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December 28, 2005
BEST ALBUMS OF 2005 - THREE TAKES - PART 2 - Merry Swankster
Your lovable host, the Merry Swankster presents part two in our Best Albums of 2005 series. Check back tomorrow for the final installment of our take on the year's best albums, culminating with a feast of MP3s of our picks for your New Years Eve enjoyment.
1. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (s/t)
Indie phenomenon of the year has the talent and music to back the blogosphere hype. Still technically unsigned, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s self-titled, self- released, and self-produced debut enchants listeners with bright pop hooks, clever arrangements and the incoherent wail of Alec Ounsworth’s vocals aping David Byrne while singing about his quarter life crisis. CYHSY not only have the best rock album of 2005, but a great story to boot. Naysayers point out that their sound is unpolished, and the production is clearly DIY therefore it’s blemished. I don’t hear it. I even like the twisted carnie oompah-pah opening throw away! By the time “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” bends its notes and skips frets I’m not only sold but telling everyone I know to go out and get this. So it goes, so it went, so it is.
//CYHSY – MP3s reviewed
//Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - buy
2. Kanye West – Late Registration
Production alone, this is the album of the year and it will be a travesty if Kanye does not win every award the mainstream industry awards itself. The heavy hitting supporting cast (feat. Common, Jay Z, Nas, and The Game), are not included for name dropping alone. Kanye utilizes guests for arrangements when his vision calls for it, shortcomings perhaps, but adding to and injecting to the “Kanye West” dynamic. This ethos is demonstrated on two of the biggest singles, “Gold Digger” including Jamie Fox and “Heard ‘Em Say” with Adam Levine. Neither have the Hip Hop credentials of aforementioned sidekicks, but both accentuate Kanye’s music in ways that are unimaginable without them.
The shameless boasts and much maligned jabs at President Bush need not be considered when critiquing the art. Neither would register even a blip without the brilliant body before it. He can “talk his shit” again and again if he keeps releasing such amazing music – you don’t spite talent like this.
//Kanye West – Late Registration – buy
3. Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Something about Montreal. Wolf Parade follows Arcade Fire in becoming the latest Canadian export with enthrallingly crafted songs. The band has a big messy sound, one with holes in it, drums dragged through the mud for a few bars and suddenly upright and clean sounding. At times it sounds like a band playing while being pushed around a filthy hallway, only barely fighting the shoves to sing and perform. While other times they sound like outright prog-rock (“Fancy Claps”). The “Wake Up” of …Queen Mary is found on the thick chords and choral harmonies feeding the growing energy ball that is “Shine a Light.” Its getting better all the time.
//Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary - buy
4. Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise
Following 2003’s kickoff of the 50 state project (Greetings From Michigan) Sufjan Stevens returns with his second record into the ambitious goal. The cleverly titled second volume includes the Peanuts theme revisited, sympathetic titles concerning serial killers, superman, zombies, striking workers, all delivering us to the marvelous places of Sufjan Stevens’ extensive research. The wild musical opus is a rich orchestral production with recurring musical themes (re: Peanuts) and Sufjan’s unique vocal inflections peppering a plethora of history and trivia. Illinoise may end up required listening for Midwest social studies classes. Fittingly, the Second City receives one of the strongest cuts on the album. Oh the places you’ll go.
//Sufjan Stevens – Illinoise - buy
5. LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem (s/t)
James Murphy – aka LCD Soundsystem:
Interests: Remixing, running DFA Records, pointing out the awesomeness that is my record collection, parties, lightning bolts, love to dance!
Music: Rock, Punk, Postpunk, Dance/punk, Electroclash, Pop - Pretty much anything (except country, yuck!).
About Me: I enjoy brooding when singing, some say I sound nasally but I don’t hear it. Wearing many hats (DJ, MC, Producer, Front-man, Sweet Dude). Giving descriptions and instructions to house parties set to song because evite is for unoriginal chumps. Not a morning person.
