Cover Story
The Best of 2005
Click here to listen to the Scene's music critics discuss the best (and worst) in music from 2005.Year-end record lists are a lot like tribute albums: people groan when they see them but can’t stop making them. Sure, these annual tallies can be indulgent and self-congratulatory. And given the proliferation and compartmentalization of pop culture, they certainly aren’t as authoritative or representative as they once might have been. But here we go again, sinning boldly, to paraphrase Martin Luther, with another installment.
For this year’s model, we’ve asked nine regular contributors to the Scene’s music pages to offer a glimpse of which new favorites have been lodged in their playback mechanisms this year. In some cases, we invited writers to compile genre-focused lists of records, from country and rock to hip-hop and jazz/blues. In a few other cases, we asked folks to put together lists of what one Top 10 calls “all denominations.” Writers could include albums, singles and downloads in their lists, but perhaps out of habit, we kept things old-school and went mostly with LPs. In other words, no one (sigh) listed LCD Soundsystem’s glorious single, “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House.”
Speaking of bands playing places, our Spin columnists have put their heads together and come up with a list of the year’s best live shows.
Gimme Indie Rock!
1. Spoon, Gimme Fiction (Merge) If there’s a better band in the U.S. right now, they didn’t release an album better than Gimme Fiction in 2005. “When you believe, they call it rock ’n’ roll,” Britt Daniel calls out in the opening track. Believe.
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2. Galaxie 500, The Peel Sessions (20/20/20) With the passing of John Peel last year and the increasing commercialization of “indie” rock, this album is perfect transportation to those less polished days before pods and blogs, when this group of dreamy Velvet Underground worshippers were one of the best bands in the world.
3. Deerhoof, The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars) Deerhoof take such enjoyably weird routes through post-punk, noise pop, bossa nova and nursery rhyme that it’s smile-inducing just listening to the scenery change.
4. Magnolia Electric Company, What Comes After the Blues (Secretly Canadian) On the face of it, Jason Molina and Steve Albini seem like an odd pairing, but they combined to commit these melancholy, timeless songs to tape. Molina’s flawed, heartbroken vocals are as powerful as ever, and his songwriting has never been so assured.
5. The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema (Matador) A.C. Newman proves he’s a wonder at any speed, Neko Case steps forward and shines, Dan Bejar writes a few songs that don’t stick out like sore cobras, and the whole thing makes for a terrific pop record—masterful, even.
6. The Clientele, Strange Geometry (Merge) A pitch-perfect monument to ’60s pop that sparkles, dims and manages to go well beyond homage. Beautiful and haunting, Geometry reminds us who invaded whom, and with what.
7. Giant Drag, Hearts and Unicorns (Kickball) Sexy, aloof, awesome, trashy and flip: these rockers are anything but a drag on this noisy, entertaining album. It’s hard to argue with fuzzed-out pop songs with titles like “You Are Full of Shit (Check Out My Sweet Riffs).”
8. Okkervil River, Black Sheep Boy (Jagjaguwar) There was hardly a more rending single this year than “For Real,” the darkly rendered tale of masochism, longing and violent potential that anchors this stark, memorable collection.
9. M.I.A., Arular (XL/Beggars) A fantastic mash of jerk beats, oscillator shots and pidgin rhymes.
10. Lightning Bolt, Hypermagic Mountain (Load) This pair of berserkers get tagged “experimental” a lot, but they get results. Havoc on an over-amplified bass plus one skinny dude smashing away like a marching band at war with itself makes for a terrific soundtrack to feeling jacked-up and surreal.
