So its that time of year. Lists of best, worst, etc. I decided to share my thoughts on my likes on various mediums and since music means a lot to me, that's where I'm starting. Please feel free to add your thoughts to this and subsequent threads. No particular format.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
A lot of great albums came out this year. I think I probably added more new bands to my likes than any year in the past. My top 10 favorite albums/artists of 2005:
10. Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams
Before this year I had no idea who Jack Johnson was. I mean, I listen primarily to alt rock stations and he wasn't on their play lists. Until late this year. Nothing hard edged (my preference) by still some great music. And the video for Sitting, Waiting, Wishing is kinda cool.
9. System Of A Down - Mezmerize
A short album, a little over 30 minutes, but I think it was meant to be part of a dual disc along with Hypnotize, which was just released. Good old hard edged, subversive music. Just a lot of rock and some dead on political commentary in the lyrics. My kind of tunes.
8. Fall Out Boy - From Under the Cork Tree
Okay, this band gets the award for the most long track names on one album. Example: I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me. There are at least four or five tracks with titles that long. The music is pretty good too for...well, I'm not sure how their music should be classified but I like it.
7. Foo Fighters - In Your Honour
Two discs, two different styles. And Dave Grohl pulled it off. I loved Nirvana and was glad that Grohl was able to carry on after they were gone but never really followed Foo Fighters. This dual disc may have changed that. I did like the harder, more 'traditional', sound of the first disc but the slower music of the second disc was good too. Definitely one of the year's best.
6. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand & You Could Have It So Much Better
Technically their self-titled album came out last year but this was the year it hit big with Take Me Out. For a four man band from Scotland (who knew they could make music without a pict? ) these guys offered up some catchy tunes. The second album released just in October got off to a great start with Do You Want To. Some pretty interesting lyrics in that one. As one Amazon reviewer put it "homo-erotic blissed out dance punk!"
5. Beck - Guero
Why the hell is there a Beck album on my list? I've never really liked him in the past. Not someone I've actively avoided listening to (like flipping the station when he comes on) but never thought enough to buy an album. Guero changed that. E-Pro, the first single, got me interested and the (to me) Van Morrison sounding Girl hooked me good. I just love the twangy acoustic guitar on that song. Brings back memories. Beck has actually remixed the alubm and released Guerolito but I haven't listened to it yet. I don't want the remixes to ruin a great album.
4. Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
I say this totally as a straight, hetero male. I love Trent Reznor. To me he is the musical equivalent of Edgar Allan Poe. His lyrics and music get to me in the same way that Poe's words do. I wish he didn't take so long between albums but respect the way he works. While With Teeth isn't as strong as his previous work I still thoroughly enjoyed it. There is no you, there is only me!
3. Gorillaz - Demon Days
A one man show fronted by some of the ugliest looking cartoon characters this side of Ren and Stimpy. But the music! Feel Good Inc. will be on every music CD I burn. DARE is totally catchy and Fire Coming Out of a Monkey's Head has to be heard by everyone.
2. The Killers - Hot Fuss
For a band out of Las Vegas with a lead singer born and raised Mormon in Utah I was pleasantly surprised. Not a klinker on this album with many tracks I still sing along to on the radio. "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier." I can only hope they continue to be this good on subsequent releases.
1. Audioslave - Out of Exile
As another poster has in his profile, I've been enslaved by Chris Cornell's latest creation. This sophmore album was as good as or even better than the first. Another album I'll never tire of listening to.
[ December 22, 2005, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Lightning Lad ]
Posted by MLPOV on :
Out of Exile was better for the simple fact that these guys are a band this time around. Their first album, while a strong effort, came off sounding like "Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine as studio musicians". I love alot of Audioslave, but Exile is just such a fabulous album.
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
quote:Originally posted by MLPOV: "Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine as studio musicians".
Even that beats 90% of the garbage played on the radio today. But I fully agree. The gelled on this album. While I loved Velvet Revolver's first album (Contraband) I don't think they'll pull off what Cornell and company has. The melding of various alt/hard rock bands into a long lasting new group.
