Fall, Glimmer, Sparkle and Fade

:: Sunday, February 05, 2006 ::

Top 20 of 2005

I'm very uncool. If you understand that simple fact, you can enjoy this list.


1) Ben Folds 'Songs for Silverman'
- Not to use the oldest of cliches, but the cream always seems to rise to the top. This year is no different as Ben Folds delivers another gem that is clearly in a league by itself (another cliche?). As with every Ben Folds album (Five and otherwise), there's something for everyone. From the lighthearted "Gracie" about his daughter to "Late" one of the most beautiful tributes you will ever hear, for his friend Elliott Smith.
Standout Track: Late


2) Foo Fighters 'In Your Honor'
- Much like Ben Folds, Dave Grohl manages to stay one step ahead of his peers. If you'll remember, Dave started the whole "Acoustic Revolution" after his incredible performance of "Everlong" on the Howard Stern Show years ago. Once K-Rock in New York started playing that cut, every rock band in the country was working on an acoustic version of their 'heavier' hits. And he has had the rock community on his tail ever since. 'IYH' continues this trend as the ability of the Foos to deliver the goods on both the Acoustic and Rock discs further shows they are the Kings of Rock.
Standout Track: Miracle


3) Bruce Springsteen 'Devils and Dust'
- While 'Nebraska' and 'The Ghost of Tom Joad' didn't really do much for me (I know, blasphemous for a Bruce fan) I was blown away by Bruce on his third try at a stripped album. If 'The Rising' had been a folk album, this is what would you would have heard. The story telling is as strong as ever and Bruce's vocals are as haunting as they've been in years.
Standout Track: Devils and Dust


4) Better Than Ezra 'Before the Robots'
- They would hate to hear it, but I like to compare BTE to your favorite sweatshirt. No matter how long you go without it, whenever you come across it again you quickly remember why it has always been your favorite. When Better Than Ezra waited four years to release the follow up to 'Closer', I wondered if the time away from the creative world would take away from the hooks that make their music so good. Actually, it was just the opposite. My favorite sweatshirt is back.
Standout Track: Our Finest Year


5) James Blunt 'Back to Bedlam'
- The Rod Stewart comparisons keep popping up in review after review and while the vocal similarities are occasional, I don't hear it. And that's a good thing. Stewart is a musical icon, but I see him as more of an entertainer than composer. James Blunt is easily the best singer/songwriter to hit the scene in '05 and the depth of his debut gives you reason to believe there won't be a sophomore slump.
Standout Track: Goodbye My Lover


6) Fountains of Wayne 'Out of State Plates'
- For most bands, a double-disc release of leftovers and B-sides wouldn't be worth your time or money. With FoW, it's like finding a hidden treasure you thought was lost forever. Not only do you get I Want an Alien For Christmas, ...Baby One More Time and Man in the Santa Suit, but you also get a slew of never before heard cuts. If the Foo Fighters are the Kings of Rock, then FoW are the Kings of Power Pop.
Standout Track: The Girl I Can't Forget


7) Audioslave 'Out of Exile'
- As much as I loved Audioslave's debut album, I was disappointed by how off base I was about what it ended up sounding like. I expected a true Soundgarden meets Rage record. Chris Cornell certainly brought a different life to the tracks, but they didn't feel as if they were his own. This time around it's perfect. Every song sounds different and one could easily mistake them for Soundgarden or Rage depending on which one you land on. I've finally been given what I expected, only on a 3 year delay.
Standout Track: Dandelion


8) Coldplay 'X&Y'
- Y'know, I don't care much for Chris Martin. I'm not sure what it is, but something about him bugs me. Sure, I've always recognized his incredible talent for making music, but I never was able to get too caught up in his music ('A Rush of Blood to the Head' barely cracked my Top 20 in 2002). Something has obviously changed, because this album is fantastic. I can now sing along without wanting to kick Chris Martin in the shins. Go figure.
Standout Track: A Message


9) The All-American Rejects 'Move Along'
- My uncoolness will be obvious as you look over this list. It seems to be very 'cool' to write off bands like the AAR, but this is one of the catchiest pop records of the year. They'll never take home the Grammy for Album of the Year though it might lighten people up a bit if they did. Imagine this, some kids from Oklahoma the kings of the music world. That sounds like a better proposition to me than Gwen Stefani, Usher or Kanye West. Maybe it's just me.
Standout Track: Change Your Mind


10) Our Lady Peace 'Healthy in Paranoid Times'
- Not the same since guitarist Mike Turner left the band in 2001, but Raine Maida and Co. can still put together quite the compelling rock album.
Standout Track: Boy