—Steve Haruch
Nashville Rock City
This year saw several local rock bands finally bring their A game, get their game faces on, live it, eat it, breathe it and a host of other rock-talk analogies for getting out there and getting it done. From a little garage-rock outfit called The Clutters releasing an ass-kicking rock album, to Richie Kirkpatrick’s band Ghostfinger issuing a finely wrought, genre-hopping record, the bar was more than raised; it was positively inspired. Bands like Jetpack made plans to tour, and The Privates decided playing shows regularly might not be a bad way to sell CDs. The Carter Administration offered Air Guitar Force Once as proof that they’re still a vital part of this rock scene, and De Novo Dahl topped them all with an ambitious double album. The Pink Spiders hopped on a tour with Yellowcard, and local indie label Theory 8 showcased at CMJ. All in all, the hustling was infectious. Here are the highlights on record:
1. The Clutters, T & C (Chicken Ranch) A raw, bouncy, catchy release of rebellious punk-rock with a Farfisa. Excellent soundtrack for drunken rebellions or protests of any kind.
2. Ghostfinger, These Colors Run (Set International) Should Richie Kirkpatrick front a Rolling Stones cover band, the Ramones or Rush? His protean rock flirts with brilliance, and the most fun is figuring what inspired any given riff or keyboard part. Björk? AC/DC? Sabbath?
3. Jetpack, The Art of Building a Moat (self-released) The Features without all the circus act, this is an EP for anyone who digs Costello and smart power-pop from nice, clean boys.
4. The Pink Spiders, Hot Pink (C.I. Records) Easy enough to feed the hype on The Pink Spiders, who are such a whirlwind of hustle that it’s sometimes tough to see beyond the shiny prepackaged decadence and remember that underneath the cigarettes and attitude, this is a record of solid pop-punk songwriting that led to a major label deal, a major tour and, yes, more hype.
5. De Novo Dahl, Cats and Kittens (Theory 8) Ambition is releasing a double-album for your first full-length. At times boasting six different songwriters, it’s easy to shout the too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen metaphor, but Cats and Kittens tackles 32 dance-rock tracks with a steady hand. The result? Quirky, melodic grooves destined for nightclubs and house parties.
6. The Privates, Louder Than Lightning (self-released) The Privates are something like the Max Fishers of the local rock set—smart, underachieving lads who get by on being so damn good they don’t seem to have to try. This EP and their subsequent plans for world domination are proof the boys really are making a go of it at Grover Cleveland. This little wonder masters the art of delayed gratification in bursts of tightly wound, exhilarating rock.
—Tracy Moore
Flo’Ology ’05
1. Edan, The Beauty & the Beat (Lewis) Full of wild metaphors and hazy imagery, Edan’s razor-sharp flow rides classic rap beats fleshed out with samples of trippy, psychedelic rock. His combination of two seemingly disparate genres isn’t so farfetched; psychedelic rock was about freedom from conventional reality, ’80s rap was about freedom from the reality of ghetto life. Acting as DJ and MC, Edan creates a recording freed from the conventions of commercial hip-hop.
2. Damien “Jr. Gong” Marley, Welcome to Jamrock (Motown) One of the best dancehall records in years. There are no club bumpers that American audiences have come to expect from the genre here—just bubbling dub and splashes of roots dancehall and rap. Marley brushes it all with the social consciousness of his father’s folky reggae.
3. Fatlip, The Loneliest Punk (Delicious Vinyl) ’Lip turns depression, drug abuse and divorce into the year’s funkiest and funniest confessional record. After being booted from the Pharcyde for living in excess—too much ego, too much cocaine—he returns to rap, fulfilling the promise of the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
4. Atmosphere, You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having (Rhymesayers) MC Slug drops the sensitive indie rapper act, muscles up vocally and mires in the muck, Ant busts beats that are harder than South Bronx streets, and the duo produce the best record of their career.
5. Cunninlynguists, A Piece of Strange (QN5) Despite the lurid pun of the band’s name, MC Deacon and DJ Kno defy the skirt-chasing, bling-obsessed stereotype of Southern rap by way of Deacon’s street fables and Kno’s ethereal production, which rivals that of RJD2.
