Best Music of 2005: Part The Last
5. The Queens Of The Stone Age - Little Sister
A slippery little number, made up of even spaces and 45 degree angles, given the Bruce Dickinson treatment.
"Gene, really explore the studio space this time.
Really.
Explore the space."
4. The Mars Volta - Cygnus.... Vismund Cygnus
The first track from The Mars Volta's Frances The Mute, a 2005 edition of a 1975 King Crimson album crossed with Pink Floyd's sense of album unity. Except its even better than that. Guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez is credited as the 'writer and director' of this little movie for the ears and he does an excellent job of taking prog-metal into new, ambitious realms. While none of his numerous guitar solos are quite as memorable as those of others who have worked in this idiom (Zappa, Page, Gilmour, Fripp) the overall musicianship and songwriting is winning, especially singer Cedric Bixler's virtuosic readings of his mad lib lyrics.
3. Stephen Malkmus - No More Shoes
Stephen getting jammy with it. Little by little, I think guitar solos are coming back in fashion. But in the good way. Not the weedly weedly wee, shoot the fireworks off way. The down in the basement rocking out to Neil Young and Crazy Horse way. That makes me happy. And this song is really fucking cool.
2. Kate Bush - Nocturn
Could be in a dream
Our clothes are on the beach
These prints of our feet
Lead right up to the sea
The second disc of Kate Bush's latest, Aerial, could best be described as a song cycle with the theme being the passing of a summer day out of doors, with a song for such moments as painting the afternoon sky, a rain shower, shadows falling, sunset, starlight over the ocean, and finally sunrise. Sounds kind of touchy feely? Definitely. But its inspired and it reminds me of times I've been able to spend entire days outside, sunrise to sunset, experiencing each subtle change of light, each change in sea and sky. Every day the earth makes one revolution on its 365 day orbit around the sun. Isn't that enough reason to sing? Isn't it enough reason to spend a whole day with a loved one and the sky above? Just to watch it all happen?
1. Blackalicious - The Fall And Rise Of Elliot Brown
Song of the year.