Perfect Date: Daft Punk playing at my house.
//LCD Soundsystem – LCD Soundsystem – buy
6. Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better
Title cut’s inspiration came from a UK infomercial. “Grinning goon on [the] TV screen” pitching better living through purchase of his hawked product. Stylish and affable frontman, Alex Kapranos, dismisses the empty pitch and redefines the phrase for his band’s sophomore album title track while distilling everything that makes Franz so great:
”Refuse to be a cynical goonThis type of concept driven storytelling is the least discussed aspect of Franz Ferdinand – a Bonoesque tactic of layering crafty lyrics over already fantastic disco drenched rock music - bringing you deeper into their world of fun and self-awareness veiled in dance party exuberance and classic Scottish charm. Explicit postmodernism, art aware of it’s being art.
Passing the masses an easy answer…
Unless you get up…get up
Come on and get up…get up!”
Leveraging the seemingly carefree dance rock is a litter of this just below-the-radar depth. The scatter of Biblical references on a track about a corrupt modern day messiah (“The Fallen”), three act suicide stories (“You’re the Reason I’m Leaving”), and private messages to lovers present (“Eleanor Put Your Boots On”) showcase this angle.
Coldplay may sit comfortably as the self-announced heirs to U2’s throne of “World’s Biggest Band”, but their blue blood is thinning and flowing healthily in Franz Ferdinand. Recall the public knighting by Bono himself at the Grammy’s.
//Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have It So Much Better - buy
7. Spoon – Gimme Fiction
Gimme Fiction is the type of album you play when you are with an unsuspecting friend, the skeptical rock snob type, in order to fish for a response. Clearly digging the tunes, they’ll inevitably ask, “Who is this?” You smile coyly while telling them, and defeated they respond with, “huh, pretty good.” This is a win for you.
From the jazzy swing of the opening track “The Beast and the Dragon, Adored” to the piano dominated syncopation of closer “Merchants of Soul”, Spoon’s latest is not only one of 2005’s strongest pop albums, but a top 10 album. Affirmation in the band’s commitment:
”It took its time working into my soulThe music that will change your life indeed.
I got to believe it come from Rock and Roll”
//Spoon – Gimme Fiction - buy
8. Gorillaz – Demon Days
The first era of rock and rap hookups bequeathed frightening and entirely forgettable bands with “extreme” misspellings related to what viagra would later fix (ironic) and biscuits (?). The entire thing was a sham with limited shelf life that has mercifully gone away. Gorillaz, as a project, is the genre melting pot that typifies the iPod (shuffle) era we live in today. Therefore it is not surprising that the man who merged The Beatles & Jay Z is at the helm of the Hip Hop knobs on Demon Days. Bigger than the sum of its influences, Demon Days pays homage to gospel, Britpop, Brian Wilson, video games, electrolounge, and indie pop in its 15 tracks. Josh Tyrangiel of Time calls it, “[A] unified theory of modern music.” He’s right.
//Gorillaz – Demon Days - buy
9. Animal Collective - Feels
This album scares the shit out of me, and not only because on more than one occasion the vocals somehow mimic crashing cymbals. Something that I thought impossible before Feels. Reminiscing of being 10 years old and hiding under the covers because the noises of howling wind and the house settling had my imagination running wild with events so violent and ridiculous only an overactive, pre-psychedelic experimented mind could dream up. Feels' midway, “Bees,” is like a druggy run through the fields of Oz. It begins with harmless strumming; relaxing and slowing you down until you pretty much shut down. A dissonant echo haunts in anticipation of all out terror leaving you paralyzed and synched with the retarding of “the bees, the beeees, the beeees, reh reeeh reeeh reeeaaaahh.”
