Best of '05

Here are (in no particular order) my 11 favorite albums of 2005. Two of them have bears on the sleeve, what are the chances?

Youth Group u.s. debut album Skeleton Jar [Stream tracks at their site.]

British Sea Power - Open Season [Much better than their debut album.]

HAL - sef-titled debut [U.S. release sold approx 3 copies. Stream tracks at their site.]

Athlete - Tourist [Much better than their debut album. Videos at their site.]

Kent - Du Och Jag Doeden [Their 6th album, it's better than the previous one. This was never released outside Scandinavia, and ignore the awful sleeve!]

Ed Harcourt - Strangers [His 3rd album and his best yet. Stream tracks at his site.]

Echo & The Bunnymen - Siberia [A return to form after the ultra-weak Flowers.]

The Crimea debut album Tragedy Rocks [Will get a proper u.s. release in '06. Stream tracks at their site.]

Embrace - Out of Nothing [Consistent 4th album, though not as good as the previous one. Stream tracks at their site.]

Editors debut album The Back Room [album sampler. Hopefully it will get a U.S. release in '06.]

Longview debut album Mercury [Stream tracks at their site.]

Honorable mention:

• Levy - Rotten Love
• Longwave - There's a Fire
• Nada Surf - The Weight Is a Gift
• Turin Brakes - Jackinabox
• A-ha - Analogue [Hopefully it will get a u.s. release in '06]

Comments

[Kevin]

Agree with the BSP, Echo, Kent and Athlete.
Harcourt and Editors were very good as well.

Just thought I would give my 2 cents.

Thought the Magic Numbers, Mew and Super Furry Animals should be topping a lot of lists this year as well......

[torr]

Magic Numbers - Liked the singles, but most of the album tracks dragged on at over 5mins.

Mew's album was a dissapointment for me after the brilliant Frengers.

SFA I was never much of a fan except the Rings album.

[Pete]

Oasis, Gorillaz, Franz Ferdinand, The Tears, Coldplay and Babyshambles for albums this year. Again a good year for music.

[torr]

Pete, the only ones of the albums you mentioned that even came close my my "honorable mentions" are The Tears and Coldplay, and I was dissapointed by both albums. I don't really even like Oasis (anymore), Gorillaz, Franz Ferdin or Babyshambles.

[Matt]

Torr, I gotta disagree with you thinking If You've Never Been was better than Out of Nothing. This album they got back into the rock than dreary piano whining!

Love all of your picks though!! Shame Arcade Fire isn't up there thoguh.

[torr]

Matt, I prefer Embrace when they're doing the dreary piano whining! :-) And I don't like Arcade Fire at all, sorry.

[D]

Good list but did you just consider the only the last half of the year and not the first half?
What about M83, The Devlins, Doves, The Bravery, Mercury Rev, Bloc Party, New Order, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Beck, Robbers On High Street, Goldrush, Maximo Park, Spoon, BRMC, Stars, Idlewild....... (to name some of the more mainstream indie types)....

[torr]

D, the 2nd half of the year really let me down. I wasn't much of a fan of any of those albums really. The best of that lot were Stars, Idewild, and Mercury Rev.

[torr]

I need to add a-ha to my list, that album is really good. I'm a fan and even I didn't expect it to be this interesting.

[D]

Torr, I need to pick up the A-Ha especially after your recommendation. Also, still have gotten the Kent Du...Doeden and cool to see it made your list. I am doing my list of top 50 right now and it has not been an easy exercise. I am surprised on what I have come up with. It is interesting to see how I have leaned heavily on the overseas (Brit) music a lot. Like you that is my passion, more of the UK music scene than US. And a lot of the US bands I like are doing something that is akin to the UK style (80's etc..). Quite an interesting exercise. Plus, I have purposely tried not to fall into the path of what is popular with the indie crowd, but more of what I listened to and loved the most regardless of where it came from or who it is by...
Good posts Torr, and hope you had a good Thanksgiving!

D

[Stytzer]

Happy to see Kent in your list. I know your thoughts on the Mew album, so no point in complaining about that one missing. No Balance Palace by Danish band Kashmir is probably the best album of 2005, but I guess you haven't listened to that one?

[torr]

Do you know someplace where I can get the latest kashmir album for cheap? I liked their previous one.

[Robyn]

I still haven't heard the new Mew album! :| One of my friends liked it more than Frengers, but I loved that album so much (to the point of death...if that's a good thing), I can't imagine liking the new one more.

Mmmmmm, Youth Group. And Kent.

I unknowingly heard HAL's music before. And I like it. How'd I miss out on that? Ugh.

[frank]

The new Kent album seemed a little bland to me, I loved Palace & Main but otherwise preferred Hagnesta and Vapen over the latest one. Just bought the new EP and it's decent.

Frengers is probably a little better than ATGHK, which is proggier and a little out there. But I liked the structure of the new one a little more, the songs were more complex and the way it flows is pretty cool.

[JAX]

I have to agree with you ed harcourt is simply amazing. i didnt get in to this album as much as I did "from every sphere" which is still in regular rotation in my cubicle.

magic numbers is definately in my top 10 for the year. Im posting my year end list on thursday :)

JAX