Posted by MLPOV on :
I don't see VR lasting longer than Slash's Snake Pit... Posted by MLPOV on :
And hell yeah, Chris and the gang were great on the first album-- better than the majority of their peers, as you said-- but Exile showed they have the potential to be THE significant hard rock band of their time.
Sidenote: Audioslave played a radio station-sponsored Thanksgiving show here in CT awhile back, and I overheard someone who attended saying that CC mentioned they were already done writing their THIRD album and getting ready to go into the studio.
I can't wait! Posted by Lightning Lad on :
That made my day! Going to put that on my Christmas list for next year right now.
Posted by Kid Cobalt on :
I think the only CD I actually bought this year, and it very well might have been last year now that I think of it, is Green Day's "American Idiot".
The music today hurts my soul.
Help me, Legion World, help me. Point me in the direction of good songs and albums. Scooter and Pov, I trust your opinions implicitly (and its very rare when Pov isn't explicit ). I'll probably check out most of the songs/albums you already have there Scott...
Posted by CJ Taylor on :
I'm hard pressed to name something better than Scott's top two. I wasn't as excited by Fallout Boy, too much of that nupunk sound like Simple Plan and Bowling for Soup. I would add a couple tho'...
Brighteyes - Digital Ash in a Digital Urn A cross between the Killers and Depeche Mode. Great 80's techno sound with smart lyrics.
Dresden Dolls - Dresden Dolls Here's a fun cd to listen to. It's almost anti-establishent in it's diverse styles of music. It took me a few attempts to really find the good in it; but since then I haven't stopped spinning it.
Ike Reilly Assassination - Sparkle in the Finish. The new Boss? Ike is just full of simple songs that get to ya. Not to suggest he isn't talented; but rather than go for the art of music, he's about the connection it can make. Life has ups and downs, we're here to ride them out.
Posted by knowjack on :
I just burned a bunch of CDs last night to give to my friends--my "Best Songs of 2005": (no particular order)
1. HUNG UP Madonna 2. LOVE ME LIKE YOU The Magic Numbers 3. TEARS ALL OVER TOWN A Girl Called Eddy 4. I SUMMON YOU Spoon 5. KEROSENE Miranda Lambert 6. ROSES & HIPS Keren Ann 7. DIRTY HARRY Gorillaz 8. COSY IN THE ROCKET Psapp 9. GOT MY OWN THING Liz Phair 10. AN HONEST MISTAKE The Bravery 11. TENDER BUTTONS Broadcast 12. CHEWING GUM Annie 13. JACKSONVILLE Sufjan Stevens 14. JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH Nouvelle Vague 15. THE COMEBACK Shout Out Louds 16. KING OF THE MOUNTAIN Kate Bush 17. HELICOPTER Bloc Party 18. SOME GIRLS Rachel Stevens 19. SUPPOSED TO BE Cary Brothers 20. BALL & CHAIN Martha Wainwright
One or two of these may be pre-2005, but I didn't hear them until '05!
Posted by Blockade Boy on :
Thought this might be a link of interest for this thread.
quote:Originally posted by Povolero: I don't see VR lasting longer than Slash's Snake Pit...
VR's situation is simple: People were so happy that these guys were back on their feet and making music again that the band was cut an awful amount of slack. But that's over with, and if the next album doesn't knock it out of the park, the backlash will set in in earnest.
Posted by armsfalloffboy on :
I thought the VR album sounded like none of those guys realized it wasn't 1993 anymore...I was a huge Soundgarden fan, but I haven't gotten into Out of Exile yet. It's on the iTunes, so I imagine I'll get further along.
Best albums I listened to in 2005:
My Morning Jacket, Z: My favorite album of the moment. Unbelievable voice, great musicianship, nothing that's unoriginal.
Gwen Stefani, LAMB: Wore it OUT over the summer. I ain't no hollaback girl.
The Killers debut: Nearly perfect. They'll be hard-pressed to equal this one.
