BEST IN MUSIC 2005

I didn�t realize what kind of challenge I put in front of myself saying I was going to do all of these lists, but I�m going to get them done. So, here�s the music portion. I already said, as did Doc, in earlier posts that this has been a pretty damn cool year for music. A lot of interesting new avenues were taken by more established artists, and there were some great debuts and good sophomore efforts out there to listen to. So, without further ado, here�s the ten best that music had to offer in 2005.


TOP TEN FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2005

10. NINE INCH NAILS �WITH TEETH� � While not necessarily the best NIN album, it might be Reznor�s most complete. There�s only a couple songs on here that don�t really work (the borderline New Wave �Only� and the more than obvious radio-friendly �The Hand That Feeds�), but they don�t detract enough from what this album has going for it. This is the strongest NIN has ever been with the music. You can here some of Dave Grohl�s best drumming ever in his collaboration on �The Collector.� There might not be a �Closer� esque standout, but the album has a continuous melody to it from song to song that give it an almost epic feel. This might be the best concept album ever that wasn�t intended to be one.

9. BEN FOLDS �SONGS FOR SILVERMAN� � The first couple of times I listened to this album it didn�t work too well for me, and then it just really started growing on me. This is definitely the album of 2005 that gets better every time you listen to it. �Landed� is easily the most addictive pop song Benny has written since �Song for the Dumped,� and try to get away from songs like �Bastard� and �Jesusland� without them infesting your brain for the rest of the week. After the equally excellent �Rockin the Suburbs� was released a few years ago, I really expected a slide for Folds, but he proved me wrong thankfully.

8. FRANZ FERDINAND �YOU COULD HAVE IT SO MUCH BETTER� � The title of this album pretty much encompassed my feelings of Franz�s highly overrated debut album last year. But there sophomore album is flat out the best punk rock album to come out in a long while. I would even go so far to compare it to the early years of The Clash. Laugh at me all you want, but it�s no different than Green Day coming out with the best Who album since Quadrophenia. There are more than enough political rabble rousers and psychedelic love songs for the most die hard of punk fans. Who says punk is dead?

7. KANYE WEST �LATE REGISTRATION� � This is not the most consistent album of the year, there are a few duds, but when the album�s good, it is very, very good. Much like Ferdinand�s previous, I wasn�t as into �College Dropout� as most people were, but here I�m starting to understand Kanye�s appeal. �Heard �Em Say� featuring Maroon 5�s Adam Levine is the best R&B song of the year, and tracks like �Hey Mama� �Crack,� and �Gone� (feat. Cam�ron) are close at its heels. Like I said, the album has a few missteps, a sappy ass duet with Brandy called �Bring Me Down� is the most notable offender, but all the good makes up for it. I like that Kanye is taking hip-hop and R&B and creating an interesting mix; experimentation has it�s problems on occasion, but at least he�s trying to do something different. Retreads like Nelly and P Diddy should take note.

6. SLEATER KINNEY �THE WOODS� � Sleater Kinney has the distinction of being the only female rock band that I�ve ever given a damn about. We�ve come a long way from Vixen and Veruca Salt, and they put more modern commercial acts like The Donnas to shame. Their past albums have always had their moments, but �The Woods� came at me from left field and puts Sleater Kinney in a whole new ballgame. This might very well be the best rock album to come out so far this decade that no one�s listening to. While most modern day rock bands take the classic rock riffs and come off as impostors, Sleater Kinney is able to make it all their own.

5. THE GETO BOYS �FOUNDATION� � One of raps earliest acts is mad as hell about the present state of trendy rap, and they show everyone how it should really be done on �Foundation.� The Bad Boys from Houston have broken up and gotten new members a multitude of times over the years, but the original trio (Willie D, Scarface, and Bushwick Bill) reunite for the first Geto Boys album in almost ten years. And it was well worth the wait. The opening track �Declaration of War� sets the tone perfectly and then the album doesn�t let up for the next 14 tracks after that. And this isn�t just a rehash of the early days of rap. One of the tracks, �Yes, Yes Yall,� is a straight up party jam ala Chingy or Fat Joe, and the Geto Boys prove they know how to party better as well. In a year where we�ve seen embarrassing new albums from the old school likes of Reverend Run, Warren G, D.J. Quick, and Public Enemy. �Foundation� is a refreshing taste for fans of the old school rap. And it�s a great intro for the younger rap fans to learn the genre�s roots with a fresh twist added on.

4. DEPECHE MODE �PLAYING THE ANGEL� � With the exception of �Violator,� I haven�t given Depeche Mode much of a listen in the past decade, and if my wife and sister-in law weren�t such die hard fans I would never have heard this album, but thankfully I did. The best pop album of the year by far, and also some of the best written songs in 2005. This is pretty dark and brooding pop, as Depeche Mode returns to their roots; for instance if you�re a kid of divorce, �Precious� will hit you like a ton of bricks. But good pop is good pop whether it�s dark or uplifting and Depeche Mode delivers the goods here.

3. THE SILVER JEWS �TANGLEWOOD NUMBERS� � Doc turned me onto the Jews five years ago or so, and I am a better man for it. This is their first album in four years, and I would have to say it�s their best one to date. Glad they took the time off to come up with such an extrodinary piece of work. David Berman is a poet in the best sense of the word, and this is a band that really uses it�s local roots (Yes, they�re from Nashville) to it�s advantage quite a bit better than say The Features or The Carter Administration. There�s a reason they�ve been able to break out of the local scene; listen to this album and you will understand why.

2. BECK �GUERO� � I don�t know if this is Beck�s best album (I�m still leaning towards the underappreciated �Midnight Vultures�) but it�s right up there. The thing I love about Beck is you can never pin him into any genre, and because of that you never know what surprise is in store for you with each album. �Guero� has been misrepresented by a lot of the critics. Some want to say it�s got a lot of �Odelay� in it; some want to throw back to �Mutations.� It sounds like neither one of those, and like all of his previous adventures, it�s something entirely different. This is also by far his darkest work; check out the track where he envisions himself as a serial killer �Missing.� And �E-Pro,� shows him at his catchiest since �Sex Laws.� You can never nail this guy to a particular genre, and if that doesn�t make him inspiring, I don�t know what does.

1. DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE �PLANS� � Everyone feared this indie fave�s first studio album, me included. And I seem to be in the minority, but I feel like it worked beautifully. It�s still got that independent spirit to it, but with better production values. The great song writing, vocals, and music are still there, but it doesn�t sound like they recorded it in a garage. Death Cab proves that it�s possible to go bigger and still remain the same. And I am by no means knocking their other albums with the garage comment, but I just never have understood everyone�s automatic suggestion that because you go to one of the big boys, you�ve sold out. I hope all the naysayers out there give this another listen, because not only is it the best album of 2005, but I�d go so far as to say it�s the best that�s album come out of this decade.