12.10.2005
The best music of 2005
For several years when writing about arts & entertainment for the local paper I would offer my annual feature on the best CDs of the year. It was a chance to pontificate on my favorites, the one day I wasn't hemmed in by the need to write about the usual spate of jam bands, hair metal and mainstream country that seemed to come to town with frightening frequency.
Well, it's that time of year again, and even though I'm no longer paid to do so, it just felt right to compile my usual list. So, here are my top 20 discs, in order, plus a few more that narrowly missed the cut and a couple of others not to miss.
The Top 10
1. My Morning Jacket – Z
Wow. What a progression, from folky country to full-on boogie jam to... whatever one would call this. Few bands have been able to grow this much this fast while maintaining a semblance of what first made them so appealing. Out of the silo and into the stratosphere.
2. Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Yes, this bears the handprints of producer Isaac Brock. No, that's not a bad thing. Taking Brock's yelp and twisted lyrics as just one ingredient, Wolf Parade has crafted an album of depth, power and beauty.
3. The National – Alligator
This moody disc seemed to earn a few rave reviews upon release and then faded as more-hyped bands took the limelight. That just makes this that much more precious a find. Great arrangements and atmosphere make this a great front-to-back listen.
4. The Clientele – Strange Geometry
This sounds like some long lost gem from the 1960s on first listen, but the clean, crisp production has a decidedly modern feel. Some of the best melodies of the year on a disc that fulfills a lot of this band's early promise. (see my PopMatters review)
5. New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
Those other great melodies? You can find them here. Carl Newman subverts the formula a bit, giving Neko Case the slow burners so he can have the bombastic pop gems for himself. That just meant it took a couple more spins for this to lodge itself in the ear.
6. Pinetop Seven – The Night’s Bloom
Perhaps the biggest leap forward by a band in 2005. Previous P7 releases were good; this is fantastic. Darren Richard uses everything but the kitchen sink here, but manages to make the whole things sound like an organic front porch chamber pop jam. (see my PopMatters review)
7. Jose Gonzalez – Veneer
Sure, you'll hear Nick Drake and Elliott Smith in here somewhere, and while this isn't the most original work, it is such a hauntingly beautiful mix of fingerpicked guitar and hushed vocals that you'll forgive the derivative nature and just enjoy the music.
8. Pernice Brothers – Discover a Lovlier You
A new disc from Joe Pernice, a guaranteed spot in the Top 10. Not so fast, it seemed early on. Joe perhaps stripped things down too much in his quest to see what life was like on the unorchestrated side of the fence. His sturdy melodies stood up with out the accoutrements, however, and this is yet another stellar offering.
9. Ron Sexsmith & Don Kerr – Destination Unknown
This slipped out in Canada with little notice south of the border, but it's a delightful record full of Everlys-inspired harmony singing from one of the best songwriters in the business.
10. John Vanderslice – Pixel Revolt
Vanderslice has come a long way from his jokey past, following 2003's great Cellar Door with the even better Pixel Revolt. This studio wizard builds complex songs whose melodies never falter under the weight. The stories he tells are, to use a tired descriptor, short-story worthy.
The next 10
11. Spoon – Gimme Fiction
12. Okkervil River – Black Sheep Boy
13. Go-Betweens – Oceans Apart
14. Sleater-Kinney – The Woods
15. Nada Surf – This Weight is a Gift
16. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
17. DangerDoom – The Mouse and the Mask
18. Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures
19. Black Mountain – s/t
20. Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot
Five more in no certain order:
Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower
Explosions in the Sky – Temporary Residence EP
Iron and Wine/Calexico – In the Reins
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – s/t
The Ponys – Celebration Castle
Three great live jazz discs rescued from the vaults:
John Coltrane - One Down, One Up
Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker - Town Hall New York City, June 22, 1945
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall
And...
one great single from an otherwise lukewarm record:
Teenage Fanclub's "It's All in My Mind" from Man-Made.
Well, it's that time of year again, and even though I'm no longer paid to do so, it just felt right to compile my usual list. So, here are my top 20 discs, in order, plus a few more that narrowly missed the cut and a couple of others not to miss.
The Top 10
1. My Morning Jacket – Z
Wow. What a progression, from folky country to full-on boogie jam to... whatever one would call this. Few bands have been able to grow this much this fast while maintaining a semblance of what first made them so appealing. Out of the silo and into the stratosphere.
2. Wolf Parade – Apologies to the Queen Mary
Yes, this bears the handprints of producer Isaac Brock. No, that's not a bad thing. Taking Brock's yelp and twisted lyrics as just one ingredient, Wolf Parade has crafted an album of depth, power and beauty.
3. The National – Alligator
This moody disc seemed to earn a few rave reviews upon release and then faded as more-hyped bands took the limelight. That just makes this that much more precious a find. Great arrangements and atmosphere make this a great front-to-back listen.
4. The Clientele – Strange Geometry
This sounds like some long lost gem from the 1960s on first listen, but the clean, crisp production has a decidedly modern feel. Some of the best melodies of the year on a disc that fulfills a lot of this band's early promise. (see my PopMatters review)
5. New Pornographers – Twin Cinema
Those other great melodies? You can find them here. Carl Newman subverts the formula a bit, giving Neko Case the slow burners so he can have the bombastic pop gems for himself. That just meant it took a couple more spins for this to lodge itself in the ear.
6. Pinetop Seven – The Night’s Bloom
Perhaps the biggest leap forward by a band in 2005. Previous P7 releases were good; this is fantastic. Darren Richard uses everything but the kitchen sink here, but manages to make the whole things sound like an organic front porch chamber pop jam. (see my PopMatters review)
7. Jose Gonzalez – Veneer
Sure, you'll hear Nick Drake and Elliott Smith in here somewhere, and while this isn't the most original work, it is such a hauntingly beautiful mix of fingerpicked guitar and hushed vocals that you'll forgive the derivative nature and just enjoy the music.
8. Pernice Brothers – Discover a Lovlier You
A new disc from Joe Pernice, a guaranteed spot in the Top 10. Not so fast, it seemed early on. Joe perhaps stripped things down too much in his quest to see what life was like on the unorchestrated side of the fence. His sturdy melodies stood up with out the accoutrements, however, and this is yet another stellar offering.
9. Ron Sexsmith & Don Kerr – Destination Unknown
This slipped out in Canada with little notice south of the border, but it's a delightful record full of Everlys-inspired harmony singing from one of the best songwriters in the business.
10. John Vanderslice – Pixel Revolt
Vanderslice has come a long way from his jokey past, following 2003's great Cellar Door with the even better Pixel Revolt. This studio wizard builds complex songs whose melodies never falter under the weight. The stories he tells are, to use a tired descriptor, short-story worthy.
The next 10
11. Spoon – Gimme Fiction
12. Okkervil River – Black Sheep Boy
13. Go-Betweens – Oceans Apart
14. Sleater-Kinney – The Woods
15. Nada Surf – This Weight is a Gift
16. Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
17. DangerDoom – The Mouse and the Mask
18. Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures
19. Black Mountain – s/t
20. Son Volt - Okemah and the Melody of Riot
Five more in no certain order:
Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower
Explosions in the Sky – Temporary Residence EP
Iron and Wine/Calexico – In the Reins
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – s/t
The Ponys – Celebration Castle
Three great live jazz discs rescued from the vaults:
John Coltrane - One Down, One Up
Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker - Town Hall New York City, June 22, 1945
Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane Coltrane - At Carnegie Hall
And...
one great single from an otherwise lukewarm record:
Teenage Fanclub's "It's All in My Mind" from Man-Made.
