Year end best of lists are by no means absolute even for the author. What I’ve quickly come to realize is that 2005 was a pretty good year for new music. I’ve had a pretty difficult time determining my favorites of the year and placing them in any type of meaningful order.
You might notice that the list is without any hip-hop. I’m no expert on hip-hop by any stretch of the imagination, but it just seemed like a “down” year to me. I’ll gladly accept solicitations for any good new hip-hop releases outside of Kanye, Danger Doom, and Blackalicious.
A year or six months (even a month from now) this list might be decidedly different that as it currently exists. That said, here are my (incomplete at best) picks for best new music of 2005.
50. Holopaw – Out +/Or Fight (Sub Pop)
MP3 | Shiver Me
49. Test Icicles – For Screening Purposes Only (Domino)
MP3 | Boa Vs. Python
48. LCD Soundsystem – S/T (Capitol)
MP3 | Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
47. Sigur Ros – Takk (Geffen)
MP3 | Saeglopur
46. Low – The Great Destroyer (Sub Pop)
MP3 | Just Stand Back
45. Matt Pond PA – Several Arrows Later (Altitude)
MP3 | So Much Trouble
44. Bear vs. Shark – Terrorhawk (Equal Vision)
MP3 | Entrance Of The Elected
43. Wilderness – S/T (Jagjaguwar)
MP3 | Marginal Over
42. Caribou – The Milk Of Human Kindness (Domino)
MP3 | Pelican Narrows
41. The Jim Yoshii Pile-Up Picks Us Apart (Absolutely Kosher)
MP3 | A Toast To The Happy Couple
40. Broadway Project – In Finite (Grand Central)
MP3 | Ancient Voices
39. Andrew Bird – The Mysterious Production Of Eggs (Righteous Babe)
MP3 | A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left
38. Lucero – Nobody’s Darlings (Liberty & Lament)
MP3 | Bikeriders
37. Broken Social Scene – S/T (Arts & Crafts)
MP3 | 7/4 (Shoreline)
36. Laura Veirs – Year Of Meteors (Nonesuch)
MP3 | Secret Someones
35. Nudge – Cached (Kranky)
MP3 | Classic Mode
34. Lightning Bolt – Hypermagic Mountain (Load)
MP3 | 2 Morro Morro Land
33. Great Lake Swimmers – Bodies And Minds (Misra)
MP3 | When It Flows
32. Cass McCombs – PREfection (Monitor)
MP3 | Sacred Heart
31. Ida – Heart Like A River (Polyvinyl)
MP3 | Honeyslide
30. Deerhoof – The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)
MP3 | Wrong Time Capsule
29. Iron And Wine/Calexico – In The Reins (Overcoat)
MP3 | 16, Maybe Less
28. Lowlights – Dark End Road (Darla)
MP3 | So Long
27. Thunderbirds Are Now! – Justamustache (French Kiss)
MP3 | Eat This City
26. Jose Gonzalez – Veneer (Hidden Agenda)
MP3 | Crosses
Numbers twenty-five through one should be up tomorrow or by the end of the weekend at the latest.
This is fucking bullshit: if you don’t put up the whole list we can’t yet complain about stuff you left out. What are you thinking with 50-26? Looks like good stuff. I’ll download it all and throw the playlist on my iPod and let you know.
Thanks for putting Cass on there, he needs some press. The guy could wrap most indie pop singers around his finger. This guy’s no heartthrob writer, he’s caustic, casual, and rich.
SOlid list thus far, at least it’s not as boring as most bloggers. (Does everyone listen to the same 50 albums?)
Nice. . .definitely a fan of Great Lake Swimmers — the self-titled debut was so beautiful, although a little too sad at times. . .fortunately, his recent album is slightly more uplifting!
I do appreciate that your list isn’t as predictable as most have been. The addition of Low, Ida, Laura Viers, Caribou, while I may have expected them from you, the music blog sphere probably didn’t. Great picks thus far. If I had an iPod, I’d turn the playlist as well, but I don’t…so I’ll pick and choose.
jacob, i hope santa brings you an ipod this year.
CBT — good point man. Yeah, the world of music blogs has been spitting out samey top 10s all month long. It makes me scared. Will I be beaten up for not liking Sufjan Stevens?
*going into hiding*
Oh, and yeah, good call with that Holopaw disc, sneaking into the top half-century.
So I loaded up these 25 and hit the trainer at the gym to ride an easy 20 miles (it’s fucking cold outside, give me a break for riding at the gym). I have to say that I’m not too excited by a lot of this stuff. Sigur Ros, Bear Vs. Shark, and Low are really the standouts. Nothing really shitty, just kind of boring. Even the LightningBolt and Caribou seemed boring to me. Maybe it’s my mood, but you better pull your shit together for the top 25.
great list, Eric.
I love that Low album, and I hope Santa is good to me as well, PA. But, I doubt it.