Top 10 List of 2005

The holidays and lots of work have really made it difficult to blog. But here's my favorite music of 2005.....

1) Sufjan Stevens’ ILLINOIS – I enjoyed a few songs off of Michigan, but never expected this. It would have been even stronger if he had cut about 15 minutes of filler. Key tracks: “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.” and “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts.”

2) Spoon’s GIMME FICTION – He draws inspiration from bands most indie rockers pretend they don’t listen to. Key tracks: “I Summon You” and “I Turn My Camera On.”

3) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH – I seem to like it more each time I hear it. I put it away for a couple of months and recently picked it up again. Key tracks: “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth” and “Over and Over Again (Lost and Found).”

4) Fruit Bats’ SPELLED IN BONES – Just some solid Shins-esque indie pop. Key tracks: “Born in the 70s” and “Lives of Crime.”

5) My Morning Jacket’s Z – I always hated their records but liked their live shows. Finally they cut out all the jams and got to the point. Key tracks: “Anytime” and “It Beats For You.”

6) Broken Social Scene’s BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE – They really need to quit messing around and make a consistent record. Maybe they feel the sloppiness is part of their charm? Key tracks: “7/4 (Shoreline)” and “Superconnected.”

7) Low’s THE GREAT DESTROYER – The first song is “Monkey” and the second song is “California.” That’s a great start in my eyes. Producer Dave Fridmann probably deserves a lot of credit for the sound of this record. Key tracks: “California” and “Everybody’s Song.”

8) Pernice Brothers’ DISCOVER A LOVELIER YOU – This record was a little disappointing when I first got it, but only because my expectations were so high. Key tracks: “My So-Called Celibate Life” and “There Goes the Sun.”

9) The Foxymorons’ HESITATION EYES – Sure they’re friends of mine, but I would have really liked this anyway. Key tracks: “Harvard Hands” and “Hesitation Eyes.”

10) Rogue Wave’s DESCENDED LIKE VULTURES – Just some solid Shins-esque indie pop. Key tracks: “10:1” and “Love’s Lost Guarantee.”

Other stuff I recommend: The Earlies’ THESE WERE THE EARLIES, The New Pornographers’ TWIN CINEMA, A Band of Bees’ FREE THE BEES, Dios (Malos) S/T, Iron & Wine/Calexico’s IN THE REINS, The Boy Least Likely To’s BEST PARTY EVER, Bonnie “Prince” Billy/Matt Sweeney’s SUPERWOLF