top 5 of 2005
It's that time again. There was a lot of good music released this year, so it's going to be really hard for me to narrow this list down to just five. If you care to know what last year's top five were, go here. Just like before, this list is in no particular order. Some of these albums I enjoyed more than others, but that doesn't mean that one is better than the other. Anyway, enough babbling, here they are...
NIN : [ With Teeth ]
There was a lot of talk about how the new NIN album wasn't going to live up to the hype. A lot of people that heard it before it was released didn't give it any good reviews. Well, I'm so glad I didn't pay attention to any of those reviews. This album rocks... literally.
This album is the best greatest hits album ever. Basically, every song in it sounds like something you've heard before by NIN, but it's not. The songs expand through all their previous sounds. There are songs that sound straight uout of Pretty Hate Machine and some that sound like unreleased tracks from The Downward Spiral. All in all, a good familair listen.
Thievery Corporation: The Cosmic Game
What can I say about this album? Every single track is darn good! Just when I thought that The Corporation couldn't top themselves after The Mirror Conspiracy. they go and release this masterpiece. There are guest vocalists and musicians like David Byrne and Perry Farrel, but even without them, this album would have been great.
Some of the highlights are Marching the Hate Machines, The Heart's a lonely Hunter and Revolution Solution. As usual, my two favorite tracks are the dub-infested Amerimacka and Warning Shots.
Gorillaz : Demon Days
When I heard that Dan the Automator wasn't going to be part of the second Gorillaz album, I was a bit fearful for what it would sound like. Well, it turned out to be awesome any way. The tracks on this album are as rocking as on their first album, and just as catchy. The first single, Feel Good Inc is still being played all over the place even though it was released more than six months ago. I can see the charm of this album expanding all the way to 2006 and beyond.
The Mars Volta : Frances The Mute
Every once in a while there comes a band that takes you back (and back, and back). The Mars Volta does that for me, and I know a lot of fans don't think this album is as good as their previous one, but I just couldn't stop listening to it for weeks, so it deserves a place up here on the top five for this year. Best track in the album: L'Via L'Viaquez.
Röyksopp : The Understanding
When I started gathering the list for this year's top five, the new album by Madonna occupied this spot. That all changed once I started listening to Röyksopp's The Understanding again. When I first bought this album it stayed in my car for months. The music of Röyksopp is a bit housey at times, but not in a bad, annoying way (as most house music). The tracks are very well put together, with good lyrics and awesome dance beats. On top of that, the video for the first single is such an amazing piece of motion graphics art that every one should watch if they get a chance.
Top 5 Bonus!
Brian Eno : Another Day on Earth
I almost forgot about this album. I'm not sure how that's possible since it was the soundtrack to a lot of sleepless nights while working on freelance projects. Another day on earth is extremely mellow, but not boring. A couple of the tracks reminded me of Allan Parson's Stereotomy, which is one of my all time favorite albums. If you listen to just one track from this album, listen to Just another day.
Others Worth Mentioning
Madonna - Confessions on a Dance Floor: Good old dance music by the queen of the discos. You can tell that she's been paying close attention to Daft Punk and Goldfrapp, and maybe even borrowing a bit of their sound.
Combichrist - Everybody Hates You: Rough industrial with a touch of techno for good measure. Andy's third album as Combichrist was making waves even before it was officially released.
Daft Punk - Human After All: Songs about robots! Need I say more?