Kanye West, Late Registration: I don't listen to a lot of rap, but this is a great album. If you're one of those people who "don't get rap," try this record. So much more than the crap that sells gajillions of dollars (see: Fitty Cent), even though this one did sell like crazy.
...And You Will Know Us By Our Trail of Dead, Worlds Apart: Another album that sounds really original to me.
Gorillaz, Demon Days: Another really great sounding album. One of the only albums I liked that the thirteen year olds I teach liked too.
Biggest Disappointments:
Coldplay, X&Y: You're poised for world domination after a completely brilliant second album, and THIS is the best you can do? Fix You has got to be the worst song they've ever put out. There's letting your audience come to you and then there's pandering to the lowest common denominator, and they did the latter on much of this disc.
Foo Fighters, In Your Honor: There are about five great double albums in the history of rock'n'roll. The other eleventy million double albums are one good album with one album of mediocrity thrown in for good measure. Ditto this one.
The new Madonna: How completely boring. And the video was yuck. I'm 34 and thinking to myself, "aren't you a bit old to have your aerobicized ass hanging out of your old leotard from 1985?"
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
quote:Originally posted by armsfalloffboy: Coldplay, X&Y: You're poised for world domination after a completely brilliant second album, and THIS is the best you can do? Fix You has got to be the worst song they've ever put out. There's letting your audience come to you and then there's pandering to the lowest common denominator, and they did the latter on much of this disc.
Not only that, their new disc specifically states you cannot play it in DVD players, car steros or make MP3s out of it. BoingBoing story.
Posted by Spellbinder on :
My biggest surprise of 2005 was Ryan Cabrera, the former boyfriend (although I think she was just his beard) of Ashlee Simpson. I was perfectly willing to pre-judge him based on his relationship with Ashes, and wasn't going to give him the time of day. Then I discovered he was the one singing this new song that I was loving on the radio, "This Is True."
So, it was off to Amazon to listen to some samples of the rest of his CD, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the samples. So, off to Wal-Mart I went, and purchased the CD. I really enjoyed it. He has a good voice, and the songs were really enjoyable. Alot more mature than I was expecting. I then bought his next CD, and once again loved it.
So, my apologies to Ashlee Simpson. I promise to not pre-judge her next gay boyfriend, and will give him a chance Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
Best prog/hard rocking album for me was The Mars Volta's Frances The Mute. A lot of jaw-dropping intense moments on this one. Prog is not dead.
The New Pornographers' Twin Cinema is one of the best pop-rock records in recent memory, IMO. Great songs inventively produced and played. If you think modern rock has lost its sense of melody, you need to check this bunch out.
Biggest surprise was Ta Det Lugnt by the band Dungen. Lo-fi Psychedelic rock sung in Swedish. I couldn't make out a word. It didn't matter.
Speaking of incomprehensibility, I also enjoyed the latest album by The Fall: Fall Heads Roll. On first listen, this will sound like some guy ranting and muttering over steady riffing and odd sounds. Second and third listens, too, since that's exactly what this is. But I love it so.
Posted by Joe-Boy on :
quote:Originally posted by Spellbinder: My biggest surprise of 2005 was Ryan Cabrera, the former boyfriend (although I think she was just his beard) of Ashlee Simpson. I was perfectly willing to pre-judge him based on his relationship with Ashes, and wasn't going to give him the time of day. Then I discovered he was the one singing this new song that I was loving on the radio, "This Is True."
So, it was off to Amazon to listen to some samples of the rest of his CD, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the samples. So, off to Wal-Mart I went, and purchased the CD. I really enjoyed it. He has a good voice, and the songs were really enjoyable. Alot more mature than I was expecting. I then bought his next CD, and once again loved it.
So, my apologies to Ashlee Simpson. I promise to not pre-judge her next gay boyfriend, and will give him a chance
I dont mind a bit of old Ryan. but no self-respecting Gay Man would have that hair. Plus he's dating one of the Veronicas now so he must be straight (come on...twins girls? straight mans fantasy)
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). I'll probably check out most of the songs/albums you already have there Scott...