11) Rob Thomas 'Something to Be...'
- Anytime a rock band becomes a pop band, the questions always start about if the lead singer will release a solo album. After Rob Thomas had a smash hit with Santana in "Smooth", it then became a question of not if, but rather when. I was certainly worried that it would be nothing but 12 ballads that would make "3am" and "Bright Lights" sound like heavy metal. Luckily Thomas was able to dig much deeper into his musical repertoire and it paid off. There are ballads that would fit on any Matchbox Twenty album. But you also have the funky "I Am An Illusion" and "All That I Am" that would have made a Matchbox fan scratch their head a bit. Kudos for mixing it up, Rob.
Standout Track: Now Comes The Night


12) Ryan Adams & the Cardinals 'Cold Roses'
- Anyone that was a fan of 'Heartbreaker' or 'Gold' will love this record. If you don't, you can come complain to me and I'll point and laugh. This is as good as alt-country will ever sound, I don't care how many albums Wilco put out. Ryan could have cut this down to an amazing 13 track CD, but with so much material to put out (three albums in the span of one year) he obviously didn't feel like being picky.
Standout Track: Beautiful Sorta


13) Jason Mraz 'Mr A-Z'
- Wanna read some harsh reviews? Find any review of Jason Mraz' sophomore release and you will not be disappointed. Not only is he mocked as a novelty, but as a self-obsessed one at that. Mraz will never be mistaken for David Gray, but does that have to be a bad thing? Just because a singer can be funny doesn't mean he's a joke.
Standout Track: Did You Get My Message?


14) Aqualung 'Strange and Beautiful'
- Those of you that miss the pre-'Kid A' Radiohead days will be happy to discover this record. Not to say Matt Hales is anywhere near the performer that Thom Yorke is, but he certainly helps to fill the void left by Radiohead when they went MIA.
Standout Track: Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put A Spell On You)


15) Vendetta Red 'Sisters of the Red Death'
- The first time I heard any music from Vendetta Red, I was shocked at why such an awful band would not only get a major label deal but so much attention from said label. That was a poorly made EP. After seeing them live, I was sold. Call it musical love at first sight. The only thing I worried about was how any producer could capture that magic in the studio. Not only did they capture their perfect screamo formula on 'Between the Never and the Now', their major label debut, but it was the best the genre had heard in it's short life span. While this follow up isn't as impressive as I would have liked, the boys of VR still have their engine firing on all cylinders. There are so many awful bands making awful music making millions simply by screaming over loud guitars and labeling their music 'emo'. Call these boys what you want, but what they are is the real deal.
Standout Track: Vendetta Red Cried Rape On Their Date With Destiny


16) Josh Kelley 'Almost Honest'
- While there's no one spectacular thing about Josh Kelley's 2nd major label release, there are a whole lot of pretty good things. It's a rare start to finish listen (especially this low on the list) and it's anything but a replay of his debut. With all the singer/songwriters out there, Josh seems to have been lost in the shuffle a bit.
Standout Track: Didn't Hear That From Me

17) The New Pornographers 'Twin Cinema'
- It only took three albums and five years, but the New Pornographers finally won me over. And it's not as if this record is so different from their earlier work, so I'm not sure what took me so long. All three are unique takes on power-pop and definitely deserve a listen if they haven't found their way to your collection yet.
Standout Track: The Bleeding Heart Show


18) Franz Ferdinand 'You Could Have It So Much Better'
- Maybe it's because I'm not cool, but I'll never fully understand the undying love people have for these guys. Sure, they write plenty of catchy songs and this album is certainly full of them. But under no circumstances would I consider them (or the Strokes for that matter) as any kind of saviors of rock and roll.
Standout Track: The Fallen


19) Lifehouse 'Lifehouse'
- If I may make a sports analogy... Lifehouse reminds me of former New York Met and current Oakland Athletic Jay Payton. Like Payton, they don't do anyone one thing great, but there's plenty to like. And when they are firing on all cylinders, it's a fun show to watch. Lifehouse haven't hit one out of the park, but it's a solid record that tends to get overlooked simply because they are Lifehouse.
Standout Track: All in All


20) Bright Eyes 'I'm Wike Awake, It's Morning Motion Sickness'
- Not being the biggest fan of Bright Eyes, I didn't anticipate either of his 2005 albums ('Digital Ash In A Digital Urn' is the other) to grab my interest or a spot on my very exclusive (and very uncool) Top 20. With my blatant uncoolness, I'm sure Conor Oberst -- the man behind Bright Eyes -- would be happier if he didn't appear here, with him being very cool and all. But when I listened to this mostly acoustic album just to say I did, I couldn't turn it off. Each song is very well crafted without being overdone and this would surely be higher on the list if I hadn't waited so long to discover it.
Standout Track: Another Travelin' Song

:: Ryan 1:03 PM [+] ::
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