Year Ending

I am not involved in selling product so I am going to continue not doing my Best of 2005 until it is 2006. This will, if nothing else, give me more time to listen to what I have yet to hear. And re-listen to what I got that didn't grab me the first time through.

I'm not doing a films list because I don't see enough of what I think I'll like to have much of an opinion on the matter.

What I will do now is revisit my 2004 list. I revisited my 2003 list last year... and didn't come up with much to say but, well, I think it's a decent idea anyway. Mainly because I hate making lists but when I see that I still like what I did last year I feel better about making one for this year.

I'll start with the honorable mentions:
Budget Sinatra (local): Either Way I Win; Devendra Banhart: Rejoicing in the Hands; Detachment Kit: Of This Blood; Dios: Dios; The Libertines: The Libertines; Mission of Burma: On/Off/On; DJ Shadow: In Tune and On Time [CD/DVD]; Sons and Daughters: Love the Cup; Squarepusher: Ultravisitor; Tilly & the Wall: Wild Like Children.

• 10. Mountain Goats: We Shall All Be Healed
• 9. Earlimart: Treble and Tremble
• 8. Sonic Youth: Sonic Nurse
• 7. The Sun: Did Your Mother Tell You? - I liked Love & Death but their second EP is better.
  
• 6. Wilco: A Ghost Is Born
• 5. Clinic: Winchester Cathedral - I wasn't so excited about this after downloading "Vertical Take Off In Egypt" from the website before the album came out... then again an instrumental was an odd choice as an introductory song.
• 4. Modest Mouse: Good News for People Who Like Bad News - Last year it was the White Stripes that made the list with their 4th best album (out of 4.) Who will it be next year?
• 3. Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous
• 2. Interpol: Antics - My favorite is "Take You on a Cruise." Usually.
  
• 1. Electrelane: The Power Out - I've talked about this album and this band a lot. 11 songs; 2 instrumentals, 1 in French, 1 in Spanish with lyrics taken from Juan Boscan and 1 in German with lyrics taken from Nietzsche... and this is a very reasonable progression from the first album which was almost entirely without vocals.
  

If I were to rework that now the Clinic would move up a spot or two and the Wilco might move another spot too... but that's about it. Well, I guess I'm less happy with my honorable mentions. I haven't listened to/watched that live DJ Shadow much. That Libertines album annoys me more than it entertains me now. And I've still listened to the other Squarepusher albums I own more than Ultravisitor (even counting just the time since that new one came out.)

Those may be replaced by the these albums I hadn't heard as of January 2005: Arcade Fire - Funeral, the Fiery Furnaces - Blueberry Boat, Autolux - Future Perfect. They're all certainly honorable mention material... though for that matter I'm not convinced that they're not all Top 10 material.

Not coincidentally all three of these bands played Coachella in 2005.