//Animal Collective - Feels – buy
10. M.I.A. – Arular
The torrent of hype surrounding M.I.A. before Arular was even released indicated not only high expectations, but high chance for disappointment. Fortunately, for the chewing at the bit early adopters she delivered the goods and provided endless fodder for writers to weave her worldly background into glowing record reviews. A truly genre bending release covering dance, electronica, and even reggae, M.I.A. sits most comfortably in her tricked out ride of British grime and Hip Hop. The Sri Lankan born, London raised offspring of a Tamil Tiger rebel, M.I.A. could easily be characterized (i.e. dismissed) as the world music torch bearer of political music. But this lady is not the female Manu Chau. She’s throwing a party with trademark yelps, Diplo beats, and amazing energy.
//M.I.A – Arular - buy
Honorable Mention (in no particular order):
Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene (s/t)
Lush, multi-layered soundscapes are the archetypical aesthetic of Canadian collective Broken Social Scene, and this self titled 2005 flavor is no exception. The instrumental and vocal busyness of this release bounces from trippy post-rock, in form and title, on “Finish Your Collapse and Stay for Breakfast,” to dreamy indie pop of “Bandwitch,” and ending on unhinged rock with the killer “It’s All Gonna Break.”
//Broken Social Scene – Broken Social Scene - buy
The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan
The most evident (or alarming) aspect of Satan is clearly the missing guitars that have up until now defined the White Stripes. Jacky boy replaces them with keys and marimba with successful results. One listen to the excellent “My Doorbell” alleviates any qualms, and may lead to spontaneous table stomping sing-alongs.
//Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise – Merry Swankster review
//The White Stripes – Get Behind Me Satan - buy
My Morning Jacket – Z
Miles Raymond might say: A little Pete Townsend. Maybe a vocal strain of Wayne Coyne. Mmm. Inspired authenticity of southern rock, and, oh, there’s just like the equal leans of indie rock flutters, but not overwhelming, allowing Z’s own unique sound to develop into an instant My Morning Jacket vintage. It wins over the hippie hating hipsters as well as that same alliteration in reverse. Its not a “fucking Merlot.”
//My Morning Jacket – Z – buy*
*CD version contains SONY DRM which contains harmful spyware if you rip to your computer. Read more here.
New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
The best pop band in North America led by the best pop songwriter in Carl (A.C.) Newman continues to make their case for why this is not an outrageous statement. There I said it.
//New Pornographers – Twin Cinema - buy
Bloc Party – Silent Alarm
Singer Kele Okereke shifts his vocal attack from punk hollering (“She’s Hearing Voices”), Bush bashing, (political breakout “Helicopter”), muffled and reverb’d (“So Here We Are”), to the visceral bombing raid of album opener (“Like Eating Glass”). His unmasked British accent, the relentless offensive attack of guitar and drums make Bloc Party one of the more promising acts of the year. If it is true that a band permanently etches history by having a particularly defining sound, then Bloc Party has achieved this after just one full length release.
//Bloc Party – Silent Alarm – buy
Of Montreal – Sunlandic Twins
Actually not from Montreal, but the name directs intrepid kids googling ‘indie music of Montreal’ to a band skilled in reprocessing sounds of ‘60s pop. Kevin Barnes’ (of Of Montreal) claims the Sunlandic sound is “21st century ADD electro-cinematic avant disco.” He also sounds like a female Motown singer, the chick from Jefferson Airplane and a Beach Boy on the same record. If that alone doesn’t make you click below and follow through until purchase I don’t know what will.
// Of Montreal – Sunlandic Twins - buy
Tags: Best Albums 2005, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah,Kanye West,
Wolf Parade, Sufjan Stevens, LCD Soundsystem, Franz Ferdinand, Spoon, Gorillaz, Animal Collective, M.I.A.
Posted by Merry Swankster at December 28, 2005 08:00 AM
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Comments
Hey Nice List! i've posted my favourite songs of 2005 here - http://www.nialler9.com/blog/
Posted by: Niall at December 29, 2005 10:44 AM