6. DangerDoom, The Mouse & the Mask (Epitaph) / Gorillaz, Demon Days (Virgin) This year, Danger Mouse lived up to last year’s hype by producing two very good concept albums, taking music based on two-dimensional creations and giving it depth and infusing it with hip-hop energy.
7. Thievery Corporation, The Cosmic Game (ESL) This duo from DC fire up their global chill-out sounds with political commentary from guests like David Byrne, Perry Farrell and Sleepy Wonder.
8. Teriyaki Boys, Beef or Chicken (Def Jam/Bathing Ape) Some of Japan’s dopest MCs collaborate on a tongue-in-cheek tribute to ’80s rap with help from the likes of King Ad-Rock, The Neptunes, DJ Shadow and more. The LP is the equivalent of a four-finger ring that reads “FRESH” mashed up in your grill.
9. Faith Evans, The First Lady (Capitol) Forever known as Notorious B.I.G.’s widow, Faith gets a Beyoncé makeover and comes back to bridge the gap between modern R&B and ’70s Stax wax.
10. Floetry, Flo’Ology (Virgin) Natalie Stewart seduces with poetry and Marsha Ambrosious entices with her sticky-sweet alto on the late-night slow jam collection of the year.
—Mark Mays
Greetings From Music Row
1. Miranda Lambert, Kerosene (Sony BMG) Spit-shined and full of devilish energy that defies her fresh-faced good looks, this audacious debut from the Nashville Star alum laces roadhouse honky-tonk with candy-coated hooks. The result is a modern and mature album that leaves little doubt about Lambert’s star power.
2. Nickel Creek, Why Should the Fire Die? (Sugar Hill) This criminally talented trio’s percussive picking has always sounded like an act of vengeance, but this album also simmers with the angst and fierce restlessness of twentysomething life. It’s a potent combination.
3. Gary Allan, Tough All Over (MCA Nashville) Allan’s first album since his wife’s suicide is an unflinching meditation on loss, the anguish in his rough-and-tumble tenor transforming even Vertical Horizon’s ordinary “Best I Ever Had” into a searing portrait of grief. Uncomfortably intimate and incredibly moving.
4. Lori McKenna, Bittertown (Warner Bros.) McKenna’s fearless musical snapshots lay bare the realities of domesticity and small-town life while clinging to the hope of better days. Raw and unapologetic, it’s no wonder the album has captured the attention of Music Row.
5. Sara Evans, Real Fine Place (RCA) Evans’ pop-leanings and down-home voice have often seemed at odds, but this album proves they needn’t be. Glossy but grounded, here she revels unself-consciously in brisk bluegrass and sugar-soaked ballads while reaching for more sophisticated stories. A long-overdue breakthrough.
6. The Wrights, Down This Road (ACR/RCA) This husband-and-wife duo have benefited from their family ties to Alan Jackson, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve it. This outstanding debut sneaks sly lyrics into laid-back country, enhanced by the seamless blend of the couple’s husky, fireside voices.
7. Trisha Yearwood, Jasper County (MCA) Four years in the making, Yearwood’s latest pairs lush ballads with grittier material that finds her exploring the bluesier corners of her glorious voice.
8. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, “Jackson,” Walk the Line (Wind-Up) Individually, Phoenix and Witherspoon offer admirable—though not astounding—musical imitations of Johnny Cash and June Carter. Together, they’re pitch-perfect, their voices tangling in the kind of scintillating saint-meets-sinner chemistry that made the Carter/Cash fairy tale so enchanting.
9. Chely Wright, The Metropolitan Hotel (Dualtone) A song cycle about emotional scars, Wright’s first independent album strips away slick production to highlight her smoky timbre and confessional songwriting.
10. Ryan Shupe & The RubberBand, Dream Big (Capitol) Taking a page from the book of Big & Rich, Shupe and his band let a host of influences—from jazz to reggae to rock—seep into their pop-spiked bluegrass to create a frisky, infectious debut.
—Katie Dodd
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