's damn near everything. I can go on and on, but why bore you with details. Go buy this record, or at least sample it. (It really isn't for everyone. It's been described as "discordant" by people who don't get it).
Some honorable mentions: Dredge "Catch Without Arms," Rilo Kiley "More Adventurous," and Echo and the Bunnymen "Siberia." There are others, but I'll mention them as I sift through things.
